@article{PereiraZehbeGuenteretal.2018,
  author    = {Pereira, Rui F. P. and Zehbe, Kerstin and G{\"u}nter, Christina and dos Santos, Tiago and Nunes, Silvia C. and Almeida Paz, Filipe A. and Silva, Maria M. and Granja, Pedro L. and Taubert, Andreas and de Zea Bermudez, Ver{\´o}nica},
  title     = {Ionic liquid-assisted synthesis of mesoporous silk fibroin/silica hybrids for biomedical applications},
  series = {ACS Omega},
  volume    = {3},
  journal   = {ACS Omega},
  number    = {9},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {2470-1343},
  doi       = {10.1021/acsomega.8b02051},
  pages     = {10811 -- 10822},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {New mesoporous silk fibroin (SF)/silica hybrids were processed via a one-pot soft and energy-efficient sol-gel chemistry and self-assembly from a silica precursor, an acidic or basic catalyst, and the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, acting as both solvent and mesoporosity-inducer. The as-prepared materials were obtained as slightly transparent-opaque, amorphous monoliths, easily transformed into powders, and stable up to ca. 300 degrees C. Structural data suggest the formation of a hexagonal mesostructure with low range order and apparent surface areas, pore volumes, and pore radii of 205-263 m(2) g(-1), 0.16-0.19 cm(3) g(-1), and 1.2-1.6 nm, respectively. In all samples, the dominating conformation of the SF chains is the beta-sheet. Cytotoxicity/bioactivity resazurin assays and fluorescence microscopy demonstrate the high viability of MC3T3 pre-osteoblasts to indirect (>= 99 +/- 9\%) and direct (78 +/- 2 to 99 +/- 13\%) contact with the SF/silica materials. Considering their properties and further improvements, these systems are promising candidates to be explored in bone tissue engineering. They also offer excellent prospects as electrolytes for solid-state electrochemical devices, in particular for fuel cells.},
  language  = {en}
}