Journal
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
Volume 17, Issue 6, Pages 732-738Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/s41589-021-00773-y
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Funding
- National Institutes of Health [1R01DK110770]
- National Science Foundation [DMR 2004875]
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University
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Petrochemical-based plastics are causing irreversible damage to the ecosystem, highlighting the urgent need for more biodegradable alternatives. Aquaplastic, a new microbial biofilm-based biodegradable bioplastic, offers unique characteristics such as water processability and strong resistance to various solvents, making it a promising material for packaging and coating applications.
Petrochemical-based plastics have not only contaminated all parts of the globe, but are also causing potentially irreversible damage to our ecosystem because of their non-biodegradability. As bioplastics are limited in number, there is an urgent need to design and develop more biodegradable alternatives to mitigate the plastic menace. In this regard, we report aquaplastic, a new class of microbial biofilm-based biodegradable bioplastic that is water-processable, robust, templatable and coatable. Here, Escherichia coli was genetically engineered to produce protein-based hydrogels, which are cast and dried under ambient conditions to produce aquaplastic, which can withstand strong acid/base and organic solvents. In addition, aquaplastic can be healed and welded to form three-dimensional architectures using water. The combination of straightforward microbial fabrication, water processability and biodegradability makes aquaplastic a unique material worthy of further exploration for packaging and coating applications.
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