The US developer demonstrates a prototype of a device that can record mechanical deformation. Plankton living in it emits light according to the voltage generated and recharges itself under light.
Dinoflageum is a group of single-cell photosynthetic organisms that use one eye and a pair of flagella to detect light and move towards it. These are one of the main representatives of marine phytoplankton - from tropical to polar waters. Many species are able to produce bioluminescence through the movement of water. After feeling it, the entire group of dinoflagellates illuminate the waves or stay behind the ship sailing into the sea.
This reaction is related to the cell's response to mechanical stress, and a team of scientists at the University of California, San Diego decided to use this property of dinoflagellate to create new "natural" biosensors. The prototype includes living cells wrapped in a transparent flexible shell that glows when it feels stretched, compressed or bent. Professor Cai Shengqiang and his co-authors talked about him in an article published in the magazine "Natural Communications ".
After consulting with biologists, the scientists chose the Pyrocystis lunula dinoflagellates and placed them in sealed elastic shells of various shapes. To enhance the mechanical stresses the cells are subjected to, small protrusions are made on the inner surface of the shell, thereby enhancing the water flow during deformation. Thanks to this, the authors managed to get the prototype of biosensor , and with a light touch they will really light up. Scientists have also shown that magnets can be placed inside the device, and then they move and emit light under the influence of an external field.
Elastic polymer polydimethylsiloxane is used as the shell. The material is made on a matrix with micropores made using laser, so he also retains the holes. They capture cells and large biomolecules, but ensure the exchange of oxygen and other gases. Thanks to this, dinoflagellates in the device are still alive and for "charging", they are enough to stay in the light. Photosynthesis will help restore resources for luminescence.
Otherwise, the prototype created is very simple and does not require any maintenance. “We bring culture in, and that’s where it ends,” Professor Cai said. "When they are charged in the sun, they can be used again and again for at least a month. No need to update solutions, etc. Each device is a small ecosystem of life."
Now scientists are planning to improve prototypes—especially to obtain such structures so that living cells can be integrated directly into it. This will make the device more reliable and versatile. One day in the future, they may be used in areas such as marine monitoring systems, underwater robots, etc., or simply provide lighting without electricity.
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