The distinctive properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have inspired the development of many novel applications in the field of cell nanobiotechnology. However, studies thus far have not explored the effect of SWCNT functionalization on transport across the cell walls of prokaryotes. We explore the uptake of SWCNTs in Gram-negative cyanobacteria and demonstrate a passive length-dependent and selective internalization of SWCNTs decorated with positively charged biomolecules. We show that lysozyme-coated SWCNTs spontaneously penetrate the cell walls of a unicellular strain and a multicellular strain. A custom-built spinning-disc confocal microscope was used to image the distinct near-infrared SWCNT fluorescence within the autofluorescent cells, revealing a highly inhomogeneous distribution of SWCNTs. Real-time near-infrared monitoring of cell growth and division reveal that the SWCNTs are inherited by daughter cells. Moreover, these nanobionic living cells retained photosynthetic activity and showed an improved photo-exoelectrogenicity when incorporated into bioelectrochemical devices.

单壁碳纳米管 (SWCNT) 的独特特性激发了细胞纳米生物技术领域许多新应用的开发。然而，迄今为止的研究尚未探索 SWCNT 功能化对原核生物细胞壁运输的影响。我们探索了单壁碳纳米管在革兰氏阴性蓝藻中的摄取，并展示了用带正电的生物分子装饰的单壁碳纳米管的被动长度依赖性和选择性内化。我们表明，溶菌酶包被的单壁碳纳米管会自发地穿透单细胞菌株和多细胞菌株的细胞壁。使用定制的转盘共聚焦显微镜对自发荧光细胞内明显的近红外 SWCNT 荧光进行成像，揭示了 SWCNT 的高度不均匀分布。对细胞生长和分裂的实时近红外监测表明，单壁碳纳米管是由子细胞遗传的。此外，这些纳米仿生活细胞保留了光合活性，并在结合到生物电化学装置中时显示出改进的光外生电性。