The scientists combined 3D printing with a novel bioprinting technique to print algae into living, photosynthetic materials which are also tough and resilient.
“Three-dimensional printing is a powerful technology for fabrication of living functional materials that have a huge potential in a wide range of environmental and human-based applications,” said Dr Srikkanth Balasubramanian, a researcher at Delft and first author of the study. “We provide the first example of an engineered photosynthetic material that is physically robust enough to be deployed in real-life applications.”
Srikkanth Balasubramanian and his colleagues started with a non-living bacterial cellulose: an organic compound produced and excreted by bacteria. Its combination of mechanical properties renders it flexible, tough, strong and able to retain its shape under physical distortions.
The bacterial cellulose is analogous to the paper in a printer, while living algae are analogous to...