Metal-Reinforced Silk Weaves New PossibilitiesMetal-Reinforced Silk Weaves New Possibilities
May 19, 2009
Someone alert Spiderman: The Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics (Munich, Germany) has increased the ductility and strength of spider silk by infiltrating it with metal ions. In addition to further empowering fictional superheroes, this breakthrough could pave the way for reinforcing other natural and synthetic materials. "Mechanically improving collagen using our technique might open several new possible applications, like artificial tendons," Mato Knez, who is heading the research at the Max Planck Institute, told New Scientist.Metal ion–infused spider silk can be stretched twice as much and can absorb ten times more energy than natural spider silk before it breaks, according to the researchers. To achieve the fortified fibers, the team adapted an atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique, which is typically employed for coating processes involving metal oxides. Dubbed multiple pulsed-vapor phase infiltration by the researchers, the modified technique consists of a 40-second individual pulse duration compared with a duration lasting only fractions of a second for the conventional ALD process. Lengthening the pulse duration enables the metal to actually infiltrate the material rather than just coating the surface.In order to fortify any fiber in this manner, the natural material must contain proteins as its primary components, according to the team. "We assume that the metal atoms bind the protein molecules to each other," Knez notes. With this in mind, the researchers hope that their findings could lead to the strengthening of various protein-based biomaterials as well as synthetic materials.
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