A mini-review on the mechanical properties of spider silk and its potential future applications

Spider silk is renowned for its exceptional mechanical properties, including high tensile strength, elasticity, toughness, and biodegradability, surpassing many conventional synthetic fibers. These characteristics make it a promising candidate for sustainable applications across diverse sectors such as biomedicine, textiles, engineering, and architecture. However, large-scale harvesting from spiders is impractical due to their solitary and cannibalistic nature. Recent advances in bioengineering—including genetically modifying silkworms and microorganisms, and using microfluidic spinning—now allow the production of artificial spider silk with properties closely resembling its natural counterpart. This paper explores the fundamental mechanical attributes of spider silk, current artificial production techniques, scalability challenges, and potential future industrial applications. While high production costs remain a key limitation, continued developments in synthetic biology may enable spider silk to emerge as a sustainable next-generation material.