Living mycelium dress repairs its own holes and renews its surface
Researchers at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology have developed a textile made from living mycelium that can self-clean, renew its surface and partially mend damage. The process is triggered by applying a nutrient solution and adding fresh fungus to the material. The work is described in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances.
The material belongs to the class of engineered living materials, in which living organisms remain active even after being formed into a final product. Instead of using an actively growing fungus, the authors worked with dormant but viable cordyceps militaris. This allows them to harness its biological functions without uncontrolled expansion.
A key feature is the programmable state. After drying at 45 degrees, the mycelium enters a low-metabolic, dormant-like phase: it does not grow, but it is not dead either. When a nutrient solution made from potato water is applied, the fungus awakens, produces new hyphae and renews the top layer of the fabric. If the solution is applied over a hole along with a small patch of fresh fungus, living cells grow across the gap and seamlessly close it without adhesives or stitching.
Additional properties, such as blue pigmentation or UV resistance, are achieved by co-culturing the material with yeast or other fungi. The authors describe the system as modular: a base sheet of mycelium serves as the foundation, while new biological functions are added as plug-and-play options. This brings the material closer to the promises of ELM technology — self-repair, environmental responsiveness and controllable functionality.
The material is also naturally hydrophobic, so dirt does not stick to its surface. A prototype dress created with material innovation company Peelshere demonstrates potential applications in clothing and architecture. The distinctive texture, biological colouring, controlled repair and biodegradability make this textile promising for fields where the visual appearance of a product matters.
