Charting the envelope of mechanical properties of synthetic silk fibers through predictive modeling of the drawing process.

ABSTRACT: A major challenge in synthesizing strong and tough protein fibers based on spider silk motifs is understanding the coupling between protein sequence and the postspin drawing process. We clarify how drawing-induced elongational force affects ordering, chain extension, interchain contacts, and molecular mobility through mesoscale simulations of silk-based fibers. We show that these emergent features can be used to predict mechanical property enhancements arising from postspin drawing. Simulations recapitulate a purely process-dependent mechanical property envelope in which order enhances fiber strength while preserving toughness. The relationship between chain extension and crystalline domain alignment observed in simulations is validated by Raman spectroscopy of wet-spun fibers. Property en

SUBMITTER: Graham JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11887809 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature