Regensburg 2010 – scientific programme
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SYMR: Symposium Nuclear Magnetic Resonance: from Applications in Condensed-Matter Physics to New Frontiers
SYMR 7: Biopolymers and Biomaterials
SYMR 7.3: Talk
Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 14:45–15:00, H37
Interplay between morphology and mechanical properties of silk investigated by X-ray microdiffraction on single fibers combined with in situ tensile tests — Florian Kunze1, Igor Krasnov1, •Christina Krywka1, Martin Müller2, Malte Ogurreck2, Manfred Burghammer3, and Christian Riekel3 — 1IEAP der CAU, Kiel, Germany — 2GKSS Forschungszentrum, Geesthacht, Germany — 3ESRF, Grenoble, France
Silk is a natural composite material known to have special mechanical properties. Produced by the silkworm (Bombyx mori) it provides high tensile strength and elasticity combined with low weight. It is extremely stretchable with a high degree of toughness and great elongation before breaking. It would be highly desirable to produce artificial fibers with such mechanical properties. Silk fibers have a semicrystalline morphology, which means they are composed of a crystalline and a disordered phase. To determine the characteristics of the mechanical properties and the composition of the silk fibers we are using a combination of in situ tensile tests and X-ray microdiffraction. Utilizing the Microfocus Beamline ID13 at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) it was possible to execute first Wide Angle X-Ray Scattering (WAXS) measurements combined with in situ stretching experiments on single silk fibers. The detected effects are similar to those of measurements on small bundles of silk fibers. Overall we have observed a strong interplay between the morphology of silk and the fibers‘ mechanical properties.