A team from the Technical University of Munich has developed a device that partially mimics the process by which spiders produce fine, yet super-strong silks, which weight for weight are said to be five times stronger than steel.

Spiders make their silk naturally as water-soluble proteins which are secreted from cells and forced through tiny holes in their body which extrude the thread. To mimic this process, the team manufactured two genetically-engineered spider silk proteins using bacteria which were fed into a device consisting of three channels etched into glass.

Speaking to the BBC, Sebastian Rammensee, The Technical University of Munich, explained: “The protein is introduced from one channel and from the two other channels salt solutions are introduced.”

The salt causes the proteins to clump together, which are then forced down a narrow channel that extrudes the mixture as a fibre.

Using different combinations of proteins and salts, the team extruded different grades of fibre, however, according to Professor Fritz Vollrath of the University of Oxford, none were of a particularly high quality.

Vollrath explained: It’s another important small step towards making the material. It adds a piece to the puzzle but it’s a very big puzzle and there are many pieces missing.”

Read more at BBC