Hardy, John G. and Scheibel, Thomas R. (2009) Silk-inspired polymers and proteins. Biochemical Society Transactions, 37 (4). pp. 677-681. ISSN 0300-5127
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
The biocompatibility and biodegradability of natural silk fibres and the benign conditions under which they (with impressive mechanical properties) are produced represent a biomimetic ideal. This ideal has inspired people in both academia and industry to prepare silk-mimetic polymers and proteins by chemical and/or biotechnological means. in the present paper, we aim to give an overview of the design principles of such silk-inspired polymers/proteins, their processing into various materials morphologies, their mechanical and biological properties, and, finally, their technical and biomedical applications.