Abstract: In this article, silk fibroin (SF)/poly(ε-caprolactone)(PCL) nanocomposite fiber membranes were prepared by using high-voltage electrostatic spinning technology, and the structure and mechanical properties of the nanofiber membranes were characterized by using FE-SEM, ATR-FTIR, XRD and mechanical stretching methods. The results showed that the diameters of fibers increase with increase of the concentration of spinning solution and the fibers in the nanofiber membranes have clear morphology, evenly distributed diameters and excellent film-forming performance when the solution concentration reaches 20%; the mechanical tensile properties of the nanofiber membranes turn from hard and brittle to soft and weak when the SF content in the solution reduces; methanol can induce the SF molecular conformation to turn from randomly crimped and Silk I to Silk II; and the fibers in the nanofiber membranes are randomly arranged and present isotropic biaxial mechanical tensile.

Key words: electrospinning; nanofiber membrane; biaxial tensile; mechanical property; isotropic