Discovering the Biomechanics of Filamentous Fungi and their Hyphae

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There has been a recent explosion of interest in fungi-based and fungi-inspired materials for a variety of applications, such as environmentally friendly packaging and structural materials, textiles and leather alternatives, and advanced filtration materials. This has, in large part, been driven by the combination of the impressive mechanical and structural properties that filamentous fungi possess and the potential for them to be produced. Despite this interest, there is a significant lack of understanding on the fundamental structures and mechanics that allow filamentous fungi to provide their mechanical properties. This award supports the fundamental research into the biomechanics of filamentous fungi and their cellular building blocks, hyphae, using combined experimental and theoretical approaches. This knowledge base will provide a foundation for future scientific research and commercial ventures into mycology, fungi-inspired materials, and environmentally friendly fungi-derived materials. In addition, this award will train two graduate students and numerous undergraduate student researchers who will gain valuable interdisciplinary research experience. This award will also directly fund educational and research opportunities for women in STEM to produce science and mycology-focused educational videos with the goal of inspiring the next generation of women scientists.The objective of this award is to conduct basic research on the biomechanics of filamentous fungi from the cellular- to macro-scales. Genetically similar filamentous fungi will be tested in both a harvested (i.e., sourced from their natural environment) and in-vitro cultured states. These hierarchical studies will focus on both macroscopic sporocarps (i.e., mushrooms) and microscopic hyphae (the cellular building blocks of filamentous fungi). At both length scales, microstructural analysis through light and electron microscopy, micro-computed tomography, and focused ion beam sectioning will be combined with chemical analysis via energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and thermogravimetric analysis to understand the filamentous fungal structure. Further mechanical loading tests will be conducted to understand the structure-property relationships of filamentous fungi. These experimental results will be theoretically analyzed to understand the constitutive biomechanical equations that govern the structure-mechanical property relationships in filamentous fungi. The multiscale biomechanics understanding of the filamentous fungi will bridge the current knowledge gap in the future design of fungi-based and fungi-inspired materials.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.