Strong Reduced Graphene Oxide Coated Bombyx mori Silk

Bombyx mori silks possess great potential in textile industries due to the large-scale green production. However, the demand for silks with functional as well as mechanical properties are continuously rising due to the emergence of other functional textiles. It remains a great challenge to functionalize natural silk and simultaneously improve its mechanical properties. Inspired by the relationship between natural core–sheath structure and mechanical properties of cocoon silk, the application of a thin reduced graphene oxide (rGO) layer coated B. mori silk (GS) is shown via hydrogen interfacial interaction. The resultant rGO-coated silk exhibits a remarkable tensile strength of 1137.7 MPa and toughness of 304.5 MJ m⁻³, which are 1.9 and 2.6 times higher than that of pure B. mori silk, respectively. Moreover, the GS shows a high electrical conductivity of 0.37 S m⁻¹ with great thermal and deformation sensitivity. The bioinspired approach provides a universal and facile strategy for functionalizing natural fibers by applying rGO nanosheets surface coating.