Regulating the growth of biomimetic multilayers using bacteria-laden graphene oxide membranes

Microbial induction becomes a sustainable pathway for the growth of engineering and functional materials under ambient conditions. The properties of microbially induced materials can be adjusted through structural regulation, with the introduction of a biomimetic structure being the preferred option. Herein, a bacteria-laden membrane is developed for structural regulation of biomimetic inorganic-organic multilayers on planar surfaces and in cylindrical pores. The urease-producing bacteria, Sporosarcina pasteurii, are encapsulated within a superimposed graphene oxide membrane to facilitate ureic hydrolysis. Subsequently, the diffusion of the bicarbonate constituents in a permeable microcompartment promotes the growth of biomimetic multilayers locally. While extracellular polymeric substances of bacteria contribute to the formation of multilayers with high strength and toughness, the bacteria themselves are responsible for this physicochemical process from a distance. The introduction of bacteria-laden membranes in a perforated polypropylene sheet fulfills the in situ formation of a biomimetic multilayer in each channel and complete sealing. Subsequently, the perforated polypropylene sheet integrated with biomimetic multilayers successfully impedes liquid permeation under hydraulic pressure. The present study demonstrates that bacteria-laden membranes guarantee the introduction of biomimetic multilayers with mechanical merits in porous microenvironments for complete sealing, which represents a primary objective of microbially induced materials.