A bioinspired and hierarchically structured shape-memory material

Shape-memory polymeric materials lack long-range molecular order that enables more controlled and efficient actuation mechanisms. Here, we develop a hierarchical structured keratin-based system that has long-range molecular order and shape-memory properties in response to hydration. We explore the m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature materials 2021-02, Vol.20 (2), p.242-249
Main Authors: Cera, Luca, Gonzalez, Grant M., Liu, Qihan, Choi, Suji, Chantre, Christophe O., Lee, Juncheol, Gabardi, Rudy, Choi, Myung Chul, Shin, Kwanwoo, Parker, Kevin Kit
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/301/54
639/638
Actuation
Biocompatibility
Bioengineering
Biomaterials
Biomimetics
Chemistry and Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
Fabrication
Fibers
Keratin
Keratins - chemistry
Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Optical and Electronic Materials
Printing, Three-Dimensional
Reconfiguration
Scaffolds
Self-assembly
Shape memory
Shear stress
Smart materials
Smart Materials - chemistry
Spinning (materials)
Structural hierarchy
Textiles
Three dimensional printing
Tissue Engineering
Tissue Scaffolds - chemistry
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Summary:Shape-memory polymeric materials lack long-range molecular order that enables more controlled and efficient actuation mechanisms. Here, we develop a hierarchical structured keratin-based system that has long-range molecular order and shape-memory properties in response to hydration. We explore the metastable reconfiguration of the keratin secondary structure, the transition from α-helix to β-sheet, as an actuation mechanism to design a high-strength shape-memory material that is biocompatible and processable through fibre spinning and three-dimensional (3D) printing. We extract keratin protofibrils from animal hair and subject them to shear stress to induce their self-organization into a nematic phase, which recapitulates the native hierarchical organization of the protein. This self-assembly process can be tuned to create materials with desired anisotropic structuring and responsiveness. Our combination of bottom-up assembly and top-down manufacturing allows for the scalable fabrication of strong and hierarchically structured shape-memory fibres and 3D-printed scaffolds with potential applications in bioengineering and smart textiles. Shear-aligned keratin protofibres are used to fabricate shape-memory fibres and three-dimensional scaffolds that respond to water.
ISSN:1476-1122
1476-4660
DOI:10.1038/s41563-020-0789-2