title: Carbon nanotubes on a spider silk scaffold.
abstract: Understanding the compatibility between spider silk and conducting materials is essential to advance the use of spider silk in electronic applications. Spider silk is tough, but becomes soft when exposed to water. Here we report a strong affinity of amine-functionalised multi-walled carbon nanotubes for spider silk, with coating assisted by a water and mechanical shear method. The nanotubes adhere uniformly and bond to the silk fibre surface to produce tough, custom-shaped, flexible and electrically conducting fibres after drying and contraction. The conductivity of coated silk fibres is reversibly sensitive to strain and humidity, leading to proof-of-concept sensor and actuator demonstrations.
authors.affiliation: National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Department of Physics, Florida State University, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32310, USA.
authors.forename: Eden
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Steven
authors.forename: Wasan R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lebedev
authors.forename: Steve F A
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Acquah
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Laukhin
authors.forename: Rufina G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Alamo
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Brooks
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004566:Electrodes; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D047011:Silk / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D013112:Spiders / Q000737:chemistry*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013696:Temperature; D013718:Tensile Strength; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D047011:Silk; D014867:Water
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