2 research outputs found
Fungal photosensors
The rapidly developing research field of organic analogue sensors aims to
replace traditional semiconductors with naturally occurring materials.
Photosensors, or photodetectors, change their electrical properties in response
to the light levels they are exposed to. Organic photosensors can be
functionalised to respond to specific wavelengths, from ultra-violet to red
light. Performing cyclic voltammetry on fungal mycelium and fruiting bodies
under different lighting conditions shows no appreciable response to changes in
lighting condition. However, functionalising the specimen using PEDOT:PSS
yields in a photosensor that produces large, instantaneous current spikes when
the light conditions change. Future works would look at interfacing this
organic photosensor with an appropriate digital back-end for interpreting and
processing the response.Comment: 15 figures, 8 page
On resistive spiking of fungi
We study long-term electrical resistance dynamics in mycelium and fruit
bodies of oyster fungi P. ostreatus. A nearly homogeneous sheet of mycelium on
the surface of a growth substrate exhibits trains of resistance spikes. The
average width of spikes is c.~23~min and the average amplitude is c.~1~kOhm.
The distance between neighbouring spikes in a train of spikes is c.~30~min.
Typically there are 4-6 spikes in a train of spikes. Two types of resistance
spikes trains are found in fruit bodies: low frequency and high amplitude
(28~min spike width, 1.6~kOhm amplitude, 57~min distance between spikes) and
high frequency and low amplitude (10~min width, 0.6~kOhm amplitude, 44~min
distance between spikes). The findings could be applied in monitoring of
physiological states of fungi and future development of living electronic
devices and sensors