| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/N01538/01 |
| Title: |
BIOMIMETICS OF SILK SPINNING |
| Principal Investigator: |
Vollrath, Professor F |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Zoology |
| Organisation: |
University of Oxford |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
17 January 2000 |
Ends: |
16 October 2003 |
Value (£): |
309,846
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Bioprocess Engineering |
Materials Characterisation |
| Materials Processing |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Aerospace, Defence and Marine |
Manufacturing |
| Healthcare |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Using an iterative design process we aim to design and optimise a low-energy, biomimetic extrusion die to produce biological (and, ideally also synthetic) liquid crystalline polymer fibres Spider silks are among the toughest materials known yet are produced at ambient pressures and temperatures, without toxic reagents, and over a huge range of spinning rates. The exceptional properties depend on detailed evolutionary design of both feedstock and spinning apparatus either having considerable biomimetic potential. Specifically, we aim to develop polymer spinning apparatus that copies the spider's apparatus for producing dragline silk filaments. This involves two interdependent goals: 1. To understand how a particular spider extrudes an extremely tough silk; this is a necessary step towards designing biomimetic spinning apparatus for liquid crystal polymers. 2. To construct and evaluate biomimetic dies for the extrusion of lyotropic liquid crystal polymers based on designs arising from our previous work and from work to fulfil goal 1.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.ox.ac.uk |