latest engineering news

Soft, smooth and very, very strong

A team of researchers have created a new, super-strong material by adding metal ions to spider webs.

The team – from the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics – believe it may be possible to strengthen other fibres in a similar fashion.

In addition to being stronger than natural web material, it also has the ability to be stretched further.

Commenting on the development Mato Knez, who is leading the team, said: "Our work promises great potential in terms of practical applications, as many other biomaterials can be made more break-resistant and ductile using our method."

Following from this, the team have used the process to strengthen fibres made of the protein collagen, an essential part of skin and bone in the human body.

To infiltrate the fibres, the researchers employed a modified version of the technique of atomic layer deposition (ALD), previously only used for coating rather than infiltrating fibres.

Living in a material world

Meet our Role Models who work with materials.