Science

[ysabetwordsmith]

Silk can be transformed into a super-material stronger than bone

Now, researchers have found a way to turn silk into something much stronger than fabric.

In fact, the new material can compete with some advanced industrial composites and even comes close to Kevlar in toughness.

It can also survive ballistic impacts better than carbon fiber reinforced plastics. That puts silk in a very different category than scarves and dresses.

Comments

[siliconshaman]

You know how they're making synthetic spider silk now? I read that they're adding metal ions, like iron and nickel, to it to make it even more ridiculously strong.

I wonder how well that would combine with this process.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Fascinating. Yes, I've heard about the synthetics. The same process might work on them.