The New Silk Road: Silk Fibroin Blends and Composites for Next Generation Functional and Multifunctional Materials Design

Novel Applications of Silk Proteins Based on Their Interactions with Metal Ions

“…Besides biocompatibility and biodegradability, the unique physical and chemical structures impart silk proteins with versatile processability [146,147]. Extensive literature indicates that silk can be processed into various shapes, including films, hydrogels, sponges, microparticles, and microneedles [5,[148][149][150][151][152]. A smart microneedle for glucose-responsive insulin delivery was created by SF and phenylboronic acid/acrylamide.…”

Lightweight, Self-Poled, Flexible Piezoelectric Tungsten Disulfide Quantum Dots-Reinforced PVDF-HFP-Based Nanogenerator

“…11,12 Moreover, in the fabrication of the flexible nanogenerator in a polymer matrix with various inorganic nanostructures, the morphology variation of the piezoelectric nanomaterials plays a significant role and usually, random distribution of the nanorods, nanosheets, nanorings, and nanobelts in polymers degrades the performance of the nanogenerators. 13,14 Therefore, to enhance the efficiency of flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators, the selection of piezoelectric nanomaterials' morphology with high piezoelectric properties is still a challenge and highly desirable. 15,16 Recently, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have received substantial consideration owing to their outstanding properties, including a high surface-to-volume ratio, good mechanical flexibility, piezoelectric properties, excellent charge transport, and mechanical strength with tunable band gap energy, and their potential applications in next-generation electronics, optoelectronics, and energy devices.…”

“…Recently, numerous nanogenerator devices have been reported that convert tiny vibrations such as body motion, eye blinking, wind, blood flow, and walking into electrical energy. , Piezoelectric nanogenerators have been also utilized to operate portable and nanoscale electronic devices including LEDs, mobile phones, and self-powered devices such as mercury sensors, pressure sensors, pH sensors, and motion detectors. , Recently, various types of inorganic piezoelectric nanostructured materials such as BaTiO 3 , GaN, ZnO, PbZnTiO2, and NaNbO 3 have been utilized to develop the nanogenerators. − However, to fabricate the flexible nanogenerator, various polymers are required as the host matrix . Further, the fabrication process of the flexible nanogenerator device needs sophisticated equipment and complicated processes such as lithography and e-beam process. , Moreover, in the fabrication of the flexible nanogenerator in a polymer matrix with various inorganic nanostructures, the morphology variation of the piezoelectric nanomaterials plays a significant role and usually, random distribution of the nanorods, nanosheets, nanorings, and nanobelts in polymers degrades the performance of the nanogenerators. , Therefore, to enhance the efficiency of flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators, the selection of piezoelectric nanomaterials’ morphology with high piezoelectric properties is still a challenge and highly desirable. , Recently, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have received substantial consideration owing to their outstanding properties, including a high surface-to-volume ratio, good mechanical flexibility, piezoelectric properties, excellent charge transport, and mechanical strength with tunable band gap energy, and their potential applications in next-generation electronics, optoelectronics, and energy devices. , Among various TMDCs, semiconductor WS 2 has become a hot material due to its superior properties over others, such as indirect band gap and strong spin–orbit coupling, along with high carrier mobility and outstanding piezoelectric properties . The exceptional properties of WS 2 are because of layered structures being held together by van der Waals interaction and strong covalent intralayer bonds .…”

Cryo-Electrohydrodynamic Jetting of Aqueous Silk Fibroin Solutions

“…In our study, we attain a high degree of control over jetting by combining the printing stability provided by viscous water solutions, in conjunction with a system that enables high printing speeds and accuracy, and collector temperatures down to −35 °C. SF, a protein extracted from the silkworm cocoon, was selected as the proof-of-concept polymer due to its versatility, , including its wide use in biomedical applications, − and specific physical-chemical characteristics, such as water solubility, ability to become water-stable through secondary treatments, and unique mechanical properties. The control of both solution molecular entanglements and solidification dynamics by increasing the SF concentration, and freezing the jet upon contact with the collector, proved crucial in achieving stable jetting with favorable printing outcomes. , Furthermore, the used 3D system to conduct the research is compatible with MEWron project, which aims to make the MEW and EHD processing more accessible .…”