Scientists Make Synthetic Version of Silk Attachment Discs Used by Spiders

Posted on May 18, 2014

Researchers at The University of Akron have made a synthetic version of the silk attachment discs used by spiders to attach their webs to surfaces. A natural pyriform attachment disc spun by spider Achaearanea tepidariorum is pictured above and an electrospun synthetic polyurethane version is pictured below.

Ali Dhinojwala, UA's H. A. Morton professor of polymer science and lead researcher on the project, says spiders create these discs to pin down an underlying thread of silk with additional threads, like stitches or staples. He says the staple-pin geometry of the attachment disc creates a strong attachment force while using little material.

Dhinojwala and his team were able to mimic the efficient staple-pin design by using electrospinning, a process by which an electrical charge is used to draw very fine fibers from a liquid. The researchers used polyurethane for the liquid. The researchers pinned down an underlying nylon thread with the electrospun fibers.

Dhinojwala says the staple-pin design could be used in medical applications to attach tendons to bones or bind fractures. He says it could also lead to new commercial adhesives stronger than conventional glue and tape.

Dhinojwala says in a statement, "Instead of using big globs of glue, for example, we can use this unique and efficient design of threads pinning down a fiber. The inspiration was right in front of us, in nature."

A research paper about the development is published here in the Journal of Polymer Physics.

SPIDERS