Microbial nanocellulose biotextiles for a circular materials economy.

The synthesis and bottom-up assembly of nanocellulose by microbes offers unique advantages to tune and meet key design criteria-rapid renewability, low toxicity, scalability, performance, and degradability-for multi-functional, circular economy textiles. However, development of green processing methods that meet these criteria remains a major research challenge. Here, we harness microbial biofabrication of nanocellulose and draw inspiration from ancient textile techniques to engineer sustainable biotextiles with a circular life cycle.

Green electrospinning for biomaterials and biofabrication.

Green manufacturing has emerged across industries, propelled by a growing awareness of the negative environmental and health impacts associated with traditional practices. In the biomaterials industry, electrospinning is a ubiquitous fabrication method for producing nano- to micro-scale fibrous meshes that resemble native tissues, but this process traditionally utilizes solvents that are environmentally hazardous and pose a significant barrier to industrial scale-up and clinical translation. Applying sustainability principles to biomaterial production, we have developed a 'green electrospinning' process by systematically testing biologically benign solvents (U.