Spider Silk Research Paper

Applications of Spider Silk:
If the production of spider silk ever becomes industrially viable, it could replace Kevlar and can be used in diverse range of applications such as (Singha et al 2012; Gole & Kumar 2012):
 Bullet-proof clothing
 Wear –resistant lightweight clothing
 Ropes, nets, seat belts, parachutes
 Rust-free panels on motor vehicles or boats
 Bio-degradable bottles
 Bandages, surgical threads and
 Artificial tendons or ligaments, supports for weak blood vessels.
3.2.2 Hagfish Slime fibers:
The hagfish are snake-like creatures that live on the bottom of the ocean. Hagfish are known for their ability to produce large volume of slime when they are provoked or stressed as a defensive mechanism. Hagfish produce a mucus-like,

The threads that are stretched in water and dried have excellent material properties. These threads resemble dragline spider silk in the super molecular structure aspects (Fudge DS et al 2010). Lot of researchers working on the analysis, production of Hagfish slime and it is not far that the fibers will available in useful form. When stretched in water and dried, it resembles silk and soon will release synthetic fibers like nylon, polyester in many applications. Researchers indicate that Hag fish slime threads will be a candidate of high performance eco-friendly clothing, and will be fashion for future and also might be used for stockings or breathable athletic wear or even bullet-proof vests or ballistic protection (McKittrick et al 2012).

Seaweed mainly from the family of brown, red, green and blue algae are used for the manufacture of sea cell fibers. Coarse crushed seaweed material is processed to fine seaweed powder by specialized milling technology. The seaweed/algae are added either as a powder form or as suspension in one of process steps preceding the spinning of the cellulose solution. In the Lyocell process, the cellulose is dissolved directly without formation of derivatives, as the solvent used is nontoxic, aqueous solvent N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide. The spinning solution is processed in a combined dry/wet spinning process to form fibers and shaped cellulosic materials. During the spinning process, the solvent used in spinning solution is washed out and almost completely recovered.

Fig. 4 Manufacturing process of SeaCell® Active fibers (Zikeli2006)

The fiber can be used in fabrics and non-woven material as 100% or as blends and yet retain their antimicrobial effects. These properties enable them to be used in wide range of applications (Zikeli S 2006). Some of the applications include
 Workwear: Gloves
 Sportswear: Socks, Yoga attire
 Underwear and Lingerie
 Home textiles: Furnishings, Beddings, Filters, Blankets
 Non-woven materials and Technical applications: Wipes, filters and