Structure and properties of natural silk nonwoven fabrics from different silkworm varieties and rearing conditions

Abstract

In recent years, natural silk nonwoven fabric has garnered significant attention due to its excellent biocompatibility and ease of fabrication, making it a promising material for biomedical and cosmetic applications. This study utilized cocoons from different silkworm varieties and rearing conditions (such as rearing method and year) to produce different silk nonwoven fabrics. The study aimed to explore the impact of silkworm variety and rearing conditions on the properties of the resulting fabrics. The results showed that the silkworm variety and rearing conditions had little effect on the morphology of the silkworm cocoons as well as the thermal stability or moisture regain of the silk nonwoven fabrics. In contrast, the silkworm variety played a crucial role in determining the reelability of the cocoons and had a substantial effect on the mechanical properties of the silk nonwoven fabrics, whereas rearing conditions had less impact on these characteristics. The findings suggest that the performance of silk nonwoven fabrics can be optimized by selecting the appropriate silkworm variety. As a result, different silkworm varieties could be strategically applied in biomedical and cosmetic sectors, where nonwoven materials with varied performance features are needed.