Design of a portable luminescence bio-tool for on-site analysis of heavy metals in water samples

ABSTRACT

In this work, we report an innovative tool for heavy metal screening in water samples. This new chemiluminescent set-up screens the light generated from luminol oxidation by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The pollutant concentrations in real water samples were calculated by studying the effect of metal ions on chemiluminescence signal. Owing to its simplicity, portability and low cost, this approach presents a real alternative to classical optical methods. It is constructed with simple materials: a black box containing a cuvette and a micro-camera. When the enzymatic reaction takes place, the luminescence is captured by the camera placed in upright position. The image can be saved automatically in a computer for further analysis using a MATLAB interface. The RGB diagram is then established to determine the analyte concentrations in the tested samples. This method was successfully applied for the determination of mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in lake and field water samples. In these experiments, three concentrations of each analytes were tested (5, 25 and 50 µg/L). We noted a good proportionality between the analyte concentration and the chemiluminescent detection intensity. Detection of binary and tertiary combinations of heavy metals has been also investigated. The developed biosensor showed low detection limits for the tested heavy metals: 1, 0.7 and 0.02 for Hg²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺, respectively. Finally, excellent recoveries ranging from 98% to 104% were obtained for the HRP-inhibition assay.     

Characterization of electrical steel grades for direct application to electrical machine design tools

In this paper, the importance of using directly measured loss figures is emphasized, as an alternative to the traditional loss estimation approach. The traditional approach that requires only a few direct measurements but demands more attention towards loss coefficients, empirical factors and design margins, renders a modern machine uncompetitive due to its complex flux picture. Measured loss data for two electrical steel grades is collected and provided for a wide range of frequencies and polarization levels (6–10 kHz, 0.1–1.8 T). The effect of, sample orientation (the cutting direction), sample dimensions (the cutting length) and sample production (the cutting process) on the loss figures is also measured and documented for the studied frequency–polarization domain. The aim of this measurement-based approach is to help reduce some of the uncertainties associated with the traditional approach and thus the design margins.     

Study on the Role of Metal Oxides in Desulphurization of Some Petroleum Fractions

Metal oxides are highly reactive towards the compounds of sulphur, particularly thioles. A comparative study was made of the desulphurization potential of various metal oxides such as MnO₂, PbO₂, ArO₃, Al₂O₃, MgO₂, ZnO₂ and silica on reaction with Jhal Magsi crude oil and its distillate fractions, i.e., kerosene and diesel oil. The effect of time was also studied and the desulphurization was performed for time durations of one hour, three hours and six hours. The analysis of the residual fractions indicated that significant sulphur depletion occurred with lead oxide and manganese dioxide in the one‐hour and three‐hour reaction times in all three samples. Lead oxide (PbO₂) brought about a maximum desulphurization of 60.28% in the case of crude oil, 54.54% in the case of diesel oil and 52.57% in the case of kerosene oil in a 01 h reaction time. Similarly, manganese oxide (MnO₂) caused a maximum desulphurization of 58.55% in the case of crude oil, 49.38% in the case of diesel oil and 53.30% in case of kerosene oil in a 3 h reaction time. The rest of the metal oxides also exhibited good sulphur removal activity, but their performance is not as noteworthy as in the cases of PbO₂ and MnO₂.     

一种新型含炔基的聚合2-乙基-2-噁唑啉引发剂的合成

A novel trifunctional initiator with one alkyne and two trifluoromethanesulfonate moieties was synthesized from a protected alcohol 5-hydroxyl-2-phenyl-1, 3-dioxane. The alkyne functionalized intermediate with two protected alcohol groups was synthesized by reacting with propargyl bromide. The alcohol groups were cleaved using a mixture of tetrahydrofuran and hydrochloric acid aqueous solution. In the last step the initiator was synthesized using triflic anhydride in carbon tetrachloride. The initiator was characterized by ¹H NMR and used for the polymerization of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline which gives polymers with narrow distribution. For comparison a similar initiator with two tosylates was prepared and used for the polymerization of the monomer 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline, the resulting product has a wide molecular weight distribution and most of the initiator remains unreacted after 24 h which may be due to the steric hindrance between the two tosylate groups. To further explore the steric hindrance phenomenon, a linear tosylate initiator was synthesized, but still some of the initiator remains unreacted, illustrating that both steric hindrance and electrophilic balance affect the efficiency of the cationic ring-opening polymerization. All of the polymers were characterized in detail by using ¹H NMR, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy, and size exclusion chromatography to confirm the purity and distribution of the polymers.     

Characterization of Sulfur-Compounds as Chemotaxonomic Markers in the Essential Oils of Allium Species by Solvent-Free Microwave Extraction and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Allium species were examined to authenticate the chemotaxonomic controversy about these plants by analyzing their extracted compound profiles. Essential oils of various species were isolated using conventional hydro-distillation and solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME). A comparison of the isolation procedures was performed. The presence of sulfur compounds in the Allium genus is a prominent characteristic for their medicinal uses. These components were characterized using two-way hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA). The variation of sulfur-compounds was performed by qualitative analysis of Allium species by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). 2,4-Dimethyl-5,6-dithia-2,7-nonadienal, 4,6-diethyl-1,2,3,5-tetrathiolane, and 5,7-diethyl-1,2,3,4,6-pentathiepane were revealed as potential chemotaxonomic markers for all of the Alliums examined in this study. These markers may be used to provide improved systematics for other Allium species.     

导电共聚物衍化新策略制备硫、氮共掺杂碳纳米管及其对改善PtCu纳米晶分散性与甲醇电催化氧化的促进作用

有效调控碳纳米材料的几何和电子结构的协同效应和缺陷是获得优良电化学性能的关键.然而,如何设计一种具有优势结构的杂化材料及对其电催化机理的认识尚不清楚.本文提出了一种聚(3,4-乙撑二氧噻吩)/聚苯胺导电共聚物热解策略来制备S和N共掺杂多壁碳纳米管(MWCNTs),发现改变前驱体溶液中两种单体的比例可以调控掺杂MWCNTs中S和N原子的含量与表面活性位结构.S和N的共掺杂明显增大了碳纳米管表面的缺陷程度并暴露出更丰富的活性位点,从而有利于超细Pt和PtCu纳米颗粒的均匀分布和沉积.透射电镜和扫描透射电镜结果表明,所制备S和N共掺杂MWCNTs(SN-MWCNTs)负载的催化剂中Pt和PtCu纳米颗粒以及掺杂的S和N原子都均匀地分布在MWCNTs上,且沉积的Pt和PtCu纳米颗粒的平均尺寸仅分别为2.30和2.87 nm.X射线光电子能谱结果表明,S和N共掺杂MWCNTs与负载的Pt基纳米颗粒之间存在强烈的电荷转移相互作用,明显改变了贵金属Pt的表面电子结构.电化学测试结果表明,与Pt/SN-MWCNTs,Pt/N-MWCNTs,Pt/S-MWCNTs和商业Pt/C催化剂相比,Pt₁Cu₂/SN-MWCNTs表现出更大的电化学活性表面积(148.85 m² g^?1),更高的甲醇氧化质量活性(1589.9 mA mg_Pt^?1)、电化学稳定性和抗CO毒化能力.密度泛函理论研究表明,S和N共掺杂导致碳纳米管极大地变形,同时极化和激活了相邻的C原子.因此,增强了Pt₁Cu₂纳米颗粒在SN-MWCNTs上的吸附以及随后甲醇分子的吸附.此外,Pt₁Cu₂/SN-MWCNTs对甲醇氧化的电催化活性均在热力学和动力学上优于相应的CNTs和N-CNTs基材料.本文提供了一种新颖的在碳基材料上构建高度分散且稳定的Pt基纳米颗粒高性能燃料电池电催化剂的方法.     

Low temperature synthesis of hexagonal ZnO nanorods and their hydrogen sensing properties

The growth of hexagonal ZnO nanorods was demonstrated by low temperature chemical synthesis approach. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed a wurtzite hexagonal structure of the ZnO nanorods. The optical properties were measured by UV-vis spectrophotometer at room temperature. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed high purity of the ZnO nanorods. The hydrogen sensor made of the ZnO nanorods showed reversible response. The hydrogen gas tests were carried out in presence of ambient air and the influence of operation temperature on the hydrogen gas sensing property of ZnO nanorods was also investigated.     

Rhizonin A from Burkholderia sp. KCTC11096 and its growth promoting role in lettuce seed germination

We isolated and identified a gibberellin-producing Burkholderia sp. KCTC 11096 from agricultural field soils. The culture filtrate of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) significantly increased the germination and growth of lettuce and Chinese cabbage seeds. The ethyl acetate extract of the PGPR culture showed significantly higher rate of lettuce seed germination and growth as compared to the distilled water treated control. The ethyl acetate fraction of the Burkholderia sp. was subjected to bioassay-guided isolation and we obtained for the first time from a Burkholderia sp. the plant growth promoting compound rhizonin A (1), which was characterized through NMR and MS techniques. Application of various concentrations of 1 significantly promoted the lettuce seed germination as compared to control.     

Enhanced the performance of zinc strontium sulfide-based supercapattery device with the polyaniline doped activated carbon

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - A hybrid supercapacitor, also known as a supercapattery, combines the high power density of supercapacitors with the high energy density of batteries. In...