Scientists are working on a sustainable, adaptable and self-contained material: what the new “living” ink is made of
There are combinations we never expected. Like cars powered by corn, straws made from bamboo or vanillin derived from plastic. But they exist, they work and they are environmentally friendly.
One of these combinations, however, is even more peculiar: in fact, scientists have invented a living ink, because it is made of Escherichia Coli bacteria.
The researchers’ study
The microbes of Escherichia Coli were used to create this ink, and it’s proving to be a great success: when printed, and thus placed under pressure, it flows like toothpaste and can be 3D printed in tiny shapes – circle, square and cone – that have a shiny color like that of jelly.
Inks with “living” elements at their base already exist: a few years ago, one was created made of an algae extract, polymers like hyaluronic acid and smoked silica. But this is the first ink made only of genetically modified living elements.
Researchers induce bacterial cultures to produce the ink themselves, which when collected from the liquid in which it was born becomes a gelatinous consistency, perfect for 3D printers.
The scientific journal Nature Communications has produced a first publication, but research on this new material is still in its infancy. Scholars are thinking big, though, and they’re not limiting themselves to an ink used for books: it could be an all-important renewable material for future constructions, on Earth and in space, because being alive it grows and is able to “heal” itself.
Ink applications
Biological inks of this type have grand ambitions: they expand the focus of genetically modified living materials. Unlike structures made of concrete or plastic, those made of living elements are self-contained, adapt to the environment and are capable of regenerating – at least, that’s the goal.
Microbes alone cannot create clear, stable shapes, so they rely on polymer “scaffolds.” But polymers can alter the ink’s properties in undesirable ways, they must be biocompatible to not kill microbes, and most importantly they must be renewable: they often aren’t because, like polyethylene, they’re derived from petroleum.
That’s why scientists are trying to forgo polymers and produce substances made only of microbes, and therefore more gelatinous. Substances that can absorb a lot of water, but not stand on their own. The solution was fibrin: a natural polymer that humans and animals use for clotting. The researchers genetically engineered Escherichia Coli bacteria to produce fibrin, which made the ink more stable.
Sure, there’s still a long way to go: the ink doesn’t resist drying, and it’s not currently stable enough to be the basis for building buildings. But researchers are very confident about the possibilities of this living ink. And it wouldn’t be the first time a bacterium has helped the environment, either.