RESEARCH PAPER
Multifunctional characterisation of novel biocomposite materials
 
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1
Institute of Electrical Engineering, Automation, Informatics and Physics, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, SK-949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
 
2
Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, RS-21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
 
3
Information and Coordination Centre of Research, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, SK-949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
 
4
Mycotopia R&D Company, Lekina 37, RS-222 32 Divoš, Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia
 
5
Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, RS-21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
 
 
Final revision date: 2026-05-22
 
 
Acceptance date: 2026-06-12
 
 
Publication date: 2026-08-10
 
 
Corresponding author
Monika Božiková   

Institute of Electrical Engineering, Automation, Informatics and Physics, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, 949 76, Nitra, Slovak Republic
 
 
Int. Agrophys. 2026, 40(4): 393-403
 
HIGHLIGHTS
  • Multifunctional characterisation of new inovative mycelium-bound biocomposites
  • Optimised biocomposite showed markedly enhanced elastic modulus
  • Thermal conductivity ~0.048 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ confirmed insulation efficiency
  • Thermal diffusivity ~0.129·10⁻⁶ m² s⁻¹ indicated uniform heat transport
  • Impedance spectroscopy revealed inductive–capacitive transition near 95 MHz
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The article presents a multifunctional characterisation of biocomposite materials through the systematic determination of physical properties. Two specimens were synthesised: a substrate comprising 100% straw (density 326.57±33.29 kg m⁻³) and the other composed of 70% straw and 30% sawdust (density 190.94±12.87 kg m⁻³) with the mycelium of a Schizophyllum commune Fr. 1815 strain. Mechanical characterisation revealed differential modulus values ranging from 166.75 to 587.87 kPa, with enhanced formulation demonstrating a 3.65-fold improvement, achieving 1 541.40 kPa (R2 = 0.96-0.98). Thermal property evaluation employed the plane source methodology with uncertainties below 5%. Both specimens exhibited exceptional thermal insulation with conductivity coefficients of 0.0477±0.0008 and 0.0480±0.0011 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹. Statistical analysis confirmed no significant difference (t = 0.3870, p = 0.7046), with variation coefficients of 1.57 and 2.34%. Thermal diffusivity reached 0.128±0.0043 × 10⁻⁶ m² s⁻¹ and 0.130±0.0042 10⁻⁶ m² s⁻¹ (p = 0.7404). Electrical characterisation across 40 to 110 MHz revealed frequency-dependent transitions with exponential correlations (R2 = 93.64 and 95.50%). Sample B demonstrated inductive characteristics up to 95.15 MHz transition frequency. Pearson correlation analysis established a strong negative correlation for sample A (r = -0.8361, p < 0.0001) versus a moderate positive correlation for sample B (r = 0.2461, p = 0.0004). These findings establish quantitative structure-property relationships fundamental to multifunctional engineering applications.
FUNDING
This work was prepared within the framework of the project VEGA No. 1/0221/25. The usage of artificial intelligence to optimize the conditions of biomass thermochemical conversion and by the project Drive4SIFood 313011V336, cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund and SUA Grant Agency – research project No. 15-GA-SPU-2024.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Authors contributions: M.B., M.K., Ľ.K., and N.K. conceived and designed the research; Ľ.K. and V.M. collected and assembled the data; V.M. analyzed and interpreted the data; M.B. wrote the article; P.H., M.R., and S.B. critically revised the article; M.R. and S.B. gave final approval of the article. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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