Spider Silk Is Lightweight and Strong

Function

A strand of spider silk is about as strong as a steel wire of the same thickness. Spider silk 4cm thick can supposedly hoist a jumbo jet, and the webs of Araneus ventricosus can even capture and hold a sparrow. Moreover, spider silk is a mere 1/5 the weight of iron. In the past, spider webs were used like butterfly nets to catch insects. There are many different types of spider silk, such as a thread that shrinks to half its length when it gets wet, or a thread that can stretch to about twice its length, and spiders use the appropriate kind as necessary.

Functional Classification

Efficiency(Energy Saving, Resource Saving, Light):
High intensity
Defense/Stability:
Tensile resistance

Environmental Solution Classification

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Technical Application

Products and Services

Type of Business

Proposals of Applied Technology

Spiders have one large drawback: they are carnivorous and cannibalistic, so they cannot be farmed in large numbers and used to mass-produce silk as silk worms can. Attempts have been made to produce large quantities of spider silk protein from E. coli and goats, but results have not been very successful. Currently researchers are trying to genetically modify silk worms to produce spider silk and spin it into thread. If spider silk could be mass-produced like the silk from silkworms, it could be used as a stout fiber. From parachutes to flak jackets, the possible applications are endless.

Proposals of Applied Industry

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