Abstract Heteroatom-doped carbon structures have successfully entered the field of advanced functional materials but their impact on living organisms is still poorly examined. Interactions between typical Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Gram-positive Bacillus cereus and heteroatom-doped nanoporous carbons are studied in this paper. Four types of carbonaceous materials, that is N-doped, S-doped, S/N-co-doped and undoped carbon gels, are considered. Respirometric measurements, dehydrogenases activity and viability tests were conducted to assess the toxicity of the doped carbons against bacteria. The heteroatom-doped and dopant-free carbon gels do not cause an inhibition of bacterial growth nor a lethal effect. On the contrary, we demonstrate that the doped carbons enhance microbial activity. The adhesion of bacteria to the carbon surface was investigated based on the adsorption studies and biofilm formation. It is demonstrated that the doping of carbons with nitrogen induces surface acidity and hydrophilicity, which in turn significantly enhances the bacteria sorption. Unlike the S-doped or undoped materials, the N-doped carbons are characterized by high bacterial affinity, even when compared to efficient bacteria adsorbents, e.g. active carbon Norit. The results obtained demonstrate that N-containing carbon gels support bacterial proliferation and as such may constitute attractive materials for wastewater treatment technologies as well as bioelectrochemical processes.

中文翻译：

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细菌与杂原子修饰纳米多孔碳的相互作用：氮和硫掺杂的影响

摘要 杂原子掺杂的碳结构已成功进入先进功能材料领域，但它们对生物体的影响仍然缺乏研究。本文研究了典型的革兰氏阴性菌大肠杆菌、革兰氏阳性蜡状芽孢杆菌和杂原子掺杂纳米多孔碳之间的相互作用。考虑了四种类型的碳质材料，即 N 掺杂、S 掺杂、S/N 共掺杂和未掺杂的碳凝胶。进行呼吸测量、脱氢酶活性和活力测试以评估掺杂碳对细菌的毒性。杂原子掺杂和无掺杂剂的碳凝胶既不会抑制细菌生长，也不会产生致死作用。相反，我们证明掺杂的碳增强了微生物活性。基于吸附研究和生物膜形成研究了细菌对碳表面的粘附。结果表明，碳与氮的掺杂会诱导表面酸性和亲水性，进而显着增强细菌吸附。与 S 掺杂或未掺杂材料不同，N 掺杂碳的特点是细菌亲和力高，即使与有效的细菌吸附剂（例如诺瑞特活性炭）相比也是如此。获得的结果表明，含氮碳凝胶支持细菌增殖，因此可能构成用于废水处理技术和生物电化学过程的有吸引力的材料。结果表明，碳与氮的掺杂会诱导表面酸性和亲水性，进而显着增强细菌吸附。与 S 掺杂或未掺杂材料不同，N 掺杂碳的特点是细菌亲和力高，即使与有效的细菌吸附剂（例如诺瑞特活性炭）相比也是如此。获得的结果表明，含氮碳凝胶支持细菌增殖，因此可能构成用于废水处理技术和生物电化学过程的有吸引力的材料。结果表明，碳与氮的掺杂会诱导表面酸性和亲水性，进而显着增强细菌吸附。与 S 掺杂或未掺杂材料不同，N 掺杂碳的特点是细菌亲和力高，即使与有效的细菌吸附剂（例如诺瑞特活性炭）相比也是如此。获得的结果表明，含氮碳凝胶支持细菌增殖，因此可能构成用于废水处理技术和生物电化学过程的有吸引力的材料。