Among the most inspiring communities in nature are biofilms. They are a rich source of different biopolymers. In particular, water-insoluble bacterial cellulose (BC) has become the subject of materials science studies due to its mechanical properties.
We present a new biomediated approach to the preparation of structured and porous materials. By adjusting the manufacturing parameters it allows to tailor the material texture from the nanometre to the millimetre scale. We have fabricated 2D and 3D anisotropic materials by a combination of structured growth surfaces and continuous media flow.
These materials are currently being tested for their use in the in-vitro immobilisation of co-cultures by means of symbiotic growth for the production of exopolysaccharides, the degradation of pollutants in aqueous systems and the development of biosensors as living materials.