Graphene-Charged Bionic Mushrooms Generate Electricity
Nov 24, 2018 5:42:00 GMT -6
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Post by plutronus on Nov 24, 2018 5:42:00 GMT -6
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Researchers have taken a common button mushroom and turned it into a way to generate electricity using graphene, bacteria, and 3D printing.
Design News - Serving the 21st Century Design Engineer
By: Elizabeth Montalbano
Electronics & Test
Battery/Energy Storage, 3D Printing, Alternative Energy, Materials
November 21, 2018
Electronics & Test
Battery/Energy Storage, 3D Printing, Alternative Energy, Materials
November 21, 2018
Most people think of mushrooms as something to eat—or steer clear of, depending on the variety. Now, researchers have turned a common edible mushroom into something quite different indeed—a way to generate electricity.
A team at Stevens Institute of Technology has taken a white-button mushroom that was bought at a grocery store and super-charged it using 3D-printed clusters of cyanobacteria swirls of graphene nanoribbons. The former generates electricity and the latter collects the current, said Manu Mannoor, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Stevens.
A team at Stevens Institute of Technology has taken a white-button mushroom that was bought at a grocery store and super-charged it using 3D-printed clusters of cyanobacteria swirls of graphene nanoribbons. The former generates electricity and the latter collects the current, said Manu Mannoor, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Stevens.
The Bionic Mushroom
“In this case, our system—this bionic mushroom—produces electricity,” he said in a Stevens Institute news release. “By integrating cyanobacteria that can produce electricity, with nanoscale materials capable of collecting the current, we were able to better access the unique properties of both, augment them, and create an entirely new functional bionic system.”
“In this case, our system—this bionic mushroom—produces electricity,” he said in a Stevens Institute news release. “By integrating cyanobacteria that can produce electricity, with nanoscale materials capable of collecting the current, we were able to better access the unique properties of both, augment them, and create an entirely new functional bionic system.”
Bioengineers have known for some time of cyanobacteria’s ability to produce electricity. However, these microbes don’t survive long on artificial, bio-compatible surfaces, which has limited their use in bio-engineering applications.
To solve this problem, Mannoor and Sudeep Joshi, a postdoctoral fellow in his lab, turned their attention to white-button mushrooms, they said. Because these mushrooms host a rich microbiota but not cyanobacteria specifically, the researchers wondered if they could provide the right environment—i.e., nutrients, moisture, pH, and temperature—required for cyanobacteria to produce electricity for a longer period.
Mushroom Magic
In experiments, the team showed that cyanobacterial cells lasted several days longer when placed on the cap of a white button mushroom versus a silicone material and a dead mushroom used as controls.
“The mushrooms essentially serve as a suitable environmental substrate with advanced functionality of nourishing the energy producing cyanobacteria,” Joshi said. “We showed for the first time that a hybrid system can incorporate an artificial collaboration, or engineered symbiosis, between two different microbiological kingdoms.”
Researchers then used a robotic arm-based 3D printe.... To read the remainder of article see:
To solve this problem, Mannoor and Sudeep Joshi, a postdoctoral fellow in his lab, turned their attention to white-button mushrooms, they said. Because these mushrooms host a rich microbiota but not cyanobacteria specifically, the researchers wondered if they could provide the right environment—i.e., nutrients, moisture, pH, and temperature—required for cyanobacteria to produce electricity for a longer period.
Mushroom Magic
In experiments, the team showed that cyanobacterial cells lasted several days longer when placed on the cap of a white button mushroom versus a silicone material and a dead mushroom used as controls.
“The mushrooms essentially serve as a suitable environmental substrate with advanced functionality of nourishing the energy producing cyanobacteria,” Joshi said. “We showed for the first time that a hybrid system can incorporate an artificial collaboration, or engineered symbiosis, between two different microbiological kingdoms.”
Researchers then used a robotic arm-based 3D printe.... To read the remainder of article see: