Solar activation of fungus coated in photothermal cloth.
Qianhao PanRuiting LiJichen JiaYapei WangPublished in: Journal of materials chemistry. B (2021)
Bioorthogonal reactions based on manipulating the physicochemical and biological behavior of natural cells have gained tremendous attention for meeting the demands for multifunctional microorganisms without decreasing cell viability. Described herein is a novel bioorthogonal method for microorganism (Aspergillus oryzae) modification which coats the microorganism with a photothermal conversion cloth for staying bioactive in cold environments. Two steps, including ferric ions primarily binding to the microorganism cell surface, followed by in situ polymerization of pyrrole, are adopted to actualize highly efficient polypyrrole modification on the microorganism surfaces. The production of α-amylase by Aspergillus oryzae and α-amylase catalytic ability are two representative indexes of cold adaptation as confirmed by a starch decomposition test. This strategy for coating microorganisms with photothermal cloth is biocompatible and cost-effective, and can achieve non-contact modulation, which also offers great promise for generating living cell-polymer hybrid structures based on other microorganism systems for low-temperature environmental adaptation.