Plants possess the remarkable ability to accumulate solid carbon mass and self-repair using carbon fixation from atmospheric CO2 from photosynthesis. Synthetic materials capable of mimicking this property could significantly reduce the energy needed to transport and repair construction materials by accumulating mass from ubiquitous carbon in the environment. We show that a gel matrix containing aminopropyl methacrylamide (APMA), glucose oxidase (GOx) and nanoceria stabilized- extracted chloroplasts is able to grow, densify and self-repair using carbon fixation. Glucose production from the embedded chloroplasts is converted to gluconolactone (GL) via GOx, polymerizing with APMA to form a continuously expanding and densifying polymethacrylamide. The hydrogel can be stiffened by coupling the enzymatic precursors to graphene oxide flakes, which serve as high modulus inclusions to improve mechanical strength by creating a graphitic-polymer composite. Carbon fixation depends on the photocatalytic lifetimes of the extracted chloroplasts, and we show that extracted chloroplasts from spinach can exhibit enhanced stability for 18 hours and produce 12 µg of GL mg-1 Chl h-1 by optimization of the temporal illumination conditions, insertion of chemoprotective nanoceria inside the chloroplasts, and the increase of the glucose efflux rate. This system achieves an average growth rate of approximately 60 µm3 h-1 per chloroplast under ambient CO2 and illumination over 18 hours, thickening a sheer-stress supporting gel with a modulus of 3 KPa. This material can demonstrate self-repair using the exported glucose from chloroplasts and chemical crosslinking through the fissures. These results point to a new class of materials capable of continuous growth, strengthening and self-repair using atmospheric CO2 fixation as a regeneration source, finding utility as self-healing coatings, construction materials, and fabrics.

Polymethacrylamide and carbon composites that grow, strengthen and self-repair using ambient carbon dioxide fixation

256th National Meeting (2018)

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