Silkworm silk as an engineering material

Pérez‐Rigueiro, José; Viney, Christopher; LLorca, J.; Elices, M.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19981219)70:12<2439::aid-app16>3.0.co;2-j

Cited by 246 publications

(213 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Obviously, on the time scale of the experiment, a single relaxation time of 10 s describes the data well. The equilibrium and the relaxing moduli are G e 5:1 GPa, G 6:6 GPa, yielding G g 11:7 GPa, in good agreement with [23].…”

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confidence: 81%

Mechanical Properties of Silk: Interplay of Deformation on Macroscopic and Molecular Length Scales

et al. 2008

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Using an in situ combination of tensile tests and x-ray diffraction, we have determined the mechanical properties of both the crystalline and the disordered phase of the biological nanocomposite silk by adapting a model from linear viscoelastic theory to the semicrystalline morphology of silk. We observe a strong interplay between morphology and mechanical properties. Silk's high extensibility results principally from the disordered phase; however, the crystals are also elastically deformed. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.048104 PACS numbers: 87.85.Jÿ, 61.05.cp, 81.70.Bt, 87.15.La Natural silks exhibit extraordinary mechanical properties, combining high tensile strength with a high elongation at failure. Producing man-made fibers with such properties requires a considerable input of energy compared to natural silk fibers spun from aqueous protein solution at ambient temperature. The toughest silk known is spun by spiders. However, it has recently been shown that, chemically and rheologically closely related, silkworm silk [1] could reach comparable parameters in an optimized spinning process [2].The similarity between spider and silkworm silk fibers extends to their morphology. Both are semicrystalline nanocomposites, with ordered regions (-sheet protein nanocrystals) embedded in a softer matrix of disordered material (spider silk, [3]; silkworm fibroin, [4]). Tensile deformation of silk fibers involves a strong contribution of viscoelastic material, presumably in the disordered regions [5]. However, detailed information on the relaxation mechanism is still missing.The mesoscopic structure of polymer nanocomposites is the key to their mechanical properties [6]. Mimicking nature's spinning process to produce artificial fibers with optimized morphology and, thus, optimal mechanical performance either from silkworm or recombinant spider silk spinning dope [7] would be highly desirable. The models of silk available today do not directly connect structure and macroscopic properties. Termonia's model [8] describes silk as a hydrogen-bonded rubberlike matrix with embedded stiff crystals serving as cross-link sites. At their surface, another ordered phase of protein molecules is required in order to explain the static mechanical properties. The assumed high rigidity of the -sheet crystals has been questioned by x-ray diffraction results [9]. While the recent model by Porter et al. [10] and Vollrath and Porter [11] includes morphological parameters such as ordered/ disordered fractions, which are very difficult to obtain experimentally, deformation processes in crystals and matrix are neglected. A molecular model for spider capture silk is available but restricted to this very specialized silk type [12].The aim of this Letter is to establish a model for silk incorporating the macroscopic mechanical behavior, in particular, viscoelasticity, on the basis of its semicrystalline morphology. To this end, we combined high-resolution cyclic stress-strain measurements of single silkworm silk fibers (such as reported in [13][14...

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confidence: 81%

Mechanical Properties of Silk: Interplay of Deformation on Macroscopic and Molecular Length Scales

et al. 2008

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“…Samples were retrieved and glued on perforated cardboard frames (Pérez-Rigueiro et al, 1998) . The load applied to the sample was measured with a balance (AND 1200 G, A&D Instruments, Oxford, UK, resolution ±10·mg) attached to the lower end of the sample.…”

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confidence: 65%

The influence of anaesthesia on the tensile properties of spider silk

Pérez‐Rigueiro

Calafat

Plaza

et al. 2006

Journal of Experimental Biology

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In this study of the effect of anaesthesia on both the forced silking process and on the properties of the retrieved silk fibres, a monitored forced silking process enables the silking force to be measured during the whole process. Silk samples were tensile-tested and their diameters measured. Force-displacement curves and stress-strain curves were drawn. The evolution of the silking process of anaesthetized spiders is found to be complex, but it sheds light on the details of the spinning mechanism of spider silk.

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“…10 shows the stress-strain curves of regenerated silkworm fibers spun according the IPSD procedure. The range of stress-strain curves of natural silkworm silk fibers (Pérez-Rigueiro et al, 1998) is also indicated. The elastic modulus of the as-spun fibers lies within the range observed in natural fibers.…”

Section: 1mentioning

confidence: 99%

The hidden link between supercontraction and mechanical behavior of spider silks

Calafat

Plaza

Pérez‐Rigueiro

et al. 2011

Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials

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The remarkable properties of spider silks have stimulated an increasing interest in understanding the roles of their composition and processing, as well as in the massproduction of these fibers. Previously, the variability in the mechanical properties of natural silk fibers was a major drawback in the elucidation of their behavior, but the authors have found that supercontraction of these fibers allows one to characterize and reproduce the whole range of tensile properties in a consistent way. The purpose of this review is to summarize these findings.After a review of the pertinent mechanical properties, the role of supercontraction in recovering and tailoring the tensile properties is explained, together with an alignment parameter to characterize silk fibers. The concept of the existence of a mechanical ground state is also mentioned. These behaviors can be modeled, and two such models -at the molecular and macroscopic levels -are briefly outlined. Finally, the assessment of the existence of supercontraction in bio-inspired fibers is considered, as this property may have significant consequences in the design and production of artificial fibers.

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Silkworm silk as an engineering material

Cited by 246 publications

References 9 publications

Mechanical Properties of Silk: Interplay of Deformation on Macroscopic and Molecular Length Scales

Mechanical Properties of Silk: Interplay of Deformation on Macroscopic and Molecular Length Scales

The influence of anaesthesia on the tensile properties of spider silk

The hidden link between supercontraction and mechanical behavior of spider silks

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