The secret of spider silk

French scientists have learned about the natural properties of spider silk fibers, especially in terms of strength and torsion. They studied why a spider clinging to a thread could be completely motionless, not spinning like a mountain climber clinging to a rope.

According to Nature, researchers at Rennes University's laser physics laboratory described in detail the various tests they had done to understand the properties of spider silk. Thanks to a single-threaded twisted pendulum connected to a weight balance of a spider, the researchers compared the kinetic reaction of different fibers (copper, Kevlar, Nitinol) with one round. Rotate 90 degrees.

If Kevlar (synthetic material) is elastic with slight fluctuations, the copper fiber is weak but difficult to return to its original shape and easily broken. But alloys like Nitinol also have similar properties but need to be heated to 90 degrees C before returning to their original shape.

Only spider silk has the highest coefficient of oscillation, regardless of the resistance of the air, retains its twisted properties and completely returns to its original position. This is a material called 'self-remembering shape' without external help such as heat, pressure to return to its original shape.

According to Olivier Emile, one of the researchers, although very thin, spider silk is a very durable material, made of proteins and amino acids. Silk fibers with 2 micron thickness are subject to an average weight of 1g, equivalent to 1 thread of 1 to 2mm thick, subject to one of the heavy weight of 65kg.