|
|||||
|
|
Bioinspired and Mechanically Strong Fibers Based on Engineered Non-Spider Chimeric Proteins |
|
| Authors: | Yuanxin Li Dr Jingjing Li Dr Jing Sun Haonan He Bo Li Dr Chao Ma Prof Kai Liu Prof Hongjie Zhang |
| Institution: | 1. State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022 China
University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026 China These authors contributed equally to this work.;2. State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022 China These authors contributed equally to this work.;3. State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022 China;4. State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022 China University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026 China;5. State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022 China Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 China University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026 China |
| Abstract: | Silk-protein-based fibers have attracted considerable interest due to their low weight and extraordinary mechanical properties. Most studies on fibrous proteins focus on the recombinant spidroins, but these fibers exhibit moderate mechanical performance. Thus, the development of alternative structural proteins for the construction of robust fibers is an attractive goal. Herein, we report a class of biological fibers produced using a designed chimeric protein, which consists of the sequences of a cationic elastin-like polypeptide and a squid ring teeth protein. Remarkably, the chimeric protein fibers exhibit a breaking strength up to about 630 MPa and a corresponding toughness as high as about 130 MJ m−3, making them superior to many recombinant spider silks and even comparable to some native counterparts. Therefore, this strategy is a novel concept for exploring bioinspired ultrastrong protein materials through the development of new types of structural chimeric proteins. |
| Keywords: | elastin fibrous proteins protein fibers protein engineering wet spinning |