BioFabricating Materials¶

This week has been truly unique and a bit confusing—in that wonderful way where you’re not sure what to expect! We’re growing our own clothing! How exciting!

photo credits IMG1 IMG2 IMG3

The concept of biomaterials is incredibly intriguing and unconventional. But what exactly is a biomaterial? It’s a green, environmentally friendly material that’s gentle on our planet. Our experiments are just one way to create biomaterials—this is our homemade version!

I love to romanticize everything I wear, eat, and create, and one of the most touching projects I’ve encountered is Seaweed Dialogue by Alberte Bojesen.

It’s a reminder to appreciate the beauty of what surrounds us, of how the land provides for us. This project brought tears to my eyes, evoking the same feeling I had when I explored natural sage and pomegranate dyes in the Biochromes week.

Exploration

To create a biomaterial, you need three main ingredients: the base (or biopolymer), the solvent, and the plasticizer. Here’s a simple breakdown:

Biopolymer: This gives your material its structure and texture. Common examples are gelatin and agar agar.

Solvent: This activates the biopolymer and makes things happen—usually water!

Plasticizer: This is essential for flexibility, giving your material a fabric-like softness and elasticity, often using glycerin.

Gelatine¶

Bio Plastic¶

First up, let's create some bioplastic magic with gelatin! The goal? A flexible sheet with texture that’s not too soft!

Ingredients:

Gelatin: 48g

Glycerin: 12g

Water: 240g

Additive: 3g coffee grounds

Method:

Heat up the water, but keep it from boiling! Add glycerin and stir gently with a spatula (air bubbles are a no-go!) Do not use a whisker.

Next, mix in the gelatin until it all comes together.

💡 Pro Tip: Bloom the gelatin! Add a splash of hot water to the gelatin and mix before adding it to the pot. I missed this step initially, but it really helps. Full process coming soon in the documentation!

The consistency should be thick, shiny, and honey-like! Once it reaches that point, it’s go-time – the mix sets quickly, so pre-prepare your molds and any additives you want to include. For our experiment, we added food coloring, sage, and eggshells for extra texture and character. We also played around with different mold shapes and casting techniques to see what unique forms we could create!

Bio Silicon¶

Think of this as bioplastic’s flexible cousin! The process and ingredients are similar, but with one key difference: more glycerin, which brings extra stretch and elasticity to the mix.

Ingredients:

Gelatin: 48g

Glycerin: 24g

Water: 240g

Additive: Pomegranate ink 10g

We threw in a little of everything for texture and uniqueness: ground pomegranate peel, dried rosemary, my hair why not?, fabric scraps, wool, and even the syringe packaging minimizing waste! For color, I used a pomegranate dye modified with iron from Biochromes week you can find the full recipe here

Method:

The steps follow a similar flow as the bioplastic process, with one tweak: I applied the gelatin blooming method for this one! Blooming the gelatin gives it an extra smooth consistency and better structure for flexibility.

Results

Bio silicon with Dye bath

For this version of biosilicon, I swapped water for a pomegranate dye bath to give the material a deep, black color. Since I work with lots of fabric scraps, I also added some to strengthen the final material—perfect for texture and reducing waste!

Ingredients:

Gelatin: 48g

Glycerin: 24g

Pomegranate dye bath with iron modifier: 240g

Fabric scraps

Method:

Prepare the Dye Bath: Boil the pomegranate dye bath with an iron modifier and let it cool slightly to ensure it’s still warm but not too hot.
Mix Ingredients: Start by adding glycerin to the warm dye bath, stirring gently to avoid bubbles.
Bloom The Gelatin: Sprinkle the gelatin into the mixture and stir until fully dissolved and the consistency is smooth.
Combine Ingredients: Add the glycerin to the dye bath, then mix in the bloomed gelatin.
Add Fabric Scraps: Stir in fabric scraps, fully soaking them.
Set in a Tray: Pour the mixture into a tray, spreading evenly.

💡 Pro Tip: WORK QUICKLY!! IT WILL SET ALMOST INSTANTLY

This method gives a beautiful, pitch black biosilicon with added strength from the fabric scraps!

Agar Agar¶

Agar is distinct from gelatin in texture and behavior—it’s grainier and needs more heat to dissolve fully. Importantly, agar is vegan (derived from seaweed) while gelatin is animal-derived, so agar is perfect for vegan or vegetarian applications!

Agar Bioplastic¶

In this experiment, we’re creating a structured, beautiful bioplastic using agar.

Ingredients:

Agar Agar: 4g

Glycerin: 12g

Water: 200g

Additives: paper, pine needles, food dyes, eggshells, felt

Method:

Heat the Solvent: Begin by heating the water—don't let it boil, just warm enough to dissolve the ingredients.
Add Glycerin: Stir in the glycerin slowly, as this ingredient adds flexibility to your bio-plastic.
Bloom the Agar: Blooming the agar helps with smooth incorporation. I was new to working with agar, so I thought, why not!
Mix Carefully: Agar takes its time to thicken, so stir patiently and avoid bubbles for a smooth, consistent result.
Pour and Add Textures: Pour the mix into your chosen mold or tray and add any textures.

this experiment produced a material that felt surprisingly durable yet had a lovely finish!

Agar Biofoil¶

Agar biofoil, like agar bioplastic, has extra elasticity and delicacy due to more glycerin.

💡 Rule of thumb the more glycerin you add, the more delicate and elastic your material will become.

Ingredients:

Agar Agar: 4g

Glycerin: 15g

Water: 200g

Pomegranate ink: 20g

Wool: 20g

Ground pomegranate peel: 6g

Method:

Heat Water and ink then Add Glycerin: Just like before, warm the water and mix in the glycerin.
Bloom and Add Agar: Bloom the agar for better incorporation, then stir it into the mixture.
cook the mixture and keep stirring till it becomes thick and shiny
Add Textures: Add ground pomegranate and wool to strengthen the biofoil structure. Wool gives it a solid feel, almost like a textile.
Pour into a Tray: Pour the mixture into a tray to set.

This process requires a flat surface, and I quickly discovered my table’s slight tilt created a few wobbles in the result!

I came up with a strucutrd material mostly because of the wool and I'm not a huge fan of the color. I would add less wool and take out the pomegranate peel. and use a dye bath instead for a deeper color

Alginate¶

Alginate is a unique biopolymer with properties different from agar and gelatin. Commonly used in dentistry, alginate works through curing rather than heating, which is a fascinating process! In this method, we use alginate as the biopolymer (the main structure), glycerin as the plasticizer (for flexibility), water as the solvent, and sodium chloride as the curing agent. When combined, sodium chloride triggers a reaction that solidifies the alginate, creating a durable structure.

Alginate Flexible Bio Sheet¶

In this experiment, we created a flexible alginate bio-sheet using a carefully controlled curing process.

Ingredients:

Alginate: 12g

Glycerin: 40g

Water: 400ml

Sodium chloride: 10g (dissolved in 100ml water as a curing solution)

Optional additives: Fabric scraps, natural colorants, or other materials for added texture and reinforcement. Method:

Blend Ingredients:

In a blender, combine the 400ml of water with the glycerin, blending well. Next, add the alginate powder gradually to avoid clumping, and blend until the mixture is fully smooth. we included food coloring in our batch. Refrigerate Overnight:

Place the blended mixture in the refrigerator and let it rest overnight.

This is crucial for allowing air bubbles (created by blending) to rise and dissipate. Removing bubbles strengthens the material by preventing weak spots in the final bio-sheet.

Prepare the Sodium Chloride Curing Solution:

Dissolve 10g of sodium chloride in 100ml of water,shake or stir well.

💡Important safety note: Sodium chloride can be irritating on contact, so it’s best to handle this solution with gloves.

Create Alginate Threads:

To form alginate threads, we used a syringe to draw up the alginate mixture and then cast it into the sodium chloride solution. This curing bath quickly hardens the threads as they make contact with the solution. After forming the threads, rinse them thoroughly with water to remove any residual sodium chloride.

Cast the Bio Sheet:

For the bio sheet, we lined a container with fabric and placed an embroidery ring to help shape the material. We poured a layer of alginate mixture within the ring, added wool for reinforcement, then added more of the alginate mixture to encase it. Next, we sprayed the sodium chloride solution on both the top and bottom surfaces, ensuring even curing throughout.

Drying Process:

Allow the cast sheet to dry for at least 2 days to achieve the best results. A stable, level surface is essential to ensure the sheet dries evenly. Outcome: The final material had a firm but flexible structure thanks to the wool reinforcement, though the color was influenced by natural dyes and may vary based on additives. We found that even minor adjustments in curing and reinforcement could greatly affect the final texture and durability.

Bacteria Cellulose¶

Kombucha isn’t just one of my favorite drinks—it’s also an incredible alternative to leather! To my surprise, it makes a material that looks and feels just like leather. Making kombucha leather requires a long fermentation process, where sugared tea becomes home to a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria & Yeast (SCOBY), referred to as the “mother.”

Ingredients:

Water: 1L

Tea: 1.5–3g I used a mix of green and red tea Sugar: 100g

Vinegar: 0–100ml (depending on your pH)

SCOBY mother: About 8cm in diameter

A splash of SCOBY solution (to give it a healthy start)

Method:

Brew the Tea: Start by brewing your tea—the more tea you add, the deeper the color will be. Once brewed, add the sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Filtering the tea before proceeding can give it that smooth finish.

Adjust the pH: Add vinegar gradually, checking until the mixture reaches a pH of around 3 to 4. This acidic environment helps prevent mold and gives the bacteria the perfect place to thrive.

Cool the Mixture: Make sure the tea is lukewarm before adding the SCOBY. Adding it to hot tea can kill off the bacteria, so patience is key here!

Add SCOBY and Start Fermentation: Gently place the SCOBY “mother” into the tea mixture along with a small splash of its own solution for. Cover with a clean cloth and secure it with a rubber band to keep out dust and other contaminants. Let It Ferment: Store the container in a warm, dark place and check on it after about a week. The SCOBY will start forming layers on top, growing thicker as it ferments. One big challenge with kombucha leather is the smell! It can be hard to ignore, but with some experimenting, you can work out ways to mask or reduce it as it dries.