Spider man unravelling a web of mystery

20 October 2004

A Monash University physicist is unravelling the mysteries of one of nature's most remarkable materials - the dragline silk from the golden orb-weaver spider.

Researchers have long wanted to unravel the structure of spider silk as its strength and elasticity make it a good candidate for a wealth of medical and industrial applications, including artificial tendons and ligaments, sutures for ophthalmic and micro surgery, biodegradable fishing lines and bulletproof vests.

But such developments have been hindered as the detailed molecular structure has eluded researchers, partly because the silk threads are so fine - down to the level of microns (a micron is a thousandth of a millimetre) - that their structure cannot be viewed with visible light.

So Dr Andrei Nikulin, a senior lecturer in the university's School of Physics and Materials Engineering, is using the X-ray radiation produced by synchrotrons to determine the structure of spider silk and understand its molecular structure.

Synchrotrons are large particle accelerators that create bright, pinpoint beams of light. These high-intensity light beams allow scientists to examine the structure of matter down to the level of atoms. The Australian Synchrotron, being built at Monash University's Clayton campus, is expected to be completed in 2007.

Dr Nikulin is using the SPring-8 and Photon Factory synchrotrons in Japan to examine the structure of crystalline nylon fibres. He has been developing a technique for analysing the interaction of X-rays with solid surfaces to provide detail of the structure of crystals down to the atomic level. Further, he has designed software to analyse data on the intensity of scattered X-rays, thus revealing new information on the structure of materials.

Although Dr Nikulin has been testing his method on nylon fibres, he has recently started collaborating with researchers from Cornell University in the US, in preparation for using synchrotron radiation to examine the structure of spider silk.

"With spider silk it's not enough just to see a flat image; you need a cross-section of the material at high resolution - a diameter of one micron or less," Dr Nikulin says.

Dr Andrei Nikulin is available for media interviews on +61 3 9905 1353.

Photographs of Dr Nikulin are also available. For further information, contact the Media Communications office on 9905 9314. Visit the full article online at the Monash Magazine website.