Multiscale Hybridization of Natural Silk–Nanocellulose Fibrous Composites With Exceptional Mechanical Properties

Because of the crisis of the petrochemical era, environmentally friendly natural polymers and related material processes are receiving great attention. Cellulose and silk are typical fibrous materials that consist of polysaccharides and proteins, respectively, and have excellent mechanical properties and high physicochemical stabilities due to their unique self-assembly-based hierarchical structures. In this study, highly stable high-strength silk fiber (SF)–cellulose nanofibril (CNF) composites were prepared by the hierarchical fusion of micrometer-scale SFs and nanometer-scale CNFs. This manufacturing process is cost-effective because the raw materials (SFs and CNFs) are used as is. It is an eco-friendly process because it does not require the use of organic solvents or toxic reagents. In addition, it is an energy-efficient process because heat fusion (120 °C) takes only 10 min. The re…