Scientists discover stronger silk after feeding graphene to silkworms.
Researchers have discovered a new use for graphene, the super-strong material, by feeding very small quantities of it to silkworms. This resulted in the worms producing a much stronger silk that has real world applications.
Yingying Zhang, a chemist at the Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, has discovered with the help of her colleagues, a new natural way of creating a stronger silk. They experimented with silkworms and graphene, an incredibly strong yet flexible material. They found that if the graphene is dissolved in water and the resulting solution in sprayed on leaves, the silkworms still eat them.
After a period, the silkworms started producing a stronger silk which is twice as resistant as the ordinary one. It can also handle 50 percent more stress. Its most amazing features is that it conducts electricity, which means that it can be used to create wearable clothing electronics.
Graphene is a revolutionary material but scientists had a hard time finding specific ways to use it. This new stronger silk can pave the road for creative uses of graphene in the real world. Scientists are hopeful that graphene can see wide-scale use, from energy storage to water purification, not to mention lightweight yet very durable constructions.
Graphene is a one-atom-thick material made of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. The atoms are linked by covalent bonds, which are very hard to break making the material very flexible yet durable. At this point, it is relatively unclear how the silkworms process the material and integrate it with their silk. More research is required to determine how much graphene does a silkworm use to produce a certain quantity of silk. Another possibility is that by feeding them more graphene, the silkworms might be able to produce even stronger silk.
According to other researchers that were already studying how to improve the durability of silk, have stated that feeding graphene to silkworms is easier and more efficient than treating the silk itself with graphene. Many scientists are excited about the prospects of this new discovery and are hopeful that the process can be expanded on a larger scale.
Using the silk in different applications meant for the public is still a few years away. Until then, we’re hoping we’ll see more interesting discoveries involving graphene.
Image source: Wikimedia
Michael Turner
