Shewanella oneidensis
3000x magnification of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 on hematite. Image: © asknature.org
A group of researchers has managed to create a graphene that is both more affordable and has a lesser environmental impact than with present chemical methods by using bacteria.
A very strong and conductive material, graphene has been heralded as having the potential to revolutionise engineering and electronics. However, at present, large scale graphene production requires large amounts of energy and involves the use of toxic chemicals, including hydrazine, which is damaging to the human nervous system.
Researchers from University of Rochester in the US and the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands worked together to find a solution to these issues by using bacteria.
The bacteria used by the scientists, Shewanella oneidensis, has the natural ability to remove oxygen-based molecules from chemicals like metal oxides. Graphene oxide was extracted from graphite and then fed to the bacteria, which then turned it into graphene by removing the oxides. In comparison with present chemical methods used in graphene production, this process requires less energy and yields a thinner, more stable material.
“All we have to do is mix our bacteria in a tube together with the graphene precursor materials, and then we let it sit on the benchtop overnight at room temperature,” Anne Meyer, Associate Professor at the University of Rochester, told me. “The next morning, we have a tube full of conductive material.”
Bacteria-produced graphene could be used for making conducting ink and biosensors, which can be used in a range of applications, such as the creation of real-time glucose monitoring for diabetes sufferers.
Mayer and her team are also working on the development of bacteria as an energy-efficient production alternative for other materials. The team recently made bacteria capable of creating synthetic mother-of-pearl, which could be used to build houses on the moon.
In recent years, microbes have shown more and more potential as an environmentally-friendly method of producing materials like textiles and plastics. The tiny beings are also been used to degrade plastic and touted as an answer to the global plastic waste problem.
“I think that microbial production of materials will be the next green revolution for materials science,” said Meyer. “Bacteria have evolved enzymes that can perform complex chemical reactions, at ambient temperatures and pressures, and in water-based non-toxic environments. The potential for bacteria to usher in a new era of environmentally-friendly and straightforward production of complex materials is immense!”
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