Gold nanoclusters cause selective light-driven biochemical catalysis in living nano-biohybrid organisms

Bertram, John R.; Ding, Yuchen; Nagpal, Prashant

doi:10.1039/d0na00017e

Cited by 22 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The high performance of N 2 -to-NH 3 conversion could be attributed to the increased energy-rich NADPH cofactor that was beneficial for the generation of the Calvin cycle intermediate and solid biomass (Wang et al, 2019b), and the significant upregulation of the key nitrogen-fixation genes including the Mo-Fe nitrogenase gene (nifH) and V-Fe nitrogenase gene (vnfG) (Sakpirom et al, 2019). Compared with the CdS SQDs, gold nanoclusters have been confirmed with more excellent light absorption properties and biocompatibility and were used to realize efficient biological N 2 fixation by A. vinelandii (Bertram et al, 2020). It should be noted that the nitrogen-fixing bacteria may use the produced NH 3 as a substrate for their own growth.…”

Section: Chemical Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Biophotoelectrochemistry for renewable energy and environmental applications

Ren

et al. 2021

iScience

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Biophotoelectrochemistry (BPEC) is an interdisciplinary research field and combines bioelectrochemistry and photoelectrochemistry through the utilization of the catalytic abilities of biomachineries and light harvesters to accomplish the production of energy or chemicals driven by solar energy. The BPEC process may act as a new approach for sustainable green chemistry and waste minimization. This review provides the state-of-the-art introduction of BPEC basics and systems, with a focus on light harvesters and biocatalysts, configurations, photoelectron transfer mechanisms, and the potential applications in energy and environment. Several examples of BPEC applications are discussed including H 2 production, CO 2 reduction, chemical synthesis, pollution control, and biogeochemical cycle of elements. The challenges about BPEC systems are identified and potential solutions are proposed. The review aims to encourage further research of BPEC toward development of practical BPEC systems for energy and environmental applications.

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Section: Chemical Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Biophotoelectrochemistry for renewable energy and environmental applications

Ren

et al. 2021

iScience

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“…23 In addition, a culture of A. vinelandii supplemented with gold nanoclusters also functions as a photocatalytic system for NH 3 production. 24 These results demonstrated the possibility of aerobic NH 3 production by the QD−bacteria hybrid system. In order to exploit this hybrid system and achieve the scalable production of NH 3 , it is necessary to obtain an in-depth understanding of the working principle and biohybrid interfaces of the hybrid system; for instance, photoexcited electrons transfer from QDs to the MoFe protein in the whole cell of A. vinelandii, as studied in vitro.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…In addition, a culture of A. vinelandii supplemented with gold nanoclusters also functions as a photocatalytic system for NH 3 production . These results demonstrated the possibility of aerobic NH 3 production by the QD–bacteria hybrid system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 71%

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Light-Driven Ammonia Production by Azotobacter vinelandii Cultured in Medium Containing Colloidal Quantum Dots

et al. 2022

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There is an evergrowing demand for environment-friendly processes to synthesize ammonia (NH3) from atmospheric nitrogen (N2). Although diazotrophic N2 fixation represents an undeniably “green” process of NH3 synthesis, the slow reaction rate makes it less suitable for industrially meaningful large-scale production. Here, we report the photoinduced N2 fixation using a hybrid system composed of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) and aerobic N2-fixing bacteria, Azotobacter vinelandii. Compared to the case where A. vinelandii cells are simply mixed with QDs, NH3 production increases significantly when A. vinelandii cells are cultured in the presence of core/shell InP/ZnSe QDs. During the cell culture of A. vinelandii, the cellular uptake of QDs is facilitated in the exponential growth phase. Experimental results as well as theoretical calculations indicate that the photoexcited electrons in QDs within A. vinelandii cells are directly transferred to MoFe protein, the catalytic component of nitrogenase. We also observe that the excess amount of QDs left on the outer surface of A. vinelandii disrupts the cellular membrane, leading to the decrease in NH3 production due to the deactivation of nitrogenase. The successful uptake of QDs in QD-A. vinelandii hybrid with minimal amount of QDs on the outer surface of the bacteria is key to efficient photosensitized NH3 production. The comprehensive understanding of the QD–bacteria interface paves an avenue to novel and efficient nanobiohybrid systems for chemical production.

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“…The prospects for integrating microbial bioreactions with photosensitive quantum dots (QDs) pose unique synergies for photosynthetic semiconductor biohybrid systems (PSBs), wherein QDs capture light to enhance or modulate biochemical processes in the microbes. − For example, a pioneering study by Sakimoto et al introduced a proof-of-concept PSB system that enhanced CO 2 conversion to biofuel using CdS QDs coupled to Moorella thermoacetica . Ding et al demonstrated the spectral selectivity of this approach by interfacing Azotobacter vinelandii and QDs with size- and composition-tuned absorption spectra and also demonstrated scalability through enhanced biomass production at the gram scale .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioelectronic Platform to Investigate Charge Transfer between Photoexcited Quantum Dots and Microbial Outer Membranes

Suri

Mohamed

Naser

et al. 2022

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Photosynthetic semiconductor biohybrids (PSBs) convert light energy to chemical energy through photo-driven charge transfer from nanocrystals to microorganisms that perform bioreactions of interest. Initial proof-of-concept PSB studies with an emphasis on enhanced CO2 conversion have been encouraging; however, bringing the broad prospects of PSBs to fruition is contingent on establishing a firm fundamental understanding of underlying interfacial charge transfer processes. We introduce a bioelectronic platform that reduces the complexity of PSBs by focusing explicitly on interactions between colloidal quantum dots (QDs), microbial outer membranes, and native, small-molecule redox mediators. Our model platform employs a standard three-electrode electrochemical cell with supported outer membranes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, pyocyanin redox mediators, and semiconducting CdSe QDs dispersed in an aqueous electrolyte. We present a comprehensive electrochemical analysis of this platform via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and chronoamperometry (CA). EIS reveals the formation and electronic properties of supported outer membrane films. CV reveals the electrochemically active surface area of P. aeruginosa outer membranes and that pyocyanin is the sole species that performs redox with these outer membranes under sweeping applied potential. CA demonstrates that photoexcited charge transfer in this system is driven by the reduction of pyocyanin at the QD surface followed by diffusion of reduced pyocyanin through the outer membrane. The broad applicability of this platform across many bacterial species, QD architectures, and controlled environmental conditions affords the possibility to define design principles for future PSB systems to synergistically integrate concurrent advances in genetically engineered organisms and inorganic nanomaterials.

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Gold nanoclusters cause selective light-driven biochemical catalysis in living nano-biohybrid organisms

Abstract: We describe selective light-driven biochemical catalysis in living nano-biohybrid organisms made from different atomically-precise gold nanoclusters.

Cited by 22 publications

References 28 publications

Biophotoelectrochemistry for renewable energy and environmental applications

Biophotoelectrochemistry for renewable energy and environmental applications

Light-Driven Ammonia Production by Azotobacter vinelandii Cultured in Medium Containing Colloidal Quantum Dots

Bioelectronic Platform to Investigate Charge Transfer between Photoexcited Quantum Dots and Microbial Outer Membranes

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