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It is shown that the work required to produce natural silk fibers is at least ten times less than a classic synthetic polymer, yet still nature produces a fiber with superior mechanical properties. The concept of polymer crystallization is (re)defined and silks are classed as a new nanocomposite state of biological matter called aquamelts.
The image shows a sketch of a Chinese silkworm spinning a silk fiber. Using shear‐induced polarization light imaging, Oleksandr O. Mykhaylyk and co‐workers at Sheffield and Oxford Universities demonstrate on page 105 that the work required to produce natural silk fibers is at least ten times less than that required for a typical synthetic polymer. They also (re)define the concept of polymer crys‐tallization...
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