Cable bacteria have evolved an organic structure that enables a highly efficient electron transport over large distances (Meysman et al., Nat Comm., 2019). We want to understand what this material is and how it enables such efficient electron transport.
Research questions
- What is the chemical structure and composition of the conductive structures?
- What is the fundamental mechanism of electron transport?
- What are the electrical and optical properties?
- What are potential applications in bio-electronics and biotechnology?
Research approach
The Microbial Electricity research team newly develops and applies single-filament characterization approaches, where individual filaments are isolated from the sediment and transferred to costum made electrode setups. This enables the characterization of the electrical, electrochemical and opto-electronic properties of the conductive structures.