Sugar-Fueled Dissipative Living Materials

Dissipative behaviors in biology are fuel-driven processes controlled by living cells, and they shape the structural and functional complexities in biological materials. This concept has inspired the development of various forms of synthetic dissipative materials controlled by time-dependent consumption of chemical or physical fuels, such as reactive chemical species, light, and electricity. To date, synthetic living materials featuring dissipative behaviors directly controlled by the fuel consumption of their constituent cells is unprecedented. In this paper, we report a chemical fuel-driven dissipative behavior of living materials comprising Staphylococcus epidermidis and telechelic block copolymers. The macroscopic phase transition is controlled by D-glucose which serves a dual role of a competitive disassembling agent and a biological fuel source for living cells. Our work is a significant step toward constructing a synthetic dissipative living system and provides a new tool and knowledge to design emergent living materials.

Automated summary

Dissipative behaviors in biology, controlled by living cells, shape the complexities in biological materials. Synthetic dissipative materials controlled by fuel consumption have been developed, but living materials directly controlled by cell fuel consumption are unprecedented. In this paper, a chemical fuel-driven dissipative behavior of living materials is reported, using Staphylococcus epidermidis and telechelic block copolymers. The macroscopic phase transition is controlled by D-glucose, serving as both a disassembling agent and a biological fuel source. This work is a significant step towards designing emergent living materials.