Hierarchical design of silkworm silk for functional composites

Abstract

Silk-reinforced composites (SRCs) manifest the unique properties of silkworm silk fibers, offering enhanced mechanical strength, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. These composites present an eco-friendly alternative to conventional synthetic materials, with applications expanding beyond biomedical engineering, flexible electronics, and environmental filtration. This review explores the diverse forms of silkworm silk fibers including fabrics, long fibers, and nanofibrils, for functional composites. It highlights advancements in composite design and processing techniques that allow precise engineering of mechanical and functional performance. Despite substantial progress, challenges remain in making optimally functionalized SRCs with multi-faceted performance and understanding the mechanics for reverse-design of SRCs. Future research should focus on the unique sustainable, biodegradable and biocompatible advantages and embrace advanced processing technology, as well as artificial intelligence-assisted material design to exploit the full potential of SRCs. This review on SRCs will offer a foundation for future advancements in multifunctional and high-performance silk-based composites.