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Molecular mechanism of high strength and stretch of spider dragline
Author(s) -
Termonia Yves
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
macromolecular symposia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.257
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-3900
pISSN - 1022-1360
DOI - 10.1002/masy.19961020120
Subject(s) - interphase , materials science , spider , crystallite , modulus , composite material , amorphous solid , mechanism (biology) , crystallography , physics , chemistry , metallurgy , genetics , quantum mechanics , astronomy , biology
A molecular model is proposed for describing the unusual mechanical properties of spider dragline. We find that the high stretch and strength of the semi‐crystalline fiber are due to the small size of the crystallites which create inside the amorphous region a thin interphase with modulus higher than in the bulk.