| 초록 |
Sericin is a biowaste from the degumming process of Bombyx mori (BM) silkworm cocoon. Recent studies have revealed that the sericin can be applied in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food industry, since it possesses useful properties such as anti-aging, wound healing, etc. Unlike the cocoon of BM, the cocoon of Saturnia japonica (SJ) has tanned color, mesoporous structure, and outstanding mechanical strength. In this study, we extracted sericin from SJ cocoon and measured the interaction forces between sericin nanofilms using a surface forces apparatus (SFA) in aqueous solution with various pH. The measured adhesion energy between the SJ sericin was ~100% higher than that of BM sericin. Moreover, the adhesion force and film (hardwall) thickness of SJ sericin gradually increases with the higher pH. The pH dependence of adhesion force indicates a possibility of the increase in number of binding sites due to the sericin rearrangement and/or conformation change. |
