Saturday, July 18, 2026
Science

Researchers create strong 'super silk' that maintains shape after wetting

Painstakingly woven from the cocoons of silkworms, silk has been valued for more than 4,000 years as a luxury material. More than just beautiful, silk is also lightweight, strong and biocompatible, allowing it to be used for clothing, medical materials and more. However, conventional silk has a glar...

Researchers create strong 'super silk' that maintains shape after wetting
Image: Phys.org
Painstakingly woven from the cocoons of silkworms, silk has been valued for more than 4,000 years as a luxury material. More than just beautiful, silk is also lightweight, strong and biocompatible, allowing it to be used for clothing, medical materials and more. However, conventional silk has a glaring weakness—it shrinks and loses its shape after repeated exposure to moisture.

Originally published at Phys.org

The Morning Briefing

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Be the first to receive the latest news, market analysis and updates — delivered straight to your inbox.