Interface Control of Semicrystalline Biopolymer Filmsthrough Thermal Reflow.

The recent increase in the developmentof polymer-based technologicaldevices has necessitated a surge in associated fabrication strategies.An adequate understanding of the interfacial properties in such systemsis required to meet the challenges inherent to these applications,ranging from electronics to biomedicine. In this work, we utilizethermal reflow to investigate the interfacial properties of multilayersilk fibroin film constructs. We demonstrate that reflow can be utilizedto control the water content, glass transition, and β sheetcrystallinity of such constructs, leading to control of the mechanicalproperties at the interface. Such analysis may lend insight into theinterfacial properties of similar semicrystalline biopolymers, increasingthe number of fabrication options for the development of devices atthe biological–technological nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]