TY  - JOUR
A1  - Pereira, Rui F. P.
A1  - Zehbe, Kerstin
A1  - Günter, Christina
A1  - dos Santos, Tiago
A1  - Nunes, Silvia C.
A1  - Almeida Paz, Filipe A.
A1  - Silva, Maria M.
A1  - Granja, Pedro L.
A1  - Taubert, Andreas
A1  - de Zea Bermudez, Verónica
T1  - Ionic liquid-assisted synthesis of mesoporous silk fibroin/silica hybrids for biomedical applications
JF  - ACS Omega
N2  - 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.
Y1  - 2018
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.8b02051
SN  - 2470-1343
VL  - 3
IS  - 9
SP  - 10811
EP  - 10822
PB  - American Chemical Society
CY  - Washington
ER  -