Graphene is the most strong material known to science, and spider silk is the strongest substance that exists on Earth. What happens to a spider when it is sprayed with graphene A team of researchers from Trento (Italy) says that you get a super-bionic web strong enough to catch any falling planes. Graphene, which is as strong as steel but is lighter than any other material known on Earth, is considered the strongest. It’s also the lightest and most thin material in the world, made up of one layer of pure carbons laid out into a hexagonal lattice design. Because graphene is thin, researchers call it a 2-dimensional material. Graphene, a carbon form that is made of thin planar sheets of one atom each with the atoms in a honeycomb-shaped lactruce arrangement. Nicola Pugno from the University of Trento was interested in what would happen if the world’s strongest natural materials were combined with the strongest of all, i.e. Graphene and spider silk. Professor Pugno led a team of scientists at the University of Trento that sprayed five Pholcidae spiders with graphene and water. The team also spray ten additional spiders using a mixture of water and carbon nanotubes. Spraying spiders with water caused some damage and resulted in poor quality silk. Others, however, were amazed by the results. The web produced by one of the men was 3.5 times stronger than a regular spider web. What is the secret to graphene’s entry into spider silk? Researchers don’t know how graphene or carbon nanotubes made it into spider silk. Professor Pugno suggested that the carbon coating might have been applied to the ends of the strands. However, this would not explain how the web became so strong and durable. Scientists believe spiders absorb materials from their surroundings and combine them in the silk they weave. This is likely to be the case with graphene as well as nanotubes. The mixture was sprayed on some spiders and they died shortly after. A graphene-laced spiderweb could catch an airplane falling from the sky? Professor Pugno and his colleagues are curious about the potential uses of this super-silk. A giant net could be made that would catch any falling planes. Now, the team plans to explore other uses for graphene to strengthen natural materials such as silkworm silk. Professor Pugno stated in an interview to the New Scientist that “this concept could become an avenue to obtain materials of superior characteristics.” An international scientific team revealed that graphene is capable of converting light into electricity at extremely fast speeds. Their discovery could have an impact on many technologies such as cameras, solar cells, and data communication applications. Researchers from University of California San Diego announced that they have developed a way to store more electric charge graphene. Their research could improve energy storage capacity of capacitors, which may be useful for applications such as cars, wind turbines, and solar power. According to scientists in Scotland, graphene can be made 100 times more cheaply than before. Video – Graphene
You can spray a spider using graphene to make a super-bionic web.
