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Artificial spider silk from ion-doped and twisted core-sheath hydrogel fibres

Author

Listed:
  • Yuanyuan Dou

    (State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Nankai University)

  • Zhen-Pei Wang

    (Institute of High Performance Computing, A*STAR Research Entities)

  • Wenqian He

    (State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Nankai University)

  • Tianjiao Jia

    (State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Nankai University)

  • Zhuangjian Liu

    (Institute of High Performance Computing, A*STAR Research Entities)

  • Pingchuan Sun

    (State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Nankai University)

  • Kai Wen

    (State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Nankai University
    Department of Science, China Pharmaceutical University)

  • Enlai Gao

    (Department of Engineering Mechanics, School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University)

  • Xiang Zhou

    (Department of Science, China Pharmaceutical University)

  • Xiaoyu Hu

    (State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Nankai University)

  • Jingjing Li

    (State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Nankai University)

  • Shaoli Fang

    (Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute, University of Texas at Dallas)

  • Dong Qian

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas)

  • Zunfeng Liu

    (State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials, Nankai University)

Abstract

Spider silks show unique combinations of strength, toughness, extensibility, and energy absorption. To date, it has been difficult to obtain spider silk-like mechanical properties using non-protein approaches. Here, we report on an artificial spider silk produced by the water-evaporation-induced self-assembly of hydrogel fibre made from polyacrylic acid and silica nanoparticles. The artificial spider silk consists of hierarchical core-sheath structured hydrogel fibres, which are reinforced by ion doping and twist insertion. The fibre exhibits a tensile strength of 895 MPa and a stretchability of 44.3%, achieving mechanical properties comparable to spider silk. The material also presents a high toughness of 370 MJ m−3 and a damping capacity of 95%. The hydrogel fibre shows only ~1/9 of the impact force of cotton yarn with negligible rebound when used for impact reduction applications. This work opens an avenue towards the fabrication of artificial spider silk with applications in kinetic energy buffering and shock-absorbing.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuanyuan Dou & Zhen-Pei Wang & Wenqian He & Tianjiao Jia & Zhuangjian Liu & Pingchuan Sun & Kai Wen & Enlai Gao & Xiang Zhou & Xiaoyu Hu & Jingjing Li & Shaoli Fang & Dong Qian & Zunfeng Liu, 2019. "Artificial spider silk from ion-doped and twisted core-sheath hydrogel fibres," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-13257-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13257-4
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    Cited by:

    1. Amy Fitzgerald & Will Proud & Ali Kandemir & Richard J. Murphy & David A. Jesson & Richard S. Trask & Ian Hamerton & Marco L. Longana, 2021. "A Life Cycle Engineering Perspective on Biocomposites as a Solution for a Sustainable Recovery," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-25, January.

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