Natural silk fibroin/polyaniline (core/shell) coaxial fiber: Fabrication and application for cell proliferation

Natural silk fibroin (SF) fibers were modified with methyl orange (MO) and, via an in situ oxidation technique, a composite with the core/shell coaxial-line structure was prepared. The morphology, formation and application as the substrate of cell proliferation of the as-prepared product, silk fibroin/polyaniline (core/shell) coaxial composite fiber, were investigated. By controlling the reaction time, the coating density of polyaniline on the composite fiber could be effectively adjusted. It is suggested that MO promotes the generation of polyaniline shell coated on the SF fibers. The composite fiber exhibited good biocompatibility, cell attachment and proliferation when L929 cell is selected as a model and cultured on this fibrous substrate. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.