Engineered bacteria that self-assemble bioglass polysilicate coatings display enhanced light focusing.

Cutting-edge photonic devices frequently rely on microparticle components to focus and manipulate light. Conventional methods used to produce these microparticle components frequently offer limited control of their structural properties or require low-throughput nanofabrication of more complex structures. Here, we employ a synthetic biology approach to produce environmentally friendly, living microlenses with tunable structural properties.

Algal Biochar-Metal Nanocomposite Particles Tailor the Hydration Kinetics and Compressive Strength of Portland Cement Paste.

Biochar can improve the mechanical properties of portland cement paste and concrete. In this work, we produced algal biochar-zinc (biochar-Zn) and algal biochar-calcium (biochar-Ca) nanocomposite particles and studied their effect on the hydration kinetics and compressive strength of cement paste. Results show that 3 wt % biochar-Zn delayed peak heat evolution during cement hydration from 8.

Measurement of Ice-Binding Protein Activity in Highly Alkaline Environments.

Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) exhibit a disruptive potential to prevent ice growth in highly alkaline solutions and related applications. IBPs, like most proteins, are sensitive to changes in their physical environment, which can alter their physical and chemical properties and ice-binding activities. Here we describe how to investigate IBP integrity for applications in alkaline environments and discuss incorporating IBPs into portland cement paste, an alkaline ceramic, to assess the reduction of ice content and mitigation of freeze-thaw damage to the brittle cementitious matrix.

Bioinspired Threonine-Based Polymers with Potent Ice Recrystallization Inhibition Activity.

Ice growth mitigation is a pervasive challenge for multiple industries. In nature, ice-binding proteins (IBPs) demonstrate potent ice growth prevention through ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI). However, IBPs are expensive, difficult to produce in large quantities, and exhibit minimal resilience to nonphysiological environmental stressors, such as pH.

Ice-binding proteins and bioinspired synthetic mimics in non-physiological environments.

Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) are produced by a variety of organisms to prevent internal damage caused by ice crystal growth. Synthetic analogs are being designed to mimic beneficial properties of IBPs while mitigating drawbacks related to the use of biological proteins. While a multitude of engineering applications could benefit from the inhibition and control of ice formation and growth, synthetic analogs tend to be less potent than biological IBPs, and both IBPs and synthetic analogs tend to exhibit lower performance in non-physiological (.

Mechanical evaluation of 3D printed biomimetic non-Euclidean saddle geometries mimicking the mantis shrimp.

Engineering design has drawn inspiration from naturally occurring structures to advance manufacturing processes and products, termed biomimetics. For example, the mantis shrimp, order, is capable of producing one of the fastest appendage strikes in the world with marginal musculoskeletal displacement. The extreme speed of the mantis shrimp's raptorial appendage is due to the non-Euclidean hyperbolic paraboloid (i.

A New Estimate of Building Floor Space in North America.

Floor space is a key variable used to understand the energy and material demands of buildings. Using recent data sets of building footprints, we employ a random forest regression model to estimate the total floor space (conditioned and unconditioned) of the North American building stock. Our estimate for total floor space in 2016 is 88033 (+15907/-21861) million m, which is 2.

Engineering living building materials for enhanced bacterial viability and mechanical properties.

Living building materials (LBMs) utilize microorganisms to produce construction materials that exhibit mechanical and biological properties. A hydrogel-based LBM containing bacteria capable of microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) was recently developed. Here, LBM design factors, i.

Engineered Living Materials: Taxonomies and Emerging Trends.

At the intersection of synthetic biology and materials science, the field of engineered living materials (ELMs) has evolved into a new, standalone discipline. The fusion of bioengineering's design-build-test-learn approaches with classical materials science has yielded breakthrough innovations in the synthesis of complex, biologically active materials for functional applications in therapeutics, electronics, construction, and beyond. However, the transdisciplinary nature of the ELM field - and its rapid growth - has made holistic comprehension of achievements related to the tools, techniques, and applications of ELMs difficult across disciplines.

Effect of pH on the activity of ice-binding protein from Marinomonas primoryensis.

The ability of an ice-binding protein (IBP) from Marinomonas primoryensis (MpIBP) to influence ice crystal growth and structure in nonphysiological pH environments was investigated in this work. The ability for MpIBP to retain ice interactivity under stressed environmental conditions was determined via (1) a modified splat assay to determine ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) of polycrystalline ice and (2) nanoliter osmometry to evaluate the ability of MpIBP to dynamically shape the morphology of a single ice crystal. Circular dichroism (CD) was used to relate the IRI and DIS activity of MpIBP to secondary structure.

Engineered Ureolytic Microorganisms Can Tailor the Morphology and Nanomechanical Properties of Microbial-Precipitated Calcium Carbonate.

We demonstrate for the first time that the morphology and nanomechanical properties of calcium carbonate (CaCO) can be tailored by modulating the precipitation kinetics of ureolytic microorganisms through genetic engineering. Many engineering applications employ microorganisms to produce CaCO. However, control over bacterial calcite morphology and material properties has not been demonstrated.

Genome engineering of E. coli for improved styrene production.

Microbial production of exogenous organic compounds is challenging as biosynthetic pathways are often complex and produce metabolites that are toxic to the hosts. Biogenic styrene is an example of this problem, which if addressed could result in a more sustainable supply of this important component of the plastics industry. In this study, we engineered Escherichia coli for the production of styrene.

Optical Properties and Mechanical Modeling of Acetylated Transparent Wood Composite Laminates.

Transparent wood composites (TWCs) are a new class of light-transmitting wood-based materials composed of a delignified wood template that is infiltrated with a refractive- index-matched polymer resin. Recent research has focused primarily on the fabrication and characterization of single-ply TWCs. However, multi-ply composite laminates are of interest due to the mechanical advantages they impart compared to the single ply.

Zeolite Adsorption of Chloride from a Synthetic Alkali-Activated Cement Pore Solution.

This work presents experimental evidence that confirms the potential for two specific zeolites, namely chabazite and faujasite (with a cage size ~2-13 Å), to adsorb small amounts of chloride from a synthetic alkali-activated cement (AAC) pore solution. Four synthetic zeolites were first exposed to a chlorinated AAC pore solution, two faujasite zeolites (i.e.

Ice-Binding Protein from Inhibits Ice Crystal Growth in Highly Alkaline Solutions.

The ability of a natural ice-binding protein from (SfIBP) to inhibit ice crystal growth in highly alkaline solutions with increasing pH and ionic strength was investigated in this work. The purity of isolated SfIBP was first confirmed via sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and size-exclusion chromatography with an ultraviolet detector (SEC-UV). Protein stability was evaluated in the alkaline solutions using circular dichroism spectroscopy, SEC-UV, and SDS-PAGE.

Rational Control of Calcium Carbonate Precipitation by Engineered Escherichia coli.

Ureolytic bacteria ( e.g., Sporosarcina pasteurii) can produce calcium carbonate (CaCO).

On-Demand Microwave-Assisted Fabrication of Gelatin Foams.

Ultraporous gelatin foams (porosity >94%, ρ ≈ 0.039⁻0.056 g/cm³) have been fabricated via microwave radiation.

Evaporation-based method for preparing gelatin foams with aligned tubular pore structures.

Gelatin-based foams with aligned tubular pore structures were prepared via liquid-to-gas vaporization of tightly bound water in dehydrated gelatin hydrogels. This study elucidates the mechanism of the foaming process by investigating the secondary (i.e.