Output details
13 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials
University of Sheffield : B - Materials Science and Engineering
Rheo-attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy: a new tool to study biopolymers
Adopting Nature’s solutions to material production will provide new routes in sustainable wet processing of high performance polymers. Using silk as a model biopolymer we developed a rheo-spectroscopic tool that records both molecular alignment and conformational changes during shear flow. This has revealed the conditions required to spin artificial silks and has been used by industrial partner Oxford Biomaterials to develop better silk feedstocks (stephanie.lesage@oxfordbiomaterials.com). It was also featured as the cover for the British Society of Rheology bulletin as well as receiving interest from rheometer manufacturers (Thermo kevin.barber@thermofisher.com and Malvern Instruments joanne.langridge@malvern.com).