Production of High Performance Bioinspired Silk Fibers by Straining Flow Spinning

Abstract

In the last years, there has been an increasing interest in bioinspired approaches for different applications, including the spinning of high performance silk fibers. Bioinspired spinning is based on the natural spinning system of spiders and worms and requires combining changes in the chemical environment of the proteins with the application of mechanical stresses. Here we present the novel straining flow spinning (SFS) process and prove its ability to produce high performance fibers under mild, environmentally friendly conditions, from aqueous protein dopes. SFS is shown to be an extremely versatile technique which allows controlling a large number of processing parameters. This ample set of parameters allows fine-tuning the microstructure and mechanical behavior of the fibers, which opens the possibility of adapting the fibers to their intended uses.

Engineering the Future of Silk Materials through Advanced Manufacturing

“…Numerous efforts have been devoted to mimicking the fiber production process by the insects using regenerated silk solutions . However, the as‐spun regenerated silk fibers (RSF) are usually brittle and requires complex post‐treatment (e.g., dehydration and crystallization processes) to yield useful fibers . The key to the high performance RSF lies not only in the spinning process but also in the preparation of the spinning dope.…”

Polymorphic regenerated silk fibers assembled through bioinspired spinning

“…In addition to in-depth studies of the physical properties and functions of natural silk fibers, experimental attempts have been pursued to mimic the natural process of producing robust regenerated silk fibers (RSFs) to emulate the properties of natural silk fibers 5 – 7 . Wet spinning techniques, ejection of the spinning dope into a coagulation bath (often containing alcohols or salts), are the most common approach to generate RSFs 6 – 8 . However, these methods are complicated, generally include dissolution, dialysis, concentration, spinning and post-treatment processes, and most of the steps are time-consuming, energy-intensive, and require relatively large quantities of solvent.…”

Biomimetic Approaches for Separated Regeneration of Sensory and Motor Fibers in Amputee People: Necessary Conditions for Functional Integration of Sensory–Motor Prostheses With the Peripheral Nerves

“…Because of its high biocompatibility and excellent mechanical properties (Heim et al, 2009), silk is currently being explored for the development of many new therapies (Vepari and Kaplan, 2007;Fernández-García et al, 2018). Furthermore, the possibility of producing regenerated silk fibers [artificially spun fibers, from a solution of natural silk protein (Madurga et al, 2017b)] led to the generation of high-performance silk fibroin fibers with a wide range of geometries, which, in addition, can be functionalized (Madurga et al, 2017a). The development of adequate materials for scaffolds that can be used for nerve repair, bridging gaps in lesioned nerves, will require a very intensive research program.…”