Living cell building blocks can turn agricultural waste into biofuels

According to foreign media reports, about 40 years ago, researchers had committed to "decoy" E. coli to produce a protein. Currently, MIT scientists use E. coli to create a biofilm that can be adsorbed on the surface of different nanoparticles. The resulting mixture of living organisms can adapt to the environment, generate complex biological molecules, and have a diversity of length ratios.

The artist draws bacterial cells to "engineer design," forming nanofibers that combine with quantum particles (red and green spheres in the figure) or gold nanoparticles.

These "living substances" have the ability to conduct electricity and release light. The research report is now published in the recently published Natural Materials magazine.

If you think that you can control bacteria in your body through hand sanitizer, you're wrong. Scientists believe that this method will help create some "larger devices" such as solar cells, self-healing materials, or diagnostic sensors.

Timothy Lu, an associate professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said: "Our design philosophy is to combine living cells with non-living material environments to create a mixture of substances that will allow living cells to adapt to their full potential. Its functionality, which is an interesting way to explore material synthesis."

The scientists chose E. coli because it naturally produces a biofilm that contains “curli fibers,” an amyloid protein that helps bacteria attach to surfaces. They can modify the Culki fiber cycle protein chain (CsgA) by adding a protein fragment called peptides, possibly forming a series of mixed materials, and forming a gold nanofiber line with properties similar to those of conductive films or exhibiting quantum mechanical characteristics. Tiny crystals. The most prominent feature of these living substances is their ability to communicate with each other.

The early application of this research will involve the manufacture of batteries and solar cells. At the same time, researchers are analyzing the potential of this biofilm and using biochemical enzymes to catalyze the decomposition of nanofibers, which can be used to convert agricultural waste into biofuels.

Epoxy Acrylic Chips

Color Flakes,Epoxy Acrylic Chips,Multi-Color Rock-Chips,Decorative Acrylic Flakes

Jiangxi Tiansheng New Materials Co.,Ltd , https://www.jx-tis.com