Spider Silk-based Polymers - January 2012

This month we're looking at the topic of biopolymers made from spider silk.

Scientists have known about the intrinsic strength of spider silk for many years, but it has proven difficult to farm and therefore hasn't made any real ground commercially. However, recent developments in genetically modifying silk worms to produce spider silk have brought this topic back into the spotlight again. If researchers can successfully produce large quantities of spider silk it becomes a viable alternative as a basis for the manufacture of polymeric materials with some fantastic properties.

Abstracts

Please see below a selection of abstracts highlighted in the January Newsletter. These are records which relate to spider silk that can be found in the Polymer Library.

Click on the 7-digit accession numbers to find out about ordering a copyright-cleared full text copy of the items shown.

1092744 - RECOMBINANT SPIDER SILKS-BIOPOLYMERS WITH POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE APPLICATIONS (Free Access to Full Text)
Nature has evolved a range of materials that compete with man-made materials in physical properties; one of these is spider silk. Silk is a fibrous material that exhibits extremely high strength and toughness with regard to its low density. In this review we discuss the molecular structure of spider silk and how this understanding has allowed the development of recombinant silk proteins that mimic the properties of natural spider silks. Additionally, we will explore the material morphologies and the applications of these proteins. Finally, we will look at attempts to combine the silk structure with chemical polymers and how the structure of silk has inspired the engineering of novel polymers. 114 Refs.
Polymers, 3, No.1, March 2011, p.640-661, ISSN: 2073-4360, DOI: 10.3390/polym3010640
Humenik M; Smith A M; Scheibel T

1091762 - RECENT RESEARCH TREND IN NATURAL-FIBRE COMPOSITES
Recent research trends in the use of plant-based (cellulose or lignocellulose such as hemp, jute, ramie, coir, sisal, flax or cotton) and animal-based (protein such as spider silk or chicken feather) natural fibres from renewable resources as reinforcements for biodegradable composites with biocompatible polymers such as poly(lactic acid) for domestic and bio-engineering products are reviewed. The mechanical properties of natural fibres are compared to E-glass fibres, and outstanding issues limiting their current applications, such as interfacial bonding and stress transfer, are highlighted. 1 refs.
JEC Composites, No.67, Aug.-Sept.2011, p.53-55, ISSN: 1639-965X
Lau A K T; Ho M M P

1091280 - CONTROLLED FABRICATION AND WATER COLLECTION ABILITY OF BIOINSPIRED ARTIFICIAL SPIDER SILKS
The fabrication of a series of bioinspired artificial spider silks with controllable periodic PMMA spindle-knot geometry by immersing polyamide fibre into a PMMA/(DMF+ethanol) solution followed by drawing out the fibre horizontally using a dip-coating machine is reported. The water collection ability of the artificial spider silks is evaluated by placing them horizontally under a vertical-down fog flow and recording the water collection process by means of a charge-coupled device camera with time scale. The influence of spindle-knot size on water collection ability of the artificial spider silks is also evaluated, revealing that those with large spindle-knots collect more water from fog than those with smaller spindle-knots. 29 refs.
Advanced Materials, 23, No.32, 23rd Aug.2011, p.3708-3711, ISSN: 0935-9648, DOI: 10.1002/adma.201101740
Hao Bai; Jie Ju; Ruize Sun; Yuan Chen; Yongmei Zheng; Lei Jiang

1079586 - EVOLUTION OF SPIDERS FROM NOCTURNAL TO DIURNAL GAVE SPIDER SILKS MECHANICAL RESISTANCE AGAINST UV IRRADIATION
Differences between nocturnal and diurnal spiders webs, and the effects of ultraviolet irradiation on the mechanical properties of spider web silk with respect to evolution, were considered and discussed. It was found that ultraviolet irradiation significantly improved the mechanical properties of the drag lines of three varieties of diurnal spider webs, but degraded the mechanical strength of drag lines for nocturnal spider's webs. The indications from this are that diurnal spiders are at a later stage of evolution compared to nocturnal spiders. 22 refs.
Polymer Journal (Japan), 43, No.2, Feb.2011, p.200-204, ISSN: 0032-3896, DOI: 10.1038/pj.2010.119
Osaki S; Osaki M

1078414 - FUNCTIONALISATION OF RECOMBINANT SPIDER SILK WITH CONJUGATED POLYELECTROLYTES
The functionalisation of recombinant spider silk with the polyelectrolytes poly[4-(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b]-[1,4]-dioxin-2-yl-methoxy)-1-butanesulphonic acid] and poly(thiophene acetic acid) by immersion in a solution of the polyelectrolyte, and the characterisation of the products by optical microscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, XRD, DMA, electrical conductivity and fluorescence microscopy measurements, is described. The effects of polyelectrolyte concentration, solution pH and reaction temperature on the efficiency of functionalisation is discussed in terms of a self-assembly process mediated by electrostatic interactions. 47 refs.
Journal of Materials Chemistry, 21, No.9, 7th March 2011, p.2909-2915, ISSN: 0959-9428, DOI: 10.1039/c0jm03270k
Muller C; Jansson R; Elfwing A; Askarieh G; Karlsson R; Hamedi M; Rising A; Johansson J; Inganas O; Hedhammar M

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