Bracket fungi such as Fomes fomentarius (“tinder fungus”), have strong, light and tough fruit bodies that make them interesting role-models for bio-inspired, biodegradable applications. So far, little is known about the relation between their microstructure and mechanical properties, information needed for designing novel composites. The fruit bodies (mycelia) of tinder fungus are hierarchically structured honeycomb foams. The mycelium has a transversely isotropic microstructure with open porosity on the nano- and micro-length scales. The lowest resolution porosity appears as elongated tubes that extend from beneath the woody upper surface down towards the lower side that faces the ground. The tube walls are made of a network of hollow, fibrous cells (hyphae), mainly consisting of chitin. When tested mechanically, the material shows the typical compressive stress/strain curve of foams, where an initially linear course is followed by an extended plateau region. The as-harvested material exhibits pronounced viscoelastic recovery, but the tube walls are visibly damaged. Compared with the transverse direction, the load-bearing capability and energy absorption parallel to the tube long axis are ~ 5 and ~ 10 times higher, respectively. Unexpectedly however, the energy absorption efficiency is similar for both loading directions. Buckling of the tubes and cracking of their walls are the main damage mechanisms, and the damage zones coalesce into deformation bands as it is typical for foams. Drying leads to ~ 7 times higher plateau stresses, damage becomes extensive, and the mycelium loses its viscoelastic recovery capability. Interestingly, rehydration restores the properties of the wet state. It is compelling to imagine an adaptive role to natural dry/wet conditions.

支架真菌，例如Fomes fomentarius（“火线真菌”）具有坚固，轻巧和坚韧的子实体，使其成为受生物启发，可生物降解应用的有趣榜样。迄今为止，关于它们的微观结构和机械性能之间的关系，以及设计新型复合材料所需的信息知之甚少。火种真菌的子实体（菌丝体）是层次结构的蜂窝状泡沫。菌丝体具有横向各向同性的微观结构，在纳米和微米长度尺度上具有开放的孔隙。分辨率最低的孔隙率显示为细长的管，该管从木质的上表面下方向下延伸至面向地面的下侧。管壁由主要由几丁质组成的中空纤维细胞（菌丝）网络组成。机械测试时，该材料显示出泡沫的典型压缩应力/应变曲线，最初是线性路线，然后是高原区域。收获后的材料表现出明显的粘弹性恢复，但显着损坏了管壁。与横向相比，平行于管长轴的承重能力和能量吸收分别高约5倍和约10倍。然而，出乎意料的是，两个负载方向的能量吸收效率相似。管的屈曲和管壁开裂是主要的损坏机制，并且损坏区域会聚集成泡沫典型的变形带。干燥导致约高7倍的平台应力，破坏变得广泛，菌丝体失去了其粘弹性恢复能力。有趣的是，补水可恢复湿态的特性。