Illustration of a spider’s web
Beijing, Bolong.id – Chinese scientists create genetically engineered spider silk fiber webs. The result is six times stronger than a bulletproof vest.
Reporting from 人民网 Friday (22/09/23), researchers from Donghua University took inspiration from nylon and Kevlar, materials used in bulletproof vests, and proposed a theory about their toughness and strength properties, thereby uncovering the basic structure of silk fibers.
Then, they used gene-editing tools to synthesize intact polyamide spider silk fibers from transgenic silkworms, which showed high tensile strength and extraordinary toughness, according to a study published in the journal Matter this week.
It is critical to develop environmentally friendly, high-strength and highly resilient synthetic fiber alternatives to environmentally unfriendly synthetic fibers, such as nylon, researchers say.
The results pave the way for the commercialization of spider silk as a sustainable substitute for synthetic fibers, and could be used in making comfortable surgical sutures and bulletproof vests, according to the study.
2023-09-23 15:27:00
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