Nanowerk September 7, 2022
Almost all living things breathe oxygen to get rid of excess electrons when converting nutrients into energy. Without access to oxygen, however, soil bacteria living deep under oceans or buried underground respire by “breathing minerals,” through tiny protein nanowires. Researchers at Yale University found that exposing bacteria-produced nanowires to light yielded up to a 100-fold increase in electrical conductivity showing
stable and robust photocurrent that persists for hours. They showed that living biofilms of Geobacter sulfurreducens used nanowires of cytochrome OmcS as intrinsic photoconductors. Photocurrents respond rapidly (<100 ms) to the excitation and persist reversibly for hours. The work has revealed a new class of natural photoconductors for whole-cell catalysis. The results could provide new insights as scientists pursue ways to exploit this hidden electrical current for a variety of purposes, from eliminating biohazard waste and creating new renewable fuel sources…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Living photoconductors. Credit: Nature Communications volume 13, Article number: 5150 (2022)Â