ABSTRACT
Manufacturing innovations serve as the essential bridge between the discoveries of functional materials and structures to increase the understanding of complex biological elements that are heterogeneous and hierarchical by nature. This chapter introduces a technical route on building protein-based functional biodevices and bio-interfaces at the micro- and nano-scale. Silk proteins – including naturally extracted and genetically engineered ones – originating from silkworms and spider silks are used as the structural building materials due to their advantages such as superior mechanical properties, outstanding biocompatibility, and ease of functionalization. We also provide a critical overview of recent progress on high-tech applications enabled by innovations in manufacturing, assembly, functionalization and characterization of silk materials and devices, offering opportunities for applications in biomedicines, tissue engineering and medical implants.
