Probing the mechanism of the interaction between l-cysteine-capped-CdTe quantum dots and Hg(2+) using capillary electrophoresis with ensemble techniques.

A good understanding of the mechanism of interaction between quantum dots (QDs) and heavy metal ions is essential for the design of more effective sensor systems. In this work, CE was introduced to explore how l-cysteine-capped-CdTe QDs (l-cys-CdTe QDs) interacts with Hg(2+) . The change in electrophoretic mobility can synchronously reflect the change in the composition and property of QDs. The effects of the free and capping ligands on the system are discussed in detail. ESI-MS, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, and fluorescence (FL) were also applied as cooperative tools to study the interaction mechanism. Furthermore, the interaction mechanism, which principally depended on the concentration of Hg(2+) , was proposed reasonably. At the low concentration of Hg(2+) , the formation of a static complex between Hg(2+) and the carboxyl and amino groups of l-cys-CdTe QDs surface was responsible for the FL quenching. With the increase of Hg(2+) concentration, the capping l-cys was stripped from the surface of l-cys-CdTe QDs due to the high affinity of Hg(2+) to the thiol group of l-cys. Our study demonstrates that CE can reveal the mechanism of the interaction between QDs and heavy metal ions, such as FL quenching.

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based ratiometric fluorescent assay for highly sensitive and selective determination of sulfide anions.

A novel and effective ratiometric fluorescence strategy was developed for rapidly, sensitively and selectively probing sulfide anions (S(2-)). A dual-emission nanosensor was prepared by covalently attaching fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) to gold nanoclusters (Au NCs), triggering the sensing mechanism of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from CNPs (donor) to Au NCs (acceptor). Once S(2-) was added, considerable fluorescence recovery of CNPs and quenching of Au NCs were observed due to the inhibition of FRET progress via the formation of Au2S. The ratiometric probe showed good, specific S(2-) sensing behavior and high sensitivity with a detection limit of 18 nM. Significantly, the assay was successfully employed to determine the S(2-) content in biological and water samples, presenting immense promise in the biological and environmental fields.

Solid-phase synthesis of highly fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots for sensitive and selective probing ferric ions in living cells.

Carbon quantum dots (C-Dots) have drawn extensive attention in recent years due to their stable physicochemical and photochemical properties. However, the development of nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-doped C-Dots) is still on its early stage. In this paper, a facile and high-output solid-phase synthesis approach was proposed for the fabrication of N-doped, highly fluorescent carbon quantum dots. The obtained N-doped C-Dots exhibited a strong blue emission with an absolute quantum yield (QY) of up to 31%, owing to fluorescence enhancement effect of introduced N atoms into carbon dots. The strong coordination of oxygen-rich groups on N-doped C-Dots to Fe(3+) caused fluorescence quenching via nonradiative electron-transfer, leading to the quantitative detection of Fe(3+). The probe exhibited a wide linear response concentration range (0.01-500 µM) to Fe(3+) with a detection limit of 2.5 nM. Significantly, the N-doped C-Dots possess negligible cytotoxicity, excellent biocompatibility, and high photostability. All these features are favorable for label-free monitoring of Fe(3+) in complex biological samples. It was then successfully applied for the fluorescence imaging of intracellular Fe(3+). As an efficient chemosensor, the N-doped C-Dots hold great promise to broaden applications in biological systems.

In situ synthesis of MIL-100(Fe) in the capillary column for capillary electrochromatographic separation of small organic molecules.

Because of the unusual properties of the structure, the metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have received great interest in separation science. However, the most existing methods for the applications of MOFs in separation science require an off-line procedure to prepare the materials. Here, we report an in situ, layer-by-layer self-assembly approach to fabricate MIL-100(Fe) coated open tubular (OT) capillary columns for capillary electrochromatography. By a controllable manner, the OT capillary columns with a tailored MIL-100(Fe) coating have been successfully synthesized. The results of SEM, XRD, FT-IR, and ICP-AES indicated that MIL-100(Fe) was successfully grafted on the inner wall of the capillary. Some neutral, acidic and basic analytes were used to evaluate the performance of the MIL-100(Fe) coating OT capillary column. Because of the size selectivity of lattice aperture and hydrophobicity of the organic ligands, three types of analytes were well separated with this novel MIL-100(Fe) coating OT capillary column. For three consecutive runs, the intraday relative standard deviations (RSDs) of migration time and peak areas were 0.4-4.6% and 1.2-6.6%, respectively. The interday RSDs of migration time and peak areas were 0.6-8.0% and 2.2-9.5%, respectively. The column-to-column reproducibility of retention time was in range of 0.6-9.2%. Additionally, the 10 cycles OT capillary column (10-LC) could be used for more than 150 runs with no observable changes on the separation efficiency.

Nursing research on a new silver-based antibacterial agent for pneumonia.

As a highly contagious bacterium, pneumonia can cause a series of respiratory diseases, and its treatment has become a concern of people. This study mainly discusses the nursing research of a new silver-based antibacterial agent in the treatment of pneumonia. The following procedures were performed: (1) a sterilized expectoration suction device was inserted into the nasopharynx (7-8 cm), and the nasopharyngeal secretions were suck by controlling the pressure of the suction device; and (2) the catheter was washed with 2 mL of sterilized physiological saline, and the sample was immediately sent to the laboratory for bacterial culture of the lower airway and respiratory secretions to determine viral antigens. The drug resistance coefficient of the lysozyme, benzoate, and pneumonia bacteria is 4.5-26.8%. In addition, the fourth generation sefalos posephin and pneumonia bacteria presented drug sensitivity, and the drug resistance coefficient is 13.1-33.3%. The sensitivity to the new silver-based antimicrobial agent and lopenem is 100%. The sensitivity of other germs is between 2 and 5%. The results of the study indicate that the antibacterial properties of the new silver-based antibacterial agent increase with the degree of amino acid substitution of the same sample concentration. The new silver-based antibacterial agent has excellent antibacterial properties against Klebsiella pneumoniae.

In situ synthesis of homochiral metal-organic framework in capillary column for capillary electrochromatography enantioseparation.

Homochiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising as porous stationary phase for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC) enantioseparation owing to their fine-tuned pore sizes and large surface areas. In this work, the homochiral MOF AlaZnCl was successfully coated on the inner wall of fused silica capillary by an in situ, layer-by-layer self-assembly approach at room temperature. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), streaming potential (SP) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) indicated that the homochiral MOF AlaZnCl was successfully coated on the capillary inner wall. To evaluate the performance of the homochiral MOF AlaZnCl coated capillary column, the enantioseparation was carried out by using six amine drugs and monoamine neurotransmitters as model analytes and excellent enantioseparation efficiency was achieved. Run-to-run, day-to-day, and column-to-column relative standard deviations (RSDs) were all less than 5%. Moreover, the separation efficiency of the homochiral MOF AlaZnCl coated capillary column did not decrease obviously over 100 runs.

Switch-on fluorescence sensing of glutathione in food samples based on a graphitic carbon nitride quantum dot (g-CNQD)-Hg²âº chemosensor.

Fluorescence sensing of specific biological molecules by artificial chemosensors is a versatile technique. In the present work, a switch-on fluorescence sensor for rapid, sensitive, and selective sensing of glutathione (GSH) in food samples was developed. This method was based on the g-CNQDs-Hg(2+) system, in which the initial fluorescence from g-CNQDs was quenched by Hg(2+) with an electron transfer process. In the presence of GSH, the fluorescence sensor was switched to the "on" state, which was attributed to a competitive affinity of Hg(2+) to GSH and the functional groups on the surface of g-CNQDs. Under the optimal conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) of 37 nM for GSH was achieved with a wide range of 0.16-16 µM. The repeatability was better than 5.3% for GSH in both standard and food samples (n = 3). Finally, this fluorescence sensor was successfully employed for the determination of GSH in various kinds of food samples with excellent recoveries. Furthermore, this application may pave a new way for fluorescence sensing of other substances in food samples.