Plant nanobionic materials with a giant temperature response mediated by pectin-Ca2+.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 112(15): 4541-5, 2015 Apr 14.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25825744
ABSTRACT
Conventional approaches to create biomaterials rely on reverse engineering of biological structures, on biomimicking, and on bioinspiration. Plant nanobionics is a recent approach to engineer new materials combining plant organelles with synthetic nanoparticles to enhance, for example, photosynthesis. Biological structures often outperform man-made materials. For example, higher plants sense temperature changes with high responsivity. However, these properties do not persist after cell death. Here, we permanently stabilize the temperature response of isolated plant cells adding carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Interconnecting cells, we create materials with an effective temperature coefficient of electrical resistance (TCR) of -1,730% K(-1), â¼2 orders of magnitude higher than the best available sensors. This extreme temperature response is due to metal ions contained in the egg-box structure of the pectin backbone, lodged between cellulose microfibrils. The presence of a network of CNTs stabilizes the response of cells at high temperatures without decreasing the activation energy of the material. CNTs also increase the background conductivity, making these materials suitable elements for thermal and distance sensors.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Materiales Biocompatibles
/
Calcio
/
Pectinas
/
Nanotubos de Carbono
/
Células Vegetales
/
Calor
Idioma:
En
Año:
2015
Tipo del documento:
Article