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Research article2019Peer reviewed

Optically Active Hybrid Materials Based on Natural Spider Silk

Kiseleva, Aleksandra; Kiselev, Grigorii; Kessler, Vadim; Seisenbaeva, Gulaim; Gets, Dmitry; Rumyantseva, Valeriya; Lyalina, Tatiana; Fakhardo, Anna; Krivoshapkin, Pavel; Krivoshapkina, Elena

Abstract

Spider silk is a natural material possessing unique properties such as biocompatibility, regenerative and antimicrobial activity, and biodegradability. It is broadly considered an attractive matrix for tissue regeneration applications. Optical monitoring and potential control over tissue regrowth are attractive tools for monitoring of this process. In this work, we show upconversion modification of natural spider silk fibers with inorganic nanoparticles. To achieve upconversion, metal oxide nanoparticles were doped with low concentrations of rare-earth elements, producing potentially biocompatible luminescent nanomaterials. The suggested approach to spider silk modification is efficient and easy to perform, opening up sensing and imaging possibilities of biomaterials in a noninvasive and real-time manner in bio-integration approaches.

Keywords

natural spider silk; hybrid material; optically active nanoparticles; zirconia; hafnia; upconversion

Published in

ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
2019, Volume: 11, number: 26, pages: 22962-22972 Publisher: AMER CHEMICAL SOC