We propose "kombucha-proteinoid crystal bioelectric circuits" as a sustainable bio-computing platform. These circuits are hybrid biological-inorganic devices that utilize crystal growth dynamics as the physical substrate to convert information. Microfluidic prototypes couple custom-synthesized thermal proteinoids within kombucha cellulose matrices and metastable calcium carbonate solutions. This bio-mineral configuration examines if precision modulation of crystal growth rates could instantiate reconfigurable logic gates for unconventional computing applications. Programming organic acid secretions allows for the adjustment of biotic-mineral polarity, thereby establishing microbial-synthetic pairings that consistently regulate the crystal growth rate of calcite deposition. By coordinating intrinsic physicochemical phenomena, accrued mineral densities literally crystallize additive/multiplicative operations via Boolean AND/OR logics. An additional way to generate structured logics similar of neural assemblies is by chaining modular crystallizer units. Proteinoid-guided carbonate crystallization may prove to be a viable material platform for unconventional computing-green, self-organizing, scalable architectures grown directly from solution-pending definitive affirmation of proof-of-concept.
© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.