Bioengineered Microbial Synthesis of Rare-Earth Containing Nanoparticles for Photon Conversion
Abstract
The goal of this study was to develop a bioengineering approach for microbial synthesis of nanoparticles of controlled size and morphology, doped with rare-earth elements (REEs), for application in photon management. The general approach to synthesis of biotic nanomaterials taken in this study is to incubate bacteria with precursors for the desired nanomaterials under conditions that promote bioprecipitation/ biosynthesis of the nanomaterials. This built upon our established capabilities for biosynthesis of metal sulfides, particularly CdS, using both wild-type bacteria and engineered E. coli. Our central hypothesis was that this approach could be adapted, by engineering both the bacteria and the synthesis protocols, to produce rare-earth element (REE) doped nanomaterials under aqueous, near-ambient conditions. Our ultimate target was to dope REEs into fluoride host nanoparticles (prototypically the hexagonal phase of NaYF4) which are the preferred host for REEs in many optical applications. We proposed to test this hypothesis and to progress toward the goal of pure microbial synthesis of REE-doped fluoride nanomaterials in three stages: (i) Dope REEs into CdS by extending existing protocols for CdS biosynthesis; (ii) Biosynthesize the NaYF4 host phase; and (iii) REEs into fluoride hosts to achieve optical up conversion and down conversion. All of the Bio-INC milestones were achieved. Most importantly, the final project goal of producing greater or equal to 2 REE-containing biogenic PCNPs with down conversion quantum.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2024
- Accession Number
- AD1226182
Entities
People
- Blaine Pfeifer
- Mark T. Swihart
- Nia Oeiker
- Paras Nath Prasad
Organizations
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Research Foundation for the State University of New York