Stimuli-Responsive Protein Fibers for Advanced Applications

Abstract If we define the smartness of a material as the capacity of that material to significantly change some of its properties in a controlled way as response to an external stimuli, such as temperature, pH, light, electric or magnetic fields, not many materials can be considered as smart material and only a few proteins fit in this classification. In this chapter, we not only will explore these smart proteins but the capacity to be processed as fibers. We will explore the possibilities that peptide-based fibrous systems, silk-based fibers, and elastin-based materials offers to be processed as fibers that heritage their smart properties. We will travel across the applications in which these fibers are being tested or applied.