Living materials will help splice windshield cracks and rebuild roads

Researchers at Imperial College London are working with engineered living materials (ELMs) designed to take advantage of biology's inherent ability to heal and replenish material. The researchers believe that ELMs respond to damage sustained in harsh environments with an integrated response system. Research into this type of material could lead to the development of real materials that can detect and heal damage.

Potential material applications in the real world include windshields capable of self-healing cracks, roads capable of self-healing potholes, and airplanes capable of healing any damage on their exterior. The advent of materials capable of self-healing could significantly reduce the amount of maintenance on all types of products used around the world.

The first such study was already in the past, when scientists created living materials with embedded sensors that detect changes in the environment. Now researchers are taking it a step further by creating living materials that can not only detect changes, but also respond to them by self-healing. Scientists have demonstrated the development and creation of materials based on bacterial cellulose.

ELM are created using genetically modified bacteria Komagataeibacter rhaeticus to produce fluorescent three-dimensional cultures - spheroids. The researchers used a perforator to damage a thick layer of bacterial cellulose and inserted freshly grown spheroids into the holes. After a three-day incubation period, the material recovered itself structurally stable and its consistency and appearance were restored.

The next step in the research is to develop building blocks-spheroids with different properties and combine them with other materials. Researchers hope to combine spheroids with materials such as cotton, graphite and gelatin. Ultimately, the research could result in all sorts of new products, from biological filters and implantable electronics to self-healing roads.

Source: imperial