Large scale uniform Ni-P plated carbon fiber for boosting urea electro-oxidation and electro-detection.

Seeking an excellent electrocatalyst is the trickiest issue for the application of urea electro-oxidation and electro-detection. Phosphorus-doped nickel plating on carbon fibers (Ni-P/CF) is synthesized by simple electroless plating. SEM results exhibit that the Ni-P densely and uniformly grows onto the surface of carbon fibers (CF), forming carbon fibers-like nanoarchitectures. Benefiting from the carbon fibers-like nano architectures with abundant exposed active sites on the surface of CF, electron transfer can be synchronously facilitated, and Ni-P/CF displays superior urea electrooxidation (UOR) performance with potentials of 1.40 V to reach 100 mA cm-2. Impressively, it can maintain at 20 mA cm-2 for 48 h without evident activity attenuation, demonstrating robust durability. Cycle stability shows that the voltage has only increased by 10 mV at 300 mA cm-2 from the 10th to 20000th cycles. Most importantly, Ni-P/CF at a length of 100 cm with good reproducibility was successfully synthesized, denoting great potential for large-scale industrial production. Therefore, this work not only affords cost-effective tactics for urea-rich wastewater degradation but also can achieve practical medical applications.

Cobalt Phosphide-Embedded Reduced Graphene Oxide as a Bifunctional Catalyst for Overall Water Splitting.

It is highly desirable to design high-efficiency stable and low-price catalysts in the electrocatalysis field. Herein, we reported a cobalt phosphide (Co2P)-loaded reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite catalyst (rGO/Co2P) prepared via the convenient hydrothermal and H2 reduction methods. The rGO/Co2P catalyst reduced at 800 °C (rGO/Co2P-800) shows superior electrocatalytic activities for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction in 1.0 M KOH solution, achieving an overpotential of 134 and 378 mV, respectively, at a current density of 10 mA cm-2. Moreover, the catalyst can not only maintain stability for a long time in alkaline solution but also in acid media because of the protection of the rGO layers. The superior performance of this catalyst is attributed to the synergy between the carbon layer and transition-metal phosphides. The Co2P nanoparticles have a high degree of dispersion, which prevents agglomeration, thereby exposing more active sites. Moreover, rGO protects the exposed metal particles while providing more electroconductivity to the material. This work provides an efficient route for the development of bifunctional electrocatalysts with excellent performance and stability, which provides new ideas toward overall water splitting.

New Insights into Layered Graphene Materials as Substrates to Regulate Synthesis of Ni-P Nanomaterials for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Methanol and Water.

The doping ring-core nickel phosphide/graphene nanomaterial is obtained by H2 reduction of the flower-like nickel phosphates/graphene oxide (NiPOGO) and sea urchin-like nickel phosphates/chemically converted graphene (NiPOG) substrates. The obtained structure of nickel phosphates depends on the influence of different kinds of oxygen-containing groups on the graphene substrate. The substrate can also affect the particle size and distribution of nickel phosphate nanoparticles. The substrate can adjust the particle size, distribution, and exposed growth direction of nickel phosphide. These materials with high activity are employed as electrochemical catalysts for methanol oxidation reactions, which is ∼7 times that of pure nickel phosphide, and there is a very small Tafel slope of 47 mV decade-1 in the water oxidation reaction. Our results highlight that the substrate structure is essential to catalytic materials for electrochemical oxidation of methanol and water.

Sensitive Detection of Rifampicin Based on Au-Carbon Nanocomposite.

Gold nanoparticles-supported Cabot Vulcan XC72R (Au/VXC72R) nanocomposite was synthesized by chemical reduction of gold (III) chloride with VXC72R. A novel electrochemical sensor based on the Au/VXC72R nanocomposite has been fabricated for the sensitive detection of rifampicin (RIF). Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffractometer (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the morphology, structure and compositions of the nanocomposite. Under the optimal conditions, the Au/VXC72R-chitosan/GCE can be used to determine RIF concentration in a linear range from 5 × 10-7 mol/L to 1 × 10-5 mol/L with the detection limit of 1.1 × 107 M (S/N = 3). The proposed approach exhibits good stability, acceptable reproducibility and applicability, which will probably bring widespread applications in quality monitoring in real samples.

Sensitive Determination of Dopamine and Paracetamol Based on Carbon Nanotubes-Supported Pd Nanoparticles.

A novel chemically modified electrode was constructed in this study based on the carbon nanotubes-supported Pd nanoparticles (Pd/CNTs). It was demonstrated that the sensor could be used for the determination of dopamine (DA) and paracetamol (PA). The measurements were carried out through application of cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and amperometric i-t curve. Under optimum conditions and using the amperometric i-t curve method, the modified electrode provided linear response versus dopamine concentrations in the range of 0.3 × 10-6-5.0 × 10-5 M and PA concentrations in the range of 0.2 × 10-6-6.0 × 10-5 M, respectively. The detection limits for the DA and PA were 9.1 × 10-8 M and 8.9 × 10-8 M (S/N = 3), respectively. The sensitivities for of the electrode were 0.928 and 1.532 µA µM-1 cm-1, respectively.

A bilayer triangular lattice with crown-like Co(7) spin cluster SBUs exhibiting high spin frustration.

A novel bilayer metal-organic framework is assembled with a perfect intralayer triangular subnet and ideal interlayer Td arrangement between unprecedented crown-like Co7 cluster units, exhibiting high spin frustration.

A new method for the determination of nucleic acid using an Eu3+- nicotinic acid complex as a resonance light scattering probe.

This study found that in Tris-HCl buffer, the resonance light scattering (RLS) intensity of the Eu(3+)-nicotinic acid system can be greatly enhanced by nucleic acids and the enhanced intensity is proportional to the concentration of nucleic acid in the range of 7 x 10(-8)-1 x 10(-5 ) g x mL(-1) for fsDNA, and its detection limit is 2 x 10(-8 ) g x mL(-1). Based on this, a new method for the determination of nucleic acids is proposed. Synthetic and actual samples are determined satisfactorily. The interaction mechanism is also studied. It is thought that nucleic acid can bind with the Eu(3+)-nicotinic acid complex through electrostatic attraction and thus form a large Eu(3+)-nicotinic acid-nucleic acid complex.

Ag island film-enhanced rare earth co-luminescence effect of Tb-Gd-protein-sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate system and sensitive detection of protein.

This paper reported the coupling technique of Ag island film-enhanced fluorescence with rare earth co-luminescence effect of Tb-Gd-sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS)-protein system. While the collagen is used as the separator between Ag island film and the fluorophore because it not only can decrease the fluorescence of the blank, but also can promote the adsorption of other proteins and change the conformation of the protein. The effects of Ag island film on both the fluorescence and resonance energy transfer process of Tb-Gd-SDBS-protein system are studied, finding that Ag island film can enhance the energy transfer efficiency of this system, resulting in fluorescence enhancement about tenfold compared with this system without Ag island film. Therefore, this technique is used for the detection of proteins as low as 0.72 ng/mL for BSA and 1.3 ng/mL for HSA. In addition, Ag island film can also change the energy transfer process of Tb-SDBS-protein system.

Determination of nucleic acids based on the quenching effect on resonance light scattering of the Y(III)-1,6-bi(1'-phenyl-3'-methyl-5'-pyrazolone-4'-)hexane-dione system.

Nucleic acids can quench resonance light scattering (RLS) intensity of the Y(III)-1,6-bi(1'-phenyl-3'-methyl-5'-pyrazolone-4'-)hexane-dione(BPMPHD) complex in the pH range 5.0-5.8. Under optimal conditions, there are linear relationships between the quenching of RLS and the concentration of nucleic acids in the range 6.3 x 10(-8)-2.1 x 10(-5) g/mL for fish sperm DNA (fsDNA), 1.2 x 10(-8)-5.0 x 10(-5) g/mL for calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) and 6.0 x 10(-8)-2.0 x 10(-5) g/mL for yeast RNA (yRNA). The detection limits (3 s) of fsDNA, ctDNA and yRNA are 0.7 ng/mL, 3.8 ng/mL and 4.2 ng/mL, respectively.

Flow-injection-chemiluminescence method for the determination of penicillin G potassium.

The degradation product of penicillin G potassium can react with potassium permanganate in acidic medium and produce chemiluminescence, which is greatly enhanced by formaldehyde. The optimum conditions for this chemiluminescent reaction were studied in detail using a flow-injection system. The experiments indicated that under optimum conditions, the chemiluminescence intensity was linearly related to the concentration of penicillin G potassium within the range 1.0 x 10(-7)-1.0 x 10(-5) g/mL, with a detection limit (3sigma) of 7 x 10(-8) g/mL. The relative standard deviation was 1.0% for 4.0 x 10(-7) g/mL penicillin G potassium solution (n = 11). This method has the advantages of simple operation, fast response and high sensitivity. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of penicillin G potassium in raw medicines.

Flow injection-chemiluminescence determination of amoxycillin using potassium permanganate and formaldehyde system.

It was found that amoxycillin can react with potassium permanganate in an acidic medium to produce chemiluminescence, which is greatly enhanced by formaldehyde. The optimum conditions for this chemiluminescent reaction were studied in detail using a flow-injection system. The experimental results indicate that, under optimum conditions, the chemiluminescence intensity is linearly related to the concentration of amoxycillin in the range 5.48 x 10(-8)-2.74 x 10(-6) mol/L, with a detection limit (3sigma) of 4.1 x 10(-8) mol/L. The relative standard deviation was 1.0% at 1.1 x 10(-6) mol/L amoxycillin (n = 11 measurements). This method has the advantages of high sensitivity, fast response and ease of operation. The method was successfully applied to the determination of amoxycillin in raw medicines and capsules.

Resonance light scattering technique for the determination of proteins with resorcinol yellow and OP.

A new resonance light scattering (RLS) assay of proteins is presented. In the citric acid-NaOH (pH 2.35) buffer, the RLS of Resorcinol yellow (RY)-protein system can be greatly enhanced by addition of nonionic surfactant OP, owing to the interaction between OP and RY-protein. The enhanced RLS is in proportion to the concentration of proteins in the range 0.02-4.0 mug ml(-1) for both bovine serum albumin (BSA) and bovine hemoglobin (HEM), the detection limits were 10.4 ng ml(-1) (S/N=3) for BSA and 11.4 ng ml(-1) (S/N=3) for HEM. Samples were determined satisfactorily.