Wrapping of a Single Live Bacterium by Biochemically Modified Graphene (BMG) Sheets: Avenues to Build Nano-Biomachines

In this talk, we will discuss the structural and interfacial properties of single bacterium completely wrapped with biochemically modified graphene (BMG). We will demonstrate that tethering Concanavalin-A (ligand) on graphene is highly effective in producing strong and specific interfacing of the BMG with the teichoic acid molecular-groups on bacterial surface. We will also show that the bacteria can remain alive for 12 hours after wrapping and in absence of external nutrients, thereby conferring a substantial window for study and development of bio-driven applications. We will show that the as-produced BMG-bacteria biohybrids have the maximum theoretically possible interfacial area with concomitant resilient interface strength. This research will enable development of biological-interfacing of the sensitive graphene sheets for applications in nano-biomachines, bio-batteries and smart electrochemical circuitry.