living biodegradable material made from fungi curls and unfolds as it reacts to surroundings

Researchers use mycelium as alternative components

Researchers at EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) have created a living biodegradable material made from fungi that can allow trash bags to decompose the organic waste. It is only of the many potential applications of the studied fungi. In the field of electronics, the living biodegradable material made from fungi can be used to produce sensors as well as bio- and paper batteries. It’s because the kind of mycelium the researchers have used, the split-gill mushroom, reacts to moisture and its surroundings. Also, it is a ‘biodegrader’. This means that its properties can actively decompose wood and other plant materials. 

The study begins with the split-gill mushroom, an edible fungus that grows on dead wood. Usually, researchers clean and process the mycelium before they use it as a material. In the Empa study, the team has used the entire living mycelium as it is, including the ‘extracellular matrix,’ which contains a natural mix of proteins and fibers that the fungus creates as it grows. Then, they choose a specific strain from the finger to make two molecules. The first is schizophyllan, which lets them produce a strong and thin fiber. The next is hydrophobin, which is a protein that behaves like soap and interacts well with water and oil. These two make the living biodegradable material made from fungi robust, flexible, and adaptable, creating a component that’s ideal for biodegradable and natural products.

all images courtesy of Empa

Objects using living biodegradable material made from fungi

Now for the testing part. The researchers have tried out two applications in their lab. First as a plastic-like film, then as an emulsion. The latter is what helps create the schizophyllan fibers and hydrophobins, even producing more of the molecules over time, which the team describes as a rare occurrence. For the former, the scientists have turned the living biodegradable material made from fungi into a thin film. They’ve discovered in their study that the resulting object is strong and flexible. This is due to the extracellular matrix and the long schizophyllan fibers.  The team adds that they could make it significantly stronger when they align the fungal fibers in the same direction. 

It’s the similar technique as weaving of layering threads in fabric. The researchers then imagine using the living biodegradable material made from fungi to produce plastic bags that can compost waste. If not that, then other compostable objects for packaging. It behaves like plastic, and it is natural and even safe to eat. The Empa researchers now look into combining traditional fiber material science with the new field of living materials, ones that can grow, adapt, or heal themselves. Because the mycelium is alive, they can also control its properties by adjusting how it is grown, like temperature, humidity, and nutrients, opening the path to alternative materials.

researchers can also use the film to make other packaging materials

the film can be used to produce bioplastics

the kind of mycelium the researchers have used, the split-gill mushroom, is already a ‘biodegrader’

view of the emulsion as a result of the mixture

the mixture can create the schizophyllan fibers and hydrophobins

the split-gill mushroom is an edible fungus that grows on dead wood

the material is edible because it comes from a mushroom

project info:

name: Living Fiber Dispersions from Mycelium as a New Sustainable Platform for Advanced Materials

researchers: Ashutosh Sinha, Luiz G. Greca, Nico Kummer, Ciatta Wobill, Carolina Reyes, Peter Fischer, Silvia Campioni, Gustav Nyström

institutions: EMPA, ETH Zürich | @empa_materials_science, @ethzurich

study: here