Project FIBRE HIGHWAYS addresses Remediation through Textiles and Hydrocarbon-degrading Microorganisms
March 27, 2021
Call for Ph.D. Application: An omics-based approach to identifying novel biocatalysts and metabolites
April 6, 2021
A paper on Bacterial Spore-Based Hygromorphs, a new active material which responds to changes in environmental humidity, was published by HBBE members Emily Birch, Ben Bridgens, Meng Zhang and Martyn Dade-Robertson in the MDPI Sustainability Journal.
Abstract
This paper introduces a new active material which responds to changes in environmental humidity. There has been growing interest in active materials which are able to respond to their environment, creating dynamic architectural systems without the need for energy input or complex systems of sensors and actuators. A subset of these materials are hygromorphs, which respond to changes in relative humidity (RH) and wetting through shape change. Here, we introduce a novel hygromorphic material in the context of architectural design, composed of multiple monolayers of microbial spores of Bacillus subtilis and latex sheets. Methods of fabrication and testing for this new material are described, showing that small actuators made from this material demonstrate rapid, reversible and repeatable deflection in response to changes in RH. It is demonstrated that the hygromorphic actuators are able to lift at least 150% of their own mass. Investigations are also extended to understanding this new biomaterial in terms of meaningful work.
