Photo-excited extracellular electron transfer of electroactive microorganism triggers RAFT polymerization

Chao Li, Jing Liu, Wenchang Hu, Lin Xiao, Feng Li, Qijing Liu, Junqi Zhang, Huan Yu, Baocai Zhang, Dake Xu, Shaoan Cheng, Wen-Wei Li, Kenneth H. Nealson and Hao Song ()
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Chao Li: Northeastern University, College of Life and Health Sciences
Jing Liu: Nankai University, Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences
Wenchang Hu: Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology
Lin Xiao: Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology
Feng Li: Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology
Qijing Liu: Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology
Junqi Zhang: Northeastern University, College of Life and Health Sciences
Huan Yu: Northeastern University, College of Life and Health Sciences
Baocai Zhang: Northeastern University, College of Life and Health Sciences
Dake Xu: Northeastern University, Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science
Shaoan Cheng: Zhejiang University, State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy, Department of Energy Engineering
Wen-Wei Li: University of Science & Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering
Kenneth H. Nealson: University of Southern California, Departments of Earth Science & Biological Sciences
Hao Song: Northeastern University, College of Life and Health Sciences

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract Living cell-triggered reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization is of great value for construction of living materials with diverse applications. However, microorganisms-activated polymerization without end-group heterogeneity is not yet established. Here, we develop an electroactive microorganism-triggered polymerization system using Shewanella oneidensis-secreted flavins (as electron shuttles) to directly reduce chain transfer agents (CTAs) to continuously generate radicals, thus initiating RAFT polymerization. This S. oneidensis-triggered polymerization integrates microbial extracellular electron transfer pathway and photoinduced electron transfer to reduce CTAs for continuous radical generation. We then genetically engineer S. oneidensis to enhance flavins biosynthesis and transport, accomplishing increased conversion ratio ( > 90%) of poly(N, N-dimethylacrylamide) with low polydispersity (Ð

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65119-x

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