Preparation of chitin twisted fiber and its functional applications

Chitin has garnered significant attention due to its renewable, biocompatibility and biodegradability, while its practical application seriously hindered as the functionality of chitin itself can no longer meet people's increasing requirements for materials. Here, an effective method is successfully built for high-performance chitin fibers fabrication through a multi-step strategy that involved chemical pre-crosslinking, followed by wet-twisting and wet-stretching techniques, combined with physical cross-linking. The as-prepared chitin fiber exhibited a smooth surface, adjustable diameter, and mechanical strong properties (144.6 MPa). More importantly, functional chitin fiber with magnetic or conductive abilities can be easily obtained by spraying Fe