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Unexpected strength and toughness in chitosan-fibroin laminates inspired by insect cuticle
Javier G Fernandez1, Donald E Ingber
1Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|December 14, 2011
Abstract:
A material inspired by natural insect cuticle and composed of chitosan and fibroin is created. The material exhibits the strength of an aluminum alloy at half its weight, while being clear, biocompatible, biodegradable, and micromoldable. The bioinspired laminate exhibits strength and toughness that are ten times greater than the unstructured component blend and twice that of its strongest constituent.
