This paper describes an early-stage research and experiments exploring methods of co-cultivation of the fungal strain Ganoderma lucidum and the bacterial strain Sporosarcina pasteurii within the field of architecture. Co-cultivating these species within a bio-based compound, forming a living material, shows that the binding abilities of both microbial partners can be harnessed through multistep production techniques. As the mycelial network of the fungus spreads through the inoculated wood substrate, bacterial cells disperse and multiply on this same network and release the enzyme urease throughout the now-forming compound bound by the fungus. The enzyme is one of the key actors in the biocementation process, which is activated with the addition of a calcium source to the material. Calcium carbonate minerals form and attach on the hyphae, as well as in between the network, inside the wood sawdust pieces and around void spaces within the composite. While additional data collection is required, the current state of this research suggests that properties of both living materials can be expanded, for example, fire resistance and compressive strength compared to traditional mycelium-based composites, as well as the increased ability of the bacteria to homogeneously distribute and exist in unfavorable environments compared to mono-cultured bacterial communities.

Ba2Bi0.572TeO6±δ and SrLa2NiFeNbO9 ceramics were prepared in polycrystalline form by conventional solid-state reaction techniques in air. The crystal structures of the title compounds were determined at room temperature from X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) data using the Rietveld method. The Ba2Bi0.572TeO6±δ structure crystallizes in a triclinic space group I–1 with unit-cell parameters a = 6.0272(2) Å, b = 6.0367(1) Å, c = 8.5273(3) Å, α = 90.007(7)°, β = 90.061(2)°, and γ = 90.015(4)°. The tilt system of the BiO6 and TeO6 octahedra corresponds to the notation a–b–c–. The crystal structure of the SrLa2NiFeNbO9 compound adopts an orthorhombic Pbnm space group with lattice parameters a = 5.6038(5) Å, b = 5.5988(4) Å, and c = 7.9124(6) Å. The BO6 octahedra (B = Ni/Fe/Nb) sharing the corners in 3D. Along the c-axis, the octahedra are connected by O(1) atoms of (x,y,1/4) positions; while in the ab-plane, they are linked by O(2) atoms of (x,y,z) positions. The bond angle of B–O1–B is 168.7° and that of B–O2–B is 156.3°. The octahedral lattice corresponds to the tilt pattern a–a–c+; it indicates that the octahedra tilt out-of-phase along the a,b-axes and in phase along the c-axis.

The crystal structure of gepirone has been solved and refined using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data and optimized using density functional theory techniques. Gepirone crystallizes in space group P21/a (#14) with a = 16.81794(14), b = 11.71959(5), c = 10.10195(4) Å, β = 95.7012(5)°, V = 1981.239(14) Å3, and Z = 4 at 298 K. The crystal structure consists of discrete gepirone molecules. There are no classical hydrogen bonds in the crystal structure, but several intra- and intermolecular C–H⋯N and C–H⋯O hydrogen bonds contribute to the lattice energy. The powder pattern has been submitted to ICDD® for inclusion in the Powder Diffraction File™ (PDF®).

To realize the potential of materials comprising living organisms, bioengineers require a holistic understanding of the reciprocal relationship between environmental conditions and the biochemical and biophysical processes that influence development and behaviour. Mathematical modelling has a critical part to play in managing the complexity of biological dynamical systems and attaining higher degrees of control over their trajectories and endpoints. To support the development of mycelium-based engineered living materials, this paper reviews the literature of growth models for filamentous fungi with emphasis on the connection between morphogenesis and metabolism.

Six different types of Majiang bronze drums from Hechi City, Guangxi, China were collected from the Guangxi Museum to characterize the original scheme of polychromy and materials used for the drums. The composition of all the samples were determined by using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. All the bronze drums contain mainly Cu, Sn, Pb, and As. Qualitative analysis of the structure by X-ray powder diffraction indicates that each of the six bronze drums contains four or five phases, namely (Cu, As), Pb, Cu3Sn, and Cu10Sn3 or Cu, Pb, As0.2Cu1.8, Cu3Sn, and Cu10Sn3. The Rietveld structural refinement is performed first time for the quantitative analysis of ancient bronze drums and inorganic cultural relics. This paper reports the result.

Manufacturing of mycelium-based composites is an emerging biorefinery technology toward the development of environmentally positive materials within the circular economy: it benefits from waste and industrial by-products upcycling while excelling in biodegradability. This study investigates the compressive behavior of materials repurposed from local agricultural wastes (tree nuts and crop wastes in California’s Central Valley), using the fungal mycelium of Pleurotus ostreatus and Ganoderma lucidum, well-known edible and medicinal species. We also explore the hybridization of these mycelium-based composites with local textile waste fibers as reinforcements. Following guidelines from several ASTM standards, the compressive behavior of these composites is analyzed to determine the impact of biomass processing, composition, fungal species used, and post-processing strategy. We propose a post-processing strategy based on a short exposure to sodium chloride solutions in ambient conditions, to de-activate mycelium and prevent its fruiting, replacing the established energy-intensive heat-based post-processing. This work aims at contributing to the decarbonization of the built environment and the construction industry in particular, through materials designed with upcycled waste (agricultural and textile), fungal mycelium and low-carbon footprint processes.

Bio-Futures for Transplanetary Habitats (BFfTH) is a Special Interest Group within the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment that aims to explore and enable interdisciplinary research on transplanetary habitats and habitats within extreme environments through an emphasis on the biosocial and biotechnological relations. BFfTH organized the online and onsite networking symposium BFfTH to examine how emerging biotechnologies, living materials, and more-than-human life can be implemented in habitat design and mission planning. The two-day symposium aimed to serve as a catalyst in establishing an international network and to support the development of novel methodologies to move beyond discipline-specific approaches. The symposium consisted of five sessions, including Mycelium for Mars and Novel Biotechnologies for Space Habitats. This opinion paper presents key outcomes and trends from these sessions, a moderated panel, and informal discussions. The identified research trends explored the use of biotechnology and biodesign to enhance safety, sustainability, habitability, reliability, crew efficiency, productivity, and comfort in extreme environments on Earth and off-world. Beyond design and engineering, the symposium also examined sociotechnical imaginaries, focusing on desired experiences and characteristics of life and technology in transplanetary futures. Some of the specific topics included innovative material-driven processes for transplanetary habitat design, socio-political and ethical implications, and technology transfer for sustainable living on Earth. The outcomes emphasize the necessity for advancing biosocial and biotechnological research from an interdisciplinary perspective in order to ethically and meaningfully enable transplanetary futures. Such a focus not only addresses future off-world challenges but also contributes to immediate ecological and architectural innovations, promoting a symbiotic relationship between space exploration and sustainability on Earth.

This study investigates an ancestral Biodesign technique associated with the fruits of the Amazonian tree Crescentia cujete. For centuries, Amazonian artisans have transformed these fruits into objects named cuias, which serve mainly as containers. Despite the continued practice of cuias production, a specific shaping technique discovered in historical accounts remains unknown and unused by contemporary artisans. The paper reports the recreation of this technique considering the ancestral ethos underpinning these traditions. A mixed-method approach has combined historical and museum research, direct interaction with trees in a bioeconomy context, and participatory observation of traditional artisans’ production. The findings reveal the ancient practice of “Growing Design” with that tree and other practices that resonate with Biodesign, establishing a connection between this field and indigenous knowledge. This study highlights the underappreciation of indigenous objects and techniques, emphasizing the potential that emerges from understanding the alignment of certain ancestral wisdom with Biodesign principles, such as amplifying indigenous heritage and opening new possibilities in design.

The previously unindexed laboratory X-ray powder diffraction data of mosapride dihydrogen citrate dihydrate, an API used to stimulate gastrointestinal motility, has been recorded at room temperature. Using these data, the crystal structure of this API has been refined in space group P21/c (No. 14) with a = 18.707(4) Å, b = 9.6187(1) Å, c = 18.2176(4) Å, β = 114.164(1)°, V = 2990.74(8) Å3, and Z = 4. The structure of this material corresponds to the phase associated with CSD Refcode LUWPOL determined at 93 K. The Rietveld refinement, carried out with TOPAS-Academic, proved the single nature of the sample and the quality of the data recorded.

The crystal structure of perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) was solved via parallel tempering using synchrotron powder diffraction data obtained from the Brockhouse X-ray Diffraction and Scattering (BXDS) Wiggler Lower Energy (WLE) beamline at the Canadian Light Source. PFNA crystallizes in monoclinic space group P21/c (#14) with lattice parameters a = 26.172(1) Å, b = 5.6345(2) Å, c = 10.9501(4) Å, and β = 98.752(2)°. The crystal structure is composed of dimers, with pairs of PFNA molecules connected by hydrogen bonds via the carboxylic acid functional groups. The Rietveld-refined structure was compared to a density functional theory-optimized structure, and the root-mean-square Cartesian difference was larger than normally observed for correct powder structures. The powder data likely exhibited evidence of disorder which was not successfully modeled.

In this work, the synthesis, characterization, and X-ray powder diffraction data for dichloridodioxido-[(4,7-dimethyl)-1,10-phenanthroline]molybdenum(VI) are reported. The crystal structure of this compound was solved from powder diffraction data using the simulated annealing method with a subsequent refinement using the Rietveld method. The dioxo-molybdenum (VI) complex C14H12Cl2MoN2O2 crystallizes in a monoclinic system with space group C2/c (N° 15) with refined unit-cell parameters a = 12.9495 (5) Å, b = 9.7752 (4) Å,c = 12.0069 (6) Å, β = 101.702 (3) °, unit-cell volume V = 1488.27 (11) Å3, and values of Z′ = 0.5 and Z = 4. The molecules are organized into chains diagonally along the a and c axis. Parallel polyhedra are observed along these axes formed by the interactions of Mo, Cl, O, and N atoms present in the coordination sphere. The crystalline packing of this dioxo-molybdenum (VI) complex is dominated by five intermolecular hydrogen bonds, two intramolecular hydrogen bonds, and the four interactions between the centroids (CgI⋯CgJ) of the aromatic rings. An analysis of the Hirshfeld surface revealed that the greatest contributions of the attractive forces are given by H⋯Cl/Cl⋯H, H⋯C/C⋯H, H⋯O/O⋯H, and H⋯H interactions.

Surface roughness is a critical factor affecting the performance of dental implants. One approach to influence this is through sandblasted, large grit, acid-etched (SLA) modification on pure titanium implant surfaces. In this study, SLA was performed on grade IV pure titanium. Sandblasting was conducted at distances of 2, 4, and 6 cm. Subsequently, the samples were etched with a mixed acid solution of HCl, H2SO4, and H2O for 0, 30, and 60 min. Surface roughness and X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterizations were conducted on the samples. The results revealed that surface roughness increased but was not too significant as the sandblasting distance decreased. Longer etching durations for sandblasted with acid-etched samples led to reduced surface roughness (Sa and Sz). It was found that a 60 min-etched sample resulted in optimal Sa, Sz, and Ssk values, i.e., 1.19 μm, 13.76 μm, and −0.60, respectively. The XRD texture was significantly influenced by sandblasting, with compressive residual stress increasing as the sandblasting distance decreased. Normal stress causes hill formations at shorter sandblasting distances. For etched samples, the residual stress decreased with longer etching durations. Normal stress-decreasing trend aligns with the initial reduction in hill and valley within the samples and subsequent hill enhancement at extended etching duration.