Abstract

Global ecological damage has heightened the demand for silk as ‘a structural material made from sustainable resources’. Scientists have earnestly searched for stronger and tougher silks. Bagworm silk might be a promising candidate considering its superior capacity to dangle a heavy weight, summed up by the weights of the larva and its house. However, detailed mechanical and structural studies on bagworm silks have been lacking. Herein, we show the superior potential of the silk produced by Japan’s largest bagworm, Eumeta variegata. This bagworm silk is extraordinarily strong and tough, and its tensile deformation behaviour is quite elastic. The outstanding mechanical property is the result of a highly ordered hierarchical structure, which remains unchanged until fracture. Our findings demonstrate how the hierarchical structure of silk proteins plays an important role in the mechanical property of silk fibres.

Highlights

  • Global ecological damage has heightened the demand for silk as ‘a structural material made from sustainable resources’

  • When we search for superior un-explored silks, spiders provide a major hint that the silks used for dangling should be strong and tough17–19! Bagworm silk, produced by larvae of bagworm moths (Lepidoptera order and Psychidae family)[20] especially of the largest and heaviest Japanese bagworm Eumeta variegata (E. variegata)[21,22], might be a promising candidate, considering its superior capacity to dangle a heavy weight, summed up by the weights of the larva and its house

  • In this report, based on the detailed analyses of the fibre morphology and mechanical properties, we reveal that the E. variegata bagworm silk is extraordinarily strong and tough compared to other known silks, and that its tensile deformation behaviour is quite elastic

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Summary

Introduction

Global ecological damage has heightened the demand for silk as ‘a structural material made from sustainable resources’. In this report, based on the detailed analyses of the fibre morphology and mechanical properties, we reveal that the E. variegata bagworm silk is extraordinarily strong and tough compared to other known silks, and that its tensile deformation behaviour is quite elastic.

Results
Conclusion

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