Polymorphic regenerated silk fibers assembled through bioinspired spinning
Name
Ling_et_al-2017-Nature_Communications.pdf
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3.99 MB
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Author(s)
Li, Chunmei
Huang, Wenwen
Kaplan, David L.
Ling, Shengjie
Qin, Zhao
Buehler, Markus J
Date Issued
November 2017
Journal
Nature Communications
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Citation
Ling, Shengjie et al. “Polymorphic Regenerated Silk Fibers Assembled through Bioinspired Spinning.” Nature Communications 8, 1 (November 2017): 1387 © 2017 The Author(s)
Version
Final published version
Abstract
A variety of artificial spinning methods have been applied to produce regenerated silk fibers; however, how to spin regenerated silk fibers that retain the advantages of natural silks in terms of structural hierarchy and mechanical properties remains challenging. Here, we show a bioinspired approach to spin regenerated silk fibers. First, we develop a nematic silk microfibril solution, highly viscous and stable, by partially dissolving silk fibers into microfibrils. This solution maintains the hierarchical structures in natural silks and serves as spinning dope. It is then spun into regenerated silk fibers by direct extrusion in the air, offering a useful route to generate polymorphic and hierarchical regenerated silk fibers with physical properties beyond natural fiber construction. The materials maintain the structural hierarchy and mechanical properties of natural silks, including a modulus of 11 ± 4 GPa, even higher than natural spider silk. It can further be functionalized with a conductive silk/carbon nanotube coating, responsive to changes in humidity and temperature.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00613-5
