Silk Nano Fibroin Preparation, Characterisation and Biomedical Applications – A Review

Silk Fibroin (SF), a natural biopolymer obtained from Bombyx mori cocoons, has gained increasing attention in the area of science and technology due to its biocompatibility, mechanical, and tunable properties, and degradability. SF is a versatile platform for next-generation biomedical technologies. Nano-SF (NF), produced through bottom-up and top-down strategies, extends the technological utility by enabling enhanced cell–material interactions, controlled therapeutic delivery, and the formation of extracellular matrix–mimetic nanoarchitectures. This review explains SF–sericin separation methods by degumming processes with emerging methods designed to improve yield, reproducibility, and structural preservation of SF. Subsequent SF extraction workflows are discussed, followed by a detailed overview of NF fabrication techniques, including electrospinning, mechanical milling, microfluidic synthesis, and self-assembly. Characterisation tools and techniques for understanding NF, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and related analytical techniques. The integration of NF into polymeric, ceramic, and bioactive composite systems has enabled the development of multifunctional scaffolds with tailored mechanical, biological, and degradation profiles. These NF-based technologies demonstrate broad applicability in wound healing, tissue engineering, neural regeneration, and localised drug delivery, and emerging commercial devices incorporating SF and NF, highlighting opportunities and barriers for successful clinical and industrial adoption.