Supersilk production. Spider silk is a very remarkable material which is stronger than even steel. It is also very stretchy, waterproof and at the same time water-absorbing if needed...
...Scientists have discovered a method to make protein filaments in it much harder. A spider was sprayed with a mixture of processed water and carbon nanotubes or graphene particles. Graphene is harder than diamond and stronger than steel.
For this experiment, 15 spiders were caught and sprayed with the water. After this treatment, several of them indeed produced silk with exceptional properties. Their thread was stronger and more resistant to tearing than the strongest unaltered silk known. It was even stronger than Kevlar, which is used in bulletproof vests.
The challenge now for the scientists is to explain how exactly this significantly improved silk is composed and how the nanoparticles are arranged. It is now assumed that the spiders have mopped up the particles from the water and incorporated them directly into the silk as they were spinning it.
There are many possible applications for an extremely strong fabric. As of now, further research is needed to find out whether it would be cost-effective to manufacture such a material.
Source: Spiegel Online
