Plug-and-play modular biobatteries with microbial consortia

Recently, a bacteria-powered biobattery containing multiple species demonstrated long-lasting and fully self-sustainable power generation through their synergistic interaction. Confining individual in separate spaces avoids unbalanced competition between neighboring species, maximizing cooperative interaction to extend battery life. Despite the vast potential promise, however, spatially engineered microbial consortium has never been sufficiently scaled systematic controllable manner for immediate applications. Moreover, spatial organization of living microorganisms having seamless effective electrical coupling with external electrode remains significant challenge. In this work, we establish groundwork creating microfabricable scalable platform that allows control 3D multispecies consortium. A layer-by-layer electropolymerization deposition microbial-infused polymer solutions creates vertically multi-layered, conductive, structure where are separately confined quasi-solid-state layers, ultimately providing at biotic-abiotic interface efficient ionic environments cross-feeding interactions species. An integrated modular “plug-and-play” provides simple practical approach its serial parallel connections. By connecting modules, an actual wireless telemetry system was successfully operated, ensuring efficacy supply real-world sensor network