Scientists from the University of Finland Aalto and the Finnish Technical Research Center (VTT) have produced a new bio-based material by combining wood cellulose fibers and silk protein found in spider web yarns. This material, which is very robust and flexible, can be used in medical applications, surgical fibers, the textile industry and packaging, replacing plastic as a part of bio-based composites in the future.
Biodegrading
Achieving durability and extensibility has so far been one of the biggest challenges in materials engineering. Increasing durability means losing extensibility and vice versa. The new material has managed to overcome this challenge. According to Professor Markus Linder of Aalto University, nature offers great materials for developing new materials such as solid and easily available cellulose, hard and flexible silk used in this research. The advantage of both materials is that they are biodegradable, unlike plastic, and do not harm the nature as micro-plastics do. ‘’Our researchers need to be able to reproduce their natural assets’’ said Linder, who leads the research. Stating that they use birch meal device, Pezhman Mohammadi, a scientist at the VTT, said, ‘’At the same time, a soft and energy-consuming spider has penetrated the cellulosic web with the Silk Adhesive Matrix’’
Offers Versatile Solutions
Silk is a natural protein secreted by animals such as silkworm and also found in spider web yarns. However, the spider web tested by the Aalto University researchers is not actually derived from spider webs, but is produced by researchers using synthetic DNA bacteria instead. Because of the prior knowledge about the structure of the DNA, we can copy it and use it to produce silk protein molecules that are chemically similar to those found in spider web strands. DNA has all this information in its content. ‘’Our work demonstrates new and versatile possibilities for protein engineering. In the future, we can produce similar composites with slightly different building blocks and achieve different properties for other applications. We are currently working to produce new composite materials as implants, to influence resistance objects and other products’’ said Mohammadi. The research project is part of the work performed at the Center for Molecular Engineering (HYBER) of Biosynthetic Hybrid Materials. The research was published in Science Advances.
