A Rapid In Situ Colorimetric Assay for Cobalt Detection by the Naked Eye.

A simple, rapid, and convenient colorimetric chemosensor of a specific target toward the end user is still required for on-site detection and real-time monitoring applications. In this study, we developed a rapid in situ colorimetric assay for cobalt detection using the naked eye. Interestingly, a yellow to light orange visual color transition was observed within 3 s when a Chrysoidine G (CG) chemosensor was exposed to cobalt. Surprisingly, the CG chemosensor had great selectivity toward cobalt without any interference of other metal ions. Under optimized conditions, a lower detection limit of 0.1 ppm via a spectrophotometer and a visual detection limit of 2 ppm with a linear range from 0.4 to 1 ppm (R² = 0.97) were determined. Moreover, the CG chemosensor is reversible and maintains its functionality after treatment with chelating agents. In conclusion, we show the superior capabilities of the CG chemosensor, which has the potential to provide extremely facile handling, high sensitivity, and a fast response time for applications of on-site detection to real-time cobalt monitoring for the general public.

Succinate Functionalization of Hyperbranched Polyglycerol-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles as a Draw Solute During Forward Osmosis.

Hyperbranched polyglycerol-coated magnetic nanoparticles (SHPG-MNPs) were functionalized with succinate groups to form a draw solute for use in a forward osmosis (FO). After the one-step synthesis of hyperbranched polyglycerol-coated magnetic nanoparticles (HPG-MNPs), the polyglycerol groups on the surfaces of the HPG-MNPs were functionalized with succinic anhydride moieties. The resulting SHPG-MNPs showed no change of size and magnetic property compared with HPG-MNPs and displayed excellent dispersibility in water up to the concentration of 400 g/L. SHPG-MNPs solution showed higher osmotic pressure than that of HPG-MNPs solution due to the presence of surface carboxyl groups in SHPG-MNPs and could draw water from a feed solution across an FO membrane without any reverse draw solute leakage during FO process. Moreover, the water flux remained nearly constant over several SHPG-MNP darw solute regeneration cycles applied to the ultrafiltration (UF) process. The SHPG-MNPs demonstrate strong potential for use as a draw solute in FO processes.

Effect of temperature on biofilm formation by Antarctic marine bacteria in a microfluidic device.

Polar biofilms have become an increasingly popular biological issue because new materials and phenotypes have been discovered in microorganisms in the polar region. Various environmental factors affect the functionality and adaptation of microorganisms. Because the polar region represents an extremely cold environment, polar microorganisms have a functionality different from that of normal microorganisms. Thus, determining the effective temperature for the development of polar biofilms is crucial. Here, we present a simple, novel one-pot assay for analysis of the effect of temperature on formation of Antarctic bacterial biofilm using a microfluidic system where continuous temperature gradients are generated. We find that a specific range of temperature is required for the growth of biofilms. Thus, this microfluidic approach provides precise information regarding the effective temperature for polar biofilm development with a new high-throughput screening format.

Development of a Cuvette-Based LSPR Sensor Chip Using a Plasmonically Active Transparent Strip.

This research demonstrates the development of a transmission-mode localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor chip using a cuvette cell system for the sensitive detection of a biomolecule marker such as C-reactive protein (CRP). In order to develop a highly sensitive LSPR sensor chip, plasmonically active gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were decorated onto various transparent substrates in the form of a uniform, high-density single layer using a self-assembly process. The transparent substrate surface was modified with amine functional groups via (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) treatment, and the ligand concentration and temperature (0.5% APTES at 60°C) were then optimized to control the binding energy with AuNPs. The optimized plasmonically active strip was subsequently prepared by dipping the amine-functionalized substrate into AuNPs for 8 h. The optimized plasmonic strip functionalized with anti-CRP was transformed into a portable LSPR sensor chip by placing it inside a cuvette cell system, and its detection performance was evaluated using CRP as a model sample. The detection limit for CRP using our LSPR sensor chip was 0.01 µg/mL, and the detection dynamic range was 0.01-10 µg/mL with a %CV of <10%, thus confirming its selectivity and good reproducibility. These findings illustrate that the highly sensitive portable LSPR biosensor developed in this study is expected to be widely used in a diverse range of fields such as diagnosis, medical care, environmental monitoring, and food quality control.

Simple Analysis of Lipid Inhibition Activity on an Adipocyte Micro-Cell Pattern Chip.

Polydimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) is often applied to fabricate cell chips. In this study, we fabricated an adipocyte microcell pattern chips using PDMS to analyze the inhibition activity of lipid droplets in mouse embryo fibroblast cells (3T3-L1) with anti-obesity agents. To form the PDMS based micropattern, we applied the micro-contact printing technique using PDMS micro-stamps that had been fabricated by conventional soft lithography. This PDMS micro-pattern enabled the selective growth of 3T3-L1 cells onto the specific region by preventing cell adhesion on the PDMS region. It then allowed growth of the 3T3-L1 cells in the chip for 10 days and confirmed that lipid droplets were formed in the 3T3-L1 cells. After treatment of orlistat and quercetin were treated in an adipocyte micro-cell pattern chip with 3T3-L1 cells for six days, we found that orlistat and quercetin exhibited fat inhibition capacities of 19.3% and 24.4% from 0.2 µM of lipid droplets in 3T3-L1 cells. In addition, we conducted a direct quantitative analysis of 3T3-L1 cell differentiation using Oil Red O staining. In conclusion, PDMS-based adipocyte micro-cell pattern chips may contribute to the development of novel bioactive compounds.

Versatile Poly(Diallyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride)-Layered Nanocomposites for Removal of Cesium in Water Purification.

In this work, we elucidate polymer-layered hollow Prussian blue-coated magnetic nanocomposites as an adsorbent to remove radioactive cesium from environmentally contaminated water. To do this, Fe3O4 nanoparticles prepared using a coprecipitation method were thickly covered with a layer of cationic polymer to attach hollow Prussian blue through a self-assembly process. The as-synthesized adsorbent was confirmed through various analytical techniques. The adsorbent showed a high surface area (166.16 m²/g) with an excellent cesium adsorbent capacity and removal efficiency of 32.8 mg/g and 99.69%, respectively. Moreover, the superparamagnetism allows effective recovery of the adsorbent using an external magnetic field after the adsorption process. Therefore, the magnetic adsorbent with a high adsorption efficiency and convenient recovery is expected to be effectively used for rapid remediation of radioactive contamination.

Porous 3D Prussian blue/cellulose aerogel as a decorporation agent for removal of ingested cesium from the gastrointestinal tract.

In the present study, we successfully synthesized a porous three-dimensional Prussian blue-cellulose aerogel (PB-CA) composite and used it as a decorporation agent for the selective removal of ingested cesium ions (Cs+) from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The safety of the PB-CA composite was evaluated through an in vitro cytotoxicity study using macrophage-like THP-1 cells and Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells. The results revealed that the PB-CA composite was not cytotoxic. An adsorption study to examine the efficiency of the decorporation agent was conducted using a simulated intestinal fluid (SIF). The adsorption isotherm was fitted to the Langmuir model with a maximum Cs+ adsorption capacity of 13.70 mg/g in SIF that followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The PB-CA composite showed excellent stability in SIF with a maximum Cs+ removal efficiency of 99.43%. The promising safety toxicology profile, remarkable Cs+ adsorption efficacy, and excellent stability of the composite demonstrated its great potential for use as an orally administered drug for the decorporation of Cs+ from the GI tract.

Nano-graphene oxide composite for in vivo imaging.

INTRODUCTION: Positron emission tomography (PET) tracers has the potential to revolutionize cancer imaging and diagnosis. PET tracers offer non-invasive quantitative imaging in biotechnology and biomedical applications, but it requires radioisotopes as radioactive imaging tracers or radiopharmaceuticals. METHOD: This paper reports the synthesis of 18F-nGO-PEG by covalently functionalizing PEG with nano-graphene oxide, and its excellent stability in physiological solutions. Using a green synthesis route, nGO is then functionalized with a biocompatible PEG polymer to acquire high stability in PBS and DMEM. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The radiochemical safety of 18F-nGO-PEG was measured by a reactive oxygen species and cell viability test. The biodistribution of 18F-nGO-PEG could be observed easily by PET, which suggested the significantly high sensitivity tumor uptake of 18F-nGO-PEG and in a tumor bearing CT-26 mouse compared to the control. 18F-nGO-PEG was applied successfully as an efficient radiotracer or drug agent in vivo using PET imaging. This article is expected to assist many researchers in the fabrication of 18F-labeled graphene-based bio-conjugates with high reproducibility for applications in the biomedicine field.

Pd nanospheres decorated reduced graphene oxide with multi-functions: Highly efficient catalytic reduction and ultrasensitive sensing of hazardous 4-nitrophenol pollutant.

We illustrate a facile approach for in situ synthesis of Pd-gum arabic/reduced graphene oxide (Pd-GA/RGO) using GA as the reducing agent, which favors the instantaneous reduction of both Pd ions and GO into Pd nanoparticles (NPs) and RGO. From the morphological analysis of Pd-GA/RGO, we observed highly dispersed spherical 5nm Pd NPs decorated over RGO. The as-synthesized Pd-GA/RGO composite was employed for the catalytic reduction and the electrochemical detection of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), respectively. The catalytic reduction of 4-NP was highly pronounced for Pd-GA/RGO (5min) when compared to Pd NPs (140min) and Pd/RGO (36min). This enhanced catalytic activity was attributed to the synergistic effect of Pd NPs and the presence of various functional groups of GA. Significantly, the fabricated sensor offered a low detection limit (9fM) with a wider linear range (2-80 pM) and long-term stability. The simple construction technique, high sensitivity, and long-term stability with acceptable accuracy in wastewater samples were the main advantages of the developed sensor. The results indicated that the as-prepared Pd-GA/RGO exhibited better sensing ability than the other graphene-based modified electrodes. Therefore, the proposed sensor can be employed as a more convenient sensing platform for environmental and industrial pollutants.

Cesium-induced inhibition of bacterial growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and their possible potential applications for bioremediation of wastewater.

Radioactive isotopes and fission products have attracted considerable attention because of their long lasting serious damage to the health of humans and other organisms. This study examined the toxicity and accumulation behavior of cesium towards P. aeruginosa PAO1 and its capacity to remove cesium from waste water. Interestingly, the programmed bacterial growth inhibition occurred according to the cesium environment. The influence of cesium was analyzed using several optical methods for quantitative evaluation. Cesium plays vital role in the growth of microorganisms and functions as an anti-microbial agent. The toxicity of Cs to P. aeruginosa PAO1 increases as the concentration of cesium is increased in concentration-dependent manner. P. aeruginosa PAO1 shows excellent Cs removal efficiency of 76.1% from the contaminated water. The toxicity of cesium on the cell wall and in the cytoplasm were studied by transmission electron microscopy and electron dispersive X-ray analysis. Finally, the removal of cesium from wastewater using P. aeruginosa PAO1 as a potential biosorbent and the blocking of competitive interactions of other monovalent cation, such as potassium, were assessed. Overall, P. aeruginosa PAO1 can be used as a high efficient biomaterial in the field of radioactive waste disposal and management.

A highly facile and selective Chemo-Paper-Sensor (CPS) for detection of strontium.

Chemosensors have attracted increasing attention for their usefulness on-site detection and monitoring. In this study, we elucidated a novel, facile, and highly selective Chemo-Paper-Sensor (CPS) for detection and monitoring of strontium (Sr(2+)) ions, which means a potent colorimetric sensor based on a Chrysoidine G (CG)-coated paper strip. The CPS for highly selective colorimetric detection of strontium ion was handily analyzed to determine the red-green-blue (RGB) value using portable devices such as desktop digital scanner and mobile phone camera, quantitatively. Interestingly, an orange to dark orange color transition was observed when the aqueous and solid paper colorimetric sensor was introduced to Sr(2+) ion, respectively. It was demonstrated that the value of the signal has a linear relationship with concentrations of the strontium in the 500 ppm to 100 ppb range with a detection limit of 200 ppb. We believe that a newly developed Chemo-Paper-Sensor will be useful in a wide range of sensing applications.

Monitoring of chromosome dynamics of single yeast cells in a microfluidic platform with aperture cell traps.

Chromosome movement plays important roles in DNA replication, repair, genetic recombination, and epigenetic phenomena during mitosis and meiosis. In particular, chromosome movement in the nuclear space is essential for the reorganization of the nucleus. However, conventional methods for analyzing the chromosome movements in vivo have been limited by technical constraints of cell trapping, cell cultivation, oxygenation, and in situ imaging. Here, we present a simple microfluidic platform with aperture-based cell trapping arrays to monitor the chromosome dynamics in single living cells for a desired period of time. Under the optimized conditions, our microfluidic platform shows a single-cell trapping efficiency of 57%. This microfluidic approach enables in situ imaging of intracellular dynamics in living cells responding to variable input stimuli under the well-controlled microenvironment. As a validation of this microfluidic platform, we investigate the fundamental features of the dynamic cellular response of the individual cells treated with different stimuli and drug. We prove the basis for dynamic chromosome movement in single yeast cells to be the telomere and nuclear envelope ensembles that attach to and move in concert with nuclear actin cables. Therefore, these results illustrate the monitoring of cellular functions and obtaining of dynamic information at a high spatiotemporal resolution through the integration of a simple microfluidic platform.

Synergistically strengthened 3D micro-scavenger cage adsorbent for selective removal of radioactive cesium.

A novel microporous three-dimensional pomegranate-like micro-scavenger cage (P-MSC) composite has been synthesized by immobilization of iron phyllosilicates clay onto a Prussian blue (PB)/alginate matrix and tested for the removal of radioactive cesium from aqueous solution. Experimental results show that the adsorption capacity increases with increasing the inactive cesium concentration from 1 ppm to 30 ppm, which may be attributed to greater number of adsorption sites and further increase in the inactive cesium concentration has no effect. The P-MSC composite exhibit maximum adsorption capacity of 108.06 mg of inactive cesium per gram of adsorbent. The adsorption isotherm is better fitted to the Freundlich model than the Langmuir model. In addition, kinetics studies show that the adsorption process is consistent with a pseudo second-order model. Furthermore, at equilibrium, the composite has an outstanding adsorption capacity of 99.24% for the radioactive cesium from aqueous solution. This may be ascribed to the fact that the AIP clay played a substantial role in protecting PB release from the P-MSC composite by cross-linking with alginate to improve the mechanical stability. Excellent adsorption capacity, easy separation, and good selectivity make the adsorbent suitable for the removal of radioactive cesium from seawater around nuclear plants and/or after nuclear accidents.

Porous three-dimensional graphene foam/Prussian blue composite for efficient removal of radioactive (137)Cs.

In this study, a simple one-step hydrothermal reaction is developed to prepare composite based on Prussian blue (PB)/reduced graphene oxide foam (RGOF) for efficient removal of radioactive cesium ((137)Cs) from contaminated water. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy show that cubic PB nanoparticles are decorated on the RGO surface. Owing to the combined benefits of RGOF and PB, the composite shows excellent removal efficiency (99.5%) of (137)Cs from the contaminated water. The maximum adsorption capacity is calculated to be 18.67 mg/g. An adsorption isotherm fit-well the Langmuir model with a linear regression correlation value of 0.97. This type of composite is believed to hold great promise for the clean-up of (137)Cs from contaminated water around nuclear plants and/or after nuclear accidents.

Removal of Radioactive Cesium Using Prussian Blue Magnetic Nanoparticles.

Radioactive cesium (137Cs) has inevitably become a human concern due to exposure from nuclear power plants and nuclear accident releases. Many efforts have been focused on removing cesium and the remediation of the contaminated environment. In this study, we elucidated the ability of Prussian blue-coated magnetic nanoparticles to eliminate cesium from radioactive contaminated waste. Thus, the obtained Prussian blue-coated magnetic nanoparticles were then characterized and examined for their physical and radioactive cesium adsorption properties. This Prussian blue-coated magnetic nanoparticle-based cesium magnetic sorbent can offer great potential for use in in situ remediation.

Profiling surface glycans on live cells and tissues using quantum dot-lectin nanoconjugates.

The surface of mammalian cells is densely coated with complex glycans, which are directly involved in cell-cell or cell-protein interactions that trigger various biological responses. Here, we present a novel glycomics approach that uses quantum dot (Qdot)-lectin nanoconjugates to interrogate the surface glycans of tissues and patterned cells. Our approach allows highly sensitive in situ monitoring of specific lectin-glycan interactions and quantitative information on surface glycans for each examined cell line and tissue. The results clearly show significant changes in glycosylation for each cell line and tissue sample. We expect that these results will be applicable in cancer diagnostics and promote the development of new analytical tools for glycomics.