A Glowing Comparison (IMAGE)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

A Glowing Comparison

Caption

These are examples of the silk used in experiments to detect damage in composites, shown under black light. (Left) Ordinary fibroin of the Bombyx mori silk worm. The observed fluorescence is the result of molecules already present in the protein structure of the fiber. (Middle) Mechanophore-labeled silk fiber fluoresces in response to damage or stress. (Right) Control sample without the mechanophore.

Credit

Credit: Chelsea Davis and Jeremiah Woodcock/NIST

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