Secondary metabolites

Phenazines

Phenazines are a class of secondary metabolites produced by certain microbial species. These biomolecules feature nitrogen-containing aromatic rings capable of undergoing reversible redox reactions, and in this project, this particular property is being explored for the development of zinc-ion batteries.

To enable this study, the phenazine biosynthetic pathway from Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been transferred into E. coli cells, and studies are currently underway to optimize the pathway and produce new phenazine derivatives. Additionally, in collaboration with Prof. José Mário de Aquino from the Electrochemistry Research Laboratory DQ/UFSCar, studies are being conducted to fabricate organic cathodes using the phenazines produced by E. coli and to evaluate the materials for the development of aqueous zinc-ion batteries. This unprecedented configuration combines the safety and low cost of zinc-based devices with the use of biologically derived organic compounds. In this way, we aim to create energy storage devices that are more environmentally friendly and sustainable than the lithium-ion batteries currently used in portable electronic devices.