Successful Synthesis Of Spider Silk From Bacteria

Scientists say that during the post spinning process, spider silk molecules are stretched through mechanical actuators to enhance fiber strength. The study found that mechanical stretching made synthetic spider silk very uniform and avoided artificial labor. Spin The error in the process is that the synthetic spider silk is more similar to the natural spider silk produced by the female black widow spiders than scientists expected.

Scientists have mastered the method of synthesizing spider silk with the same biochemical integrity as natural fibers, but the problem is that they cannot imitate spider's unique post spinning skills. This natural post spinning process can stretch fibers (Zhi Zhusi) so that fiber molecules are arranged in order to enhance the strength of fibers.

To solve this problem, Dr. Craig Viallat of University of the Pacific developed the technology of using mechanical actuation devices to remove human variables. In the laboratory, mechanical actuators can mimic spider's natural textile skills, and reliably synthesize spider silk fibers to a specific length. Viallat indicated that there were significant differences in mechanical properties between synthetic fibers before stretching and after stretching treatment.

Because of its mechanical properties, spider silk has potential industrial applications. People are particularly interested in the strength of black widow spider silk. Analysis shows that its strength is comparable to that of DuPont Co's Cave Lal fiber, and its weight is lighter and its density is lower. If people can produce large amounts of synthetic silk with mechanical properties of spider silk, it will be used to replace Kevlar fibers, carbon fibers and steel products. Synthetic spider silk will have a tremendous impact on the production of specific products, including bulletproof vest, aircraft fuselage and surgical suture.

The research team led by Viallat is continuing to study the production of black widow spiders and synthetic spider silk. He said that the research team tried to integrate their knowledge and realize the large-scale generalization of spider silk stretching process. Their ultimate goal is to achieve renewable production of synthetic spider silk materials and help people change the future.