Microbial green synthesis of luminescent terbium sulfide nanoparticles using E. Coli: a rare earth element detoxification mechanism

Leon, Juan Jose; Oskolkov, Evgenii; Lei, Pedro; Kuzmin, Andrey N.; Chen, Kaiwen; Andreadis, Stelios; Pfeifer, Blaine A.; Swihart, Mark T.

Abstract

Background: Rare-earth sulfide nanoparticles (NPs) could harness the optical and magnetic features of rare-earth ions for applications in nanotechnology. However, reports of their synthesis are scarce and typically require high temperatures and long synthesis times. Results: Here we present a biosynthesis of terbium sulfide (TbS) NPs using microorganisms, identifying conditions that allow Escherichia coli to extracellularly produce TbS NPs in aqueous media at 37 °C by controlling cellular sulfur metabolism to produce a high concentration of sulfide ions. Electron microscopy revealed ultrasmall spherical NPs with a mean diameter of 4.1 ± 1.3 nm. Electron diffraction indicated a high degree of crystallinity, while elemental mapping confirmed colocalization of terbium and sulfur. The NPs exhibit characteristic absorbance and luminescence of terbium, with downshifting quantum yield (QY) reaching 28.3% and an emission lifetime of ~ 2 ms. Conclusions: This high QY and long emission lifetime is unusual in a neat rare-earth compound; it is typically associated with rare-earth ions doped into another crystalline lattice to avoid non-radiative cross relaxation. This suggests a reduced role of nonradiative processes in these terbium-based NPs. This is, to our knowledge, the first report revealing the advantage of biosynthesis over chemical synthesis for Rare Earth Element (REE) based NPs, opening routes to new REE-based nanocrystals.

Más información

Título según WOS: Microbial green synthesis of luminescent terbium sulfide nanoparticles using E. Coli: a rare earth element detoxification mechanism
Título según SCOPUS: ID SCOPUS_ID:85203601085 Not found in local SCOPUS DB
Título de la Revista: MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
Volumen: 23
Editorial: BMC
Fecha de publicación: 2024
DOI:

10.1186/S12934-024-02519-6

Notas: ISI, SCOPUS