论文标题
通过组装分子或拆卸纤维产生的天然蜘蛛丝纳米纤维
Natural Spider Silk Nanofibrils Produced by Assembling Molecules or Disassembling Fibers
论文作者
论文摘要
蜘蛛丝具有生物相容性，可生物降解，并且在强度和韧性方面是一些最好的合成材料。尽管进行了广泛的研究，但其内部结构的形成和形态的全面实验证据仍然有限且有争议。在这里，我们报告了天然丝绸纤维从金色真丝球形纤维纤维的完整机械分解成〜10 nm直径的纳米纤维，这是该材料明显的基本建筑块。此外，我们通过触发丝绸蛋白的内在自组装机制来产生实际上相同形态的纳米纤维。揭示了独立的物理化学纤颤触发器，从而从储存的前体“愿意”获得了纤维组件。这些知识进一步了解了对这种特殊材料的基本原理的理解，最终导致了实现基于丝绸的高性能材料。
Spider silk is biocompatible, biodegradable, and rivals some of the best synthetic materials in terms of strength and toughness. Despite extensive research, comprehensive experimental evidence of the formation and morphology of its internal structure is still limited and controversially discussed. Here, we report the complete mechanical decomposition of natural silk fibers from the golden silk orb-weaver Trichonephila clavipes into ~10 nm-diameter nanofibrils, the material's apparent fundamental building blocks. Furthermore, we produced nanofibrils of virtually identical morphology by triggering an intrinsic self-assembly mechanism of the silk proteins. Independent physico-chemical fibrillation triggers were revealed, enabling fiber assembly from stored precursors "at-will". This knowledge furthers the understanding of this exceptional material's fundamentals, and ultimately, leads toward the realization of silk-based high-performance materials.
