Synthesis of salt-stable fluorescent nanoparticles (quantum dots) by polyextremophile halophilic bacteria.

Here we report the biological synthesis of CdS fluorescent nanoparticles (Quantum Dots, QDs) by polyextremophile halophilic bacteria isolated from Atacama Salt Flat (Chile), Uyuni Salt Flat (Bolivia) and the Dead Sea (Israel). In particular, a Halobacillus sp. DS2, a strain presenting high resistance to NaCl (3-22%), acidic pH (1-4) and cadmium (CdCl2 MIC: 1,375 mM) was used for QDs biosynthesis studies. Halobacillus sp. synthesize CdS QDs in presence of high NaCl concentrations in a process related with their capacity to generate S2- in these conditions. Biosynthesized QDs were purified, characterized and their stability at different NaCl concentrations determined. Hexagonal nanoparticles with highly defined structures (hexagonal phase), monodisperse size distribution (2-5 nm) and composed by CdS, NaCl and cysteine were determined by TEM, EDX, HRXPS and FTIR. In addition, QDs biosynthesized by Halobacillus sp. DS2 displayed increased tolerance to NaCl when compared to QDs produced chemically or biosynthesized by non-halophilic bacteria. This is the first report of biological synthesis of salt-stable QDs and confirms the potential of using extremophile microorganisms to produce novel nanoparticles. Obtained results constitute a new alternative to improve QDs properties, and as consequence, to increase their industrial and biomedical applications.

Pigments from UV-resistant Antarctic bacteria as photosensitizers in Dye Sensitized Solar Cells.

Here we report the use of pigments produced by UV-resistant Antarctic bacteria as photosensitizers in Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs). Pigments were obtained from red and yellow colored psychrotolerant bacteria isolated from soils of King George Island, Antarctica. Based on metabolic characteristics and 16s DNA sequence, pigmented bacteria were identified as Hymenobacter sp. (red) and Chryseobacterium sp. (yellow). Pigments produced by these microorganisms were extracted and classified as carotenoids based on their spectroscopic and structural characteristics, determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. With the purpose of develop green solar cells based on bacterial pigments, the photostability and capacity of these molecules as light harvesters in DSSCs were determined. Absorbance decay assays determined that bacterial carotenoids present high photostability. In addition, solar cells based on these photosensitizers exhibit an open circuit voltage (VOC) of 435.0 [mV] and a short circuit current density (ISC) of 0.2 [mA·cm(-2)] for the red pigment, and a VOC of 548.8 [mV] and a ISC of 0.13 [mA·cm(-2)] for the yellow pigment. This work constitutes the first approximation of the use of pigments produced by non-photosynthetic bacteria as photosensitizers in DSSCs. Determined photochemical characteristics of bacterial pigments, summed to their easy obtention and low costs, validates its application as photosensitizers in next-generation biological solar cells.

Quantum dot-based assay for Cu(2+) quantification in bacterial cell culture.

A simple and sensitive method for quantification of nanomolar copper with a detection limit of 1.2×10(-10)M and a linear range from 10(-9) to 10(-8)M is reported. For the most useful analytical concentration of quantum dots, 1160µg/ml, a 1/Ksv value of 11µM Cu(2+) was determined. The method is based on the interaction of Cu(2+) with glutathione-capped CdTe quantum dots (CdTe-GSH QDs) synthesized by a simple and economic biomimetic method. Green CdTe-GSH QDs displayed the best performance in copper quantification when QDs of different sizes/colors were tested. Cu(2+) quantification is highly selective given that no significant interference of QDs with 19 ions was observed. No significant effects on Cu(2+) quantification were determined when different reaction matrices such as distilled water, tap water, and different bacterial growth media were tested. The method was used to determine copper uptake kinetics on Escherichia coli cultures. QD-based quantification of copper on bacterial supernatants was compared with atomic absorption spectroscopy as a means of confirming the accuracy of the reported method. The mechanism of Cu(2+)-mediated QD fluorescence quenching was associated with nanoparticle decomposition.