The interaction of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials and bacterial membranes has attracted tremendous attention in antibacterial applications. Various peculiarities of 2D nanomaterials may lead to multiple mechanisms of their interactions with membranes. Here, we investigated the interaction between molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets and the bacterial membrane by using both theoretical and experimental approaches. Molecular dynamics simulation presented that MoS2 nanosheets can disrupt the structure of the lipid membrane by making dents on its surface and extracting phospholipid molecules to reduce the integrity of the membrane. This is attributed to the combination of the dispersion interaction of lipid tails with S atoms and the electrostatic interactions of lipid head groups with the Mo and S atoms in the lateral edges of the MoS2 nanosheet. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the dents and the destruction of the cell membrane, which would lead to the loss of cytoplasm and the death of bacteria. It should be noted that the phenomenon where MoS2 induces a dent is different from the direct insertion of graphene-based nanomaterials, which might be due to the thicker and stiffer structure of MoS2. Therefore, we believe that the molecular interactions of 2D nanomaterials with bacterial membranes should be highly correlated with their structural characteristics. This newly discovered mechanism of MoS2 nanomaterials to disrupt the cell membrane may promote the application of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) nanomaterials in designing remarkable antibacterial materials in the near future.

Mussels can strongly adhere to hydrophilic minerals in sea habitats by secreting adhesive proteins. The adhesion ability of these proteins is often attributed to the presence of Dopa derived from posttranslational modification of Tyr, whereas the contribution of structural feature is overlooked. It remains largely unknown how adhesive proteins overcome the surface-bound water layer to establish underwater adhesion. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to probe the conformations of adhesive protein Pvfp-5β and its salt-tolerant underwater adhesion on superhydrophilic mica. Dopa and positively charged basic residues form pairs, in this intrinsically disordered protein, and these residue pairs can lead to firm surface binding. Our simulations further suggest that the unmodified Tyr shows similar functions on surface adhesion by forming pairing structure with a positively charged residue. We confirm the presence of these residue pairs and verify the strong binding ability of unmodified proteins using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and lap shear tests.

The coil-globule transition and dynamics of a lattice self-avoiding bond fluctuation polymer chain confined in slit are studied by Monte Carlo simulations. The coil-globule transition temperature of polymer chain is increased at intermediate slit height H (H $ R G0 with R G0 the radius of gyration of polymer in dilute solution) due to the squeeze of the polymer in the repulsive slit, but it is decreased by surface attraction as the polymer is extended along the surface. We have compared the difference between the rotational relaxation time s R for the reorientation of end-to-end vector and the relaxation time s for the polymer diffusing over a distance of the size of polymer. We find that s R is clearly distinct from s as they have different scaling exponents in their slit height-dependent behaviors s R $ H 2aR and s $ H 2a for the polymer in the extended coil state, that is, a R > a. And both exponents increase with an increase in the intrapolymer attraction and surface attraction. However, these scaling relations are destroyed by strong surface attraction when the polymer is adsorbed on surfaces.

Graphyne (GY) is an allotrope composed of sp and sp2 hybridized carbon atoms. In this paper, the adsorption performance of Ti‐modified GY (Ti‐GY) system on the adsorption of CH4 molecules is studied based on first principles. The study found that the most stable adsorption site for Ti atoms is the six‐membered carbon ring pore site. There is a strong ionic interaction between the two, and the Ti‐GY system structure remains stable during the adsorption of CH4 molecules. A single Ti‐modified GY can adsorb 7 CH4 molecules on one side, and the adsorption structure is stratified, with average adsorption energy of −0.298 eV, and an adsorption capacity of 0.369 g g−1; two Ti‐modified GY adsorbs 14 CH4 molecules on double‐sided, the average adsorption energy is about −0.300 eV, and the adsorption capacity reaches 0.484 g g−1. The first layer of CH4 molecules is adsorbed, which is mainly affected by the Ti atoms. There is a strong Coulomb interaction between it and Ti. With the increase of CH4 molecules, the adsorption energy decreases; While the second layer of CH4 molecules is due to the distance Ti atoms are far away, At this time, the interaction between the CH4 molecules and the substrate is mainly the electrostatic interaction between the positively charged CH4 molecules and the negatively charged GY and the van der Waals interaction between the CH4 molecules. The adsorption performance of CH4 molecules is closely related to the pore size of the two‐dimensional adsorbent. When the pore size is small, the interaction between molecules is enhanced and the average adsorption energy is larger. On the contrary, the larger the pore size, the higher the adsorption capacity.

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