The effects of water on the structure and dynamics of natural and regenerated silk fibroin (SF) samples were studied using C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. We prepared different types of SF materials, sponges, and fibers with different preparation methods and compared their NMR spectra in the dry and hydrated states. Three kinds of C NMR techniques, r-INEPT, CP/MAS, and DD/MAS, coupled with C isotope labeling of Ser, Tyr, and Ala residues were used. In the hydrated sponges, several conformations, that is, Silk I* and two kinds of β-sheets, A and B, random coil, and highly mobile hydrated random coil were observed, and the fractions were determined. The fractions were remarkably different among the three sponges but with only small differences among the regenerated and native fibers. The increase in the fraction of β-sheet B might be one of the structural factors for preparing stronger regenerated SF fiber.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.7b01665 | DOI Listing |
Mar Biotechnol (NY)
January 2025
School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), Wenhua West Road, 2#, Weihai, 264209, People's Republic of China.
Recently, the scale and frequency of harmful algae blooms (HABs) have gradually increased, posing a serious threat to human health, marine ecosystems and economic development. For early warning, a method is required that can quickly detect and monitor microalgae. It is proposed to use aptamer targeted to Prorocentrum minimum, along with exonuclease III (Exo III), gold nanoparticles, target single-stranded DNA and hairpin structure probe to construct a new method, i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLangmuir
January 2025
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Refrigeration Technology, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China.
Self-cleaning applications based on bionic surface designs requires an in-depth understanding of unique and complex wetting and evaporation processes of sessile droplets on natural biosurfaces. To this end, hydrophobic bamboo and Kalanchoe blossfeldiana leaves are excellent candidates for self-cleaning applications, but various properties, such as the heat and mass transfer processes during evaporation, remain unknown. Here, the dynamics of contact angle, radius, and heat and mass transfer during evaporation of sessile droplets on bamboo and Kalanchoe blossfeldiana leaves with roughness in the range 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMater Horiz
January 2025
Natural Sciences and Science Education, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637616, Singapore.
Bionic evaporators inspired by natural plants like bamboo and mushrooms have emerged as efficient generators through water capillary evaporation. However, primitive natural evaporators cannot currently meet growing demand, and their performance limitations remain largely unexplored, presenting a substantial challenge. Through extensive experimentation and detailed simulation analysis, this study presents a precisely engineered H-type bamboo steam generator.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMater Horiz
January 2025
Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China.
The porous polymer is a common and fascinating category within the vast family of porous materials. It offers valuable features such as sufficient raw materials, easy processability, controllable pore structures, and adjustable surface functionality by combining the inherent properties of both porous structures and polymers. These characteristics make it an effective choice for designing functional and advanced materials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Department of Materials Science and Technology, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1 Kamitomioka, Nagaoka, Niigata 940-2188, Japan.
Apatite nanoparticles are biocompatible nanomaterials, so their film formation on biodevices is expected to provide effective bonding with living organisms. However, the biodevice-apatite interfaces have not yet been elucidated because there is little experimental evaluation and discussion on the nanoscale interactions, as well as the apatite surface reactivities. Our group has demonstrated the biomolecular adsorption properties on a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) sensor coated with apatite nanoparticles, demonstrating the applicability of apatite nanoparticle films on devices.
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