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Material scientists admire spider silk for being lightweight and strong. Now another arthropod product is getting into the act—insect cuticle, the tough, flexible material in the insect exoskeleton.
Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering analyzed insect cuticle, which includes chitin and other proteins, such as the fibroin also found in spider silk. They then devised a method to produce a material made up of layers of chitin and fibroin. The result is on par with an aluminum alloy for strength, but at half the metal’s weight.
They call the stuff "shrilk"—a combination of shrimp, as discarded shrimp shells are a good source of chitin, and silk. Its flexibility can be manipulated by adjusting the water content–just as insects do. The research is in the journal Advanced Materials. [Javier G. Fernandez and Donald E. Ingber, "Unexpected Strength and Toughness in Chitosan-Fibroin Laminates Inspired by Insect Cuticle"]
Shrilk's creators say it could be a green alternative to plastic, for trash bags and even diapers. Its strength and biocompatibility could make it good for surgical suture or as scaffolding for tissue regeneration.
Shrilk is a clear film. If it can be made to stay clear when thick, it could make Enterprise Engineer Montgomery Scott's transparent aluminum obsolete. In advance.
—Cynthia Graber
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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7 Comments
Add CommentGreat - a new car wax!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisgreat,,,where is my epipen
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf you're interested in the science behind the story, we've made the original paper linked to in the article free to access.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDave Flanagan, Advanced Materials
Good luck filling that Cad Escalade with super unleaded sunshine.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYup... nothing really "new" here... just one of the myriad examples of human animals learning from Nature, in this case, the remarkably evolved insect's exoskeletons.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen i was a bio major, a bud and i used to eat boiled shrimp in their thin, clear "skins" (but not the tails... and with plenty o' beer) and joke "great source of chitin".
It's always cool when we understand one of Natures "stategies" for survival... whether it be flight, sonar... venoms or disease prevention. Almost anything we lay claim to as "innovative" has it's basis in Nature.
Nature: the only real "god"... that is, if you must have one... heh, heh.
good news for shrimp farmers, bad news for plastic factories
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have summarized the article. The scientists have
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am studying English and one of my friends suggests me this web. I try to listen every article and summarize them by writing and speaking. I hope that some one could point the problems of my summarizing. Thank you!
"explored a new materials which called 'shrilk'. The 'shrilk' is good source of chitin and silk. They analyzed the method of the insect cuticle, which includes chitin and other proteins. They used the same way to produce the new material with an aluminum alloy for strength and half weight. Also the new material could be made into the bags and diapers, which are friendly to the environment."