Bioinspired nano-architecture for cellulose fibers with spider silk–like toughness
4 affiliations
- 1School of Materials and Chemistry, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China
- 2Department of Engineering Mechanics, Institute of Applied Mechanics; State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- 3Department of Engineering Mechanics, Institute of Applied Mechanics; State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. [email protected]
- 4School of Materials and Chemistry, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China. [email protected]
Abstract
Cellulose fibers derived from renewable biomass exhibit exceptional tensile strength through molecular alignment and dense packing, yet their toughness remains limited, typically below 50 MJ m−3. Drawing inspiration from the helical nanoarchitecture of cherry bark, we introduce a bioinspired nano-orientation strategy to fabricate regenerated cellulose fibers with a biaxially oriented structure via a scalable microfluidic spinning technique. Combining experimental characterization and molecular simulations, we demonstrate that this biaxial nano-architecture effectively redistributes stress and suppresses crack propagation during deformation, achieving a remarkable fracture strain of 41% alongside a tensile strength of 553 MPa. This synergy yields a toughness of 184 MJ m−3, exhibiting highly competitive performance relative to most previously reported cellulose fibers and synthetic polymers, and achieving a mechanical performance on the same order of magnitude as natural spider silk. Moreover, this enhancement extends seamlessly from single fibers to woven fabrics, highlighting its potential for sustainable, high-performance materials in textiles, automotive components, and aerospace applications. Our findings illuminate a design for overcoming the intrinsic brittleness of cellulose fibers, advancing their applicability as eco-friendly structural materials. Cellulose fibers derived from renewable biomass offer great tensile strength performance, but their toughness remains limited. Here the authors develop cellulose fibers with uniquely high toughness and tensile strength, that can form from single fibers to woven fabrics.
Related
- Increasing both strength and toughness in ceramic-matrix composites via bioinspired porous interphases
- The Role of Carbon Fibers in FFF 3D Printed Composites: A Comprehensive Review on the Effect on Mechanical Properties, Fracture Toughness, and Tribological Performance
- Rheological and Morphological Characterization of Asphalt Cement Hybrid-Modified with Waste-Derived Cellulose Fibers and Crumb Rubber
- Continuous Conversion of Cellulose and Lignin-Cellulose Precursors to Carbon Fibers: The Importance of Stretching during Low-Temperature Carbonization
- Comparative Investigation of NaOH and KOH Treatments for Cellulose Purity and Polymorph Control in Pineapple Leaf Fibers: Crystallinity Changes and Electrochemical Impedance Signatures
BibTeX
@article{fu2026bioinspired,
title = {{Bioinspired nano-architecture for cellulose fibers with spider silk–like toughness}},
author = {Xiaotong Fu and Xizhe Zhang and Tingting Yang and Yi Zhang (9093) and Chenlu Jiao and Shuze Zhu and Dongdong Ye},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-74052-6},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74052-6},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Bioinspired nano-architecture for cellulose fibers with spider silk–like toughness
AU - Xiaotong Fu
AU - Xizhe Zhang
AU - Tingting Yang
AU - Yi Zhang (9093)
AU - Chenlu Jiao
AU - Shuze Zhu
AU - Dongdong Ye
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/06
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-74052-6
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74052-6
AB - Cellulose fibers derived from renewable biomass exhibit exceptional tensile strength through molecular alignment and dense packing, yet their toughness remains limited, typically below 50 MJ m−3. Drawing inspiration from the helical nanoarchitecture of cherry bark, we introduce a bioinspired nano-orientation strategy to fabricate regenerated cellulose fibers with a biaxially oriented structure via a scalable microfluidic spinning technique. Combining experimental characterization and molecular simulations, we demonstrate that this biaxial nano-architecture effectively redistributes stress and suppresses crack propagation during deformation, achieving a remarkable fracture strain of 41% alongside a tensile strength of 553 MPa. This synergy yields a toughness of 184 MJ m−3, exhibiting highly competitive performance relative to most previously reported cellulose fibers and synthetic polymers, and achieving a mechanical performance on the same order of magnitude as natural spider silk. Moreover, this enhancement extends seamlessly from single fibers to woven fabrics, highlighting its potential for sustainable, high-performance materials in textiles, automotive components, and aerospace applications. Our findings illuminate a design for overcoming the intrinsic brittleness of cellulose fibers, advancing their applicability as eco-friendly structural materials. Cellulose fibers derived from renewable biomass offer great tensile strength performance, but their toughness remains limited. Here the authors develop cellulose fibers with uniquely high toughness and tensile strength, that can form from single fibers to woven fabrics.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -