The major components of the cuticle of arthropods and the fibrous extracellular matrix in sponges are chitin laminae, which are two-dimensional sheets of -chitin crystals with antiparallel running Chitin fibres in conjunction with -folded proteins. Hard biomaterials, like the squid beak, are made of a tridimensional composite material comprising proteins and chitin. Little research has been done on the molecular make-up of the -chitin-based structures that contribute to the physical barrier found in insect cocoons.
Chitin is an extracellular polysaccharide that is flexible and specifies the mechanical properties of tissues and organisms in conjunction with proteins. Chitin is a biopolymer, or a polymer produced by an organism, that occurs naturally. Chitin is the second most common biopolymer in the world after cellulose. Chitin has similar properties as keratin.
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