(678b) Fabrication of Micropatterned Biomaterials From Silk Proteins

Silk from silkworms is composed of two key proteins—fibroin, a mechanically strong core protein, and sericin, a glue protein responsible for cementing fibroin fibers together in the cocoon. Silk proteins have novel use in renewable biomaterials design, due to the high tensile strength of fibroin, and the favorable aqueous properties and unique degradation kinetics of sericin. We present the use of chemical conjugation techniques to functionalize silk proteins, and effectively add photosensitive groups for cross-linking reactions. Photolithography techniques enabled direct surface patterning of fibroin and sericin to create silk microstructures of various architectures. High-resolution atomic force microscopy is used for analyzing surface topography of cast films and patterned features, as well as measuring nanomechanical properties of silk structures. The ability to directly pattern silk proteins in film and microstructural architectures, combined with physical properties conducive to their use in biomedical applications present a unique building block to the creation of new materials for cell culture and tissue engineering applications.