Characterization of a Lipid Coating on the Surface of Silk Produced by the Embiid Antipaluria urichi
Description
Insects of the order Embiidina spin sheets of very thin silk fibers from their forelimbs to build silken shelters on bark and in leaf litter in tropical climates. Their shelters are very stiff and hydrophobic to keep out predators and rain. In this study, the existence of an outer lipid coating on silk produced by the embiid Antipaluria urichi is shown using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, FT-IR, and water drop contact angle analysis. Subsequently, the composition of the lipid layer is then characterized by 1H NMR and GC-MS.
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2014-05
Agent
- Author (aut): Osborn Popp, Thomas Michael
- Thesis director: Yarger, Jeffery
- Committee member: Holland, Gregory
- Contributor (ctb): Barrett, The Honors College
- Contributor (ctb): Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry