Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.130, No.12, 4182-4186, 2008
Investigation of structural transition of regenerated silk fibroin aqueous solution by Rheo-NMR Spectroscopy
In this study we applied Rheo-NMR to investigate the structural change of Bombyx mori silk fibroin in aqueous solution under shear. Monitoring the time dependence of H-1 solution NMR spectra of silk fibroin subjected to constant shear strain, signal intensities of random coil decreased suddenly during shear while peaks from P-sheet structure did not arise in the solution spectra. After these experiments, an aggregate of silk was found in the Couette flow cell and its secondary structure was determined as P-sheet by C-13 solid-state NMR. In conclusion the moderate shear applied here triggered the change in the secondary structure.