Bacterial surface layer proteins as a novel capillary coating material for capillary electrophoretic separations

A novel concept for stable coating in capillary electrophoresis, based on recrystallization of surface layer proteins on hydrophobized fused silica capillaries, was demonstrated. Surface layer protein A (SlpA) from Lactobacillus acidophilus bacteria was extracted, purified and used for coating pre-silanized glass substrates presenting different surface wettabilities (either hydrophobic or hydrophilic). Contact angle determination on SlpA-coated hydrophobic silica slides showed that the surfaces turned to hydrophilic after coating (53 ± 5°), due to a protein monolayer formation by protein-surface hydrophobic interactions. Visualization by atomic force microscopy demonstrated the presence of a SlpA layer on methylated silica slides displaying a surface roughness of 0.44 ± 0.02 nm. Additionally, a protein layer was visualized by fluorescence microscopy in methylated silica capillaries coated with SlpA and fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled. The SlpA-coating showed an outstanding stability, even after treatment with 20 mM NaOH (pH 12.3). The electroosmotic flow in coated capillaries showed a partial suppression at pH 7.50 (3.8 ± 0.5 10⁻⁹ m² V⁻¹ s⁻¹) when compared with unmodified fused silica (5.9 ± 0.1 10⁻⁸ m² V⁻¹ s⁻¹). To demonstrate the potential of this novel coating, the SlpA-coated capillaries were applied for the first time for electrophoretic separation, and proved to be very suitable for the isotachophoretic separation of lipoproteins in human serum. The separations showed a high degree of repeatability (absolute migration times with 1.1–1.8% coefficient-of-variation (CV) within a day) and 2–3% CV inter-capillary reproducibility. The capillaries were stable for more than 100 runs at pH 9.40, and showed to be an exceptional alternative for challenging electrophoretic separations at long-term use.     

Structure Formation and Conduction of Nanosized Nickel Oxide in Porous Glass

Nickel(II) oxide was deposited on the surface of a porous glass in the amount of 0.5-7.0 mmol g^{- 1} by impregnation of the glass with an aqueous solutions of Ni(NO₃)₂, followed by decomposition of the salt at 673 K. The size features of the formation of the oxide structure were characterized by the data of optical and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and by measurements of density and electrical conductivity.     

Capillary waveguide fluoroimmunosensor with improved repeatability and detection sensitivity

An optical capillary waveguide fluoroimmunosensor based on glass capillaries internally coated with an ultrathin poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) film is presented. The evaluation of the capillaries developed was done in comparison with aminosilanized [3-(aminopropyl)triethoxysilane, APTES] glass and poly(methylpentene) (PMP) capillaries by immobilizing rabbit γ-globulins on the internal capillary wall. Following reaction with (R)-phycoerythrin-labelled antibody, the capillary was scanned with a laser beam and the fluorescence waveguided through the capillary wall was detected by a photomultiplier placed at one of its ends. The capillaries developed provided considerably improved protein coating homogeneity (intracapillary coefficients of variation 2.9–6.6%) and repeatability (intercapillary coefficients of variation 2.1–5.0%) compared with APTES-treated ones (7.9–13.4 and 8.5–15.2%, respectively). With use of these capillaries in a sandwich-type immunosensor for the determination of rabbit γ-globulins, the assay detection limit was improved eightfold (4.4 ng/mL) compared with that obtained using PMP capillaries (35.3 ng/mL), whereas the assay repeatability was improved threefold (intra-assay coefficients of variation 5.9–13.1%) compared with APTES-treated capillaries (15.6–36%). Optoelectronic set-up used to scan the capillaries (left) and representative fluorescence scannings of dual-band poly(methylpentene) (PMP), PDMS-modified glass and APTES treated glass capillaries     

Nanoparticle‐based capillary electroseparation of proteins in polymer capillaries under physiological conditions

Totally porous lipid‐based liquid crystalline nanoparticles were used as pseudostationary phase for capillary electroseparation with LIF detection of proteins at physiological conditions using unmodified cyclic olefin copolymer capillaries (Topas^®, 6.7 cm effective length). In the absence of nanoparticles, i.e. in CE mode, the protein samples adsorbed completely to the capillary walls and could not be recovered. In contrast, nanoparticle‐based capillary electroseparation resolved green fluorescent protein from several of its impurities within 1 min. Furthermore, a mixture of native green fluorescent protein and two of its single‐amino‐acid‐substituted variants was separated within 2.5 min with efficiencies of 400 000 plates/m. The nanoparticles prevent adsorption by introducing a large interacting surface and by obstructing the attachment of the protein to the capillary wall. A one‐step procedure based on self‐assembly of lipids was used to prepare the nanoparticles, which benefit from their biocompatibility and suspension stability at high concentrations. An aqueous tricine buffer at pH 7.5 containing lipid‐based nanoparticles (2% w/w) was used as electrolyte, enabling separation at protein friendly conditions. The developed capillary‐based method facilitates future electrochromatography of proteins on polymer‐based microchips under physiological conditions and enables the initial optimization of separation conditions in parallel to the chip development.     

Gas Flow Dynamics in Inlet Capillaries: Evidence for non Laminar Conditions

In this work, the characteristics of gas flow in inlet capillaries are examined. Such inlet capillaries are widely used as a first flow restriction stage in commercial atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometers. Contrary to the common assumption, we consider the gas flow in typical glass inlet capillaries with 0.5 to 0.6 mm inner diameters and lengths about 20 cm as transitional or turbulent. The measured volume flow of the choked turbulent gas stream in such capillaries is 0.8 L·min^?1 to 1.6 L·min^?1 under typical operation conditions, which is in good agreement to theoretically calculated values. Likewise, the change of the volume flow in dependence of the pressure difference along the capillary agrees well with a theoretical model for turbulent conditions as well as with exemplary measurements of the static pressure inside the capillary channel. However, the results for the volume flow of heated glass and metal inlet capillaries are neither in agreement with turbulent nor with laminar models. The velocity profile of the neutral gas in a quartz capillary with an inner diameter similar to commercial inlet capillaries was experimentally determined with spatially resolved ion transfer time measurements. The determined gas velocity profiles do not contradict the turbulent character of the flow. Finally, inducing disturbances of the gas flow by placing obstacles in the capillary channel is found to not change the flow characteristics significantly. In combination the findings suggest that laminar conditions inside inlet capillaries are not a valid primary explanation for the observed high ion transparency of inlet capillaries under common operation conditions.

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Graphical Abstract ?

     

TCO-free dye solar cells based on Ti back contact electrode by facile printing method

The back contact dye solar cells (BCDSCs), in which the TCO(Transparent Conductive oxide) is omitted, have a potential for use of intact low-cost general substrates such as glass, metal foil and papers. Herein, we introduce a facile manufacturing method of a Ti back contact electrode (Ti BCE) for the BCDSCs. We found that the polylinkers such as poly(butyl titanate) have a strong binding property to make Ti particles connect one with another. A porous Ti film, which consists of Ti particles of ≤ 10? size connected by a small amount of polylinkers, has an excellent low sheet resistance of 10 Ω sq^-1 for an efficient electron collection for DSCs. This Ti BCE can be prepared by using a facile printing method under normal ambient conditions. Conjugating the new back contact electrode technology with the traditional monolithic structure using the carbon counter electrode, we fabricated TCO-less DSCs. These four-layer structurered DSCs consist of a dye-adsorbed nanocrystalline TiO₂ film on a glass substrate, a porous Ti back contact layer, a ZrO₂ spacer layer and a carbon counter electrode in a layered structure. Under AM 1.5 G and 100 mWcm^?2 simulated sunlight illumination, the four-layer structurered DSCs with N719 dyes and I^-/I₃^-redox electrolytes achieved PCEs up to 5.21 %.     

柚子皮衍生的分级多孔碳作为高性能超级电容器的电极材料

使用CTAB作为软模板,水热处理柚子皮,再以碳化和KOH活化过程得到了分级多孔碳(HPC),这种分级多孔碳材料的比表面积高达1 813 m~2·g~(-1),相比于没有水热步骤制备的多孔碳(PC),拥有更加丰富的介孔结构和更大的比表面积。XPS分析结果表明HPC的氧掺杂量更高,会比PC贡献更大的赝电容。三电极测试体系中,HPC的比电容达到285 F·g~(-1)(0.5 A·g~(-1),1 mol·L~(-1)KOH)。同时,组装的两电极对称超级电容器拥有很好的倍率性能,循环12 000次充放电后,比电容依旧保留99%。HPC拥有这样优异的性能归结于较大的比表面积,高氧掺杂量和合理的孔径分布的协同作用。     

Hybrid phospholipid bilayer coatings for separations of cationic proteins in capillary zone electrophoresis

Protein separations in CZE suffer from nonspecific adsorption of analytes to the capillary surface. Semipermanent phospholipid bilayers have been used to minimize adsorption, but must be regenerated regularly to ensure reproducibility. We investigated the formation, characterization, and use of hybrid phospholipid bilayers (HPBs) as more stable biosurfactant capillary coatings for CZE protein separations. HPBs are formed by covalently modifying a support with a hydrophobic monolayer onto which a self‐assembled lipid monolayer is deposited. Monolayers prepared in capillaries using 3‐cyanopropyldimethylchlorosilane (CPDCS) or n‐octyldimethylchlorosilane (ODCS) yielded hydrophobic surfaces with lowered surface free energies of 6.0 ± 0.3 or 0.2 ± 0.1 mJ m^?2, respectively, compared to 17 ± 1 mJ m^?2 for bare silica capillaries. HPBs were formed by subsequently fusing vesicles comprised of 1,2‐dilauroyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine or 1,2‐dioleoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine to CPDCS‐ or ODCS‐modified capillaries. The resultant HPB coatings shielded the capillary surface and yielded reduced electroosmotic mobility (1.3–1.9 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1s^?1) compared to CPDCS‐ and ODCS‐modified or bare capillaries (3.6 ± 0.2 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1s^?1, 4.8 ± 0.4 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1s^?1, and 6.0 ± 0.2 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1s^?1, respectively), with increased stability compared to phospholipid bilayer coatings. HPB‐coated capillaries yielded reproducible protein migration times (RSD ≤ 3.6%, n ≥ 6) with separation efficiencies as high as 200 000 plates/m.     

A Novel Hydrogen Peroxide Amperometric Sensor Based on Hierarchical 3D Porous MnO2−TiO2 Composites

A novel nanocomposite electrode based on hierarchical 3D porous MnO₂?TiO₂ for the application in hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) sensors has been explored. This electrode was fabricated by growing TiO₂ cross‐linked nanowires on a commercial fluorine tin oxide (FTO) glass via a hydrothermal process and subsequent deposition of 3D honeycomb‐like MnO₂ nanowalls using an electrodeposition method (denoted as 3D MNS‐TNW@FTO). The obtained 3D MNS‐TNW@FTO electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Based on such a unique 3D porous framework and the existence of MnO₂, the electrode demonstrates a good performance in the detection of H₂O₂, with two linear ranges from 9.8 to 125 μM and 125 μM–1.0 mM, a good selectivity of 8.02 μA mM^?1 cm^?2, and a low detection limit of 4.5 μM. In addition, the simplicity of the developed low‐cost fabrication process provides an efficient method for the mass production of electrocatalytical MnO₂?TiO₂ nanocomposites on commercial FTO glass for H₂O₂ sensing applications and can be adapted for other electrochemical sensors for various biochemical targets. It thus is beneficial for the practical usage in bioanalysis.     

Laser flash photolysis study of the decay kinetics of carbocations of 1,2,2,4-tetramethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline in the porous glass in the presence of methanol

The efficiency of formation and the decay kinetics of carbocations formed under the photolysis of 1,2,2,4-tetramethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline in methanol and in a porous glass filled with methanol or dried in air or in vacuo were studied by the laser flash photolysis techniques. In MeOH, the carbocations recombine via the second-order law in the reaction with the MeO⁻ anion formed in an equimolar amount and decay via the first-order law in the reaction with the solvent with rate constants of 3·10⁸ L mol⁻¹ s^{− 1} and 1.4·10³ s⁻¹, respectively. When the solution is placed into the porous glass, no recombination of the carbocations with MeO⁻ is observed, and the reaction with the solvent is somewhat inhibited (rate constant 8·10² s⁻¹). More than tenfold inhibition of the reaction of the carbocations with methanol is observed on going to a monolayer of MeOH on the surface. The main route of carbocation decay in the porous glass dried in vacuo is the geminate recombination with the SiO groups. The corresponding kinetics is described in terms of the model of freely diffusing reactants. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2239–2243, October, 2005.     

Thermal Oxidation and Photochromic Properties of Molybdenum-containing Porous Glasses Obtained by Molecular Layering

Molybdenum oxide groups were synthesized on a porous glass surface by the molecular layering technique. Kinetic features of Mo(V) Mo(VI) transitions in thermal oxidation and photoreduction were studied for a set of samples containing 0.02-0.12 mmol g^{- 1} of molybdenum.     

The potentiometric determination of insecticides: Part I. Organophosphorus insecticides inhibiting cholinesterase

A potentiometric method for the determination of organophosphorus insecticides based on the inhibition of cholinesterase is presented. The acetic acid formed by hydrolysis of acetylcholine is sensed by a glass electrode in a weakly buffered system. The insecticide is incubated with cholinesterase for 1 h at 25°C or 37°C before addition to the substrate. The effects of incubation time and temperature are discussed. The method is applied to the insecticides bromophos and dichlorvos. The detection limits are 2 × 10^-5 M (7 ppb) for bromophos and 1 × 10^-7 M (22 ppb) for dichlorvos. The initial rates of hydrolysis decrease linearly up to 2 × 10^-7 M and 1 × 10^-6 M, respectively.     

不同碳源对多孔球形LiFePO4/C复合材料的影响

采用喷雾干燥-碳热还原法(SDCTM),分别研究了无机和有机碳源对锂离子正极材料LiFePO4/C形貌、结构及其充放电性能的影响。结果表明:以无机碳源炭黑制备的LiFePO4/C呈不规则球形,一次颗粒粒径在800nm左右,比表面积为2m2·g-1,0.1C放电比容量为107.3mAh·g-1。而以有机碳源制备的LiFePO4/C,其形貌较为规则,呈多孔球形结构,具有较高的比表面积和放电比容量。其中,以柠檬酸为碳源制备的多孔球形LiFePO4/C复合材料,其孔径均在50nm左右,比表面积可达32m2·g-1;在室温下,0.1C和10C首次放电比容量分别为158.8和87.2mAh·g-1,具有优异的循环性能和高倍率充放电性能。     

静电纺丝制备多孔碳纳米纤维及其电化学电容行为

采用静电纺丝技术,以聚丙烯腈(PAN)/醋酸锌为前驱体制备复合纳米纤维,随后经碳化、酸化获得多孔碳纳米纤维.扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察发现,碳纳米纤维表面分布大量孔洞.N2吸脱附等温曲线(BET)测试材料比表面积达413m2·g-1.循环伏安法(CV)和恒流充放电(CP)性能测试表明:多孔碳纳米纤维具有较好的电化学性能,在1A·g-1的电流密度下比电容达275F·g-1.相比碳纳米纤维比容量提高了162%.     

分级多孔结构ZnO微球的制备及其光电性能

采用简单的低温化学溶液沉积方法制备了分级多孔ZnO微球。利用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)、N2吸附脱附以及紫外-可见分光光度计(UV-Vis)等对样品进行了表征。结果显示产物为分级多孔结构的ZnO微球,由直径约10~20 nm ZnO颗粒组装而成,比表面积为40 m2.g-1。把多孔ZnO微球用作染料敏化太阳能电池(DSCs)光阳极,结果表明,该光阳极在增强对入射光的散射作用的同时,为染料分子的吸附提供了较大比表面积,从而提高了DSCs的光伏性能。     

A synthesis of porous activated carbon materials derived from vitamin B9 base for CO2 capture and conversion

CO₂ capture and conversion are still a favorable way to reduce CO₂ in the atmosphere. Herein, we have developed an environmentally friendly, low energy consumption porous activated carbon from vitamin B9 carbonaceous material for CO₂ capture and conversion materials. It is demonstrated that the KOH/vitamin B9 carbonaceous material impregnation ratio of 2 is the optimum condition for obtaining porous activated carbons with high specific surface area of 1903 m²g^-1, micropore surface area of 710 m²g^-1, total pore volume of 1.05 cm³g^-1 and micropore volume of 0.38 cm³g^-1. Among all the porous activated carbons prepared, the porous activated carbon synthesized with the KOH/vitamin B9 carbonaceous material impregnation ratio of 2 registers the most excellent CO₂ capture for 5.41 mmolg^?1 at 0 °C/1 bar and 3.66 mmolg^?1 at 25 °C/1 bar. They can also effectively catalyze the cycloaddition of CO₂ and epoxides under mild conditions (1 bar, 100 °C and 8 h) with a yield of 89–94%. The synthesized porous carbon materials from vitamin B9 is a promising candidate material for CO₂ capture and fixation.     

Surface treatment,deactivation and coating in (GC)2 (glass capillary gas chromatography)

Summary The surface treatment, deactivation and coating of glass capillaries is discussed. Several techniques described in the literature are compared and for some critical points, new improved methods are advanced. Full details are given of optimised procedures yielding good results with every possible stationary phase. As an example, Table II mentions efficiencies of 3800 plates m^–1 for OV-17 and of 1850 plates m^–1 for OF-1, which hitherto was an impossible phase in (GC)² (proposed abbreviation for glass capillary gas chromatography).     

Polyaniline Nanowire Arrays Deposited on Porous Carbon Derived from Raffia for Electrochemical Detection of Imidacloprid

An electrochemical sensor based on raffia derived porous carbon (RPC) and polyaniline (PANI) composite functional glass carbon electrode (GCE) was constructed for imidacloprid (IMI) determination. PANI nanowire arrays were deposited on RPC surface uniformly without aggregations. The electrochemical response of IMI at RPC@PANI/GCE is about four times than that at bare GCE, indicating high electrocatalytic activity of RPC@PANI towards IMI reduction. The prepared sensor also offers a wide linear range of 0.1–70 μg mL⁻¹ for IMI determination with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.03 μg mL⁻¹. In addition, it offers high recoveries with testing real samples.     

Single derivatives for GC-MS assay of reducing sugars and selective detection by the nitrogen-phosphorus detector (NPD)

Reduction of sugar methoximes with sodium cyanoborohydride followed by permethylation with CH₃SOCH₂^?/ICH₃ affords the corresponding deoxy(methylmethoxylamino)alditol O-methyl ethers, which are amenable to capillary gas chromatography. Derivatization proceeds under mild conditions with high yields. Only a single derivative is formed for each reducing sugar. All aldose derivatives can be separated in a single chromatographic run on glass capillaries coated with Carbowax 20 M or Superox 0.1. Good linearity was found. The introduction of the nitrogen atom in the sugar molecule makes these derivatives suitable for selective detection by the NPD. The El-mass spectra contain intense characteristics ions at m/z 74 for aldoses and at m/z 280 for reducing disaccharides, together with a (M - 15)⁺ion. These fragments are very suitable for highly sensitive GC-MS analysis by selective single ion monitoring.     

Stir-bar sorptive extraction based on hydroxyl-functionalized zirconium-metal-organic framework for the detection of three quinolones in actual samples

A novel analytical method based on stir-bar sorptive extraction was proposed for the determination of three trace quinolones in fish and shrimp samples. UiO-66-(OH)₂, a hydroxyl-functionalized zirconium metal-organic framework, has been coated on frosted glass rods by an in situ growth method. The product, UiO-66-(OH)₂ modified frosted glass rods, has been characterized and key parameters have been optimized in combination with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography. The detection limits of enoxacin, norfloxacin, and ciprofloxacin were 0.48–0.8 ng ml⁻¹, and the detection concentrations were in the range of 10–300 ng ml⁻¹, showing a good linear relationship. This method was used for the determination of three quinolones in aquatic organisms, and the recoveries in spiked fish and shrimp muscle tissue samples were 74.8%–105.4% and 82.5%–115.8%, respectively. The relative standard deviations were less than 6.9%. The established method combined stir-bar sorptive extraction based on UiO-66-(OH)₂ modified frosted glass rods with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography, has good application prospects for the detection of quinolone residues in fish and shrimp muscle samples.