A porous PEDOT:PSS-cyanobacteria biohybrid for electrochemical assessment of photosynthetic activity

Rocha, Paulo R.F., Amaral, Raquel, Silva, David M.S., Bacellar, Felipe L., Lopes, Luís and Perkins, Rupert ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0810-2656 2026. A porous PEDOT:PSS-cyanobacteria biohybrid for electrochemical assessment of photosynthetic activity. Bioelectrochemistry 170 , 109261. 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2026.109261

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (4MB)

Abstract

Cyanobacteria are both an emerging platform in sustainable biotechnology, whilst also potentially harmful to water quality in lakes and reservoirs. In both cases, it is surprising that assessment of productivity and abundance still rely upon invasive and often costly and laborious techniques. In this work we devised a biohybrid platform which continuously monitors photosynthetic activity in cyanobacteria, non-invasively and effortlessly. The biohybrid consists of ensembles of Oscillatoria sp. adherent on porous poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) electrodes, which functions as an efficient interface for transducing photosynthetic electron exchange. Open Circuit Potential (OCP) recordings over time were found proportional to the natural light-dark cycles while chronoamperometry revealed light-driven photocurrents absent in abiotic controls. Moreover, cross-correlation analysis between temperature and OCP revealed a distinct phase shift and latency when Oscillatoria sp. colonized the electrode, as opposite to medium-only controls, ascertaining a strong biological contribution beyond thermal effects. Overall, this work cements PEDOT:PSS electrodes as a scalable, label-free tool for assessing cyanobacteria photosynthetic activity enabling affordable and continuous water quality monitoring.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Earth and Environmental Sciences
Publisher:	Elsevier BV
ISSN:	1567-5394
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	9 March 2026
Date of Acceptance:	25 February 2026
Last Modified:	09 Mar 2026 11:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/185580

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item