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Bioinspired and biomimetic protein-based fibers and their applications
Summary
This review covers recent advances in protein-based fibers made from materials like silk, keratin, collagen, and elastin, which offer biodegradability and biocompatibility advantages over synthetic polymer fibers. Researchers highlight how bioinspired techniques are being used to mimic natural protein assembly processes and create fibers for applications ranging from water filtration to smart textiles and biomedical devices. The study suggests these sustainable materials could help reduce reliance on petrochemical-based plastics and fibers.
Abstract Protein-based fibers combine unique mechanical properties with biocompatibility and biodegradability, and often outperform polymer-based fibers. Furthermore, a growing need for sustainable materials has triggered a revival in the study of protein fibers, including keratin, collagen, elastin, and silk, which do not require environmentally damaging petrochemicals for their synthesis. Nowadays, bioinspired research intends to mimic the underlying proteins as well as their natural assembly or spinning processes, to achieve fibers with properties equivalent to those of their natural counterparts. Protein-based fibers can also be used to mimic functions in nature, which can otherwise not be achieved with synthetic polymer-based fibers. Here, we review promising protein fibers, their synthesis, and applications, such as air and water filtration, energy conversion, smart textiles, and in biosensoring and biomedical fields.