Mentors: Daniel Roxbury and Matthew Card (University of Rhode Island)

Project Location

University of Rhode Island

Project Description

Fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been recently used in various biosensing, bioimaging, and drug delivery applications for preclinical applications. The interactions between fluorescent SWCNTs and bacteria have remain largely unexplored. Here, a hybrid SWCNT sample will be created by complexation with a cationic amphiphilic polymer (e.g. chitosan) to examine the uptake and retention within cyanobacteria. From previous literature, it is expected that nanoparticles such as SWCNTs with cationic functionalizations are expected to penetrate the cell walls of the bacteria, resulting in cytoplasmic localizations. Once internalized, the near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence signals from the SWCNTs will be used to quantify the total concentration, sub-cellular location, and aggregation state of the SWCNTs. Future studies will use this “spectral fingerprint” to identify biomarkers of interest within the cyanobacteria.