Bioderived electronics: utilizing proteins for making large scale assemblies exhibiting superior electronic and optoelectronic properties

Abstract

Nature uses proteins for a variety of functions, and among all others, their ability to form high-hierarchical structures as well as to mediate charges. We are inspired by these functions of proteins in nature and utilize proteins for the formation of large-scale conductive materials. We report here on a new family of conductive biopolymers using only sustainable and abundant proteins. We show that our new biopolymers have superior mechanical properties and ionic conductivity, which is due to their high water uptake and the presence of oxo-amino-acids. We further show that our biopolymers can be easily functionalized in different ways, thus enhancing their ionic conductivity, enabling electron conduction, and introducing optoelectronic properties. We currently use our polymers for making new biosensors. These polymers are environmentally friendly, biodegradable, biocompatible, and low-cost, and we foresee their integration in numerous applications from biomedical to energy applications