Protein fibers with self-recoverable mechanical properties via dynamic imine chemistry.

ABSTRACT: The manipulation of internal interactions at the molecular level within biological fibers is of particular importance but challenging, severely limiting their tunability in macroscopic performances and applications. It thus becomes imperative to explore new approaches to enhance biological fibers' stability and environmental tolerance and to impart them with diverse functionalities, such as mechanical recoverability and stimulus-triggered responses. Herein, we develop a dynamic imine fiber chemistry (DIFC) approach to engineer molecular interactions to fabricate strong and tough protein fibers with recoverability and actuating behaviors. The resulting DIF fibers exhibit extraordinary mechanical performances, outperforming many recombinant silks and synthetic polymer fibers. Remarkably, imp

SUBMITTER: Sun J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10475138 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature