Advances in application of sensors for determination of phthalate esters

Phthalates esters(PAEs) are extensively used as additives for polymers in plastic, particularly in polyvinyl chloride(PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate(PET). These compounds are not part of the polymer chains and can be released easily from products and migrate into beverages and foods that come into direct contact, causing environmental and human health impacts. Simple and rapid detection of such substances is of great significance for ensuring environmental food safety and consumer health. A...     

新型量子点基分子印迹荧光传感器在快速检测中的应用

作为一种新型荧光纳米材料,量子点具有十分优异的光学特性,是分析化学、生物科学、医学等领域研究的热点标记材料。分子印迹聚合物是能够进行特异性识别和选择性吸附的“仿生”材料,它易于制备且具有较好的重现性和稳定性,因而分子印迹技术已成为具有广阔应用前景的识别技术。量子点基分子印迹荧光传感器结合了量子点和分子印迹技术的优势,由于其高选择性和高灵敏度,在环境监测、食品检测、生物分析等领域得到快速发展。但该传感器在应用中也还存在亲水性不足、识别单一、便携性不足等问题。该文引用了近5年来发表在American Chemical Society、Elsevier等数据库约20篇相关文献,对量子点基分子印迹荧光传感器的构建及该传感器在快速检测分析痕量物质中的应用进展进行了综述。首先根据荧光光谱图中发射峰个数的不同分别介绍了3种量子点基分子印迹荧光传感器的类型及相关识别机理,其次根据待测物的不同归纳介绍了近五年来该传感器在离子、有机小分子、生物大分子等检测分析中的最新研究进展,最后对当前该传感器在制备及应用中仍存在的问题进行了总结并对其发展趋势进行了展望。     

质谱在高通量快速检测技术中的应用研究进展

质谱是现代分析测试技术中同时具备了灵敏度高、特异性好、分析速度快等特性的普适性方法,现已被广泛应用于食品检验、环境监测、药物筛选、临床医学等众多领域的高通量快速检测技术中。该文针对近年来低分辨质谱、高分辨质谱以及原位电离质谱技术在高通量快速检测,特别是小分子化合物的高通量快速检测中的应用研究进展进行了综述,并对质谱技术用于高通量快速检测的发展趋势及应用前景进行了展望,以期为相关领域的科技人员提供理论支持和技术参考。     

Toward quantifying the electrostatic transduction mechanism in carbon nanotube molecular sensors

Despite the great promise of carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNT FETs) for applications in chemical and biochemical detection, a quantitative understanding of sensor responses is lacking. To explore the role of electrostatics in sensor transduction, experiments were conducted with a set of highly similar compounds designed to adsorb onto the CNT FET via a pyrene linker group and take on a set of known charge states under ambient conditions. Acidic and basic species were observed to induce threshold voltage shifts of opposite sign, consistent with gating of the CNT FET by local charges due to protonation or deprotonation of the pyrene compounds by interfacial water. The magnitude of the gate voltage shift was controlled by the distance between the charged group and the CNT. Additionally, functionalization with an uncharged pyrene compound showed a threshold shift ascribed to its molecular dipole moment. This work illustrates a method for producing CNT FETs with controlled values of the turnoff gate voltage, and more generally, these results will inform the development of quantitative models for the response of CNT FET chemical and biochemical sensors.     

Review: Carbon nanotube based electrochemical sensors for biomolecules

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been incorporated in electrochemical sensors to decrease overpotential and improve sensitivity. In this review, we focus on recent literature that describes how CNT-based electrochemical sensors are being developed to detect neurotransmitters, proteins, small molecules such as glucose, and DNA. Different types of electrochemical methods are used in these sensors including direct electrochemical detection with amperometry or voltammetry, indirect detection of an oxidation product using enzyme sensors, and detection of conductivity changes using CNT-field effect transistors (FETs). Future challenges for the field include miniaturizing sensors, developing methods to use only a specific nanotube allotrope, and simplifying manufacturing.     

Topical advances in nanomaterials based electrochemical sensors for resorcinol detection

The ever-increasing environmental pollution is a severe threat to the ecosystem’s healthy sustainability, and therefore environmental monitoring of these pollutants has become a burning issue throughout the world. In recent years, cost-effective, selective, portable, sensitive, and rapid sensing devices must be developed in urgent need. Advancement in nanotechnology has urged the use of different types of nanomaterials as an excellent electrode material to amplify the electrochemical detection in terms of long-term stability and electrocatalytic activity of the electrochemical sensors in addition to fulfill the aforementioned desires. This review article intimates significant advancement in developing the enzymatic and non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors based on different nanomaterials for the detection of resorcinol (RS) in the absence or presence of other phenolic compounds. This also concludes the current associated challenges as well as future perspectives for the analysis of RS in the environment. There is plethora of reported articles on RS sensors, but this review mainly discusses the selective reports on the applications of RS sensors.     

碳点在抗生素分析检测中的应用

抗生素的过度使用对环境造成了极大破坏,对其进行监测控制刻不容缓。常用的分析检测技术,如高效液相色谱(HPLC)、气相色谱(GC)、高效液相色谱-串联质谱(HPLC-MS/MS)等具有高效快速、重现性好、可自动化操作等优点。但对环境样品中抗生素的检测存在样品前处理过程繁琐、检测灵敏度低、实验成本高等问题。结合现有的检测技术发展新型材料,对提高抗生素的检测灵敏度具有重要意义。碳点(CDs)是一种尺寸介于0~10 nm之间的新型纳米材料,具有小尺寸效应、优异的电学和光学性质、良好的生物相容性等优点,已被广泛应用于环境样品中抗生素的检测。该综述对近5年CDs与传感器、色谱分析技术结合检测抗生素的应用进行了总结,并对其发展前景进行了展望。该文总结了CDs与分子印迹传感器、适配体传感器、电化学发光传感器、荧光传感器及电化学传感器相结合,及其在抗生素检测中的应用;对涉及的比率型传感器、阵列传感器等先进分析方法进行了举例评述;对CDs作为色谱固定相分离抗生素进行了阐述。文献表明,CDs结合传感器检测抗生素可有效提高检测灵敏度,但对复杂环境样品中抗生素的检测还面临着构建高选择性传感器、开发新型材料及数据处理等方面的挑战;目前,CDs作为色谱固定相对抗生素的材料分离,仍处于初步研究阶段,分离机理尚不明确,有待进一步深入研究。总之,CDs在环境样品中抗生素的检测方面仍面临一系列问题,随着人们对CDs的深入研究以及各种分析检测技术的不断发展,CDs将会在抗生素等环境污染物的检测中发挥重要作用。     

Structure-activity approach to the identification of environmental estrogens: the MCASE approach

A sizable number of environmental contaminants and natural products have been found to possess hormonal activity and have been termed endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Due to the vast number (estimated at about 58,000) of environmental contaminants, their potential to adversely affect the endocrine system, and the paucity of health effects data associated with them, the U.S. Congress was led to mandate testing of these compounds for endocrine-disrupting ability. Here we provide evidence that a computational structure-activity relationship (SAR) approach has the potential to rapidly and cost effectively screen and prioritize these compounds for further testing. Our models were based on data for 122 compounds assayed for estrogenicity in the ESCREEN assay. We produced two models, one for relative proliferative effect (RPE) and one for relative proliferative potency (RPP) for chemicals as compared to the effects and potency of 17beta-estradiol. The RPE and RPP models achieved an 88 and 72% accurate prediction rate, respectively, for compounds not in the learning sets. The good predictive ability of these models and their basis on simple to understand 2-D molecular fragments indicates their potential usefulness in computational screening methods for environmental estrogens.     

Occurrence of endocrine-disrupting compounds in reclaimed water from Tianjin,China

Continuous disposal of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) into the environment can lead to serious human health problems and can affect plants and aquatic organisms. The determination of EDCs in water has become an increasingly important activity due to our increased knowledge about their toxicities, even at low concentration. The EDCs in water samples from the reclaimed water plant of Tianjin, northern China, were identified by gas chromatography (GC)–mass spectrometry (MS). Important and contrasting EDCs including estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), 4-nonylphenol (NP), bisphenol A (BPA), di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) were selected as the target compounds. Concentrations of steroid hormones, alkylphenolic compounds and phthalates ranged from below the limit of detection (LOD) to 8.1 ng L⁻¹, from <LOD to 14.2 ng L⁻¹, and from 1.00 μg L⁻¹ to 23.8 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The average removal efficiencies for target EDCs varied from 30% to 82%. These results indicate that environmental endocrine disrupting compounds are not completely removed during reclaimed water treatment and may be carried over into the general aquatic environment.     

Development and characterization of a nanodendritic silver-based solid-phase extraction sorbent for selective enrichment of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in water and milk samples

In this study, 4-[4-phenylazo-phenoxy] butyl-1-thiol (AzSH) functionalized nanodendritic silver (AzS@AgNDs) materials were prepared as a solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent for the selective extraction of estrogens. AzS@AgNDs possess an extremely large surface-to-volume ratio and a small average particle size. The performance of the material was evaluated by selective enrichment of hexestrol, diethylstilbestrol, dienestrol and bisphenol A in water and milk samples followed by rapid ultra-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (UPLC–ESI–MS) analyses. The results exhibited that AzS@AgNDs had excellent adsorption capability for the targeted estrogens. The limits of detection of the four estrogens ranged from 0.1 to 5.0 pg/mL. The recoveries of the estrogens spiked into tap water were over the range of 83.6–105.3% with relative standard deviations of 2.8–6.0%. The results indicated the capability of this method for the rapid determination of estrogens in milk and other environmental water samples. In addition, this method would be useful for the determination of human exposure and health risk assessments trace level of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in drinking water.     

在线二维集束毛细管柱-高气压光电离-飞行时间质谱用于单萜类化合物的快速测量

单萜类化合物是大气中生物源挥发性有机物（BVOCs）的一个主要组分，具有同分异构体种类多、寿命短、浓度低、时空变化快等特点。将集束毛细管柱（MCC）和高气压光电离-飞行时间质谱仪（HPPI-TOF MS）相结合，搭建MCC-HPPI-TOF MS联用装置，并开发一种二维GC-MS快速在线检测方法，用于单萜同分异构体的快速定性和定量分析。实验结果表明，在无任何样品预富集的前提下，该方法可在180 s内实现α-蒎烯、β-蒎烯、α-萜烯、γ-萜烯、3-蒈烯及柠檬烯等6种单萜同分异构体的在线检测，检出限（LODs）低至μg/m³量级。该方法已经用于松树和柏树枝叶释放出的单萜化合物的快速在线分析，展示了其在环境监测、过程分析等领域复杂混合物样品在线检测的能力和应用前景。     

Investigation of the effect of finite-sized ions on the nanowire field-effect transistor in electrolyte concentration using a modified Poisson–Boltzmann model

One-dimensional (1D) nanowire field-effect transistors (FETs) have recently played a major role in sensing applications. Due to charging of the surface functional chemical groups with protonation and deprotonation, the transport properties of these nanowire transistors affect the aqueous environment, altering the electrical double layer (EDL) potential drops and charge distributions in the electrolyte concentration. In this work, we have implemented the simple modified Poisson–Boltzmann (MPB) theory in a 1D silicon nanowire FET, and the effect of the various finite sizes of ions in z:z symmetric electrolyte concentration was investigated. For a given ionic concentration and surface charge, the EDL potential drop, accumulation of charges and the charge distributions of NaCl and CsCl ions were studied. From the MPB model results with the nanowire FET, it was observed that the potential drop of the EDL depends on the size of the ions in the electrolyte. The study of various electrostatic investigations of finite-sized ions was successfully done by implementing the MPB model on a silicon nanowire FET. It can be used in both chemical and biological sensors.     

液相微萃取-高效液相色谱联用分析化妆品中痕量的雌激素

建立了液相微萃取-高效液相色谱联用(LPME-HPLC)测定爽肤水中痕量的雌三醇、雌二醇、炔雌醇和雌酮的分析方法,研究了萃取溶剂种类、接受相体积、搅拌速度、萃取时间等对萃取效率的影响。结果表明,该方法对4种雌激素的富集倍数可达到247~343倍,方法的线性范围为1~200 μg/L,检出限为0.4~1.0 μg/L,6次平行测定的相对标准偏差为3.6%~7.3%,爽肤水中的加标回收率为101.2%~114.9%。方法简单快速、灵敏度高、环境友好,满足痕量雌激素分析的要求。     

An Optical Biosensing System Based on Interference-Enhanced Reflection with Aptameric Enzyme Subunits of Thrombin

The aptameric enzyme subunit (AES) is an artificial enzyme subunit that can allosterically control partner enzyme activity. By means of an AES, target molecules can be detected by measurement of enzymatic activity in a homogeneous solution. We have developed a thrombin aptamer-based AES that can detect several targets by measuring clotting time in a fibrinogen solution. Measurement of the clotting activity in the fibrinogen solution is not suitable for a convenient biosensor. However, kinetics measurement of clotting activity is suitable for convenient detection of thrombin activity. The interference-enhanced reflection (IER) method is a simple, real-time technique to detect the thickness and/or refractive index of a thin film formed on a glass substrate surface. We demonstrated that clotting activity on a glass substrate with immobilized thrombin can be monitored in real time by IER. By means of the IER method, we were able to detect the target molecules of an AES. IER-based sensors have already been commercialized as portable sensors for the detection of organic compounds. Thus, portable biosensors could be developed by combination of the IER and AES technologies.     

SAW气体传感器聚合物敏感膜材料研究进展

声表面波(surface acoustic wave,SAW)气体传感器具有灵敏度高、选择性好、响应时间短以及体积小,携带方便等优点,因而被广泛应用于环境监测、医疗卫生、化学侦检等领域中有毒有害气体的现场实时检测。敏感膜材料的特性是决定SAW传感器性能(如灵敏度、选择性、响应时间、寿命等)的关键因素。本文首先简要介绍了SAW气体传感器的响应原理和对敏感膜材料的要求,然后重点阐述了用于SAW气体传感器的有机聚合物敏感膜材料的研究进展,最后对其研究趋势做出简单预测。     

Ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a passive environmental sampler

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous compounds released in the environment by different sources. The aim of the present work was to validate a solid‐phase extraction (SPE) and a rapid ultra‐high performance liquid chromatographic (UHPLC) method for the analysis of PAHs in a passive environmental sampler, namely a Dacron® (the commercial name of a synthetic fiber based on polyethylene terephthalate) textile. The elution temperature was optimized to improve the resolution of early‐eluted compounds, namely acenaphthene (Ac) and fluorene (F). The UHPLC method lasts about 10 min and showed good linearity for all the 16 PAHs considered, with regression coefficients over 0.99. Recoveries, limits of detection (LODs), and limits of quantification (LOQs) of the SPE method were well within the performance criteria fixed by the Regulation n. 836/2011, namely 0.3 and 0.9 μg/kg, respectively.     

毛细管电泳-激光诱导荧光法测定草甘膦、草胺膦及氨甲基膦酸

建立了一种快速、有效的毛细管电泳分离-激光诱导荧光检测有机磷除草剂草甘膦、草胺膦和草甘膦的代谢物氨甲基膦酸的方法。将荧光衍生试剂5-(4, 6-二氯三嗪基)氨基荧光素(DTAF)成功用于衍生上述3种化合物。最佳衍生条件: DTAF的浓度为1.0 μmol/L,以50 mmol/L硼酸(pH 9.5)作为缓冲溶液,在30 ℃下反应40 min。以pH 9.5的30 mmol/L硼酸缓冲溶液(含15 mmol/L Brij-35)作为电泳背景电解质,3种衍生物得到基线分离。在优化的条件下,草甘膦、草胺膦、氨甲基膦酸的检出限分别为3.21、6.14和1.99 ng/kg。将该方法应用于环境水样和土壤中除草剂及代谢物的测定,回收率为91.3%～106.0%。该方法准确、灵敏,可满足环境样品中有机磷农药及其代谢物残留的检测要求。     

Silicon nanowires as field-effect transducers for biosensor development: A review

The unique electronic properties and miniaturized dimensions of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are attractive for label-free, real-time and sensitive detection of biomolecules. Sensors based on SiNWs operate as field effect transistors (FETs) and can be fabricated either by top–down or bottom–up approaches. Advances in fabrication methods have allowed for the control of physicochemical and electronic properties of SiNWs, providing opportunity for interfacing of SiNW-FET probes with intracellular environments. The Debye screening length is an important consideration that determines the performance and detection limits of SiNW-FET sensors, especially at physiologically relevant conditions of ionic strength (>100 mM). In this review, we discuss the construction and application of SiNW-FET sensors for detection of ions, nucleic acids and protein markers. Advantages and disadvantages of the top–down and bottom–up approaches for synthesis of SiNWs are discussed. An overview of various methods for surface functionalization of SiNWs for immobilization of selective chemistry is provided in the context of impact on the analytical performance of SiNW-FET sensors. In addition to in vitro examples, an overview of the progress of use of SiNW-FET sensors for ex vivo studies is also presented. This review concludes with a discussion of the future prospects of SiNW-FET sensors.     

FET‐Based Biosensors for The Direct Detection of Organophosphate Neurotoxins

Recent world‐wide terrorist events associated with the threat of hazardous chemical agent proliferation, and outbreaks of chemical contamination in the food supply has demonstrated an urgent need for sensors that can directly detect the presence of dangerous chemical toxins. Such sensors must enable real‐time detection and accurate identification of different classes of pesticides (e.g., carbamates and organophosphates) but must especially discriminate between widely used organophosphate (OP) pesticides and G‐ and V‐type organophosphate chemical warfare nerve agents. Present field analytic sensors are bulky with limited specificity, require specially‐trained personnel, and, in some cases, depend upon lengthy analysis time and specialized facilities. Most bioanalytical based systems are biomimetic. These sensors utilize sensitive enzyme recognition elements that are the in‐vivo target of the neurotoxic agents which the sensor is attempting to detect. The strategy is well founded; if you want to detect cholinesterase toxins use cholinesterase receptors. However, this approach has multiple limitations. Cholinesterase receptors are sensitive to a wide range of non‐related compounds and require lengthy incubation time. Cholinesterase sensors are inherently inhibition mode and therefore require baseline testing followed by sample exposure, retest and comparison to baseline. Finally, due to the irreversible nature of enzyme‐ligand interactions, inhibition‐mode sensors cannot be reused without regeneration of enzyme activity, which in many cases is inefficient and time‐consuming. In 1996, we pioneered a new “kinetic” approach for the direct detection of OP neurotoxins based on agent hydrolysis by the enzyme organophosphate hydrolase (OPH; EC 3.1.8.2; phosphotriesterase) and further identified a novel multi‐enzyme strategy for discrimination between different classes of neurotoxins. The major advantage of this sensor strategy is it allows direct and continuous measurement of OP agents using a reversible biorecognition element. We also investigated incorporation of enzymes with variations in substrate specificity (e.g., native OPH, site‐directed mutants of OPH, and OPAA (EC 3.1.8.1), based upon preferential hydrolysis of P? O, P? F and P? S bonds to enable discrimination among chemically diverse OP compounds. Organophosphate hydrolase enzymes were integrated with several different transduction platforms including conventional pH electrodes, fluoride ion‐sensitive electrodes, and pH‐responsive fluorescent dyes. Detection limit for most systems was in the low ppm concentration range. This article reviews our integration of organophosphate hydrolase enzymes with pH sensitive field effect transistors (FETs) for OP detection.