Bio-assisted synthesis and characterization of nanostructured bismuth (III) sulphide using Clostridium acetobutylicum

Nanostructured bismuth (III) sulphide is synthesized at room temperature using a hydrogen sulphide producing microorganism namely Clostridium acetobutylicum. On contrary to chemical routes involving both the high and room temperature methods, the present experimental procedure involves a bio-assisted approach. This method is free from the usage of toxic and hazardous chemicals making it an environment friendly route. The synthesized bismuth sulphide is characterized using transmission electron microscope (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). From our experiments we find that bismuth sulphide produced using this bio-assisted approach exhibits a hexagonal shaped plate-like structures and is stabilized by the extracellular proteins present in the culture medium. - Graphical abstract: A green chemistry approach towards the synthesis of bismuth (III) sulphide nanostructures at room temperature using a hydrogen sulphide producing microorganism namely, Clostridium acetobutylicum is demonstrated. - Highlights: • Environmentally benign (greener) route towards synthesis of Bi₂S₃ nanostructures. • Bio-assisted synthesis of Bi₂S₃ at room temperature using Clostridium acetobutylicum. • Extracellular proteins in H₂S producing microorganism as stabilizer for Bi₂S₃ NPs. • Hexagonal platelets of Bi₂S₃ possessing an orthorhombic crystalline structure