Duration: 36 months
The subject of the doctoral research is the production of micelle material which is part of mycelium composition and has so far proved to be a durable material for all-round use, such as the furniture, bricks, containers etc.. . The task is based on researching the material properties and potencial possibilities of its use, as well as finding an alternative to traditional synthetic materials and encouraging reflection on the use of non-durability and ecologically objectionable materials. Fungal mycelium properties can be manipulated by the choice of substrate, type of fungus and post-treatment. Thus, in bio composite materials several properties can be found, such as complete biodegradability, toughness, lightness, resistance to fire and water, etc. The possibility of changing its properties consequently allows us to use the material for different purposes. Fungal mycelium is mainly composed of natural polymers such as chitin, cellulose, protein, etc., so it is a natural polymer composite fibrous material. Based on mycelium`s unique structure and composition, we anticipate the development of various materials, which offers plenty of space for improvements and further development of materials.. Due to its potential, we want to realize the idea of making new mycelium composite engineering material with improved mechanical properties used for additive manufacturing. The production of this material would take place in several stages. The first steps would follow the already known procedures, while the next steps would follow the described method with the equipment that we have at our university.
