There
is an increasing interest in the self-assembly process from
a bottom-up approach to synthesize functional structures for engineering
applications. Silk fibroin is a protein extracted from the cocoons
of silkworm Bombyx mori that can be
processed into various materials generally stabilized by the induction
of β-sheet formation through the use of solvents or by physical
stretching. In our study, the introduction of cobalt-substituted nickel
hydroxide nanoparticles on silk fibroin presented a dual effect causing
the stabilization of the α polymorph of nickel hydroxide and
promoting a highly connected network of the β-sheet crystalline
domain in the fibroin chains. Electrochemical measurements were performed
to examine silk fibroin (SF)/NiCo(OH)2 hybrid materials.
The optimized sample exhibits a high specific capacity of 362 mA h
g–1 at a current density of 1 A g–1, maintaining steady electrochemical performance >75% of the initial
value at higher current densities. The presented assembly provides
a route for preparing monodisperse inorganic nanoparticles in the
presence of SF as an organic matrix with potential energy storage
properties.
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