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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Artículo Open Access |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://4spepublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pc.70430 |
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Table of Contents:
- Tunable Secondary Structures in Silk Fibroin/Graphene Oxide Composites Min‐Rou Woon Yuanxiang Fu Tow‐Jie Lok Jie‐Wei Wong Kai‐Yi Lim Evianie Bingak Edward Nur Aina Farhana Mat Nasir Zhi‐Xian Lim Yan‐Ji Tan Yaoting Xue Tuck‐Whye Wong Jia Tee Low Xuxu Yang Polymer Composites ABSTRACT Achieving homogeneous dispersion of graphene oxide (GO) within silk fibroin (SF) matrices remains a significant challenge due to solvent incompatibility and GO aggregation. In this study, SF‐GO composite films were fabricated using a binary solvent system comprising 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride (BMIM Cl), an ionic liquid (IL) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). BMIM Cl contains an imidazolium cation (BMIM + ) and chloride anion (Cl − ), which are effective in disrupting the hydrogen bonds in SF's β‐sheet regions, promoting the transition to a more flexible random coil or α‐helical conformation. This structure also enhances the compatibility of BMIM Cl with the oxygenated functional groups on GO. DMSO reduces solution viscosity and prevents GO restacking, thus enabling homogeneous GO dispersion and controlled modulation of SF's secondary structure. At low GO loading (0.1 wt. %), π–π stacking, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interactions facilitated β‐sheet formation, leading to composites with enhanced mechanical strength, increased elongation at break (26.12% ± 1.64%), superior flexibility, and improved thermal stability. The improvement was found to correlate closely with molecular alignment and interfacial interaction strength. This study highlights the importance of nanofiller dispersion and secondary structure control in engineering high‐performance biopolymer nanocomposites, with potential for biomedical, flexible electronics, and sustainable packaging applications. 10.1002/pc.70430 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor