Specific interactions in silk fibroin-poly(potassium acrylate) blends

Abstract

FT-IR spectroscopy was utilized to study the specific interactions in silk fibroin (SF) and poly(potassium acrylate) (PAA-K) blends. Combining the study or model complexes, e.g., mixtures of SF with KCl, KBr, and ZnCl2, it is suggested that two kinds of specific interaction exist in the SF/PAA-K blends. One is hydrogen bonding between the C = O group or PAA-K and groups o electron acceptor in SF, and the other is the electrostatic interaction in K+-amide specific coordination complex. The final result is probably the coexistence of these two mechanisms of specific interaction in the SF/PAA-K blends. DSC results also show that SF and PAA-K could be mixed significantly.