Self-doping active sites in microbe-derived carbonaceous electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction performance

Microorganisms are rich in heteroatoms,which can be self-doped to form active sites during pyrolysis and loaded on microbederived carbonaceous materials.In recent years,microbe-derived carbonaceous materials,characterized with abundant selfdoping sites,have been continuously developed as cost-effective electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).To fully unlock the catalytic potential of microbe-derived carbonaceous materials,a comprehensive analysis of catalytic sites and mechanisms for ORR is essential.This paper provides a summary of the ORR catalytic performance of microbe-derived carbonaceous materials reported to date,with a specific focus on the self-doping sites introduced during their pyrolytic fabrication.It highlights the mono-or co-doping sites involving nonmetallic elements such as oxygen(O),nitrogen(N),phosphorus(P),and sulfur(S)atoms,as well as covers the doping of metallic iron(Fe)atoms with various coordination configurations in microbe-derived carbonaceous materials.Understanding the impact of these self-doping sites on ORR catalytic performance can guide the design of doping sites in microbe-derived carbonaceous materials.This approach has the potential to maximize electrocatalytic activity of microbe-derived carbonaceous materials and contributes to the development of more efficient and cost-effective carbonaceous electrocatalysts.

革兰氏阳性电活性菌的电子传递及其应用

电活性菌将电子从胞内转移至胞外电子受体或者将胞外电子转移至胞内的过程为胞外电子传递,其在微生物群落间的电子传递及元素的地球化学循环过程中发挥重要作用。电活性菌的胞外电子传递研究前期主要集中于革兰氏阴性菌,由于革兰氏阳性菌与革兰氏阴性菌的膜结构/厚度明显不同,因此二者的电子跨膜传递途径差异明显。革兰氏阳性菌因分布广泛且可在高温、低pH、高pH和高盐等环境中生存,其电活性和电子传递机制也逐渐引起关注。本文归纳总结了革兰氏阳性电活性菌的电子传递类型,基于厚壁菌门、放线菌门和绿弯菌门的分类阐述胞外电子传递的研究进展,分析了革兰氏阳性电活性菌在污染物降解、生物能源和工业制品合成等方面的应用,并展望了未来的发展方向。

电化学联用技术研究微生物的胞外电子传递机制

胞外电子传递(EET)是指氧化还原反应所产生的电子在微生物细胞内和细胞外的电子受体/电子供体之间互相转移的过程,这一过程伴随着能量和物质的转化。阐明EET机制是提高微生物能量和物质转化效率的基础,为元素的生物地球化学循环、金属防腐以及生物电化学系统的应用等提供理论支撑。电化学技术作为研究电极/溶液界面电子转移的简便、有效方法,在研究微生物的直接电子传递和间接电子传递机制中发挥了重要的作用,也促进了EET机制的研究从宏观层面到微观层面不断深入。本文综述了研究微生物EET机制所涉及的电化学联用技术(包括微电极、扫描电化学显微镜、电化学联用光学显微镜和光谱电化学等);详细介绍了这些电化学联用技术的功能和优势;重点阐述了这些电化学联用技术如何推动着EET机制的研究,从宏观的生物膜层面到微观的单个微生物细胞、蛋白和分子层面不断深入;展望了新的电化学联用技术在EET研究领域的应用前景。

贵金属纳米颗粒的微生物合成

金属纳米颗粒在材料、催化、医学、环境等众多领域应用广泛,其中,金、银、铂、钯等贵金属的纳米颗粒作为良好的催化剂可提高反应的速率,因此,贵金属纳米颗粒的合成吸引了众多研究者的关注。传统的物理化学法虽能高效、可控地合成贵金属纳米颗粒,但是合成条件苛刻、成本昂贵、且会产生对环境有害的化学物质。因此,探索节能、环保、可持续的绿色合成方法成为纳米合成研究的热点之一。贵金属纳米颗粒的微生物合成法具备绿色合成技术的诸多要素,研究表明某些微生物能将金属盐转化成纳米材料,且微生物繁殖速度快、培养成本低、生长条件温和,从而得到了研究者们的广泛关注。本文归纳总结了目前微生物合成贵金属纳米颗粒的主要研究进展,包括贵金属纳米颗粒可能的合成机制以及尺寸与形貌控制方法,探讨了其在医学、催化、生物传感、环境方面的具体应用,并对贵金属纳米颗粒微生物合成的未来发展进行了展望。

Prospective Roles of Scanning Photoelectrochemical Microscopy in Microbial Hybrid Photosynthesis

Microbial hybrid photosynthesis has attracted great interests in recent years since it integrates the advantages of natural and artificial photosynthesis for solar-to-chemical conversion. Coupling a light source with scanning electrochemical microscopy, scanning photoelectrochemical microscopy (SPECM) shows great potential in investigating the interfacial reactions of microbial hybrid photosynthesis. In this Emerging Topic, the potential roles of SPECM in revealing biotic–abiotic interfacial electron transfer mechanisms and calculating electrode process kinetics are proposed for hybrid photosynthesis, and this will also inspire the applications of SPECM in the fields including biomineralization, photocatalytic-biodegradation and microbial photoelectrochemical systems.