Researchers at Rice University have developed a new method to create bacterial cellulose sheets that are as strong as some metals and glasses, yet remain flexible, foldable, and transparent. The team built a rotational bioreactor that aligns the fibers produced by bacteria during growth, significantly enhancing the material's mechanical properties.
Rotational bioreactor aligns fibers for strength
The aligned cellulose sheets achieved a tensile strength of about 436 megapascals. When boron nitride nanosheets were added to the nutrient media, the hybrid material reached a tensile strength of up to 553 megapascals. The hybrid also dissipates heat three times faster than control samples.
Potential applications for the material include packaging, textiles, structural materials, thermal management, green electronics, and energy storage. The work represents interdisciplinary research at the intersection of materials science, biology, and nanoengineering.
Rice University has not announced a timeline for commercializing the material. The research was published in Nature Communications.
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