Open AccessAcetobacter Biofilm: Electronic Characterization and Reactive Transduction of Pressure
Author(s) -
Alessandro Chiolerio,
Andrew Adamatzky
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
acs biomaterials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.082
H-Index - 50
ISSN - 2373-9878
DOI - 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c01804
Subject(s) - bacterial cellulose , materials science , electrode , biophysics , electrical impedance , optoelectronics , electrical current , nanotechnology , electrolyte , biomedical engineering , cellulose , chemistry , electrical engineering , biology , biochemistry , medicine , engineering
The bacterial skin studied here is a several centimeter-wide colony of Acetobacter aceti living on a cellulose-based hydrogel. We demonstrate that the colony exhibits trains of spikes of extracellular electrical potential, with amplitudes of the spikes varying from 1 to 17 mV. The bacterial pad responds to mechanical stimulation with distinctive changes in its electrical activity. While studying the passive electrical properties of the bacterial pad, we found that the pad provides an open-circuit voltage drop (between 7 and 25 mV) and a small short-circuit current (1.5-4 nA). We also observed by pulsed tomography and spatially resolved impedance spectroscopy that the conduction occurs along preferential paths, with the peculiar side-effect of having a higher resistance between closer electrodes. We speculate that the Acetobacter biofilms could be utilized in the development of living skin for soft robots: such skin will act as an electrochemical battery and a reactive tactile sensor. It could even be used for wearable devices.