Electrogelation and rapid prototyping of Bombyx mori silk fibroin

Silk fibroin (SF) hydrogel is obtained from the SF aqueous solution, ethanol treatment and ultraviolet photocuring are used for rapid prototyping of the SF electrogels. Shear rheology, morphology, mechanical properties and mechanism of the rapid prototyping of SF electrogels are investigated by rheometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and tensile strength tester. The results show that ethanol treatment and ultraviolet photocuring are two appropriate methods for rapid prototyping of the SF electrogels.