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Researchers at Linköping University's Organic Electronics Laboratory have discovered a method of increasing the signal strength of a microbial electrochemical cell up to twenty times.
A team of Linköping University researchers, in collaboration with colleagues at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, has developed a method of integrating the electrophoretic bacterium Shewanella oneidensis into PEDOT: PSS, an electrically polymer material conductor on a carbon black substrate. This is demonstrated by a press release from Linköping University.
The researchers called the result "multilayer conductive bacterial composite film" and "multilayer conductive bacterial composite film" (MCBF). Microscopic analysis of the film shows an intertwined structure of bacteria and conductive polymers up to 80 μm thick, a much greater thickness than that obtained with other techniques.
"Our experiments show that more than 90% of bacteria are viable and that the bacterial composite film, MCBF, increases the flow of electrons to the external circuit.When the film is used as anode in a biochemical fuel cell, the current resistance is 20 times higher than that of other materials and lasts for at least several days, says Gábor Méhes, a researcher at Linköping University and author of this scientific article. "recently published in Scientific Reports, in a press release .
Previous research has notably tested carbon nanotubes to increase the surface of the anode, but without obtaining the same good results.
The ability to connect biological processes to readable electrical signals is useful, for example, for environmental sensors as it requires fast response time, low power consumption and the ability to insert a wide variety receivers.
Scientists have recently demonstrated how Shewanella Oneidensis produces electrical energy in response to arsenic, arabinos (sugars) or organic acids.
– We present here a type of "living electrode" where the electrode material and the bacteria come together in a single electronic biofilm. As our knowledge of the important role that bacteria play in our health and well-being increases, it is likely that new forms of living electrodes will be developed. It provides us with versatile and adaptable tools for the development of new forms of bioelectronic technologies and therapies, "said Daniel Simon, Director of Organic Bioelectronics Research at the Organic Electronics Laboratory.
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