Highly-accurate solvent identification using dynamic evaporation reflection spectra from an inverse opal sensor combined with a deep learning model.

Developing a low-cost, rapid, and highly accurate method for detecting solvents with similar structures and properties is highly demanded. In recent years, methods based on dynamic reflection spectroscopy have been developed to distinguish isomers and homologues. However, these methods heavily rely on responsive photonic crystals that can interact intricately with the solvent. In this work, we propose a deep learning approach for direct solvent identification from dynamic evaporative reflection spectra (DERS) obtained on a simple inverse opal (IO) sensor. The sensor was prepared using co-assembly and sacrificial template methods. Then, a dataset was constructed with 985 DERS obtained from 14 different solvents. Different classical machine learning and deep learning algorithms were employed for classifying these DERS. The results showed that ResNet18-CBAM, an improved convolutional neural network, outperformed all other algorithms, achieving 97.7 ± 0.9% on the 5-fold cross-validation set and 100% accuracy on the test set. This strategy presents not only a simple, efficient, and repeatable method for solvent detection but also, more importantly, by integrating the deep learning model, it allows an automatic, rapid, and accurate analysis of DERS data without the need for human intervention. It holds great application prospects in the field of solvent detection.

Effect of Hydrophobic Moieties on the Assembly of Silica Particles into Colloidal Crystals.

To boost the implementation of colloidal crystals (CCs) in separation science, the effects of the most common chromatographic reversed phases, that is, butyl and octadecyl, on the assembly of silica particles into CCs and on the optical properties of CCs are investigated. Interestingly, particle surface modification can cause phase separation during sedimentation because the assembly is highly sensitive to minute changes in surface characteristics. Solvent-induced surface charge generation through acid-base interactions of acidic residual silanol groups with the solvent is enough to promote colloidal crystallization of modified silica particles. In addition, solvation forces at small interparticle distances are also involved in colloidal assembly. The characterization of CCs formed during sedimentation or via evaporative assembly revealed that C4 particles can form CCs more easily than C18 particles because of their low hydrophobicity; the latter can only form CCs in tetrahydrofuran when C18 chains with a high bonding density have extra hydroxyl side groups. These groups can only be hydrolyzed from trifunctional octadecyl silane but not from a monofunctional one. Moreover, after evaporative assembly, CCs formed from particles with different surface moieties exhibit different lattice spacings because their surface hydrophobicity and chemical heterogeneity can modulate interparticle interactions during the two main stages of assembly: the wet stage of crystal growth and the late stage of nano dewetting (evaporation of interparticle solvent bridges). Finally, short, alkyl-modified CCs were effectively assembled inside silica capillaries with a 100 µm inner diameter, laying the foundation for future chromatographic separation using capillary columns.

Preparation of open tubular capillary column covalently coated with polystyrene sulfonate with 4,4'-Azobis(4-cyanopentanoyl chloride) as polymerization initiator for electrochromatographic separation of alkaloids, sulfonamides, and peptides.

An open tubular capillary electrochromatography column covalently bonded with polystyrene sulfonate was prepared via in situ polymerization using functionalized Azo-initiator 4,4'-Azobis(4-cyanopentanoyl chloride). Scanning electron, fluorescence, and atomic force microscopy techniques showed the formation of a relatively rough layer of polymer. In addition, -CN and C = O stretching vibrations from infrared spectroscopy proved the successful immobilization of the azo-initiator through covalent bonding and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the elemental composition of the formed polymer layer. The prepared column was found to be appropriate for small and medium-sized molecules separation. Compared to bare fused silica capillary column higher selectivity and resolution were obtained for the separation of alkaloids, sulfonamides, and peptides as a result of the electrostatic and pi-pi stacking interactions between the small organic molecules and the coated column without compromising the electroosmotic flow mobility. Separation efficiency was also increased compared to the bare capillary for the separation of alkaloids (about 1.5 times). Moreover, intraday, inter-day, intra-batch, and inter-batch relative standard deviation values of retention time and peak area of peptides were within 2% and 10%, respectively, indicating good repeatability of the column preparation procedure. The developed method for the covalent bonding of polymers through a functionalized azo-initiator could represent a promising stable method for the preparation of an open tubular column.

Peptide ligand-SiO2 microspheres with specific affinity for phosphatidylserine as a new strategy to isolate exosomes and application in proteomics to differentiate hepatic cancer.

Exosomes are membrane bound extracellular vesicles that play an important role in many biological processes. While they have great application value, exosome isolation is still considered a major scientific challenge. In the present study, a novel separation strategy for exosomes is proposed based on the specific interaction between immobilized peptide ligands and phosphatidylserine moieties which are highly abundant on the surface of exosomes. With the new affinity method, intact model exosomes can be recovered with a high yield in a short processing time. The purity of exosome samples enriched from serum by the affinity method is far higher than that isolated by ultrafiltration, and similar to that obtained by density gradient centrifugation and ultracentrifugation. Moreover, the variety of contaminants co-isolated by the affinity method is relatively low due to its specific separation principle. Proteomics analysis of exosomes isolated by the affinity method from the serum of healthy, hepatocellular carcinoma patients, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients was performed to prove the applicability of this method. In conclusion, our novel strategy shows characteristics of easy preparation, high specificity, and cost-effectiveness, and provides a promising approach for exosome isolation which should have wide applications.

Capillary isoelectric focusing with free or immobilized pH gradient in silica particles packed column.

The use of immobilized pH gradient (IPG) capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) was confirmed to be possible with packed capillaries. The success of this experiment was due to two key factors: first, the use of surface-confined atom transfer radical polymerization method led to an increase in active reaction sites on the surface of silica particles; second, the subsequent free radical reaction caused carrier ampholytes (CAs) to bond faster and firmer. Based on this scheme, both CIEF with free pH gradient and CIEF with IPG were performed in capillaries packed with 3 µm modified silica particles. In our online CIEF-UV platform, both reversible and irreversible adsorption of proteins was shown to be negligible. Four proteins were focused: cytochrome c (pI 10.2), myoglobin (pI 7.3), carbonic anhydrase (pI 5.9) and trypsin inhibitor (pI 4.5). The comparison of the two CIEF columns showed that the time required for focusing in the packed capillary with IPG is only increased by a factor of 1.5 compared to the packed capillary, giving complete focusing in less than 12 min at 400 V/cm. With the increment of the electric field (the maximum at 600 V/cm), the run time was continually decreasing in these packed capillaries while the peak shape was improving. The four proteins (pH 4.5-10.2) could be successfully separated in our online CIEF platform. Moreover, for the newly online CIEF platform, pressure-driven mobilization without an applied electric field was achieved in the packed capillary with immobilized pH gradient.

Aptamer-based fluorometric determination for mucin 1 using gold nanoparticles and carbon dots.

A fluorometric method is described for the determination of mucin 1 (MUC1). It is based on the specific binding of MUC1 by anti-MUC1 aptamers and by exploiting the inner filter effect (IFE) exerted by gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the blue fluorescence of carbon dots (CDs). When CDs are mixed with AuNPs, their fluorescence is reduced due to an IFE. The IFE efficiency can be modulated by the adsorption and the aggregation state of AuNPs. The latter can be induced by addition of salt, thereby allowing the fluorescence of the CDs to recover. The aptamer is adsorbed on the AuNPs and protects the AuNPs from salt-induced aggregation which is accompanied by a color change from red to blue. If aptamer is added to a mixture of CDs and AuNPs in presence of salt, the aggregation of the AuNPs is inhibited. Thus, the blue fluorescence of the CDs (best measured at excitation/emission wavelengths of 365/448 nm) is reduced. If, however, the aptamers bind MUC1, the aptamers will be released from the surface of the AuNPs. This decreases the salt tolerance of AuNPs and leads to the recovery of the blue fluorescence. The fluorescence intensity increases with the concentration of MUC1. The method has a linear response in the 5.3 to 200 ng·mL-1 MUC1 concentration range and a lower detection limit of 5.3 ng·mL-1. The method displays excellent selectivity towards MUC1 against other proteins. Graphical abstract Schematic illustration of (I) the influence of IFE of free AuNPs and NaCl aggregated AuNPs and (II) the influence of specific interaction between MUC1 and aptamers on the NaCl-induced aggregation of AuNPs and the IFE efficiency.

Epinephrine-modified methacrylate monolithic column with fumed silica nanoparticle for pressurized capillary electrochromatography.

Via the ring-opening reaction of epoxy groups with epinephrine, a novel epinephrine functionalized polymethacrylate monolith with fumed silica nanoparticles has been fabricated for pressurized capillary electrochromatography. The preparation of epinephrine-modified monoliths has been optimized. In addition, morphology, electroosmotic flow, separation mechanism and column performance have been studied. The internal structure of the monolithic stationary phase was more uniform and the column efficiency increased after the incorporation of nanoparticles. With this column, satisfactory separation capability of aromatic compounds and alkaloids has been achieved and the column efficiency for naphthalene reached 138 696 plates/m. As for the real sample, 3 alkaloids were separated in Huanglian Shangqing capsules, a Chinese traditional medicine.

Preparation of a capillary isoelectric focusing column with monolithic immobilized pH gradient and its application on protein separation based on an online capillary isoelectric focusing platform.

In the presence of methanol and n-decanol as porogens, a partially filled capillary monolithic column was prepared by in situ reaction of glycidyl methacrylate and poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate. Then, Pharmalyte 3-10 was immobilized on this column in order to obtain a capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF) column with monolithic immobilized pH gradient (M-IPG). In addition, an online self-built platform for protein separation was established on account of the introduction of a cross-shaped unit and two short-off valves. In this platform, a cross-shaped unit was not only used to join the M-IPG column and a six-way injection valve (1.5 µL sample loop), but also to supply a volume pool of anode buffer so that the process of injection, focusing and mobilization of samples could be sequentially performed. The short-off valve in the tee unit or cross-shaped unit could be used to control the direction of the fluid flow. Using this online cIEF platform and under the optimized conditions, 7-proteins mixture could be separated and a good linear correlation between pI values and migration times was obtained by the M-IPG column. Meanwhile, based on the online cIEF platform, human serum proteins and a mixture of Hb A and Hb A1c have been successfully resolved with the newly developed M-IPG column.

A porous layer open-tubular capillary column with immobilized pH gradient (PLOT-IPG) for isoelectric focusing of amino acids and proteins.

A porous layer open-tubular capillary column with immobilized pH gradient (PLOT-IPG) was prepared in two steps. First, a partially filled porous layer open tubular capillary column containing active epoxy groups was synthesized by in situ polymerization of acrylamide, glycidyl methacrylate, and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide. Then, an aqueous solution of commercial carrier ampholytes (CAs, Pharmalyte) was focused in the prepared polymer column. With the column immobilized by Pharmalyte 4.5-6.0 (narrow pH range) or Pharmalyte 3.0-10.0 (wide pH range), proteins with known pIs were separated and a good linear correlation between pI values and migration times was obtained. Meanwhile, resolution was improved compared to the traditional gradient with a wide pH range. A mixture of low molecular weight amino acids was separated with the narrow pH range PLOT-IPG column; from the obtained results, the resolution of our new column was calculated to be at most 0.09 pH unit. In addition, human serum proteins were analyzed with the newly developed wide and narrow pH range PLOT-IPG columns; its sensitivity and resolution in the narrow pH range one were better than capillary electrophoresis.

Preparation of silica colloidal crystal column and its application in pressurized capillary electrochromatography.

Capillary column packed with silica colloidal crystals (SCC) exhibits great efficiency in liquid chromatography because of its highly-ordered structure and extremely narrow channels (about hundred nanometer in diameter) between the particles. However, problems arise due to the extremely high back-pressure created with its dense packings. It is also a challenge to prepare a stable SCC column with an appropriate length for chromatographic separation on a commercial instrument. We have synthesized monodispersed, sub-micron SiO2 particles bonded with C18 functionality and fabricated SCC capillary columns up to 100 mm in length. The packing materials in the column displayed Bragg diffraction with blueish color under irradiation with white light, indicating the formation of SCC. The column performance was evaluated using pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) and column efficiencies of more than a hundred thousand plates per column (plate height < 1 µm) were achieved using peptide as a sample. The run-to-run reproducibility expressed with RSD in terms of retention time and peak area for aromatic compounds were less than 0.076% and 1.96%, respectively. These results demonstrate that the combination of pCEC and SCC columns may provide an innovative analytical technique with extraordinary efficiency, resolution and speed for the separation of complex samples.