Mechanically Reinforced Silkworm Silk Fiber by Hot Stretching
Silkworm silk, which is obtained from domesticated Bombyx mori (B. mori), can be produced in a large scale. However, the mechanical properties of silkworm silk are inferior to its counterpart, spider dragline silk. Therefore, researchers are continuously exploring approaches to reinforce silkworm si...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | Research |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/2022/9854063 |
| _version_ | 1797287457861926912 |
|---|---|
| author | Haojie Lu Kailun Xia Muqiang Jian Xiaoping Liang Zhe Yin Mingchao Zhang Huimin Wang Haomin Wang Shuo Li Yingying Zhang |
| author_facet | Haojie Lu Kailun Xia Muqiang Jian Xiaoping Liang Zhe Yin Mingchao Zhang Huimin Wang Haomin Wang Shuo Li Yingying Zhang |
| author_sort | Haojie Lu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Silkworm silk, which is obtained from domesticated Bombyx mori (B. mori), can be produced in a large scale. However, the mechanical properties of silkworm silk are inferior to its counterpart, spider dragline silk. Therefore, researchers are continuously exploring approaches to reinforce silkworm silk. Herein, we report a facile and scalable hot stretching process to reinforce natural silk fibers obtained from silkworm cocoons. Experimental results show that the obtained hot-stretched silk fibers (HSSFs) retain the chemical components of the original silk fibers while being endowed with increased β-sheet nanocrystal content and crystalline orientation, leading to enhanced mechanical properties. Significantly, the average modulus of the HSSFs reaches 21.6±2.8 GPa, which is about twice that of pristine silkworm silk fibers (11.0±1.7 GPa). Besides, the tensile strength of the HSSFs reaches 0.77±0.13 GPa, which is also obviously higher than that of the pristine silk (0.56±0.08 GPa). The results show that the hot stretching treatment is effective and efficient for producing superstiff, strong, and tough silkworm silk fibers. We anticipate this approach may be also effective for reinforcing other natural or artificial polymer fibers or films containing abundant hydrogen bonds. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T18:33:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b2a79065c04b4685add2b9b248e826f1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2639-5274 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T18:33:22Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-b2a79065c04b4685add2b9b248e826f12024-03-02T05:49:34ZengAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Research2639-52742022-01-01202210.34133/2022/9854063Mechanically Reinforced Silkworm Silk Fiber by Hot StretchingHaojie Lu0Kailun Xia1Muqiang Jian2Xiaoping Liang3Zhe Yin4Mingchao Zhang5Huimin Wang6Haomin Wang7Shuo Li8Yingying Zhang9Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaKey Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaKey Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaKey Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaKey Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaKey Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaKey Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaKey Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaKey Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaKey Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaSilkworm silk, which is obtained from domesticated Bombyx mori (B. mori), can be produced in a large scale. However, the mechanical properties of silkworm silk are inferior to its counterpart, spider dragline silk. Therefore, researchers are continuously exploring approaches to reinforce silkworm silk. Herein, we report a facile and scalable hot stretching process to reinforce natural silk fibers obtained from silkworm cocoons. Experimental results show that the obtained hot-stretched silk fibers (HSSFs) retain the chemical components of the original silk fibers while being endowed with increased β-sheet nanocrystal content and crystalline orientation, leading to enhanced mechanical properties. Significantly, the average modulus of the HSSFs reaches 21.6±2.8 GPa, which is about twice that of pristine silkworm silk fibers (11.0±1.7 GPa). Besides, the tensile strength of the HSSFs reaches 0.77±0.13 GPa, which is also obviously higher than that of the pristine silk (0.56±0.08 GPa). The results show that the hot stretching treatment is effective and efficient for producing superstiff, strong, and tough silkworm silk fibers. We anticipate this approach may be also effective for reinforcing other natural or artificial polymer fibers or films containing abundant hydrogen bonds.http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/2022/9854063 |
| spellingShingle | Haojie Lu Kailun Xia Muqiang Jian Xiaoping Liang Zhe Yin Mingchao Zhang Huimin Wang Haomin Wang Shuo Li Yingying Zhang Mechanically Reinforced Silkworm Silk Fiber by Hot Stretching Research |
| title | Mechanically Reinforced Silkworm Silk Fiber by Hot Stretching |
| title_full | Mechanically Reinforced Silkworm Silk Fiber by Hot Stretching |
| title_fullStr | Mechanically Reinforced Silkworm Silk Fiber by Hot Stretching |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mechanically Reinforced Silkworm Silk Fiber by Hot Stretching |
| title_short | Mechanically Reinforced Silkworm Silk Fiber by Hot Stretching |
| title_sort | mechanically reinforced silkworm silk fiber by hot stretching |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/2022/9854063 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT haojielu mechanicallyreinforcedsilkwormsilkfiberbyhotstretching AT kailunxia mechanicallyreinforcedsilkwormsilkfiberbyhotstretching AT muqiangjian mechanicallyreinforcedsilkwormsilkfiberbyhotstretching AT xiaopingliang mechanicallyreinforcedsilkwormsilkfiberbyhotstretching AT zheyin mechanicallyreinforcedsilkwormsilkfiberbyhotstretching AT mingchaozhang mechanicallyreinforcedsilkwormsilkfiberbyhotstretching AT huiminwang mechanicallyreinforcedsilkwormsilkfiberbyhotstretching AT haominwang mechanicallyreinforcedsilkwormsilkfiberbyhotstretching AT shuoli mechanicallyreinforcedsilkwormsilkfiberbyhotstretching AT yingyingzhang mechanicallyreinforcedsilkwormsilkfiberbyhotstretching |