Deciphering the Role of Inorganic Nanoparticles’ Surface Functionalization on Biohybrid Microbial Photoelectrodes
Shedding light on the interaction between inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) and living microorganisms is at the basis of the development of biohybrid technologies with improved performance. Au NPs have been shown to be able to improve the extracellular electron transfer (EET) in intact bacterial cells interfaced with an electrode; however, detailed information on the role of NP-surface properties in their interaction with bacterial membranes is still lacking. Herein, we unveil how the surface functionalization of Au NPs influences their interaction with photosynthetic bacteria, focusing on cell morphology, growth kinetics, NPs localization, and electrocatalytic performance. We show that functionalization of Au NPs with cysteine in the zwitterionic form results in a uniform NPs distribution in purple bacteria, specifically locating the NPs within the outer-membrane/periplasmic space of bacterial cells. These biohybrid cells, when coupled with an electrode, exhibit enhanced EET and increased (photo)current generation, paving the way for the future development of rationally designed biohybrid electrochemical systems.
Authors
- Elisabetta Fanizza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6293-9388)
- Federico Catalano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5574-0063)
- Jefferson Honorio Franco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1170-5108)
- Antonella Milella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3105-5584)
- Doriana Debellis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7723-8429)
- Angela Agostiano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1938-9944)
- Pierluigi Lasala (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0824-0666)
- Roberto Grisorio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3698-9370)
- Matteo Grattieri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1795-3655)
- Rosa Maria Matteucci
- Maria Lucia Curri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0261-8379)
- Gian Paolo Suranna (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2953-0809)
- Saverio Roberto Volpicella
Institutions
- Italian Institute of Technology (IT)
- Istituto di Nanotecnologia (IT)
- Institute for Chemical and Physical Processes (IT)
- National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (IT)
- University of Bari Aldo Moro (IT)
- Polytechnic University of Bari (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
- Published
- 2024-10-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c12070
- Citations
- 8
- Primary Topic
- Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.65
Funders
- Fondazione CON IL SUD
- Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca