Research

1. Living materials and biomineralized composites
Living organisms are using elements in their environment to fabricate materials with impressive mechanical/optical/electrical properties, together with sensing and responsive functions. For example, mollusc nacre shows excellent mechanical toughness due to its layered brick-and-mortar structure. Inspired by this, we use microorganisms to fabricate biomimetic composite materials combining high stiffness and toughness, following a sustainable approach. We also make light responsive engineered living materials composed of microalgae.

^{Collaborations: Elvin Karana (TU Delft), Markus Linder (AALTO, Finland), Tom Ellis (Imperial College London, UK), Kunal Masania (TU Delft), Anne Meyer (Univ. Rochester, USA), Amir Zadpoor (TU Delft), An-Wu Xu (USTC, China), Filipe Natalio (Weizmann Institute).}