National Center for Design of
Biomimetic Nanoconductors

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Electric organ of Electrophorus electricus

Biomimetic systems to produce power will be modeled after specialized cells within the electric organ of Electrophorus electricus, shown above. These animals have stacks of specialized electrocytes (electroplax) each heavily laden with ion transporters capable of providing an intermittent discharge of ~150mV and a ~1 pA, resulting in a total power for the organ of ~600W (~600V and ~1A). The electrocyte membrane contains (at a minimum) Na/K pumps, Na channels, K channels, Cl channels, and Ca channels. Dissection of electric eels led AlessandroVolta to experiments with isolated galvanic cells of copper and zinc to form voltaic piles (Volta 1800) – he is credited with inventing the DC battery based on this work. Current understanding of the electrocyte has shown they are specialized cells derived from muscle cells and consist of a membrane packed with ion channels and ion pumps – they have little other function than to generate charge.

The National Center for Design of Biomimetic Nanoconductors is funded by Grant Number PHS 2 PN2 EY016570B from the National Institutes of Health through the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research and is based at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Partner institutions include Yale University, University of Southern California, University of Chicago, Illinois Institute of Technology, Sandia National Laboratories, Argonne National Laboratory, Oxford University, Wabash College, University of California, Davis, nanoHUB at Purdue University, and the University of New Mexico.