Everybody knows that silkworms make silk, which is used primarily in making clothes and furnishings. The reason silk is popular in industrial use is its strength. However, recently, it was discovered that feeding silkworms carbon nanotubes and graphene makes their silk twice as tough as normal. Feeding silkworms these materials is much easier than trying to infuse the silk with them after collection.
Some other new properties of the silk included being able to withstand 50% more stress than normal, and also the ability to conduct electricity. These new properties mean that silk have new applications in biomechanics, for example showing tension and pressure during exertion. One of the cooler uses, however, is that it can be used to make electronic clothing that can communicate with smartphones.
Overall, this discovery was very interesting because it allows people to make high strength silk fibers very easily and on a very large scale. It’s an exciting discovery, and I can’t wait to see its uses in wearable tech.
