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Updated: May 11, 2026

Translating Extracellular Electron Transfer Activities with Organic Electrochemical Transistors
Published on: January 31, 2025
Extracellular electron transfer across bacterial cell membranes via a cytocompatible redox-active polymer
Koichi Nishio1, Ryuhei Nakamura, Xiaojie Lin
1Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
Abstract:
A redox-active phospholipid polymer with a phospholipid-mimicking structure (2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine; MPC) was synthesized to construct a biocompatible electron mediator between bacteria and an electrode. In this study, a copolymer of MPC and vinylferrocene [VF; poly(MPC-co-VF)] (PMF) is synthesized. When PMF is added to cultures of the bacterial species Escherichia coli (Gram negative) and Lactobacillus plantarum (Gram positive), which have different cell wall structures, a catalytic current mediated by PMF is observed. In addition, growth curves and live/dead assays indicate that PMF does not decrease metabolic activity or cell viability. These results indicate that PMF mediates extracellular electron transfer across bacterial cell membranes without associated cytotoxicity.
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