Elongated magnetite nanoparticle formation from a solid ferrous precursor in a magnetotactic bacterium.

ABSTRACT: Magnetotactic bacteria are aquatic microorganisms that intracellularly mineralize ferrimagnetic nanoparticles enabling the cells to align with the geomagnetic field. The bacteria produce a magnetic mineral of species-specific phase (magnetite Fe(II)Fe(III)2O4 or greigite Fe(II)Fe(III)2S4), size, morphology and particle assembly. Several species produce crystals of unusual elongated particle shapes, which break the symmetry of the thermodynamically favoured isometric morphology. Such morphologies are thought to affect domain size and orientation of the internal magnetization. Therefore, they are interesting study objects to develop new synthetic strategies for the morphological control of nanoparticles. We investigate the formation of such irregularly shaped nanomagnets in the species Desul

SUBMITTER: Baumgartner J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5134017 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature