3D Printing of Bacteria into Functional Complex Materials
Despite recent advances to control the spatial composition and dynamic functionalities of bacteria embedded in materials, bacterial localization into complex three-dimensional (3D) geometries remains a major challenge. Researchers at the Laboratory for Complex Materials have now introduced a new 3D printing platform that works using living matter.
To achieve this, they embedded bacteria in a biocompatible and functionalized 3D printing ink and printed two types of “living materials” capable of degrading pollutants and of producing medically relevant bacterial cellulose. With this versatile bacteria-printing platform, complex materials displaying spatially specific compositions, geometry, and properties not accessed by standard technologies can be assembled from bottom up for new biotechnological and biomedical applications.
- Laboratory for Complex Materials
- ETH News: English, German
- 3D printing of bacteria into functional complex materials
Manuel Schaffner, Patrick A. Rühs, Fergal Coulter, Samuel Kilcher and André R. Studart
Science Advances 2017; 3 (12): eaao6804; external pageDOI:10.1126/sciadv.aao6804