Guided Growth of Bacterial Cellulose Biofilms.

Biofilm, a colony of microorganisms embedded in a polymeric substance, is a bio-hybrid material system that naturally integrates the sensing-actuating capabilities of living cells with the mechanical properties of an organic material. To realize the potential of designing novel biologically active materials from natural biofilms, we propose here a Guided Growth design process, as an example, using the cellulose-producing bacterium Gluconacetobacter xylinus. The Guided Growth process employs three design strategies: information (programming living cells), growth (growing biomaterials that inhabit cells), and flow (regulating growth environment). This combination of programming bacteria and regulating the biofilm growth promotes the development of future living materials and devices, for applications such as responsive robotic skins, solar cells, or even photosynthetic building envelopes.