MycelioTronics: Fungal mycelium skin for sustainable electronics

Electronic devices are irrevocably integrated into our lives. Yet, their limited lifetime and often improvident disposal demands sustainable concepts to realize a green electronic future. Research must shift its focus on substituting nondegradable and difficult- to-recycle materials to allow either biodegradation or facile recycling of electronic devices. Here, we demonstrate a concept for growth and processing of fungal mycelium skins as biodegradable substrate material for sustainable electronics. The skins allow common electronic processing techniques including physical vapor deposition and laser patterning for electronic traces with conductivities as high as 9.75 +/- 1.44 x 10(4) S cm(-1). The conformal and flexible electronic mycelium skins withstand more than 2000 bending cycles and can be folded several times with only moderate resistance increase. We demonstrate mycelium batteries with capacities as high as similar to 3.8 mAh cm(-2) used to power autonomous sensing devices including a Bluetooth module and humidity and proximity sensor.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates a concept for sustainable electronics using fungal mycelium skins as biodegradable substrate material. The skins can be processed using common electronic techniques and have good conductivity and flexibility. Additionally, the researchers show the use of mycelium batteries to power autonomous sensing devices.