Projects per year
Abstract
Silk and cellulose are biopolymers that show strong potential as future sustainable materials. They also have complementary properties, suitable for combination in composite materials where cellulose would form the reinforcing component and silk the tough matrix. A major challenge concerns balancing structure and functional properties in the assembly process. We used recombinant proteins with triblock architecture, combining structurally modified spider silk with terminal cellulose affinity modules. Flow alignment of cellulose nanofibrils and triblock protein allowed continuous fiber production. Protein assembly involved phase separation into concentrated coacervates, with subsequent conformational switching from disordered structures into b sheets. This process gave the matrix a tough adhesiveness, forming a new composite material with high strength and stiffness combined with increased toughness. We show that versatile design possibilities in protein engineering enable new fully biological materials and emphasize the key role of controlled assembly at multiple length scales for realization.
Original language | English |
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Article number | eaaw2541 |
Journal | Science Advances |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 13 Sept 2019 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
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Dive into the research topics of 'Biomimetic composites with enhanced toughening using silk-inspired triblock proteins and aligned nanocellulose reinforcements'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 3 Finished
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Biomimetic Adhesives
Linder, M., Fedorov, D., Tersteegen, J., Yin, Y., Rooijakkers, B., Rahman, M., Välisalmi, T., Osmekhina, E. & Roas Escalona, N.
01/09/2018 → 31/08/2022
Project: Academy of Finland: Other research funding
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AI spider silk threading
Linder, M., Roas Escalona, N., Välisalmi, T., Fedorov, D., Rooijakkers, B., Osmekhina, E. & Velagapudi, R.
01/01/2018 → 31/12/2021
Project: Academy of Finland: Other research funding
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The New Road to Silk: Bio-based production of silk-like materials
Linder, M., Griffo, A., Batys, P., Tersteegen, J., Aranko, S., Mohammadi, P., Roas Escalona, N. & Lemetti, L.
01/01/2017 → 31/12/2020
Project: Academy of Finland: Other research funding
Press/Media
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Wood Fibre and Spider Silk Mix Could Rival Plastic
Aino Sesilja Aranko, Markus Linder & Olli Ikkala
17/09/2019
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Media appearance