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Controllable biosynthesis of high-purity lead-sulfide (PbS) nanocrystals by regulating the concentration of polyethylene glycol in microbial system

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Abstract

We demonstrated a simple biological method to explore the controllable synthesize of high-purity PbS nanocrystals by regulating the concentration of polyethylene glycol in microbial system. The biogenic H2S produced via the reduction of sulfate precipitated Pb2+ ions as sulfide extracellularly, and the optimal removal rate of Pb2+ ions is up to 96.7 % in 2 weeks. The characterization results showed that PbS nanocuboids with a particle size 50 × 50 × 100 nm obtained from Case A with 4 mM polyethylene glycol as a dispersant, and can completely degrade methylene blue from solution within 20 h; PbS nanosheets with a thickness size ca. 10 nm attained from Case B with 12 mM polyethylene glycol, and it can degrade 61.6 % dye within 24 h; PbS nanoparticles with a uniform diameter of ca. 60 nm formed from Case C with 20 mM polyethylene glycol, only degrade 14.1 % dye within 24 h. It is interesting that the factor affecting their catalytic activities is not the specific surface area, but the number of [200] crystal plane. This work not only displayed a simple synthetic method to control the morphology of PbS nanocrystals in microbial system, but also provided an economic and environmentally friendly approach for resourceful treatment and efficient bioremediation of wastewater-containing heavy metal.

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Acknowledgments

We really appreciate the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21277012) and Shandong Fund of Sciences and Technology for environment Protection and Beijing Jointly Constructed Special Project Fund for providing us the financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China

    Lei Yue, Jia Wang, Yongtao Zhang, Shiyue Qi & Baoping Xin

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  1. Lei Yue
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  2. Jia Wang
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  3. Yongtao Zhang
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  4. Shiyue Qi
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  5. Baoping Xin
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Correspondence to Baoping Xin.

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Yue, L., Wang, J., Zhang, Y. et al. Controllable biosynthesis of high-purity lead-sulfide (PbS) nanocrystals by regulating the concentration of polyethylene glycol in microbial system. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 39, 1839–1846 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-016-1658-x

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