The structure and mechanical properties of A. yamamai, A. perny and B. mori silk fibroin films irradiated by gamma ray with various doses of 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 kGy, respectively were determined by XRD, FT-IR, DSC and Instron 3365 equipment. Results showed that the aggregation structure and molecular conformation of A. yamamai, A. perny and B. mori silk fibroin films irradiated by gamma ray with those doses mentioned above were not significantly changed. However, with the increase of radiation intensity, the thermal stability of silk fibroin films declined slightly, and the breaking strength and extensibility reduced significantly, due to the breakdown of parts of secondary bonds and covalent bonds. These results suggested that, when these silk fibroin materials were sterilized by gamma irradiation, smaller radiation doses should be used, otherwise irreversible damages on these materials would be caused.

As the tissue engineering scaffolds, the pore structure and condensed structure of silk fibroin scaffolds should be adjusted and controlled. In this study, Antheraea pernyi/Bombyx mori (A. p/B. m) silk fibroin blend scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying. The influence of blend ratios on the pore structure and condensed structure of the scaffolds was investigated. The results showed that the average pore diameter of the blend scaffolds changed from 56 to 326 μm. Due to the difference of properties and the macromolecules aggregation status of two silk fibroin solutions, the pore diameter, content of α-helix and crystallinity of the scaffolds decreased with the increasing of the proportion of B. m silk fibroin. By adjusting the blend ratios, the pore structure and condensed structure of A. p/B. m silk fibroin blend scaffolds could be controlled.