Generation of synthetic elastin-mimetic small diameter fibers and fiber networks

Elastin-mimetic peptide polymers have been synthesized, and the morphologic al properties of fabricated small diameter fibers and nonwoven fabrics have been characterized. An 81 kDa recombinant protein based upon the repeating elastomeric peptide sequence of elastin (Val-Pro-Gly-Val-Gly)(4)(Val-Pro-G ly-Lys-Gly) was obtained through bacterial expression of an oligomerized ge ne coding for tandem repeats of the monomer. The protein was processed into fibers by an electrospinning technique and morphology defined by SEM and T EM. The choice of processing parameters influenced both fiber diameter and morphology with diameters varying between 200 and 3000 nm and three morphol ogical patterns noted: beaded fibers, thin filaments, and broad ribbonlike structures. Detailed image analysis of nonwoven textile fabrics produced fr om elastin-mimetic fibers revealed that the distribution of single fiber or ientation was isotropic with an associated unimodal distribution of protein fiber diameter. In a dry state, the ultimate tensile strength of nonwoven fabrics generated from elastin-mimetic peptides was 35 MPa with a material. modulus of 1.8 GPa.