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Shifu-Inspired Fungal Paper Yarns

Summary

Scientists have developed a new method to turn mushroom material into yarn using an ancient Japanese papermaking technique called Shifu. By processing white button mushrooms and rolling the resulting sheets into thread, researchers created yarns with strength comparable to cotton and commercial paper yarns. This innovation opens possibilities for using fungal material in clothing, carpets, and furniture, offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic fibers.

Background

Fungal biorefinery has been limited to leather alternatives due to the sheet-based nature of fungal materials. Biopolymers in fungal cell walls, such as chitin and chitosan, are difficult to process using traditional extrusion methods. The Japanese art of Shifu offers a potential alternative approach for producing fungal-based yarns from engineered sheets.

Objective

To develop fungal chitin-β-glucan yarns of varying linear density using the Shifu technique applied to engineered fungal sheets, and to characterize their mechanical properties and compare them to commercial yarns.

Results

Fungal chitin-β-glucan yarns demonstrated tenacity of 11.2 cN/tex at optimal grammage of 30 gsm, approximately 50% higher than commercial cellulose paper yarns and comparable to cotton and viscose yarns. Glycerol plasticization increased strain-to-failure but reduced stiffness and strength, while nanocellulose hybridization unexpectedly reduced mechanical properties due to poor interfacing.

Conclusion

Fungal chitin-β-glucan yarns produced using Shifu techniques exhibit mechanical properties comparable to or surpassing commercial cellulose paper and natural fiber yarns, positioning engineered fungal biomass as a viable sustainable feedstock for textile, upholstery, and decor applications beyond current leather alternatives.
  • Published in:Advanced Science,
  • Study Type:Materials Science Research,
  • Source: 10.1002/advs.202511975
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