Artificial spider silk opens a new era in the clothing industry: can make body armor

Reference News Network reported on March 16 that foreign media said that even for a pure silk tie, the price of 260 pounds is more expensive. But if you use a spider's silk, the situation is different.

The British "Times" website reported on March 14 that an American company made a tie entirely from synthetic spider silk. A scientist called this a "milestone" of related technologies.

It is hoped that scientists can now make other garments in the same process, thereby abandoning environmentally damaging synthetic fibers and ultimately using the unusual properties of spider webs to make a variety of fibers.

The tie made from synthetic spider silk is Bolt Clothing, and the company’s CEO, Dan Widmer, said: “This is a cool tie, traditional design, made of silk.” But he said "Our goal is not to be a tie manufacturing company. Our goal is not even to prove that this is an area where spider silk can be used."

He said that these ties prove that the speed of developing spider silk is very slow, which is frustrating. He also said that the company will only make 50 such ties.

When studying for a doctoral degree, Widmeier studied how to use a spider silk to make bulletproof vests.

Dr. Widmer said: "We often say that this material is coming soon, saying that it is in front of us. Everyone always says this, but not to deal with those monotonous work - to make enough protein, keep the protein Stable, then spinning. It takes these jobs to make this tie."

The silk used in this tie is not spit from the spider. Widmer has genetically engineered yeast to produce proteins in spider silk. When he got a large bucket of this protein, he spun it into silk. This thread is very similar to a real spider silk under the microscope.

Now, Weidmeier is working with people to put this spider silk into use. He said: "The spider silk has both good ductility and firmness. We usually either prioritize this property or prioritize that property - the fiber produced is either elastic but not strong, or firm but not elastic. ”

“The real problem with synthetic fibers is that they come from plastics made from oil. We need to find an alternative material that has the same or better performance and is sustainable,” he said.

Bolt Garment is not the only company that is trying to produce silk with spider silk. Spider silk is one of the strongest and most flexible materials.

Attempts to let the spider spit out enough spider silks have failed. An important reason is that leaving enough spiders in one place will eventually lead to the same kind of disability. It turns out that it is not commercially viable to genetically engineer goats to make their hair look like silk . A Japanese company has taken the same approach as the Bolt Garment Company, but it is believed that it has not yet reached the level of Bolt Garment.

Chris Holland, of the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, said the tie is a milestone in the field of rayon, even though it does not fully demonstrate the properties of this material.

Holland said: "This means that a new wave of silk products will be launched soon. This product combines the power of genetic engineering and controllable textiles and can be customized according to customer requirements. As this technology continues to improve, we may be able to start using it. Other amazing properties of the spider silk, such as the use of its bio-adaptive manufacturing of medical materials, the use of its super strong characteristics to produce high-quality fibers."