Structure and compatibility of poly(vinyl alcohol)-silk fibroin (PVA/SA) blend films

The structure and compatibility of poly(vinyl alcohol)‐silk fibroin (PVA/SF) blend films were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermomechanical (TMA) and thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis, x‐ray diffractometry, and scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy. DSC curves of PVA/SF blend films showed a major endothermic peak at 220°C, along with a peak at 280°C. These endotherms were assigned to the thermal decomposition of the ordered PVA elements and to the thermal degradation of silk fibroin, respectively. The PVA/SF blends behaved in a manner intermediate to the pure components, as suggested by both contraction expansion and sample weight retention properties recorded by TMA and TGA measurements. The IR absorption spectra of the blends were identified as purely a composite of the absorption bands characteristic of both PVA and SF pure polymers. The X‐ray diffraction patterns of PVA/SF blends showed overlapping spacing due to PVA and SF. A dispersed phase formed by spherical particles of 3–7 μm diameter was observed by SEM and TEM. All these findings suggest that PVA and SF are incompatible. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.