Engineers at the Univ. of Southern California (USC) are using live bacteria to create strong, resilient materials that could be used to build sturdier cars, airplanes, and even armor.
The bacteria used in the materials is Sporosarcina pasteurii, a species known to secrete the enzyme urease. When urease is exposed to urea and calcium ions, it produces calcium carbonate, which is an essential mineral compound found in bones and teeth.
To create structures using S. pasteurii, the team 3D-printed a polymer structure interspersed with porous lattices, creating a helicoidal scaffolding. Then, they introduced the bacteria to the inner surface of the porous lattices; by nature, bacteria attach themselves to planar surfaces where they can rapidly grow. Within the scaffolding, the S. pasteurii secreted urease in the presence of urea and calcium ions applied in solution to the structure, which triggered the formation of calcium carbonate crystals.
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