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  3. Interfacial Assembly Reprograms Defect-mediated Bending Mechanics In Rigid Biogenic Nanofibrils.
  1. Home
  3. Interfacial Assembly Reprograms Defect-mediated Bending Mechanics In Rigid Biogenic Nanofibrils.

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Interfacial Assembly Reprograms Defect-Mediated Bending Mechanics in Rigid Biogenic Nanofibrils.

Xinyi Zeng1,2, Xueli Tian3, Leitao Cao4

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Research Center of AI for Polymer Science, Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|May 12, 2026

View abstract on PubMed

Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Defects in Hyphantria cunea silk nanofibrils dictate their bending mechanics. Interfacial assembly of silk fibroin can reprogram these defects, tuning fibril flexibility and offering insights into biogenic materials.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Materials Science
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Rigid biogenic nanofibrils' mechanics are typically linked to structure, crystallinity, and alignment.
  • The influence of sparse geometric defects on fibril mechanics is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of intrinsic kink defects in the mechanics of Hyphantria cunea silk nanofibrils.
  • To explore how interfacial assembly of silk fibroin affects nanofibril bending behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of kink defects in Hyphantria cunea silk nanofibrils.
  • Interfacial assembly of Bombyx mori silk fibroin on nanofibrils.
  • Characterization of changes in contour statistics and bending response.
  • Selective removal of the assembled layer to assess reversibility.

Main Results:

  • Intrinsic kink defects in Hyphantria cunea silk nanofibrils significantly influence their bending response.
  • Interfacial assembly of silk fibroin suppresses kink expression, smooths curvature, and shifts bending modes.
  • The observed effects are largely reversible upon removal of the assembled layer.

Conclusions:

  • Intrinsic defects play a crucial role in the mechanics of rigid biogenic nanofibrils.
  • Interfacial assembly offers a method to tune single-fibril bending mechanics by reprogramming defect expression.
  • This framework has implications for understanding interface-controlled mechanics in other biogenic fibrillar systems.