糖心传媒

In order to create new and more efficient computers, medical devices, and other advanced technologies, researchers are turning to nanomaterials: materials manipulated on the scale of atoms or molecules that exhibit unique properties.

Graphene糖心传媒攁 flake of carbon as thin as a single layer of atoms糖心传媒攊s a revolutionary nanomaterial due to its ability to easily conduct electricity, as well as its extraordinary mechanical strength and flexibility. However, a major hurdle in adopting it for everyday applications is producing graphene at a large scale, while still retaining its amazing properties.

In a, , an associate professor of at the 糖心传媒, and her colleagues at , describe a way to overcome this barrier. The researchers outline their method to produce graphene materials using a novel technique: mixing oxidized graphite with bacteria. Their method is a more cost-efficient, time-saving, and environmentally friendly way of producing graphene materials versus those produced chemically, and could lead to the creation of innovative computer technologies and medical equipment.

Graphene is extracted from graphite, the material found in an ordinary pencil. At exactly one atom thick, graphene is the thinnest糖心传媒攜et strongest糖心传媒�two-dimensional material known to researchers. Scientists from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom were awarded the for their discovery of graphene; however, their method of using sticky tape to make graphene yielded only small amounts of the material.

糖心传媒淔or real applications you need large amounts,糖心传媒� Meyer says. 糖心传媒淧roducing these bulk amounts is challenging and typically results in graphene that is thicker and less pure. This is where our work came in.糖心传媒�

In order to produce larger quantities of graphene materials, Meyer and her colleagues started with a vial of graphite. They exfoliated the graphite糖心传媒攕hedding the layers of material糖心传媒攖o produce graphene oxide (GO), which they then mixed with the bacteria Shewanella. They let the beaker of bacteria and precursor materials sit overnight, during which time the bacteria reduced the GO to a graphene material.

糖心传媒淕raphene oxide is easy to produce, but it is not very conductive due to all of the oxygen groups in it,糖心传媒� Meyer says. 糖心传媒淭he bacteria remove most of the oxygen groups, which turns it into a conductive material.糖心传媒�

While the bacterially-produced graphene material created in Meyer糖心传媒檚 lab is conductive, it is also thinner and more stable than graphene produced chemically. It can additionally be stored for longer periods of time, making it well suited for a variety of applications, including field-effect transistor (FET) biosensors and conducting ink. FET biosensors are devices that detect biological molecules and could be used to perform, for example, real-time glucose monitoring for diabetics.

糖心传媒淲hen biological molecules bind to the device, they change the conductance of the surface, sending a signal that the molecule is present,糖心传媒� Meyer says. 糖心传媒淭o make a good FET biosensor you want a material that is highly conductive but can also be modified to bind to specific molecules.糖心传媒� Graphene oxide that has been reduced is an ideal material because it is lightweight and very conductive, but it typically retains a small number of oxygen groups that can be used to bind to the molecules of interest.

The bacterially produced graphene material could also be the basis for conductive inks, which could, in turn, be used to make faster and more efficient computer keyboards, circuit boards, or small wires such as those used to defrost car windshields. Using conductive inks is an 糖心传媒渆asier, more economical way to produce electrical circuits, compared to traditional techniques,糖心传媒� Meyer says. Conductive inks could also be used to produce electrical circuits on top of nontraditional materials like fabric or paper.

糖心传媒淥ur bacterially produced graphene material will lead to far better suitability for product development,糖心传媒� Meyer says. 糖心传媒淲e were even able to develop a technique of 糖心传媒榖acterial lithography糖心传媒� to create graphene materials that were only conductive on one side, which can lead to the development of new, advanced nanocomposite materials.糖心传媒�

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