Abstract Highly ductile and wet-durable bio-composites from keratin reinforced by chitin-nanoparticles with engineered deacetylation have been developed. Though featuring good biodegradability and biocompatibility, poultry-feather-extracted keratin-based composites usually suffered from poor ductility and moisture stabilities because of poor interfacial properties, limited recovery of ordered protein structures and crosslinkages. In this work, chitin-nanoparticles with engineered deacetylation were used to reinforce keratin. Via engineered deacetylation, chitin-nanoparticles not only improved interfacial interactions but also formed crosslinkages with keratin. As a result, ordered keratin structures with high degree of entanglement in composites were substantially formed without addition of any coupling agents. Furthermore, engineered deacetylation for chitin could adjust the wet performance of composites via control of hydrophilicity of matrix and reinforcements. Via control of regularity and hydrophilicity of molecules by chitin-nanoparticles, mechanical properties and wet performance of keratin-based composites can be substantially improved. Reinforced keratin composites had a 230%, 260%, 540% increase in breaking strain, breaking stress and ductility, respectively as well as 94% weight retention after immersed in water for 1 week.

中文翻译：

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纳米颗粒诱导形成有序和缠结结构的韧性角蛋白/脱乙酰甲壳质复合材料

摘要 甲壳素纳米颗粒通过工程脱乙酰作用增强了角蛋白的高延展性和耐湿性生物复合材料。虽然具有良好的生物降解性和生物相容性，但家禽羽毛提取角蛋白基复合材料由于界面性质差、有序蛋白质结构和交联的恢复有限，通常具有较差的延展性和水分稳定性。在这项工作中，具有工程脱乙酰作用的几丁质纳米颗粒被用于强化角蛋白。通过工程去乙酰化，几丁质纳米颗粒不仅改善了界面相互作用，而且还与角蛋白形成了交联。结果，在复合材料中具有高度缠结的有序角蛋白结构基本上在不添加任何偶联剂的情况下形成。此外，几丁质的工程脱乙酰作用可以通过控制基质和增强材料的亲水性来调节复合材料的湿性能。通过几丁质纳米颗粒控制分子的规律性和亲水性，角蛋白基复合材料的机械性能和湿性能可以得到显着改善。增强角蛋白复合材料在水中浸泡 1 周后，其断裂应变、断裂应力和延展性分别增加了 230%、260%、540%，重量保持率为 94%。