We report a study of self-assembled beta-pleated sheets in B. mori silk fibroin films using thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy. B. mori silk fibroin may stand as an exemplar of fibrous proteins containing crystalline beta-sheets. Materials were prepared from concentrated solutions (2−5 wt % fibroin in water) and then dried to achieve a less ordered state without beta-sheets. Crystallization of beta-pleated sheets was effected either by heating the films above the glass transition temperature (Tg) and holding isothermally or by exposure to methanol. The fractions of secondary structural components including random coils, alpha-helices, beta-pleated sheets, turns, and side chains were evaluated using Fourier self-deconvolution (FSD) of the infrared absorbance spectra. The silk fibroin films were studied thermally using temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) to obtain the reversing heat capacity. The increment of the reversing heat capacity ΔCp0(Tg) at the glass transition fo...

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Determining Beta Sheet Crystallinity in Fibrous Proteins by Thermal Analysis and Infrared Spectroscopy

Recent development in electrocatalysts for hydrogen production through water electrolysis

Molecular metal nanoclusters for ORR, HER and OER: Achievements, opportunities and challenges

Ni modified Co2VO4 heterojunction with poor/rich-electron structure for overall urea-rich wastewater oxidation

A Review on Biomass-derived N-doped Carbons as Electrocatalysts in Electrochemical Energy Applications

Recent innovations of silk-derived electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction

Developing electrocatalysts with high efficiency and long-term stability for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is significant to massively generate hydrogen energy by water splitting. In this work, cobalt and tungsten dual metal-loaded N-doped porous carbon electrocatalysts derived from silk fibroin were successfully prepared through facile carbonization and chemical activation by KCl and applied as efficient electrocatalysts for HER and OER. After chemical activation, the resulting catalysts present a unique hierarchical porous structure with micro-, meso-, and macropores, which is able to expose more implantation sites for catalytic active metals and will in turn promote the efficient diffusion of the electrolyte. The catalyst under the optimized condition (CoW@ACSF) has a specific area of 326.01 m2 g-1. The overpotential at a current density of 10 mA cm -2 of CoW@ACSF is 138.42 ± 10.39 mV toward HER and 492.05 ± 19.04 mV toward OER. Furthermore, the overpotential only increases 101.2 mV toward HER and 66.00 mV toward OER after the long-term stability test of chronopotentiometric test over 10 h, which confirms the excellent stability of the CoW@ACSF, owing to its unique carbon shell structure. This work gives an insight into the design and engineering of silk fibroin-derived carbon materials for electrocatalysis toward HER and OER.

Dual Metal-Loaded Porous Carbon Materials Derived from Silk Fibroin as Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction and Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Preparation of sponge-cake-like N-doped porous carbon materials derived from silk fibroin by chemical activation

The invention discloses an electrostatic spinning porous carbon material and a preparation method thereof. The preparation method of the electrostatic spinning porous carbon material comprises the following steps that silk fibroin, polyoxyethylene, potassium chloride and anhydrous formic acid are taken for being uniformly mixed to obtain a spinning solution; the spinning solution is subjected to electrostatic spinning to obtain an electrostatic spinning membrane, and the spinning voltage is 14-18kV; and high-temperature carbonization is carried out on the electrostatic spinning membrane in a nitrogen atmosphere to obtain the electrostatic spinning porous carbon material. The electrostatic spinning porous carbon material is prepared from a nitrogen element, and the content of the nitrogen element is 6-22 wt%. The preparation method of the electrostatic spinning porous carbon material is convenient to operate, the preparation process is easy to control, the technological process is short, and the obtained electrostatic spinning porous carbon material has good hydrophilic performance and pore structure.

He Hongzhe

Papers

Recent innovations of silk-derived electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction

Dual Metal-Loaded Porous Carbon Materials Derived from Silk Fibroin as Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction and Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Preparation of sponge-cake-like N-doped porous carbon materials derived from silk fibroin by chemical activation

Electrostatic spinning porous carbon material and preparation method thereof