Method for producing artificial protein fibers, artificial protein fibers, and artificial protein solution

Abstract

To provide a novel method for producing artificial protein fibers, and a novel artificial protein solution not seen before. [Solution] A method for producing artificial protein fibers by coagulating a dope solution in a coagulation solution, wherein the dope solution is an artificial protein solution obtained by dissolving only artificial protein as a fiber-forming material in an aqueous solution of N-methylmorpholine N-oxide, and the content of the artificial protein relative to the entire artificial protein solution is 30% by weight or less.

Claims

1. A method for producing artificial protein fibers containing artificial protein, comprising coagulating a dope solution, which is obtained by dissolving artificial protein in a solvent, in a coagulation solution, A method for producing artificial protein fibers, wherein the doping solution is an artificial protein solution obtained by dissolving only the artificial protein as a fiber-forming material in an aqueous solution of N-methylmorpholine N-oxide, and the content of the artificial protein relative to the entire doping solution is 30% by weight or less.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the artificial protein is an artificial structural protein.

3. The method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the artificial protein is a hydrophobic artificial protein.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the average hydroxyl index of the hydrophobic artificial protein is 0 or greater.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the artificial protein has an amino acid sequence containing the domain sequence shown in the following formula 1 two or more times. Formula 1: REP1-REP2 [In Formula 1, REP1 represents an amino acid sequence consisting of 2 to 27 amino acid residues containing at least one alanine, and REP2 represents an amino acid sequence consisting of 10 to 200 amino acid residues. Multiple REP1s may be the same amino acid sequence or different amino acid sequences. Multiple REP2s may be the same amino acid sequence or different amino acid sequences.]

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the artificial protein has an amino acid sequence comprising a domain sequence represented by formula 2: [(A)n motif-REP3]m or formula 3: [(A)n motif-REP3]m-(A)n motif. [In formulas 2 and 3, the (A)n motif represents an amino acid sequence consisting of 2 to 27 amino acid residues, including at least one alanine residue, with the number of alanine residues being 40% or more of the total number of amino acid residues in the (A)n motif, REP3 represents an amino acid sequence consisting of 10 to 200 amino acid residues, and m represents an integer from 2 to 300. Multiple (A)n motifs may have the same amino acid sequence or may have different amino acid sequences. Multiple REP3s may have the same amino acid sequence or may have different amino acid sequences.]

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the artificial protein has an amino acid sequence in which the glutamine residue content is reduced compared to naturally derived fibroin.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the artificial protein has an amino acid sequence that corresponds to the deletion of one or more glutamine residues in REP3 of formulas 2 and 3, or the substitution of them with other amino acid residues, compared to naturally derived fibroin.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the artificial protein has an amino acid sequence in which the content of glutamine residues relative to the total number of amino acid residues is 9% or less.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the doping liquid is discharged from a spinning nozzle having 1,000 or more pores and solidified in the solidification liquid.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the coagulation solution is water.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the coagulation solution contains N-methylmorpholine N-oxide.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising the step of bringing the artificial protein fiber, which has been coagulated in the doping solution in the coagulation solution, into contact with water to cause it to shrink.

14. An artificial protein fiber whose fiber-forming components consist solely of artificial proteins and which also contain N-methylmorpholine N-oxide.

15. The artificial protein fiber according to claim 14, which is a staple.

16. A fiber aggregate comprising artificial protein fibers according to claim 14 or 15.

17. A spun yarn comprising the artificial protein fiber staples described in claim 15.

18. A fiber aggregate containing artificial protein fibers obtained by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

19. A spun yarn comprising staples made of artificial protein fibers obtained by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

20. An artificial protein solution comprising an artificial protein and a solvent, used for forming a molded product, An artificial protein solution in which the solvent is an aqueous solution of N-methylmorpholine N-oxide, and only the artificial protein is dissolved in the solvent as a molded body forming material, and the content of the artificial protein in the total solution is 30% by mass or less.

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