Taiwanese scientists said Sunday they had discovered that a protein created by silkworms in the production of silk can be used to manufacture a component that will make e-books more efficient.

Silk fibroin can be used in transistors, which are used in e-paper, and increase their efficiency, according to a research paper presented by the scientists from National Tsing Hua University in the northern city of Hsinchu.

"The transmission of electronic signals on the transistors using silk fibroin is about 20 times faster," Peter Hwang, a professor from the university's Materials Science and Engineering Department and the head of the research team, told AFP on Sunday.

"That means the page-turning speed of e-books will become faster," he said, adding that such components could also be used in next-generation flexible displays.

Hwang said the substance was likely to be available on the market within the next three years.

The team's research paper was recently published in the Germany-based periodical "Advanced Materials".