Material for Electronic Film Produced by Bacteria

Innovation: Industry

Zymergen

2020

Image: CDC / Unsplash / CC BY SA - Creative Commons Attribution + ShareAlike

Physically Assemble Structure

Living systems use physical materials to create structures to serve as protection, insulation, and other purposes. These structures can be internal (within or attached to the system itself), such as cell membranes, shells, and fur. They can also be external (detached), such as nests, burrows, cocoons, or webs. Because physical materials are limited and the energy required to gather and create new structures is costly, living systems must use both conservatively. Therefore, they optimize the structures’ size, weight, and density. For example, weaver birds use two types of vegetation to create their nests: strong, a few stiff fibers and numerous thin fibers. Combined, they make a strong, yet flexible, nest. An example of an internal structure is a bird’s bone. The bone is comprised of a mineral matrix assembled to create strong cross-supports and a tubular outer surface filled with air to minimize weight.

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Chemically Assemble Polymers

We might think that complex polymers are the result of human industrial ingenuity, but nature cornered the market on polymers billions of years earlier. Examples of biopolymers are proteins, carbohydrates, and genetic material. In contrast to human industrial processes, within a cell, ribosomes covalently bond amino acids together to form proteins.

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Manage Mechanical Wear

A living system is subject to mechanical wear when two parts rub against each other or when the living system comes in contact with abrasive components in its environment, such as sand or coral. Some abrasive components are a constant force, such as finger joints moving, while others occur infrequently, such as a sand storm moving across a desert. Living systems protect from mechanical wear using strategies appropriate to the level and frequency of the source, such as having abrasion-resistant surfaces, replaceable parts, or lubricants. For example, human joints like shoulders and knees move against each other all day, every day. To protect from mechanical wear, a lubricant reduces friction between the cartilage and the joint.

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Patents

Hyaline from Zymergen is a bio-based transparent film that is flexible, thin, and versatile.

Benefits

Reduced waste
High transparency
Temperature resistant

Applications

Touch screens
Camera lenses
Wearable sensors

UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

Goal 9: Industry Innovation & Infrastructure
Goal 12: Responsible Production & Consumption

Bioutilization

Bacteria

The Challenge

Electronics are everywhere these days, and many of them require a transparent barrier for protection from scratches and other damages. Traditionally, clear, rigid films are used but they are typically manufactured using petroleum-based products and chemicals, resulting in carbon pollution and toxic waste by-products. Additionally, these rigid films limit the flexibility of electronic devices.

Innovation Details

Hyaline is a bio-manufactured polyimide film. It is made of monomers produced through fermentation by engineered bacteria. The bacteria have novel genes inserted into their DNA to cause the production of the desired monomers. The monomers are joined to create a dynamic, transparent optical film with excellent mechanical properties that can be used to create foldable electronic devices.

Biological Model

Fermentation is a process in which bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms chemically break down sugars to produce energy without using oxygen. Carbon dioxide, glycerol, lactic acid, and alcohol are all byproducts made during fermentation that can be further utilized in different applications. Humans have harnessed the process and byproducts of fermentation for thousands of years, often to make foods, like bread, cheese, and wine.

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