Biological synthesis of nanosized sulfide semiconductors: current status and future prospects

Abstract

There have been extensive and comprehensive reviews in the field of metal sulfide precipitation in the context of environmental remediation. However, these works have focused mainly on the removal of metals from aqueous solutions-usually, metal-contaminated effluents-with less emphasis on the precipitation process and on the end-products, frequently centering on metal removal efficiencies. Recently, there has been an increasing interest not only in the possible beneficial effects of these bioremediation strategies for metal-rich effluents but also on the formed precipitates. These metal sulfide materials are of special relevance in industry, due to their optical, electronic, and mechanical properties. Hence, identifying new routes for synthesizing these materials, as well as developing methodologies allowing for the control of the shape and size of particulates, is of environmental, economic, and practical importance. Multiple studies have shown proof-of-concept for the biological synthesis of inorganic metallic sulfide nanoparticles (NPs), resorting to varied organisms or cell components, though this information has scarcely been structured and compiled in a systematic manner. In this review, we overview the biological synthesis methodologies of nanosized metal sulfides and the advantages of these strategies when compared to more conventional chemical routes. Furthermore, we highlight the possibility of the use of numerous organisms for the synthesis of different metal sulfide NPs, with emphasis on sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Finally, we put in perspective the potential of these methodologies in the emerging research areas of biohydrometallurgy and nanobiotechnology for the uptake of metals in the form of metal sulfide nanoparticles. A more complete understanding of the principles underlying the (bio)chemistry of formation of solids in these conditions may lead to the large-scale production of such metal sulfides, while simultaneously allowing an enhanced control over the size and shape of these biogenic nanomaterials.

Biosynthesis of Inorganic Nanoparticles: A Fresh Look at the Control of Shape, Size and Composition

“…For instance, cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles can be synthesized through the polyol process [ 94 ], a solvothermal route [ 95 ] or microwave irradiation [ 96 ]. Biological routes have proven efficient in the production of various sulfide-based nanomaterials, such as ZnS, CdS and PbS [ 97 ]. Through these eco-friendly routes, several microorganisms and extracts have been screened for their ability to promote the production of CdS NPs, such as bacteria [ 98 ], marine bacteria [ 99 ], photosynthetic bacteria [ 100 ], fungi [ 101 , 102 ], plant extracts [ 103 , 104 , 105 ], algae [ 106 , 107 ], pigments [ 108 ], and proteins [ 109 ], starting from the corresponding precursors of cadmium and sulfur.…”

Biogenic Control of Manganese Doping in Zinc Sulfide Nanomaterial Using Shewanella oneidensis MR-1

“…Previous studies developed biogenic routes of nanomaterial synthesis (da Costa et al, 2016; Hussain et al, 2016), including production of chalcogenide nanomaterials such as arsenic sulfide, zinc sulfide, cadmium sulfide, cadmium selenide, and cadmium telluride (Kershaw et al, 2013; Jacob et al, 2016). For example, researchers used a bacteriophage as a template for zinc sulfide nanomaterial nucleation (Mao et al, 2003).…”

Engineering bacteria for biogenic synthesis of chalcogenide nanomaterials

“…Expression of these reductases enabled cultures of E. coli to process thiosulfate and arsenate and produce sulfide and arsenite-precursors for synthesis of arsenic sulfide nanomaterials. The ability of bacteria to influence the production of nanomaterials has been reported previously (da Costa et al, 2016), and here we explore how several biological parameters influenced the properties of the synthesized nanostructures.…”