Hierarchical Chain Model of Spider Capture Silk Elasticity

Hierarchical chain model of spider capture silk elasticity.

Spider capture silk is a biomaterial with both high strength and high elasticity, but the structural design principle underlying these remarkable properties is still unknown. It was revealed recently by atomic force microscopy that an exponential force-extension relationship holds both for capture silk mesostructures and for intact capture silk fibers [N. Becker et al., Nat. Mater. 2, 278 (2003...

SPIDER CAPTURE SILK: A hierarchical chain model REPORT

Molecular nanosprings in spider capture-silk threads.

Spider capture silk is a natural material that outperforms almost any synthetic material in its combination of strength and elasticity. The structure of this remarkable material is still largely unknown, because spider-silk proteins have not been crystallized. Capture silk is the sticky spiral in the webs of orb-weaving spiders. Here we are investigating specifically the capture spiral threads ...

Composition and Hierarchical Organisation of a Spider Silk

Albeit silks are fairly well understood on a molecular level, their hierarchical organisation and the full complexity of constituents in the spun fibre remain poorly defined. Here we link morphological defined structural elements in dragline silk of Nephila clavipes to their biochemical composition and physicochemical properties. Five layers of different make-ups could be distinguished. Of thes...

Spider Silk

Some things about spider silk are difficult to understand.The genetic code for one of the more perplexing types of silk—the strands spiders use to weave their egg cases. Each case must be tough enough to keep out parasites, impermeable to rain and fungus, and breathable while insulating eggs from temperature extremes. These qualities alone would make an impressive fabric.The egg cases may even ...