Scottish scientists develop colour-changing bacteria-dyed fabrics

In the future, fabrics painted with the dye could be used in space missions to make astronauts’ clothing and cover sensitive equipment, helping space explorers determine at a glance if they have been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.

They could also be used on earth in clinical settings, providing radiation-sensitive scrubs and aprons for radiotherapy of medical imaging staff. It could even be used in everyday fashions to create colour-changing clothes to help people monitor their exposure to sunlight, helping to reduce the risk of skin cancer.

The development of the fabric was supported by funding from EPSRC’s Impact Acceleration Account. Dr Gilles Bailet, a lecturer in space technology at the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering, is leading the project, which is called Pigmented Space Pioneers. 

"Exposure to radiation breaks up the pigments in the bacteria, while similar exposure to radiation in humans breaks our DNA. For the bacteria, that means a reduction in their colour saturation, but for us it means greater risk of genetic mutations and cancers.  We are aiming to harness the bacteria’s highly-visible response to create an unmistakable early-warning system for radiation exposure. It doesn’t need electronics or batteries to work – all you need are your eyes to see the colours respond to changes in ambient radiation,” Bailet said.

The team has developed fabrics using six different bacteria-based colours: red, yellow, pink, blue, and orange. The harmless bacteria naturally produce different pigments for various protective purposes, similar to how some bacteria defend against UV light, antibiotics, or other environmental threats, the University of Glasgow said in a press release.

The bacteria was grown and applied by Dr Keira Tucker, the lead biologist at the Edinburgh-based ASCUS – Art and Science Lab. The bacteria are applied to stacks of fabric by the University of Glasgow’s Professor Massimo Vassalli and Dr Vineetha Jayawarna. They use specialised needles and 3D printing techniques to create precise patterns and layers.

Once the bacteria die, they leave behind only their protective pigments, creating a stable, colourfast fabric that responds predictably to radiation exposure.

“What we’re developing is a fabric with a design that is visually interesting but is also easily readable, so that in the future it will be easy to see at a glance when the dye has faded in response to potentially dangerous radiation exposure. It’s an exciting challenge, and it’s a unique fusion of art and science,” explained Tubbing.

“At ASCUS, we are working on ways to use common forms of bacteria to create more sustainable ways of dyeing clothes than relying on synthetic dyes, which can contaminate water supplies and have serious negative impacts on the environment. In this project, one of the pigmented bacteria we’re using, Serratia marcensens, you might have in your bathroom if you haven’t cleaned your sink in a while – it forms red rings around taps. It’s great to think that we can put these bacteria to new use in ambitious projects like Pigmented Space Pioneers,” Tucker said:

The team are working with Edinburgh-based space startup Spinning Around to send the first piece of fabric into space in February next year.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (RR)