Bacteria found making their own conductive metal-organic frameworks
Researchers have identified living microorganisms that naturally produce metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), synthetic materials usually engineered in labs, and these biological versions show exceptional electrical conductivity. The discovery marks the first known case of organisms generating MOFs on their own. MOF chemistry pioneers Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi previously won the Nobel Prize for developing these porous materials synthetically.