MIT Labs Moves Ahead In Synthesizing Spider Silk

icepick72 writes in with a link to an ExtremeTech article on new methods for creating synthetic spider silk. This material, like lycra in many ways, has a number of unique properties. The MIT lab that created it is being monitored by military elements, keenly interested in applications of this material to front-line technologies. From the article: "The secret of spider silk's combined strength and flexibility, according to scientists, has to do with the arrangement of the nano-crystalline reinforcement of the silk as it is being produced--in other words, the way these tiny crystals are oriented towards (and adhere to) the stretchy protein. Emulating this process in a synthetic polymer, the MIT team focused on reinforcing solutions of commercial rubbery substance known as polyurethane elastomer with nano-sized clay platelets instead of simply heating and mixing the molten plastics with reinforcing agents."

Comments

Be careful, MIT

[Anonymous Coward]

With great power comes great responsibility. Remember that, MIT. Remember that.

Re:I love these kinds of statements

[Divebus]

...a mere pencil-thick strand of silk could actually stop a Boeing 747 in mid flight

Ohhh... this stuff would make fabulous condoms. They could recover the entire R&D budget in three weekends.

Not really spider silk but this is.

[billlion]

This work at MIT is not really an attempt to make synthetic spider silk but just something with similar properties.

Spider silk is a kind made of protein and the feedstock is a liquid crystal

A company called Spinox Ltd (an Oxford University Spin off -- get it? ha ha ). Here is a note from a Smith Insitute workshop on the topic.

This group is actually trying to emulate what goes on in a spider (biomimetics). The big advantage is that it uses harmless ingredients and low temperatures. Compare for example Kevlar, the manufacture of which needs concentrated sulfuric acid. Spinox details