Structure Evolution Of Spider Silk Liquid
Crystalline Precursor Material
Author(s)
G. De Luca & A. D. Rey
Abstract
Spiders produce silk fibers with remarkable mechanical properties using an ultraoptimized
spinning process. The fluid precursor material used to draw the silk
threads is a lyotropic nematic liquid crystal. The mechanical properties of the silk
fibers as well as their processability are strongly affected by the complex structural
transitions undergone by the nematic liquid crystal precursor along the spinning
line. Our work focuses on the particular structure adopted by the nematic precursor
in the extrusion duct of the spinning apparatus. This structure is characterized
by a succession of well defined point defects located on the axis of the cavity
and interacting on each other through elastic mediated forces. The phenomenon
described is both important in understanding the process-induced structuring of
spider silk fibers and to defect physics.
Keywords: Spider’s silk, liquid crystalline spinning, nematic point defects.
1 Introduction
Spiders’ ultra-optimized and ecological spinning process produces a fiber with
mechanical properties comparable or even superior to the best man-made super-
fibers, which use corrosive solvents and cause significant environmental degradation
[1, 2]. Hence, there is a great deal of interest in understanding the intricacy of
their design and processing routes. Many environment friendly exciting applications
are envisaged upon the successful replication of spiders’ fibers and complex
spinning line [3–5].
Spider silk fibers are known to be spun from a lyotropic nematic liquid crystal
emerging from a highly concentrated water-based solution of rod-like molecules
or aggregates [6–8]. A quintessential property of this silk precursor is its capacity
Keywords
Spider’s silk, liquid crystalline spinning, nematic point defects.
Related Book
Other papers in this volume
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