Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Instrumented indentation and micro-Raman spectroscopy were used to investigate the mechanical and structural properties of Bombyx mori silk films. Twelve different films were prepared from B. mori silk fibroin protein using a variety of post-deposition processing treatments (e.g. soaking in methanol, soaking in water, stretching, and/or enzymatic etching). The results show that different treatments lead to changes in both the conformation of the silk fibroin protein and the mechanical properties of the films.