Bending piezoelectricity in a microbially produced poly-β-hydroxybutyrate

: An optically active polymer, poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), is produced in cytoplasm of various vacteria. The bending piezoelectric effect was observed in oriented films of PHB. The coefficient between the electrical polarization and the stress gradient was found to be in the order of 10(-18) Cm/N, which was similar to the value reported for bone. Anisotropy in the value of the coefficient was also observed.