LEAPS-MPS: Metal-Free Carbons as Efficient Antibacterial Materials

无金属杂原子掺杂碳作为抗菌材料废水系统中的细菌污染对公众健康构成重大威胁。由于社会的快速工业化和城市化，有效的水处理至关重要，饮用水应不含粪便和总大肠菌群。本项目旨在研究掺杂含硫或/和含氮物质的多孔碳材料的抗菌活性。这将为这些无金属材料的抗菌研究开辟一个新的视角。通过将碳的性质与其抑菌性能联系起来，将确定碳的最有效特征。为什么这些物种是有效的也将探讨。本项目将为强效无金属抗菌材料的长期材料开发奠定坚实的基础。无金属材料为水处理过程提供了降低成本的优势。此外，如果它们具有有效的抗菌作用，它们可以潜在地应用于现有的过滤系统。该项目将提供早期职业教师来开发研究实验室并启动研究项目。它还将帮助本科生实现他们的教育和职业目标，特别是那些来自代表性不足的少数民族的学生。本跨学科项目旨在系统地研究杂原子掺杂多孔碳材料的抗菌活性。本文将重点研究碳的表面化学和结构与抑菌性能之间的关系。通过原位掺杂或后处理的方法，制备了一系列掺杂多孔碳，并将掺杂的硫或/和氮基团功能化。大肠杆菌（E. coli）和金黄色葡萄球菌（S. aureus）是特别选择进行检测的，因为它们分别是革兰氏阳性和革兰氏阴性细菌中最常见的种类。将计算碳的抑菌率。细菌在碳基材料上的典型失活途径是氧化应激。抗菌过程的机制将通过鉴定碳产生的活性氧（ROS）的类型来探索。材料将通过x射线光电子能谱分析、热分析、孔隙度分析、电位滴定和电子显微镜成像进行深入表征。该项目将重点确定有效抑制细菌的掺杂剂种类，从而确立碳材料作为有效抗菌材料的地位。对于光活性碳，也将在可见光辐射下评价其抗菌活性和机理。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

LEAPS-MPS: Metal-Free Heteroatom-Doped Carbons as Antibacterial MaterialsNON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY Bacterial contamination in wastewater systems presents a significant threat to public health. Effective water treatment is crucial due to society's rapid industrialization and urbanization, and drinkable water should be fecal and total coliforms free. This project aims to investigate the antibacterial activity of porous carbon materials that are doped with sulfur or/and nitrogen-containing species. It will open a new perspective on these metal-free materials in antibacterial studies. By linking the properties of the carbon to their performance in bacterial inhibition, the most effective features of the carbons will be identified. Why these species are effective will be explored too. This project will lay a solid foundation for the long-term material development of potent metal-free antibacterial materials. Metal-free materials offer the advantage of reduced cost for the water treatment process. Besides, they can be potentially applied to the existing filtration systems if they possess effective antibacterial effects. The project will provide an early-career faculty to develop a research lab and launch research programs. It will also help the undergraduate students achieve their educational and career goals, especially those from underrepresented minority groups. TECHNICAL SUMMARYThis interdisciplinary project is to investigate the antibacterial activity of heteroatom-doped porous carbon materials systematically. The relationship between the properties (surface chemistry and texture) of carbons and their performance in bacterial inhibition will be mainly studied. By using in-situ doping or post-treatment methods, a series of doped-porous carbons will be prepared and functionalized of doping sulfur or/and nitrogen groups. Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) are specifically selected for testing since they are the most prevalent species of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, respectively. The bacteriostasis rate of the carbons will be calculated. A typical inactivation pathway for bacteria on a carbon-based material is oxidation stress. The mechanism of the antibacterial process will be explored by identifying the types of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from the carbons. The materials will be intensively characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, thermal analysis, porosity analysis, potentiometric titration, and electron microscopy imaging. The project will focus on identifying dopant species that are efficient in bacterial inhibition, thus establishing carbon materials as effective antibacterial materials. For the photoactive carbons, their antibacterial activity and mechanism will also be evaluated under visible light radiation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.