Dissolution and reconstitution of silk to form multifunctional silk membranes

CHED 724

Eric C. Page, m085082@usna.edu1, W. Matthew Reichert, reichert@usna.edu1, Wesley A. Henderson, whender@ncsu.edu2, Matthew G. Hanley1, Hugh C. De Long3, and Paul C. Trulove, trulove@usna.edu1. (1) Department of Chemistry, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402, (2) Dept. Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC 27695-7905, (3) Directorate of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, 875 North Randolph Street, Suite 325, Room 3112, Arlington, VA 22203-1768
Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of solvents that have shown some unique solvent properties. Recently, the dissolution of B. mori silk in ILs has been demonstrated and these solutions have been used to make films and fibers. It has been observed that different reconstitution solvents effect the appearance of the film and the amount of IL remaining in the film. These variations effect the physical properties of the film. The reconstitution solvents were varied to investigate the effects of the solvent on the resulting films. Also in an effort to produce multifunctional films, carbon nanotubes and montmorillonite were added to the silk/IL solution. The addition of these additives should produce conductive and flame retardant materials. The films were analyzed using high resolution Raman Spectroscopy, DSC, and powder XRD.
 

Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Polymer Chemistry
11:00 AM-1:00 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster

Division of Chemical Education

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008