Diatom Biosilica Functionalised with Metabolically Deposited Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles.

This study introduces a novel approach to synthesising a three-dimensional (3D) micro-nanostructured amorphous biosilica. The biosilica is coated with cerium oxide nanoparticles obtained from laboratory-grown unicellular photosynthetic algae (diatoms) doped metabolically with cerium. This unique method utilises the ability of diatom cells to absorb cerium metabolically and deposit it on their silica exoskeleton as cerium oxide nanoparticles. The resulting composite (Ce-DBioSiO2) combines the unique structural and photonic properties of diatom biosilica (DBioSiO2) with the functionality of immobilised CeO2 nanoparticles. The kinetics of the cerium metabolic insertion by diatom cells and the physicochemical properties of the obtained composites were thoroughly investigated. The resulting Ce-DBioSiO2 composite exhibits intense Stokes fluorescence in the violet-blue region under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and anti-Stokes intense violet and faint green emissions under the 800 nm near-infrared excitation with a xenon lamp at room temperature in an ambient atmosphere.

The Use of Diatoms in the Synthesis of New 3D Micro-Nanostructured Composites (SiO2/CaCO3/Corg/NdVO4NPs and SiO2/CaO/Corg/NdVO4NPs) Exhibiting an Intense Anti-Stokes Photoluminescence.

New 3D micro-nanostructured composite materials have been synthesised. These materials comprise SiO2/CaCO3/Corg/NdVO4NPs and SiO2/CaO/Corg/NdVO4NPs, exhibiting strong upconversion luminescence. The synthesis was accomplished by metabolically doping diatom cells with neodymium and vanadium. Subsequently, the biomass of these doped diatoms was subjected to pyrolysis at 800 °C. The morphology, structure, and physicochemical properties of the doped diatom biomass as well as dried (SiO2/CaCO3/Corg/NdVO4NPs) and pyrolysed (SiO2/CaO/Corg/NdVO4NPs) samples were characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (TG), and fluorescence spectroscopy (FS). Studies have shown that the surface of diatom shells is covered with trigonal prismatic nanocrystallites (nanoparticles) of NdVO4 with dimensions of 30-40 nm, forming the crystallite clusters in the form of single-layer irregular flakes. The synthesised composites produced intense anti-Stokes fluorescent emission in the visible region under xenon lamp excitation in the near-infrared (λex = 800 nm) at room temperature in an ambient atmosphere. Such materials could be attractive for applications in solar spectrum conversion, optical sensing, biosensors, or photocatalysts.

Pyrolized Diatomaceous Biomass Doped with Epitaxially Growing Hybrid Ag/TiO2 Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterisation and Antibacterial Application.

In the pursuit of innovative solutions for modern technologies, particularly in the design and production of new micro/nanostructured materials, microorganisms acting as "natural microtechnologists" can serve as a valuable source of inspiration. This research focuses on harnessing the capabilities of unicellular algae (diatoms) to synthesize hybrid composites composed of AgNPs/TiO2NPs/pyrolyzed diatomaceous biomass (AgNPs/TiO2NPs/DBP). The composites were consistently fabricated through metabolic (biosynthesis) doping of diatom cells with titanium, pyrolysis of the doped diatomaceous biomass, and chemical doping of the pyrolyzed biomass with silver. To characterize the synthesized composites, their elemental and mineral composition, structure, morphology, and photoluminescent properties were analysed using techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The study revealed the epitaxial growth of Ag/TiO2 nanoparticles on the surface of pyrolyzed diatom cells. The antimicrobial potential of the synthesized composites was evaluated using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method against prevalent drug-resistant microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Escherichia coli, both from laboratory cultures and clinical isolates.

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of 3D Micro-Nanostructured Diatom Biosilica Coated by Epitaxially Growing Ag-AgCl Hybrid Nanoparticles.

The 3D (three-dimensional) micro-nanostructured diatom biosilica obtained from cultivated diatoms was used as a support to immobilize epitaxially growing AgCl-Ag hybrid nanoparticles ((Ag-AgCl)NPs) for the synthesis of nanocomposites with antimicrobial properties. The prepared composites that contained epitaxially grown (Ag-AgCl)NPs were investigated in terms of their morphological and structural characteristics, elemental and mineral composition, crystalline forms, zeta potential, and photoluminescence properties using a variety of instrumental methods including SEM (scanning electron microscopy), TEM (transmission electron microscopy), EDX (energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), XRD (X-ray powder diffraction), zeta-potential measurement, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The content of (AgCl-Ag)NPs in the hybrid composites amounted to 4.6 mg/g and 8.4 mg/g with AgClNPs/AgNPs ratios as a percentage of 86/14 and 51/49, respectively. Hybrid nanoparticles were evenly dispersed with a dominant size of 5 to 25 nm in composite with an amount of 8.4 mg/g of silver. The average size of the nanoparticles was 7.5 nm; also, there were nanoparticles with a size of 1-2 nm and particles that were 20-40 nm. The synthesis of (Ag-AgCl)NPs and their potential mechanism were studied. The MIC (the minimum inhibitory concentration method) approach was used to investigate the antimicrobial activity against microorganisms Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. The nanocomposites containing (Ag-AgCl)NPs and natural diatom biosilica showed resistance to bacterial strains from the American Type Cultures Collection and clinical isolates (diabetic foot infection and wound isolates).

Synthesis, characterization of silver/kaolinite nanocomposite and studying its antibacterial activity.

In the present study, silver/kaolinite nanocomposites were synthesized by impregnation in a silver nitrate solution. Silver nanoparticles are deposited onto the surface of the kaolinite by a simple wet reduction of a silver precursor using hydrogen peroxide as a reducing agent. Elemental, mineral composition, structure and morphology of natural kaolinite and synthesized nanocomposites are characterized by X-ray diffractometry, FT-IR spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The antibacterial activity of AgNPs/kaolinite nanocomposites to Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli strains was studied by the minimum inhibitory concentration method. The obtained AgNPs/kaolinite nanocomposite was shown to have antimicrobial potential.

Metabolically Doping of 3D Diatomaceous Biosilica with Titanium.

Diatoms represent, in terms of species number, one of the largest groups of microalgae that have the ability to synthesize phenomenal mineral composites characterized by complex hierarchical structures. Their shells, called frustules, create intricately ornamented structures, reminiscent of the most sophisticated, natural mosaics. Ordinated pore systems perforate siliceous walls of the frustules with diameters ranging from nano to micro-scale, forming openwork three-dimensional silica structures. The use of these features is one of the main challenges in developing new technological solutions. In this study we assess the ability of selected diatom species (Pseudostaurosira trainorii) for metabolic insertion of soluble titanium from the culture medium into the structure of amorphous silica cell walls by its cultivation in laboratory conditions. The study is aimed at obtaining new and strengthening the already existing optical properties of diatomaceous biosilica. The physicochemical properties of the obtained materials have been studied using a series of instrumental methods.

"Outsourcing" Diatoms in Fabrication of Metal-Doped 3D Biosilica.

Diatoms have an ability that is unique among the unicellular photoautotrophic organisms to synthesize an intricately ornamented siliceous (biosilica) exoskeleton with an ordered, hierarchical, three-dimensional structure on a micro- to nanoscale. The unique morphological, structural, mechanical, transport, photonic, and optoelectronic properties of diatomaceous biosilica make it a desirable material for modern technologies. This review presents a summary and discussion of published research on the metabolic insertion of chemical elements with specific functional activity into diatomaceous biosilica. Included in the review is research on innovation in methods of synthesis of a new generation of functional siliceous materials, where the synthesis process is "outsourced" to intelligent microorganisms, referred to here as microtechnologists, by providing them with appropriate conditions and reagents.

Preparation of AgNPs/saponite nanocomposites without reduction agents and study of its antibacterial activity.

A simple method for preparing AgNPs/clay nanocomposites using an adsorption process without any reducing agent was developed in which saponite iron-rich clay was both the solid inorganic support and reducing agent. Silver adsorption by ion exchange of silver ions and saponite ferrous ions resulted in simultaneous silver reduction and silver nanoparticle formation. The maximum loading of silver was determined as 48 mg/g (4.8 mass %). Microscopy showed a homogeneous distribution of sphere-like silver nanoparticles which are composed from smaller crystallites in the form of twinned triangular prisms. The silver particle sizes ranged from 1 nm to 50 nm but predominantly between 8 and 10 nm. The optimum pH range for silver immobilization on saponite support was between 4 and 8. Characterization of the clay samples and synthesized AgNPs/saponite nanocomposites was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), porosimetry (low temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption) and zeta potential measurements. The antibacterial activities of raw saponite and AgNPs/saponite nanocomposite samples were tested against clinical relevant Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Gram-negative Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis bacteria by the well diffusion method.