• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.160-167
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• 1996

The middle silk gland, that is a liquid silk thread gland consisting of silk protein, was taken out and a silk monofilament was made by drawing rapidly to approximately 3 times. In order to deteriorate the inter molecular hydrogen bonding force and to stretch in, the drawn silk filament was swoolen in boiling water. The results obtained are as follows ; The silk gland sample that just dried silk gland was occupied in crystalline region of silk-I type and random amorphous region. According to the examination of X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis, silk-II type crystal begins to appear partially in monofilament sample and spread to almost complet silk-II type crystal in 65.2% drawn sample. And, orientation of silk fibroin mlecule increased suddenly in early stage with a rise of drawing ratiofrom birefringence and density, and it was found that orientation of fibroin molecule was completed. As drawing ratio increases relation with time of hydrolysis, birefringence appeared almost fixed a tendency. Crystallization collapse by hydrolysis was not found in X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis. But, amorphous region began to flow by treated hydrolysis, that orientation of crystallization part was disturbed was supposed.