Carbon nanotubes on a spider silk scaffold
Open Access
- 10 September 2013
- journal article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Nature Communications
- Vol. 4 (1), 2435
- https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms3435
Abstract
Understanding the compatibility between spider silk and conducting materials is essential to advance the use of spider silk in electronic applications. Spider silk is tough, but becomes soft when exposed to water. Here we report a strong affinity of amine-functionalised multi-walled carbon nanotubes for spider silk, with coating assisted by a water and mechanical shear method. The nanotubes adhere uniformly and bond to the silk fibre surface to produce tough, custom-shaped, flexible and electrically conducting fibres after drying and contraction. The conductivity of coated silk fibres is reversibly sensitive to strain and humidity, leading to proof-of-concept sensor and actuator demonstrations.This publication has 34 references indexed in Scilit:
- Non-invasive determination of the complete elastic moduli of spider silksNature Materials, 2013
- Supercontraction in Nephila spider dragline silk – Relaxation into equilibrium statePolymer, 2011
- Solid-State NMR Comparison of Various Spiders’ Dragline Silk FiberBiomacromolecules, 2010
- Dissolvable films of silk fibroin for ultrathin conformal bio-integrated electronicsNature Materials, 2010
- Self-assembly method for the preparation of near-infrared fluorescent spider silk coated with CdTe nanocrystalsSmart Materials and Structures, 2007
- Use of spider silk fibres as an innovative material in a biocompatible artificial nerve conduitJournal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, 2006
- Toughness of Spider Silk at High and Low TemperaturesAdvanced Materials, 2005
- Self-tightening of spider silk fibers induced by moisturePolymer, 2003
- Photoregulation of Molecular Orientation of Stearic Acid in a Polyion Complex LB Film Containing Azobenzene DerivativeThe Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 1999
- The effect of solvents on the contraction and mechanical properties of spider silkPolymer, 1999