Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Literature review › peer-review
<mark>Journal publication date</mark> | 1/08/2009 |
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<mark>Journal</mark> | Biochemical Society Transactions |
Issue number | 4 |
Volume | 37 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Pages (from-to) | 677-681 |
Publication Status | Published |
<mark>Original language</mark> | English |
The biocompatibility and biodegradability of natural silk fibres and the benign conditions under which they (with impressive mechanical properties) are produced represent a biomimetic ideal. This ideal has inspired people in both academia and industry to prepare silk-mimetic polymers and proteins by chemical and/or biotechnological means. in the present paper, we aim to give an overview of the design principles of such silk-inspired polymers/proteins, their processing into various materials morphologies, their mechanical and biological properties, and, finally, their technical and biomedical applications.