Bacteria can grow electrically conductive appendages, say scientists in Canada, who have been inspired to find new applications for these appendages, such as electron-transfer conduits for biofuel cells, and building blocks for bionanoelectronics and flexible nanoelectronics.
The appendages have electrical conductivity comparable to moderately doped inorganic semiconductors and elasticity similar to polymeric materials, claim the researchers.
Read the article for free here until August 12…. Kar Man Leung, Greg Wanger, Qiuquan Guo, Yuri Gorby, Gordon Southam, Woon Ming Lau and Jun Yang, Soft Matter, 2011, 7, 6617-6621.
