Cover Image, Volume 107, Issue 9

The ability to generate robust and versatile hydrogel microfibers is desirable for bottom‐up assembly of biological tissues and for broader biomaterial applications. David L. Kaplan et al. describe a method to produce silk hydrogel microfibers with superior strength, extensibility and long‐term stability compared to those described in the existing literature. Post‐processing enzymatically crosslinked silk fibres by subjecting them to methanol or autoclaving facilitates the ability to control the morphology and structure. The mechanical properties of the final silk hydrogel microfibers are therefore tunable, making this a promising method for generating biological scaffolds, composites and textiles. (DOI: 10.1002/bip.23030)

Source: Biopolymers - July 24, 2017 Category: Biochemistry Tags: COVER IMAGE Source Type: research