Professor wants to integrate bacteria-powered biobatteries into 3D-printed circuits

Over the past decade, Professor Seokheun ‘Sean’ Choi of Binghamton University has developed a series of bacteria-powered biobatteries for use in remote locations such as oceans and forests, as well as in the human digestive tract. Now he’s ready for another challenge: integrating these fuel cells into flexible electronics made with the latest 3D printing technology.

“The next generation of electronics will be all-in-one electronics, with all the components integrated in one single sheet rather than different components assembled later,” said Choi, a faculty member in the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

With a $550,000 research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Choi will develop a manufacturing process that does not destroy the delicate biological components that are essential for energy production. Choi explains that future electronics will combine all components on a single flexible sheet instead of assembling them separately.

“The problem with microbial fuel cells as a power source is that liquid for bacterial material is not compatible with solid-state electronics. Also, living bacteria cannot survive many extreme microfabrication processes.”

Choi sees a solution in the use of inactive bacterial spores. These spores are resistant to extreme conditions and can survive for long periods of time. Under the right circumstances, they germinate and generate electricity.

“There are many different types of energy-harvesting techniques, like mechanical-, solar- or radio frequency-based,” he said. “I still believe that microbial fuel cells are the most suitable, because it’s a living material. They can self-maintain, self-heal and adapt to environmental changes.”

The research project fits into Choi’s larger vision of environmentally friendly electronics. In the future, these are to be used for applications in the Internet of Things (IoT), for example in disposable sensors for food packaging or in agricultural applications. Thanks to another NSF grant, Choi also began developing biodegradable ‘papertronics’ last year, which are safe and environmentally friendly.

“We need to use an energy-harvesting technique so the electronics are functioning for a long time without batteries and never will be electronic waste because of power-source issues,” he said. “We also need ecofriendly electronics. I’m not talking about just the material itself but also the fabrication, operation and everything.”