Biomimetics 2: “Shrilk”

A ‘plastic’ called shrilk,
made from shrimps and silk:
clever designers discovering
Creator’s designs, mimicking.

The cuticle of arthropods
is an exoskeleton
it’s very tough and suitable,
so well-designed and strong
its elastic, light, and flexible,
and delivers good protection
from chemicals, and sea and rain:
this cuticle’s construction,
(made from chitin and a protein)
is layered, plywood-like, the grain
for strength rotates direction.

There's now been manufactured
a new material
for packaging and binbags
that’s biodegradable
to components that enrich
and fertilize the soil.
It’s good for high-load sutures,
and strong supportive structures
– scaffolds for regenerating tissue
inside the body, growth in situ,
material which can melt away
harmlessly, and need not stay.
It’s architecture’s based upon
the insects’ exoskeleton:
discarded shrimp shells give them chitin
and silk provides fibroin protein.
it’s tough and clear and light,
just half the density, and weight
of aluminium alloy;
how useful to deploy.