Conformational Changes of Bovine Serum Albumin Induced by Adsorption on Different Clay Surfaces: FTIR Analysis

Interactions between proteins and clays perturb biological activity in ecosystems, particularly soil extracellular enzyme activity. The pH dependence of hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and electrostatic interactions on the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) is studied. BSA secondary structures and hydration are revealed from computation of the Amide I and II FTIR absorption profiles. The influence of ionization of Asp, Glu, and His side chains on the adsorption processes is deduced from correlation between p(2)H dependent carboxylic/carboxylate ratio and Amide band profiles. We quantify p(2)H dependent internal and external structural unfolding for BSA adsorbed on montmorillonite, which is an electronegative phyllosilicate. Adsorption on talc, a hydrophobic surface, is less denaturing. The results emphasize the importance of electrostatic interactions in both adsorption processes. In the first case, charged side chains directly influence BSA adsorption that generate the structural transition. In the second case, the forces that attract hydrophobic side chains toward the protein-clay interface are large enough to distort peripheral amphiphilic helical domains. The resulting local unfolding displaces enough internal ionized side chains to prevent them from establishing salt bridges as for BSA native structure in solution. On montmorillonite, a particular feature is a higher protonation of the Asp and Glu side chains of the adsorbed BSA than in solution, which decreases coulombic repulsion. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Adsorption of different amphiphilic molecules onto polystyrene latices

In order to know the influence of the surface characteristics and the chain properties on the adsorption of amphiphilic molecules onto polystyrene latex, a set of experiments to study the adsorption of ionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants and an amphiphilic synthetic peptide on different latex dispersions was performed. The adsorbed amount versus the equilibrium surfactant concentration was determined. The main adsorption mechanism was the hydrophobic attraction between the nonpolar tail of the molecule and the hydrophobic regions of the latex surface. This attraction overcame the electrostatic repulsion between chains and latex surface with identical charge sign. However, the electrostatic interactions chain-surface and chain-chain also played a role. General patterns for the adsorption of ionic chains on charged latex surfaces could be established. Regarding the shape, the isotherms presented different plateaus corresponding to electrostatic effects and conformational changes. The surfactant size also affects the adsorption results: the higher the hydrophilic moiety in the surfactant molecule the lower the adsorbed amount.     

Adsorption of glucose oxidase onto plasma-polymerized film characterized by atomic force microscopy, quartz crystal microbalance, and electrochemical measurement

Adsorption of glucose oxidase (GOD) onto plasma-polymerized thin films (PPF) with nanoscale thickness was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and electrochemical measurements. The PPF surface is very flat (less than 1-nm roughness), and its properties (charge and wettability) can be easily changed while retaining the backbone structure. We focused on three types of surfaces: (1) the pristine surface of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDS) PPF (hydrophobic and neutral surface), (2) an HMDS PPF surface with nitrogen-plasma treatment (hydrophilic and positive-charged surface), and (3) an HMDS PPF surface treated with oxygen plasma (hydrophilic and negative-charged surface). The AFM image showed that the GOD molecules were densely adsorbed onto surface 2 and that individual GOD molecules could be observed. The longer axis of GOD ellipsoid molecules were aligned parallel to the surface, called the "lying position", because of electrostatic association. On surface 1, clusters of GOD molecules did not completely cover the original PPF surface (surface coverage was ca. 60%). The 10-nm-size step height between the GOD clusters and the PPF surface suggests that the longer axes of individual GOD molecules were aligned perpendicular to the surface, called the "standing position". On surface 3, only a few of the GOD molecules were adsorbed because of electrostatic repulsion. These results indicate that the plasma polymerization process can facilitate enhancement or reduction of protein adsorption. The AFM images show a corresponding tendency with the QCM profiles. The QCM data indicate that the adsorption behavior obeys the Langmuir isotherm equation. The amperometric biosensor characteristics of the GOD-adsorbed PPF on a platinum electrode showed an increment in the current because of enzymatic reaction with glucose addition, indicating that enzyme activity was mostly retained in spite of irreversible adsorption.     

Charge regulation enables anionic hydroxypropyl guar-borate adsorption onto anionic and cationic polystyrene latex

Reported are adsorption isotherms for guar and hydroxypropyl guar (HPG), with and without the presence of borate ions, onto surfactant free anionic polystyrene latex. Guar and HPG formed adsorbed monolayers on the hydrophobic latex. The presence of borate ions converted the nonionic guar and HPG into an anionic polyelectrolyte. However, there was no measurable influence of bound borate ions on the adsorption of guar or HPG onto anionic, hydrophobic latex. To underscore the unusual behavior of HPG-borate, a sample of HPG was oxidized to introduce carboxyl groups, and the adsorption of the carboxylated HPG onto anionic polystyrene was measured. Unlike HPG-borate, oxidized HPG did not adsorb onto negative polystyrene latex at neutral pH because of electrostatic repulsion. To explain the adsorption of negative HPG-borate onto negative latex, we proposed that as HPG-borate segments approach the latex surface, the negative electrostatic potential near the latex surface induces the detachment of the labile borate groups from HPG.     

Adsorption of anionic surfactants on positively charged polystyrene particles II

In the case of cationic polystyrene latex, the adsorption of anionic surfactants involves a strong electrostatic interaction between both the particle and the surfactant, which may affect the conformation of the surfactant molecules adsorbed onto the latex-particle surface. The adsorption isotherms showed that adsorption takes place according to two different mechanisms. First, the initial adsorption of the anionic surfactant molecules on cationic polystyrene surface would be due to the attractive electrostatic interaction between both ionic groups, laying the alkyl-chains of surfactant molecules flat on the surface as a consequence of the hydrophobic interaction between these chains and the polystyrene particle surface, which is predominantly hydrophobic. Second, at higher surface coverage the adsorbed surfactant molecules may move into a partly vertical orientation with some head groups facing the solution. According to this second mechanism the hydrophobic interactions of hydrocarbon chains play an important role in the adsorption of surfactant molecules at high surface coverage. This would account for the very high negative mobilities obtained at surfactant concentration higher than 5×10^–7 M. Under high surface-coverage conditions, some electrophoretic mobility measurements were performed at different ionic strength. The appearance of a maximum in the mobility-ionic strength curves seems to depend upon alkyl-chain length. Also the effects of temperature and pH on mobilities of anionic surfactant-cationic latex particles have been studied. The mobility of the particles covered by alkyl-sulphonate surfactants varied with the pH in a similar manner as it does with negatively charged sulphated latex particles, which indicates that the surfactant now controls the surface charge and the hydrophobic-hydrophilic character of the surface.Dedicated to the memory of Dr. Safwan Al-Khouri IbrahimPresented at the Euchem Workshop on Adsorption of Surfactants and Macromolecules from Solution, Åbo (Turku), Finland, June 1989     

Molecular dynamics simulations of polyelectrolyte adsorption

We have performed molecular dynamics simulations of polyelectrolyte adsorption at oppositely charged surfaces from dilute polyelectrolyte solutions. In our simulations, polyelectrolytes were modeled by chains of charged Lennard-Jones particles with explicit counterions. We have studied the effects of the surface charge density, surface charge distribution, solvent quality for the polymer backbone, strength of the short-range interactions between polymers and substrates on the polymer surface coverage, and the thickness of the adsorbed layer. The polymer surface coverage monotonically increases with increasing surface charge density for almost all studied systems except for the system of hydrophilic polyelectrolytes adsorbing at hydrophilic surfaces. In this case the polymer surface coverage saturates at high surface charge densities. This is due to additional monomer-monomer repulsion between adsorbed polymer chains, which becomes important in dense polymeric layers. These interactions also preclude surface overcharging by hydrophilic polyelectrolytes at high surface charge densities. The thickness of the adsorbed layer shows monotonic dependence on the surface charge density for the systems of hydrophobic polyelectrolytes for both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. Thickness is a decreasing function of the surface charge density in the case of hydrophilic surfaces while it increases with the surface charge density for hydrophobic substrates. Qualitatively different behavior is observed for the thickness of the adsorbed layer of hydrophilic polyelectrolytes at hydrophilic surfaces. In this case, thickness first decreases with increasing surface charge density, then it begins to increase.     

The adsorption of lysozymes: A model system

Hen egg white lysozyme was adsorbed onto clean borosilicate glass and n-pentyl silane-treated glass surfaces. Both modified (reductively methylated) and native lysozyme were studied. Variable angle X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (VA-XPS) suggested differences in the nature of the adsorbed layer depending on substrate properties, as well as on degree of methylation of the protein. Adsorbed film thickness (as measured in the dehydrated state by XPS) ranged from 14 Å on hydrophilic glass to 25 Å on the hydrophobic surface. Degree of surface coverage ranged from 45% on the hydrophobic to 69% on the hydrophilic surface. The results suggest that lysozyme unfolds to a greater extent and covers more surface on the hydrophilic glass, possibly due to strong electrostatic interactions at the pH 7.4 conditions used in the study. An analysis of the surface structure of native hen lysozyme by molecular graphics has also been performed, suggesting that adsorption on hydrophobic surfaces should occur via the hydrophobic patch opposite the enzyme active site cleft. A comparison with human lysozyme has also been made using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) spectroscopy to measure protein adsorption on model surfaces. The two proteins have significantly different interfacial properties.     

pH and ionic strength effect on single fibrinogen molecule adsorption on mica studied with AFM

Although several investigations have been reported on the effect of pH or ionic strength on protein adsorption, most of them have been carried out with protein monolayers and not with single molecules. We have used atomic force microscopy to image, in phosphate buffer, single fibrinogen molecules adsorbed on mica and compare the surface coverage at variable pH (7.4, 5.8, 3.5) or ionic strength (15, 150, 500 mM) conditions. The images obtained and the statistical analysis of the surface coverage indicate adsorption enhancement at the IEP of fibrinogen (pH 5.8) and minimum adsorption at pH 3.5. On the other hand, more protein was adsorbed when the salt concentration of the buffer at pH 7.4 was increased from 15 to 150 mM. However, further increase of salt concentration up to 500 mM resulted in decreased adsorption. To confirm the aforementioned results an approaching bare Si(3)N(4) tip was used as an electrostatic analogue to a protein molecule and interaction force curves between it and the substrate were recorded. The results were in consistence with the double layer theory which justifies the screening of electrostatic repulsion as the salt concentration increases.     

Adsorption of the fusogenic peptide B18 onto solid surfaces: insights into the mechanism of peptide assembly

The adsorption and assembly of B18 peptide on various solid surfaces were studied by reflectometry techniques and atomic force microscopy. B18 is the minimal membrane binding and fusogenic motif of the sea urchin protein bindin, which mediates the fertilization process. Silicon substrates were modified to obtain hydrophilic charged surfaces (oxide layer and polyelectrolyte multilayers) and hydrophobic surfaces (octadecyltrichlorosilane). B18 does not adsorb on hydrophilic positively charged surfaces, which was attributed to electrostatic repulsion since the peptide is positively charged. In contrast, the peptide irreversibly adsorbs on negatively charged hydrophilic as well as on hydrophobic surfaces. B18 showed higher affinity for hydrophobic surfaces than for hydrophilic negatively charged surfaces, which must be due to the presence of hydrophobic side chains at both ends of the molecule. Atomic force microscopy provided the indication that lateral diffusion on the surface affects the adsorption process of B18 on hydrophobic surfaces. The adsorption of the peptide on negatively charged surfaces was characterized by the formation of globular clusters.     

Enhancing the organic dye adsorption on porous xerogels

We investigate the adsorption of four different organic dyes (i.e., methyl orange, alizarin red S, brilliant blue FCF, and phenol red) on porous xerogels. To understand the factors affecting the adsorption capacity of the xerogels, we vary the hydrophobicity and the textural properties of the xerogels as well as the solution pH. We control the hydrophobicity by mixing two different precursors (i.e., vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)) and the textural properties by using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a templating agent. We find that the adsorption capacity is enhanced as the organic/inorganic hybrid xerogel or the templated xerogel is used instead of the purely inorganic or the untemplated xerogel. In all the cases studied, adsorption decreases as the pH is increased due to the electrostatic repulsion between the dyes and the xerogel surface. We find that both the hydrophobic surface and larger pore size/volume are required to enhance the adsorption capacity significantly.     

Adsorption of monoclonal IgG on polystyrene microspheres

In this paper the adsorption of a monoclonal antibody IgG-1 isotype against HBsAg onto positively and negatively charged polystyrene beads has been studied. To determine the role played by electrostatic forces in the adsorption process different pH values were used. It was confirmed that the affinity of adsorption isotherms depends on the electrostatic interaction between protein and polymer surface. The maximum adsorption amount is located around the i.e.p. of the dissolved protein, and decreases markedly as pH moves away. Thus, the major driving force for adsorption of monoclonal antibodies on polystyrene beads comes from the hydrophobic interaction between the antibody molecules and the adsorbent surface. Desorption of preadsorbed IgG molecules by increasing ionic strength has shown that the positively charged polystyrene is also more hydrophobic in character than the negatively charged one. Finally, electrokinetic experiments have determined that the electric double layer (e.d.l.) of monoclonal antibody changes as the consequence of adsorbing on charged polymer surfaces.     

Molecular hydrophobic attraction and ion-specific effects studied by molecular dynamics

Much is written about "hydrophobic forces" that act between solvated molecules and nonpolar interfaces, but it is not always clear what causes these forces and whether they should be labeled as hydrophobic. Hydrophobic effects roughly fall in two classes, those that are influenced by the addition of salt and those that are not. Bubble adsorption and cavitation effects plague experiments and simulations of interacting extended hydrophobic surfaces and lead to a strong, almost irreversible attraction that has little or no dependence on salt type and concentration. In this paper, we are concerned with hydrophobic interactions between single molecules and extended surfaces and try to elucidate the relation to electrostatic and ion-specific effects. For these nanoscopic hydrophobic forces, bubbles and cavitation effects play only a minor role and even if present cause no equilibration problems. In specific, we study the forced desorption of peptides from nonpolar interfaces by means of molecular dynamics simulations and determine the adsorption potential of mean force. The simulation results for peptides compare well with corresponding AFM experiments. An analysis of the various contributions to the total peptide-surface interactions shows that structural effects of water as well as van der Waals interactions between surface and peptide are important. Hofmeister ion effects are studied by separately determining the effective interaction of various ions with hydrophobic surfaces. An extension of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation that includes the ion-specific potential of mean force yields surface potentials, interfacial tensions, and effective interactions between hydrophobic surfaces. There, we also analyze the energetic contributions to the potential of mean force and find that the most important factor determining ion-specific adsorption at hydrophobic surfaces can best be described as surface-modified ion hydration.     

Origin of nonlocal interactions in adsorption of polar molecules on Si(001)-2 x 1

Using density functional theory slab calculations, we have investigated (i) the origin of nonlocal interactions occurring in the adsorption of small polar molecules (H2O,NH3,CH3OH,CH3NH2) on the clean Si(001)-2 x 1 surface and (ii) the nonlocal effects on two-dimensional arrangement of adsorbates. Our results show the adsorption properties are significantly altered in the presence of adsorbates on an adjacent dimer along a row. We have identified that the coverage dependent behavior arises from a combination of (i) surface polarization change, (ii) adsorbate-induced charge delocalization, (iii) adsorbate-adsorbate repulsion, and (iv) hydrogen bonding. The nucleophilic-electrophilic molecular adsorption involves charge delocalization to neighboring dimers along a row, which in turn undermines molecular adsorption on the neighboring dimers. Nonlocal effects associated with polar interactions with neighboring dimers and adsorbates vary with adsorption system. While such polar interactions are unimportant in CH3OH adsorption, hydrogen bonding and adsorbate-adsorbate repulsion play an important role in determining the adsorption structures of H2O and NH3CH3NH2, respectively. In addition, the electrostatic attraction with the buckled-up Si atoms of adjacent dimers contributes to stabilization of H2O, NH3, and CH3NH2 adsorption. We also discuss kinetic effects on two-dimensional ordering of adsorbates, in conjunction with surface phase transition and adsorption-dissociation rates.     

Conformational changes of α-lactalbumin adsorbed at oil-water interfaces: interplay between protein structure and emulsion stability

The conformation and structural dimensions of α-lactalbumin (α-La) both in solution and adsorbed at oil-water interfaces of emulsions were investigated using synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) spectroscopy, front-face tryptophan fluorescence (FFTF) spectroscopy, and dual polarization interferometry (DPI). The near-UV SRCD and the FFTF results demonstrated that the hydrophobic environment of the aromatic residues located in the hydrophobic core of native α-La was significantly altered upon adsorption, indicating the unfolding of the hydrophobic core of α-La upon adsorption. The far-UV SRCD results showed that adsorption of α-La at oil-water interfaces created a new non-native secondary structure that was more stable to thermally induced conformational changes. Specifically, the α-helical conformation increased from 29.9% in solution to 45.8% at the tricaprylin-water interface and to 58.5% at the hexadecane-water interface. However, the β-sheet structure decreased from 18.0% in solution to less than 10% at both oil-water interfaces. The DPI study showed that adsorption of α-La to a hydrophobic C18-water surface caused a change in the dimensions of α-La from the native globule-like shape (2.5-3.7 nm) to a compact/dense layer approximately 1.1 nm thick. Analysis of the colloidal stability of α-La stabilized emulsions showed that these emulsions were physically stable against droplet flocculation at elevated temperatures both in the absence and in the presence of 120 mM NaCl. In the absence of salt, the thermal stability of emulsions was due to the strong electrostatic repulsion provided by the adsorbed α-La layer, which was formed after the adsorption and structural rearrangement. In the presence of salt, although the electrostatic repulsion was reduced via electrostatic screening, heating did not induce strong and permanent droplet flocculation. The thermal stability of α-La stabilized emulsions in the presence of salt is a combined effect of the electrostatic repulsion and the lack of covalent disulfide interchange reactions. This study reports new information on the secondary and tertiary structural changes of α-La upon adsorption to oil-water interfaces. It also presents new results on the physical stability of α-La stabilized emulsions during heating and at moderate ionic strength (120 mM NaCl). The results broaden our understanding of the factors controlling protein structural change at emulsion interfaces and how this affects emulsion stability.     

Adsorption and conformation of carboxymethyl cellulose at solid-liquid interfaces using spectroscopic, AFM and allied techniques

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a polysaccharide which is widely used in many industrial sectors including food, textiles, paper, adhesives, paints, pharmaceutics, cosmetics and mineral processing. It is a natural organic polymer that is non-toxic and biodegradable. These properties make it ideal for industrial applications. However, a general lack of understanding of the interaction mechanism between the polysaccharides and solid surfaces has hindered the application of this polymer. In this work, adsorption of CMC at the solid-liquid interface is investigated using adsorption and electrophoretic mobility measurements, FTIR, fluorescence spectroscopy, AFM and molecular modeling. CMC adsorption on talc was found to be affected significantly by changes in solution conditions such as pH and ionic strength, which indicates the important role of electrostatic force in adsorption. The pH effect on adsorption was further proven by AFM imaging. Electrokinetic studies showed that the adsorption of CMC on talc changed its isoelectric point. Further, molecular modeling suggests a helical structure of CMC in solution while it is found to adsorb flat on the solid surface to allow its OH groups to be in contact with the surface. Fluorescence spectroscopy studies conducted to investigate the role of hydrophobic bonding using pyrene probe showed no evidence of the formation of hydrophobic domains at talc-aqueous interface. Urea, a hydrogen bond breaker, markedly reduced the adsorption of CMC on talc, supports hydrogen bonding as an important factor. In FTIR study, the changes to the infrared bands, associated with the CO stretch coupled to the CC stretch and OH deformation, were significant and this further supports the strong hydrogen bonding of CMC to the solid surface. In addition, Langmuir modeling of the adsorption isotherm suggests hydrogen bonding to be a dominant force for polysaccharide adsorption since the adsorption free energy of this polymer was close to that for hydrogen bond formation. All of the above results suggest that the main driving forces for CMC adsorption on talc are a combination of electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding rather than hydrophobic force.     

Adsorbed Layers of Ferritin at Solid and Fluid Interfaces Studied by Atomic Force Microscopy

The adsorption of the iron storage protein ferritin was studied by liquid tapping mode atomic force microscopy in order to obtain molecular resolution in the adsorbed layer within the aqueous environment in which the adsorption was carried out. The surface coverage and the structure of the adsorbed layer were investigated as functions of ionic strength and pH on two different charged surfaces, namely chemically modified glass slides and mixed surfactant films at the air-water interface, which were transferred to graphite substrates after adsorption. Surface coverage trends with both ionic strength and pH indicate the dominance of electrostatic effects, with the balance shifting between intermolecular repulsion and protein-surface attraction. The resulting behavior is more complex than that seen for larger colloidal particles, which appear to follow a modified random sequential adsorption model monotonically. The structure of the adsorbed layers at the solid surfaces is random, but some indication of long-range order is apparent at fluid interfaces, presumably due to the higher protein mobility at the fluid interface. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Controlled adsorption-desorption of cationic polymers on the surface of anionic latex particles

The complexation of anionic latex particles with two series of cationic copolymers is studied. The copolymers of the first series contain cationic and electroneutral (zwitter ion) hydrophilic units. The electrostatic adsorption of these copolymers on the surface of latex particles is accompanied by the formation of multiple salt bridges between cationic copolymer units and surface anionic groups. The dependence of ultimate adsorption on the molar fraction of cationic groups in copolymer α is described by a bell-shaped curve with a maximum at α = 0.05−0.10 and a long horizontal portion at α > 0.24. In terms of the adsorption theory of polyampholytes, such a pattern of the adsorption curve results from the compromise between the attraction of polymer chains to the surface induced by their polarization in the electric field of particles and the repulsion of like charged macromolecular units. The stability of complexes with the copolymers of the first series in water-salt media increases with an increase in α. The copolymers of the second series contain cationic and hydrophobic units. In this case, an increase in α is accompanied by a decrease in the amount of the adsorbed polymer throughout the studied α range (0.24–1). The complexes are stabilized not only via electrostatic interactions but also via hydrophobic interactions. A decrease in α decreases the role of electrostatics in stabilization of the complexes; however, this effect is compensated for by an increase in the number of hydrophobic contacts. This allows the stability of complexes to be preserved in concentrated water-salt solutions. The results of this study indicate that the stability of interfacial layers with the participation of cationic copolymers can be changed in a wide range by varying the ratio of ionic and electroneutral (hydrophilic or hydrophobic) comonomers in macromolecules.     

Adsorption of humic acid on goethite: isotherms, charge adjustments, and potential profiles

The adsorption of natural organic matter (NOM) on mineral (hydr)oxide plays an important role in the evaluation of the speciation of toxic metal ions in the environment. Because both NOM and mineral oxide have variable charges that adjust upon adsorption, a good understanding of proton binding is required before the binding of metal ions can be understood. In this study, the adsorption of purified Aldrich humic acid (PAHA) on goethite was examined as a function of the environmental conditions (pH, salt concentration, and free concentration of PAHA) together with the proton adsorption to PAHA, goethite, and their mixtures. The induced charges on both components were separated on the basis of the difference between the charge/pH curves of the mixture and those of the single components. The electrostatic potential profile across the adsorbed layer was obtained as a numerical solution of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation using the charge density of the adsorbed PAHA and the goethite surface. From the quantitative evaluation of the induced charge on both components, it is revealed that the degree of the charge adjustment is related to the electrostatic affinity between the PAHA segments and the goethite surface, the electrostatic repulsion between the PAHA segments, and the electrostatic shielding by salt ions. Considering the charge distribution of the adsorbed PAHA at the goethite surface, it is concluded that the change of the charge adjustment is sensitive to that of the conformation of the adsorbed PAHA. From the detailed inspection of the assumptions made and the comparison with the reported theoretical calculations, the obtained potential profiles are considered to broadly reflect the true potential profiles. Because a charge adjustment is not frequently considered in detail in relation to the NOM adsorption on metal (hydr)oxides, the obtained results can form the basis for the further development of modeling of the adsorption of NOM on (hydr)oxide surfaces.     

石墨烯量子点-金纳米簇比率荧光传感器用于海水pH检测

表层海洋pH正以约每年0.002的速度下降,这种变化将会对地球的化学循环和气候变化的物理化学参数产生潜在的影响。为了准确了解海洋的酸化程度,本文建立了一种快速准确检测海水pH的方法。采用柠檬酸热解法合成石墨烯量子点（GQDs）,以谷胱甘肽（GSH）为模板合成金纳米簇（GSH-AuNCs）,将GQDs和GSH-AuNCs结合制成GQDs-AuNCs比率荧光传感器,用于海水pH的检测。在酸性条件下,由于GSH-AuNCs表面的羧基发生质子化,GSH-AuNCs分子之间的静电斥力减弱因而发生聚集,荧光强度随之降低。在碱性条件下,GSH-AuNCs表面的羧基脱质子化,GSH-AuNCs分子之间的静电斥力增强,荧光强度也随之增强。在pH 2～11范围内,GQDs-AuNCs比率荧光探针的荧光强度比值(I₅₆₅/I₄₄₀)与pH之间呈线性相关。将该方法用于海水的pH检测,得到较好的实验结果。     

Adsorption of cadmium on anatase nanoparticles-effect of crystal size and pH

The adsorption and desorption of Cd(2+) to large and nanometer-scale anatase crystals have been studied to determine the relationship between heavy metal adsorption properties and anatase particle size. A solvothermal method was used to synthesize very fine anatase nanocrystals with average grain sizes ranging from 8 to 20 nm. On a surface area basis, it was found that large and nanometer-scale anatase particles had similar maximum Cd(2+) adsorption capacities, while their adsorption slopes differed by more than 1 order of magnitude. The particle-size effect on adsorption is constant over a pH range of 4-7.5. The desorption of Cd(2+) from both particle sizes is completely reversible. The adsorption data have been modeled by the Basic Stern model using three monodentate surface complexes. It is proposed that intraparticle electrostatic repulsion may reduce the adsorption free energy significantly for nanometer-sized particles.