Date Approved

1-27-2027

Embargo Period

1-27-2027

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. Pharmaceutical Sciences

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

College

College of Science & Mathematics

Advisor

Xiao Hu, Ph.D.

Committee Member 1

Lei Yu, Ph.D.

Committee Member 2

Chun Wu, Ph.D.

Abstract

Protein–polysaccharide composites derived from natural biopolymers offer tunable structural and functional properties, making them valuable for biomedical and sustainable material applications. This work explores the fabrication and characterization of composite systems based on silk fibroin, chitosan, zein, and methylcellulose to understand how processing methods and composition influence material behavior. In the first part, chitosan–silk fibroin composites were subjected to ultrasonication to study the influence of acoustic energy on their structural and functional properties. Characterization through SEM, FTIR, DSC, TGA, and XRD revealed enhanced crystallinity, thermal stability, leading to improved flexibility, strength, and hydrophilicity properties beneficial for biomedical and packaging applications. The second part investigated the effects of mild alkaline (NaOH) treatment on corn zein–chitosan composites. The treatment promoted deprotonation and increased hydrogen bonding, resulting in improved thermal stability, reduced degradation, and a denser molecular structure. These modifications suggest potential use in sustainable food packaging and wound healing applications. In the final part, silk fibroin–methylcellulose composites were fabricated into one- and two-dimensional rods and films to assess the relationship between composition and mechanical performance by agarose layering. Increasing silk content enhanced rigidity and thermal stability, while varying Methyl cellulose concentration, modulated porosity and flexibility. Preliminary self-actuation behavior indicated the materials potential for soft robotic and stimuli-responsive systems. Overall, this research demonstrates that various controlled processing techniques and compositional tuning enable the design of protein–polysaccharide composites with customizable mechanical, structural, and thermal properties for diverse industrial and biomedical applications.

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Available for download on Wednesday, January 27, 2027

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