ETH scientists used cells form the tobacco plant to build the by far most sensitive temperature sensor. (Illustration: Daniele Flo / ETH Zurich)
Scientists from ETH Zurich have developed a thermometer that is at least 100 times more sensitive than previous temperature sensors. It consists of a bio-synthetic hybrid material of tobacco cells and nanotubes.
Humans have been inspired by nature since the beginning of time. We mimic nature to develop new technologies, with examples ranging from machinery to pharmaceuticals to new materials. Planes are modelled on birds and many drugs have their origins in plants. Researchers at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering have taken it a step further: in order to develop an extremely sensitive temperature sensor they took a close look at temperature-sensitive plants. However, they did not mimic the properties of the plants; instead, they developed a hybrid material that contains, in addition to synthetic components, the plant cells themselves. “We let nature do the job for us,” explains Chiara Daraio, Professor of Mechanics and Materials.
The scientists were able to develop by far the most sensitive temperature sensor: an electronic module that changes its conductivity as a function of temperature. “No other sensor can respond to such small temperature fluctuations with such large changes in conductivity. Our sensor reacts with a responsivity at least 100 times higher compared to the best existing sensors,” says Raffaele Di Giacomo, a post-doc in Daraio’s group.
Water is replaced by nanotubes
It has been known for decades that plants have the extraordinary ability to register extremely fine temperature differences and respond to them through changes in the conductivity of their cells. In doing so, plants are better than any man-made sensor so far.
Di Giacomo experimented with tobacco cells in a cell culture. “We asked ourselves how we might transfer these cells into a lifeless, dry material in such a way that their temperature-sensitive properties are preserved,” he recounts. The scientists achieved their objective by growing the cells in a medium containing tiny tubes of carbon. These electrically conductive carbon nanotubes formed a network between the tobacco cells and were also able to penetrate the cell walls. When Di Giacomo dried the nanotube-cultivated cells, he discovered a woody, firm material that he calls ‘cyberwood’. In contrast to wood, this material is electrically conductive thanks to the nanotubes, and interestingly the conductivity is temperature-dependent and extremely sensitive, just like in living tobacco cells.
Touchless touchscreen and heat-sensitive cameras
As demonstrated by experiments, the cyberwood sensor can identify warm bodies even at distance; for example, a hand approaching the sensor from a distance of a few dozen centimetres. The sensor’s conductivity depends directly on the hand’s distance from the sensor.
Read more: From tobacco to cyberwood
The Latest on: Bio-synthetic hybrid material
via Google News
The Latest on: Bio-synthetic hybrid material
- Best Mattress of 2022: Guide to Buying the Best Mattresson June 16, 2022 at 7:00 am
However, the AS3 Hybrid ... Bio-Pur stays cool at night while also responding to movements much more swiftly. Next is a foam unique to the AS5, called Active Flex. The material acts as the ...
- The Worldwide Synthetic Biology Industry is Expected to Reach $34.2 Billion by 2027 - ResearchAndMarkets.comon June 15, 2022 at 2:29 am
Technology, Application, Region (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's ...
- Artificial Organs Produce Genuine Benefitson June 14, 2022 at 5:00 pm
using artificial templates or biological scaffolds. Other research seeks to develop hybrid devices that are part organic and part synthetic, combining living cells with constructed devices or ...
- New designer cells could advance treatments for illness and diseaseon June 12, 2022 at 5:00 pm
They constantly shift how materials inside are arranged, in response to their environment. Taking inspiration from biology and building this feature into synthetic systems has great potential in ...
- Self-Healing, Synthetic Skin is Grown Directly on a Robotic Fingeron June 12, 2022 at 6:07 am
With robotics and tissue culture skills, scientists have engineered a type of synthetic skin tissue that they successfully grew on a robot finger. The organic tissue contains live cells that support a ...
- Nano-Organisms Can Eat Carbon Dioxide to Produce Bio-Fuels and Plasticson June 9, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Researchers are constantly searching for new and inventive ways to develop cleaner plastics and bio-fuels to solve some of the pollution ... of the most interesting inventions thus far—nanobio-hybrid ...
- Global Synthetic Biology Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Analysison June 2, 2022 at 4:08 am
Dublin, June 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Synthetic Biology Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis by Products, Technology, and Application" report has been added to ...
- Biobots are hybrid machines that have muscles and nerveson June 1, 2022 at 5:00 pm
To drive this technological aim, researchers at the University of Illinois have developed soft, biological robotic devices that are ... tissue used in the biobots was compatible with the synthetic ...
- STK’s REGEV® Hybrid Fungicide Wins "Best Biochemical Product of the Year"on May 26, 2022 at 3:29 pm
TEL AVIV, Israel, May 26, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--STK Bio-Ag Technologies, a pioneer in the development and marketing of botanical based and hybrid solutions for crop protection, received the Best ...
- Best Hybrid Mattresses of 2022on August 4, 2021 at 6:51 am
We recommend the AS3 Hybrid for side, back, and combination sleepers. Due to the Bio-Pur® foam’s breathable ... it’s a matter of necessity because synthetic materials irritate their bodies ...
via Bing News