title: Bacterial cellulose nanocrystals-embedded silk nanofibers.
abstract: Nanofibrous Bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (BCNs)-embedded silk fibroin were successfully fabricated using electrospinning. The morphology, structure and mechanical properties of the silk fibroin nanofibers were investigated at various BCNs concentrations from 0 to 7 wt%. SEM, TEM and XRD analyses were conducted to confirm the incorporation of the BCNs in the electrospun silk fibroin nanofibers. The average diameter of the silk fibroin/BCNs nanofibers increased from 230 to 430 nm according to the increasing of the BCNs ratio due to the rising solute content. The FT-IR spectra confirmed the conformational transition of the silk fibroin, from a random coil to a beta-sheet structure, which shows the enhanced mechanical properties of silk fibroin based nanofibers even with small amounts of the BCNs. Moreover, it was observed that the Young's modulus of the silk fibroin/BCNs nanofibers unexpectedly increased with the formation of BCNs with a percolation structure at a concentration between 3 and 5 wt%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 402-751, Korea.
authors.forename: Doo Jin
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Youngeun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Semi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.forename: Se Youn
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Hyung-Joon
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D041822:Gluconacetobacter xylinus / Q000378:metabolism*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D047011:Silk / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D047011:Silk; D002482:Cellulose