LAUSR

Molybdenum disulfide nanoparticles (MoS2 NPs) hold tremendous properties in wide domain of applications. In this study, the impact of MoS2 NPs was investigated on algal physiological and metabolic properties and a two-stage strategy was acquired to enhance the commercial potential of Dunaliella salina. With 50 µg/L of MoS2 NPs exposure, cellular growth and biomass production were promoted by 1.47- and 1.33-fold than that in control, respectively. MoS2 NPs treated cells were subject to high light intensity for 7 days after 30 days of normal light cultivation, which showed that high light intensity gradually increased β-carotene content by 1.48-fold. Furthermore, analyses of primary metabolites showed that combinatorial approach significantly altered the biochemical composition of D. salina. Together, these findings demonstrated that MoS2 NPs at an optimum concentration combined with high light intensity could be a promising approach to concurrently enhance biomass and β-carotene production in microalgae.