🌱 Biodegradable, Robust, and Living: The Dawn of Eco-Friendly Mycelium Materials
Researchers at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, have revealed an innovative material that fuses exceptional performance characteristics with an unusual element: it is alive. Featured in the journal Advanced Materials, their newest research presents a completely biodegradable, tear-resistant substance derived from fungal mycelium—a revolutionary breakthrough for sustainable design, packaging, cosmetics, and electronics.
Mycelium, the branching network of thread-like roots found underground in fungi, has been recognized for its potential as a sustainable material for years. Typically, industrial methods diminish many of its innate functional qualities to boost performance. In contrast, Empa’s researchers adopted a completely novel strategy: preserving the vital, biological essence of mycelium to leverage both its mechanical strength and living properties.
🔬 Nature’s Design: Fungi as Functional Agents
The Empa team, operating within the Cellulose and Wood Materials lab, centered their investigation on the common split-gill mushroom (Schizophyllum commune). This particular mushroom generates an extracellular matrix rich in exceptional biomolecules. While conventional engineering practices often eliminate or neutralize this matrix, the researchers utilized it to fabricate a living biomaterial with remarkable qualities.
Lead researcher Ashutosh Sinha notes, “The fungus utilizes this extracellular matrix to structure itself and impart other functional characteristics. Why shouldn’t we follow suit?”
Two critical components in this matrix enhance the value of the material:
– Schizophyllan – A nanofiber measuring less than a nanometer in diameter and extending thousands of times in length, delivering unparalleled strength.
– Hydrophobin – A protein resembling soap that self-assembles at liquid interfaces, ideal for stabilizing emulsions.
By selecting a particularly fruitful strain of the fungus and forgoing synthetic chemical interventions, the team successfully maintained the material’s integrity and biodegradability.
🧪 Emulsions That Improve Over Time
One of the most unexpected findings from the study is the development of self-stabilizing emulsions. Emulsions—common in salad dressings, lotions, and pharmaceuticals—frequently necessitate synthetic stabilizers to prevent the separation of oil and water. However, with this living mycelium, stabilization occurs spontaneously.
In contrast to typical emulsions, which deteriorate over time, these “living emulsions” actually gain stability over time. The researchers discovered that their biological emulsion demonstrated phase separation 3.6 times more slowly than traditional variants—a significant advancement for environmentally friendly cosmetic and food products.
📄 Films That Surpass Plastic Strength
Alongside emulsions, the researchers produced ultra-thin, transparent films from the fungal material. These films mimic plastic visually but are fully biodegradable and crafted without petrochemicals. Even more impressively, they exhibited a 2.5-fold increase in tensile strength during their growth phase—surpassing many current mycelium-based materials.
These biodegradable films have the potential to replace synthetic plastics in various applications such as:
– Food packaging
– Biodegradable wraps or sachets
– Agricultural mulch films
🌬️ Adaptive Materials: Smart Engagement with the Environment
An additional remarkable trait of these living materials is their sensitivity to environmental stimuli, particularly humidity. Unlike conventional plastics that remain inert, these fungal films can sense and respond to moisture. This capability paves the way for truly intelligent and sustainable products.
Potential uses include:
– Humidity sensors for packaging or indoor climate regulation
– Adaptive materials that modify properties in reaction to environmental changes
– Superhydrophobic surfaces for controlled fluid behavior
– Self-decomposing products that break down in response to specific environmental signals (e.g., compostable materials that degrade only in composting conditions)
In demonstrations, the fungal film exhibited superhydrophobic patterning and mechanical movement triggered solely by humidity—an impressive combination of functionality, ease of use, and biodegradability.
🔋 Living Batteries and Self-Composting Bags?
Looking ahead, the Empa team has ambitious plans. They are investigating ideas such as biodegradable batteries crafted from this living fungal material, in combination with previous research on paper-based battery elements. Such a battery could energize single-use medical devices or environmental sensors that completely break down after usage.
Another inventive concept: compostable bags that actively aid in decomposing the waste they contain. “Rather than standard compostable plastic bags, these could be designed to create bags that compost the organic waste themselves,” Sinha explains.
🧬 Fungal Engineering at the Leading Edge of Green Innovation
What renders this research particularly intriguing is its harmonious alignment with both ecological responsibility and material performance. Achieving minimal processing and avoiding synthetic chemical alterations, Empa’s team has cultivated a constructive synergy between ancient biological systems and cutting-edge materials engineering.
As Gustav Nyström, head of the Cellulose and Wood Materials lab, aptly states: “We are merging established methods for processing fiber-based materials with the emerging discipline of living materials.”
This fusion of tradition and creativity lays the groundwork for a new era of biodegradable and responsive materials. From intelligent packaging to