Electrical circuit components made from silkworm silk with silkworm-digested structured materials and methods for manufacturing same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing electrical circuit components from silkworm silk are non-scalable and cost-prohibitive, requiring post-processing to incorporate functional properties.
Innovation Solution
Feeding silkworms with structured materials like graphite, TiO2 nanotubes, MoS2, and KMnO4/MnCl2, which are then integrated into the silk fibers, enabling the production of electrical circuit components with enhanced electrical properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fabrication methods are used to manufacture electrical circuit components from silkworm silk, then functional properties can be incorporated into the silkworm silk, but the manufacturing process becomes non-scalable and cost-prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates functional materials into the silkworm's diet before silk production occurs. This preliminary action allows the functional properties to be integrated during the natural silk formation process, eliminating the need for subsequent post-processing steps and enabling scalable manufacturing through biological production
Solution Approach 2:
The silkworm naturally incorporates the functional materials into the silk fiber structure during its normal silk production process. The biological system performs the integration function automatically without requiring external post-processing intervention, making the process scalable and cost-effective
2Reliability
If conventional fabrication methods are used to manufacture electrical circuit components from silkworm silk, then functional properties can be incorporated into the silkworm silk, but the manufacturing cost becomes prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The functional materials are mixed into the silkworm's food source before silk production, allowing the silkworm to incorporate these materials during natural silk formation. This eliminates expensive post-processing steps and reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining functional properties
Solution Approach 2:
The silkworm's biological system naturally performs the integration of functional materials into the silk structure during its normal feeding and silk production cycles, eliminating the need for expensive external processing equipment and operations
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The modified silkworm silk fibers demonstrate significantly improved capacitive performance, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity, making them suitable for use in supercapacitor electrodes.
Implementation Method 1
silkworm-digested, structured material located in the interior region or on the outer surface of the at least one fiber
Data Source
Figure 1A~1F
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A method for manufacturing an electrical circuit component includes preparing a mixture of a structured material and silkworm food. The method further includes feeding the mixture to at least one silkworm. The method further includes harvesting silk produced by the at least one silkworm, wherein the harvested silk includes at least one silkworm silk fiber including silkworm-digested portions of the structured material embedded in or on the at least one fiber. The method further includes incorporating the at least one fiber into an electrical circuit component.