Development of "Manufacturing Process by Creatures"

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K21922
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 18:Mechanics of materials, production engineering, design engineering, and related fields
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: TSUMORI Fujio 九州大学, 工学研究院, 教授 (10343237)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 藏田 耕作 九州大学, 工学研究院, 准教授 (00368870)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-06-28 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 微細加工 / 粉末冶金 / 植物 / 根 / 菌根菌 / セラミックス / ガラス / 微細流路

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this study is to develop a new design and processing process using plants and other organisms. For example, the roots of plants have complex branching structures, especially at the ends, which are covered with root hairs of 10 micrometer scale. Such fine and large-scale complex structures are difficult to fabricate using conventional fabrication processes. Using nanopowders of glass and ceramics as starting materials, sintered materials were obtained that retained the similar internal structure as the living organism. In addition, by controlling the growth environment of the organism, we can simultaneously design functions such as stress and pressure dispersion. Not only plants, but also the mycorrhizal fungi that make up the rhizosphere can be used simultaneously, creating a variety of structures.

Free Research Field

微細加工，粉末冶金

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

生体は自ら最適な複雑構造を構築できる．本研究では植物の根に注目し，この構造をガラスやセラミックスといった「硬い」材料中に直接固定・再現することを実現した．複雑であると同時にスケールも大きなものから微細な領域にまで多階層的な構造を，成形困難な素材中に生成できている．将来的には力を効率的に分散する構造材料や，多孔質フィルタ材料といった応用を考えることができる．