Field-portable ratiometric fluorescence imaging of dual-color label-free carbon dots for uranyl ions detection with cellphone-based optical platform

Under the public spotlight, uranyl (UO₂²⁺) ions has attracted considerable attention for the extreme radioactive and chemical toxicity to ourselves and our environment. Herein, we present a simple and effective ratiometric fluorescence imaging method for the visualizing and quantitative detection UO₂²⁺ ions by cellphone-based optical platform. The sensing solution was prepared by mixing label-free red carbon dots (r-CDs) and blue carbon dots (b-CDs) together with a fixed photoluminescence intensity ratio of 4:1. When UO₂²⁺ ions were added, the fluorescence of r-CDs can be selectively quenched, while the fluorescence of b-CDs remains stable without spectral changes. With the gradually increase the amounts of UO₂²⁺ ions, the different response of dual-color CDs resulted in a signification color evolution from deep red to dark purple under the ultraviolet (UV) light illumination. Then, a cellphone-based optical platform was constructed for directly imaging the color change of the samples, and the built-in Colorpicker APP quickly output the red, green and blue (RGB) channel values of these images within one second. Interesting, there was a linear relationship between the ratio of red and blue (R/B) channel values and UO₂²⁺ ions concentration from 0 μmol/L to 30.0 μmol/L (R² = 0.92804) with the detection limit of ∼8.15 μmol/L (signal-to-noise ratio of 3). In addition, the optical platform has also been applied to the quantification of UO₂²⁺ ions in tap water and river water sample. With the advantage of low-cost, portable, easy to operation, we anticipate that this method would greatly improve the accessibility of UO₂²⁺ ions detection even in resource-limited areas.     

A Smartphone-assisted Paper-based Analytical Device for Fluorescence Assay of Hg2+

Rapid, efficiency and portable detection systems in low-resource settings with limited laboratory equipment and technical expertise are urgently needed. Herein, an integrated platform composed of a paper-based analytical device and a smartphone detection system for Hg²⁺ onsite testing was developed. Nitrogen-doped carbon dots(N-CDs) were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method using citric acid as the carbon source and ethanediamine as the nitrogen source, which gave out bright blue fluorescence under the excitation at 350 nm UV light and the absolute fluorescence quantum yield was 17.1%. The fluorescence of the prepared N-CDs can be effectively quenched by Hg²⁺. In addition, an external attachment of smartphone for illumination and external light interference was designed to trace the fluorescence signals, and a software application of Android system with simple operation program was developed to perform snapshot and image processing. The smartphone-assisted detection system was combined with the N-CDs decorated paper chip to achieve the sensitive detection of Hg²⁺ in water samples. This integrated method for reliable sensing of Hg²⁺ shows a good linear detection range of 10-800 μmol/L(R²=0.9595) with detection limit of 1.07×10^-8 mol/L.     

PVC membrane based potentiometric sensors for uranium determination

Two novel uranyl PVC matrix membrane sensors responsive to uranyl ion are described. The first sensor incorporates tris(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate (TEHP) as both electroactive material and plasticizer and sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) as an ion discriminator. The sensor displays a rapid and linear response for UO₂²⁺ ions over the concentration range 1×10⁻¹–2×10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹ UO₂²⁺ with a cationic slope of 25.0±0.2 mV decade⁻¹. The working pH range is 2.8–3.6 and the life span is 4 weeks. The second sensor contains O-(1,2-dihydro-2-oxo-1-pyridyl)-N,N,N′,N′-bis(tetra-methylene)uronium hexafluorophosphate (TPTU) as a sensing material, sodium tetraphenylborate as an ion discriminator and dioctyl phenylphosphonate (DOPP) as a plasticizer. Linear and stable response for 1×10⁻¹–5×10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹ UO₂²⁺ with near-Nernstian slope of 27.5±0.2 mV decade⁻¹ are obtained. The working pH range is 2.5–3.5 and the life span of the sensor is 6 weeks. Interference from many inorganic cations is negligible for both sensors. However, interference caused by some ions (e.g. Th⁴⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺) is eliminated by a prior ion exchange or solvent extraction step. Direct potentiometric determination of as little as 5 μg ml⁻¹ uranium in aqueous solutions shows an average recovery of 97.2±1.3%. Application for the determination of uranium at levels of 0.01–1 wt.% in naturally occurring and certified ores gives results with good correlation with data obtained by X-ray fluorescence.     

基于碳点的荧光纳米开关灵敏检测Cu(Ⅱ)离子和焦磷酸盐

利用羟基与氨基在高温条件下反应,不断聚合生成碳点（CDs）,该碳点可发射不依赖激发波长的明亮的红色荧光.将CDs作为目标敏感荧光团时,发现Cu²⁺可特异性猝灭碳点的荧光,而焦磷酸盐（PPi）可在一定程度上恢复上述体系的荧光.其中,Cu²⁺对CDs的荧光猝灭是由于Cu²⁺与CDs发生络合反应,从而发生静态猝灭过程;而加入PPi之后,由于它与CDs的结合能力更强,因此Cu²⁺离开CDs的表面,体系的荧光得以恢复.在此基础上构建了一种高选择性、高灵敏度的off-on荧光纳米开关传感体系,分别用于Cu²⁺和PPi的定量检测,检出限分别达2.14 μmol/L和1.85 μmol/L.该传感体系可应用于实际样品检测,拓宽了荧光CDs的传感应用,为其在生物体内目标分子的检测提供了可能性.     

分子动力学方法模拟不同温度下铀酰在叶腊石上的吸附和扩散行为

采用分子动力学方法研究了铀酰在叶腊石表面的吸附和扩散。在碳酸根离子存在的情况下,探究了温度对铀酰吸附和扩散的影响。碳酸根离子与铀酰存在较强的作用力,不同数目的碳酸根离子与铀酰结合会形成多种铀酰种态。在不同温度的模拟中,得到了UO_2~(2+)、UO_2CO_3、UO_2(CO_3)_2~(2-)、UO_2(CO_3)_3~(4-)四种铀酰种态和铀酰聚合物。通过原子密度图,观察了粒子在溶液中的分布情况。发现UO_2~(2+)+和UO_2CO_3容易吸附在叶腊石上,而UO_2(CO_3)_2~(2-)和UO_2(CO_3)_3~(4-)主要存在于扩散层中。随着时间的推移,越来越多的碳酸根离子与铀酰配位,使得铀酰在叶腊石上的吸附逐渐减少。本文计算了不同温度下,各铀酰种态的扩散系数。在扩散层中,各种态的扩散系数随温度的变化较为一致,而在吸附层中,UO_2~(2+)和UO_2CO_3的扩散速率随温度的变化较UO_2(CO_3)_2~(2-)和UO_2(CO_3)_3~(4-)慢。但是在同一温度下,同一个吸附层或扩散层中,铀酰种态的扩散系数大小顺序始终保持不变:UO_2~(2+)UO_2CO_3UO_2(CO_3)_2~(2-)UO_2(CO_3)_3~(4-)。说明在碳酸根存在的情况下,UO_2~(2+)可能是主要的扩散形式。     

加压阳离子交换流洗法分离研究——以H2SO4-MnSO4为流洗剂分离UO22+、U(Ⅳ)和Fe2+及UO22+和Fe3+及其机理

本文发现一种含有Mn²⁺的硫酸流洗剂,可使UO₂²⁺和U(Ⅳ)的扩散常数分别增大20倍和400倍,从而显著地提高了UO₂²⁺和U(Ⅳ)的阳离子色谱效率;并论证了Mn²⁺离子的作用机理。     

基于碳点-铕的比率荧光探针可视化检测四环素

结合四环素对碳点(CDs)的荧光猝灭及对铕离子(Eu ³⁺)的荧光增强作用, 建立了一种肉眼可辨的比率荧光分析方法用于水样中四环素残留的便捷检测. 通过优化CDs/Eu ³⁺比例、 溶液pH值等实验条件, 使检测体系对四环素的荧光响应呈现由蓝色→粉色→红色的颜色转变过程, 易于通过肉眼进行分辨和半定量分析. 实验结果表明, 2种荧光探针响应比(I₆₁₈/I₄₄₀)的对数值与四环素的浓度在20~100 nmol/L范围内呈线性关系, 方法的检出限为1 nmol/L. 将该方法应用于江水样品中四环素的加标检测, 获得了较好结果.     

Synthesis and Characterization of a New Neutral Ionophore for Use in Bulk Optode

Chemical sensors based on optical signal detection are of increasing importance. Optical sensors of bulk optodes have the advantage of being robust and showing a highly reversible response explainable by means of the chemical equilibria involved. Therefore, a great number of new ion-selective bulk optodes have reported within a few years. Several sensors for detecting toxicologically revalant ions,such as Pb²⁺,Ag⁺,Hg²⁺ and UO₂²⁺ have been developed recently and exhibit the low detection limit required. Although a number of ionophores have been used in optodes and ISEs,the sensors described so far are inadequate for monitoring Ag⁺ in water, especially in drinking water because of their limited selectivity and/or insufficient sensitivity. More recently Pretsch et al designed and synthesized an improved optical sensor, methylene bis(2-thiobenzothiazole),which was Ag⁺-selective. Here we report synthesis of another ionophore,1,2-bis(2-thiobenzothiazole) ethane, and its IR, ESI-MS, ¹HNMR and UV-Vis.     

Fluorescence quenching of anthropogenic fulvic acids by Cu(II), Fe(III) and UO(2)(2+)

The quenching of the fluorescence of three anthropogenic fulvic acids (FA) provoked by Cu(II) (pH 6.0), Fe(III) (pH 4.0) and UO₂²⁺ (pH 3.5), was analyzed by a non-linear method and by Stern-Volmer plots. The FA samples were extracted from composted sewage sludges (csFA), composted municipal wastes (mwFA) and composted livestock wastes (lsFA). Synchronous-scan fluorescence (SyF) spectra were collected as a function of metal ion concentration. Spectral data were treated by a self-modeling mixture analysis method (SIMPLISMA) to detect the SyF spectral band with the strongest quenching and to calculate the corresponding quenching profile. The analysis of these profiles by a non-linear method allowed the estimation of conditional stability constants (K) and of the percentage of non-complexing fluorophores. The same quantitative information was obtained by the modified Stern-Volmer equation taking into account the existence of fluorophores that do not participate in the complexation. Good agreement was found between the results of the two procedures. The log K calculated by the non-linear method were (standard deviation in parenthesis): csFA, Cu(II), 4.22 (5); Fe(III), 5.0 (1); UO₂²⁺, 5.2 (2); mwFA, Cu(II), 4.21 (3); Fe(III), 5.6 (2); UO₂²⁺, 4.7 (3); lsFA, Cu(II), 4.51 (8); Fe(III), 5.5 (2); UO₂²⁺, 3.6 (2).     

11-Mercaptoundecanoic acid functionalized gold nanoclusters as fluorescent probes for the sensitive detection of Cu2+ and Fe3+ ions

Metal ions are physiologically essential,but excessive metal ions may cause severe risk to plants and animals.Here,we prepared gold nanoclusters(Au NCs) protected by 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid(11-MUA),which have excellent fluorescence properties for the detection of metal ions.The results showed that the copper ions(Cu~(2+)) and iron ions(Fe~(3+)) in the solution have obvious quenching effect on the fluorescence intensity of Au NCs.The detection range of Fe~(3+) was 0.8–4.5 mmol/L(R~2= 0.992) and 4.5–11.0 mmol/L(R~2= 0.997).And Cu~(2+) has a lower linear range(0.1–1.0 mmol/L,R2= 0.993).When EDTA was added into the reaction system,it was observed that the quenching effect of Cu~(2+) and Fe~(3+)on Au NCs showed different phenomenon.Then,the effect of metal ions on the fluorescence of Au NCs was investigated.The selective detection of Cu~(2+) was achieved by EDTA masking of Fe~(3+).In addition,we realized the metal ions detection application of Au NCs in the serum     

Multi-functional Photoelectric Sensor Based on a Three-fold Interpenetrated Cd(II) Coordination Polymer for Sensitively Detecting Different Ions

Athree-fold interpenetrated cadmium coordination polymer[Cd₃(BTC)₂(H₂O)₉]·2H₂O(CP 1)(H₃BTC=1,3,5-benzenetricar-boxylic acid) was selected and synthesized to investigate its photoelectric properties. CP 1 showed excellent sensitivity for Cr₂O₇^2- and Fe³⁺, low limit of detection(LOD:0.39 µmol/L for Cr₂O₇^2- and 1.72 µmol/L for Fe³⁺) and stability as electrochemical sensor. More importantly, fluorescence sensing studies indicated that CP 1 exhibits sensing activity for Fe³⁺, Fe²⁺, and MnO₄^- with good cyclic stability and selectivity. Low LOD and high-sensitivity capability of CP 1 make it a potential multifunctional photoelectric sensor.     

Carbon Dots Derived from Coffee Residue for Sensitive and Selective Detection of Picric Acid and Iron(III) Ions

Afacile method was developed to prepare carbon dots(CDs) by pyrolysis and etching of coffee residue. The as-prepared CDs show uniform spherical nanoparticles with an average size of 2.3 nm and exhibit excitation-dependent fluorescence emissions. Moreover, CDs also exhibit strong fluorescence quenching to nitro compounds and metal ions in both water and ethanol solutions, which could act as a platform for dual detection of PA(picric acid) and Fe³⁺ ions with low detection limits of 0.26 and 0.83 μmol/L, respectively. This work provides a novel method for preparation of environmental-friendly fluorescent CDs and shows their potential applications in photoluminescence sensors.     

2-羟基萘甲醛苯甲酰腙衍生物对Al~(3+)的裸眼识别和荧光传感

设计合成了化合物4-羟基苯甲酰-(2-羟基萘甲醛)腙(L)探针,经金属离子识别研究发现探针L对Al~(3+)具有良好的荧光增强识别效果且不受其它金属离子的干扰,且识别过程中溶液的颜色发生了明显变化,可以实现Al~(3+)的可视法检测,核磁滴定、job-plot、基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱(MALDI-TOF)等实验结果显示,探针L与Al~(3+)以摩尔比2∶1的方式进行配位。通过对紫外滴定数据的非线性拟合分析,探针L与Al~(3+)的结合常数为1.3×10~4L/mol,最低检测限为3.71×10~(-6)L/mol。因此,该腙类衍生物作为Al~(3+)的荧光及比色探针,识别体系线性范围较宽,检测限低,在痕量Al~(3+)的检测方面具有潜在的应用价值。     

Synthesis, characterization and reactivity of some novel dinuclear mixed-ligand peroxouranium(VI) complexes

Novel anionic dinuclear mixed-ligand peroxo complexes of the type [(UO₂)₂(O₂)₃L(H₂O)₂]³⁻ (L = Histidinate, aspartate, salicylate, Imidazolate and glutamate) have been synthesized from the interaction of uranyl ion (UO₂²⁺) with peroxide (O₂²⁻) in the presence of the respective coligand (L) at pH 9–10. The sparingly soluble complexes were characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR, laser Raman (LR) and UV-vis spectroscopy and solution electrical conductance measurements. Based on these studies, a double bridged dinuclear structure involving one peroxo and the mixed ligand L (via-COO⁻) has been tentatively proposed. Infra-red coupled with LR spectra evidenced structurally different metal bound peroxides (ν² and σ:σ). An aqueous solution of the salicylate and aspartate complexes have been shown to convert triphenylphosphine (PPh₃), cyclohexene, styrene and SO₂ to the corresponding OPPh₃, 1,2 cyclohexanediol, phenylethyleneglycol and SO₄²⁻, respectively.     

镉(Ⅱ)-半胱氨酸配合物对CdS量子点的荧光增强作用及其在离子检测中的应用

合成了弱配体柠檬酸三钠修饰的CdS量子点(Cit-CdS QDs), 透射电子显微镜表征结果表明, Cit-CdS QDs的粒径分布均匀(4~6 nm), 分散性好。 研究了金属离子(银(Ⅰ)离子、镉(Ⅱ)离子)、巯基化合物(巯基乙酸、半胱氨酸)以及金属离子(银(Ⅰ)离子、镉(Ⅱ)离子)与巯基化合物形成的配合物对Cit-CdS QDs荧光的影响。 发现金属离子(银离子、镉离子)与巯基化合物(巯基乙酸、半胱氨酸)形成的水溶性配合物可以显著增强Cit-CdS QDs的荧光, 配合物对Cit-CdS QDs的增强程度比单独的金属离子或巯基化合物均要高, 而且配合物修饰的CdS QDs对铜(Ⅱ)离子的响应要高于单独用金属离子或巯基化合物修饰的量子点。 建立了铜(Ⅱ)离子高灵敏度荧光检测方法, 该方法检测范围宽(1.0×10^-8~1.0×10^-6 mol/L), 检测限低(1.0×10^-9 mol/L)且具有很好的选择性, 拓展了配合物作为量子点修饰剂的应用。     

新型荧光碳点的制备及其在Hg2+检测中的应用

以中药材川佛手为碳源,通过高温热解产生的烟制备了平均粒径为6 nm的新型荧光碳点,其最大激发波长285 nm,最大荧光发射波长340 nm。 基于碳点良好的荧光性能及Hg²⁺对碳点荧光的猝灭作用,建立了检测Hg²⁺的新方法。 结果表明,在0.2 mol/L磷酸盐缓冲溶液(pH=7.0)中,响应时间为2 min时,该方法具有良好的选择性和抗干扰能力,检测Hg²⁺浓度的线性范围为0.2~40 μmol/L,相关系数为r=0.9996,检出限为0.052 μmol/L。 当加入2.0和40.0 μmol/L Hg²⁺到实际水样后,相对标准偏差(RSD)和加标回收率分别为0.3%~2.4%和99.5%~101.1%,可用于实际水样中Hg²⁺的分析检测。     

咔唑-二氨基马来腈类荧光探针的合成及对Cu2+和ClO-的检测

利用咔唑醛与二氨基马来腈合成了一种对Cu²⁺和ClO^-的响应的荧光探针分子CMN。探针分子与Cu²⁺作用后,紫外吸收光谱在394 nm处的吸光度迅速下降,颜色由黄色褪至无色;荧光光谱在452 nm处的发射峰迅速增强,出现明显的蓝色荧光。探针与ClO^-作用后,溶液发生褪色,并在375 nm和394 nm出现强荧光发射,发出淡蓝色荧光。CMN通过配位过程实现了对Cu²⁺的检测,其检测限为47μmol/L;CMN在ClO^-催化下亚胺键水解得到咔唑醛,实现了对ClO^-的检测,检测限3.06μmol/L。CMN可作为荧光检测试纸快速检测环境中的Cu²⁺和ClO^-。     

阳离子交换型聚合物AQ薄膜修饰碳纤维电极及伏安行为

本文成功地制备了Eastman-AQ-55D聚合物修饰碳纤维电极,用循环伏安法探讨了一些实验参数的影响,并对Ru(NH₃)₆³⁺、甲基紫精进行了分析,结果表明,AQ-55D修饰的微电极稳定性好,修饰方法简单,灵敏度和选择性都有一定的提高,Ru(NH₃)₆³⁺、甲基紫精的峰电流与浓度在1.2×10^-6～1.2×10^-5mol/L、1.7×10^-6～1.4×10^-5mol/L范围内呈线性关系,其相关系数分别为0.999、0.998.利用此电极测定了几种离子在膜中的扩散系数.     

Azomethine-H as a Highly Selective Fluorescent Probe for Fe3+ Detection in 100％ Aqueous Solution and Its Application in Living Cell Imaging

A simple assay for the detection of Fe³⁺ in water by means of fluorescence spectroscopy was developed based on a commercially available reagent, Azomethine-H(A-H), allowing sensing trace levels of Fe³⁺ with high selectivity over other cations. A significant fluorescence quenching of A-H at 424 nm was found after its binding with Fe³⁺ in 100% aqueous solution at pH=7.0, while other physiologically relevant metal ions posed little interference. The fluorescence responses can be well described by the modified Stern-Volmer equation. A good linear relationship(R²=0.9904) was observed up to 1.6×10^-5 mol/L Fe³⁺ ions. The detection limit, calculated via the 3σ IUPAC(international union of pure and applied chemistry) criteria, was 1.95×10^-7 mol/L. Moreover, the colorimetric and fluorescent response of A-H to Fe³⁺ can be conveniently detected by the naked eye, providing a facile method for visual detection of Fe³⁺. The proposed method was used to determine Fe³⁺ in water samples. Moreover, inverted fluorescence microscopy imaging using human umbilical vein endothelial cells shows that A-H can be used as an effective fluorescent probe for detecting Fe³⁺ in living cells.     

氮硫掺杂碳点的制备及检测铜离子

以柠檬酸为碳源,通过水热合成制备N、S掺杂的蓝色荧光碳点（NS-CDs）,用于实际样品中铜离子检测。采用高分辨率透射电子显微镜、X射线衍射光谱、红外吸收光谱、X射线光电子能谱、荧光光谱对其结构、组成和光学性质进行表征。结果表明,NS-CDs分散性好,尺寸分布在0.6~2.2 nm之间,具有无定形碳的结构;碳点表面含有羟基、羧基、酰胺等官能团,C、N、O和S元素质量分数别为54.01%、24.49%、19.39%及2.11%;该碳点具有良好的耐盐性、pH稳定性、光稳定性,其荧光量子产率为25%。基于Cu²⁺离子与碳点表面多个官能团发生相互作用形成聚集的网络结构,导致荧光猝灭的现象,建立了检测Cu²⁺的荧光分析新方法,本方法对Cu²⁺离子具有良好的选择性和较高的灵敏度,在0.2~10、10~50和50~100 μmol/L范围均有良好的线性响应,检出限为41 nmol/L（S/N=3）满足《土壤环境质量标准》对土壤中Cu²⁺检测国家标准的要求（6.25 mmol/L）。测定了实际土壤中Cu²⁺的含量,检测结果为2.55 μmol/L,加标回收率在104.9%～105.6%之间,实现了Cu²⁺的快速、灵敏、高选择性检测。