Over the past few decades, Bombyx mori silk fibroin has become a ubiquitous material for applications ranging from biomedical devices to optics, electronics, and sensing, while also showing potential in the food supply chain and being re-engineered as a functional material for architecture and design-related applications. Its widespread use derives from its unique properties, including biocompatibility, edibility, optical transparency, stabilization of labile compounds, and the ability to controllably change conformation and degrade in a programmed way. This review discusses recent and pivotal silk-based devices in which the presence of silk brings added value in terms of functionality, as demonstrated in a broad variety of fields. First, it gives an overview of silk's natural structure and main properties in terms of cross-linking, biocompatibility, and biodegradability to provide the reader with the necessary toolbox to fully make use of silk's multifaceted properties. Then, multifunctional silk-based devices are discussed highlighting the advantage of using silk over more traditional materials. Representative devices from both established and emerging applications for silk are examined. Finally, a roadmap for the next generation of silk-based devices is laid out.

中文翻译：

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融合科学、可持续发展、医疗保健和技术的丝绸材料

在过去的几十年里，家蚕丝素蛋白已成为一种无处不在的材料，应用范围从生物医学设备到光学、电子和传感，同时在食品供应链中也显示出潜力，并被重新设计为建筑和设计相关应用的功能材料。它的广泛使用源于其独特的特性，包括生物相容性、可食用性、光学透明性、不稳定化合物的稳定性以及可控地改变构象和以程序方式降解的能力。这篇评论讨论了最近和关键的基于丝绸的设备，其中丝绸的存在在功能方面带来了附加值，如广泛的领域所证明的那样。首先，概述了丝绸的天然结构和主要性能，如交联性、生物相容性、和生物降解性，为读者提供必要的工具箱，以充分利用丝绸的多方面特性。然后，讨论了基于丝绸的多功能设备，突出了使用丝绸相对于更传统材料的优势。检查了来自已建立和新兴丝绸应用的代表性设备。最后，制定了下一代基于丝绸的设备的路线图。