Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
A nanocomposite of silkworm silk and single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) was produced by the electrospinning process. Regenerated silk fibroin dissolved in a dispersion of carbon nanotubes in formic acid was electrospun and the morphological, chemical and mechanical properties of the electrospun nanofibers were examined. The mechanical properties of the SWNT reinforced fiber show increases in Young's modulus up to 460 % in comparison with the un-reinforced aligned fiber.