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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDNature Communications

Highly efficient long-range conduction through a biosynthetic nickel-organic framework

  • Filip J. R. Meysman1,2
  • Bent Smets3
  • Silvia Hidalgo‐Martinez3
  • Nathalie Claes4,5
  • Bob Camille Schroeder6
  • Jeanine S. Geelhoed3
  • Yun Liu6
  • Jiji Alingapoyil Choyikutty3
  • Tamazouzt Chennit4,5
  • Thijs Bodson7,8
  • Alberto Collauto9
  • Maxie M. Roessler9
15 more authors
  • Dmitry Karpov10,11
  • Sylvain Bohic12
  • Matteo Aramini13
  • Shusaku Hayama13
  • Maxwell Wetherington14
  • Martijn A. Zwijnenburg6
  • Galina Pankratova3
  • Isabel Pintelon15
  • Jean‐Pierre Timmermans15
  • Gert Nuyts16,17
  • Karolien De Wael16
  • Sara Bals4,5
  • Johan Verbeeck4,5
  • Han K. Remaut7,8
  • Henricus T. S. Boschker3,18
18 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium. [email protected]
  2. 2Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands. [email protected]
  3. 3Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
  4. 4EMAT, Department of Physics, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
  5. 5NANOlight Center of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
  6. 6Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, UK
  7. 7Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
  8. 8VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), Brussels, Belgium
  9. 9Department of Chemistry and Centre for Pulse EPR, Imperial College London, London, UK
  10. 10CEA, IRIG, MEM, NRX, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
  11. 11ID16A Nano-imaging beamline, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
  12. 12INSERM, UA 07 Synchrotron Radiation for Biomedicine (STROBE), Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
  13. 13I20-Scanning Beamline, Diamond Light Source, Didcot, UK
  14. 14Materials Characterization Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
  15. 15Antwerp Centre for Advanced Microscopy (ACAM), University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
  16. 16Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
  17. 17Department of Physics, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
  18. 18Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
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Abstract

Multi-cellular cable bacteria have evolved a unique machinery that efficiently transports electrons across centimetre-scale distances. Currents flow through a parallel network of periplasmic fibres, which display an extraordinary conductivity for a biological material. However, the conduction mechanism remains elusive as the molecular structure of the fibres has not been resolved. Here, we demonstrate that each fibre embeds a bundle of intertwined nanoribbons, which are built from Nickel Bis(Dithiolene) (NiBiD) repeat units that are formed by linking nickel centres with ethenetetrathiolate ligands. The planar and conjugated NiBiD complexes are aligned and stacked to form an elongated supramolecular coordination network, thus explaining the observed organo-metal electronic properties of the fibres. Our results hence demonstrate that biology is capable of producing extensive metal organic frameworks. These structures enable highly conductive one-dimensional conduits, ensuring efficient charge transport over macroscale distances, thus providing a novel design principle for bio-based, sustainable organo-electronic materials.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{meysman2026highly,
  title = {{Highly efficient long-range conduction through a biosynthetic nickel-organic framework}},
  author = {Filip J. R. Meysman and Bent Smets and Silvia Hidalgo‐Martinez and Nathalie Claes and Bob Camille Schroeder and Jeanine S. Geelhoed and Yun Liu and Jiji Alingapoyil Choyikutty and Tamazouzt Chennit and Thijs Bodson and Alberto Collauto and Maxie M. Roessler and Dmitry Karpov and Sylvain Bohic and Matteo Aramini and Shusaku Hayama and Maxwell Wetherington and Martijn A. Zwijnenburg and Galina Pankratova and Isabel Pintelon and Jean‐Pierre Timmermans and Gert Nuyts and Karolien De Wael and Sara Bals and Johan Verbeeck and Han K. Remaut and Henricus T. S. Boschker},
  journal = {Nature Communications},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-76989-0},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76989-0},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Highly efficient long-range conduction through a biosynthetic nickel-organic framework
AU  - Filip J. R. Meysman
AU  - Bent Smets
AU  - Silvia Hidalgo‐Martinez
AU  - Nathalie Claes
AU  - Bob Camille Schroeder
AU  - Jeanine S. Geelhoed
AU  - Yun Liu
AU  - Jiji Alingapoyil Choyikutty
AU  - Tamazouzt Chennit
AU  - Thijs Bodson
AU  - Alberto Collauto
AU  - Maxie M. Roessler
AU  - Dmitry Karpov
AU  - Sylvain Bohic
AU  - Matteo Aramini
AU  - Shusaku Hayama
AU  - Maxwell Wetherington
AU  - Martijn A. Zwijnenburg
AU  - Galina Pankratova
AU  - Isabel Pintelon
AU  - Jean‐Pierre Timmermans
AU  - Gert Nuyts
AU  - Karolien De Wael
AU  - Sara Bals
AU  - Johan Verbeeck
AU  - Han K. Remaut
AU  - Henricus T. S. Boschker
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/01
JO  - Nature Communications
DO  - 10.1038/s41467-026-76989-0
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76989-0
AB  - Multi-cellular cable bacteria have evolved a unique machinery that efficiently transports electrons across centimetre-scale distances. Currents flow through a parallel network of periplasmic fibres, which display an extraordinary conductivity for a biological material. However, the conduction mechanism remains elusive as the molecular structure of the fibres has not been resolved. Here, we demonstrate that each fibre embeds a bundle of intertwined nanoribbons, which are built from Nickel Bis(Dithiolene) (NiBiD) repeat units that are formed by linking nickel centres with ethenetetrathiolate ligands. The planar and conjugated NiBiD complexes are aligned and stacked to form an elongated supramolecular coordination network, thus explaining the observed organo-metal electronic properties of the fibres. Our results hence demonstrate that biology is capable of producing extensive metal organic frameworks. These structures enable highly conductive one-dimensional conduits, ensuring efficient charge transport over macroscale distances, thus providing a novel design principle for bio-based, sustainable organo-electronic materials.
SN  - 2041-1723
ER  -