Living, biodegradable and self-healing clothes could in the future be made from the fine fibers produced by fungi: grown in a laboratory, they generate a material similar to leather that could also be used for home furnishings and car interiors. This is demonstrated by the study published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials by Newcastle University and Northumbria University, in the United Kingdom.
In their experiments, the researchers used a particular mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) which is capable of producing a sort of skin starting from branched filaments, called hyphae, which arranged one on top of the other form the mycelium, or the vegetative body of the mushroom same.
Various materials used in many fields, from textiles to construction, are already obtained from the mycelium of mushrooms: the process used to manufacture them, however, kills the spores which allow the fungus to self-regenerate by producing new hyphae. For this reason, British researchers have developed a new method that combines mycelia, spores, carbohydrates, proteins and other nutrients in a single culture liquid, allowing them to grow a sort of skin that can be removed and dried. The final product is still too thin and delicate to be made into a garment, but the researchers say it could become more durable in the future, perhaps by combining multiple layers or using a glycerol coating.
Thanks to the presence of mushroom spores, which survive processing, the material is able to repair itself if placed in conditions similar to those in which it was grown: within a couple of days it fills holes and tears of various sizes, even if for the moment the sign is still visible.
Source: Ansa
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