Electromagnetically Controlled Biological Assembly of Aligned Bacterial Cellulose Nanofibers
Journal article, 2010
We have developed a new biofabrication process in which the precise control of bacterial motion is used to fabricate customizable networks of cellulose nanofibrils. This article describes how the motion of Acetobacter xylinum can be controlled by electric fields while the bacteria simultaneously produce nanocellulose, resulting in networks with aligned fibers. Since the electrolysis of water due to the application of electric fields produces the oxygen in the culture media far from the liquid-air boundary, aerobic cellulose production in 3D structures is readily achievable. Five separate sets of experiments were conducted to demonstrate the assembly of nanocellulose by A. xylinum in the presence of electric fields in micro-and macro-environments. This study demonstrates a new concept of bottom up material synthesis by the control of a biological assembly process.
surface
acetobacter-xylinum
manipulation
thin fractionation
Electrokinetics
Acetobacter xylinum
cells
field-flow fractionation
theoretical basis
Biological assembly
dielectrophoresis
suspensions
Directed biofabrication
agitated culture
Author
M. B. Sano
A. D. Rojas
Paul Gatenholm
Chalmers, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Polymer Technology
R. V. Davalos
Annals of Biomedical Engineering
0090-6964 (ISSN) 15739686 (eISSN)
Vol. 38 8 2475-2484Subject Categories
Chemical Sciences
DOI
10.1007/s10439-010-9999-0