Silk
Abstract
The article contains sections titled:
| 1. | Introduction |
| 1.1. | Definitions |
| 1.2. | Silkworm Silk |
| 1.2.1. | History of Silkworm Silk Use |
| 1.2.2. | Life Cycle of the Mulberry Silkworm |
| 1.3. | Spider Silk |
| 1.3.1. | Types of Spider Silk |
| 1.3.2. | History of Spider Silk Use |
| 2. | Structure and Properties of Silk |
| 2.1. | Hierarchy and Structure of Silkworm Silk |
| 2.2. | Hierarchical Structure of Spider Silk: Exemplary Dragline Silk |
| 2.3. | Chemical Composition of Silk |
| 2.3.1. | Fibroin |
| 2.3.2. | Sericin |
| 2.3.3. | Spidroin |
| 2.4. | Properties |
| 3. | Production |
| 3.1. | Sericulture of Silkworm Silk |
| 3.2. | Biotechnological Production of Silk Proteins |
| 3.3. | Production of Silk Threads |
| 3.3.1. | Natural Silk Thread Production |
| 3.3.2. | Artificial Silk Thread Production |
| 3.4. | World Production of Silkworm Silk |
| 4. | Processing of Silkworm Silk |
| 4.1. | Degumming |
| 4.2. | Weighting |
| 4.3. | Bleaching |
| 4.4. | Dyeing |
| 4.5. | Printing |
| 4.6. | Special Finishing |
| 5. | Processing of silk proteins into non-thread morphologies |
| 6. | Uses |
Silkworms produce protein-based (silk) cocoons to protect themselves during their metamorphosis into moths, and humans have harvested silk fibers from these cocoons for millennia to produce textiles due to their luster, moisture absorbance and strength. Weaving spiders produce silk-based webs (from a variety of different silk protein-based fibers) to capture prey; some of these silk fibers have mechanical properties superior to Nylon, Kevlar, silkworm silk, and high-tensile steel. In this article, the relationship between the properties of fibers produced by silkworms and spiders and the molecular structure of their constituent proteins, as well as production and processing technologies in combination with the putative use of silk-based materials will be summarized.
