Physical properties and structure of silk. II. Dynamic mechanical and dielectric properties of silk fibroin

Dynamic mechanical and dielectric properties of amorphous regenerated films of silk fibroin were studied as a function of temperature. A mechanical loss tangent peak at about 175°C may be due to the segmental motion of the main chains in the amorphous silk fibroin film. The dynamic modulus of the amorphous silk fibroin increased at 185°C due to the crystallization of the silk fibroin. Dielectric loss tangent peaks were observed at about ?40°C and 175°C at 1 kHz. The former is ascribed to the local motion of the amorphous silk fibroin with absorbed water, while the latter seems to originate from the segmental motion of the main chains and the crystallization of silk fibroin.     

Physical properties and structure of silk. V. Thermal behavior of silk fibroin in the random-coil conformation

The thermal behavior of films of amorphous silk fibroin in the random-coil conformation has been investigated in the temperature range 25–220°C by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal expansion, dynamic mechanical measurements, x-ray diffraction, and infrared spectroscopy. As the temperature is raised, water is lost up to about 100°C. Intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonds are broken between 150 and 180°C. The glass transition is observed at 173°C by DSC. The random-coil→β-form transition accompanied by reformation of hydrogen bonds takes place above 180°C. Thermally induced crystallization to the β-form crystals starts at about 190°C.     

Grafting vinyl monomers onto silk fibers. IX. Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto silk using peroxydiphosphate-thiourea redox system

The graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto silk in aqueous media initiated by the potassium peroxydiphosphate-thiourea redox system was studied at 50°C. The rate of grafting was determined by changing [monomerl], [thiourea], [initiator], acidity of the medium, reaction medium, and temperature. A significant increase percent of grafting was noticed with increasing monomer concentration to 84.49 × 10^?2 mole/liter and the further increase is associated with the decrease of graft yield. The graft yield increases with an increase of thiourea (Tu) concentration to 25 × 10^?5 mole/liter; then it decreases. A measurable increase in graft yield was observed with an increase in acidity of the medium. Graft yield increases to a certain temperature, i.e., 50°C, and then it decreases. The graft yield increases with an increase of initiator concentration to 60 × 10^?4 mole/liter; then it decreases. The graft yield is medium dependent. A suitable kinetic path has been proposed and the rate equation has been derived.     

Regenerated protein fibers. II. Viscoelastic behavior of silk fibroin solutions

The dynamic viscoelastic behavior of a concentrated solution of silk fibroin dissolved in the “MU” solvent is measured. The dynamic viscosity η′ and dynamic elasticity G′ increase with increasing concentration of silk fibroin at constant frequency; however, the increasing frequency decreases η′ and G′ at a constant concentration of silk fibroin. When the mixing ratio of C₂H₅OH/H₂O in the “MU” solvent is increased at a constant concentration of LiBr·H₂O, η′ and G′ sharply increase at constant frequency. If the LiBr·H₂O concentration is varied in the “MU” solvents whose ratio of C₂H₅OH/H₂O is kept constant at 100 : 0, both η′ and G′ are greater for LiBr·H₂O concentrations of 50% by weight compared to concentrations of 40% by weight. The dependence of η′ on the temperature of the solution can be predicted by Andrade's viscosity equation. Spinnability improves when the SF concentration is increased. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 1955–1959, 1997     

Modification of natural silk

The effect of ethylene chlorohydrin on the treatment of silk with active dyes is studied by chromatography. The aminoacid glycine is used as a model for silk. Active dyes can be covalently bound to silk using ethylene chlorohydrin.Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 66–68, January–February, 2000.     

Grafting vinyl monomers on silk fibres—I. Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate on silk by tetravalent cerium ion

The use of tetravalent cerium to initiate graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate on to silk fibres has been investigated. The extent of grafting was determined while varying Ce(IV) and monomer concentrations, temperature and nature of the fibre. The graft yield increased on increasing Ce(IV) concentration up to 0.015 M and monomer concentration up to 0.469 M; thereafter it decreased. The effect of an inorganic salt (copper sulphate) on grafting has also been studied. Chemical modification of the silk prior to grafting noticeably affected graft yield.     

Proteomic profiling of the photo-oxidation of silk fibroin: implications for historic tin-weighted silk

The stability of silk proteins to ultraviolet light is an issue of significant concern in both the appearance retention of silk-derived products and the preservation of historic silk textiles. Until now, evaluation of silk degradation has only been performed at the holistic, rather than molecular level. This article describes the first proteomic profiling of silk photo-oxidation, characterizing protein primary level modification leading to coloration changes, and evaluating the effects of tin weighting on photodegradation. Heavy-chain fibroin, the main proteinaceous component of the silk thread, is a repetitive, highly crystalline protein with a content rich in tyrosine. Photoproducts of tyrosine were characterized and the levels of oxidative modification at the protein primary structural level correlated with changes in coloration and tensile strength. The effect of tin as a weighting agent used on historical fabrics was examined. Tin-weighted fabrics were evaluated following two treatments (pink and dynamite) and proteomic analysis revealed a significant increase in oxidatively modified amino acid residues within the pink-treated silk. These findings offer new insight into the molecular-level oxidation of silk proteins under UV exposure, and the effects of silk treatments in either exacerbating or ameliorating this degradation.     

Physical properties and structure of silk. VI. Conformational changes in silk fibroin induced by immersion in water at 2 to 130°c

Silk fibroin films in the random-coil and β-form conformations were immersed in water at temperatures from 2 to 130°C, and conformational changes were followed by x-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. On treatment with water below 60°C, the random-coil conformation is converted to the α form and above 70°C to mixtures of the α and β conformations. The β-form content increases as the immersion temperature is raised. The β form is not affected by immersion in water in the temperature range studied.     

Mechanisms of silk fibroin sol-gel transitions

Silk fibroin sol-gel transitions were studied by monitoring the process under various physicochemical conditions with optical spectroscopy at 550 nm. The secondary structural change of the fibroin from a disordered state in solution to a beta-sheet-rich conformation in the gel state was assessed by FTIR and CD over a range of fibroin concentrations, temperatures, and pH values. The structural changes were correlated to the degree of gelation based on changes in optical density at 550 nm. No detectable changes in the protein secondary structure (FTIR, CD) were found up to about 15% gelation (at 550 nm), indicating that these early stages of gelation are not accompanied by the formation of beta-sheets. Above 15%, the fraction of beta-sheet linearly increased with the degree of gelation. A pH dependency of gelation time was found with correlation to the predominant acidic side chains in the silk. Electrostatic interactions were related to the rate of gelation above neutral pH. The overall independencies of processing parameters including concentration, temperature, and pH on gel formation and protein structure can be related to primary sequence-specific features in the molecular organization of the fibroin protein. These findings clarify aspects of the self-assembly of this unique family of proteins as a route to gain control of material properties, as well as for new insight into the design of synthetic silk-biomimetic polymers with predictable solution and assembly properties.     

Wet-spinning of Regenerated Silk Fiber fromAqueous Silk Fibroin Solutions: Influence ofCalcium Ion Addition in Spinning Dope on thePerformance of Regenerated Silk Fiber简

Ca（II） ions are added in the spinning dope to adjust the solidification rate of regenerated silk fibroin （RSF） solution during the wet-spinning process since Ca（II） ions are proved to be favorable to maintain the stable silk fibroin network in our previous work. The results show that when Ca（II）/RSF ratios are 1/50 and 1/20, the resulted RSF fibers exhibit good performance with the breaking energy more than 70 kJ/kg. However, higher Ca（II）/RSF ratio （for example, 1/10） hinders the solidification of spinning dope and results in poor RSF fibers. These observations together with earlier papers from this laboratory confirm that to produce tough silk fibers the spinning conditions must allow sufficient time for the adjustment of silk fibroin molecular chains.     

Spider silk inspired functional microthreads

We employ the adhesive web building strategy used by modern orb-weaving spiders to produce functional microthreads that are similar in structure (beads-on-a-string (BOAS) morphology) and adhesive properties to the capture-silk threads of the spider web. The diameter and spacing of droplets (beads) are controlled by varying the viscosity, velocity, and surface tension of the coating fluid. Using these functional threads, we also describe the behavior of the BOAS morphology during contact (mimicking the collision of an insect with the web) and during separation (mimicking insect rescue from the web). Our results show that the BOAS structure performs better than a cylindrical structure for adhesion, which may explain why this morphology is so prevalent in spider webs despite the cost of increasing the visibility of the web.     

Thermal characterization of social vespid silk

In this paper we try to establish a link between the microclimate in the wasp nest and the structure and thermal stability of vespid silk. We suggest that there are at least two types of water that is absorbed by the silk of Oriental hornets, namely, surface water and intrinsic structural water. The release of both types of water was found to be reversible. The enthalpy values of the endothermic peaks associated with the release of water from different silk samples do not differ substantially and are in the range of 106 to 130 J g^-1 for the Vespa orientalis male larvae silk (sample #1), Paravespula germanica (yellowjacket) worker larvae silk (#3) and Vespa orientalis nest envelope(#4). For the Vespa orientalis worker larvae silk (sample #2), however, it is twice as large (228 J g^-1). This is in agreement with the increased total amount of absorbed water. The silk studied has a fibrilar structure with interconnecting surfaces overlying entire regions. It is assumed that the initial water loss stems from water evaporation from the coat of the fibers - a daily occurrence in the hornets' nest. Heating to above 70°C may result in structural changes in the silk core. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Regenerated protein fibers. I. Research and development of a novel solvent for silk fibroin

An alcoholic–aqueous solution of LiBr·H₂O is a useful solvent for silk fibroin, if the ratio of alcohol content to water content therein is 1 or more. The mixed solvents consisting of ethanol, water, and LiBr·H₂O showed a higher solubility if they contained a lesser amount of water. They further proved able to easily dissolve more than 20% by weight of silk fibroin. Solvents poorer in water content and richer in LiBr·H₂O showed a higher value of [η]; Huggins' coefficient of said solutions varied within a range 0.5–1.0, the minimum appearing at a water content of about 10% weight. Fibroin molecules remained stable in those solutions. The novel solvents for silk fibroin that have been developed by us are named “MU solvents,” by taking the initials in the names of Matumoto/Uejima. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 1949–1954, 1997     

Study on porous silk fibroin materials: 3. Influence of repeated freeze–thawing on the structure and properties of porous silk fibroin materials

The influence of repeated freeze–thawing on pore structural characteristics and physical properties of porous silk fibroin materials prepared by freeze drying were studied. It showed that when quick‐frozen silk fibroin solution was repeatedly thawed and frozen before being vacuum dried, thus pore size of prepared porous silk fibroin materials increased from 67 µm to about 120 µm, and pore density decreased from 80 per square millimeter to about 28 per square millimeter; at the same time compression ratio and moisture permeability increased from 22.7% and 230 g/m² hr to about 33.7% and 308 g/m² hr, respectively, tensile strength and dissolvability in hot water decreased from 20.2 N/cm² and 42.7% to about 12.5 N/cm² and 26.1%, respectively. Both the times of repeated thawing and the thawing temperature had a certain influence on the above‐mentioned pore characteristic parameters and physical properties. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Production and processing of spider silk proteins

Natural spider silk fibers have impressive mechanical properties (outperforming many man‐made fibers) and are, moreover, biocompatible, biodegradable, and produced under benign conditions (using water as a solvent at ambient temperature). The problems associated with harvesting natural spider silks inspired us to devise a method to produce spider silk‐like proteins biotechnologically (the first subject tackled in this highlight); we subsequently discuss their processing into various materials morphologies, and some potential technical and biomedical applications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3957–3963, 2009