There are constant efforts to develop better and longer lasting alternates for non-renewable resources. Recently, in a new study, UNSW researchers developing green electronics with bacteria nanowires. They have modified protein filaments made by bacteria to allow them to carry electricity. They unveiled that these modified protein nanowires can conduct electricity over short distances by using moisture in the air.
Dr. Lorenzo Travaglini, the lead author of the paper, said, “Our findings open up possibilities for developing sustainable and environmentally friendly electrical components and devices, based on proteins.” He further added, “These engineered nanowires could one day lead to innovations in energy harvesting, biomedical applications and environmental sensing.”
These developments in the interdisciplinary field that mixes both protein engineering and nanoelectronics give rise to certain promises. They can help innovate advanced technologies that link biological systems with electronic devices.
Talking about these developments, Dr. Travaglini, who is supervised by Dr. Dominic Glover in the SYNbioLAB from the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, conveyed, “Ultimately, our goal is to modify the materials produced by bacteria to create electronic components. This could lead to a whole new era of green electronics, helping to shape a more sustainable future.”
Initially, both Dr. Travaglini and Dr. Glover wanted to change a natural material into a conductive wire. But they stumbled upon something unexpected.
Regarding this Dr. Travaglini said, “We started to notice that under what is considered ‘ambient conditions’, between 20%–30% humidity, the electric current was stronger.”
Natural Inspiration
The naturally occurring bacteria also make use of their conductive filament or nanowires to move electrons through their membranes. These special filaments can connect with living cells. They can turn quite useful in biosensors to track signals inside the body using a human-machine connection.
However, when extracted directly from bacteria, it becomes hard to modify these natural nanowires and limits their functionality. The team of researchers realized that the protein made by the bacteria wouldn’t conduct electricity well on its own. They need to include one specific ingredient that is a heme molecule. It turned out to be the missing piece of this puzzle.
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Using Humidity to Generate Energy
Heme is like a tiny circle with an iron atom sitting in its center. This circular structure, also called the porphyrin ring, helps carry oxygen in red blood cells from the lungs to other body parts.
- The team analyzed how well these filaments conducted electricity. To test it, they put the material on an electrode and applied an electric potential.
- Then they decided to conduct some more tests. They now used thicker amounts of the material placed between 2 gold electrodes.
- After realizing that the filament reacted to humidity, they developed a basic humidity sensor.
- By simply breathing into the device, it lets them measure how the current changes with moisture in the air.
“We found that each peak in the conductivity of the fiber corresponded to an exhale,” Dr. Travaglini added.
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Numerous Future Possibilities
UNSW researchers developing green electronics with bacteria nanowires and this might pave the way for the production of electrical devices from eco-friendly and safe materials, which will require extremely low power.
By changing the chemical structure of the heme or the surroundings of the filament, the properties of these protein groups can be adjusted. The team scientists is currently trying out different porphyrin molecules to alter the material’s traits, like light-sensitive ones. “This level of control is difficult to achieve with natural bacterial nanowires, highlighting the versatility and potential of our synthetic approach,” commented Dr. Travaglini.
Dr. Travaglini emphasizes that his team is still in the early phases of their research. He suggests that there’s still some time before they get to witness the implementation of these engineered filaments in our daily electronics.
Source: Bacteria ‘nanowires’ could help scientists develop green electronics