Vegan Spider Silk: Replacement for Common Plastics

News- By mimicking the self-assembling microstructures that give spider silk its incredible strength, scientists at the University of Cambridge have produced a plant-based film with the strength of common single-use plastics, offering a “vegan” eco-friendly alternative to the material. The free-standing film can be colored for industrial use, and then easily composted once its job is done

 “We found that one of the key features that gives spider silk its strength is the hydrogen bonds are arranged regularly in space and at a very high density,” says study author Professor Tuomas Knowles

The scientists then set out to recreate this process using self-assembling proteins sourced from plants instead. This began with soy protein isolate, which like all proteins, is made of polypeptide chains that can be made to self-assemble under the right conditions. Achieving this involved a mix of acetic acid and water, high temperatures and ultrasonication, to improve the solubility of the protein and make it easier to control its self-assembly into ordered structures

The finished product is a set of protein structures with enhanced molecular interactions driven by hydrogen bond formation, just like in spider silk. When the solvent is removed, a water-insoluble film remains with a mechanical performance equivalent to common single-use plastics like polyethylene. And because it involves no chemical modifications to its all-natural building blocks, the material can safely degrade in home composting systems

The research was published in the journal Nature Communications

10.06.2021

Ref: www.newatlas.com

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