SKIRMISHER

Adding small amounts of metal to spider silk – a material already stronger and lighter than steel – makes it up to 10 times tougher, German researchers report.

The scientists devised a way to incorporate zinc, titanium and aluminium ions into natural spider silk. They say the method could one day prove useful for creating super-strong textiles, surgical thread or even synthetic bones.

“We might be able to use the process to toughen artificial materials,” said co-author Mato Knez, based at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle.

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