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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Silk imitates mother of pearl for a tough, eco-friendly material

Proteins that make up silk fibres can be formed into a material with a structure similar to that of the lustrous lining of oyster shells.
Strips of silk nacre are shown in its original rectangular form, as well as moulded in wavy, circular and twisted shapes.

A material called silk nacre can be moulded into elaborate shapes. Credit: Xu, Z., Wu, M., Gao, W. & Bai, H. Sci. Adv.

A silk-based version of mother of pearl is stronger and tougher than hard plastics — and biodegradable1.

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Nature 605, 592 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01355-1

References

  1. Xu, Z., Wu, M., Gao, W. & Bai, H. Sci. Adv. 8, eabo0946 (2022).

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