Abstract
Critical to the success of three-dimensional (3D) printing of living materials with high performance is the development of new ink materials and 3D geometries that favor long-term cell functionality. Here we report the use of freeze-dried live cells as the solid filler to enable a new living material system for direct ink writing of catalytically active microorganisms with tunable densities and various self-supporting porous 3D geometries. Baker's yeast was used as an exemplary live whole-cell biocatalyst, and the printed structures displayed high resolution, large scale, high catalytic activity and long-term viability. An unprecedented high cell loading was achieved, and cell inks showed unique thixotropic behavior. In the presence of glucose, printed bioscaffolds exhibited increased ethanol production compared to bulk counterparts due largely to improved mass transfer through engineered porous structures. The new living materials developed in this work could serve as a versatile platform for process intensification of an array of bioconversion processes utilizing diverse microbial biocatalysts for production of high-value products or bioremediation applications.
Original language | American English |
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Pages (from-to) | 5829-5835 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Nano Letters |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 11 Sep 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2019 American Chemical Society.
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/JA-5100-73418
Keywords
- additive manufacturing
- biocatalysts
- bioinks
- Bioprinting
- living materials