2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
System for protecting ultraviolet rays affecting spider's silks as a new material
| Project/Area Number |
17350112
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Polymer/Textile materials
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| Research Institution | Nara Medical University |
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Principal Investigator |
OSAKI Shigeyoshi Nara Medical University, School of Medicine, Chemistry, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (90273911)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2005 – 2006
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| Keywords | spider / silk / ultraviolet rays / new material / protecting system / mechanical measurements / instrument / evolution |
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| Research Abstract |
Orb-webs are built outdoors under sunlight. It is important to study whether silks are strong or not to ultraviolet rays. It was found that silks from Nephila clavata spiders were very strong to ultraviolet rays and that silks from Yaginumia sia were very weak to ultraviolet rays. The results may come from the evolution that spiders changed its lifestyle at night to in the daytime.
On the other hand, the author studied the mechanical behavior of spider silks of orb-webs in the filed in order to ascertain the effects of ultraviolet rays upon spider silks. In a similar way, an instrument was developed for measuring mechanical properties of spider silks constituting orb-webs in the field.
The morphology of surfaces was studied for spider silks after irradiation of ultraviolet rays. The morphology changed with the time of irradiation of ultraviolet rays.
In order to ascertain whether spider silks are mechanically strong as a feeling of reality, human beings tried to be suspended from spider silks. As a result, the author weighing 65 kg succeeded in being suspended from spider silks.
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Research Products
(16 results)
