Effect of degumming time on silkworm silk fibre for biodegradable polymer composites

► In this paper, a cleaner and environmentally friendly surface modification technique for tussah silk in polymer based composites is proposed. ► The effectiveness of different degumming parameters such as surface purity, degumming time and temperature on tussah silk are discussed through the analyses of their mechanical and morphological properties. ► It was found that the mechanical properties of tussah silk are affected by the degumming time due to the change of the fibre structure and fibroin alignment.