Published: Aug. 13, 2020

Year: 2017-21

Participants:  Rollin Jones, Marimikel Charrier, Bruce Zou, Juliana Artier, Aparna Nagarajan, Chelsea Heveran, Jishen Qiu, Liya Liang, Sarah Williams

Primary Investigator: Wil Srubar III, Mija Hubler, Sherri Cook, Jeff Cameron

Summary: The objective of this project is to engineer living materials to serve both biological and structural functions. Living Building Materials (LBMs) were created by inoculating an inert structural sand-hydrogel scaffold with Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, a photosynthetic cyanobacterium. The scaffold provided structural support for Synechococcus, which toughened the hydrogel matrix via calcium carbonate biomineralization. LBMs represent a platform technology that leverages biology to potentially impart novel sensing, responsive, and regenerative multifunctionality to structural materials for the built environment.

Arch made from LBMs in Dr. Srubar's lab

Formation of LBM Mineralized Scaffold