Effect of freeze‐drying on the properties of silk fibroin/polyvinyl alcohol/hydroxyapatite composites

Silk fibroin (SF)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite hydrogel and SF/PVA/hydroxyapatite (HA) composite were prepared by two methods: drying at room temperature and repeated freezing–thawing cycles. A comparative analysis was carried out for the composite material under various conditions, focusing on the properties of SF/PVA/HA composites, studied by Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscope, swelling characteristics, mechanical compression, cytotoxicity, in vitro degradation, and drug carrying release experiment. The results show that compared with the SF/PVA/HA composites prepared by cooled at room temperature method, SF/PVA composite hydrogel was heated at 80°C after repeated freezing–thawing for three times, with HA blended, the SF/PVA/HA composites were obtained after freeze‐dried. The content of β‐sheet structure noticeably increased, which has the better mechanical properties and aqueous solution stability, good cell compatibility, moderate in vitro degradation rate and stable drug release rate, and can also be beneficial for material used in drug‐loaded tissue engineering bone scaffold to improve degradation of uniform rate and drug release stability. It provides a significant technique to achieve the treatment of anti‐bone tuberculosis and lesion bone defect repair. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:3131–3139, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers