Fabrication of non-enzymatic biosensor based on metallic catalyst-TiO2 hollow sphere nanocomposite for determining biomolecules.

A PtRu@TiO2-hollow nanocomposite for the detection of biomolecules was synthesized by chemical reduction. First, poly(styrene-co-vinylphenylboronic acid), PSB, was prepared as a template (approximately 250 nm) by surfactant-free emulsion polymerization. Second, PSB/TiO2 core-shell spheres were prepared by sol-gel reaction. Finally, TiO2 hollow spheres (TiO2-H) were then formed after removing the PSB template by calcination at 450 degrees C under air atmosphere. To prepare the electrocatalyst, PtRu nanoparticles (NPs) were deposited onto the TiO2-H surface by chemical reduction. The prepared PtRu@TiO2-H nanocomposite was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and elemental analysis. A non-enzymatic sensor was fabricated by depositing the as-prepared PtRu@TiO2-H nanocomposite on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE), which was prepared by a hand casting method with Nafion solution as a binder. The sensor was tested as a biomolecule sensor, especially for the detection of glucose and dopamine. The cyclic voltammograms (CV) obtained during the oxidation studies revealed that the PtRu@TiO2-H nanocomposite showed better catalytic function toward the oxidation of dopamine. The sensing range of the non-enzymatic sensor for glucose was 5.0-100 mM in a phosphate buffer. The results demonstrated the potential usefulness of this bimetallic@TiO2-H bifunctional catalyst for biosensor applications.

Preparation and characterization of an electrogenerated chemiluminescence sensor by electrochemical grafting of 4-nitrophenyl diazonium salts onto a glass carbon electrode.

An ECL sensor was fabricated by immobilization of a tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium (II) complex (Ru(bpy)3(2+)) to an amine group-modified GC electrode (NH2-GC electrode). Here, the NH2-GC electrode was prepared by electrochemical reduction of a nitro group-modified GC electrode in 0.1 M KCl ethanol solution under H2 gas, which was followed by electrochemical grafting of 4-nitrophenyl diazonium salts in 0.1 M NBu4BF4 acetonitrile solution onto the GC electrode. The prepared ECL sensor was successfully confirmed via cyclic voltammetry, contact angle, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and ECL spectrometry. The contact angle for the surface of the GC electrode, NO2-GC electrode, and NH2-GC electrod was 88.4 degrees, 67.4 degrees, and 52.4 degrees, respectively. The stability of the ECL sensor was investigated under continuous cyclic potential scanning for 55 cycles and the ECL intensity remained at 55%. The prepared ECL electrode can be expected to immobilize enzymes for preparation of the ECL biosensor to detect target molecules.

Enhanced Contaminated Human Remains Pouch: initial development and preliminary performance assessments.

OBJECTIVES: To produce a proof of concept prototype Enhanced Contaminated Human Remains Pouch (ECHRP) with self-decontamination capability to provide increased protection to emergency response personnel. DESIGN: The key objective was to decrease the concentration of toxic chemicals through the use of an absorbent and reactive nanocellulose liner. Additionally, nanomaterials with biocidal properties were developed and tested as a "stand-alone" treatment. SETTING: Private company research laboratory. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Not applicable. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Production of a functional prototype. RESULTS: A functional prototype capable of mitigating the threats due to sulfur mustard, Soman, and a large variety of liquid and vapor toxic industrial chemicals was produced. Stand-alone biocidal treatment efficacy was validated. CONCLUSIONS: The ECHRP provides superior protection from both chemical and biological hazards to various emergency response personnel and human remains handlers.

Fabrication of a microbial biosensor based on QD-MWNT supports by a one-step radiation reaction and detection of phenolic compounds in red wines.

An Acaligense sp.-immobilized biosensor was fabricated based on QD-MWNT composites as an electron transfer mediator and a microbe immobilization support by a one-step radiation reaction and used for sensing phenolic compounds in commercial red wines. First, a quantum dot-modified multi-wall carbon nanotube (QD-MWNT) composite was prepared in the presence of MWNT by a one-step radiation reaction in an aqueous solution at room temperature. The successful preparation of the QD-MWNT composite was confirmed by XPS, TEM, and elemental analysis. Second, the microbial biosensor was fabricated by immobilization of Acaligense sp. on the surface of the composite thin film of a glassy carbon (GC) electrode, which was prepared by a hand casting method with a mixture of the previously obtained composite and Nafion solution. The sensing ranges of the microbial biosensor based on CdS-MWNT and Cu(2)S-MWNT supports were 0.5-5.0 mM and 0.7-10 mM for phenol in a phosphate buffer solution, respectively. Total concentration of phenolic compounds contained in commercial red wines was also determined using the prepared microbial immobilized biosensor.

Carboxymethylation of corn starch and characterization using asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation coupled with multiangle light scattering.

Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AsFlFFF) was coupled online with multiangle light scattering (MALS) to study the changes in the molecular weight and the size distribution of the corn starch during carboxymethylation. A corn starch was derivatized with sodium chloroacetate in alcoholic medium under alkaline condition to produce carboxymethyl starches (CMS) having various degrees of substitution (DS). The change in thermal characteristics and granule structure of the native corn starch and CMS were compared using Thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscope. The ionic strength of the carrier liquid (water with 0.02% NaN(3)) was optimized by adding 50mM NaNO(3) to minimize the interactions among the starch molecules and between the starch molecules and the AsFlFFF membrane. A field-programmed AsFlFFF allowed determination of the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of starches within about 25min. It was found that carboxymethylation of starch results in reduction in the molecular weight due to molecular degradation by the alkaline treatment. The weight-average molecular weight (M(w)) was reduced down to about 4.4x10(5) from about 7.2x10(6) when DS was 0.14. It seems AsFlFFF coupled with MALS (AsFlFFF/MALS) is a useful tool for monitoring the changes taking place in the molecular weight and the size of starch during derivatization.

Study on elution behavior of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers and their interaction with bovine serum albumin in asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation.

Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers have an amine surface and an ethylenediamine core and are of great interest in various applications such as in drug delivery. Physiochemical properties of PAMAM dendrimers vary with pH. At neutral to basic pH, PAMAM dendrimers are either weakly charged or uncharged and tend to adsorb on to the neutral packing material, making chromatographic separation of the dendrimers difficult. Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AsFlFFF) was tested as an alternative to the chromatographic techniques for separation of the PAMAM dendrimers. AsFlFFF provided generation-based separation of the dendrimers even at neutral and basic pH. The elution time increased gradually as the generation number (and thus the size) increased. Separation of impurities such as generational or missing-arm impurities and aggregates from the main population was also achieved. Electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions (e.g., repulsive elecrostatic interaction among the dendrimer molecules or attractive hydrophobic interaction between the dendrimer molecules and the membrane) may result in an inaccurate size measurement. Careful optimization of experimental conditions such as the flow rate, pH, and the salt concentration may be required to minimize the interactions with the membrane. AsFlFFF was also tested for a study on the interaction between the PAMAM dendrimers and proteins. AsFlFFF was able to show the growth in the size of bovine serum albumin (BSA) when BSA is mixed with increasing amounts of PAMAM dendrimers. Results suggest that, with proper optimization, AsFlFFF could become a useful tool for separation and characterization of large charged molecules such as PAMAM dendrimers.