Journal
SOFT MATTER
Volume 8, Issue 25, Pages 6713-6722Publisher
ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY
DOI: 10.1039/c2sm25373a
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Funding
- Department of Defense Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) [FA9550-10-1-0275]
- National Science Foundation, Division of Materials Research [DMR-0805197]
- U.S. Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science [DE-AC02-06CH11357]
- DOE-EPSCoR [DE-SC0004791]
- National Institutes of Health, National Center for Research Resources [RR007707]
- National Science Foundation [MCB-0644015 CAREER]
- National Institutes of Health [RR-08630]
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Synchrotron X-ray micro-diffraction experiments were carried out on Nephila clavipes (NC) and Argiope aurantia (AA) major (MA) and minor ampullate (MiA) fibers that make up dragline spider silk. The diffraction patterns show a semi-crystalline structure with beta-poly(L-alanine) nanocrystallites embedded in a partially oriented amorphous matrix. A superlattice reflection 'S' diffraction ring is observed, which corresponds to a crystalline component larger in size and is poorly oriented, when compared to the beta-poly(L-alanine) nanocrystallites that are commonly observed in dragline spider silks. Crystallite size, crystallinity and orientation about the fiber axis have been determined from the wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) patterns. In both NC and AA, the MiA silks are found to be more highly crystalline, when compared with the corresponding MA silks. Detailed analysis on the amorphous matrix shows considerable differences in the degree of order of the oriented amorphous component between the different silks studied and may play a crucial role in determining the mechanical properties of the silks.
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