Monitoring intracellular pH fluctuation with an excited-state intramolecular proton transfer-based ratiometric fluorescent sensor

Intracellular pH is a key parameter related to various biological and pathological processes. In this study, a ratiometric pH fluorescent sensor ABTT was developed harnessing the amino-type excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process. Relying on whether the ESIPT proceeds normally or not, ABTT exhibited the yellow fluorescence in acidic media, or cyan fluorescence in basic condition. According to the variation, ABTT behaved as a promising sensor which possessed fast and reversible response to pH change without interference from the biological substances, and exported a steady ratiometric signal (I₄₇₈/I₅₄₆). Moreover, due to the ESIPT effect, large Stokes shift and high quantum yield were also exhibited in ABTT. Furthermore, ABTT was applied for monitoring the pH changes in living cells and visualizing the pH fluctuations under oxidative stress successfully. These results elucidated great potential of ABTT in understanding pH-dependent physiological and pathological processes.     

“蓝瓶子”实验再探究*

利用SPSS 25.0统计软件对“蓝瓶子”实验进行正交实验设计,通过统计学分析得出最佳实验条件。利用氧化还原传感器(ORP)对“蓝瓶子”振荡体系的电极电势变化曲线进行分析,并针对蓝色的产生和消失过程设计3组对比实验深入探究,阐明其反应原理,意在引导学生深刻理解趣味实验现象背后的微观反应本质。     

复合材料柔软性对倒金字塔微结构阵列传感器性能的影响

采用模压成型方法制备了2种柔软性不同的热塑性聚氨酯/短切碳纤维/碳纳米管(TPU/SCF-CNT)复合材料复制物, 其表面上具有倒金字塔微结构阵列, 内部有SCF与CNT共同构成的导电通路. 将复合材料复制物和相应的复合材料平整片封装成柔性传感器. 结果表明, 压力作用下传感器内复制物和平整片之间的接触电阻因倒金字塔底棱的形变而显著降低. 对使用柔软性较高的复合材料封装的传感器, 虽然其相对迟滞稍大, 但压力作用下倒金字塔底棱形变量较大, 且复制物和平整片内导电通路增加量较大, 因此其在0~2.5 kPa的线性区内具有较高的灵敏度(0.32 kPa^?1). 制备的2种传感器均具有快速响应特性, 且能在500 s(约1580次)的循环压缩/释放测试(峰值压力约3 kPa)中保持较稳定的电阻响应. 研究表明, 利用模压成型的表面倒金字塔结构复合材料复制物封装成的柔性压力传感器具有良好的传感性能.     

Recent advances in electrochemical sensors for antibiotics and their applications

The abuse of antibiotics will cause an increase of drug-resistant strains and environmental pollution,which in turn will affect human health.Therefore,it is important to develop effective detection techniques to determine the level of antibiotics contamination in various fields.Compared with traditional detection methods,electrochemical sensors have received extensive attention due to their advantages such as high sensitivity,low detection limit,and good selectivity.In this mini review,we summarized the latest developments and new trends in electrochemical sensors for antibiotics.Here,modification methods and materials of electrode are discussed.We also pay more attention to the practical applications of antibiotics electrochemical sensors in different fields.In addition,the existing problems and the future challenges ahead have been proposed.We hope that this review can provide new ideas for the development of electrochemical sensors for antibiotics in the future.     

Direct Potentiometric Study of Cationic and Nonionic Surfactants in Disinfectants and Personal Care Products by New Surfactant Sensor Based on 1,3-Dihexadecyl−1H-benzo[d]imidazol−3-ium

A novel, simple, low-cost, and user-friendly potentiometric surfactant sensor based on the new 1,3-dihexadecyl−1H-benzo[d]imidazol−3-ium-tetraphenylborate (DHBI–TPB) ion-pair for the detection of cationic surfactants in personal care products and disinfectants is presented here. The new cationic surfactant DHBI-Br was successfully synthesized and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and elemental analysis and was further employed for DHBI–TPB ion-pair preparation. The sensor gave excellent response characteristics for CTAB, CPC and Hyamine with a Nernstian slope (57.1 to 59.1 mV/decade) whereas the lowest limit of detection (LOD) value was measured for CTAB (0.3 × 10⁻⁶ M). The sensor exhibited a fast dynamic response to dodecyl sulfate (DDS) and TPB. High sensor performances stayed intact regardless of the employment of inorganic and organic cations and in a broad pH range (2−11). Titration of cationic and etoxylated (EO)-nonionic surfactant (NSs) (in Ba²⁺) mixtures with TPB revealed the first inflexion point for a cationic surfactant and the second for an EO-nonionic surfactant. The increased concentration of EO-nonionic surfactants and the number of EO groups had a negative influence on titration curves and signal change. The sensor was successfully applied for the quantification of technical-grade cationic surfactants and in 12 personal care products and disinfectants. The results showed good agreement with the measurements obtained by a commercial surfactant sensor and by a two-phase titration. A good recovery for the standard addition method (98–102%) was observed.     

Partial P-Type Metal Ions Doping Induced Variation of Both Crystal Structure and Oxygen Vacancy Within Cu/SnO2 Metastable Solid Solution Nanofibers for Highly Sensitive C2H2 Sensor

Partial P-type metal ions doping(PPMID) is an alternative method to further enhance the gas sensing performance of N-type metal oxides(NMOs) in contrast to that of P-N metal oxides heterojunctions, but the influences of the introduction of PPMID on the grain size and oxygen vacancies of NMOs have been rarely investigated. Herein, a simple and effective route has been demonstrated to address this problem with Cu²⁺-doped SnO₂ metastable solid solution nanofibers(CSMSSNs) as model and C₂H₂ as target molecule by combining electrospinning and calcination technique. It seems that the introduction of PPMID can also affect crystal structure and oxygen vacancies of NMOs, proven by combining X-ray diffraction(XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectra(XPS). Thus, PPD, crystal structure and oxygen vacancies have been combined to clarify the enhanced sensing performance of Cu-doped SnO₂ metastable solid solution nanofibers angainst C₂H₂.     

基于Au NPs@NU-901电化学传感器检测饼干中丁基羟基茴香醚的研究

基于金属有机骨架的拓扑三维结构的高比表面积以及金纳米颗粒(Au NPS)的优异电催化活性,金纳米颗粒与金属有机框架的复合材料在电化学传感领域拥有应用潜力。该文成功合成了Au NPs@NU-901复合材料,并采用透射电镜、X射线衍射、红外光谱以及X射线光电子能谱对其进行表征。采用线性扫描伏安法和差分脉冲伏安法研究了复合材料对丁基羟基茴香醚(BHA)电化学氧化反应的催化能力。结果表明,Au NPs@NU-901对BHA的电化学氧化具有较好的催化能力。基于Au NPs@NU-901制备电化学传感器用于BHA的定量检测,BHA的氧化峰电流与其浓度在0.10~50 μmol/L范围内呈现良好线性关系,相关系数(r2)为0.994 8,检出限(S/N=3)为0.049 μmol/L,相对标准偏差(RSD)为3.6%。将该传感器应用于饼干样品中BHA的检测,加标回收率为95.6%~104%,样品检测结果与高效液相色谱法的测定结果吻合。方法的选择性好、灵敏准确,适合于饼干中BHA的检测。     

Amorphous Carbon Film with Self-modified Carbon Nanoparticles Synthesized by Low Temperature Carbonization of Phenolic Resin for Simultaneous Sensing of Dopamine and Uric Acid

A self-modified film electrode consisting of homogeneous snowflake-shaped nanoparticles on the amorphous carbon substrate (HNAC) was prepared by low temperature carbonization of phenolic resin. Such a unique structure was beneficial to enhance the electroanalysis signal responds. Simultaneous detection of DA and UA was performed on the HNAC using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) at pH 8 phosphate buffer. The well-defined oxidation peak potential separation reached 260 mV between DA and UA. Meanwhile, the detection limit of HNAC were 0.401 μM (DA) and 2.800 μM (UA).     

Development of Pen-type Portable Electrochemical Sensor Based on Au-W Bimetallic Nanoparticles Decorated Graphene-chitosan Nanocomposite Film for the Detection of Nitrite in Water,Milk and Fruit Juices

The development and fabrication of a simple, portable, and sensitive detection tool to precisely monitor nitrite level is of growing importance in electrochemistry research, given the strong interest in the protection of drinking water quality, treatment of wastewater, food production, and control of remediation processes. This work describes the fabrication of a simple, cost-effective, pen-type electrochemical sensor based on bimetallic gold and tungsten nanoparticles electrochemically decorated on graphene-chitosan modified pencil graphite electrode (PGE) for the trace detection of nitrite in real samples. The prepared nanocomposite was characterized using XRD, SEM, and EDS. The electrochemical behavior of the sensor was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and impedance electrochemical spectroscopy (EIS). Results revealed that the proposed sensor displayed excellent electrocatalytic activity towards electro-oxidation of nitrite with an irreversible redox reaction. The AuNPs-WNPs@Gr-Chi/PGE sensor exhibited excellent analytical performance with a wide linear range from 10 to 250 μM towards nitrite. The LOD and LOQ were calculated to be 0.12 μM and 0.44 μM, respectively. The designed electrochemical sensor was successfully applied for the detection of nitrite in water, milk, and natural fruit juice samples.     

Hydrogen Peroxide Detection Using Prussian Blue-modified 3D Pyrolytic Carbon Microelectrodes

A highly sensitive amperometric Prussian blue-based hydrogen peroxide sensor was developed using 3D pyrolytic carbon microelectrodes. A 3D printed multielectrode electrochemical cell enabled simultaneous highly reproducible Prussian blue modification on multiple carbon electrodes. The effect of oxygen plasma pre-treatment and deposition time on Prussian blue electrodeposition was studied. The amperometric response of 2D and 3D sensors to the addition of hydrogen peroxide in μM and sub-μM concentrations in phosphate buffer was investigated. A high sensitivity comparable to flow injection systems and a detection limit of 0.16 μM was demonstrated with 3D pyrolytic carbon microelectrodes at stirred batch condition