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Discovery of Natural Organic Metals for
Fuel Cells, Transistors and Supercapacitors
Nikhil S. Malvankar1,2, Madeline Vargas2, Mark T. Tuominen1 and Derek R. Lovley2
Departments of 1Physics and 2Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Email: [email protected]
Cell Phone: 413-313-3179
Geobacter
Geobacter sprouts
a web of microbial
nanowires with
metallic-like
conductivity
Bacteria-produced proteins
behave as if they are metals
Conductivity (µS/cm)
Geobacter uses electrodes as we use oxygen Metal-like conductivity
of microbial nanowires
Nanowire networks
carry electrons over
10,000 times the size
of a single microbe
Conductivity increased
upon cooling
Temperature (K)
Nanowires show structural features
similar to synthetic organic metals
X-ray diffraction
revealed highly
ordered structure
Peak corresponds
to pi stacking
distance (3.5 Å)
Equivalent to humans using oxygen 10 km away
Pi stacking gives
metallic conductivity
Microbial Nanowires: A new paradigm for
biological electron transfer and bioelectronics
Protein-based nanomaterials are inexpensive and environmentally-sustainable
They can work under unusual aqueous and acidic environments
Applications of
Microbial Nanowires
High-performance Supercapacitors
Microbial Fuel Cells
with improved
current and power
density
Conductivity (µS/cm)
Transistors with 100-fold ON-OFF ratio
Gate voltage (Volts)
ON
OFF
Email: [email protected]
Cell Phone: 413-313-3179