Date: 22.10.2010
New neutron research at Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) has revealed that the proteins making up silkworm silk have unexpected properties: effectively the proteins become more concentrated as they are diluted. The study published earlier this month in the RSC journal Soft Matter is a big step forward in understanding the amazing properties of silks and how to synthesise them.
Usually proteins are stable at a concentration of approximately 1mg/ml. As the concentration increases, say to 5-10mg/ml, proteins usually start to aggregate.
This surprising observation is a vital step towards understanding the liquid precursor, which is essential to synthesise silk and develop new materials with silk's desirable mechanical properties.
Original Paper:
Imke Greving, Cedric Dicko, Ann Terry, Phil Callow, Fritz Vollrath. Small angle neutron scattering of native and reconstituted silk fibroin. Soft Matter, 2010; 6 (18): 4389 DOI: 10.1039/C0SM00108B
For more information:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101003081929.htm
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