Engineering living materials: Development of functional hybrid living materials with advanced capabilities

Nikolaidou, Anna

Abstract

The field of materials is constantly evolving. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the development of advanced materials that upon exposure to environmental, chemical, mechanical and electrical stimulation, they exhibit capabilities such as sensing, information processing, learning, and decision-making. Advancements towards this direction include the development of advanced materials via conventional sensing technologies or the integration of biological components with synthetic components. The production of such materials presents significant challenges such as limited renewability, degradability, longevity and durability. This research work investigates the development of materials with advanced functionalities from living components as a sustainable alternative to conventional advanced materials. It leverages the electrochemical properties and living attributes of the living cells including self growth, self-regulation, self-repair and self-replication, and employs functionalisation as a method to enhance their performance. Kombucha cellulose and fungal cultures were selected as the living components due to their scalability, customisation potentials, abundancy, easy accessibility and previously reported biosensing potentials. For the fabrication of the kombucha cellulose and fungal hybrids, the methods of fermentation and multi-organism pairing were employed. A multimodal electrical and morphological analysis was performed, including the investigation of electrical spiking dynamics and memfractive behaviors, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the hybrid living materials cognitive capabilities. The experimental results demonstrated that the fungal and Kombucha hybrids present neuron–like behaviours and distinct spiking dynamics when exposed to stimulation, enabling them to perform autonomous information processing, learning and unconventional computing. The programmable, tunable and transformative potential of the materials makes this research work specifically original. Finally, a research framework was developed that can be employed for the development of advanced materials from a wide range of living cells, allowing the replicability of the experiments in a structured and systematic manner. The research work has the potential to transform a diverse range of sectors with applications spanning across a range of fields including smart buildings, wearables, robotics and living electronics.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jun 5, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 7, 2025
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/12035549
• Award Date: Jan 7, 2025