Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th St., Troy, NY, 12180, USA.
Macromol Rapid Commun. 2018 Sep;39(17):e1700834. doi: 10.1002/marc.201700834. Epub 2018 Feb 19.
Silk is a source of marvel for centuries as one of nature's high-performance materials. More recently, chemical and structural analysis techniques have helped explore the relationship between silk's properties and its hierarchical structure. Furthermore, recombinant protein engineering as well as polymer and organic synthesis techniques have enabled the production of silk-like materials. It has become apparent that silk is a supramolecular polymer with many of the properties exhibited by well-known synthetic supramolecular materials, such as block copolymers, liquid crystals, thermoplastic elastomers, and self-assembling peptides. In this review, the hierarchical structure and supramolecular assembly of silk are discussed in comparison to these synthetic supramolecular systems. By focusing on the connections between chemical structure, nanoscale molecular organization, and material properties, the aim is to provide perspectives on the rational design of advanced soft matter to supramolecular chemists and molecular engineers who look to nature for inspiration.
丝绸作为自然界中一种高性能材料，几百年来一直令世人惊叹。最近，化学和结构分析技术帮助我们探索了丝绸性能与其分级结构之间的关系。此外，重组蛋白工程以及聚合物和有机合成技术使类似丝绸的材料得以生产。显然，丝绸是一种超分子聚合物，具有许多众所周知的合成超分子材料的特性，如嵌段共聚物、液晶、热塑性弹性体和自组装肽。在这篇综述中，我们将讨论丝绸的分级结构和超分子组装，并将其与这些合成超分子体系进行比较。通过关注化学结构、纳米级分子组织和材料性能之间的联系，旨在为那些寻求自然启发的超分子化学家和分子工程师提供关于先进软物质的合理设计的视角。
