Electrifying research
Welcome to the homepage of the Microbial Electricity Research Team coordinated by Prof. dr. ir. Filip Meysman. The research team involves scientists from the University of Antwerpen (Belgium) and Technical University of Delft (The Netherlands). Research is funded by the European Research council (ERC), Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) and a VICI grant by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).
An intriguing discovery
None of the recent advancements in microbiology has been so perplexing as the discovery that multicellular bacteria are capable of inducing electrical currents over centimetre-scale distances. This implies that biological evolution has somehow produced a highly conductive biological structure. The prospect of bio-based material with exceptional electrical properties could push material science and electronics far beyond its current limits.
Research topics
Our research focuses on fundamental research questions regarding microbial electricity. How do micro-organisms generate electrical currents? What is the mechanism of electron transfer? What are the conductive structures and their properties? How can we use this knowledge for new materials and technology? What are the implications for natural ecosystems?
PRiNGLE
In March 2022 we launched the Pathfinder project EIC PRiNGLE coordinated by UAntwerpen. Our proteonics team aims for breakthroughs with highlyconductive proteins of extraordinary cablebacteria for applications in next-gen bio-electronics.
We are proud to present our multidisciplinary partners in this project: TU Delft (The Netherlands), FZ Juelich (Germany), VUB through VIB Life Sciences (Belgium), UCY (Cyprus) and IBEC Barcelona (Spain).