title: Aspects of X-ray diffraction on single spider fibers.
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.
authors.affiliation: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France. riekel@esrf.fr
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Riekel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bränden
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Craig
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrero
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Heidelbach
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D016011:Normal Distribution; D011487:Protein Conformation; D047011:Silk; D013112:Spiders / Q000737:chemistry*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D047011:Silk