Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA.
Nat Commun. 2017 Nov 9;8(1):1387. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00613-5.
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.
已经应用了多种人工纺丝方法来生产再生丝纤维;然而,如何纺制出在结构层次和机械性能方面保留天然丝优势的再生丝纤维仍然具有挑战性。在这里,我们展示了一种仿生纺丝方法来纺制再生丝纤维。首先,我们通过将丝纤维部分溶解成微纤维来开发一种各向异性的丝微纤维溶液,该溶液具有高粘性和高稳定性,保留了天然丝中的分层结构,并作为纺丝原液。然后,通过在空气中直接挤压将其纺成再生丝纤维,为生成具有超越天然纤维结构的物理性能的多晶型和分层再生丝纤维提供了一种有用的途径。这些材料保留了天然丝的结构层次和机械性能,其模量为 11±4GPa,甚至高于天然蜘蛛丝。它还可以用导电丝/碳纳米管涂层进一步功能化,以响应湿度和温度的变化。
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