Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BiTe (Sym-Bionic Matter: developing symbiotic relationships for light-matter interaction)
Période du rapport: 2022-10-01 au 2023-09-30
Moreover, we have very good preliminary results for the formulation of hydrogels which will support the growth of structurally coloured bacteria with long colour persistence. We have also developed a biopolymer-based aqueous formulation that allows these bacteria to propel themselves without a solid surface. With these two exciting achievements, it is now possible to encapsulate these bacteria together with the biopolymer formulation in double emulsions to expect colour colony formation inside the droplet. At the end of the project, we expect to be able to fix the colour colony formed inside the droplet to produce permanent photonic pigments, as a sustainable and environmental-friendly alternative to conventional pigments.
We have also obtained some promising preliminary results on light management in microalgae. Our single-cell studies on transmittance and reflectance of Chlorella vulgaris have revealed patterns in relation to cell size and culture density. It has also revealed that the density of the culture from which the cells were removed has a substantial impact on the absorption spectra of individual cells. It highlighted that two cells of the same age from different densities of culture will have different absorption patterns, with cells from denser cultures showing overall higher absorption across the visible spectrum.