CAREER: Multiscale Mechanics of Mycelium for Lightweight, Strong, and Sustainable Composites

职业：用于轻质、坚固和可持续复合材料的菌丝体多尺度力学

• 批准号: 2145392
• 负责人: Zhao Qin
• 金额: $ 59.52万
• 依托单位: Syracuse University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-07-01 至 2027-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2145392&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Multiscale; Mechanics; Mycelium; Lightweight

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant will focus on revealing the fundamental principles that govern the multiscale mechanics of mycelium-based composites and integrate research into an educational program. Mycelium is massively produced during mushroom growth as the main body of fungi. It plays an essential role in altering soil chemistry and mechanics, enabling a suitable living environment for different plant species. Their growth naturally forms entanglement and bonds to integrate organic wastes, including hardwood residue, mill dust, and stalk, to produce strong and lightweight composites without adding synthetic glues or energy input. The multiscale structure of mycelium composites includes the chemistry of mycelium fiber, the mycelium-debris interface, and the complex mycelium network entangled with debris. These features synergistically determine the composite strength, elasticity, and toughness. This research project will develop computational modeling, culturing, and characterizations capabilities to understand the evolving mycelium structure in growth and the structure-mechanics relationship to yield better composites. This research will be complemented by establishing an inclusive, engaging, and inspiring educational program to the broad community, including curriculum development, giving a special exhibition on biomaterials, coordinating learn-by-play activities and seminars on computational simulations for bridge competition in a local museum, and involving K-12 in research through an institutional STEM education center. The specific goal of this project is to develop a fundamental multiscale model of mycelium-based composites, validate the model through in-lab culturing and mechanical/structural characterizations, and reveal the mechanism of making mycelium composite lightweight and strong. The research objectives of this project include (i) development of a multiscale modeling and simulations platform for the structure-mechanics relationship of mycelium-wood composite; (ii) development of Monte Carlo and generative adversarial network models to replicate and predict the growth of mycelium network; (iii) capability to use machine learning model for fast prediction of the composite mechanical properties and their scaling law with material density. In addition, the following fundamental questions will be addressed: (1) what are the roles of environmental factors and nutrition distribution in the structure and mechanics of a mycelium network; (2) what are the roles of processing parameters in the mechanics of mycelium composites. The overall focus will be on understanding the physics of mycelium composite and the potential of producing multifunctional composites from wastes. This project will allow the PI to advance the knowledge base in material science, multiscale modeling, and mechanics, and establish his long-term career in biomechanics and biomaterials.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该学院早期职业发展(Career)基金将重点揭示管理菌丝体基复合材料的多尺度机制的基本原理，并将研究整合到教育计划中。菌丝作为真菌的主体，在蘑菇生长过程中大量产生。它在改变土壤化学和力学方面起着至关重要的作用，使不同的植物物种能够有一个合适的生存环境。它们的生长自然形成纠缠和结合，以整合有机废物，包括硬木残渣、工厂粉尘和秸秆，从而在不增加合成胶或能量投入的情况下生产出坚固而轻质的复合材料。菌丝复合体的多尺度结构包括菌丝纤维的化学结构、菌丝-碎屑界面以及与碎屑缠绕的复杂的菌丝网络。这些特性协同决定了复合材料的强度、弹性和韧性。这项研究项目将发展计算建模、培养和表征能力，以了解生长过程中不断演变的菌丝体结构和结构-力学关系，以产生更好的复合材料。这项研究将通过为广大社区建立一个包容性、参与性和鼓舞人心的教育计划来补充，包括课程开发、举办生物材料专题展览、协调随玩学习活动和在当地博物馆举行的桥牌比赛计算模拟研讨会，以及通过机构STEM教育中心让K-12参与研究。本项目的具体目标是开发一个菌丝基复合材料的基本多尺度模型，通过实验室培养和力学/结构表征来验证该模型，并揭示使菌丝体复合材料变得轻巧和坚固的机理。本项目的研究目标包括：(I)开发菌丝体-木材复合材料结构-力学关系的多尺度建模和仿真平台；(Ii)开发复制和预测菌丝体网络生长的蒙特卡罗和产生式对抗性网络模型；(Iii)使用机器学习模型快速预测复合材料的力学性能及其随材料密度的标度规律。此外，还将讨论以下基本问题：(1)环境因素和营养分布在菌丝网络结构和力学中的作用；(2)工艺参数在菌丝复合体的力学中的作用。总体重点将放在理解菌丝复合体的物理学和从废物中生产多功能复合体的潜力上。该项目将允许PI推进材料科学、多尺度建模和力学方面的知识基础，并建立他在生物力学和生物材料方面的长期职业生涯。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Mycelium-based wood composites for light weight and high strength by experiment and machine learning

• DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101424
• 发表时间: 2023-05
• 期刊: Cell Reports Physical Science
• 影响因子: 8.9
• 作者: Libin Yang;Zhao Qin

Effects of terminal tripeptide units on mechanical properties of collagen triple helices

• DOI: 10.1016/j.eml.2023.102075
• 发表时间: 2023-11-01
• 期刊: EXTREME MECHANICS LETTERS
• 影响因子: 4.7
• 作者: Masrouri，Milad;Qin，Zhao
• 通讯作者: Qin，Zhao

Structure–mechanics relationship of hybrid polyvinyl alcohol-collagen composite by molecular dynamics simulations

• DOI: 10.1557/s43577-022-00416-0
• 发表时间: 2022-11
• 期刊: MRS Bulletin
• 影响因子: 5
• 作者: Ju-ying Zhou;Zhao Qin

Design and build a green tent environment for growing and charactering mycelium growth in lab

设计和建造一个绿色帐篷环境，用于实验室中菌丝体的生长和表征

• DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00336a
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Lab on a Chip
• 影响因子: 6.1
• 作者: Yang, Libin;Xu, Ruohan;Joardar, Anushka;Amponsah, Michael;Sharifi, Nina;Dong, Bing;Qin, Zhao
• 通讯作者: Qin, Zhao