Understanding biological interaction with graphene and hexagonal-boron nitride (h-BN) membranes has become essential for the incorporation of these unique materials in contact with living organisms. Previous reports show contradictions regarding the bacterial interaction with graphene sheets on metals. Here, we present a comprehensive study of the interaction of bacteria with copper substrates coated with single-layer graphene and h-BN. Our results demonstrate that such graphitic coatings substantially suppress interaction between bacteria and underlying Cu substrates, acting as an effective barrier to prevent physical contact. Bacteria do not "feel" the strong antibacterial effect of Cu, and the substrate does not suffer biocorrosion due to bacteria contact. Effectiveness of these systems as barriers can be understood in terms of graphene and h-BN impermeability to transfer Cu(2+) ions, even when graphene and h-BN domain boundary defects are present. Our results seem to indicate that as-grown graphene and h-BN films could successfully protect metals, preventing their corrosion in biological and medical applications.

The redox behavior of 2,3,5-triphenyl-2H-tetrazolium chloride (TTC) in the presence of different polyelectrolytes such as poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate-co-sodium maleate) at two different comonomer compositions (P(SS(1)-co-MA(1)) and P(SS(3)-co-MA(1))), poly(sodium acrylate-co-sodium maleate) (P(AA(1)-co-MA(1))), and poly(sodium acrylate) (PAA) is studied. Due to aromatic-aromatic interactions, the polyelectrolytes containing benzene sulfonate groups produce a decrease on the reduction rate of TTC in the presence of ascorbic acid (ASC) and a shift of the anodic and cathodic peaks to higher negative potentials for the electrochemical reaction of TTC. As an important conclusion, these effects are a function of the linear aromatic density of the polyelectrolytes.

Although biofilm formation is a very effective mechanism to sustain bacterial life, it is detrimental in medical and industrial sectors. Current strategies to control biofilm proliferation are typically based on biocides, which exhibit a negative environmental impact. In the search for environmentally friendly solutions, nanotechnology opens the possibility to control the interaction between biological systems and colonized surfaces by introducing nanostructured coatings that have the potential to affect bacterial adhesion by modifying surface properties at the same scale. In this work, we present a study on the performance of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride coatings (h-BN) to reduce biofilm formation. In contraposition to planktonic state, we focused on evaluating the efficiency of graphene and h-BN at the irreversible stage of biofilm formation, where most of the biocide solutions have a poor performance. A wild Enterobacter cloacae strain was isolated, from fouling found in a natural environment, and used in these experiments. According to our results, graphene and h-BN coatings modify surface energy and electrostatic interactions with biological systems. This nanoscale modification determines a significant reduction in biofilm formation at its irreversible stage. No bactericidal effects were found, suggesting both coatings offer a biocompatible solution for biofilm and fouling control in a wide range of applications.

B. xenovorans LB400 is a model bacterium for the study of the metabolism of aromatic compounds. The aim of this study was the genomic and functional characterization of a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase containing gene cluster that encodes a siderophore in B. xenovorans LB400. The mba gene cluster from strain LB400 encodes proteins involved in the biosynthesis and transport of a hydroxamate-type siderophore. Strain LB400 has a unique mba gene organization, although mba gene clusters have been observed in diverse Burkholderiales. Bioinformatic analysis revealed the presence of promoters in the mba gene cluster that strongly suggest regulation by the ferric uptake regulator protein (Fur) and by the alternative RNA polymerase extracytoplasmic function sigma factor MbaF. Reverse transcriptase PCR analyses showed the expression of iron-regulated transcriptional units mbaFGHIJKL, mbaN, mbaABCE, mbaO, mbaP and mbaD genes under iron limitation. Chrome azurol S (CAS) assay strongly suggests that strain LB400 synthesized a siderophore under iron limitation. Mass spectrometry ESI-MS and MALDI-TOF-MS analyses revealed that the siderophore is a non-ribosomal peptide, and forms an iron complex with a molecular mass of 676 Da. Based on bioinformatic prediction, CAS assay and MS analyses, we propose that the siderophore is L-Nδ-hydroxy-Nδ-formylOrn-D-β-hydroxyAsp-L-Ser-L-Nδ-hydroxy-Nδ-formylOrn-1,4-diaminobutane that is closely related to malleobactin-type siderophores reported in B. thailandensis.

In this work we present a study on the performance of CVD (chemical vapor deposition) graphene coatings grown and transferred on Ni as protection barriers under two scenarios that lead to unwanted metal ion release, microbial corrosion and allergy test conditions. These phenomena have a strong impact in different fields considering nickel (or its alloys) is one of the most widely used metals in industrial and consumer products. Microbial corrosion costs represent fractions of national gross product in different developed countries, whereas Ni allergy is one of the most prevalent allergic conditions in the western world, affecting around 10% of the population. We found that grown graphene coatings act as a protective membrane in biological environments that decreases microbial corrosion of Ni and reduces release of Ni2+ ions (source of Ni allergic contact hypersensitivity) when in contact with sweat. This performance seems not to be connected to the strong orbital hybridization that Ni and graphene interface present, indicating electron transfer might not be playing a main role in the robust response of this nanostructured system. The observed protection from biological environment can be understood in terms of graphene impermeability to transfer Ni2+ ions, which is enhanced for few layers of graphene grown on Ni. We expect our work will provide a new route for application of graphene as a protection coating for metals in biological environments, where current strategies have shown short-term efficiency and have raised health concerns.

In this study, spontaneous synthesis of a gold (Au) colloid using cells of Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 is reported, and compared with results obtained using cells of the model bacterium Escherichia coli MG1655. To investigate the synthesis mechanism, bacterial biomass and secretomes from both strains were incubated with Au(III) ions. Only CH34 cells were capable of producing extracellular dispersions of Au nanoparticles (NPs). Transmission electron microscopy images showed that AuNPs morphology was dominated by triangular and decahedral nanostructures. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectra showed the presence of sulphur and vibrations associated to proteins. Average AuNPs diameter was obtained by dynamic light-scattering measurements (DLS), NP tracking analysis measurements and analysis of electron microscopy images. Moreover, DLS measurements showed that the biogenic colloid was stable after exposure to ultrasound, high ionic strength and extreme pH conditions. The biogenic AuNPs produced by strain CH34 did not show antibacterial activity, in contrast to biogenic silver NPs. Comparative bioinformatic analysis of genomes from strain CH34 and strain MG1655 showed potential CH34 proteins that may be electron donors during reduction of Au(III) ions. On the basis of these results, a mechanism for the extracellular Au reduction by strain CH34 is proposed.

In this work we present unique signatures manifested by the local electronic properties of the topological surface state in BiTe nanostructures as the spatial limit is approached. We concentrate on the pure nanoscale limit (nanoplatelets) with spatial electronic resolution down to 1 nm. The highlights include strong dependencies on nanoplatelet size: (1) observation of a phase separation of Dirac electrons whose length scale decreases as the spatial limit is approached, and (2) the evolution from heavily n-type to lightly n-type surface doping as nanoplatelet thickness increases. Our results show a new approach to tune the Dirac point together with reduction of electronic disorder in topological insulator (TI) nanostructured systems. We expect our work will provide a new route for application of these nanostructured Dirac systems in electronic devices.

The interaction of biofilms with metallic surfaces produces two biologically induced degradation processes of materials: microbial induced corrosion and bioleaching. Both phenomena affect most metallic materials, but in the case of noble metals such as gold, which is inert to corrosion, metallophilic bacteria can cause its direct or in direct dissolution. When this process is controlled, it can be used for hydrometallurgical applications, such as the recovery of precious metals from electronic waste. However, the presence of unwanted bioleaching-producing bacteria can be detrimental to metallic materials in specific environments. In this work, we propose the use of single-layer graphene as a protective coating to reduce Au bioleaching by Cupriavidus metallidurans, a strain adapted to metal contaminated environments and capable of dissolving Au. By means of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, we demonstrate that graphene coatings are an effective barrier to prevent the complex interactions responsible for Au dissolution. This behavior can be understood in terms of graphene pore size, which creates an impermeable barrier that prevents the pass of Au-complexing ligands produced by C.metallidurans through graphene coating. In addition, changes in surface energy and electrostatic interaction are presumably reducing bacterial adhesion to graphene-coated Au surfaces. Our findings provide a novel approach to reduce the deterioration of metallic materials in devices in environments where biofilms have been found to cause unwanted bioleaching.