Magnetic Nanorobots as Maneuverable Immunoassay Probes for Automated and Efficient Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay.

As a typical, classical, but powerful biochemical sensing technology in analytical chemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) shows excellence and wide practicability for quantifying analytes of ultralow concentration. However, long incubation time and burdensome laborious multistep washing processes make it inefficient and labor-intensive for conventional ELISA. Here, we propose rod-like magnetically driven nanorobots (MNRs) for use as maneuverable immunoassay probes that facilitate a strategy for an automated and highly efficient ELISA analysis, termed nanorobots enabled ELISA (nR-ELISA). To prepare the MNRs, the self-assembled chains of Fe3O4 magnetic particles are chemically coated with a thin layer of rigid silica oxide (SiO2), onto which capture antibody (Ab1) is grafted to further achieve magnetically maneuverable immunoassay probes (MNR-Ab1s). We investigate the fluid velocity distribution around the MNRs at microscale using numerical simulation and empirically identify the mixing efficiency of the actively rotating MNRs. To automate the analysis process, we design and fabricate by 3-D printing a detection unit consisting of three function wells. The MNR-Ab1s can be steered into different function wells for required reaction or wishing process. The actively rotating MNR-Ab1s can enhance the binding efficacy with target analytes at microscale and greatly decrease incubation time. The integrated nR-ELISA system can significantly reduce the assay time, more importantly during which process manpower input is greatly minimized. Our simulation of the magnetic field distribution generated by Helmholtz coils demonstrates that our approach can be scaled up, which proves the feasibility of using current strategy to construct high throughput nR-ELISA detection instrument. This work of taking magnetic micro/nanobots as active immunoassay probes for automatic and efficient ELISA not only holds great potential for point-of-care testing (POCT) in future but also extends the practical applications of self-propelled micro/nanorobots into the field of analytical chemistry.

Effect of Rod-like Structure on Fatigue Life, Short Surface Crack Initiation and Growth Characteristics of Extruded Aluminum Alloy A2024 (Analysis via Modified Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics).

In the Al alloy A2024-T3 extruded material, a rod-like structure is generated parallel to the extrusion direction. In this study, the effects of rod-like structures on fatigue crack initiation and growth behavior were comprehensively investigated. Two types of specimens were used in a fatigue experiment, in which the direction of the load stress amplitude was parallel (specimen P) and perpendicular (specimen V) to the rod-like structure. Based on the experimental and analytical results, the following findings were obtained regarding the fatigue life, location of crack initiation, and fatigue crack growth behavior. Because the fatigue life of specimen P was longer than that of specimen V, it is inferred that the rod-like structure significantly affects the fatigue life. In specimen P, fatigue cracks were generated from the grain boundaries of the Al matrix. By contrast, in specimen V, cracks were generated from the Cu-Mg-based intermetallic compound in the Al matrix. In specimen P, fatigue cracks were more likely to propagate across the rod-like structure, which decreased the fatigue crack growth rate. In specimen V, fatigue cracks did not propagate across the rod-like structure; instead, they propagated through the Al matrix. Therefore, the fatigue crack growth resistance of specimen V was lower than that of specimen P. The relationship between the fatigue crack growth rate and the modified linear elastic fracture mechanics parameter could be used to predict the S-N curve (stress amplitude vs. fatigue life) and fatigue crack growth behavior. The predicted results agreed well with the experimental results.

One-Pot Synthesis of Glucose-Derived Carbon Coated Ni3S2 Nanowires as a Battery-Type Electrode for High Performance Supercapacitors.

We report a novel Ni3S2 carbon coated (denoted as NCC) rod-like structure prepared by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method and employ it as a binder free electrode in supercapacitor. We coated carbon with glucose as carbon source on the surface of samples and investigated the suitable glucose concentration. The as-obtained NCC rod-like structure demonstrated great performance with a huge specific capacity of 657 C g-1 at 1 A g-1, preeminent rate capability of 87.7% retention, the current density varying to 10 A g-1, and great cycling stability of 76.7% of its original value through 3500 cycles, which is superior to the properties of bare Ni3S2. The result presents a facile, general, viable strategy to constructing a high-performance material for the supercapacitor applications.

Facile one-pot sonochemical synthesis of Ni doped bismuth sulphide for the electrochemical determination of promethazine hydrochloride.

The present work reports the facile and cost-effective synthesis of rod like structured nickel doped bismuth sulphide (Ni-Bi2S3) via the ultrasonication process. The sonochemical synthesis technique is rapid, simple, non-explosive, and harmless than other conventional synthesis technique. After the synthesis, the resultant material was characterized through the various spectrophotometric techniques including FESEM, EDX, XRD, XPS and EIS. After the structural evaluation, as-synthesized Ni-Bi2S3 was applied for the electrocatalytic detection of promethazine hydrochloride (PMTZ) using CV and amperometry (i-t) techniques. Captivatingly, excellent electrocatalytic performance with the wider linear range from 1 nM to 163.17 µM was obtained for the electrochemical determination of PMTZ. The limit of detection (LOD) and sensitivity calculated around 0.4 nM and 2.904 µA µM-1 cm-2, respectively. Besides, an excellent selectivity, satisfactory reproducibility and good stability of the Ni-Bi2S3 modified electrode were checked towards the electrochemical determination of PMTZ. Furthermore, the real time application of PMTZ sensor was established in human serum and urine samples.