Structure and Properties of <i>Bombyx Mandarina</i> Silk Fiber and Hybrid Silk Fiber

Abstract

Bombyx mandarina silk fibers, as a precious resource of wild silk fibers, have some different characteristics to Bombyx mori silk fibers. To make a better use of this precious green material in various fields, it is necessary to investigate the characteristics of the fibers. In this research, the structure and properties of Bombyx mori silk fiber, Hybrid silk fiber, and Bombyx mandarina silk fiber are studied and analyzed. In terms of secondary structure, β-sheet structures are dominant in all three fibers while random coil and α-helix structures account for smaller portions of the fibers. Bombyx mandarina silk fiber exhibits a characteristic of amino acid distribution where the content of glycine is higher than that of alanine. The further analysis indicates the breaking strength of B. mandarina silk fibers is superior to that of B. mori silk fiber although Bombyx mandarina silk fiber is finer than Bombyx mori silk fiber. Our investigations provide a significant guide in the development and utilization of these precious silk resources, and Bombyx mandarina and Hybrid silk fibers show good potential for application in the same fields as Bombyx mori silk fibers.