Researchers Found Metal-Organic Frameworks in Bacteria
The discovery of nickel-based conductive nanostructures in cable bacteria offers a new blueprint for organic electronics.
Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Life Sciences
Live Poll
Do you believe discoveries in biological structures will lead to better sustainable electronics?
Researchers have identified metal-organic framework structures inside cable bacteria, a biological find that marks the first time such materials have been discovered in a living organism. Published in 2026, this study reveals how the bacteria use these nickel-rich nanoribbons to transport electrical currents over centimetre-scale distances.
Why it matters
Understanding the molecular basis of long-range electron transport in these bacteria provides a template for developing sustainable, bio-inspired electronic materials. This discovery bridges biology and materials science, challenging the prior assumption that complex metal-organic frameworks were exclusively synthetic.
The bacteria contain conductive fibres, each 50 nanometres wide, built from repeating nickel bis(dithiolene) units. These nanoribbons measure just 1.4 nanometres thick, facilitating high-efficiency electron transport across the bacterial filament.
The players
University of Antwerp
A research-intensive institution focused on advanced microscopy and environmental microbiology.
ESRF
The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility which operates the ID16A beamline used for high-resolution nano-imaging.
Université Grenoble Alpes
A public research university contributing to multidisciplinary studies in materials science and biophysics.
Diamond Light Source
The United Kingdom's national synchrotron facility providing high-intensity X-ray beams for spectroscopy research.
The details
Researchers mapped the bacterial filaments using nano-X-ray fluorescence imaging with an X-ray beam focused to 35 nanometres, maintaining samples at 100 K (Kelvin, the absolute temperature scale) to avoid radiation damage. The structure consists of 20 to 70 protein fibres per filament, reinforced by copper-rich complexes at the cell junctions. This arrangement allows the organism to sustain long-range current flow, a process previously observed but not structurally explained at the molecular level until this mapping.
Timeline
15 years ago: Cable bacteria were first discovered.
2025: Metal-organic frameworks were the subject of a Nobel Prize.
2026: The study was published in Nature Communications.
The Tech Race
While synthetic chemists have spent decades refining metal-organic frameworks for energy storage and catalysis, this discovery shifts the focus toward evolutionary biology. It marks a departure from purely man-made designs, providing a biological benchmark for sustainable, self-assembling conductivity.
This research does not immediately change consumer technology but establishes a new design principle for sustainable electronics researchers. Future applications may include biodegradable circuit components or sensors that mimic this high-efficiency transport architecture.
The takeaway
The identification of nickel-based nanoribbons in nature suggests that biological evolution solved the challenge of long-range electron transport long before synthetic chemistry. Watch for follow-up materials science studies attempting to replicate this nickel-based architecture for organic hardware.
Further reading
For more research on emerging biological structures, see the latest in Life Sciences.
More information
View the complete Nature Communications research publication for detailed imaging data.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Esrf.
Live Poll
Do you believe discoveries in biological structures will lead to better sustainable electronics?
