In a collaboration between the Netherlands’ Radboud University and the University of Twente, researchers have discovered that by using a special electroactive bacterium, they can generate well-defined nanosized particles of diverse materials. The bacterium, Shewanella oneidensis, is a “microbial nanofactory” that can be used to produce materials such as iron, gold, and silver. By using a combination of electrical stimulation, the bacteria can be used to produce particles in the range of 10-100 nanometers. The research team believes that this discovery could lead to the development of “green nanotechnologies” that offer a more environmentally-friendly alternative to chemical-based nanomaterial production methods.

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source: Phys.org