SPIDER silk, long noted for unusual strength and elasticity, maintains its strength even at extreme temperatures. The discovery boosts the idea of using spider-like silks for surgical stitches.
David Knight of the University of Oxford and his colleagues tested single strands of silk from the large orb-weaving spider Nephila edulis at temperatures between -60 °C to 150 °C. Knight found that over the entire temperature range the threads could stretch by at least 20 per cent before snapping (Advanced Materials, vol 17, p 84). “This is pretty wacky stuff,” he says.
Above 150 °C the fibres became progressively weaker, but they did not break down until the temperature reached 370 °C. This suggests spider-like silk could safely be heat-sterilised before being used in surgery. Knight’s company, Oxford Biomaterials, is hoping to use the fibres for stitching wounds, nerve regeneration and tendon repair.
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