Applications+of+Spider+Silk

//“As today’s film-goers and readers of the original Spiderman comic strip will know, spider silk makes an ideal tool for a modern day super-hero.”// – Paula Gould[1]

There is great interest in developing inexpensive, convenient and reliable biotechnological approach that can be used to manufacture spider silk fibers as biomaterials due to its excellent biocompatibility and low biodegradability. The following are applications that have been suggested by various authors:
 * The use of the silk’s tensile strength could be incorporated in parachute straps, to deter the chances of malfunctioning straps, and increase safety.
 * For recreational and industrial uses, biodegradable fishing lines composed of spider silk would resist snapping under the force of a large biting fish. Also it’s potential use in instrument fibres for violins and cellos.
 * The biocompatibility of spider silk, and the unusual characteristics of the stiffness/stretchiness combination has scientists considering its use for tendon and ligament repair in humans. Candidates for a tendon/ligament replacement must meet the requirements of strength to withstand regular impact and pressure, as well as avoiding fatigue during regular use.
 * Microsutures comprised of spider silk could act as an alternative to nylon-based threads. It’s strength and fineness makes it ideal for delicate surgeries such as ocular, neurological and cosmetic.
 * The idea of body armor woven from dragline silk, has been hypothetically observed. Not only would it be more comfortable, but it would be more effective at distributing force over a wider area, decreasing the exposed impact. In the biological environment, 70% of the kinetic energy from a prey flying into a spider’s web is absorbed as heat and dissipated. With this background information, it can be conveyed that with the use of engineered spider silk the shock a person would feel from a bullet could be considerably reduced.

We would also like to propose the following suggestions:
 * As spider silk increases in strength up to -60°C [2], a proposal for future use is that it could make an excellent liner for a winter coat; especially for winter extreme sports. Snowboarders, skiers, snowmobilers, etc are often in very cold temperatures, and these sports are prone to injuries. A very strong, thin liner in a coat could potentially reduce a lot of different injuries that can occur in these sports.

[1]Gould, P. 2002. Exploiting Spiders’ Silk. Materials today. 5(12): 42-47. [2]Yang Y, Chen X, Shao Z, Zhou P, Porter D, Knight DP, Vollrath F. 2005. Toughness of spider silk at high and low temperatures. Adv. Mater. 17(1):84-88.