Removal of chloridazon by natural and ammonium kerolite samples

The adsorption of chloridazon (5-amino-4-chloro-2-phenylpyridazin-3(2H)-one) on natural and ammonium kerolite samples from aqueous solution at 10, 25 and 40 °C has been studied by using batch experiments. The experimental data points were fitted to the Langmuir equation in order to calculate the adsorption capacities (X_m) of the samples; two straight lines were obtained, which indicates that the adsorption process takes place in two different stages. Values for X_m1 (first stage) ranged from 1.1 × 10⁻² mol kg⁻¹ for natural kerolite at 40 °C up to 5.1 × 10⁻² mol kg⁻¹ for ammonium kerolite at 10 °C and the values for X_m2 (second stage) ranged from 9.1 × 10⁻² mol kg⁻¹ for natural kerolite at 40 °C up to 14 × 10⁻² mol kg⁻¹ for natural kerolite at 10 °C. The adsorption experiments showed on the one hand, that the ammonium kerolite is more effective than natural kerolite to adsorb chloridazon in the range of temperature studied and on the other hand, that the lower temperature, the more effective the adsorption of chloridazon on the adsorbents studied.     

Dye-sensitized phototransformation of chlorophenols and their subsequent chemiluminescence reactions

A novel chemiluminescence (CL) reaction of chlorophenols (CPs), including 2-chlorophenol (2-CP), 4-CP, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) was reported, which was based on the oxidation of the phototransformed CPs by N-bromosuccinimide (NBS). It was found that the dye-sensitized phototransformation is a prerequisite for the subsequent CL reaction, and the presence of 1.9×10^-2 mol L⁻¹ Triton X-100 or 3.7×10^-3 mol L⁻¹ CTAB can greatly enhance the CL intensity. A neutral sample solution with the presence of 2×10^-5 mol L⁻¹ fluorescein (FL) was found to be optimum for the phototransformation of 2-CP, 4-CP, 2,4-DCP and PCP, but a lower pH of 5.3 was more suitable for 2,4,6-TCP. Based on the CL reaction, detection limits of 8.6×10⁻⁸, 1.1×10⁻⁷, 1.5×10^-7, 4.6×10^-8 and 3.0×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ were achieved, respectively, for 2-CP, 4-CP, 2,4-DCP, 2,4,6-TCP and PCP with the optimized conditions in the flow system. The mechanism of the phototransformation and the subsequent CL reaction were preliminarily studied and it was suggested that the singlet oxygen formed in the dye-sensitization process was responsible for the conversion of CPs into light-emitting precursors. These intermediate products were suggested to be peroxide compounds after testing by a luminal-based post-column CL detection experiment.     

Chitin-humic acid hybrid as adsorbent for Cr(III) in effluent of tannery wastewater treatment

Adsorption of Cr(III) from both synthetic and real samples of tannery wastewater treatment's effluent on chitin-humic acid (chitin-HA) hybrid has been carried out. Rate constant and capacity of adsorption of Cr(III) from the synthetic sample were investigated and removal of Cr(III) from the real sample was tested at optimum medium acidity equivalent to pH 3.5. Characterization using Fourier transform infra red (FT-IR) spectroscopy revealed that both COO⁻ and N-acetyl originated from respectively humic acid (HA) and chitin were involved on the adsorption of Cr(III), and hence the Freundlich's multilayer and multi-energy adsorption model was more applicable to treat the adsorption data than the Langmuir's monolayer and mono-energy model. The quantification of adsorption capacity and rate constant using Freundlich isotherm model and first order adsorption reaching equilibrium yielded values of 6.84 × 10⁻⁴ mol g⁻¹ (35.57 mg g⁻¹) and 1.70 × 10⁻² min⁻¹, respectively. Removal test for the real wastewater treatment's effluent showed that the maximum amount of Cr(III) could be removed by 1 g of chitin-HA hybrid was 2.08 × 10⁻⁴ mol or equivalent to 10.82 mg.     

Hydrogen peroxide biosensor based on gold nanoparticles/thionine/gold nanoparticles/multi-walled carbon nanotubes-chitosans composite film-modified electrode

In this paper, an amperometric electrochemical biosensor for the detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), based on gold nanoparticles (GNPs)/thionine (Thi)/GNPs/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-chitosans (Chits) composite film was developed. MWCNTs-Chits homogeneous composite was first dispersed in acetic acid solution and then the GNPs were in situ synthesized at the composite. The mixture was dripped on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and then the Thi was deposited by electropolymerization by Au-S or Au-N covalent bond effect and electrostatic adsorption effect as an electron transfer mediator. Finally, the mixture of GNPs and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was assembled onto the modified electrode by covalent bond. The electrochemical behavior of the modified electrode was investigated by scanning electron microscope, cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. This study introduces the in situ-synthesized GNPs on the other surface of the modified materials in H₂O₂ detection. The linear response range of the biosensor to H₂O₂ concentration was from 5 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ to 1.5 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 3.75 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ (based on S/N = 3).     

An 8 × 10 Gbps parallel single-chip light-to-logic converter

An 8 × 10 Gbps direct light-to-logic converter for hybrid mounted Ge photodiodes is presented. The receiver is realized in standard 0.35 μm SiGe BiCMOS technology and the Ge photodetector is directly mounted on the top of the CMOS wafer. Each of the 8 channels includes a transimpedance amplifier, limiting amplifier stages and a 50 Ω CML output driver. The overall transimpedance is 275 kΩ and at a data rate of 10 Gpbs a sensitivity of − 23.1 dBm (BER = 10⁻⁹) is reached.     

Sensitive determination of enoxacin by its enhancement effect on the fluorescence of terbium(III)-sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate and its luminescence mechanism

The fluorescence system of enoxacin-Tb³⁺-sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) was investigated in this paper. The experiments indicated that the fluorescence intensity of Tb³⁺-SDBS was greatly enhanced by enoxacin. Accordingly, a sensitive fluorimetric method for determining enoxacin was established. The fluorescence intensity was measured by a 1-cm quartz cell with an excitation wavelength of 290 nm and an emission wavelength of 545 nm. The enhanced fluorescence intensity of the system (ΔF) showed a good linear relationship with the concentration of enoxacin in the range of 5.0×10⁻⁹ to 2.0×10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, its correlation coefficient was 0.9992 and the detection limit (S/N=3) was 2.8×10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. The presented method was used to determine enoxacin in real pharmaceutical samples. The luminescence mechanism was also discussed in detail. In the fluorescence system of enoxacin-Tb³⁺-SDBS, SDBS not only acted as the surfactant but also acted as the energy donor.     

Static quenching of bovine serum albumin conjugated with small size CdS nanocrystalline quantum dots

The author reports on a strong fluorescence quenching of a model transport protein, bovine serum albumin BSA, when bioconjugated with CdS quantum dots QDs. The 4.4 nm size CdS QDs were synthesized using wet chemistry method and were characterized using UV-vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy SEM and X-ray diffraction XRD techniques. It was found that the BSA fluorescence quenching increases linearly with increasing the CdS QDs concentrations in the range of 3×10⁻⁷-2.0×10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. This quenching is explained in terms of Stern-Volmer equation and is ascribed to static quenching with quenching constant 1.321×10⁴ L mol⁻¹ at 300 K.     

Synchronous fluorescence determination of ciprofloxacin in the pharmaceutical formulation and human serum based on the perturbed luminescence of rare-earth ions

A simple, rapid and sensitive synchronous fluorescence method was developed for the determination of ciprofloxacin (CPFX) in the pharmaceutical formulation and human serum. The results show that when Y³⁺ is added into the CPFX solution, the characteristic fluorescence of Y³⁺ is not emitted whereas the fluorescence intensity of CPFX is significantly enhanced. The synchronous fluorescence technology is employed in this method to directly determine trace amount of CPFX in human serum. A linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity and the CPFX concentration is obtained in the range of 1.0×10⁻⁹ ∼5.0×10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. The limit of detection (LOD) of this method attains as low as 2.0×10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹ (S/N=3). The selectivity of this method is also very good. Common metal ions, rare-earth ions and some pharmaceuticals, which are usually used together with CPFX in the clinic, do not interfere with the determination of CPFX under general conditions.     

Spectrofluorimetric study on the inclusion behavior of p-sulfonated calix arene with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and analytical application

The characteristics of host-guest complexation between p-sulfonated calix [G. Arena, S. Gentile, F. G. Gulino, D. Sciotto, C. Sgarlata, Tetrahedron Lett. 45 (2004) 7091] arene (SC6A) and cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were studied by fluorescence spectrometry. A 1:1 stoichiometry for the complexation was established and the complex constant was also calculated by a deduced equation. It was found the fluorescence of the complex could be remarkably quenched by an appropriate amount of ceftriaxone sodium (CTRX). Based on the results, a novel spectrofluorimetric method for determination of CTRX was developed with a linear range of 9.2×10⁻⁷-8.5×10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ and a detection of 3.5×10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. The proposed method was used to determine CTRX in their commercial preparations with satisfactory results. Moreover, the probable interaction mechanisms of the systems were also discussed.     

Luminescence enhancement effect for the determination of balofloxacin with balofloxacin-europium (III)-sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate system

A novel method of luminescence enhancement effect for the determination of balofloxacin (BLFX) was proposed. A new system of the BLFX-Eu³⁺-SDBS (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate) was investigated. It was found that SDBS significantly enhanced the luminescence intensity of the BLFX-Eu³⁺ complex (about 20-fold). Under the optimized experimental conditions, the system exhibits an excellent linear relationship between the enhanced luminescence intensity and the concentration of BLFX over the range of 1.0×10⁻⁸-8.0×10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.9994, and the detection limit (3σ) of the method was determined as 2.0×10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. This method has been successfully applied for the determination of BLFX in pharmaceuticals and human urine/serum samples. Compared with most of the other methods reported, the rapid and simple procedure proposed in the text offers higher sensitivity, wider linear range, and better stability.     

Dual fluorescence and laser emissions from fluorescein-Na and eosin-B

Dual laser emissions were observed from fluorescein-Na and eosin-B in ethanolic solutions individually in the concentration range from 10⁻² to 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ under N₂ laser excitation. The first compound was found to lase at two distinct regions with wavelength maxima around 540, 550 nm, while the second one around 558, 574 nm. Steady-state absorption, fluorescence excitation, fluorescence polarization, fluorescence emission and decays of the dyes in various solvents under varying conditions of excitation and detection systems were carried out to identify the nature of the emitting species responsible for laser emissions in two distinct regions. Both the dyes exhibited concentration and excitation wavelength dependence of fluorescence and the effects were found to be more pronounced in binary solution. The fluorescence decays of dyes were monoexponential in ethanol, while in some other solvents used, the decays showed biexponential behavior. The absorption and excitation studies using thin layers of solutions revealed the formation of dimers with the dye concentration around 1×10⁻³ mol dm⁻³. Fluorescence polarization and decay studies confirmed the presence of dimers. The two laser bands observed in the shorter and longer wavelengths were respectively ascribed to monomeric and dimeric species.     

Spectrofluorimetric determination of trace amount of coenzyme II using ciprofloxacin-terbium complex as a fluorescent probe

A new spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of trace amount of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). Using terbium ion (Tb³⁺)-ciprofloxacin (CIP) complex as a fluorescent probe, in the buffer solution of pH=9.00, NADP can remarkably enhance the fluorescence intensity of the Tb³⁺-CIP complex at and the enhanced fluorescence intensity of Tb³⁺ ion is in proportion to the concentration of NADP. Optimum conditions for the determination of NADP were also investigated. The dynamic range for the determination of NADP is 4.9×10⁻⁷−3.7×10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ with detection limit of 1.3×10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹. This method is simple, practical and relatively free interference from coexisting substances and can be successfully applied to determination of NADP in synthetic water samples. Moreover, the enhancement mechanisms of the fluorescence intensity in the Tb³⁺-CIP system and the Tb³⁺-CIP-NADP system have been also discussed.     

A novel polyol method to synthesize colloidal silver nanoparticles by ultrasonic irradiation

A polyol synthesis of silver nanoparticles in the presence of ultrasonic irradiation was compared with other configurations (at ambient temperature, 120 °C, and 120 °C with injected solutions) in the absence of ultrasonic irradiation in order to obtain systematic results for morphology and size distribution. For applying ultrasonic irradiation, rather fine and uniform spherical silver particles (21 ± 3.7 nm) were obtained in a simple (at ambient temperature without mechanical stirring) and fast (within 4 min, 3.61 × 10⁻³ mol min⁻¹) manner than other cases (at ambient temperature (for 8 h, 0.03 × 10⁻³ mol min⁻¹): 86 ± 16.8 nm, 120 °C (for 12 min, 1.16 × 10⁻³ mol min⁻¹): 64 ± 14.9 nm, and 120 °C with injected solutions (during 12 min): 35 ± 6.8 nm; all other cases contained anisotropic shaped particles). Even though the temperature of polyol reaction reached only at 80 °C (<120 °C) in the presence of ultrasonic irradiation, a uniform mixing (i.e. enhanced collision between silver particle and surrounding components) by ultrasonic irradiation might induce a better formation kinetics and morphological uniformity.     

Evaluating the surface density and heterogeneity of a dithiobis (succinimidylpropionate) self-assembled monolayer on gold and its coupling with DNA embedded within a matrix

The homogeneity of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on a surface is an important parameter which affects the ability of a SAM to fulfill its intended function. As an example, SAMs formed from octanethiols can form an impermeable surface, while SAMs based on a bifunctional coupling reagent can form a surface with uniform reactivity. Exposure of gold nanoparticles or gold surfaces to solutions of dithiobis (succinimidylpropionate) (DSP) gives rise to a surface which can react with DNA. Atomic force microscopy, UV-vis and gel electrophoresis experiments indicate that a self-assembled monolayer of DSP on gold nanoparticles can attenuate aggregation, inhibit the “lying down” of covalently-bound single-stranded (ss) DNA and promote more efficient hybridization. The determination of the point of aggregation after reacting DSP with colloidal gold yields 2.86 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol/cm² or 42% of the value determined from molecular modeling. Cyclic voltammetry experiments validate that DSP on a gold quartz crystal (6.3 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol/cm²) forms a fairly uniform SAM that is within 94% of maximum coverage when compared with results obtained from molecular modeling (6.67 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol/cm²). Surface plasmon resonance experiments indicate that the reaction of a DSP coated gold surface with (ss) DNA yields 2.4 × 10⁻¹² mol/cm² or reaction with about 1% of the available surface area. Subsequent reactions of the DSP surface with the filler, n-boc-1,4-phenylene diamine (n-boc), yield a total surface coverage of 1.8 × 10⁻¹¹ mol/cm². The surrounded (ss) DNA yields a surface with 97% hybridization efficiency toward the complement.     

Properties of highly oriented spray-deposited fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films on glass substrates of different thickness

Transparent conducting thin films of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) have been deposited onto the preheated glass substrates of different thickness by spray pyrolysis process using SnCl₄·5H₂O and NH₄F precursors. Substrate thickness is varied from 1 to 6 mm. The films are grown using mixed solvent with propane-2-ol as organic solvent and distilled water at optimized substrate temperature of 475 °C. Films of thickness up to 1525 nm are grown by a fine spray of the source solution using compressed air as a carrier gas. The films have been characterized by the techniques such as X-ray diffraction, optical absorption, van der Pauw technique, and Hall effect. The as-deposited films are preferentially oriented along the (2 0 0) plane and are of polycrystalline SnO₂ with a tetragonal crystal structure having the texture coefficient of 6.19 for the films deposited on 4 mm thick substrate. The lattice parameter values remain unchanged with the substrate thickness. The grain size varies between 38 and 48 nm. The films exhibit moderate optical transmission up to 70% at 550 nm. The figure of merit (φ) varies from 1.36×10⁻⁴ to 1.93×10⁻³ Ω⁻¹. The films are heavily doped, therefore degenerate and exhibit n-type electrical conductivity. The lowest sheet resistance (R_s) of 7.5 Ω is obtained for a typical sample deposited on 4 mm thick substrate. The resistivity (ρ) and carrier concentration (n_D) vary over 8.38×10⁻⁴ to 2.95×10⁻³ Ω cm and 4.03×10²⁰ to 2.69×10²¹ cm⁻³, respectively.     

Process optimization and stability of D-limonene-in-water nanoemulsions prepared by ultrasonic emulsification using response surface methodology

d-limonene in water nanoemulsion was prepared by ultrasonic emulsification using mixed surfactants of sorbitane trioleate and polyoxyethylene (20) oleyl ether. Investigation using response surface methodology revealed that 10% d-limonene nanoemulsions formed at S₀ ratio (d-limonene concentration to mixed surfactant concentration) 0.6-0.7 and applied power 18 W for 120 s had droplet size below 100 nm. The zeta potential of the nanoemulsion was approximately −20 mV at original pH 6.4, closed to zero around pH 4.0, and around −30 mV at pH 12.0. The main destabilization mechanism of the systems is Ostwald ripening. The ripening rate at 25 °C (0.39 m³ s⁻¹ × 10²⁹) was lower than that at 4 °C (1.44 m³ s⁻¹ × 10²⁹), which was in agreement with the Lifshitz-Slezov-Wagner (LSW) theory. Despite of Ostwald ripening, the droplet size of d-limonene nanoemulsion remained stable after 8 weeks of storage.     

Study on fluorescence properties of carbogenic nanoparticles and their application for the determination of ferrous succinate

A new type of fluorescent nanomaterial named carbogenic nanoparticles (NPs) has drawn considerable attention recently. In this study, we adopted a direct and simple synthetic method to produce the carbogenic NPs and investigated the fluorescence properties of the as-prepared carbogenic NPs in detail. It was found that the fluorescence of carbogenic NPs was stable with the variance of environmental conditions such as pH, temperature and UV irradiation. More interestingly, we found carbogenic NPs exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity towards ferric ions. Under optimum conditions, a good linear relationship could be obtained between the fluorescence intensity and concentration of ferric ions in the range of 5.0×10⁻⁵-5.0×10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, and the limit of detection is 11.2 μmol L⁻¹. Based on the fluorescence quenching of carbogenic NPs, a rapid and specific quantitative method was proposed for the determination of ferrous succinate. The content of ferrous succinate in commercial tablets determined by the present method was agreed with the spectrophotometric method results and the reproducibility and the recovery of the proposed method were satisfactory.     

Interaction of indigo carmine dye with silica modified with humic acids at solid/liquid interface

Two distinct humic acids, one extracted from Brazilian peat soil, HA_PS, and another one obtained from commercial source, HA_FL, were attachment onto silica gel modified with aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, producing two material named SiHA_PS and SiHA_FL, respectively. The ability of these materials in removing indigo carmine dye from aqueous solution was followed through series of adsorption isotherms adjusted to modified Langmuir equation. The maximum number of moles adsorbed gave 6.82 ± 0.12 × 10⁻⁴ and 2.15 ± 0.17 × 10⁻⁴ mol g⁻¹ for SiHA_PS and SiHA_FL, respectively. Same interactions were calorimetrically followed and the thermodynamic data showed endothermic enthalpic values: 12.31 ± 0.55 and 24.69 ± 1.05 kJ mol⁻¹ for SiHA_PS and SiHA_FL surfaces, respectively. Gibbs free energies for two adsorption processes of indigo carmine dye presented negative values, reflecting dye/surface interactions must be accompanied by an increased in entropy values, which are 65 ± 3 and 98 ± 5 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹ for SiHA_PS and SiHA_FL materials, respectively. The adsorption processes for both materials were spontaneous in nature although they presented an endothermic enthalpy for the interaction, resulting in an entropically favored process.     

The co-luminescence effect of a europium (III)-lanthanum (III)-gatifloxacin-sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate system and its application for the determination of trace amount of europium (III)

A novel co-luminescence system based on the formation of a complex between europium (III) (Eu³⁺) and gatifloxacin (GFLX) in sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) micelle solution containing lanthanum (III) (La³⁺) has been developed for the determination of Eu³⁺. The experimental results show that the complex formed by Eu³⁺ and GFLX here can emit the characteristic luminescence of Eu³⁺. With the addition of La³⁺, the luminescence intensity of the system was enhanced about 7-fold compared with that without La³⁺. Under the optimal conditions, the luminescence intensity exhibits an excellent linear relationship with Eu³⁺ concentration in the range of 1.0×10⁻¹⁰-5.0×10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹. The correlation coefficient (r) is 0.9998, and the detection limit (3σ) is 7.0×10⁻¹⁴ mol L⁻¹. A test method with satisfactory accuracy based on this system was applied to determine trace amounts of Eu³⁺ in rare earth samples. In addition, the detailed luminescence mechanism of this system was investigated by analyzing the ultraviolet absorption spectra, surface tension, fluorescence polarization, quantum yield, and the number of water molecules in the first coordination sphere of the Eu³⁺ complex.     

Investigation of diode parameters using I-V and C-V characteristics of In/SiO2/p-Si (MIS) Schottky diodes

A study on interface states density distribution and characteristic parameters of the In/SiO₂/p-Si (MIS) capacitor has been made. The thickness of the SiO₂ film obtained from the measurement of the corrected capacitance in the strong accumulation region for MIS Schottky diodes was 220 Å. The diode parameters from the forward bias I-V characteristics such as ideality factor, series resistance and barrier heights were found to be 1.75, 106-112 Ω and 0.592 eV, respectively. The energy distribution of the interface state density D_it was determined from the forward bias I-V characteristics by taking into account the bias dependence of the effective barrier height. The interface state density obtained using the I-V characteristics had an exponential growth, with bias towards the top of the valance band, from 9.44×10¹³ eV⁻¹ cm⁻² in 0.329-E_v eV to 1.11×10¹³ eV⁻¹ cm⁻² in 0.527-E_v eV at room temperature. Furthermore, the values of interface state density D_it obtained by the Hill-Coleman method from the C-V characteristics range from 52.9×10¹³ to 1.11×10¹³ eV⁻¹ cm⁻² at a frequency range of 30kHz-1 MHz. These values of D_it and R_s were responsible for the non-ideal behaviour of I-V and C-V characteristics.