Multifunctional Defense of Achelura yunnanensis Cocoon: High-Strength Tough Silk Fiber, Biomineral Reinforcement, and Protease Degradation Resistance.
Natural silks offer combinations of mechanical performance and biological functionality that synthetic materials still struggle to replicate. Here, we report the structural, mechanical, and biochemical characterization of cocoon silk from Achelura yunnanensis (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae), a moth that builds a leaf-wrapped...