Keratin protein nanofibers from merino wool yarn: a top-down approach for the disintegration of hierarchical wool architecture to extract α-keratin protein nanofibers.

ABSTRACT: We report the extraction of keratin nanofibers from the medulla of a parent yarn after denaturing the cuticle and cortex microstructures of a merino wool yarn. Controlled alkaline hydrolysis, followed by high-speed blending in acetic acid, allowed for the extraction of keratin protein nanofibers with an average diameter of 25 nm and a length of less than 3 μm. SEM and AFM analyses showed the removal of cuticle cells from the yarn. FT-IR and DSC analyses confirmed the hydrolysis and denaturation of the sheet protein matrix of cuticle cells. XPS analysis provided strong evidence for the gradual removal of the epicuticle, cuticle cells, and cortex of the hierarchical wool structure with an increase in alkaline hydrolysis conditions. It was confirmed that the merino wool yarn subjected to hydr

SUBMITTER: Tissera ND 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10885782 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature