FURI | Spring 2019

Composite Bricks from Fungus Mycelium and Carbon Nanomaterials for Sustainable Multi-functional Structures

Sustainable building materials are necessary to meet current needs without compromising future generations. Bricks from fungus mycelium are a recent and promising alternative to replace concrete bricks. Mycelium is the root-like fibers from fungi that grow underground. When mycelium feeds on fibrous materials, the mycelium grows and acts as a binding agent for the fibrous substrates. This project aims to explore the growth factors of mycelium and incorporate nanomaterials into mycelium bricks to achieve multifunctional building materials. The purpose of integrating nanomaterials is to determine if mycelium bricks can have mechanical properties that are comparable to existing concrete bricks.