Analytical models of electron leakage currents in gallium nitride-based laser diodes and light-emitting diodes.

The electrical-to-optical power conversion efficiencies of the light-emitting devices based on gallium nitride (GaN) are seriously limited by electron leakage currents due to the relatively low mobility and activation ratio of holes. However, there have been few theoretical models on the behavior of the leakage current with an increasing total current. We develop an Ohmic-law-like method to describe the transport behaviors of the systems with electron and hole currents simultaneously. Based on reasonable assumptions, the ratio of the leakage current to the total current is related to the differential resistances of the devices. Through the method, we develop analytical models of the leakage currents in GaN-based laser diodes (LDs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The ratios of the leakage currents with total currents in LDs and LEDs are shown to increase, which explains the sublinear behaviors of the luminescence-current (LI) curves of the devices. The theory agrees well with the numerical simulation and experimental results in larger current ranges in comparison to the traditional ABC model. The above analytical model can be used to fast evaluate the leakage currents in GaN-based LDs and LEDs.

Histidine-modified organic-silica hybrid monolithic column for mixed-mode per aqueous and ion-exchange capillary electrochromatography.

A novel organic-silica hybrid monolith was prepared through the binding of histidine onto the surface of monolithic matrix for mixed-mode per aqueous and ion-exchange capillary electrochromatography. The imidazolium and amino groups on the surface of the monolithic stationary phase were used to generate an anodic electro-osmotic flow as well as to provide electrostatic interaction sites for the charged compounds at low pH. Typical per aqueous chromatographic behavior was observed in water-rich mobile phases. Various polar and hydrophilic analytes were selected to evaluate the characteristics and chromatographic performance of the obtained monolith. Under per aqueous conditions, the mixed-mode mechanism of hydrophobic and ion-exchange interactions was observed and the resultant monolithic column proved to be very versatile for the efficient separations of these polar and hydrophilic compounds (including amides, nucleosides and nucleotide bases, benzoic acid derivatives, and amino acids) in highly aqueous mobile phases. The successful applications suggested that the histidine-modified organic-silica hybrid monolithic column could offer a wide range of retention behaviors and flexible selectivities toward polar and hydrophilic compounds.

Nanoparticle-based monoliths for chromatographic separations.

As an intriguing member of the monolith family, nanoparticle-based monoliths have recently emerged as a new class of promising substrates in analytical sample preparation and separation science because of their many distinct characteristics such as high permeability and readily available tailored surface chemistries. This mini-review article specifically summarizes and highlights the latest major advances in the application of nanoparticle-based monoliths for chromatographic separations during the past three years.

Preparation of an aminopropyl imidazole-modified silica gel as a sorbent for solid-phase extraction of carboxylic acid compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

In this paper, a kind of aminopropyl imidazole-modified silica sorbent was synthesized and used as a solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent for the determination of carboxylic acid compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The resultant aminopropyl imidazole-modified silica sorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and elemental analysis (EA) to ensure the successful binding of aminopropyl imidazole on the surface of silica gel. Then the aminopropyl imidazole-modified silica sorbent served as a SPE sorbent for the enrichment of carboxylic acid compounds and PAHs. The new sorbent exhibited high extraction efficiency towards the tested compounds and the results show that such a sorbent can offer multiple intermolecular interactions: electrostatic, π-π, and hydrophobic interactions. Several parameters affecting the extraction recovery, such as the pH of sample solution, the pH of eluent, the solubility of eluent, the volume of eluent, and sample loading, were also investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method was applied to the analysis of four carboxylic acid compounds and four PAHs in environmental water samples. Good linearities were obtained for all the tested compounds with R(2) larger than 0.9903. The limits of detection were found to be in the range of 0.0065-0.5 µg L(-1). The recovery values of spiked river water samples were from 63.2% to 112.3% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 10.1% (n = 4).

Supported nanohydroxyapatite on anodized titanium wire for solid-phase microextraction.

In this paper, a simple and versatile route was introduced to prepare solid-phase microextraction coatings on the chemically inert titanium wire. Titania nanotube array film can be created on metallic substrates by electrochemical anodization in fluoride-containing electrolytes and subsequently support various secondary reactions to prepare functional surfaces. In the present work, titania nanotube array-coated titanium wire was successfully modified by nanostructured hydroxyapatite by a simple solution-based in situ chemical deposition method. This coating has a high surface-to-volume ratio with a thickness of about 10 µm. Extraction performance of the fiber was assessed on several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water solutions. The nanohydroxyapatite-coated fiber showed good precision (<7.4 %), low detection limits (1.79-4.89 ng/L), and wide linearity (0.1-200 µg/L) under the selected conditions. The repeatability of fiber to fiber was 1.9-18.2 %. The new solid-phase microextraction fiber has a lifetime of over 150 extractions due to the hydroxyapatite nanoslices uniformly and strongly deposited on the wire surface. The environmental water sample was used to test the reliability of the solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography method; some analytes were detected and quantified.

Quinolinium ionic liquid-modified silica as a novel stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography.

A novel stationary phase based on quinolinium ionic liquid-modified silica was prepared and evaluated for high-performance liquid chromatography. The stationary phase was investigated via normal-phase (NP), reversed-phase (RP), and anion-exchange (AE) chromatographic modes, respectively. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates, parabens, phenols, anilines, and inorganic anions were used as model analytes in chromatographic separation. Using the newly established column, organic compounds were separated successfully by both NP and RP modes, and inorganic anions were also separated completely by AE mode. The obtained results indicated that the stationary phase could be applied in different chromatographic modes, with multiple-interaction mechanism including van der Waals forces (dipole-dipole, dipole-induced dipole interactions), hydrophobic, π-π stacking, electrostatic forces, hydrogen bonding, anion-exchange interactions, and so on. The column packed with the stationary phase was applied to analyze phthalates and parabens in hexane extracts of plastics. Tap water and bottled water were also analyzed by the column, and nitrate was detected as 20.1 and 13.8 mg L(-1), respectively. The results illustrated that the stationary phase was potential in practical applications.

Gold nanoparticle decorated graphene oxide/silica composite stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography.

In the initial phase of this study, graphene oxide (GO)/silica was fabricated by assembling GO onto the silica particles, and then gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were used to modify the GO/silica to prepare a novel stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography. The new stationary phase could be used in both reversed-phase chromatography and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography modes. Good separations of alkylbenzenes, isomerides, amino acids, nucleosides, and nucleobases were achieved in both modes. Compared with the GO/silica phase and GNPs/silica phase, it is found that except for hydrophilicity, large π-electron systems, hydrophobicity, and coordination functions, this new stationary phase also exhibited special separation performance due to the combination of 2D GO with zero-dimensional GNPs.

Polymeric ionic liquid modified stainless steel wire as a novel fiber for solid-phase microextraction.

A polymeric ionic liquid modified stainless steel wire for solid-phase microextraction was reported. Mercaptopropyl-functionalized stainless steel wire that was formed by co-condensation of tetramethoxysilane and 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane via a sol-gel process, which is followed by in situ surface radical chain-transfer polymerization of 1-vinyl-3-octylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate to result in polymeric ionic liquid modified stainless steel wire. The fiber surface was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Coupled with GC, extraction performance of the fiber was tested with phenols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as model analytes. Effects of extraction and desorption conditions were investigated systematically in our work. RSDs for single-fiber repeatability and fiber-to-fiber reproducibility were less than 7.34 and 16.82%, respectively. The calibration curves were linear in a wide range for all analytes and the detection limits were in the range of 10-60 ng L(-1) . Two real water samples from the Yellow River and local waterworks were applied to test the as-established solid-phase microextraction-GC method with the recoveries of samples spiked at 10 µg L(-1) ranged from 83.35 to 119.24%. The fiber not only exhibited excellent extraction efficiency, but also very good rigidity, stability and durability.

New poly(ionic liquid)-grafted silica multi-mode stationary phase for anion-exchange/reversed-phase/hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography.

A new poly(ionic liquid)-grafted silica stationary phase was prepared and characterized. It was then applied for multi-mode chromatographies, including ion-exchange, reversed-phase, and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatographies for the effective separation of anions, hydrophobic compounds, and small polar molecules, respectively.

Layer-by-layer self-assembled graphene oxide/silica microsphere composites as stationary phase for high performance liquid chromatography.

Graphene oxide (GO) has been layer-by-layer assembled onto silica microspheres to form a GO/SiO(2) composite stationary phase. All the characterizations of GO/SiO(2) by elemental analysis, Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transformed infrared spectrometry confirmed that with the increase of the assembled layer, GO gradually increases on the silica surface. The chromatographic properties of bare SiO(2) and GO/SiO(2) with different GO assembled layers show that the amount of GO plays an important role in the separation of analytes. Only the appropriate amount of GO on SiO(2) can perform a good chromatographic separation. The comparison between chromatographic performances of bare SiO(2) column, GO/SiO(2)-2 column and C18 commercial column clearly show that GO/SiO(2)-2 and C18 columns obtained a better separation; GO/SiO(2)-2 exhibits a large π-electron system and C18 exhibits hydrophobicity. The eluting order, peak width and resolution of analyte on GO/SiO(2)-2 column was highly dependent on the size of its π-electron system, while on the C18 column the decisive factor is its hydrophobic property.

C18 functionalized graphene oxide as a novel coating for solid-phase microextraction.

A novel C18 functionalized graphene oxide (GO) coated solid-phase microextraction fiber was prepared by a novel protocol. Based on the strong van der Waals interaction present in GO and abundant oxygenous groups in GO sheets, a simple layer-by-layer self-assembly method was used in the preparation process and then C18 was successfully self-assembled on GO via C-O-Si bonding. Coupled with gas chromatography, extraction performance of the fiber was tested with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as model analytes. The fiber not only exhibited excellent extraction efficiency and selectivity, but also showed many advantages including high rigidity, long service life and well stability toward organic solvent, acidic and alkali solutions, and high temperature. The relative standard deviations for single-fiber repeatability and fiber-to-fiber reproducibility were less than 7.26 and 17.25%, respectively. The detection limits to the PAHs were less than 0.08 µg L(-1) and the calibration curves were linear in a wide range for all analytes. The as-established Solid-phase microextraction GC method was also successfully used for determination of PAHs in two real water samples.

Graphene oxide bonded fused-silica fiber for solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water.

A novel chemically bonded graphene oxide/fused-silica fiber was prepared and applied in solid-phase microextraction of six polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from water samples coupled with gas chromatography. It exhibited high extraction efficiency and excellent stability. Effects of extraction time, extraction temperature, ionic strength, stirring rate and desorption conditions were investigated and optimized in our work. Detection limits to the six polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were less than 0.08 µg/L, and their calibration curves were all linear (R(2)≥0.9954) in the range from 0.05 to 200 µg/L. Single fiber repeatability and fiber-to-fiber reproducibility were less than 6.13 and 15.87%, respectively. This novel fiber was then utilized to analyze two real water samples from the Yellow River and local waterworks, and the recoveries of samples spiked at 1 and 10 µg/L ranged from 84.48 to 118.24%. Compared with other coating materials, this graphene oxide-coated fiber showed many advantages: wide linear range, low detection limit, and good stability in acid, alkali, organic solutions and at high temperature.

A novel octadecylsilane functionalized graphene oxide/silica composite stationary phase for high performance liquid chromatography.

An octadecylsilane functionalized graphene oxide/silica stationary phase was fabricated by assembling graphene oxide onto the silica particles through an amide bond and subsequent immobilization of octadecylsilane. The chromatographic properties of the stationary phase were investigated by reversed-phase chromatography with alkylbenzenes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, amines, and phenolic compounds as the analytes. All the compounds achieved good separation on the column. The comparison between a C18 commercial column and the new stationary phase indicated that the existence of π-electron system of graphene oxide allows π-π interaction between analyte and octadecylsilane functionalized graphene oxide/silica stationary phase except for hydrophobic interaction, while only hydrophobic interaction presented between analyte and C18 commercial column. This suggests that some analytes can be better separated on the octadecylsilane functionalized graphene oxide/silica column.

Development of silica-based stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography.

Stationary phases are the basis of the development and application of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In this review we focused on the development of silica-based stationary phases, including the synthesis of silica gel and the application of silica in hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC), reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), chiral separation chromatography, and ion chromatography. New stationary phases, advances in ionic liquid-modified silica, silica-based core-shell materials, and silica-based monolithic columns for HPLC are introduced separately.

Synthesis of ionic liquid-bonded organic-silica hybrid monolithic column for capillary electrochromatography.

An ionic liquid (IL) was introduced into the organic-silica hybrid monolithic column as the stationary phase for capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The monolithic silica matrix containing chloropropyl functional group was prepared by the in situ co-condensation of tetramethoxysilane and (3-chloropropyl)-trimethoxysilane via a sol-gel process and chemical modification with N-methylimidazole. The electroosmotic flow of the IL-modified hybrid monolithic column was reversed at acidic pH and the morphology of the column was characterized by scanning electron microscope. Four aromatic hydrocarbons were completely separated with 40% acetonitrile phosphate buffer as the mobile phase and seven inorganic ions were efficiently separated with the phosphate buffer on the column in CEC. Reproducibilities of migration time for four aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, chrysene) were acceptable on IL-modified hybrid monolithic columns. Relative standard deviations of run-to-run (n=5), peak area-to-peak area (n=5), day-to-day (n=3) and column-to-column (n=3) were in the range of 0.72-0.88, 1.47-5.40, 2.44-4.99 and 3.01-8.11%, respectively.

Polymeric ionic liquid-coated capillary for capillary electrophoresis.

A new application of the polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) in capillary electrophoresis is reported. Poly(1-vinyl-3-butylimidazolium bromide) was physically adsorbed on silica capillary as the simple and effective coating for capillary electrophoresis (CE) analysis, in which the PIL is not present in the background electrolyte. The electroosmotic flow (EOF) of the PIL-coated capillary as compared with that of the bare fused-silica capillary shows a different dependence on electrolyte pH values. The EOF is reversed over a wide pH range from 3.0 to 9.0 and shows good repeatability. It is also found that the coated capillary has a good tolerance to some organic solvents, 0.1 M NaOH and 0.1 M HCl. The PIL-coated capillary has been employed in different areas. Both the basic proteins and anionic analytes can be well separated by PIL-coated capillaries in a fast and easy way. The PIL-coated capillary is also able to separate organic acid additives in a grape juice. The results showed that this type of coating provides an alternative to the CE separation of anions and basic proteins.

Chromatographic characteristics of poly(1-vinylimidazole)-grafted silica in normal-phase HPLC.

A stationary phase based on poly(1-vinylimidazole)-grafted silica has been prepared by the surface radical chain-transfer reaction. The stationary phase was characterized by infrared spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Chromatographic characteristics of the stationary phase were investigated in normal-phase HPLC. The results showed that both weak polar compounds (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dialkyl phthalates) and polar compounds (anilines, phenols) could be successfully separated on this stationary phase, implying better separation performance than blank silica and conventional aminopropyl-bonded silica under the same conditions. The excellent performance can be attributed to multiple interactions between surface modifier and the analytes that might include dipole, hydrogen bonding, H-π, electrostatic and inductive interactions.

Preparation of metal wire supported solid-phase microextraction fiber coated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes-coated solid-phase microextraction fiber was prepared by a novel protocol involving mussel-adhesive-protein-inspired polydopamine film. The polydopamine was used as binding agent to immobilize amine-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes onto the surface of the stainless steel wire via Michael addition or Schiff base reaction. Surface properties of the fiber were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope. Six phenols in aqueous solution were used as model compounds to investigate the extraction performance of the fiber and satisfactory results were obtained. Limit of detection was 0.10 µg/L for 2-methylphenol (2-MP) and 4-methylphenol (4-MP), and 0.02 µg/L for 2-ethylphenol (2-EP), 4-ethylphenol (4-EP), 2-tert-butylphenol (2-t-BuP), and 4-tert-butylphenol (4-t-BuP), which were much lower than commercial fiber and fibers made in laboratory. RSDs for one unique fiber are in the range of 1.92-7.00%. Fiber-to-fiber (n=3) reproducibility ranges from 4.44 to 8.41%. It also showed very high stability and durability to acid, alkali, organic solvent, and high temperature. Real water sample from Yellow river was applied to test the reliability of the established solid-phase microextraction (SPME)-GC method and recoveries with addition level at 5 and 100 µg/L were in the range from 81.5 to 110.0%.

Novel approach to improve the detection of colchicine via online coupling of ionic liquid-based single-drop microextraction with capillary electrophoresis.

A novel approach based on ionic liquid-single-drop microextraction (IL-SDME) online coupling with capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used to determine a toxic alkaloid--colchicine. The IL-SDME procedure was optimized by extraction solvent, drop volume controlling, sample volume and pH, extraction time, and ionic strength. Under optimum conditions, enrichment factor was as much as 41-fold with a relative standard deviation of 2.8% (n = 3). Linear range of response was observed from 1 to 100 µg/mL, with detection limit of 0.25 µg/mL and correlation coefficient (R(2) ) of 0.9994. The extraction of colchicine from spiked Lanzhou lily sample was performed and obtaining good result with an average recovery rate of 102.4 and 98.8% at 5 and 50 µg/mL, respectively. Comparing with the previous methods, IL-SDME-CE is really a convenient, economical, and environmentally benign way for determining colchicine.

Poly(N-vinylimidazole)-grafted capillary for electrophoresis prepared by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization.

A CE method for poly(N-vinylimidazole) (PVI)-grafted capillaries by the surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization has been developed. The coating was prepared with N-vinylimidazole as the monomer, 2-bromo-2-methyl-N-[3-(triethoxysilyl) propyl] propanamide (BTPAm) as the initiator and CuCl/CuCl(2)/2,2'-bipyridine as the catalyst and ligand. The direction and magnitude of EOF in the PVI-grafted capillary were investigated in a pH range of 3.0-9.0. The results indicated that the EOF could be modulated by varying the pH value of the buffer and an anodic EOF was obtained at pH values below 6.5. A significant improvement in reproducibility and reduction of EOF appeared on the PVI-grafted capillary when compared with the uncoated capillary. Furthermore, the polymer coated capillaries were applied to the separations of the inorganic anions, organic acids and basic proteins and baseline separations were achieved with short analysis time and high reproducibility.