Spiders can produce seven kinds of silk with different functions by regulating the hierarchical structure of spider silk protein. Learned from the secondary structure of spider silk, a series of peptide-polyurethane/urea (PUU) hybrids with various peptide contents were synthesized through a simple strategy. Combining with effective molecular design, both α-helix and β-sheet confirmation appeared in the polymer, which was confirmed by FTIR and WAXD results. The characterization of morphology and mechanical properties reveals the composition-structure-property relationship and shows the effect of peptide ratio. In addition, the excellent resistance stability under bending and stretching conditions makes Ag nanowires (AgNWs)/P-41.5 hybrid films a promising material for sensors and wearable electronic devices. What's more interesting is that after dry spinning, a fiber with supertoughness (387MJ/m3) was fabricated, which is comparable to the toughest native spider silk in the world.

Spider silk inspired peptide-containing hybrids and fibers from a chemically synthetic strategy

ACS Fall 2021

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