Researchers saw excellent repair that was structurally stable and restored the consistency and appearance of the material
Imperial researchers have created 3D building blocks that can heal themselves in response to damage.
The engineered living materials (ELMs) exploit biology’s ability to heal and replenish material and could respond to damage in harsh environments using a sense-and-response system.
We’ve created living materials that can detect damage and respond to it by healing themselves.
Professor Tom Ellis – Department of Bioengineering
This work, published in Nature Communications, could lead to the creation of real-world materials that detect and heal their own damage, such as fixing a crack in a windshield, a tear in the fuselage of an aircraft or a pothole in the road. By integrating the building blocks into self-healing building materials, scientists could reduce the amount of maintenance needed and extend a material’s life and usefulness.
Lead author Professor Tom Ellis of the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial said: “In the past we’ve created living materials with inbuilt sensors that can detect environmental cues and changes. Now we’ve created living materials that can detect damage and respond to it by healing themselves.”
In the same way that architecture uses modular pieces that can be assembled into a variety of building structures, this research demonstrates that the same principle can be applied to the design and construction of bacterial cellulose-based materials.
To create ELMs, the researchers genetically engineered bacteria called Komagataeibacter rhaeticus to have them produce fluorescent 3D sphere-shaped cell cultures, known as spheroids, and to give them sensors which detect damage. They arranged the spheroids into different shapes and patterns, demonstrating the potential of spheroids as modular building blocks.
They used a hole punch to damage a thick layer of bacterial cellulose – the scaffold-like material made by some bacteria on which ELMs are produced. They then inserted the freshly grown spheroids into the holes and, after incubating them for three days, saw excellent repair that was structurally stable and restored the consistency and appearance of the material.
Our discovery opens a new approach where grown materials can be used as modules with different functions like in construction.
Dr Joaquin Caro-AstorgaDepartment of Bioengineering
Professor Ellis said: “By placing the spheroids into the damaged area and incubating the cultures, the blocks were able to both sense the damage and regrow the material to repair it.”
First author Dr Joaquin Caro-Astorga of Imperial’s Department of Bioengineering said: “Our discovery opens a new approach where grown materials can be used as modules with different functions like in construction. We are currently working on hosting other living organisms within the spheroids that can live together with the cellulose-producing bacteria.
“The possible living materials that can come from this are diverse: for example, with yeast cells that secrete medically-relevant proteins, we could generate wound-healing films where hormones and enzymes are produced by a bandage to improve skin repair.”
The growth in popularity of bacterial cellulose for its outstanding properties is the response to the worldwide challenge to find new materials with better-tailored functional behaviours.
Dr Patrick Rose, science director of US Office of Naval Research Global London, which part-funded the research, said: “The challenge is to mimic and combine the distinct features biology has to offer. We are not only trying to emulate those systems, but engineer biology to have additional features that are more amenable to the needs we seek without direct intervention. Ultimately, we want to increase the lifetime of a product, prevent failures of systems before the problem is visible to the naked eye and have the material think for itself.”
The next step for this group of researchers is to develop new spheroid building blocks with different properties, such as combining them with materials like cotton, graphite and gelatins to create more complex designs. This could lead to new applications like biological filters, implantable electronics or medical biosensor patches.
Original Article: Self-healing ‘living materials’ used as 3D building blocks
More from: Imperial College London
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Self-healing living materials
- Paul Auster, prolific and experimental man of letters and filmmaker, dies at 77
Author Paul Auster has died at age 77. Auster was a prolific, prize-winning man of letters and filmmaker known for such inventive narratives and meta-narratives as “The New York Trilogy” and “4 3 2 1.
- Wellness Wednesday: Sound healing
In this week’s edition of Wellness Wednesday, we introduce you to the world of sound healing. The practice itself is actually an ancient one, but thanks to ...
- The 4 Zodiac Signs In For Relationship Shake-ups During Pluto Retrograde
Pluto—the planet of transformation and rebirth—will be in retrograde, prompting lots of changes in your personal life.
- Painting With Purpose: Patina Maldives, Fari Islands Presents "Life Energy"
His latest project, "Life Energy", is a series of unique 'Living ... Healing" and "Cosmopolitan Ocean" that fused wellness with cultural exchange. Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar's approach is deeply aligned ...
- Engineered living materials: Scientists 3D print with bio-ink made from tobacco cells
Using a 3D printer and a bioink, scientists create an "engineered plant living material" (EPLM) that harnesses the power of cells.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Self-healing living materials
[google_news title=”” keyword=”self-healing living materials” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Self-healing building materials
- Building Roads Of Tomorrow: NHAI To Build Self-Repairing Highways To Combat Potholes
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is spearheading efforts to introduce roads that possess the remarkable ability to repair themselves ...
- Self-Healing Materials Market Estimated to Reach US$ 15.57 billion by 2032, Fueled by Infrastructure Surge in Developing Economies
The self-healing materials industry size estimated at US$ 1.61 billion in 2022 is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 25.5% from 2022 to 2032. Materials that are capable of self-healing are stimulated by ...
- Scientists develop self-healing material that could transform the plastic industry: 'We could solve many of the world's problems with a single material'
One expert believes this technology is versatile enough to become a part of a wide range of industries as well, like fashion, robotics, medicine, and vehicle manufacturing. Scientists develop ...
- And finally… go hard or go home
A theory that the Romans used a type of “self-healing” concrete which is superior to the modern building material and helped keep their monuments standing for 2,000 years has been backed up by a ...
- Molecular Device Triggers Drug Delivery and Self-Healing Materials
For example, the site of a tumour. It also holds promise for self-healing materials that can repair themselves in situ when damaged, prolonging the lifespan of these materials. For example, a scratch ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Self-healing building materials
[google_news title=”” keyword=”self-healing building materials” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]