Bioelectricity Using Button Mushrooms
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EmailA group at Stevens Institute of Technology are using Agaricus bisporus, cyanobacteria, and graphine nanoribbons to make a “bionic mushroom produce electricity.”
A group at Stevens Institute of Technology are using Agaricus bisporus, cyanobacteria, and graphine nanoribbons to make a “bionic mushroom produce electricity,” according to Manu Mannoor, the assistant professor leading this project. Though cyanobacteria can be used to produce electricity, their life on artificial surfaces is too short to be of much use in bioengineering. By using a growing these on the cap of a mushroom, the life of these cyanobacteria can be extended and may lead to further applications.
Integration of the mushroom, cyanobacteria, and graphene is done by using a 3D printer to apply the nanoribbon and cyanobacteria layers upon the mushroom cap. The interwoven graphene nanoribbons are able to capture the photocurrent produced by the cyanobacteria and shunt it away for use. Through the integration of the three materials, the electricity-producing activities are increased by eight-fold over the casted cyanobacteria – pipette method being used as a baseline.
Source:
- Allen, J. (2018, Dec 4). Low Power-High Performance: Bio-hybrid Fungi. Retrieved Dec 9, 2018, from Semiconductor Engineering.
