Superior Cohesion of <em>Saturnia japonica</em> Sericin towards Robust Protection
발표자
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초록
내용
A pest in eastern Asia, the wild silkworm Saturnia japonica (SJ) weaves specific features of cocoon compared to the Bombyx mori (BM). Against nature, bestowing robust protection to the cocoon is necessary for SJ. Indeed, the SJ cocoon possesses outstanding mechanical properties compared to the BM cocoon. Hence, a hardening component sericin is extracted from the SJ cocoon, thereafter interaction forces between the sericin nanofilms are investigated using a surface forces apparatus (SFA) in various pH. The measured cohesive forces of SJ sericin are ~200% higher than BM sericin with gradual increments in neutral pH and surface contact time. The pH and contact time responsive cohesive forces allude to an increase in the number of binding sites due to the sericin rearrangement and conformational change. Here we introduce the superior cohesive property of sericin from SJ cocoon henceforth it could be utilized for potential eco-friendly biomaterials or adhesive binders.