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Advanced Materials from Fungal Mycelium: Fabrication and Tuning of Physical Properties

Summary

This research demonstrates how fungal materials can be grown into useful materials with controllable properties by feeding them different nutrients. The resulting materials are environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic and could be produced with minimal energy input. Impacts on everyday life: – Provides sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics – Offers new materials for packaging and construction that are biodegradable – Demonstrates how waste materials could be converted into useful products – Creates possibilities for local, low-energy manufacturing of materials

Background

Materials chemistry and nanotechnology have shown great capabilities in developing novel materials with desired properties. However, biological organisms’ ability to reproduce remains unique and impossible to duplicate through materials engineering. There is an increasing need for developing new green and sustainable materials that won’t pollute the planet. Current research focuses on polymeric materials from natural sources but these often require difficult processing methods that are costly and time-consuming.

Objective

To develop and characterize self-growing composite biomaterials with controlled and tunable properties using mycelium (the vegetative part of fungi) grown on different nutrient substrates. The study aimed to prove that mycelium materials’ properties can be tailored by choosing appropriate nutrient substrates.

Results

The physical and chemical properties of the self-grown films were influenced by both the fungal species used and the feeding substrates. Materials grown on cellulose contained more chitin and showed higher Young’s modulus compared to those grown on dextrose-containing substrates. All developed materials showed hydrophobic character with water contact angles above 120°. The presence of potato dextrose broth made the materials less rigid and more ductile. The materials demonstrated high thermal stability with degradation temperatures around 300°C.

Conclusion

The study successfully demonstrated that mycelium-based materials can be engineered with tunable properties by modifying their nutrient substrates. These natural composite materials require minimal energy for production, are sustainable, and could serve as alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. The ability to control their properties through nutrient selection opens possibilities for various applications.
  • Published in:Scientific Reports,
  • Study Type:Experimental Research,
  • Source: 10.1038/srep41292
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