Piezoelectric fibers based on silk fibroin with excellent output performance

Abstract The self-powered tissue engineering scaffold with good biocompatibility is of great significance for stimulating nerve cell growth. In this study, silk fibroin (SF)-based fibers with regulatable structure and piezoelectric performance are fabricated by dry-spinning and post-treatment. The concentration of SF and calcium ion in spinning dope and the post-treatment affect the conformation transition and crystallinity of SF. As a result, the SF fibers exhibit high piezoelectric coefficient d 33 (3.24 pm/V) and output voltage (∼ 27 V). Furthermore, these piezoelectric fibers promote the growth of PC-12 cells, demonstrating the promising potential for nerve repair and other energy harvester.