Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Viscosity01:17

Viscosity

When water is poured into a glass, it falls freely and quickly, whereas if honey or maple syrup is poured over a pancake, it flows slowly and sticks to the surface of the container. This difference in the flow of different kinds of liquids arises due to the fluid friction between the liquid layers and the liquid and the surrounding material. This property of fluids is called fluid viscosity. In this example, water has a lower viscosity than honey and maple syrup.
The SI unit of viscosity is...
Viscosity01:27

Viscosity

Viscosity is a property of fluids that measures their resistance to flow. It is influenced by factors such as the surface area of contact, the gradient of flow speed, and the fluid's viscosity constant, called the coefficient of viscosity. The coefficient of viscosity, also known as dynamic viscosity, is denoted by the symbol η. It determines the proportionality between the viscous force and the gradient of flow speed.Newton's law of viscosity states that the viscous force on a faster-moving...
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity02:57

Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity

Surface Tension
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...
Hooke's Law01:26

Hooke's Law

Hooke's law, a pivotal principle in material science, establishes that the strain a material undergoes is directly proportional to the applied stress, defined by a factor called the modulus of elasticity or Young's modulus.
Stokes' Law01:20

Stokes' Law

Viscous forces, like friction, are intermolecular forces that resist the relative motion of molecules over each other. When a solid body moves through a liquid, viscous forces drag it in the opposite direction. The force's magnitude depends on the solid's shape and size, as well as its speed and the liquid's coefficient of viscosity, density and temperature.
The expression for the force on a solid spherical object in a fluid is called Stokes' law. Stokes' law is valid only for low Reynolds...
Members Made of Elastoplastic Material01:19

Members Made of Elastoplastic Material

The behavior of elastoplastic materials under bending stresses, particularly in structural members with rectangular cross-sections, is crucial for predicting material responses and understanding failure modes. Initially, when a bending moment is applied, the stress distribution across the section follows Hooke's Law and is linear and elastic. This distribution means the stress increases from the neutral axis to the maximum at the outer fibers, up to the elastic limit.
As the bending moment...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Molecular Origins of Nonfrozen Water in Polyelectrolyte Brushes.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026
Same author

Exploring allomelanin: A comparative analysis via natural product extraction and synthesis.

Science advances·2026
Same author

Extreme Silk Toughness in Caerostris Spiders Is Limited to Adult Females.

Integrative zoology·2025
Same author

Riparian spiders make pyriform silk attachment discs that stick better when wet than those of terrestrial spiders.

The Journal of experimental biology·2025
Same author

Promoting organic nucleation of diclofenac: hydrophobic interfacial interactions drive self-assembly.

Chemical science·2025
Same author

Goblet Cell Density of Adhesive Structures Correlates With Climbing Ability in Hawaiian Stream Gobies.

Journal of morphology·2025
Same journal

The BRCA1-A complex restricts replication fork reversal-dependent DNA repair in ATM deficient cells.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Signaling downstream of tumor-stroma interaction regulates mucinous colorectal adenocarcinoma apicobasal polarity.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Click-polymerized polyenamine membranes for efficient lithium extraction.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Joint trajectories of brain atrophy, white matter hyperintensities and cognition quantify brain maintenance.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Proton shuttling at electrochemical interfaces under alkaline hydrogen evolution.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

metilene<sup>3</sup>: identifying DMRs across multiple conditions with auto-classification.

Nature communications·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Studying Large Amplitude Oscillatory Shear Response of Soft Materials
06:07

Studying Large Amplitude Oscillatory Shear Response of Soft Materials

Published on: April 25, 2019

Viscoelastic solids explain spider web stickiness.

Vasav Sahni1, Todd A Blackledge, Ali Dhinojwala

  • 1Department of Polymer Science, Integrated Bioscience Program, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3909, USA.

Nature Communications
|October 27, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Spider silk glue droplets use viscoelastic glycoproteins to create powerful, rate-dependent adhesion, significantly stronger than capillary forces, offering insights for bioadhesive design.

More Related Videos

Challenges in Rheological Characterization of Highly Concentrated Suspensions &#8212; A Case Study for Screen-printing Silver Pastes
08:42

Challenges in Rheological Characterization of Highly Concentrated Suspensions — A Case Study for Screen-printing Silver Pastes

Published on: April 10, 2017

Sample Preparation in Quartz Crystal Microbalance Measurements of Protein Adsorption and Polymer Mechanics
08:21

Sample Preparation in Quartz Crystal Microbalance Measurements of Protein Adsorption and Polymer Mechanics

Published on: January 22, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Studying Large Amplitude Oscillatory Shear Response of Soft Materials
06:07

Studying Large Amplitude Oscillatory Shear Response of Soft Materials

Published on: April 25, 2019

Challenges in Rheological Characterization of Highly Concentrated Suspensions &#8212; A Case Study for Screen-printing Silver Pastes
08:42

Challenges in Rheological Characterization of Highly Concentrated Suspensions — A Case Study for Screen-printing Silver Pastes

Published on: April 10, 2017

Sample Preparation in Quartz Crystal Microbalance Measurements of Protein Adsorption and Polymer Mechanics
08:21

Sample Preparation in Quartz Crystal Microbalance Measurements of Protein Adsorption and Polymer Mechanics

Published on: January 22, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Biomaterials Science
  • Materials Science
  • Entomology

Background:

  • Orb-weaving spiders utilize specialized silk adhesives for prey capture.
  • Spider silk glue droplets consist of aqueous salt solutions surrounding glycoprotein nodules.
  • Understanding the mechanics of these natural adhesives is crucial for biomimicry.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the adhesive forces of individual spider silk glue droplets.
  • To investigate the mechanical properties and behavior of the glycoprotein components.
  • To explore the implications for developing novel bioadhesives.

Main Methods:

  • Microscopic probe was used to measure separation forces from single glue droplets.
  • Adhesive forces were analyzed for their dependence on separation rate.
  • Material properties of the glycoproteins were characterized.

Main Results:

  • Adhesive forces were found to be highly rate-dependent.
  • Measured forces were two orders of magnitude greater than capillary forces.
  • Glycoproteins exhibited viscoelastic solid behavior, with elasticity enhancing adhesion.

Conclusions:

  • The viscoelasticity and elasticity of glycoproteins are key to the high adhesive strength of spider silk glue.
  • These findings provide a foundation for mimicking spider silk adhesives in synthetic applications.
  • The study highlights the sophisticated adhesive strategies evolved in nature.