N,S-doped carbon dots as dual-functional modifiers to boost bio-electricity generation of individually-modified bacterial cells

A high-efficiency extracellular electron transfer (EET) of exoelectrogens from the inside of the outer membrane to the external environment is of great importance in the bioelectrochemical energy research. In this regard, developing functional modifiers for individual bacteria, meanwhile integrating efficient light-enhanced energy conversion process possess huge potential to achieve excellent EET. Herein, a practical strategy of modifying individual bacteria by using photo-responsive N, S-doped carbon dots (m-NSCDs) is proposed. This suggested that the m-NSCDs can act as dual-functional modifiers which not only afford enhanced conductivity of bacteria, but also serve as photosensitizers to achieve light-enhanced catalytic process. Specifically, this novel design enables the simultaneous utilization of light- and electrochemical-energy, eventually yielding a superior power output performance. The bio-electricity generation was boosted by using carbon dots as bacterial modifiers which not only afford enhanced conductivity of bacteria, but also endow significantly light-enhanced bio-catalysis. [Display omitted] •A novel and practical bacteria-surface modification has been achieved through electrostatic attraction.•The m-NSCDs can act as dual-functional modifiers to boost bio-catalytic process.•The m-NSCDs modified bacteria electrode exhibits a 2.6-fold enhancement in power output over that of the raw bacteria electrode.