Biological and Biomimetic Materials and Mechanics (BioMnM) Lab
Mechanics of Fungal Materials
Mechanics of Fungal Materials
Mushroom-forming fungi grow as an intricate and dynamic fiber network of thread-like cells (hyphae). This filamentous growth can be engineered to develop innovative biopolymeric materials with attractive material properties. To fully realize the potential of fungi-based sustainable materials, their mechanical properties must be improved. In addition, fundamental materials science principles to control their microstructure are also essential. In this project, we are exploring novel fungal composite manufacturing strategies to develop advanced fungal materials with enhanced stiffness and strength. We are also investigating mechanistic strategies to control fungal growth and emergent materials properties.
Design of Lattice Metamaterials
Design of Lattice Metamaterials
In this project, we are exploring the mechanistic link between lattice geometry and emergent mechanics using mechanical testing and computational modeling.
Composite Biomaterials of Hydrogels and Nanofibers
Composite Biomaterials of Hydrogels and Nanofibers
Load-bearing tissues exhibit remarkable mechanical properties including nonlinear elasticity, large fracture toughness, and excellent load-relaxation ability. They are also highly porous materials with large water content to accommodate cells and support cellular processes. Mimicking such combination of mechanical and structural properties in hydrogels is important for their applications as biomaterials but remains challenging. In this project, we are developing composite biomaterials by combining hydrogels with nanofibrous membranes so as to achive tissue-like mechanics and structure for multifunctional biomedical applications.
