THE SPIDER SILK AND

ITS WONDERS

Stan Antuza
Gheorghe Asachi University
10201

Spider silk is one of the 7 great wonders of the animal

kingdom. That a small animal, often less than a
millimetre across can make a substance that we
humans with all our technology are unable to
reproduce, a substance that is tough, stronger and
more flexible than anything else we can make is surely
a humble reminder of the fact that nature created us
and not the other way around.
One of the most astounding thing about spiders is their
ability to make silk, their webs amaze and fascinate us,
but they are also used by us in some cultures. All
spiders possess spinning glands and make silk, they
use it for a safety dragline, to fly, for making a highly
durable cocoon for their eggs, to line their homes, to
trap their prey and to immobilise their victims.

The nature of silk

Spider silk is both light and strong. Hillyard says "A

typical strand of garden spider silk has a diametre of
about 0.003 mm in diametre, compare this with
silkworm silk which is 0.03 mm in diametre" or ten times
as thick.
Spiders can produce different kinds of silks, at least 7 or
8 different kinds. However generally individual spider
species use 5 to 6 types or less.
It is also generally accepted that spiders in the
genus Nephila produce the strongest draglines,
however this may reflect their large size.

The Nephila spider

Nevertheless the strength and resilience of spider silk

has amazed people for thousands of years, reading
around, on and off the web, we get a lot of facts about
the strength of spider silk that sometimes seem
contradictory, although they all agree that spider silk is
way stronger than any other silk or natural material.
"Dragline spider silk is actually stronger than Kevlar
synthetic fibre and Kevlar is several times stronger
than steel," says polymer scientist David Tirrell.
"Spider silk is extremely strong -- it is about five times
stronger than steel and twice as strong as Kevlar of the
same weight. Spider silk also has the ability to stretch
about 30-percent longer than its original length without
breaking, which makes it very resilient."

Silk absorbs moisture. The more water silk contains the

less brittle and the more elastic it is. The range is from
about 30% to 300% elasticity depending on the amount
of water it contains.
With all these things considered we learn that the
tensile strength of spider silk under normal laboratory
conditions is slightly less than steel if you compare it in
terms of the threads diametre, but it is far greater than
that of steel if you compare it in terms of the weight of
the thread.
It is an unusual substance in that it is quite acidic and is
not attacked by bacteria or fungi. Silk is created as a
proteinaceous liquid within special silk glands within the
spider's abdomen.

Applications of spider
silk

It could be used for treating nerve damage.

Medical researchers are experimenting with spider silk as
bandages for treating simple cuts and abrasions, as well
as more serious conditions such as third degree burns.
Some experts believe that spider silk could be made into
something that could mimic the shape, size and elasticity
of some of our ligaments.
One potential application is the creation of bulletproof
vests that are stronger and lighter than Kevlar.
Spider silk coated with nanotubes can act as a humidity
sensor, a strain sensor, an actuator (a device that acts as
an artificial muscle, for lifting weights and more) and as
an electrical wire, according to researchers.

Thank you for whatching! :

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