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Tensile properties of Attacus atlas silk submerged in liquid media
Author(s) -
PérezRigueiro J.,
Elices M.,
Llorca J.,
Viney C.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1822
Subject(s) - silk , ultimate tensile strength , saturniidae , composite material , materials science , polymer science , bombyx mori , spider silk , sericin , polymer chemistry , chemistry , chemical engineering , lepidoptera genitalia , botany , biology , biochemistry , gene , engineering
Tensile properties of Attacus atlas ( Saturniidae ) silk were measured in air, water, and ethanol. Control samples in air showed a large variability, so a normalization method was developed to enable comparison with the behavior of samples submerged in the liquid media. Amino acid analysis demonstrated that the composition of A. atlas silk is similar to that of silk produced by other members of the Saturniidae family. The tensile properties of A. atlas silk resemble those of Bombyx mori (common domesticated silkworm) silk, although the two silks have different compositions. In particular, the elastic modulus is decreased by immersion in water and increased slightly by immersion in ethanol. The behavior of A. atlas silk can be described in terms of water having a disruptive effect on proteinprotein hydrogen bonds, whereas ethanol acts as a desiccant and therefore enhances proteinprotein hydrogen bonding. There are significant differences between the tensile properties of A. atlas silk and spider ( Nephila madagascarensis ) drag line, even though these materials have similar amino acid compositions: the spider silk has previously been shown to exhibit a decreased elastic modulus and conspicuous supercontraction in both liquids. Primary composition is therefore not a simple indicator of mechanical function in silks. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 53–62, 2001