Properties Of Spider Silk Research Articles

Periodic graphics: The chemistry of spiderwebs

Chemical educator and Compound Interest blogger Andy Brunning explains the chemistry that makes spider silk strong and elastic Chemical educator and Compound Interest blogger Andy Brunning explains the chemistry that makes spider silk strong and elastic To download a pdf of this article, visit cenm.ag/spiderweb. References used to create this graphic: Spider silk is a wonder of nature but it’s not stronger than steel Spider silk The elaborate structure of spider silk Bioinspired supramolecular fibers drawn from a multiphase self-assembled hydrogel Synthetic biology and the rise of the ‘spider-goats’ The structure and properties of spider silk A collaboration between C&EN and Andy Brunning, author of the popular graphics blog Compound Interest To see more of Brunning’s work, go to compoundchem.com. To see all of C&EN’s Periodic Graphics, visit http://cenm.ag/periodicgraphics.

A novel methodology to explore the viscoelasticity of spider major ampullate silk.

Even before material science was a recognized discipline, the amazing mechanical properties of spider silk were documented and became the object of much study. In addition to the exceptional material properties of spider silk and the reported low immunogenicity, its concatenated amino acid motif arrangement facilitates a distinct possibility of manipulating the silk to create a designer biomaterial for medical applications. Crystalline protein regions imbedded in a mobile protein matrix give it a distinct set of viscoelastic abilities. Consequently, elasticity cannot be simply quantified by only measuring extensibility. To understand how the sequence of the major ampullate proteins affects elasticity, the hysteresis of single fibers from two different species, Argiope aurantia and Nephila clavipes, were examined using cyclic loading and unloading. The yield point that discriminates a transition from elastic extension to a plastic extension was analyzed by examining three different properties: Young's modulus, energy recovery and slack in the fiber after recovery. Young's modulus remained relatively constant regardless of the cycle. However, the energy recovered decreased as the slack and cycle number increased. Large standard deviations masked any quantitative differences between species and substantiated the necessity of developing synthetic silk to harness the amazing mechanical properties of spider silk.

Spider Silk Calcite Composite

Biomineralisation is a process wherein biomolecules form templates to synthesize advanced materials; for instance in bone and teeth formation. Understanding the superior mechanical properties of flexibility and mechanical strength in naturally occurring spider silk, we propose a simple and economical method of developing smart organic-inorganic composites by growing calcite crystals onto spider silk as a template. This serves to combine the mechanical properties of spider silk with the bio-mineral properties of calcium carbonate (calcite polymorph). This unique composite simulates the strength provided by a bone and the flexibility afforded by a ligament. The composite holds great promise in revolutionizing the sector of artificial joints and prosthesis. Efforts to accomplish these goals through molecular scale mimicry are described in this article.

Study of Mechanical Properties of the Spider Silk Using a Micro-Tensile System and DIC Methods

The spider silk is considered as a new type of biomaterials with its excellent mechanical properties. The mechanical properties of the spider silk are crucial to their applications. In this study the mechanical properties of spider silk were studied with a micro-tensile system driven by magnet-coil force actuator, which is very effective to measure the properties of low dimensional materials. The Young’s modulus of the spider silk is obtained, the relationship between the mechanical properties of spider silk and time is also acquired.

Correlation between structure and mechanical properties of spider silk

Correlation between structure and mechanical properties of spider silk

1P034 クモの糸の分子および力学特性(蛋白質(機能),ポスター発表,第45回日本生物物理学会年会)

1P034 クモの糸の分子および力学特性(蛋白質(機能),ポスター発表,第45回日本生物物理学会年会)

Some material characteristics of spider silk

Today, spider silk tantalises a range of researchers who focus on the unusual properties of spider silk. Investigators are developing ways to produce dragline silk in quantities that are applicable in several fields, including medical textiles. Spiders indeed produce a wide range of silks with surprisingly different properties that are thoroughly being examined. To conclude, an experimental section presents the results obtained from experiments at Ghent University. SEM has shown that draglines are composed of several thicker and thinner fibres that stick together, whereas in cocoon silk this composite structure is not observed. The effect of time and the effect of natural weathering conditions are investigated for respectively dragline and cocoon silk. Tenacity and elongation at break are not influenced by time for dragline silk. Exposure of cocoon silk to UV-light and humidity results in a less elastic, a less strong fibre, and appears to lower the stiffness a little bit.

The structure and properties of spider silk

Silks from the spider's orb-web are amongst the very best structural materials produced by nature: spiders can produce a large aerial filter from a minimal amount of material. By studying how the structure and properties of silks are matched to their mechanical function, we can increase our general understanding of structure-property relationships in fibrous polymers.