石英晶体微天平传感器及其在生物检测中应用的研究进展

石英晶体微天平(Quartz crystal microbalance,QCM)是一种具有灵敏度高、免标记、可实时在线检测等优点的重要分析工具。在生物检测领域,QCM与多种信号放大方法相结合,广泛应用于对生物分子的高灵敏检测。新型耗散型QCM(QCM-D)通过对薄膜厚度、粘弹性等的研究,主要用于考察生物分子的吸附分离、构型变化等微观过程。本文主要阐述了QCM及QCM-D生物传感器的构建及其在DNA、蛋白质、细胞和微生物检测中的研究进展。     

石英晶体微天平在高分子研究中的应用

石英晶体微天平(QCM)作为一种强有力的表征工具已被广泛应用于高分子研究之中.本文中,作者介绍了QCM的发展简史、基本原理以及实验样品制备方法 .在此基础上,介绍了如何基于带有耗散测量功能的石英晶体微天平(QCM-D)及相关联用技术研究界面接枝高分子构象行为、高分子的离子效应以及高分子海洋防污材料,展示了QCM-D技术在高分子研究中的广阔应用前景. QCM-D可同时检测界面高分子薄膜的质量变化和刚性变化,从而反映其结构变化.与光谱型椭偏仪联用后,还可同步获取界面高分子薄膜的厚度变化等信息,可以有效解决相关高分子研究中的问题.希望本文能够对如何利用QCM-D技术开展高分子研究起到一定的启示作用,使这一表征技术能够为高分子研究解决更多问题.     

石英晶体微天平在高分子科学中的应用

固/液界面上高分子的行为直接影响着界面的物理和化学性质.对于高分子在界面的动态行为,由于缺乏有效的手段,检测一直十分困难.最近,一种频率-耗散联用型石英晶体微天平(QCM-D)问世,它能够同时检测固/液界面上有关高分子质量和结构的变化,因而可应用于界面高分子研究的多个方面.本文介绍石英晶体微天平的基本原理,并综述作者实验室最近几年利用QCM-D开展的若干工作,包括固/液界面上高分子链的构象变化,固/液界面上高分子的吸附,高分子降解动力学和聚电解质的"层层组装"等方面.     

QCM-D研究蛋白质与多糖的相互作用

应用具有耗散因子功能的石英晶体微天平（QCM-D）检测了多糖多层膜的构筑过程以及蛋白质在多层膜上的吸附行为。 研究结果表明,通过层层组装的方法,可以实现多糖卡拉胶多层膜的构筑,并且随着卡拉胶电荷密度的增加,其组装量减少。 研究了牛体血清蛋白(BSA)在卡拉胶上的吸附行为。 结果发现,BSA的吸附行为强烈地依赖于卡拉胶的电荷密度和基体的粗糙度。 通过QCM-D实时监测了BSA在卡拉胶上的动力学吸附曲线,同时根据ΔD值推测了BSA在不同的基底表面上所形成的结构及吸附行为。     

石英晶体微天平传感器的膜厚敏感性

近几年,石英晶体微天平(QCM)作为一种简易、灵敏的实时监测手段,广泛地应用于研究生物活性分子之间的相互作用,其中包括蛋白质吸附动力学、抗原/抗体相互作用、DNA杂交、适配体-蛋白相互作用等领域.但是QCM作为商业化的生物传感器一直发展不顺利.主要因为QCM在液态环境中的非理想行为导致了对QCM数据分析困难.我们利用阻抗分析法对QCM的数据进行分析,分离出质量和粘弹性两种因素引起的频率改变,解决粘弹性的困扰问题.同时,我们提出了"固化水层"模型,合理地处理了溶剂的影响.在该模型的基础上发展了一种基于QCM的分子尺技术,该技术能够简便、有效地测量出固定在固-液界面的生物大分子的纳米尺寸.我们的主要工作是将"固化水层"模型拓展到三维结构的高分子基质中.我们联合QCM和表面等离子共振(SPR)技术研究基于高分子基质的蛋白质的固定,抗原/抗体识别的过程,进一步采用"固化水层"模型解释高分子的溶胀行为、羧基活化、抗体固定、抗原、抗体识别等过程.理论分析表明,结合生物分子势必排出相同体积的溶剂,由于溶剂的密度接近于蛋白质溶液的密度.从而导致"固化水层"质量增加不明显.实验上也证实了石英晶体微天平的响应主要取决于"固化水层"的厚度变化(T2-T1),而并非固定的生物分子的质量.我们利用QCM实时监测在高分子基质中IgG的固定以及IgG与anti-IgG识别的过程,并将石英晶体微天平监测的频率变化与相应的厚度变化直接关联.这一方法的建立在一定的应用范围内简化了QCM的定量分析模型,有望实现QCM作为传感器在界面物理与化学等相关领域研究中的应用.     

直链醇对木质素磺酸钠的聚集态和吸附特性的影响

揭示了直链醇对木质素磺酸盐(简称木钠,SL)表面物化性能的增效机理.采用zeta电位仪、激光粒度仪和透射电镜(TEM)等表征方法研究了直链醇对木钠聚集态的影响,采用静电组装技术、原子力显微镜和频率-耗散联用型石英晶体微天平(QCM)等进一步研究了不同碳链长度的直链醇对木钠吸附特性的影响.结果表明,直链醇通过与木钠聚集体相互作用,促使包裹在木钠内部的羧基不断裸露出来,增加其在水溶液中的负电性,降低木钠在水溶液中的聚集程度,碳原子数较大的醇类效果更明显.直链醇使木钠在固体表面吸附膜的吸附构型由刚性、致密逐渐转变为松散、伸展.单纯木钠的吸附构型是以阳离子-π作用力为主的mushroom型,直链醇则使其转变为以静电作用力为主的高分子刷,从而显著增加木钠在固体表面上的吸附量且使吸附膜更均匀和光滑.     

用石英晶体微天平研究表面活性剂在银固态表面上的动态吸附

吸附是表面活性剂的一个重要特征.迄今用于原位监测表面活性剂在固体表面上吸附重量变化的方法尚不多见.近年来压电石英晶体作为一种高灵敏的质量传感器(石英晶体微天平)已被用于大气和溶液中多种微量成分的监测.用石英晶体微天平研究I~-、Br~-和表面活性剂在金电极上的吸附行为亦有报道.本文研究了十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)、十二烷基磺酸钠(SDSO)、十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)在银固态表面上的吸附平衡动力学特性及其吸附机制.     

石英晶体微天平中耗散与阻抗分析法的统一

石英晶体微天平仪（quartz crystal microbalance,QCM）就是通过检测物质在石英晶片表面上吸附前后石英晶片共振性能的变化以得到吸附物质的量和一些物理性能。石英晶体微天平仪具有非常高的灵敏度,可以测到纳米级的薄膜厚度变化和纳克级的痕量物质质量的变化,广泛应用于科学研究各个领域中,特别是薄膜质量、厚度的测量,生物、化学传感器以及微量物质在表面的吸附过程研究。     

尖晶石型LiMn2O4薄膜电极的制备及电化学性质研究──电化学石英晶体微天平(EQCM)技术研究

石英晶体微天平(QCM)作为纳克级的质量传感器,可通过测定石英晶体振动频率的变化来测定石英晶体表面微小的质量变化.近年来,电化学石英晶体微天平(EQCM)技术已广泛应用于电化学研究领域[1].在锂嵌入型电极充放电过程中,锂离子在嵌基材料中嵌入脱出会引起电极质量的微小变化,因而利用EQCM技术研究Li+的嵌入脱出过程有其独到之处.     

含偶氮苯基团的光敏型两亲化合物的合成及光照对其性质的影响

以对甲基苯胺和苯酚为主要原料,通过四步反应合成了一种含偶氮苯的光敏型两亲化合物AS,其结构用~1H NMR进行表征,并利用紫外吸收光谱研究了AS的光异构化,结果表明,在紫外光照射后,AS的结构由反式构型变为顺式构型。测定了化合物AS在水溶液中表面张力,计算相应的物化参数,发现紫外光照射后AS的临界胶束浓度(cmc)增加,最小表面张力(γ_(cmc))增大,饱和吸附量(Г_(max))减小,最小分子横截面积(A_(min))变大。测定了AS溶液在石英表面的接触角,发现紫外光照射后接触角减小,AS对石英的润湿性能增强。利用石英晶体微天平(QCM-D)研究了化合物AS在石英表面的吸附过程,发现紫外光照射后AS在石英表面的吸附量减小,吸附膜厚度降低。     

NEW FLUOROSILOXANE AS A COATING MATERIAL FOR NERVE AGENT SENSORS

Polymer coated quartz crystal microbalance （QCM） sensor based on the frequency shifts due to the adsorption of compounds at the surface of modified quartz crystal electrode is an effective method for detection of sarin （GB） which is a highly toxic nerve warfare agent. A new fluorosiloxane polymer has been synthesized through 6 steps from trifluoromethyl benzene. The synthesis was achieved from trifluoromethyl benzene through nitration, hydrogenation. The obtained m-nitrotrifluoromethyl aniline was treated with NANO2, and then hydrolyzed to m-nitrotrifluoromethyl phenol, m-nitrotrifluoromethyl phenol was reacted with allyl bromide to the ether product. The product was rearranged by Claisen rearrangement, and then reacted with polymethylhydrosiloxane under catalyst of Pt/DVTMS. The fluorosiloxane polymer can be obtained. The polymer has been successfully used as QCM coating material     

A novel quartz crystal microbalance gas sensor based on porous film coatings. A high sensitivity porous poly(methylmethacrylate) water vapor sensor

We describe a novel and generally applicable approach for creating voids in films deposited on the surface of solid substrates. Such films are advantageous when a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is the basis of a sensor. We show that films with large void volumes produce more sensitive sensors than with the original film. Poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) was used as the polymer layer deposited on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to demonstrate our technique for the model system of water vapor analysis in flowing nitrogen gas. A film of pure PMMA on a QCM is a sensor for water vapor in a gas phase. A more sensitive sensor was created by dip coating QCM crystals into solutions containing mixtures of PMMA and poly(d,l-lactide) (PDLL) and then evaporating the solution films on the QCM crystals to form mixed polymer films of varying PDLL content. The PDLL was then removed from the mixed polymer films by exposure to a NaOH solution to form pure PMMA films having various void volumes. A leached PMMA film that originally contained 50% by weight PDLL had a 3.7 times larger QCM sensitivity for water vapor than a pure PMMA film.     

Surface immobilization of bio-functionalized cubosomes: sensing of proteins by quartz crystal microbalance

A strategy for tethering lipid liquid crystalline submicrometer particles (cubosomes) to a gold surface for the detection of proteins is reported. Time-resolved quartz crystal microbalance (QCM-D) was used to monitor the cubosome-protein interaction in real time. To achieve specific binding, cubosomes were prepared from the nonionic surfactant phytantriol, block-copolymer, Pluronic F-127, and a secondary biotinylated lipid, 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[biotinyl(polyethyleneglycol)-2000], which enabled attachment of the particles to a neutravidin (NAv)-alkanethiol monolayer at the gold surface of the QCM sensor chip. A second set of cubosomes was further functionalized with addition of the glycolipid (G(M1)) to facilitate a specific binding uptake of the protein, cholera toxin B subunit (CT(B)), from solution. QCM-D confirmed the specificity of the cubosome-NAv binding. The analysis of titration experiments, also performed with QCM, suggests that an optimal concentration of cubosomes is required for the efficient packing of the particles at the surface: high cubosome concentrations lead to chaotic cubosome binding onto the surface, sterically inhibiting surface attachment, or require significant reorganization to permit uniform cubosome coverage. The methodology enabled the straightforward preparation of a complex nanostructured edifice, which was then used to specifically capture analyte proteins (cholera toxin B subunit or free NAv) from solution, supporting the potential for development of this approach as a biosensing platform.     

Bimodal swelling responses in microgel thin films

A series of studies on microgel thin films is described, wherein quartz crystal microgravimetry (QCM), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used to probe the properties of microstructured polymer thin films as a function of film architecture and solution pH. Thin films composed of pNIPAm-co-AAc microgels were constructed by using spin-coating layer-by-layer (scLbL) assembly with poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) as a polycationic "glue". Our findings suggest that the interaction between the negatively charged microgels and the positively charged PAH has a significant impact on the pH responsivity of the film. These effects are observable in both the optical and mechanical behaviors of the films. The most significant changes in behavior are observed when the motional resistance of a quartz oscillator is monitored via QCM experiments. Slight changes to the film architecture and alternating the pH of the environment significantly changes the QCM and SPR responses, suggesting a pH-dependent swelling that is dependent on both particle swelling and polyelectrolyte de-complexation. Together, these studies allow for a deeper understanding of the morphological changes that take place in environmentally responsive microgel-based thin films.     

Contact mechanics studies with the quartz crystal microbalance: origins of the contrast factor for polymer gels and solutions

A contact mechanics methodology utilizing the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has been applied to study the spreading behavior of polymer solutions and gels. Changes in the resonant frequency and in the dissipation are monitored as these materials are brought into contact with the electrode surface of the QCM. The primary application is in studies of elastic polymer gels, where spreading over the surface of the QCM is limited by the elasticity of the gel. Simultaneous measurement of the applied loads and displacements, along with measurement of the QCM/gel contact area, the frequency shift, and the dissipation, enable us to calibrate the QCM as a contact sensor. While changes in the frequency and dissipation both depend linearly on the contact area, measurements of the dissipation provide a more reliable indicator. The relationship between the dissipation and the contact area is determined by the solvent viscosity and by the high-frequency intrinsic viscosity of the system of interest. This result is consistent with previous results on the high-frequency rheological behavior of polymer solutions.     

Study of film structure and adsorption kinetics of polyelectrolyte multilayer films: effect of pH and polymer concentration

The alternate adsorption of polycation poly(allylamine hydrochloride)(PAH) and the sodium salt of the polymeric dye poly(1-[ p-(3'-carboxy-4'-hydroxyphenylazo)benzenesulfonamido]-1,2-ethandiyl)(PCBS) on quartz crystals coated with silica was studied to understand the structural properties and adsorption kinetics of these films using a combination of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), absorbance, and ellipsometry measurements. In-situ deposition of the polycation PAH on QCM crystals was monitored, followed by rinsing with water and then deposition of the polyanion PCBS. The effects of polymer concentration and pH on film structure, composition and adsorption kinetics were probed. The polymers were adsorbed at neutral pH conditions and at elevated pH conditions where PAH was essentially uncharged to obtain much thicker films. The change in the resonant frequency, Deltaf, of the QCM-D showed a linear decrease with the number of bilayers, a finding consistent with absorbance and ellipsometric thickness measurements which showed linear growth of film thickness. By using the Delta f ratios of PCBS to PAH, the molar ratios of repeat units of PCBS to PAH in the bilayer films as determined by QCM-D were approximately 1:1 at polyelectrolyte concentrations 5-10 mM repeat unit, indicating complete dissociation of the ionic groups. The frequency and dissipation data from the QCM-D experiments were analyzed with the Voigt model to estimate the thickness of the hydrated films which were then compared with thicknesses of dry films measured by ellipsometry. This led to estimates of the water content of the films to be approximately 45 wt %. In addition to the QCM-D, some films were also characterized by a QCM which measures only the first harmonic without dissipation monitoring. For the deposition conditions studied, the deposited mass values measured by the QCM's first harmonic were similar to the results obtained using higher harmonics from QCM-D, indicating that the self-assembled polyelectrolyte films were rigid.     

基于巯基自组装单层膜的日本血吸虫石英晶体微天平免疫传感器

应用自组装膜技术在压电石英晶振金电极表面自组装一带羧基的巯基丙酸单层膜,通过盐酸1-乙基-3-(3-二甲基氨基丙基)碳二亚胺及N-羟基琥珀酰亚胺共价固定32KD的日本血吸虫分子抗原(SjAg32),设计了石英晶振微天平免疫传感器,用于测定日本血吸虫抗体.比较了巯基自组装单层膜与HEMA-MMA共聚物涂层修饰的石英晶振在溶液中的振荡行为,发现巯基自组装单层膜修饰的石英晶振稳定快,且稳定性好.在优化条件下,测得IRS(49-2000)的滴度为1:1500.此外,对不同程度血吸虫感染的兔血清进行了测试,结果表明,该传感器能较好地定量区别血吸虫感染程度.     

Competitive adsorption of macromolecules and real-time dynamics of Vroman-like effects

Quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) non-equilibrium and equilibrium studies of competitive interactions of pairs of polymers and proteins with fumed silica and ceramic coatings deposited on QCM crystals show complex interfacial behaviour. The effects observed depend on the adsorption sequence of co-adsorbates, their chemical structure and the morphology and chemical structure of the adsorbent. The equilibrium adsorption and dynamics of interactions of macromolecules with bare adsorbent surface and surface covered with pre-adsorbed polymer or protein, are compared in terms of the distribution functions of the Gibbs free energy of adsorption, which varied from -25 kJ mol(-1) on a bare surface to almost 0 kJ mol(-1) on a polymer or protein coated surface.     

A study of glycoprotein-lectin interactions using quartz crystal microbalance

A study of biospecific interactions between lectins and glycoproteins using a quartz crystal microbalance biosensor with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) was reported. Four lectins were covalently immobilised on the thiol-modified gold electrode of the QCM chips in order to obtain sensing surfaces. The frequency shift served as analytical signal and the dissipation shift provided additional information about the viscoelastic properties of the glycoprotein-lectin complex formed on the surface of the QCM chip. The working conditions of the assay were optimised. The interaction between different lectins and glycoproteins was characterised by specific frequency shifts and each glycoprotein displayed its own unique lectin-binding pattern. This lectin pattern can serve as a finger print for the discrimination between various glycoproteins. The biosensor enabled quantitative determination of glycoproteins in the concentration range of 50 μg mL⁻¹ to 1 mg mL⁻¹ with good linearity and R.S.D. of less than 6.0%. An additional advantage of the proposed biosensor was the possibility to re-use the same lectin surfaces during a long period of time (2 month) without changes in analytical response. This was experimentally achieved by the application of a proper regeneration solution (10 mM glycine-HCl, pH 2.5). The lectin-based quartz crystal microbalance technique is suitable both for rapid screening and for quantitative assay of serum glycoproteins.