Cellulose constructs based on gas vesicles and bacterial cellulose
View Patent ↗A material with a scaffold comprising a series of at least partially spaced fibers and gas vesicles locates between fibers. The gas vesicles comprise external anchoring modules that are effective to anchor the gas vesicles to the fibers.
1 . An aerogel material comprising:
a bacterial cellulose-based scaffold comprising a series of at least partially spaced fibers; and
bacterially-derived gas vesicles located at least between fibers, wherein the gas vesicles comprise external cellulose binding modules (CBM) that anchor the gas vesicles to the fibers, and wherein the cellulose binding modules comprise CBM48 from at least one of Komagataeibacter sucrofermentans and Micromonas pusilla.
2 . The material of claim 1 , wherein the gas vesicles further comprise a polypeptide linker that promotes inter-molecular reaction between the gas vesicles and the fibers.
3 . The material of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the scaffold and the gas vesicles further comprise external hydrophobicity modules that comprise a hydrophobic protein.
4 . The material of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the scaffold and the gas vesicles further comprise external fire resistance modules that comprise bacterially-produced melanin.
5 . The material of claim 1 , wherein the gas vesicles are produced from genetically engineered cells that comprise a gene cluster that encodes production of gas vesicles.
6 . The material of claim 1 , wherein the bacterial cellulose is produced by at least one of genetically modified bacteria and wild bacteria.
7 . The material of claim 6 , wherein the bacteria are grown in a liquid medium comprising water, sugar, tea, and vinegar.
8 . The material of claim 7 , wherein the bacteria grow on a surface of the liquid medium and oxygen levels below the surface are reduced from ambient.
9 . The material of claim 7 , wherein the pH of the medium is adjusted to a pH of between about 4.5 and about 5.5.
10 . The material of claim 7 , wherein the vinegar comprises apple cider vinegar.
11 . The material of claim 1 , made by spraying gas vesicles on the cellulose mat as it grows.
12 . The material of claim 1 , wherein gas vesicles are embedded in other polymers or fibrous matrix.
13 . The material of claim 1 , wherein the scaffold is in the form of sheets or pellets that are processed by ethanol exchange and then drying at room temperature, critical point drying, or by lyophilizing.
14 . The material of claim 1 , wherein the gas vesicles are from organisms that are different than the bacteria that make the cellulose.
15 . The material of claim 1 , made by soaking the cellulose in a bath that includes gas vesicles.