Ionic Liquid-Assisted Synthesis of Mesoporous Silk Fibroin/Silica Hybrids for Biomedical Applications.

ABSTRACT: New mesoporous silk fibroin (SF)/silica hybrids were processed via a one-pot soft and energy-efficient sol-gel chemistry and self-assembly from a silica precursor, an acidic or basic catalyst, and the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, acting as both solvent and mesoporosity-inducer. The as-prepared materials were obtained as slightly transparent-opaque, amorphous monoliths, easily transformed into powders, and stable up to ca. 300 °C. Structural data suggest the formation of a hexagonal mesostructure with low range order and apparent surface areas, pore volumes, and pore radii of 205-263 m² g^-1, 0.16-0.19 cm³ g^-1, and 1.2-1.6 nm, respectively. In all samples, the dominating conformation of the SF chains is the β-sheet. Cytotoxici

SUBMITTER: Pereira RFP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6173513 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature