In this work, we demonstrate the principle of mesoscopic construction of silk fibroin (SF) hybrid materials, which endows the materials with new performance. In implementing this strategy, mediating molecules, wool keratin (WK) molecules, were adopted to in-line synthesize Au nanoparticles (WK@AuNPs), which further create the stable linkage of AuNPs with SF nanofibril networks via templated β-crystallization. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy demonstrate that the mesoscopic hybrid network structure of the hybrid materials is different from neat SF materials, which gives rise to various new performances, that is, long-stable fluorescence emission. As the fluorescence emission can be characteristically annealed by Cu ions, therefore be adopted as the highly selective ion probes. Moreover, as WK@AuNPs are homogeneously connected to SF nanofibril networks, the carbonization of the materials leads to secondary hybrid materials of carbon-Au, where nano-sized Au particles are well distributed in carbonized mesoscopic conductive carbon networks. Such hybrid materials of carbon-Au can be further fabricated into electrochemical (i.e., dopamine) sensors, which are demonstrated to have excellent sensing performance.

Wearable electronic textiles based on natural biocompatible/biodegradable materials have attracted great attention due to applications in health care and smart clothes. Silkworm fibers are durable, good heat conductors, insulating, and biocompatible, and are therefore regarded as excellent mediating materials for flexible electronics. In this paper, a strategy on the design and fabrication of highly flexible multimode electronic textiles (E-textile) based on functionalized silkworm fiber coiled yarns and weaving technology is presented. To achieve enhanced temperature sensing performance, a mixture of carbon nanotubes and an ionic liquid ([EMIM]Tf₂N) is embedded, which displays top sensitivity of 1.23% °C⁻¹ and stability compared with others. Furthermore, fibrous pressure sensing based on the capacitance change of each cross-point of two yarns gives rise to highly position dependent and sensitivity sensing of 0.136 kPa⁻¹. Based on weaving technologies, a unique combo textile sensor, which can sense temperature and pressure independently with a position precision of 1 mm², is obtained. The application to intelligent gloves endows the position dependent sensing of the weight, and temperature distribution sensing of the temperature.