Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

Smart Stuff: The Spider That Spun a Suspension Bridge (2002x1)

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Spider silk is an engineering marvel, stronger than steel and tougher than Kevlar. Everything about a spider's web - from the material it is spun from, to the glue that binds it together - is an engineering masterpiece. Built in seconds, each strand in the web is a highly engineered polymer fibre, 10-times stronger than steel. Like spiders, we use a wide range of polymer fibres to build the world around us. This lecture explores how chemistry is trying to mimic the natural world and construct a more ambitious and efficient man-made one.