A Spider's Spinning Technique Could Provide New Insight on Biomedical Adhesive

Ever wonder how spiders craft their webs? A group of scientists from the University of Akron have deciphered this art in the hopes of creating a more efficient and stronger commercial and biomedical adhesive.

Scientists worked to create synthetic duplicates of this sticky silk that spiders frequently weave. They specifically examined the "attachment discs" they use to attach their webs to surfaces.

According to lead study author Ali Dhinojwala, a professor of polymer science at the university, this "staple-pin" geometry of the attachment disc creates a strong attachment with very little of the spider's web.

Using a process in which an electrical charge draws fine fibers from liquid, researchers used electrospinning to mimic the efficient staple-pin design and pin down an underlying nylo9n threat with the electrospun fibers.

 "This adhesive architecture holds promise for potential applications in the area of adhesion science, particularly in the field of biomedicine where the cost of the materials is a significant constraintauthors noted, via a press release.

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

"You can learn a lot of science from nature," adds Dharamdeep Jain, a graduate student and co-author of the paper.

More information regarding the study can be found via the Journal of Polymer Physics.