Artificial Spider Silk Materials: From Molecular Design, Mesoscopic Assembly, to Macroscopic Performances

Abstract

Spider silk is one of the strongest and toughest fibrous materials available in nature. Its superior properties make it a good candidate for applications in various fields ranging from protective body armor to scaffolds for medical implants. However, harvesting a substantial amount of natural spider silk remains challenging because spiders cannot be easily bred. With the development of synthetic biology and its integration with materials science, considerable research has been directed toward engineering and production of synthetic spider silk materials. Here the study overviews general strategies on molecular design, mesoscopic assembly, and macroscopic regulation of artificial spider silk materials. The insights into the correlation between silk protein sequences, mesoscopic assemblies, and macroscopic material properties are provided for guiding de novo design and engineering of next‐generation spider silk materials. This review also emphasizes the challenges and future perspectives for advancing the translational research on these designer functional materials for diverse applications.