Kevlar fibres are made from liquid crystalline polymer (LCP). Since their creation there has been extensive research effort in the use of LCPs as structural and barrier materials. Spider silk is formed from a lyotropic LCP which undergoes structural transitions during spinning, resulting in a highly orientated structure. It is this structure that is thought to be essential for the exceptional tensile strength of spider silk. Biomimetic spinning of spider silk protein dope has yet to achieve the strength characteristics found in nature. Spinox have designed and built a biomimetic rig into which protein dope is fed and from which spun fibre is drawn. They want to model the spinning process in the spider and compare it with the biomimetic rig.

Problem presented by
David Porter (QinetiQ) on behalf of Spinox

Study Group contributors
Tim Boxer (Smith Institute)
Linda Cummings (University of Nottingham)
Paul Dellar (University of Oxford)
Jeff Dewynne (University of Oxford)
Andrew Grief (University of Oxford)
John Hogan (University of Bristol)
Peter Howell (University of Oxford)
Sam Howison (University of Oxford)
Huaxiong Huang (York University, Canada)
Michael Lee (University of Southampton)
Bill Lionheart (UMIST)
Hilary Ockendon (University of Oxford)
John Ockendon (University of Oxford)
Colin Please (University of Southampton)
Giles Richardson (University of Nottingham)
Graham Wilks (Keele University)
Jeff Williams (University of Bath)