Reviewing Thermophysical Properties of Silk Fibers: A Case Study for the Need for Complementary Measurement Techniques

Abstract

A recent interest in the mechanical properties of spider silk has also brought about investigations into the thermal properties of thin fibers, often with contradictory results. Because of the high length-to-diameter ratio of fibers, two key obstacles arise during their thermal characterization: the need to develop non-standard techniques to measure properties and the lack of reliable methods to confirm the validity of those measurements. This is especially important since standard reference materials are difficult or impossible to produce at these small scales. This paper presents a review on the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of spider dragline silk and how the use of a suite of measurement techniques that complement each other can bound the uncertainty of the measured property. The properties of silkworm silks are then presented as evidence of a field where complementary techniques could be applied to resolve property discrepancies. This complementary approach to validating novel techniques will increase the confidence in measured properties and will open new avenues of thermal science applications.