A flexible, living textile made from the mycelium of Cordyceps militaris can self-repair torn fabric, change colour, block UV rays, and grow patterned surface designs on demand. The material remains metabolically active after manufacture. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences describe the work as an early laboratory demonstration.
- Glycerol softening and careful drying preserve cellular viability by removing moisture from the sheets without destroying the fungus in the process.
- The material degraded almost completely within 41 days when a box made from the fabric was buried in soil, confirming its biodegradability.
- The findings have been published in 'A programmable fungal platform for engineered living textiles', Science Advances.
BEHIND THE MATERIAL: The paper, by Ke Li and others, described the creation of flexible textile sheets from the threadlike mycelium of Cordyceps militaris, commonly known as the caterpillar fungus. Unlike previous attempts to make fungal materials, which killed the cells during manufacture and produced fragile results, this study kept the fungus alive throughout, preserving metabolic activity in the final material.
- The fungus was grown in a liquid nutrient broth until it clustered naturally into tiny, uniform pellets, which were then poured into moulds and dried into flat sheets.
- Because the dried sheets were naturally brittle and prone to snapping, glycerol was added as a softening agent, giving the material flexibility while keeping the fungal cells alive.
- Together these low-energy processes removed moisture from the sheets while leaving the fungus metabolically active, unlike earlier manufacturing methods that killed the cells entirely.
NOT THERE YET: The material demonstrates a range of programmable biological functions, but has not been tested beyond controlled laboratory conditions and faces practical limitations that remain unresolved. The researchers did not test the textile for daily wear and tear, breathability, comfort, or washing machine durability, and envision it as more suitable for short-term wear than everyday clothing.
- Self-repair is triggered by applying a few drops of water and fresh fungal pellets to a tear, prompting living cells to grow across the gap.
- Programmable surface patterning is achieved by depositing liquid nutrients in specific shapes, allowing the team to grow designs including leaves and a logo for the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology.
- The material can also be folded and assembled into three-dimensional structures such as boxes and containers, as shown in laboratory tests.
- A prototype dress was produced to demonstrate wearable application, though the material has not been tested for comfort, breathability, or daily wear and tear.
- The material conforms to curved surfaces and has a leather-like surface texture, properties observed in laboratory tests of the fabricated sheets.
