[ad_1]
Scientists at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, 3D printed what they're calling a "bionic mushroom" capable of generating electricity.
Revealed in a study published in Nano Letters journal, the team has shown how to improve the capabilities of the world.
Sudeep Joshi, co-author of the paper and Postdoctoral Fellow at Stevens, said, "We showed for the first time that a hybrid system could incorporate an artificial collaboration, or engineered symbiosis, between two different microbiological kingdoms."
Bioelectricity via photosynthesis
Cyanobacteria are one of the largest groups of bacteria in the world. These microorganisms produce energy through photosynthesis, and can be seen in the plant kingdom.
Previous studies conducted on the survivability of cyanobacteria on artificial surfaces have shown poor results. Therefore, for this study, the researchers have a substrate.
Though the photosynthesis capacity, its structures can sustain cyanobacterial colonies within its cap, or "pileus." As Manu Mannoor, co-author of the paper, and Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stevens, explains "By integrating cyanobacteria that can produce electricity, with nanoscale materials capable of collecting the current, we are able to gain access to the single properties of both, augment them, and create an entirely new functional bionic system. "
Using a cyanobacteria, producing a biionic mushroom capable of photosynthetic bioelectric generation.
Bioprinting bionic mushrooms
The inks used to make this mushroom photosynthetic are made of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) and cyanobacterial cells. Both inks have been modified with the help of a modified F5200N.1 Compact Gantry Benchtop Robot, by Fisnar, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of fluid dispensing technologies.
In the first step an electrode network of GNRs was 3D printed in a Fibonacci sequence onto the umbrella of the mushroom. Secondly, the cyanobacterial cells were 3D printed in a spiral pattern.
Exposing the mushroom to light activates the cyanobaterial photosynthesis. The GNR electrode network of cyanobacteria collects electricity generated by cyanobacterial cells and genera photocurrent.
As stated in the paper's conclusion, "The presently developed 3D printed bionic mushroom architecture is an environment-friendly and green source of photosynthetic bioelectricity with advanced functionality of nutrient production cyanobacteria,"
"We believe that these techniques can be extended to include other bacterial colonies with smart hydrogel materials for advancing bionic integration studies."
This article is titled, Bacterial Nanobionics via 3D Printing. It was published in the Nano Letters journal, and co-authored by Sudeep Joshi, Ellexis Cook, and Manu S. Mannoor.
For more academic news from the world of 3D printing, subscribe to our 3D printing newsletter. You can also follow us on Facebook Twitter.
Visit our 3D Printing Jobs.
Featured image shows a bionic white button mushroom. Image via Nano Letters.
[ad_2]
Source link
