Biobased phononic materials (BPM) – biophoNonics

A rational strategy to develop bioeconomy is to replace inorganic materials with biosourced, biodegradable and recyclable designs. In this context, the field of biological composites is expanding rapidly, with applications in photonics, soft robotics and human augmentation, but has not yet met phononics. In this project, we aim at developing biological composites in the form of decellularized plant cell scaffolds to engineer phononic materials. We will control the phononic features with the phenotype of the plant using genetic and mechanical cues. The ability to harness the naturally-occurring structural hierarchy of plants should provide a plausible, scalable manufacturing route for future phononic materials design. Applications include wearable devices, or biologically integrated signal localization devices for bio-imaging and wave-assisted regenerative medicine.