The Living Factory

How can we create innovative composite materials possessing comparable properties to synthetics through low energy processing with the use of non-petroleum and more natural based components?

High performance composite materials combine two or more materials in a way that allows them to retain their original properties while constructing a material superior to either constituent on its own. They are widely used across many industries, including sportswear. Their applications demand a lightweight, resilient material that is currently achieved by using highly toxic and difficult to break down materials such as epoxy resins and thermoplastics.

This project explores a mother of pearl, or nacre, inspired bacterial composite for use in the sportswear industry. Employing additive microbial manufacturing, I have combined the metabolic processes of two bacteria: S. Pasteruii - a calcite precipitating bacteria and B. licheniformis - a bacteria that excretes a biopolymer into one structurally advanced material. The inorganic mineral and biopolymer grow in alternating layers to build a ‘brick and mortar’ nanostructure that mimics natural nacre. This tessellated structure gives the material a high resilience to fracture and increases its toughness by three thousand to that of just the mineral alone.