Spiders spin stronger threads with nanotubes
Carbon sprays lead to silk tougher than any other fiber
STRONG SPINNER Spritzing spiders with graphene flakes or carbon nanotubes boosts silk strength and toughness.
Gucio_55/Shutterstock
Sorry, Kevlar. Spider silk loaded with carbon nanotubes may be the burliest fiber around.
When spritzed with the tiny tubes, spiders spin superstrong, supertough strands of silk. These hardy threads are the toughest fibers ever created, researchers report online April 25 at arXiv.org.