Nanocellulose electrodes for interfacing plant electrochemistry

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC), a renewable biopolymer biosynthesized by specific bacterial strains, exhibits exceptional mechanical strength, water retention, and biocompatibility due to its nanofibrillar 3D architecture and high purity. Functionalizing BNC with conductive polymers, metal nanoparticles, enzymes, and peptides unlocks its potential for diverse applications in smart bioelectronics, including biosensors, neural interfaces, and tissue engineering. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of recent strategies for tuning BNC’s electrical, optical, biological, and mechanical properties to meet the evolving demands of next-generation biomedical and wearable devices. We discuss a broad range of functionalization methodsfrom in situ nanoparticle synthesis and electrostatic assembly to cross-linking and doping with ionic liquidsand explore their role in enhancing conductivity, stimuli-responsiveness, and cellular interactions. Furthermore, we examine BNC-based nanocomposites designed for biosensing, wound healing, optoelectronic sensing, and flexible implantable systems. The review concludes by outlining current key hurdles including scalability, device integration, long-term stability, and stringent regulatory requirements for safe production, use, and clinical translation, while uniquely positioning BNC through a cross-domain comparison of biomedical and electronic applications, complemented by techno-economic insights into scale-up, cost, and regulatory challenges.

Bacterial Nanocellulose Functionalization for Smart Bioelectronics: Integration into Biosensing, Neural Interfaces, and Tissue Engineering

The study of plant electrophysiology offers promising techniques to track plant health and stress in vivo for both agricultural and environmental monitoring applications. Use of superficial electrodes on the plant body to record surface potentials may provide new phenotyping insights. Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a flexible, optically translucent, and water-vapor-permeable material with low manufacturing costs, making it an ideal substrate for non-invasive and non-destructive plant electrodes. This work presents BNC electrodes with screen-printed carbon (graphite) ink-based conductive traces and pads. It investigates the potential of these electrodes for plant surface electrophysiology measurements in comparison to commercially available standard wet gel and needle electrodes. The electrochemically active surface area and impedance of the BNC electrodes varied based on the annealing temperature and time over the ranges of 50 °C to 90 °C and 5 to 60 min, respectively. The water vapor transfer rate and optical transmittance of the BNC substrate were measured to estimate the level of occlusion caused by these surface electrodes on the plant tissue. The total reduction in chlorophyll content under the electrodes was measured after the electrodes were placed on maize leaves for up to 300 h, showing that the BNC caused only a 16% reduction. Maize leaf transpiration was reduced by only 20% under the BNC electrodes after 72 h compared to a 60% reduction under wet gel electrodes in 48 h. On three different model plants, BNC–carbon ink surface electrodes and standard invasive needle electrodes were shown to have a comparable signal quality, with a correlation coefficient of >0.9, when measuring surface biopotentials induced by acute environmental stressors. These are strong indications of the superior performance of the BNC substrate with screen-printed graphite ink as an electrode material for plant surface biopotential recordings.

Evaluating Bacterial Nanocellulose Interfaces for Recording Surface Biopotentials from Plants

Screen printed dry electrodes show advantages over wet electrodes for many applications in human and plant biopotential measurements. Bacterial nanocellulose provides a robust, ultra-thin, water vapor permeable substrate upon which to fabricate the electrodes. Herein, we report on the characterization of screen-printed electrodes on bacterial nanocellulose films. Electrode impedance and surface area were characterized using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. Annealing temperature was evaluated for effects on electrode performance. Electrodes annealed at 80°C had a 25% higher impedance across frequencies in the range 0.01Hz to 100kHz and a 6-19% lower ratio of geometric surface area to electrochemically active surface area than electrodes annealed at 60°C.

Characterization of Screen-Printed Bioimpedance Electrodes on Nanocellulose Substrate

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Characterization of Screen-Printed Bioimpedance Electrodes on Nanocellulose Substrate