Dissolution and processing of silk fibroin for materials science

In recent decades, silk fibroin (SF) from silkworm Bombyx mori has been extensively researched and applied in several fields, including: cosmetics, biomedicine and biomaterials. The dissolution and regeneration of SF fibers is the key and prerequisite step for the application of silk protein-based materials. Various solvents and dissolving systems have been reported to dissolve SF fibers. However, the dissolution process directly affects the characteristics of SF and particularly impacts the mechanical properties of the resulting silk biomaterials in subsequent processing. The purpose of this review is to summarize the common solvents, the dissolution methods for silk protein, the properties of the resulting SF protein. The suitable use of SF dissolved in the corresponding solvent was also briefly introduced. Recent applications of SF in various biomaterials are also discussed.