Silk and synthetic polymers: reconciling 100 degrees of separation.

It is shown that the work required to produce natural silk fibers is at least ten times less than a classic synthetic polymer, yet still nature produces a fiber with superior mechanical properties. The concept of polymer crystallization is (re)defined and silks are classed as a new nanocomposite sta...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Holland, C, Vollrath, F, Ryan, A, Mykhaylyk, O
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2012