Materials with switchable mechanical properties are widespread in living organisms and
endow many species with traits that are essential for their survival. Many of the mechanically …

All spiders produce protein-based biopolymer fibres that we call silk. The most studied of
these silks is spider dragline silk, which is very tough and relatively abundant compared with …

Silks are fibrous proteins with remarkable mechanical properties produced in fiber form by
silkworms and spiders. Silk fibers in the form of sutures have been used for centuries …

Natural materials are renowned for exquisite designs that optimize function, as illustrated by
the elasticity of blood vessels, the toughness of bone and the protection offered by nacre …

Dragline silk of golden orb-weaver spiders (Nephilinae) is noted for its unsurpassed
toughness, combining extraordinary extensibility and tensile strength, suggesting industrial …

Spider silk threads have exceptional mechanical properties such as toughness, elasticity
and low density, which reach maximum values compared to other fibre materials. They are …

Spider dragline (major ampullate) silk outperforms virtually all other natural and manmade
materials in terms of tensile strength and toughness. For this reason, the mass-production of …

Background Combining high strength and elasticity, spider silks are exceptionally tough, ie,
able to absorb massive kinetic energy before breaking. Spider silk is therefore a model …

Silkworm silk has attracted considerable attention in recent years due to its excellent
mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and promising applications in biomedical sector …

Silk is an exceptionally strong, extensible and tough material made from simple protein
building blocks. The molecular structure of dragline spider silk repeat units consists of semi …