Uploaded May 2017 | Updated September 2026, 59 minutes ago
Fibroin is another name for spider silk. Spider silk is a remarkable, naturally formulated material, which has a tensile strength similar to steel, and a strength to density ratio that far surpasses steel. The low density of fibroin is what makes it a potentially lucrative material for further research and commercial use. Demand is very high for materials that can provide the level of strength of steel, without sacrificing the huge weight that comes with using heavy metals. Research has been done to look into the possibility of using fibroin for ballistic vests, as this would provide a lightweight way to provide tremendous toughness to these products. Fibroin is also a naturally occurring substance, which makes it very environmentally safe to use. With rising concerns about the status of the environment, companies will be looking to replace current fibers with materials that will be better suited to global sustainability. The challenges with this material come when considering how to effectively synthesize it. Thus far, researchers have had trouble finding a way to formulate the proteins that go into fibroin and produce them cost effectively at a commercial scale. Spiders are cannibalistic so it is unrealistic to create colonies for the production of silk. Instead researchers are looking into the possibilities of using genetically engineered organisms such as silkworms or goats to produce the proteins in place of the spiders. This research could potentially lead to the synthetic formulation of spider silk, which would allow for the production of ballistics, sutures and clothing, which would be highly resistant to weathering. The current commercial interest in fibroin is at the forefront of the progression into the fields of biomimicry and genetic engineering, and further breakthroughs could have very positive effects in the fields of civil engineering and material science.
References:
docs.google.com/document/d/1e-Vw6XPVEvCjtj1jBmfGYMF4R3M94VYMI10IxPTyM9g/edit
Creators: Charlie Rowe, Sammy Hecht, and Jacob Kuchta
Fibroin is another name for spider silk. Spider silk is a remarkable, naturally formulated material, which has a tensile strength similar to steel, and a strength to density ratio that far surpasses steel. The low density of fibroin is what makes it a potentially lucrative material for further research and commercial use. Demand is very high for materials that can provide the level of strength of steel, without sacrificing the huge weight that comes with using heavy metals. Research has been done to look into the possibility of using fibroin for ballistic vests, as this would provide a lightweight way to provide tremendous toughness to these products. Fibroin is also a naturally occurring substance, which makes it very environmentally safe to use. With rising concerns about the status of the environment, companies will be looking to replace current fibers with materials that will be better suited to global sustainability. The challenges with this material come when considering how to effectively synthesize it. Thus far, researchers have had trouble finding a way to formulate the proteins that go into fibroin and produce them cost effectively at a commercial scale. Spiders are cannibalistic so it is unrealistic to create colonies for the production of silk. Instead researchers are looking into the possibilities of using genetically engineered organisms such as silkworms or goats to produce the proteins in place of the spiders. This research could potentially lead to the synthetic formulation of spider silk, which would allow for the production of ballistics, sutures and clothing, which would be highly resistant to weathering. The current commercial interest in fibroin is at the forefront of the progression into the fields of biomimicry and genetic engineering, and further breakthroughs could have very positive effects in the fields of civil engineering and material science.
References:
docs.google.com/document/d/1e-Vw6XPVEvCjtj1jBmfGYMF4R3M94VYMI10IxPTyM9g/edit
Creators: Charlie Rowe, Sammy Hecht, and Jacob Kuchta
