MATERIALS RESEARCH EXPRESS, cilt.6, sa.12, ss.125356-125364, 2020 (SCI-Expanded)
Thermophysical properties of polar-antiparallel β-sheet crystalline domains of B.mori silk fibroin has
been investigated via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations between 300 Kand 700 K. In general, the
type of interactions determines the character of the thermal expansion in corresponding directions
except that the crystalline domains with serine residue contracts along the chain direction resulting
with a negative thermal expansion (NTE) coefficient of ay » -10- K-
4 1at 300 K. The heat capacity at
constant pressure CP increases sublinearly up to about 650 Kwith an almost continuous decrease in
the rate of change of entropy . dS
dT P ( ) Energetic behavior of the β-sheet crystalline units is determined
by the main chain below 400 Kthen thermally activated motion of side chain (HG1) of serine residue
becomes effective up to the degradation point. These are particularly important in designing thermally
controlled composite materials.