Natural silk for energy and sensing applications: a review

Biomaterials appear promising for creating wearable and electronic devices. For instance, natural silk is flexible, durable, comfortable, breathable and abundant. Silk can take many forms and adapt to the sought-out qualities of wearable devices. For sensor fabrication, silk's amphophilic structure allows the facile adhesion of active materials. Moreover, substrates made of beta-sheet crystallites offer outstanding mechanical strength. Here, we review synthesis and applications of modified silk in energy and sensing. The three ways to modify silk are: before the fiber is spun by the worm, i.e. in-vivo, after it is spun, and by pyrolysis. Methods include electrospinning and hydrogel formation. The produced biocompatible materials can be integrated in supercapacitors, batteries, solar cells, water splitting materials, and sensors.

Automated summary

Biomaterials, specifically modified silk, show promise in energy and sensing applications. There are three main methods for modifying silk: before spinning, after spinning, and by pyrolysis. These biocompatible materials can be integrated into various devices and sensors.