Mechanically Strong Globular‐Protein‐Based Fibers Obtained Using a Microfluidic Spinning Technique. (29th January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: He, Haonan; Yang, Chenjing; Wang, Fan; Wei, Zheng; Shen, Jianlei; Chen, Dong; Fan, Chunhai; Zhang, Hongjie; Liu, Kai
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie. Volume 132:Number 11(2020)
• Page Start: 4374
• Page End: 4378
• Publication Date: 2020-01-29
• Subjects: Fasern -- Globuläre Proteine -- Mechanische Leistung -- Mikrofluidik -- Polymerisation; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/ange.201915262
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0044-8249

Abstract

Abstract: Proteins used for the formation of light weight and mechanically strong biological fibers are typically composed of folded rigid and unfolded flexible units. In contrast to fibrous proteins, globular proteins are generally not regarded as a good candidate for fiber production due to their intrinsic structural defects. Thus, it is challenging to develop an efficient strategy for the construction of mechanically strong fibers using spherical proteins. Herein, we demonstrate the production of robust protein fibers from bovine serum albumin (BSA) using a microfluidic technique. Remarkably, the toughness of the fibers was up to 143 MJ m −3, and after post‐stretching treatment, their breaking strength increased to almost 300 MPa due to the induced long‐range ordered structure in the fibers. The performance is comparable to or even higher than that of many recombinant spider silks or regenerated silkworm fibers. Thus, this work opens a new way for making biological fibers with high performance. Abstract : Stärker als die Natur : Eine robuste Proteinfaser wird aus globulärem bovinem Serumalbumin (BSA) durch eine Mikrofluidik‐Spinntechnik produziert. Der Prozess setzt Glutaraldehyd zur Quervernetzung der Proteine während des Spinnens ein, um die mechanische Festigkeit der Faser zu verbessern. Die Stärke der Fasern ist vergleichbar wie oder sogar besser als die vieler rekombinanter Arten von Spinnenseide oder regenerierter Fasern der Seidenraupe.