Interfacial Assembly Reprograms Defect-Mediated Bending Mechanics in Rigid Biogenic Nanofibrils
silk fibroin on the nanofibril surface progressively suppresses kink expression, smooths contour curvature, and shifts the bending mode from kink-dominated segmented reorientation toward distributed bending. Selective removal of the assembled interfacial layer partially restores the original high-curvature features and defect-mediated bending state, demonstrating that the effect is largely reversible and arises from contour statistical redistribution rather than permanent modification of the rigid backbone. Our results establish interfacial assembly as a route to reprogram defect expression in rigid biogenic nanofibrils and thereby tune single-fibril bending mechanics. This framework may provide broader insight into interface-controlled mechanics in other high-aspect ratio biogenic fibrillar systems.
Authors
- Xinyi Zeng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1771-8310)
- Jinrong Yao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0868-2934)
- Shengjie Ling (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1156-0479)
- Zhengzhong Shao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5334-4008)
- Leitao Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3396-8435)
- J W Ren
- Ke Zheng
- Xueli Tian
- Xin Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7706-4166)
Institutions
- Anhui Agricultural University (CN)
- Fudan University (CN)
- ShanghaiTech University (CN)
- Ingenierie des Materiaux polymeres (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Langmuir
- Published
- 2026-05-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.6c01691
- Primary Topic
- Calcium Carbonate Crystallization and Inhibition
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00