• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Corporate News
  • Generation
  • Oil & Gas
  • Regulation
  • Renewable
    • Climate
    • Solar
    • Wind
  • Storage
  • Tech
  • T & D
Energy News Desk Logo

Energy News Desk

Energy News and Data

Harnessing the power of electricity-producing bacteria for programmable 'biohybrids'

April 8, 2020 by Science Daily

Someday, microbial cyborgs — bacteria combined with electronic devices — could be useful in fuel cells, biosensors and bioreactors. But first, scientists need to develop materials that not only nurture the microbes, but also efficiently and controllably harvest the electricity or other resources they make. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have developed one such material that enabled them to create a programmable “biohybrid” system that conducts electrons from electricity-producing (exoelectrogenic) bacteria.

Unlike other bacteria, exoelectrogens can move electrons across their outer membrane to the outside of their cell. Scientists have tried to harness this electricity by using various materials to conduct the electrons to an electrode. So far, however, conductive materials that support bacterial growth have been either inefficient, or not easily programmable to control the electrical current. Christof Niemeyer and colleagues wanted to develop a nanocomposite material that supports exoelectrogen growth while conducting electricity in a controlled way.

The researchers made a porous hydrogel composed of carbon nanotubes and silica nanoparticles, woven together by DNA strands. They added exoelectrogenic bacteria to this scaffold, along with liquid culture medium to supply the microbes with nutrients. The material efficiently conducted the electrons produced by the bacteria to an electrode. The bacteria grew well on the material, completely penetrating it. To cut off the electricity, the researchers added an enzyme that snipped DNA strands, causing the material to disassemble. The conductivity and other properties of the material could also be tailored by varying the size and sequence of the DNA fragments that hold the scaffold together, the researchers say.

Story Source:

Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Original source: Science Daily

Filed Under: Tech

Primary Sidebar

Join The Daily Charge

This week's top 5 stories in your inbox. No spam ever.

Trending

  • SunShare Powers On Colorado Community Solar Project
  • Despite Odds Offshore Wind Has ‘Colossal Six Months’
  • BSF Names Orbital EPC in Coal Plant Conversion Projects
  • ALLETE Clean Energy’s Diamond Spring Achieves Commercial Operations
  • RESET Launches Advanced Testing Simulator for Wind Turbines
  • Crowdfunded solar puts Red Lake Nation on a path to energy sovereignty
  • Consortium Receives Funding to Research Feasibility of Renewable Hydrogen
  • East Coast, West Coast: Very Different Offshore Wind Industries
  • GameChange Solar Unveils New BifacialReflector Technology
  • Siemens Gamesa Supplies Turbines to Canada’s Rattlesnake Wind Farm

Footer

Trending

  • SunShare Powers On Colorado Community Solar Project
  • Despite Odds Offshore Wind Has ‘Colossal Six Months’
  • BSF Names Orbital EPC in Coal Plant Conversion Projects
  • ALLETE Clean Energy’s Diamond Spring Achieves Commercial Operations
  • RESET Launches Advanced Testing Simulator for Wind Turbines

Recent

  • Quick Tips To A Sustainable Future
  • Stem Provides Smart Energy Storage Solutions to Today’s Power
  • EIA's AEO2021 shows U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions rising after the mid-2030s
  • Homeowners associations still a barrier for some would-be solar customers
  • Commentary: With open standards, U.S. can build EV charging infrastructure faster

Search

Contact Us

Write For Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 · EnergyNewsDesk.com