Greatly Increased Toughness of Infiltrated Spider Silk

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1168162
• Publication Date: 2009-04-23T22:36:57Z
• Authors: Seung-Mo Lee; Eckhard Pippel; Ulrich Gösele; Christian Dresbach; Yong Qin; C. Vinod Chandran; Thomas Bräuniger; Gerd Hause; Mato Knez
• Keywords: Spider Silk

In nature, tiny amounts of inorganic impurities, such as metals, are incorporated in the protein structures some biomaterials and lead to unusual mechanical properties those materials. A desire produce these biomimicking new materials has stimulated scientists, diverse approaches have been attempted. contrast, research improve themselves by direct metal incorporation into inner rarely tried because difficulty developing a method that can infiltrate metals biomaterials, resulting metal-incorporated matrix. We demonstrated be intentionally infiltrated through multiple pulsed vapor-phase infiltration performed with equipment conventionally used for atomic layer deposition (ALD). zinc (Zn), titanium (Ti), or aluminum (Al), combined water from corresponding ALD precursors, spider dragline silks observed greatly improved toughness silks. The presence Al Ti was verified energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) nuclear magnetic resonance spectra measured inside treated This result enhanced silk could potentially serve model more general approach enhance strength other biomaterials.