Researchers at Imperial College London are playing around with engineered living materials (ELMs) to leverage their ability to heal a material innate in biology. Researchers believe ELMs respond to damage that happens due to harsh environments with the aid of an integrated system-and-response system
The investigation of such material could pave the way for real-world objects that can detect and heal damage. One of the use cases could be the use of the material in windshields that will heal themselves, roads that can repair potholes on their own. It can also come in handy for aircraft that fix damages on the exterior.
Living materials to detect environment change
The advent of materials that can heal themselves could reduce maintenance in all manner of products used across the globe. The first of this research happened in the past when the team developed living materials with integrated sensors that detect environmental change.
They are taking the old research a notch further by creating living materials that can detect a change and respond to the change by healing. Researchers have showcased the design and construction of bacterial cellulose-based materials.
ELMs are developed using genetically engineered Komagataeibacter rhaeticus bacteria that make fluorescent 3D sphere-shaped cultures known as spheroids. Scientists made use of a punch hole to damage a thick layer of the bacterial cellulose and filled the holes with grown spheroids.
New breed of products
After a three-day incubation period, the material managed to heal itself in a way that was stable structurally. Besides, the appearance of the material was also restored. The next step is to make spheroid building blocks with different properties and merge them with other materials.
The team will try to combine spheroids with include cotton, graphite, and gelatins. Ultimately, the research could lead to a new breed of products such as biological filters and implantable electronics.
Previously, a team of researchers from NTU Singapore created a new kind of battery that could be used for future wearables. The battery is stretchable and draws power from the wearer’s sweat. The battery is soft and is said to be flat as a bandage.
