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Updated: Jul 23, 2026

Microfluidic Dry-spinning and Characterization of Regenerated Silk Fibroin Fibers
Published on: September 4, 2017
Aspects of X-ray diffraction on single spider fibers
1European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France. riekel@esrf.fr
Abstract:
Diffraction patterns of silk from several spider species have been obtained by synchrotron radiation using a beam size > or = 10 microm. Single fiber diffraction patterns were obtained for fiber diameters down to a few microns. Diffraction patterns recorded with a 10 microm wide X-ray beam displayed fiber texture. The presence of two fractions of different crystallinity was confirmed for a single Nephila clavipes fiber. The orientation distribution of the polymer chains of the crystalline fraction along the fiber axis was found to be about 23 degrees full-width at half maximum (fwhm). The azimuthal spread of the short-range order fraction was about 86 degrees fwhm.
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