British production of artificial spider silk opens a new era of clothing industry

Cambridge University scientists have developed a highly flexible, ultra-tough fibers, similar properties to natural spider silk, has a broad application prospects, and the production process green. Spider silk is one of the most tough natural fibers, making man-made fibers comparable to natural spider silk, which is an important research direction of materials science.

The University of Cambridge recently issued a press release saying that this new technology consumes less energy than existing production methods, does not require the use of toxic solvents, and operates at room temperature, and can be used to improve artificial spider silk and various other synthetic fibers. Production. Related papers were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Using a gel as a raw material, the researchers used a spinning method to pull the filaments out of it, similar to spider silking. The composition of this gel is 98% water, and the rest is specially treated silica nanoparticles and cellulose, which are held together by a tubular molecule called "handcuffs" called melon rings. In a water-rich environment in a gel, the interactions between different molecules cause them to combine to form a complex supramolecular structure that can be pulled down at room temperature into filaments that are only a few microns in diameter.

After about 30 seconds, the water in the wire evaporates, leaving fibers with high toughness and elasticity. The fiber has a tensile strength of about 100 MPa to 150 MPa, which is about one tenth of that of natural spider silk, higher than some synthetic fibers such as viscose and rayon, and natural fibers such as human and animal hair. . In addition, it has very high damping and absorbs a lot of energy like a bungee cord. These properties make it useful for making special textiles, sensors, and more.