The complex structure of Fomes fomentarius represents an architectural design for high-performance ultralightweight materials

Abstract

High strength, hardness, and fracture toughness are mechanical properties that are not commonly associated with the fleshy body of a fungus. Here, we show with detailed structural, chemical, and mechanical characterization that Fomes fomentarius is an exception, and its architectural design is a source of inspiration for an emerging class of ultralightweight high-performance materials. Our findings reveal that F . fomentarius is a functionally graded material with three distinct layers that undergo multiscale hierarchical self-assembly. Mycelium is the primary component in all layers. However, in each layer, mycelium exhibits a very distinct microstructure with unique preferential orientation, aspect ratio, density, and branch length. We also show that an extracellular matrix acts as a reinforcing adhesive that differs in each layer in terms of quantity, polymeric content, and interconnectivity. These findings demonstrate how the synergistic interplay of the aforementioned features results in distinct mechanical properties for each layer.

Charting the solid‐state NMR signals of polysaccharides: A database‐driven roadmap

“…Compared to their plant counterparts, fungal polysaccharides exhibit much higher structural diversity, and extensive solid‐state NMR studies are necessary to document the carbohydrate signals across a wide range of fungal species to facilitate antifungal development and the biotechnology applications of these microorganisms. These endeavors may encompass the utilization of multidimensional correlation experiments involving 13 C, 15 N, and 1 H nuclear spins to elucidate the carbohydrate signals in significant human pathogenic species, such as Aspergillus , Candida , and Cryptococcus species, as well as non‐pathogenic species that could potentially be used for nutritional resources and biomaterials 28 …”

“…Recent high-resolution ssNMR studies have led to numerous conceptual breakthroughs, including but not limited to the identification of cellulose-pectin spatial contacts in the primary plant cell walls (mostly the seedlings), [13][14][15][16] the conformation-dependent function of xylan in associating with lignin and cellulose in the secondary cell walls of grasses and woody stems, [17][18][19][20][21][22] the multi-layered assembly of chitin and glucans in fungal cell walls that provide remarkable structural dynamics to support microbial survival, [23][24][25][26][27][28] as well as the quantification of dynamically heterogeneous carbohydrate components in algal cells and bacterial cell wall and biofilms. [29][30][31][32][33] There is also a growing interest in utilizing ssNMR techniques for the characterization of carbohydrate-based materials, including hydrogels.…”

Preparation of Mycelium Pulp from Mushroom Fruiting Bodies

“…Next, we measured the ATR-FTIR spectra to determine how the decolorization and defibrillation treatments affected the chemical composition of the mycelial fibers (Figure ). The FTIR spectrum showed peaks attributable to polysaccharides (1185–900 cm –1 ; C–O–C, C–O–P), proteins (1485–1185 cm –1 ; CH 2 , CH 3 , 1800–1485 cm –1 ; Amide I + II), lipids (1485–1185 cm –1 ; CH 2 , CH 3 , 2996–2800 cm –1 ; C–H), and phosphate compounds (1485–1185 cm –1 ; PO), which are components of mycelia. , To compare the waveforms more clearly, we compared close-up ATR-FTIR spectra and second derivative spectra of each region (Figure S5). However, no significant changes in the peak shapes were observed before and after decolorization and defibrillation treatments for both F. velutipes and G. lucidum , and chemical composition could not be investigated by FT-IR spectra.…”

“…Therefore, we expect that the components binding the mycelia were removed by decolorization, and the shearing force of the stirring accelerated the disassembly of the fruiting bodies. In G. lucidum, a characteristic structure called hymenophore tubes 21 was observed before decolorization. After decolorization, the structure did not change significantly.…”

Mycelium Composite with Hierarchical Porous Structure for Thermal Management

“…The multi‐scale hierarchical self‐assembled architectural design of fungi is a source of inspiration for emerging ultra‐lightweight high‐performance products. [ 12 ] Simple cellular compositions are formed by using lightweight bio‐inspired designs to develop various materials with distinct physiochemical properties that outperform most natural and man‐made materials that are generally susceptible to property trade‐offs (i.e., increasing density to improve strength/hardness/stiffness). Here, we designed a mycelium composite with a hierarchical porous structure through a microbial metabolism biosynthesis system, which combined excellent mechanical and thermal insulation properties ( Figure A).…”