Spider Silks and the Aqueous Frontier
Class
Article
Department
Biological and Irrigation Engineering
Faculty Mentor
Randy Lewis
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Spider silks are incredible natural materials that often exceed the abilities of man-made materials. Unfortunately, obtaining these proteins and using them in a sustainable way have been huge bottlenecks. A new water-based solvation method may finally overcome the issue of sustainability. This method has also allowed for new materials to be produced that were unattainable from traditional methods. Using heat and pressure a vast array of recombinant spider silks produced from goats and bacteria have been solubilized and used to make various materials. Finally, these materials have been characterized for their mechanical properties, structural organization, and ability to be functionalized for specific applications.
Start Date
4-9-2015 12:00 PM
Spider Silks and the Aqueous Frontier
Spider silks are incredible natural materials that often exceed the abilities of man-made materials. Unfortunately, obtaining these proteins and using them in a sustainable way have been huge bottlenecks. A new water-based solvation method may finally overcome the issue of sustainability. This method has also allowed for new materials to be produced that were unattainable from traditional methods. Using heat and pressure a vast array of recombinant spider silks produced from goats and bacteria have been solubilized and used to make various materials. Finally, these materials have been characterized for their mechanical properties, structural organization, and ability to be functionalized for specific applications.