Thermal behavior of Bombyx mori silk: evolution of crystalline parameters, molecular structure, and mechanical properties.

The thermal behavior up to degradation of Bombyx mori silk has been studied by scanning synchrotron radiation microdiffraction, gel electrophoresis, and mechanical testing. The diffraction patterns from single baves can be separated into scattering from anisotropic crystalline beta-sheet domains and random short-range order. In contrast to dragline silk, scattering from oriented, short-range-order fibroin is not observed. The sheath of sericin proteins can be selectively probed by a microbeam and shows also principally random short-range-order domains with a small crystalline beta-sheet fraction. Microdiffraction experiments on single baves from 100 to 573 K show an increase in lattice expansion along the [010] chain-stacking direction above 200-250 K, which could be due to an increase in side-chain mobility. Degradation of the crystalline fraction commences at approximately 500 K, and the fibers have become amorphous at about 570 K with an onset of carbonization. Gel electrophoresis shows that the degradation of FibH molecules starts already at about 350 K, while FibL molecules start degrading at about 400 K. The mechanical properties of single baves such as strain-to-failure and tensile strength also start degrading at about 400 K, while the initial modulus increases up to about 475 K. It is proposed that this is due to the development of cross-linking in the short-range-order chain fraction.