Preparation and Properties of Nanometer Titanium Dioxide/Silk Fibroin Blend Membrane

A novel nanometer titanium dioxide (nanoTD)/silk fibroin (SF) blend membrane was prepared and characterized by AFM, FTIR, DSC, and XRD. The strength, solubility and thermal properties and the antibacterial activity of the blend membrane were then investigated. The results show that at a nanoTD/SF weight ratio of 0.1%, nanoTD particles were evenly dispersed in the blend membrane. The blend membrane exhibited a crystalline 20 XRD peak at 21.1 degrees and the decomposition temperature was 28.72 degrees C higher than for a pure SF membrane. The results show that the blend membrane had higher crystallinity and better antibacterial activity and strength than a pure SF membrane, whereas its solubility was lower. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 90B: 653-658, 2009