3D printing to create a new ecological material based on seaweed
For the first time, researchers from the University of Rochester and the Delft Technology University in the Netherlands have used 3D printers and a new bio-impression technique to print algae in living, resistant photosynthetic materialsand resistant.The material has a variety of applications in the energy, medical and fashion sectors.Research is published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
To create photosynthetic materials, researchers started with non -alive bacterial cellulose - an organic compound produced and excreted by bacteria.Bacterial cellulose is like paper in a printer, while living microalgae act like ink.Meyer and his colleagues used a 3D printer to deposit living algae on bacterial cellulose.
The combination of living (microalgae) and non -live (bacterial cellulose) components led to a unique material that has the photosynthetic quality of algae and the robustness of bacterial cellulose;The material is resistant and resilient while being ecological, biodegradable and simple and evolving to produce.He can use photosynthesis to "feed" over periods of several weeks, and it can also be regenerated.
The characteristics of the material make it an ideal candidate for a variety of applications, including new products such as artificial sheets, photosynthetic skins or photosynthetic biological clothes.Organic clothing made from algae would respond to some of the negative effects on the environment of the current textile industry because products in a lasting and fully biodegradable way, could purify air by eliminating carbon dioxide by photosynthesis and n 'would not need to be washed as often as conventional clothes, which would reduce water consumption.
Source: https: // www.rock.Edu/- 04/29/21
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