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Engineered biomaterials (ELMs) represent a major advance in materials science and engineering, and are expected to surpass current “smart,” active, or multifunctional materials by enhancing autonomy, enabling intelligent responses, and achieving self-healing and self-replication. Although most ELMs are based on soft polymers and hydrogels, harder ELMs can also be achieved through biomineralization, which refers to the production of bioceramics by organisms through their metabolic activities. Among the various bioceramics produced by biomineralization, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is the most popular one.
The main point of this paper
Application of Microbial Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP):
MICP is a technology that achieves calcium carbonate precipitation through microbial metabolic activities. It has the characteristics of fast reaction speed, low environmental conditions and wide application range.
MICP can be achieved through metabolic processes such as urea decomposition, amino acid ammoniation, and denitrification, which helps to fix carbon dioxide and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
MICP is widely used in many fields such as geology, civil engineering, water conservancy, and environment, especially in environmental improvement and biomedicine.
Application of MICP in biomineralization:
Sporosarcina pasteurii pasteurii) is an efficient biomineralization inducing bacterium that can induce the precipitation of calcium carbonate by decomposing urea
During the MICP process, urea is hydrolyzed into carbonate and ammonium, and then CaCO3 precipitation is formed when Ca2+ ions are supersaturated
MICP technology can effectively reduce the concentration of heavy metal ions in the environment, and the fixation rate of elements such as copper, cadmium, and zinc exceeds 90%
Application of electrospinning technology in the development of living ceramic fibers:
Electrospinning is a technology for preparing micro/nano diameter fibers under the action of a strong electric field. In recent years, it has been used to encapsulate cells in one-dimensional polymer fibers
Using electrospinning technology, urea-degrading bacteria such as S. pasteurii) encapsulated in alginate fibers, and further obtained calcium carbonate fibers through biomineralization
Electrospinning technology combined with MICP provides a new method for developing living ceramic fibers with special structural properties
Research progress of living ceramic fibers:
The development of living ceramic fibers involves the application of microbial mineralization patterns in the production of structural living ceramics, which has not been fully explored
Geometrically patterned living ceramics can show special structural properties, and electrospinning technology may be a powerful method for developing such materials
Expected properties of living ceramic fibers:
Living ceramic materials have been proposed as high-performance engineering active materials due to their expected properties, including improved mechanical stability and performance, which may affect a wide range of applications in various fields. In particular, considering their fibrous nature, living ceramic fibers are expected to show superior mechanical and structural properties
Combining electrospinning technology with biomineralization:
This work combines electrospinning and biomineralization for the first time, laying the foundation for the development of ceramic fibers. The urea-lytic bacteria S. pasteurii were encapsulated in alginate fibers by electrospinning and further biomineralized to obtain calcium carbonate fibers
In vivo experiments and biomineralization effects:
In vivo experiments showed that the encapsulated bacteria survived the electrospinning process. Successful biomineralization of fibers resulted in the precipitation of nearly spherical calcium carbonate nanoparticles at the fiber site. The cell density within the fiber had a significant effect on the packing of calcium carbonate nanoparticles
Development potential of living ceramic fibers:
Although further extensive research is needed to fully realize the potential of active ceramic fibers, the findings of this study represent an important step in their development. This work lays the foundation for the development of a family of living ceramic fibers
Application of microbial induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP):
MICP is a technology that achieves calcium carbonate precipitation through microbial metabolic activity, which has the characteristics of fast reaction speed, low environmental conditions and wide application range. During the MICP process, urea is hydrolyzed into carbonate and ammonium, and then CaCO3 precipitation is formed when Ca2+ ions are supersaturated
Effects of environmental factors on MICP:
Environmental factors such as calcium source, ambient temperature, pH conditions and ion concentration have an impact on the minerals produced by MICP. For example, the calcium source affects the morphology, crystal size and morphology of carbonate precipitation and the rate of mineral deposition; the optimum temperature is usually between 20℃ and 40℃; pH affects the concentration of HCO3−, CO32− and NH4+, which directly determines the size of mineral crystals; other ions in the environment, such as Mg, Ni and Sr, will affect the formation of minerals
In conclusion, this work presents a groundbreaking demonstration of combined electrospinning and biomineralization, thus laying the foundation for the development of living ceramic fibers. The urolytic bacteria Pasteurella multocida was encapsulated in electrospun alginate fibers and subjected to biomineralization. The bacteria survived the high electric fields and shear stresses during the electrospinning process, as evidenced by the high viability of the encapsulated bacteria in live-dead experiments. The encapsulated Pasteurella multocida led to the formation of CaCO3 particles with a nearly spherical morphology. However, the distribution of these particles appeared discontinuous and loosely packed, probably due to low cell loading. Nonetheless, this result has important implications for the future and extensive characterization of the active aspects of ceramic fibers and the development of new technologies.
