5 times stronger than iron, what is the secret of this spider web?

KOMPAS.com – Spider webs are recognized as one of the most solid natural materials. Now, researchers at the College of William and Mary have been able to reveal their secrets after studying spider webs Loxosceles Reclusa using an atomic-style microscope.

Apparently, the strength came from the quantity. Observations at the molecular level show that each strand of spider web is made up of thousands of nano-wires arranged in parallel.

Each strand of protein has a diameter of less than one millionth of an inch and a length equal to at least 50 times the width. These diameters are hundreds of thousands less than the hair.

Individually, these nano-wires are really weak. But once concluded in a special way, this spider wire can support five times more load than the same size iron.

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One team member, Hannes Schniepp, said we expected to find the fiber as a single mbad, but apparently the wire (spider) was more like a small wire.

In fact, the idea that spider webs are composed of many nano-threads has already been suggested. However, it is only this time that researchers have been able to prove it.

However, this does not mean that all spiders have the same wire structure. Of shape, spider thread L reclusa flatter than a cylinder. This type of wire is more suitable for catching prey on the ground.

With this understanding, researchers have also created a structural model that can be used as a basis for the fabrication of new materials.

This discovery was published in the journal ACS macro letters.