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Unexpected Strength and Toughness in Chitosan‐Fibroin Laminates Inspired by Insect Cuticle
Author(s) -
Fernandez Javier G.,
Ingber Donald E.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.201104051
Subject(s) - fibroin , materials science , toughness , composite material , arthropod cuticle , chitosan , alloy , cuticle (hair) , biocompatible material , insect , silk , chemical engineering , biomedical engineering , medicine , ecology , biology , engineering , genetics
A material inspired by natural insect cuticle and composed of chitosan and fibroin is created. The material exhibits the strength of an aluminum alloy at half its weight, while being clear, biocompatible, biodegradable, and micromoldable. The bioinspired laminate exhibits strength and toughness that are ten times greater than the unstructured component blend and twice that of its strongest constituent.