{"id":389172,"date":"2019-07-10T11:12:04","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T15:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=389172"},"modified":"2022-12-13T15:32:34","modified_gmt":"2022-12-13T20:32:34","slug":"graphene-nanomaterials-future-computers-bacteria-389172","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/graphene-nanomaterials-future-computers-bacteria-389172\/","title":{"rendered":"Will your future computer be made using bacteria?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In order to create new and more efficient computers, medical devices, and other advanced technologies, researchers are turning to nanomaterials: materials manipulated on the scale of atoms or molecules that exhibit unique properties.<\/p>\n

Graphene\u2014a flake of carbon as thin as a single layer of atoms\u2014is a revolutionary nanomaterial due to its ability to easily conduct electricity, as well as its extraordinary mechanical strength and flexibility. However, a major hurdle in adopting it for everyday applications is producing graphene at a large scale, while still retaining its amazing properties.<\/p>\n

In a paper published in the journal ChemOpen<\/em><\/a>, Anne S. Meyer<\/a>, an associate professor of biology <\/a>at the 人妻少妇专区<\/a>, and her colleagues at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands<\/a>, describe a way to overcome this barrier. The researchers outline their method to produce graphene materials using a novel technique: mixing oxidized graphite with bacteria. Their method is a more cost-efficient, time-saving, and environmentally friendly way of producing graphene materials versus those produced chemically, and could lead to the creation of innovative computer technologies and medical equipment.<\/p>\n

\"portrait
Anne Meyer, professor of biology, and her colleagues have developed a novel approach to producing graphene in the lab. (人妻少妇专区 photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Graphene is extracted from graphite, the material found in an ordinary pencil. At exactly one atom thick, graphene is the thinnest\u2014yet strongest\u2014two-dimensional material<\/a> known to researchers. Scientists from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics<\/a> for their discovery of graphene; however, their method of using sticky tape to make graphene yielded only small amounts of the material.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor real applications you need large amounts,\u201d Meyer says. \u201cProducing these bulk amounts is challenging and typically results in graphene that is thicker and less pure. This is where our work came in.\u201d<\/p>\n

In order to produce larger quantities of graphene materials, Meyer and her colleagues started with a vial of graphite. They exfoliated the graphite\u2014shedding the layers of material\u2014to produce graphene oxide (GO), which they then mixed with the bacteria Shewanella<\/em>. They let the beaker of bacteria and precursor materials sit overnight, during which time the bacteria reduced the GO to a graphene material.<\/p>\n

\"four
From left to right, A vial of graphite (Gr), like what you would find in an ordinary pencil; a vial of graphene oxide (GO), produced by exfoliating Gr\u2014shedding the layers of the material\u2014and mixing it with the bacteria Shewanella;<\/em> a vial of the resulting product\u2014graphene materials (mrGO); and a vial of graphene materials that have been produced chemically (crGO). The graphene materials produced by Anne Meyer’s lab are significantly thinner than the graphene materials produced chemically. (Delft University of Technology photo \/ Benjamin Lehner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cGraphene oxide is easy to produce, but it is not very conductive due to all of the oxygen groups in it,\u201d Meyer says. \u201cThe bacteria remove most of the oxygen groups, which turns it into a conductive material.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the bacterially-produced graphene material created in Meyer\u2019s lab is conductive, it is also thinner and more stable than graphene produced chemically. It can additionally be stored for longer periods of time, making it well suited for a variety of applications, including field-effect transistor (FET) biosensors and conducting ink. FET biosensors are devices that detect biological molecules and could be used to perform, for example, real-time glucose monitoring for diabetics.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen biological molecules bind to the device, they change the conductance of the surface, sending a signal that the molecule is present,\u201d Meyer says. \u201cTo make a good FET biosensor you want a material that is highly conductive but can also be modified to bind to specific molecules.\u201d Graphene oxide that has been reduced is an ideal material because it is lightweight and very conductive, but it typically retains a small number of oxygen groups that can be used to bind to the molecules of interest.<\/p>\n

The bacterially produced graphene material could also be the basis for conductive inks, which could, in turn, be used to make faster and more efficient computer keyboards, circuit boards, or small wires such as those used to defrost car windshields. Using conductive inks is an \u201ceasier, more economical way to produce electrical circuits, compared to traditional techniques,\u201d Meyer says. Conductive inks could also be used to produce electrical circuits on top of nontraditional materials like fabric or paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur bacterially produced graphene material will lead to far better suitability for product development,\u201d Meyer says. \u201cWe were even able to develop a technique of \u2018bacterial lithography\u2019 to create graphene materials that were only conductive on one side, which can lead to the development of new, advanced nanocomposite materials.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Read more<\/h3>\n
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\"shell<\/p>\n

Researchers create artificial mother-of-pearl using bacteria<\/a><\/h3>\n

Nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, is an exceptionally tough natural material found in shells and pearls. Rochester biologists have developed an innovative method for creating nacre in the lab\u2014and maybe on the moon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"recipe<\/p>\n

Researchers target protein that protects bacteria\u2019s DNA \u2018recipes\u2019<\/a><\/h3>\n

In a new study, Rochester biologists describe some of the unique characteristics of the protein that makes bacterial like E. coli so resilient. Their research may lead to more targeted antibiotics and other drug therapies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Graphene is a revolutionary nanomaterial, the discovery of which led to a Nobel Prize. By mixing graphite with bacteria, Rochester scientists are making graphene easier and more environmentally friendly to produce, paving the way for future products and applications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":912,"featured_media":389392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[38642,18722,29502,37312,15222,18572,37822],"class_list":["post-389172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sci-tech","tag-anne-s-meyer","tag-department-of-biology","tag-featured-post-side","tag-materials-science-program","tag-nanotechnology","tag-research-finding","tag-urnano"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWill your future computer be made using bacteria?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By mixing graphite with bacteria, Rochester scientists are making graphene easier and more environmentally friendly to produce.\" \/>\n<meta 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