Jasjeet Kaur

Mechanical properties and structure of silkworm cocoons: a comparative study of Bombyx mori, Antheraea assamensis, Antheraea pernyi and Antheraea mylitta silkworm cocoons.

As a protective shell against environmental damage and attack by natural predators, the silkworm cocoon has outstanding mechanical properties. In particular, this multilayer non-woven composite structure can be exceptionally tough to enhance the chance of survival for silkworms while supporting their metabolic activity. Peel, out-of-plane compression and nano-indentation tests and micro-structure analysis were performed on four types of silkworm cocoon walls (domesticated Bombyx mori, semi-domesticated Antheraea assamensis and wild Antheraea pernyi and Antheraea mylitta silkworm cocoons) to understand the structure and mechanical property relationships. The wild silkworm cocoons were shown to be uniquely tough composite structures. The maximum work-of-fracture for the wild cocoons (A. pernyi and A. mylitta) was approximately 1000 J/m(2), which was almost 10 times the value for the domesticated cocoon (Bombyx mori) and 3~4 times the value for the semi-domesticated cocoon (A. assamensis). Calcium oxalate crystals were found to deposit on the outer surfaces of the semi-domesticated and wild cocoons. They did not show influence in enhancing the interlaminar adhesion between cocoon layers but exhibited much higher hardness than the cocoon pelades.

Photoprotection by silk cocoons.

A silk cocoon protects a silkworm during its pupal stage from various threats. We systematically investigated the role of fiber, sericin, and embedded crystals in the UV protection of a silk cocoon. Diffuse reflectance and UV absorbance were measured and free radicals generated during exposure to UV radiation were quantified using photoinduced chemiluminescence (PICL). We identified the response to both UV-A and UV-B radiations by silk materials and found that sericin was primarily responsible for UV-A absorption. When sericin was removed, the photoinduced chemiluminescence intensity increased significantly, indicating higher UV-A-induced reactions of cocoons in the absence of sericin. There is progressively higher sericin content toward the outer part of the cocoon shell that allows an effective shield to pupae from UV radiation and resists photodegradation of silk fibers. The study will inspire development of advanced organic photoprotective materials and designing silk-based, free-radical-scavenging antioxidants.

Multifunctionalization of cotton through in situ green synthesis of silver nanoparticles

A convenient method for in situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles was developed to realize the multifunction of cotton. The silver nanoparticles were obtained through reduction of silver ions by cotton under basic condition at room temperature. The as-synthesized silver nanoparticles achieved the coloration of cotton fibers. Heating increased the color strength of cotton fibers with silver nanoparticles. Mercerization treatment as a common finishing process enhanced the properties of cotton fibers modified by silver nanoparticles. The mercerized cotton exhibited brighter color and had very good colorfastness to washing. The cotton fibers treated with in situ synthesized silver nanoparticles possess strong antibacterial activity with excellent washing durability.

Functional Application of Noble Metal Nanoparticles In Situ Synthesized on Ramie Fibers

Different functions were imparted to ramie fibers through treatment with noble metal nanoparticles including silver and gold nanoparticles. The in situ synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles was achieved by heating in the presence of ramie fibers in the corresponding solutions of precursors. The unique optical property of synthesized noble metal nanoparticles, i.e., localized surface plasmon resonance, endowed ramie fibers with bright colors. Color strength (K/S) of fibers increased with heating temperature. Silver nanoparticles were obtained in alkaline solution, while acidic condition was conducive to gold nanoparticles. The optical properties of treated ramie fibers were investigated using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to observe the morphologies of silver and gold nanoparticles in situ synthesized on fibers. The ramie fibers treated with noble metal nanoparticles showed remarkable catalytic activity for reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) by sodium borohydride. Moreover, the silver nanoparticle treatment showed significant antibacterial property on ramie fibers.

Facts and myths of antibacterial properties of silk

Silk cocoons provide protection to silkworm from biotic and abiotic hazards during the immobile pupal phase of the lifecycle of silkworms. Protection is particularly important for the wild silk cocoons reared in an open and harsh environment. To understand whether some of the cocoon components resist growth of microorganisms, in vitro studies were performed using gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) to investigate antibacterial properties of silk fiber, silk gum, and calcium oxalate crystals embedded inside some cocoons. The results show that the previously reported antibacterial properties of silk cocoons are actually due to residues of chemicals used to isolate/purify cocoon elements, and properly isolated silk fiber, gum, and embedded crystals free from such residues do not have inherent resistance to E. coli. This study removes the uncertainty created by previous studies over the presence of antibacterial properties of silk cocoons, particularly the silk gum and sericin.

Intrinsic tensile properties of cocoon silk fibres can be estimated by removing flaws through repeated tensile tests

Silk fibres from silkworm cocoons have lower strength than spider silk and have received less attention as a source of high-performance fibres. In this work, we have used an innovative procedure to eliminate the flaws gradually of a single fibre specimen by retesting the unbroken portion of the fibre, after each fracture test. This was done multiple times so that the final test may provide the intrinsic fibre strength. During each retest, the fibre specimen began to yield once the failure load of the preceding test was exceeded. For each fibre specimen, a composite curve was constructed from multiple tests. The composite curves and analysis show that strengths of mass-produced Muga and Eri cocoon silk fibres increased from 446 to 618 MPa and from 337 to 452 MPa, respectively. Similarly, their toughness increased from 84 to 136 MJ m−3 and from 61 to 104 MJ m−3, respectively. Composite plots produced significantly less inter-specimen variations compared to values from single tests. The fibres with reduced flaws as a result of retests in the tested section have a tensile strength and toughness comparable to naturally spun dragline spider silk with a reported strength of 574 MPa and toughness of 91–158 MJ m−3, which is used as a benchmark for developing high-performance fibres. This retesting approach is likely to provide useful insights into discrete flaw distributions and intrinsic mechanical properties of other fatigue-resistant materials.

The impact of degumming conditions on the properties of silk films for biomedical applications

The degumming process to remove sericin decreases silk fiber strength; however, the impact of degumming on the mechanical properties of regenerated silk biomaterials has not been established. This study investigated the effect of degumming temperature, time, alkaline component and alkaline concentration on the mechanical properties of silk fibroin films. Sericin removal was estimated using weight loss; 10 samples with 12.2–29.4% weight loss were then further characterized in terms of fiber mechanical properties, fiber surface morphology, molecular weight distribution and film tensile strength. A negative correlation was found between weight loss and fiber tensile strength. This loss of fiber strength under harsher degumming conditions had a direct impact on the tensile strength of regenerated films. Mild degumming conditions (weight loss of 12.2%) led to higher film strength (8.9 MPa), whereas aggressive degumming conditions (with 29.4% weight loss) resulted in significantly weaker films (4.3 MPa). The presence of some residual sericin, after mild degumming, is likely to affect the mechanical properties of the regenerated silk films. These results will assist in the development of materials with mechanical and biocompatibility properties tuned to specific biomedical applications.