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Silk: Optical properties over 12.6 octaves THz-IR-visible-UV range

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journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-18, 00:12 authored by A Balčytis, M Ryu, X Wang, F Novelli, G Seniutinas, S Du, Jingliang LiJingliang Li, J Davis, D Appadoo, J Morikawa, S Juodkazis
Domestic (Bombyx mori) and wild (Antheraea pernyi) silk fibers were characterised over a wide spectral range from THz 8 cm -1 ( λ = 1.25 mm, f = 0.24 THz) to deep-UV 50 × 10 3 cm - 1 ( λ = 200 nm, f = 1500 THz) wavelengths or over a 12.6 octave frequency range. Spectral features at β-sheet, α-coil and amorphous fibroin were analysed at different spectral ranges. Single fiber cross sections at mid-IR were used to determine spatial distribution of different silk constituents and revealed an α-coil rich core and more broadly spread β-sheets in natural silk fibers obtained from wild Antheraea pernyi moths. Low energy T-ray bands at 243 and 229 cm -1 were observed in crystalline fibers of domestic and wild silk fibers, respectively, and showed no spectral shift down to 78 K temperature. A distinct 20±4 cm-1 band was observed in the crystalline Antheraea pernyi silk fibers. Systematic analysis and assignment of the observed spectral bands is presented. Water solubility and biodegradability of silk, required for bio-medical and sensor applications, are directly inferred from specific spectral bands.

History

Journal

Materials

Volume

10

Article number

ARTN 356

Pagination

1 - 15

Location

Switzerland

Open access

  • Yes

ISSN

1996-1944

eISSN

1996-1944

Language

English

Notes

This work was part of the Melbourne synchrotron beamtime proposal 10457, experiments carried out from 19 to 21 April 2016. Meguya Ryu is grateful for the travel grant from the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Junko Morikawa acknowledges the support of JSPS KAKENHI Grant No. 16K06768 and the support in part by “Materials research by Information Integration” Initiative (MI2I) project of the Support Program for the Starting Up Innovation Hub from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). Saulius Juodkazis is grateful for partial support via the Australian Research Council DP130101205 Discovery project, Swinburne’s startup grant for nanotechnology facility, and by the nanotechnology Ambassador fellowship program at the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) in the Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF)

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2017, The Authors

Issue

4

Publisher

MDPI