CHARACTERIZATION OF SPIDER SILK USING SAXS/WAXS

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中利用 资源由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目和 调查员(PI)可能从NIH的另一个来源获得了主要资金， 并因此可以在其他清晰的条目中表示。列出的机构是 该中心不一定是调查人员的机构。 蜘蛛丝的机械性能对纺丝条件和环境参数的变化非常敏感，如空气相对湿度和温度。本研究的目的是进一步了解蜘蛛丝特殊机械性能的微观基础，以及如何将吸水率和温度等引起的这些宏观性能的变化理解为微观结构重排的结果。在这个项目中，我们建议使用广角和小角X射线散射(WAXS和SAXS)方法来表征从(A)自然纺制的球状蛛网、(B)强制吐丝和(C)下垂获得的金色球状编织者NePhila clavipe和Argiope aurantia的蜘蛛丝。由于蜘蛛丝的一些材料和机械性能已经被证明是进化相关的，这项工作将为文献提供新的和有用的补充，并揭示这种特殊的生物材料的性能含义。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The mechanical properties of spider silk are very sensitive to changes in spinning conditions and environmental parameters such as relative humidity of the air and temperature. The goal of this study is to further the understanding of the microscopic basis of the exceptional mechanical properties of spider silk and how changes of these macroscopic properties induced by e.g. water absorption and temperature can be understood as a result of microscopic structural rearrangements. For this project, we propose to characterize the spider silk of Nephila clavipes (the golden orb weaver) and Argiope aurantia obtained from (a) naturally spun orb webs, (b) forced silking and (c) abseiling, using Wide Angle and Small Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS and SAXS) methods. Because some material and mechanical properties of spider silk have been shown to be evolutionarily correlated, this work will provide novel and useful addition to the literature and reveal performance implications for this exceptional biomaterial.