Cao Yangxiaolu, Feng Yaying, Ryser Marc D, Zhu Kui, Herschlag Gregory, Cao Changyong, Marusak Katherine, Zauscher Stefan, You Lingchong
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Nat Biotechnol. 2017 Nov;35(11):1087-1093. doi: 10.1038/nbt.3978. Epub 2017 Oct 9.
Biological systems can generate microstructured materials that combine organic and inorganic components and possess diverse physical and chemical properties. However, these natural processes in materials fabrication are not readily programmable. Here, we use a synthetic-biology approach to assemble patterned materials. We demonstrate programmable fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) materials by printing engineered self-patterning bacteria on permeable membranes that serve as a structural scaffold. Application of gold nanoparticles to the colonies creates hybrid organic-inorganic dome structures. The dynamics of the dome structures' response to pressure is determined by their geometry (colony size, dome height, and pattern), which is easily modified by varying the properties of the membrane (e.g., pore size and hydrophobicity). We generate resettable pressure sensors that process signals in response to varying pressure intensity and duration.
生物系统能够生成结合了有机和无机成分且具备多样物理和化学性质的微结构材料。然而，材料制造中的这些自然过程不易于进行编程控制。在此，我们采用合成生物学方法来组装图案化材料。我们通过在充当结构支架的可渗透膜上打印工程化的自图案化细菌，展示了三维（3D）材料的可编程制造。将金纳米颗粒应用于菌落可形成有机 - 无机混合穹顶结构。穹顶结构对压力响应的动力学由其几何形状（菌落大小、穹顶高度和图案）决定，而通过改变膜的性质（例如孔径和疏水性）可以轻松改变该几何形状。我们制造出了可重置的压力传感器，其能根据压力强度和持续时间的变化来处理信号。
