A multifunctional Ag NPs/guar gum hydrogel as versatile platform for catalysts, antibacterial agents, and construction of oil-water separation interfaces.

The frequently encountered wastewater contaminations, including soluble aromatic compound and dye pollutants, pathogenic bacteria, and insoluble oils, have resulted in significant environmental and human health issues. It poses a challenge to utilize identical materials for the treatment of complex wastewater. Herein, in this research, multifunctional Ag NPs/guar gum hybrid hydrogels were fabricated using a facile in situ reduction and self-crosslinking method for efficient remediation of complex wastewater. The Ag NPs/guar gum hybrid hydrogel showed remarkable remodeling, adhesive, and self-healing characteristics, which was favorable for its versatile applications. The combination of Ag NPs with the guar gum skeleton endowed the hybrid hydrogel with exceptional catalytic activity for reducing aromatic compounds and dye pollutants, as well as remarkable antibacterial efficacy against pathogenic bacteria. In addition, the Ag NPs/guar gum hybrid hydrogel could be employed to coat a variety of substrates, including cotton fabrics and stainless steel meshes. The hydrogel coated cotton fabrics and meshes presented superhydrophilicity/underwater superoleophobicity, excellent antifouling capacity, and outstanding recyclability, which could be successfully applied for efficient separation of oil-water mixtures. The findings of this work provide a feasible and cost-effective approach for the remediation of intricate wastewater.

Phenylboronic acid derivative-modified (6,5) single-wall carbon nanotube probes for detecting glucose and hydrogen peroxide.

In this paper, we presented a new method for constructing near-infrared fluorescence probes and their applications in detecting glucose and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). We used purified (6,5) single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) separated by a polyethylene glycol/dextran aqueous two-phase system as the basis for near-infrared probes. Different phenylboronic acids were used for non-covalent modification of SWCNTs (6,5). Glucose was detected by the specific binding of the boronic acid group with cis-diol. Hydrogen peroxide was detected by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) combined with phenylboronic-acid-modified SWCNTs. The results revealed that the fluorescence intensity of purified SWCNTs was significantly enhanced without other chiral nanotube interactions compared to that of the raw SWCNT material. The fluorescence responses of 3-carboxy-5-nitrophenylboronic acid-modified purified CNTs could be used to effectively measure glucose in the concentration range from 0.01 mM to 0.50 mM with an interval linear index of R 2 = 0.996 (LOD = 1.7 µM, S/N = 3). The detected H2O2 with the 3-aminobenzeneboronic acid-modified (6,5) SWCNT with HRP was in the concentration range from 5.0 µM to 40 µM with an interval linear index of R 2 = 0.997 (LOD = 0.85 µM, S/N = 3). Moreover, this sensor exhibited a strong anti-interference effect without biological matrix fluorescence effects above 1000 nm wavelength. Thus, the proposed novel near-infrared fluorescence probes employed for reducing the interference of the biomatrix in this region are expected to be used in subsequent biosensor investigations.