文章基本信息

标题：Mechanically Reinforced Silkworm Silk Fiber by Hot Stretching
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作者：Haojie Lu ; Kailun Xia ; Muqiang Jian 等
期刊名称：Research
电子版ISSN：2639-5274
出版年度：2022
卷号：2022
页码：1-10
DOI：10.34133/2022/9854063
语种：English
出版社：American Association for the Advancement of Science
摘要：Silkworm silk, which is obtained from domesticated Bombyx mori (B. mori), can be produced in a large scale. However, the mechanical properties of silkworm silk are inferior to its counterpart, spider dragline silk. Therefore, researchers are continuously exploring approaches to reinforce silkworm silk. Herein, we report a facile and scalable hot stretching process to reinforce natural silk fibers obtained from silkworm cocoons. Experimental results show that the obtained hot-stretched silk fibers (HSSFs) retain the chemical components of the original silk fibers while being endowed with increased β-sheet nanocrystal content and crystalline orientation, leading to enhanced mechanical properties. Significantly, the average modulus of the HSSFs reaches GPa, which is about twice that of pristine silkworm silk fibers ( GPa). Besides, the tensile strength of the HSSFs reaches GPa, which is also obviously higher than that of the pristine silk ( GPa). The results show that the hot stretching treatment is effective and efficient for producing superstiff, strong, and tough silkworm silk fibers. We anticipate this approach may be also effective for reinforcing other natural or artificial polymer fibers or films containing abundant hydrogen bonds.