A fully integrated graphene-polymer field-effect transistor biosensing device for on-site detection of glucose in human urine

Convenient and rapid self-measurement of the glucose level in the body is of great significance for diabetics to know their health conditions in time. In view of this, a polymer functionalized graphene field-effect transistor (P-GFET) portable biosensing device is demonstrated for glucose monitoring. The polymer is synthesized by acrylamide/3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid (AAPBA)/N, N-dimethylaminopropyl acrylamide. In the presence of glucose, the P-GFET shows Dirac point shifts and current changes as a result of the covalent bond between glucose and AAPBA in the synthesized polymer on graphene. The sensitivity of this P-GFET sensor can increase while the density of AAPBA in polymer increases. The used sensor could regain the detection capability after hydrochloric acid treatment due to the reversible reaction between polymer and glucose. In addition, the chemisorption interaction between polymer and glucose, which is stronger than physisorption interaction with other objects in urine, has been supported by the density functional theory study. The P-GFET shows high sensitivity of 822 μA1cm^?21mM^?1 with a limit of detection of 1.9 μM during human urine glucose monitoring. The sensor holds a detection range of 0.04–10 mM and good reusability over 20 times. With the customized portable real-time measurement capability in urine, our P-GFET sensor can offer advantages over current glucose detection methods.     

Incorporation of graphene oxide nanosheets into boronate‐functionalized polymeric monolith to enhance the electrochromatographic separation of small molecules

Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were incorporated into an organic polymer monolith containing 3‐acrylamidophenylboronic acid (AAPBA) and pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) to form a novel monolithic stationary phase for CEC. The effects of the mass ratio of AAPBA/PETA, the amount of GO, and the volume of porogen on the morphology, permeability and pore properties of the prepared poly(AAPBA‐GO‐PETA) monoliths were investigated. A series of test compounds including amides, alkylbenzenes, polycyclic aromatics, phenols, and anilines were used to evaluate and compare the separation performances of the poly(AAPBA‐GO‐PETA) and the parent poly(AAPBA‐co‐PETA) monoliths. The results indicated that incorporation of GO into monolithic column exhibited much higher resolutions (>1.5) and column efficiency (62 000 ～ 110 000 plates/m for toluene, DMF, formamide, and thiourea) than the poly(AAPBA‐co‐PETA). The successful application in isocratic separation of peptides suggests the potential of the GO incorporated monolithic column in complex sample analysis. In addition, the reproducibility and stability of the prepared poly(AAPBA‐GO‐PETA) monolith was assessed. The run‐to‐run, column‐to‐column and batch‐to‐batch reproducibilities of this monolith for alkylbenzenes’ retention were satisfactory with the RSDs less than 1.8% (n = 5), 3.7% and 5.6% (n = 3), respectively, indicating the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed method.     

Microfluidic chip with thermoresponsive boronate affinity for the capture–release of cis‐diol biomolecules

The polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic chip grafted with poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐3‐acrylamidephenylboronic acid) (P(NIPAAm‐co‐AAPBA)) was fabricated by UV‐induced grafting polymerization for the capture–release of cis‐diol‐containing biomolecules by temperature‐modulated changes instead of changing the pH value of the mobile phase. Based on the optimal time for benzophenone soaking and UV irradiation of grafting polymerization, P(NIPAAm‐co‐AAPBA) was successfully grafted on the polydimethylsiloxane substrates, which were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, water contact angle measurements, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The P(NIPAAm‐co‐AAPBA)‐grafted polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic chip can be successfully used for the capture and release of cis‐diol‐containing adenosine by adjusting the temperature from 4 to 55°C, and the result was validated by Triple Quad liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. With further development, the fabricated polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic chips might be chosen as a potential tool for the capture and release of cis‐diol‐containing macromolecules, such as horseradish peroxidase and glycoprotein.     

The preparation of high-capacity boronate affinity adsorbents by surface initiated reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization for the enrichment of ribonucleosides in serum

Boronate affinity adsorption is uniquely selective for cis-diol-containing molecules. The preparation and application of boronate affinity materials has attracted much attention in recent years. In this work, a high-capacity boronate affinity adsorbent was prepared by surface-initiated reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (SI-RAFT). Commercial aminated poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) microspheres were modified with the chain transfer agent (CTA) S-1-dodecyl-S-(α,α-dimethyl-α-acetic acid)trithiocarbonate (DDATC). Boronate-affinity adsorbents were then prepared via SI-RAFT polymerization employing 3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid (AAPBA) as the monomer. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nitrogen adsorption and desorption measurements have proven the successful grafting of AAPBA on PGMA microspheres surface. The boronate affinity adsorbents thus prepared possess much higher adsorption capacity (99.2 µmol/g of adenosine) and both faster adsorption and desorption speed towards ribonucleosides, the adsorption and desorption could be completed in 2 min. The high selectivity of the adsorbents to ribonucleosides was verified in the presence of a large excess of deoxynucleosides. The boronate affinity adsorbents were then employed for sample pretreatment before HPLC analysis of ribonucleosides in serum. The ribonucleosides were effectively enriched by boronate affinity dispersive solid-phase extraction (BA-DSPE), with high mass recoveries and good precision. The simultaneous determination of uridine and guanosine in calf serum was achieved by utilizing the standard addition method, their contents were determined to be 170 ± 11.6 ng/mL and 39.6 ± 4.4 ng/mL respectively. The results proved that the prepared boronate affinity materials could be applied for sample pretreatment of cis-diol containing molecules in biological samples.     

Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐based comb‐type grafted hydrogel with rapid response to blood glucose concentration change at physiological temperature

A new type of glucose‐responsive hydrogel with rapid response to blood glucose concentration change at physiological temperature has been successfully developed. The polymeric hydrogel contains phenylboronic acid (PBA) groups as glucose sensors and thermo‐responsive poly (N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) groups as actuators. The response rate of the hydrogel to environmental glucose concentration change was significantly enhanced by introducing grafted poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐3‐acrylamidophenylboronic acid) [poly(NIPAM‐co‐AAPBA)] side chains onto crosslinked poly(NIPAM‐co‐AAPBA) networks for the first time. The synthesized comb‐type grafted poly(NIPAM‐co‐AAPBA) hydrogels showed satisfactory equilibrium glucose‐responsive properties, and exhibited much faster response rate to glucose concentration change than normal type crosslinked poly(NIPAM‐co‐AAPBA) hydrogels at physiological temperature. Such glucose‐responsive hydrogels with rapid response rate are highly attractive in the fields of developing glucose‐responsive sensors and self‐regulated drug delivery systems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Photografting of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine from polydimethylsiloxane: tunable protein repellency and lubrication property

The phosphorylcholine group functional methacrylate monomer, 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), was graft polymerized from the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate using ultraviolet irradiation and using benzophenone as a photoinitiator. The varying monomer concentrations and irradiation times were investigated in order to verify the relationships between graft density and protein resistance under specific biological conditions. The ellipsometry analysis revealed that the layer thickness of the grafted polymer depended on the monomer concentrations after the irradiation for 1 min, however, it stabilized thereafter in all the specified conditions. The curve fitting of the C1s spectrum obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed that the amount of grafted polymer increased with an increase in both monomer concentration and irradiation time. Atomic force microscopic images revealed that the terminations among the graft chains became dominant due to magnified chain mobility followed by growth of their length. In vitro albumin and fibrinogen adsorption results indicated that the resistance to protein adsorption was easily tuned by the specified conditions due to the controlled graft density. Lubrication was dramatically enhanced by the grafting and it was further promoted by an increase in the graft density in good solvents, indicating that the interactions between the graft chains and the solvents resulted in the lubrication system. These basic findings regarding the grafted PDMS surface are important for versatile applications, including its use as a biomaterial and microfluidic device.     

AAPBA@KCC-1的合成及其对血清中唾液酸和神经节苷脂的分析应用

将3-丙烯酰胺基苯硼酸(AAPBA)修饰在介孔二氧化硅KCC-1的表面,合成AAPBA@KCC-1材料,并通过扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、N_2吸附解吸附测试和X射线光电子能谱对其进行表征;将AAPBA@KCC-1材料作为分散固相萃取(dSPE)的吸附剂,对血清样品中的唾液酸和神经节苷脂(GLS)进行提取和富集;采用傅里叶变换离子回旋共振质谱法和超高效液相色谱-离子淌度-四极杆飞行时间质谱法分别对AAPBA@KCC-1材料吸附得到的唾液酸和神经节苷脂进行分析。结果表明,AAPBA@KCC-1材料能够有效吸附唾液酸和神经节苷脂,简化了样品前处理的操作,可以进一步应用于生物样品中唾液酸和神经节苷脂的研究。     

Evaluation of photografted charged sites within polymer monoliths in capillary columns using contactless conductivity detection

Capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C4D) is presented as a novel and versatile means of visualising discrete zones of charged functional groups grafted onto polymer based monoliths. Monoliths were first formed within 100 microm UV-transparent fused silica capillaries. Photografting methods were subsequently used to graft a charged functional monomer, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, onto discrete regions of the monolith using a photomask. Post-modification monolith evaluation involves scanning the C4D detector along the length of the monolith to obtain a profile of the exact spatial location of grafted charged functionalities with millimetre accuracy. The methodology was extended to the visualisation of several zones of immobilised protein (bovine serum albumin) using photografted azlactone groups to enable covalent attachment of the protein to the monolith at precise locations along its length. In addition, the extent of non-specific binding of protein to the ungrafted regions of the monolith due to hydrophobic interactions could be monitored as an increase in background conductivity of the stationary phase. Finally, the technique was cross-validated using digital photography in combination with a UV light source by immobilising green fluorescent protein in discrete zones and comparing the results obtained using both complementary techniques.     

Fluorescent imprinted polymers prepared with 2-acrylamidoquinoline as a signaling monomer

[structure: see text] A cyclobarbital-selective molecularly imprinted polymer was prepared using a fluorescent functional monomer, 2-acrylamidoquinoline. This monomer was designed to increase in fluorescence intensity upon hydrogen bonding to the cyclobarbital guest. The resultant imprinted polymers exhibited the enhancement of the fluorescence intensity when cyclobarbital was bound. Our results show that this fluorescent responsive imprinting method could be useful in the development of sensors for quantification of nonfluorescent compounds.     

Thymopentin Magnetic Molecularly Imprinted Polymers with Room Temperature Ionic Liquids as a Functional Monomer by Surface-Initiated ATRP

Ionic liquids are also called “designer solvents.” In this article, we calculated the interaction energy of four ionic liquids with a template by molecular dynamics simulation. A simple approach was used to prepare biomacromolecule molecularly imprinted polymers for adsorbent and separation thymopentin (Tp5). In order to overcome intrinsic and increase structural selectivity, surface-initiated ATRP and ionic liquids (ILs) as functional monomer were used to prepare Fe3O4 molecularly imprinted polymers. Selective adsorption was applied to investigate the interactions between the polymers and lysine, phenylalanine, glutathione (GSH), and hemoglobin. The results demonstrated that Fe3O4 MIPs with 1-vinyl-3-ethyl acetate imidazolium chloride as functional monomer demonstrated high isolation and recognition of performance to the Tp5.     

Grafting of amino functional monomer onto initiator-modified polystyrene particles

Polystyrene nanoparticles with grafted chains of an amino functionalized polymer were prepared by a two-step polymerization process. In the first step, the polystyrene seed particles were synthesized by the conventional batch emulsion polymerization using terpolymer HAS (hydroperoxide monomer, acrylic acid, and styrene) as a surface-active initiator. The surface of the obtained particles contains carboxyl groups, which are responsible for the latex stability, and residual undecomposed hydroperoxide groups. Therefore, in the second step, an amino functional monomer was grafted onto the hydroperoxide modified polystyrene particles by a "grafting from" approach. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, NMR, and scanning electron microscopy were used to examine the surface of the amino functionalized particles. The amount of incorporated amino groups onto the particles was determined by fluorescenometric titration. In general, the number of amino groups on the particle surface increased with the increase of the functional monomer content in the reaction mixture. The incorporation of the functional monomer was also confirmed by electrophoretic measurements. Final particles possess amphoteric character due to the presence of amino and carboxyl groups on the surface. Adsorption of human immunoglobulins G onto the amino functionalized particles was studied as a function of pH and ionic strength. The covalent binding of human IgG was performed using the glutaraldehyde preactivation method. The immunoreactivity of the latex-IgG complex was examined by the latex agglutination test.     

Photopolymerization behavior in nanocomposites formed with thiol–acrylate and polymerizable organoclays

Because of the inherent characteristics of the thiol–ene step growth mechanism in preparation of thiol–ene photopolymer clay nanocomposites, the ratio between thiol and ene functional groups at and near the organoclay surfaces may have a significant effect on the polymerization behavior. This study investigates the influence of monomer composition and the type of polymerizable organoclay on thiol–acrylate photopolymerization behavior in preparation of photocurable clay nanocomposite systems. To this end, two types of polymerizable organoclays with acrylate or thiol functional group on the clay surfaces were compared in monomer compositions with different polarity and functionality. Real‐time infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize polymerization behavior in conjunction with photo‐DSC. The degree of clay exfoliation was evaluated using small angle X‐ray scattering and correlated with photopolymerization behavior. Higher chemical compatibility of components induced enhanced clay exfoliation resulting in increase in photopolymerization rate. By affecting the stoichiometric ratio of functional groups in the clay gallery, thiolated organoclays enhance thiol–ene reaction, whereas acrylated organoclays encourage acrylate homopolymerization. In addition, inducing more propagating thiyl radicals on the organoclay surfaces by increasing functionality of thiol monomer also facilitates thiol–ene copolymerization, whereas the increase of acrylate functionality reduces final thiol conversion. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

3-氨基苯硼酸为功能单体在壳聚糖上印迹牛血清白蛋白的研究

以壳聚糖为载体, 3-氨基苯硼酸为功能单体对牛血清白蛋白进行了分子印迹的研究, 并对吸附过程进行Langmuir等温吸附模型的数据处理. 结果表明, 印迹聚合物上形成了对于模板分子有较高的吸附容量和选择性的识别位点, Langmuir等温吸附平衡常数为49.5 mL/mg, 结合位点的最大表观结合量为16.3 mg/g, 证明了该印迹聚合物对于牛血红蛋白和溶菌酶这些非模板蛋白的吸附不具有选择性.     

Novel functional monomer for the electrochemical synthesis of highly affine epitope-imprinted polymers

To address the lack of functional monomer diversity for the electrosynthesis of protein-selective molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), we introduce a new concept able to lead to a new class of functional monomers. This is based on conjugating an electropolymerizable monomer unit (umbelliferone) to an amino acid for closer mimicking of protein-based natural affinity ligands such as antibodies. As the first representative of this class of monomers an aspartate-umbelliferone (Asp-UMB) conjugate was synthesized and here we provide the proof for its suitability to generate highly affine MIPs for proteins by epitope imprinting. As model we used a heptapeptide (GFNCYFP) stemming from the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to generate epitope-imprinted polymers able to recognize the parent RBD protein. For rapid optimization and assessment of the binding kinetics we prepared MIP microarrays on surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) chips. First the peptides were microspotted on the bare gold surface of the chips followed by the electropolymerization of Asp-UMB. This resulted in ca. 2 nm thick, highly uniform, and electrically insulating polymer film, well suited both for hierarchical epitope imprinting and SPRi read-out. Taking advantage also of the on-chip optimization enabled by the microarray format the increased functional diversity of the new monomer resulted in highly affine MIPs with equilibrium dissociation constants in the lower picomolar range.     

Optimization of polymerization parameters for the sorption of oseltamivir onto molecularly imprinted polymers

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are tailor-made polymers with high selectivity for a given analyte, or group of structurally related compounds. The influence of the process parameters (the moles of functional monomer and cross-linker, the selection of functional monomer and solvent) on the preparation of oseltamivir (OS)-imprinted polymers was investigated. A mathematical method for uniform design to optimize these selected parameters and to increase the MIP selectivity for template molecules was applied. The optimal conditions to synthesize MIP were 0.69 mmol 30% acrylamide (AA) + 70% 4-Vinylpyridine (4-VP) and 5.0 mmol ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) copolymerized in 5 ml toluene in the presence of 0.1 mmol OS. MIP showed high affinity and selectivity for separation of the template molecule from other compounds. In the present study, we have established an effective LC-MS/MS method to identify and quantify OS with good sensitivity, accuracy and precision.     

以N-乙烯基吡咯烷酮为功能单体的S-萘普生印迹聚合物材料的合成及性能研究

以S-萘普生为模板,N-乙烯基吡咯烷酮为功能单体,二乙烯基苯为交联剂分别按照摩尔比1／4／10、1／4／20和1／4／30合成了分子印迹聚合物(MIP)。采用UV和Chem 3D Pro软件计算模拟研究了功能单体与模板分子之间的相互作用,经半经验量化PM3方法计算得到功能单体与模板分子之间的相互作用能为-20．97 kJ／mol。探讨了交联度对MIP吸附性能和识别能力的影响,结果表明在所研究的O～4mmol／L浓度范围内,MIP对S-萘普生的结合量随着交联度的增加而减小,而交联度为88％的印迹聚合物P3对S-萘普生和阿司匹林的分离因子为2．70,交联度为83％的聚合物P2的分离因子为2．60,交联度为71％的聚合物P1的分离因子为1.44,即高交联度MIP的识别能力优于低交联度的。     

Development of an improved synthetic route to an AB phenylquinoxaline monomer

The primary objective of this research was the development of an efficient synthetic route for a previously prepared self‐polymerizable PPQ monomer mixture, 2‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐3‐phenyl‐6‐fluoroquinoxaline and 3‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐phenyl‐6‐fluoroquinoxaline. Thus, the intermediate, 4‐hydroxybenzil, was synthesized in good yield, starting from phenol with phenylacetyl chloride, followed by oxidation. The other intermediate, 4‐fluoro‐1,2‐phenylenediamine, was also less costly synthesized, starting from 2,4‐difluoronitrobenzene with ammonium hydroxide, followed by reduction, giving excellent yield. The overall monomer yield was superior to previous reports. Another research objective involved preparation of various monomer mixtures that could be synthesized even less costly, and attempts on polymerization could generate the same structure of PPQ from an original monomer mixture. Thus, the monomer mixture that had switched functional groups from the original one, 2‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐3‐phenyl‐6‐hydroxyquinoxaline and 3‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐2‐phenyl‐6‐hydroxyquinoxaline, was prepared. Various monomers with different functional groups attached on the 6‐position of the quinoxaline ring, such as chloro‐ and nitro‐substituted monomers instead of fluoro‐substituted ones, were also prepared. Several attempts to build up high molecular weights were not successful. In the case of the switched monomer mixture, weaker nucleophility and less activation on the fluorine atom were to be the reason in the switched monomer. In the cases of chloro‐ and nitro‐substituted monomers, poorer leaving power and side reactions were to be the reasons. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 801–814, 2005     

Development and characterisation of a molecularly imprinted polymer prepared by precipitation polymerisation for the determination of phenylurea herbicides

New materials based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been developed for use as sorbents in solid phase extraction to preconcentrate some urea herbicides. In the preconcentration step, different molecularly imprinted polymers were tested using methacrylic acid (MAA) and 2-(trifluoromethyl)acrylic acid (TFMAA) as functional monomers, and linuron and isoproturon as templates. The best results were obtained when the polymer was synthesised using MAA with isoproturon as template. Another parameter evaluated was the way in which the polymer was obtained. We observed that the imprinted polymers obtained by precipitation displayed a greater capacity to retain the phenylureas. Studies conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the bulk polymerisation method is far from ideal owing to the random shape and size distribution of the particles obtained, whereas when polymerisation was carried out in precipitation microspheres were obtained. In order to confirm the interaction between the functional monomer and the template, 1H NMR (CD2Cl2) analyses were conducted. The results obtained suggest that the hydrogen and/or nitrogen of the amino group of the template would be involved in the formation of hydrogen bonds with the functional monomer. The imprinted polymer obtained by precipitation polymerisation with MAA as functional monomer and isoproturon as template can be applied to preconcentrate phenylureas when the sample is dissolved in toluene. The proposed methodology was employed to evaluate polymer selectivity towards humic acids and towards other herbicides.     

Thermosensitive and salt-sensitive molecularly imprinted hydrogel for bovine serum albumin

A novel stimuli-responsive protein imprinted polymer for selective recognition of bovine serum albumin is presented. N-[3-(Dimethylamino)propyl]-methacrylamide, which is positively charged in neutral solution and is able to self-assemble onto the template protein through electrostatic interaction, was chosen as the functional monomer. Polymerization was carried out in the presence of N-isopropylacrylamide as an assistant monomer, which resulted in a stimuli-responsive protein imprinted polymer. The template proteins were easily removed by treatment with 500 mmol L(-1) NaCl solution. The influences of the external stimuli, such as temperature and ionic strength, on the polymer affinity were investigated, and a clear conformational memory was observed. The association constant ( Ka) and binding capacity ( Qmax) for the specific interaction between the protein imprinted polymer and the template protein were determined by Scatchard plots and found to be 9.6 x 10(4) L mol(-1) and 4.7 micromol g(-1), respectively. Several proteins different in molecular weight and isoelectric point were employed as reference, and it was shown that the charge effect and the shape memory effect were the major factors affecting the imprint formation and template recognition. Finally, this imprinted polymer was used to purify the bovine serum albumin from the protein mixture and real sample, which demonstrated its high selectivity.