Spider Silk Coated With Carbon Nanotubes Has Amazing Properties

The experiment may result in practical applications in electrical conductivity and more.

Eden Steven, a physicist at Florida State University’s MagLab facility, discovered that simple methods can result in surprising and environmentally friendly high-tech outcomes during his experiments with spider silk and carbon nanotubes, the results of which are now published in the online research journal Nature Communications.

“If we understand basic science and how nature works, all we need to do is find a way to harness it,” Steven said. “If we can find a smart way to harness it, then we can use it to create a new, cleaner technology.”

Steven is the lead investigator on the paper “Carbon nanotubes on a spider silk scaffold.” The experiment may result in practical applications in electrical conductivity and more.

Think of a nanotube as a one-atom thick sheet of carbon that’s been rolled into an infinitesimally tiny tube. A nanotube’s diameter is at least 10,000 times smaller than a strand of human hair. Physicists know that when things get that microscopically minute, they act very strange. Researchers worldwide are intrigued by the properties of carbon nanotubes, including their amazing strength and ability to conduct electricity and heat.

Steven wanted to see what would happen when strands of spider silk were coated with carbon nanotubes. Keeping with his theme of simplicity, he gathered the spider silk himself, hiking around the MagLab and using a stick to gather webs. To adhere the powdery carbon nanotubes to the spider silk, he ultimately discovered that just a drop of water worked best.

The dazzling results have drawn the attention of national media. Steven, now unofficially known as the MagLab’s Spider-Man, has already been interviewed by Discovery News, New Scientist, Materials 360 and The Hindu.

“It turns out that this high-grade, remarkable material has many functions,” Steven said of the silk coated in carbon nanotubes. “It can be used as a humidity sensor, a strain sensor, an actuator (a device that acts as an artificial muscle, for lifting weights and more) and as an electrical wire.”

Rather than add to the already immense amount of toxic elements and complex, non-biodegradable plastics found in today’s electronic devices and as pollution in our environment, Steven wanted to investigate eco-friendly materials. He was especially interested in materials that could deal with humidity without complicated treatments and chemical additives. Spider silk fit the bill.

“Understanding the compatibility between spider silk and conducting materials is essential to advance the use of spider silk in electronic applications,” Steven wrote in the Nature Communications paper. “Spider silk is tough, but becomes soft when exposed to water. … The nanotubes adhere uniformly and bond to the silk fiber surface to produce tough, custom-shaped, flexible and electrically conducting fibers after drying and contraction.”

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