Chapter 18: NMR Characterization of Silk

Silk is a natural protein-based fiber that is primarily produced by the larvae of insects, but also by spiders, webspinners, lacewings, and numerous other insects and arachnids.1-8 Silk has been used commercially in textile production for centuries and it is recognized as one of the most studied proteinbased materials in history.1 Over the past 70 years, considerable attention has been paid to silks by a diverse range of scientists.²,⁴,^9-22More recently, the application of native silk and recombinant silk as biomaterials is an active area.³,²¹,^23-25Silk is an attractive biomaterial due to its excellent mechanical properties, optical and thermal properties, and biocompatibility. 2,20,26 These appealing physical and mechanical properties originate from silk's unique molecular structure. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of silk structure will be the key to developing silk-based materials and devices as well as novel bio-inspired materials.The Royal Society of Chemistry 2019.