Preparation of silk fibroin and polyallylamine composites

Composite films made of silk fibroin (SF) and polyallylamine (PAA) are prepared that contain various compositional ratios. These materials are analyzed to elucidate the resulting physical properties and to assess their potential toward advanced applications as industrial materials. The composite films are obtained from a SF and PAA binary system by dry casting from aqueous solution. These composite films exhibit excellent processability such as film forming capabilities, and the elongation at break is increased in the wet state. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves of the composites suggest that a mutual interaction takes place between the SF and PAA. This interaction is believed to occur because the endothermic peak, corresponding to the individual polymer, shifts with increasing SF content. The random coil conformation of the SF is present, regardless of the PAA blending, as confirmed by FTIR and DSC measurements. Additionally, living cells from Antheraea pernyi and Bombyx mori insect tissues are shown to grow effectively on the composite films. Maximum growth levels occur when the cultivation flask is coated with the material in SF/PAA ratios of 75:25 to 25:75. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 1963–1970, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10491