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Updated: May 26, 2026
16:38
Bridging the Bio-Electronic Interface with Biofabrication
Published on: June 6, 2012
Incorporating microorganisms into polymer layers provides bioinspired functional living materials
Lukas C Gerber1, Fabian M Koehler, Robert N Grass
1Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Eidgenössiche Technische Hochschule Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
Summary
Researchers created a novel living material using fungus and polymers. This adaptable material can self-clean and enter dormant states, offering new possibilities for smart consumer goods.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Synthetic Biology
- Mycology
Background:
- Development of functional materials integrating biological components is an emerging field.
- Living materials offer unique adaptive capabilities beyond traditional synthetic materials.
- Fungal-based composites present opportunities for novel smart material design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a self-cleaning, adaptable living material using Penicillium roqueforti within a polymer matrix.
- To demonstrate the material's ability to respond to environmental stimuli, including food spills.
- To investigate the material's life cycle, including active, dormant, and recovery states.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a two-dimensional habitat using porous polymer layers.
- Inoculation of the habitat with Penicillium roqueforti.
- Design of nano-porous layers for controlled gas exchange and nutrient transport.
- Monitoring metabolic activity over multiple nutrition cycles to observe life states.
Main Results:
- Successful creation of a living material integrating fungus and polymers.
- Demonstrated self-cleaning capability upon exposure to food spills.
- Observed distinct active (feeding) and dormant (hibernation) states with recovery.
- Confirmed the material's ability to sustain fungal growth and reproduction within confined layers.
Conclusions:
- This novel class of living materials exhibits evolutionary adaptation and complex responses to stimuli.
- The demonstrated design provides a proof-of-concept for self-cleaning and state-changing materials.
- Potential applications include innovative consumer goods like packaging, indoor surfaces, and biotechnology.
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