중성염에 용해한 후 얻어진 견피브로인 수용액의 pH를 3.0으로 조정하였을 때 피브로인 분자쇄들간에 정전기적 반발력이 감소하여 피브로인 분자쇄 상호간에 결합력이 증가하므로 겔화시간이 단축되었고 적외선분광분석 결과 ${eta}$-sheet 구조로의 전이가 빨리 일어나고 있음을 확인하였다. 2. Silk fibroin 용액내에 glycerol 함량비가 클수록 겔화의 시간은 크게 단축되었으나 상대적인 수분함량의 증가로 강도는 낮아졌다. 3. Silk fibroin 용액내에 피브로인의 농도가 높을수록 겔의 강도는 낮아졌다. 4. 효소분해된 Silk fibroin 용액을 pH3.0으로 조정 후 실온에서 보관하였을 때 분자량저하에 따른 분자쇄간 결합력 약화로 겔상을 이루지 못하고 흰색의 분말상 침전을 형성하였으나 pH 3.0 조정 후 원심분리하면 겔상을 얻을 수가 있었다. 5. 시차주사열분석결과, 견피브로인 수용액을 등전점 조절하였을 때에는 재결정화에 의한 발열피크가 나타나지 않았고 결정성이 좀더 높았으며 효소처리한 경우에는 분자량감소로 낮은 온도 부근에서 일부 열분해가 일어났으나 저분자화된 분자쇄들이 새로운 결합을 형성하여 열적안정성이 다소 높게 나타났다.
Silk fibroin dissolved in highly concentrated calcium chloride and ethanol mixture aqueous solution turned into gel under suitable conditions. Preparation conditions and properties of gel were investigated as a function of parameters such as pH of solution, fibroin concentration, glycerol concentration and molecular weight. When pH of silk fibroin aqueous solution was near the isoelectronic point(pH 3.9~4.0), gelation occurred rapidly and strength of gel was stonger than that of pH-unadjusted due to electrostatic repulsion decrease between silk fibroin macromolecules. As concentration of silk fibroin and glycerol was higher, gelation occurred more rapid. FT Infra-red spectra of freeze-dried fibroin gel showed that gelation was derived by intermolecular anti-parallel ${eta}$-sheet structure formation. In addition to, it was found that white-precipitate occurred instead of gelation when aqueous silk fibroin was treated by enzyme(flavouzyme), however, after flavouzyme-treated silk fibroin aqueous solution was centrifugated gelation occurred instantly. The results of differential scanning thermal analysis and infra-red spectroscopy showed that thermal stability and crystallinity of enzyme-hydrolyzed fibroin are superior to those of unhydrolyzed fibroin.
