Silk fibers have been processed and used to create fabrics and threads for centuries. However, the solubilizing of silk fibers, thereby turning it into a versatile pre-polymer solution is a much newer technology. Solubilized silk can be processed in many different ways to create a biocompatible material with controllable mechanical properties.

This video introduces the processing of silk from silk worm cocoons, and shows how the silk solution can be used to create a fiber mat via electrospinning. Several applications of this technique, such as its use as a structural material in engineered tissue scaffolds, are then introduced.