Aciniform Spider Silk: Hydration‐Induced β‐Sheet Crosslinking of α‐Helical‐Rich Spider Prey‐Wrapping Silk (Adv. Funct. Mater. 13/2021)

In article number 2007161, Gregory P. Holland and co-workers present a remarkable fiber cross-linking property for aciniform spider silk as a response to hydration. This hierarchical process is facilitated water by incorporation with an observed increase in β-sheet structure that assists fiber fusion. Aciniform silk nanofibers have novel hydration-induced structural transitions that should provide inspiration for next-generation biomaterials. Image credits: Monika Lemp