Frontiers in Silk Science and Technology

Silks from both spiders and silkworms have emerged as attractive materials for addressing new challenges in materials science. These protein-based materials are often superior from a mechanical point of view and give the possibilities to realize composites with remarkable biological properties. Thus, studying raw silks, silk-based natural and artificial composites while controlling and manipulating their processing conditions, is important to achieve significant advances in materials science and technology. In doing this, a multidisciplinary and multiscale approach is crucial for studying silk and its derivatives.

This themed article collection focuses on the latest advances in silk science and technology, and topics include:

• Protein structure and intermolecular interactions
• Characterization in the liquid and solid states
• Self-assembly in silk proteins
• Standardization of processing
• New uses for silks – e.g. optical and electronic materials
• Spider silk properties, uses, processing
• Recombinant silk
• Fabrication of bio-inspired materials with superior properties
• Silk from genetically modified organisms
• Silk mechanics
• Silk composites
• Silk bionicomposites

This themed article collection features high-quality research from the 2019 edition of the Frontiers in Silk Sciences and Technologies conference (Trento, Italy), as well as the significant contributions from experts worldwide working in the area, across academia and industry.