Abstract This paper investigates the tribological and mechanical properties of silk-based nanocomposite coatings which are finding applications in optics, biomedicine and dentistry, thanks to the exceptional mechanical/optical properties and associated biocompatibility of silk. Three different nanocomposite formulations were synthesized, and thin films were prepared by spin coating at different thicknesses and with different post-deposition annealing processes. Ellipsometry, FTIR spectroscopy, AFM, nanoindentation, scratch testing, continuous/reciprocating wear testing, confocal microscopy and SEM were used to characterize the coatings. The results reveal that their hardness and elastic modulus are in the range 0.56–1.30 GPa and 23.6–55.4 GPa, respectively, which are much higher than those reported for other silk films in literature. Incorporation of titanate nanosheets also improved coatings’ scratch resistance.

中文翻译：

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丝和丝钛酸盐复合涂层的纳米力学和摩擦学表征

摘要 本文研究了基于丝绸的纳米复合涂层的摩擦学和机械性能，由于丝绸具有出色的机械/光学性能和相关的生物相容性，这些涂层在光学、生物医学和牙科中得到了应用。合成了三种不同的纳米复合材料配方，并通过旋涂不同厚度和不同的沉积后退火工艺制备薄膜。椭偏仪、FTIR 光谱、AFM、纳米压痕、划痕测试、连续/往复磨损测试、共聚焦显微镜和扫描电镜用于表征涂层。结果表明，它们的硬度和弹性模量分别在 0.56-1.30 GPa 和 23.6-55.4 GPa 范围内，远高于文献中报道的其他丝膜。