Spider dragline silk (SDS), the main structural web silk regarded as the “spider’s lifeline", exhibits a fascinating combination of high tensile strength and high extensibility (1). Its toughness is over 10 times that of Kevlar, the material for making bullet-proof suits (2). In addition, SDS has a unconventional sigmoidal shaped stress-strain curve and shape memory capability after the tension...

It is difficult for scientists to engineer elastomeric materials that are both strong and tough like spider dragline silk. Inspired by the morphology of spider dragline silk and motivated to develop strong, tough, elastomeric polyurethanes to be used in soldier applications I have prepared polyurethane/clay nanocomposites. Polymer/clay nanocomposites have exhibited great potential for providing...