Combination of proteins with other nanomaterials offers a
promising strategy to fabricate novel hybrids with original functions in biology,
medicine, nanotechnology, and materials science. Under carefully selected
experimental conditions, we show that graphene nanosheets are able to direct
one-dimensional self-assembly of silk fibroin, forming an unprecedented type of
nanohybrids. These silk/graphene hybrids combine physical properties of both
constituents and form functional composites with well-ordered hierarchical
structures. Due to the facile fabrication process and their tunable
nanostructures, the resultant hybrids show promise in applications as diverse
as tissue engineering, drug delivery, nanoelectronics, nanomedicine, biosensors,
and functional composites.
