Artificial Spider Silk with Buckled Sheath by Nano‐Pulley Combing

The axial orientation of molecular chains always results in an increase in fiber strength and a decrease in toughness. Here, taking inspiration from the skin structure, artificial spider silk with a buckled sheath–core structure is developed, with mechanical strength and toughness reaching 1.61 GPa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advanced materials (Weinheim) 2023-08, Vol.35 (32), p.e2212112-n/a
Main Authors: Sun, Jinkun, Guo, Wenjin, Mei, Guangkai, Wang, Songli, Wen, Kai, Wang, Meilin, Feng, Danyang, Qian, Dong, Zhu, Meifang, Zhou, Xiang, Liu, Zunfeng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actuation
Animals
artificial muscles
biomimetic
buckles
Fiber strength
functional fibers
Hydrogels
Materials science
Molecular chains
polyrotaxane
Sheaths
sheath–core
Silk
Silk - chemistry
Spiders
Stress, Mechanical
Toughness
Work capacity
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Summary:The axial orientation of molecular chains always results in an increase in fiber strength and a decrease in toughness. Here, taking inspiration from the skin structure, artificial spider silk with a buckled sheath–core structure is developed, with mechanical strength and toughness reaching 1.61 GPa and 466 MJ m−3, respectively, exceeding those of Caerostris darwini silk. The buckled structure is achieved by nano‐pulley combing of polyrotaxane hydrogel fibers through cyclic stretch–release training, which exhibits axial alignment of the polymer chains in the fiber core and buckling in the fiber sheath. The artificial spider silk also exhibits excellent supercontraction behavior, achieving a work capacity of 1.89 kJ kg−1, and an actuation stroke of 82%. This work provides a new strategy for designing high‐performance and intelligent fiber materials. The artificial spider silk with buckled sheath–core structure is developed by nano‐pulley combing of polyrotaxane through cyclic stretch–release training. Its breaking strength and toughness reach 1.61 GPa and 466 MJ m−3, respectively, exceeding those of Caerostris darwini silk. This work provides a new strategy for designing high‐performance and intelligent fiber materials.
ISSN:0935-9648
1521-4095
DOI:10.1002/adma.202212112