Cover Picture: Supercapacitors Based on c-Type Cytochromes Using Conductive Nanostructured Networks of Living Bacteria (ChemPhysChem 2/2012)

The cover picture shows a biological supercapacitor developed from the redox reactions of c-type cytochromes embedded in biofilms of a common soil microorganism Geobacter sulfurreducens. On p. 463 N. S. Malvankar et al. report this first demonstration of a living, self-renewing supercapacitor using a combination of in situ electrochemistry, protein engineering and denaturing, as well as capacitance modeling. The superior electrochemical performance of the biofilm supercapacitor is due to its high abundance of cytochromes, providing large electron storage capacity, its network of protein nanowires with metallic-like conductivity, and its porous architecture with hydrous nature that maintains electroneutrality, offering prospects for future low-cost and environmentally sustainable energy storage devices.