An Origami Paper-Based Bacteria-Powered Battery for On-Chip Biosensors

该研究将设计和优化一种基于纸的细菌动力电池，该电池可以集成到基于纸的微型设备中，为机载组件供电。 纸在诸如床旁和使用点测试等应用中的流体操作和分析/临床测试方面具有明显的优势，特别是在低资源环境中。 拟议的纸基生物电池融合了折纸艺术和微生物燃料电池（MFC）技术，从微生物代谢中产生能量，这样一滴含细菌的液体就可以为下一代纸基系统提供能量。每一个环境，如肮脏的水坑或污水，都有含有微生物的液体，足以运行纸基生物电池。因此，拟议的研究可能会产生巨大的社会和经济影响。它将使低成本的诊断/分析生物传感器能够在最具挑战性的环境条件下使用。 该项目将致力于科学教育，因为研究成果将通过会议和期刊分享，并融入中学后课程以及K-12推广活动。这项研究将推动纸电池完全集成到纸基微流体系统中的潜力，为车载组件提供动力。所提出的折纸技术将为纸基细菌动力电池提供一种串联/并联连接方法，以产生目标功率输出，在添加一滴含细菌液体后，该方法将通过纸层内的3-D微流体通道的毛细管力简单地操作。 为了操作，电池堆将被展开以将所有空气阴极暴露于空气，从而使它们的阴极反应最大化。 这项研究的目标包括深入了解细菌？的潜力，并衡量细菌的能力，提供快速发电。调查范围包括验证设计足迹和细菌组合，优化后将创建一种基于纸张的新型能源转换技术。 细菌供电电池设计的潜在益处包括1）用于接口的纸基分析/诊断装置的可行的替代电源，2）在易于使用的包装中开发供电的纸基生物传感测定，3）通过纸基质增加对细菌运输和相关的细胞外电子转移机制的基本理解，以及4）折纸技术将建立和验证电池堆串联或并联连接的平台先例。

The research will design and optimize a paper-based, bacteria-powered battery that can be integrated into paper-based microdevices to power on-board components. Paper has distinct advantages for fluid manipulation and analytical/clinical testing in applications such as point-of-care and point-of-use testing, particularly in low-resource settings. The proposed paper-based biobattery fuses the art of origami and the technology of Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) to generate power from microbial metabolism such that one drop of bacteria-containing liquid can deliver energy to next-generation paper-based systems. Every environment like soiled puddles or sewage has liquids that contain microorganisms that are sufficient for operating paper-based biobatteries. The proposed research therefore potentially has great social and economic impacts. It will enable low-cost diagnostic/analytical biosensors optimized for use under the most challenging environmental conditions. The project will address scientific education as the research outcomes will be shared through conferences and journals, and integrated into post-secondary courses as well as K-12 outreach.This research will advance the potential of paper battery to be fully integrated in paper-based microfluidic systems to power on-board components. The proposed origami technique will provide a series/parallel connection method for paper-based bacteria-powered batteries to produce a targeted power output that, upon adding a drop of bacterial-containing liquid will simply operate by capillary force through 3-D microfluidic pathways within the paper layers. For operation, the battery stack will be unfolded to expose all air-cathodes to the air, thereby maximizing their cathodic reactions. The goals of the research include gaining in-depth understanding of bacteria?s potential within a paper matrix and gauging bacterial ability to provide rapid electricity generation. The scope of investigation includes validating design footprints and bacterial combinations, when optimized will create a novel energy conversion technology based on paper. The potential benefits of bacteria-powered battery design include 1) a viable alternative power source for interfaced, paper-based analytical/diagnostic devices, 2) develop powered paper-based biosensing assays in easy-to-use packages, 3) increase fundamental understanding of bacterial transport and associated extracellular electron transfer mechanisms through a paper matrix, and 4) origami technique will establish and validate a platform precedent for battery stacks to be connected either in series or in parallel.