Abstract:
The scaly-foot gastropod (Chrysomallon squamiferum), which lives in the deep-sea zone of oceans around thermal vents, has a black shell and scales on the foot. Both the black shell and scales contain iron sulfide minerals such as greigite (Fe3S4) and pyrite (FeS2). Although pyrite nanoparticles can be used as materials for solar panels, it is difficult to synthesize stable and spherical nanoparticles in vitro. In this study, we extracted organic molecules that interact with nano-pyrite from the shell of the scaly-foot gastropod to develop a low-cost, eco-friendly method for pyrite nanoparticles synthesis. Myoglobin (csMG), a heme protein, was identified in the iron sulfide layer of the shell. We purified recombinant csMG (r-csMG) and demonstrated that r-csMG helped in the conversion of ferric ions, sulfide ions and sulfur into spherical shaped pyrite nanoparticles at 80°C. To reduce the effort and cost of production, we showed that commercially available myoglobin from Equus caballus (ecMG) also induced the in vitro synthesis of pyrite nanoparticles. Using structure-function experiments with digested peptides, we highlighted that the amino acid sequence of r-csMG peptides controlled the spherical shape of the nanoparticle while the hemin molecules, which the peptides interacted with, maintained the size of nanoparticles. Synthesized pyrite nanoparticles exhibited strong photoluminescence in the visible wavelength region, suggesting its potential application as a photovoltaic solar cell material. These results suggest that materials for solar cells can be produced at low cost and energy under eco-friendly conditions. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Pyrite is a highly promising material for photovoltaic devices because of its excellent optical, electrical, magnetic, and transport properties and high optical absorption coefficient. Almost all current pyrite synthesis methods use organic solvents at high temperature and pressure under reducing conditions. Synthesized pyrite nanoparticles are unstable and are difficult to use in devices. The scaly-foot gastropod can synthesize pyrite nanoparticles in vivo, meaning that pyrite nanoparticles can be generated in an aqueous environment at low temperature. In this study, we demonstrated the synthesis of pyrite nanoparticles using a heme protein identified in the iron sulfide layer of the scaly-foot gastropod shell. These results exemplify how natural products in organisms can inspire the innovation of new technology.
摘要:
鳞状足腹足动物(Chrysomallonsquamiferum),它生活在热喷口周围海洋的深海区域,脚上有黑色的外壳和鳞片。黑壳和鳞片均含有硫化铁矿物,例如灰铁矿(Fe3S4)和黄铁矿(FeS2)。尽管黄铁矿纳米颗粒可以用作太阳能电池板的材料,很难在体外合成稳定的球形纳米颗粒。在这项研究中,我们从鳞状足腹足动物的壳中提取了与纳米黄铁矿相互作用的有机分子,合成黄铁矿纳米颗粒的环保方法。肌红蛋白(csMG),血红素蛋白,在壳的硫化铁层中发现。我们纯化了重组csMG(r-csMG),并证明r-csMG有助于三价铁离子的转化,在80°C下,硫离子和硫形成球形黄铁矿纳米颗粒。为了降低生产的努力和成本,我们表明,市售肌红蛋白从马(ecMG)也诱导黄铁矿纳米颗粒的体外合成。使用消化肽的结构-功能实验,我们强调,r-csMG肽的氨基酸序列控制纳米颗粒的球形,而血红素分子,肽与之相互作用,保持纳米粒子的大小。合成的黄铁矿纳米粒子在可见光波长区表现出很强的光致发光,表明其作为光伏太阳能电池材料的潜在应用。这些结果表明,太阳能电池材料可以在环保条件下以低成本和能源生产。重要性声明:黄铁矿由于其优异的光学性能,是一种非常有前途的光伏器件材料,电气,磁性,和输运性质和高光学吸收系数。几乎所有目前的黄铁矿合成方法都在高温和高压下在还原条件下使用有机溶剂。合成的黄铁矿纳米颗粒是不稳定的并且难以在装置中使用。鳞足腹足动物可以在体内合成黄铁矿纳米颗粒,这意味着黄铁矿纳米颗粒可以在低温下在水性环境中生成。在这项研究中,我们证明了黄铁矿纳米颗粒的合成使用血红素蛋白在鳞足腹足动物壳的硫化铁层鉴定。这些结果说明了生物体中的天然产物如何激发新技术的创新。