research overview
- The next generation of polymeric materials will need features typically associated with biological systems, such as programmable, self-healing, and self-regenerating properties. My group, the Huli Materials Lab, leverages bacteria and filamentous fungi to fabricate engineered living materials. Additionally, we develop structural-property relationships around the mechanics of difficult to characterize materials including (1) ultrathin polymer films (<100 nm thick), (2) biofilms, and (3) biohybrid materials. The Huli Materials Lab develops characterization and processing methods to quantify and program the properties of living and synthetic polymeric materials to enable functionalities desired for applications in biotechnology, sensing, and protection. Research areas in the Huli Materials Lab include: (1) mechanics of ultrathin polymer films (<100 nm thick), (2) mechanics of living systems, and (3) spatially programming the mechanical properties of living polymeric composites.
