Fungal Species: Fomitella fraxinea

From Nature to Design: Tailoring Pure Mycelial Materials for the Needs of Tomorrow

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Scientists are developing new materials made from mushroom mycelium that could replace leather, foam, and plastic products. These fungal-based materials grow on simple agricultural waste, are completely biodegradable, and have a much smaller environmental footprint than traditional materials. Companies like MycoWorks are already producing mycelium leather for major fashion brands, showing this technology is moving from laboratories into real products.

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Tailoring the Mechanical Properties of Fungal Mycelium Mats with Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing of PHBH and PLA Biopolymers

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Researchers have developed a novel method to make mushroom-based materials stronger by coating them with biodegradable plastics using 3D printing technology. This approach combines fungal mycelium from Fomes fomentarius with eco-friendly polymers to create composites that are significantly stronger than plain mycelium while remaining fully compostable. The resulting materials could be used for flexible devices, interior design, and other applications where both strength and environmental sustainability are important.

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Tailoring the Mechanical Properties of Fungal Mycelium Mats with Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing of PHBH and PLA Biopolymers

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Researchers developed a new way to make fungal mushroom mats stronger by printing biodegradable plastic patterns onto them using 3D printing technology. The resulting composite materials combined the sustainability of fungal products with improved strength, making them suitable for flexible applications like smart textiles and lightweight parts. Both tested polymers (PHBH and PLA) enhanced the mycelium’s mechanical properties, with PLA showing superior strength improvements while PHBH offered home compostability.

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Tailoring the Mechanical Properties of Fungal Mycelium Mats with Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing of PHBH and PLA Biopolymers

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Researchers have developed a new method to strengthen mushroom-based materials by using 3D printing to apply layers of plant-based plastics onto them. These reinforced materials have significantly improved strength while remaining fully biodegradable and compostable. This innovation makes fungal mycelium materials suitable for more demanding applications like flexible textiles and wearable electronics, offering a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based products.

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Cross-linking impacts the physical properties of mycelium leather alternatives by targeting hydroxyl groups of polysaccharides and amino groups of proteins

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Scientists have developed a leather-like material grown from mushroom mycelium (the root structure of fungi) that can match the strength of animal leather through a process called cross-linking or tanning. They tested different cross-linking chemicals—both synthetic ones like glutaraldehyde and natural plant extracts—and found that these chemicals improve the material’s strength and durability. The best results came from treating the mycelium with a low concentration of glutaraldehyde, which made it nearly as strong as real leather while using a sustainable, environmentally-friendly process.

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Cross-linking impacts the physical properties of mycelium leather alternatives by targeting hydroxyl groups of polysaccharides and amino groups of proteins

mycolabadmin

Scientists developed a leather-like material made from mushroom mycelium by treating it with chemical cross-linkers similar to those used in traditional leather tanning. The best results came from using glutaraldehyde, which chemically bonded to the mycelium’s proteins and carbohydrates, creating a stronger and more durable material. While the mycelium leather now has comparable strength to conventional leather, it needs to be more flexible. This research offers a more environmentally sustainable alternative to animal leather.

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