journal article·2020-02-03

Observations of 3 nm Silk Nanofibrils Exfoliated from Natural Silkworm Silk Fibers

Qi Wang, Shengjie Ling, Quanzhou Yao, Qunyang Li, Debo Hu, Qing Dai, David A. Weitz, David L. Kaplan, Markus J. Buehler, Yingying Zhang

ACS Materials Letters· Volume 2· Issue 2
Publisher page

Abstract

Silk fibers are one of the most attractive natural materials that exhibit enchanting luster and superior mechanical properties. Exploring the unique hierarchical architecture structures of natural silk fibers is the basis to understanding these unique properties. Here, we report observations of 3.1 ± 0.8 nm silk nanofibrils and 3.7 ± 0.9 Å silk molecule chains exfoliated from natural silkworm silk fibers. Interestingly, the individual nanofibrils and protein chains show periodic diameters fluctuating along their axes. We further find that the thicker regions are relatively softer and the thinner regions are stiffer, and these can be assigned to alternatively distributed α-helix and β-sheet domains, respectively. Based on these observations, we proposed a refined structure model of natural silk, which ranges from the molecular level to the fiber scale. These findings provide new opportunities to understand and exploit the unique structure–property relationships found in natural silk fibers, including inspiring the design of new artificial materials.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Silk-based biomaterials and applications · Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity · Polymer Surface Interaction Studies

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States

School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201800, China

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States

Center for Nano and Micro Mechanics, Applied Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Engineering Mechanics, School of Aerospace, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

Nanophotonics Research Division, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China

Funding

Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China · National Natural Science Foundation of China · National Institutes of Health · National Program for Support of Top-notch Young Professionals

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