title: Preparation and characterization of wet spun silk fibroin/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend filaments.
abstract: Silk fibroin (SF)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend filaments were prepared by a wet spinning process. Regenerated SF and PVA were dissolved in formic acid and the dope solution exhibited good fiber formation in a methanol coagulation bath. Due to the miscibility of SF/PVA in formic acid, the filament had a smooth surface and dense structure with a circular cross-section. The crystalline structure and thermal properties were varied with different SF/PVA ratios. The mechanical properties of the filament were also controlled by blending PVA with SF. Especially, the knot strength of the SF filament, which is a very important suture property, could be significantly improved by blending with PVA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosystems and Biomaterials Science and Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151921, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ki Hoon
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Doo Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.forename: Chang Seok
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Ki
authors.forename: Young Hwan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D005349:Fibroins / Q000737:chemistry*; D005561:Formates / Q000737:chemistry*; D000432:Methanol / Q000737:chemistry*; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005561:Formates; C030544:formic acid; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; D005349:Fibroins; D000432:Methanol