Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently announced that they have figured out how to engineer a biofilm that harvests the energy in evaporation and converts it to electricity. It has the potential to revolutionize the world of wearable electronics, powering everything from personal medical sensors to personal electronics.

Figure 1: A biofilm is the world of wearable electronics.

Figure 1 shows that “this is a very exciting technology," says Xiaomeng Liu. "It is real green energy, and unlike other so-called 'green-energy' sources, its production is totally green."That's because this biofilm—a thin sheet of bacterial cells about the thickness of a sheet of paper—is produced naturally by an engineered version of the bacteria Geobacter sulfurreducens. [1]

G. sulfurreducens is known to produce electricity and has been used previously in “microbial batteries” to power electrical devices.this new biofilm, which can supply as much, if not more, energy than a comparably sized battery, works, and works continuously, because it is dead. And because it’s dead, it doesn’t need to be fed.

“It’s much more efficient,” says Derek Lovley.“We’ve simplified the process of generating electricity by radically cutting back on the amount of processing needed. We sustainably grow the cells in a biofilm, and then use that agglomeration of cells. This cuts the energy inputs, makes everything simpler and widens the potential applications.”

The secret behind this new biofilm is that it makes energy from the moisture on your skin. Though we daily read stories about solar power, at least 50% of the solar energy reaching the earth goes toward evaporating water. “This is a huge, untapped source of energy,” says Jun Yao. [2]

But a clear, small, thin flexible biofilm that produces a constant and steady supply of electricity and that can be worn like a Band-Aid, as a patch applied directly to the skin, solves all these problems.

What does it all work?Yes, sulfurreduction Grows in colonies that look like thin mats, and each individual germ connects to its neighbors via a series of natural nanowires. The team then cuts these mats and uses lasers to engrave tiny circuits in the films. Once the films are etched, they are sandwiched between electrodes and finally sealed into a soft, sticky, breathable polymer that you can apply directly to your skin. Once this tiny battery is “plugged in” by applying it to your body, it can power small devices.

“Our next step is to increase the size of our films to power more sophisticated skin-wearable electronics,” says Yao. [3]

References:

1. 1. https://techxplore.com/news/2022-08-biofilm-capable-long-term-electricity.html
2. 2. https://vervetimes.com/team-engineers-biofilm-capable-of-producing-long-term-continuous-electricity-from-your-sweat-sciencedaily/
3. 3. https://nationworldnews.com/bacteria-truly-powering-the-green-revolution-in-personal-electronics-team-engineers-biofilms-capable-of-producing-long-lasting-continuous-electricity-from-your-sweat/

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), New Biofilm Device Acts Like a Green-Energy Source, Anatechmaz, pp. 362