https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/tiny-skyscrapers-help-bacteria-convert-sunlight-into-electricity Home * Study at Cambridge * About the University * Research at Cambridge * For staff * For Cambridge students * For alumni * For our researchers * Business and enterprise * Colleges and Departments * Email and phone search * Give to Cambridge * Libraries * Museums and collections Search [Search ] Search Search [ ] Search * Study at Cambridge * Undergraduate + Courses + Applying + Events and open days + Fees and finance * Postgraduate + Why Cambridge? + Postgraduate courses + How to apply + Fees and funding + Frequently asked questions * International students * Continuing education * Executive and professional education * Courses in education * About the University * How the University and Colleges work * Term dates * History * Map * Visiting the University * Annual reports * Equality and diversity * News * A global university * Events * Public engagement * Jobs * Give to Cambridge * Research at Cambridge * For staff * For Cambridge students * For alumni * For our researchers * Business and enterprise * Colleges and Departments * Email and phone search * Give to Cambridge * Libraries * Museums and collections * Home * Research * News * Tiny 'skyscrapers' help bacteria convert sunlight into electricity Research * Research home * News * Our people * Spotlights * About research + About research overview + Animal research o Animal research overview o Overseeing animal research # Overseeing animal research overview # The Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body o Animal welfare and ethics o Report on the allegations and matters raised in the BUAV report o What types of animal do we use? # What types of animal do we use? overview # Chickens # Guinea pigs # Hamsters # Mice # Naked mole-rats # Non-human primates (marmosets and rhesus macaques) # Other birds # Pigs # Rats # Sheep # Xenopus # Zebrafish o Non-technical summaries o Animal Welfare Policy o Alternatives to animal use o FAQs o Further information + Funding Agency Committee Members + Research integrity + Horizons magazine + Strategic Initiatives & Networks + Nobel Prize + Interdisciplinary Research Centres + Open access + Energy sector partnerships + Podcasts o Podcasts overview o S2 ep1: What is the future? o S2 ep2: What did the future look like in the past? o S2 ep 3: What is the future of wellbeing? o S2 ep4: What would a more just future look like? o S2 ep 5: What is the future of artificial intelligence? o S2 ep 6: The future of reproduction * Business and enterprise * Research impact * Animal research Tiny 'skyscrapers' help bacteria convert sunlight into electricity 3D-printed custom electrodes Researchers have made tiny 'skyscrapers' for communities of bacteria, helping them to generate electricity from just sunlight and water. Our approach is a step towards making even more sustainable renewable energy devices for the future Jenny Zhang The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, used 3D printing to create grids of high-rise 'nano-housing' where sun-loving bacteria can grow quickly. The researchers were then able to extract the bacteria's waste electrons, left over from photosynthesis, which could be used to power small electronics. Other research teams have extracted energy from photosynthetic bacteria, but the Cambridge researchers have found that providing them with the right kind of home increases the amount of energy they can extract by over an order of magnitude. The approach is competitive against traditional methods of renewable bioenergy generation and has already reached solar conversion efficiencies that can outcompete many current methods of biofuel generation. Their results, reported in the journal Nature Materials, open new avenues in bioenergy generation and suggest that 'biohybrid' sources of solar energy could be an important component in the zero-carbon energy mix. Current renewable technologies, such as silicon-based solar cells and biofuels, are far superior to fossil fuels in terms of carbon emissions, but they also have limitations, such as a reliance on mining, challenges in recycling, and a reliance on farming and land use, which results in biodiversity loss. "Our approach is a step towards making even more sustainable renewable energy devices for the future," said Dr Jenny Zhang from the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, who led the research. Zhang and her colleagues from the Department of Biochemistry and the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy are working to rethink bioenergy into something that is sustainable and scalable. Photosynthetic bacteria, or cyanobacteria, are the most abundant life from on Earth. For several years, researchers have been attempting to 're-wire' the photosynthesis mechanisms of cyanobacteria in order to extract energy from them. "There's been a bottleneck in terms of how much energy you can actually extract from photosynthetic systems, but no one understood where the bottleneck was," said Zhang. "Most scientists assumed that the bottleneck was on the biological side, in the bacteria, but we've found that a substantial bottleneck is actually on the material side." In order to grow, cyanobacteria need lots of sunlight - like the surface of a lake in summertime. And in order to extract the energy they produce through photosynthesis, the bacteria need to be attached to electrodes. The Cambridge team 3D-printed custom electrodes out of metal oxide nanoparticles that are tailored to work with the cyanobacteria as they perform photosynthesis. The electrodes were printed as highly branched, densely packed pillar structures, like a tiny city. Zhang's team developed a printing technique that allows control over multiple length scales, making the structures highly customisable, which could benefit a wide range of fields. "The electrodes have excellent light-handling properties, like a high-rise apartment with lots of windows," said Zhang. "Cyanobacteria need something they can attach to and form a community with their neighbours. Our electrodes allow for a balance between lots of surface area and lots of light - like a glass skyscraper." Once the self-assembling cyanobacteria were in their new 'wired' home, the researchers found that they were more efficient than other current bioenergy technologies, such as biofuels. The technique increased the amount of energy extracted by over an order of magnitude over other methods for producing bioenergy from photosynthesis. "I was surprised we were able to achieve the numbers we did - similar numbers have been predicted for many years, but this is the first time that these numbers have been shown experimentally," said Zhang. "Cyanobacteria are versatile chemical factories. Our approach allows us to tap into their energy conversion pathway at an early point, which helps us understand how they carry out energy conversion so we can use their natural pathways for renewable fuel or chemical generation." The research was supported in part by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Cambridge Trust, the Isaac Newton Trust and the European Research Council. Jenny Zhang is BBSRC David Phillips Fellow in the Department of Chemistry, and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Reference: Xiaolong Chen et al. '3D-printed hierarchical pillar array electrodes for high performance semi-artificial photosynthesis.' Nature Materials (2022). 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Media enquiries Sarah Collins Communications team Published 07 Mar 2022 Image 3D-printed custom electrodes Credit: Gabriella Bocchetti Share Search research Keyword search [ ] Go Sign up to receive our weekly research email Our selection of the week's biggest Cambridge research news and features sent directly to your inbox. Enter your email address, confirm you're happy to receive our emails and then select 'Subscribe'. Email [ ] [ ]I wish to receive a weekly Cambridge research news summary by email. [Subscribe] The University of Cambridge will use your email address to send you our weekly research news email. We are committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about what information we hold. Please read our email privacy notice for details. Subjects * Energy * bioenergy * renewable * bacteria * solar * sustainability * Sustainable Earth People * Jenny Zhang Places * Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry * Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy * Department of Biochemistry * School of the Physical Sciences * School of the Biological Sciences * Corpus Christi College * Cambridge Zero Related organisations * Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) * Cambridge Trust * Isaac Newton Trust * European Research Council Horizons magazine Cover of Horizons edition 40 Download issue 40 (PDF) Connect with us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * YouTube * LinkedIn * Sina Weibo Cambridge University (c) 2022 University of Cambridge * Contact the University * Accessibility * Freedom of information * Privacy policy and cookies * Statement on Modern Slavery * Terms and conditions * University A-Z Study at Cambridge * Undergraduate * Postgraduate * Continuing education * Executive and professional education * Courses in education About the University * How the University and Colleges work * Give to Cambridge * Jobs * Maps * Visiting the University Research at Cambridge * Research news * About research at Cambridge * Public engagement * Spotlight on... *