Bacteria-Built Thermoelectric Material

Feb-03-19 An innovative new thermoelectric, cellulose-based material produced by bacteria is sustainable and recyclable.

The material was ‘cultivated’ by a team from the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona by placing bacteria in an aqueous medium that contains both sugar and carbon nanotubes. The bacteria in turn produced nanocellulose fibers embedded with the carbon nanotubes, resulting in a non-toxic, flexible, paper material with a high electrical conductivity.

According to Anna Roig, the bacteria-created material “has a higher thermal stability compared to other thermoelectric materials based on synthetic polymers, which allows it to reach temperatures of 250 °C.”

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