Spider silk: Factors affecting mechanical properties and biomimetic applications

Abstract

Spiders are using different silks to achieve a variety of tasks. Spider silks might be the toughest natural material, and therefore they serve as model polymers for the development of biomimetic fibers with extraordinary mechanical performance. Spider silks with pliable mechanical properties are indispensable for designing and manufacturing biomimetic fibers for specific applications, notably for biomedical purposes. This chapter summarizes natural factors that are known to affect the physical properties of spider silks such as the drawing speed, ambient environmental conditions and nutrient intake. Such factors induce changes in protein composition, and in the structural alignment and organization of molecules in the silks, which consequently affect silk properties. In addition, we also present the latest findings regarding the spinning processes of the silk, as well as prospects and challenges in spider silk research.