Chitosan‐Fibroin Laminates: Unexpected Strength and Toughness in Chitosan‐Fibroin Laminates Inspired by Insect Cuticle (Adv. Mater. 4/2012)

Javier Fernandez and Donald Ingber demonstrate on page 480 that chitosan-fibroin laminates inspired by natural insect cuticles have unexpected strength and toughness. The inside cover image shows a scaled replica of a Thesoneura Americana hind wing made of Shrilk, which is a synthetic insect cuticle material composed of a laminate of chitosan and fibroin. Thesoneura is a member of the Palepdictyoptera family that is believed to be one of the first primitive flying insects. This insect became extinct about 300 million years ago; the shape was reproduced from fossil records and the vein pattern was reproduced from a grasshopper hind wing.