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Cyclic Expansion/Compression of the Air–Liquid Interface as a Simple Method to Produce Silk Fibers
Author(s) -
Kvick Mathias,
Tasiopoulos Christos P.,
Barth Andreas,
Söderberg Lars Daniel,
Lundell Fredrik,
Hedhammar My
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
macromolecular bioscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.924
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1616-5195
pISSN - 1616-5187
DOI - 10.1002/mabi.202000227
Subject(s) - silk , simple (philosophy) , polymer science , interface (matter) , compression (physics) , composite material , materials science , chemical engineering , engineering , wetting , philosophy , epistemology , sessile drop technique
Self‐assembly of recombinant spider silk protein at air–liquid interfaces is used as a starting point to produce homogeneous fiber bundles. The film that is formed on a silk protein solution in a vertically placed syringe is subjected to repeated controlled extension and compression by an oscillating vertical motion. Thereby, a precise breakup of the film can be achieved, followed by transport and roll‐up against the syringe wall prior to extraction. Advantages of the method are that it 1) is simple to use; 2) requires a small volume of protein solution (1 mL) at relatively low concentration (1 mg mL −1 ); 3) can be performed under sterile conditions; 4) does not require any use of coagulants; and 5) is compatible with the addition of viable cells during the process, which thereby are integrated uniformly throughout the fiber.