Directional water collection on wetted spider silk

Yongmei Zheng, Hao Bai, Zhongbing Huang, Xuelin Tian, Fu-Qiang Nie, Yong Zhao (), Jin Zhai and Lei Jiang ()
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Yongmei Zheng: School of Chemistry and Environment, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Hao Bai: National Center for Nanoscience and Technology
Zhongbing Huang: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xuelin Tian: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fu-Qiang Nie: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yong Zhao: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jin Zhai: School of Chemistry and Environment, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Lei Jiang: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature, 2010, vol. 463, issue 7281, 640-643

Abstract: How spiders' silk collects water The glistening of spiders' webs on a misty morning shows that they can gather water droplets from humid air with impressive efficiency. A study of the capture silk of the spider Uloborus walckenaerius reveals that this capability depends on a structural change that occurs on wetting. 'Wet-rebuilt' fibres are characterized by periodic spindle-knots made of random nanofibrils separated by joints made of aligned nanofibrils. This structure produces a surface energy gradient between the spindle-knots and the joints, and a difference in the pressure acting on drops in contact with either the spindle-knots or the joints. This ensures that water can continuously condense around the joints and is then transported to the spindle-knots, where it can accumulate in large hanging drops. An artificial silk mimicking the structure of wetted spider silk can also gather water drops from thin mist. This work could inform the design of functional surfaces that can collect fresh water from fog, or filter liquid aerosols in industrial processes.

Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1038/nature08729

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