A rapid method for the detection of foodborne pathogens by extraction of a trace amount of DNA from raw milk based on amino-modified silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles and polymerase chain reaction

A method based on amino-modified silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles (ASMNPs) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed to rapidly and sensitively detect foodborne pathogens in raw milk. After optimizing parameters such as pH, temperature, and time, a trace amount of genomic DNA of pathogens could be extracted directly from complex matrices such as raw milk using ASMNPs. The magnetically separated complexes of genomic DNA and ASMNPs were directly subjected to single PCR (S-PCR) or multiplex PCR (M-PCR) to detect single or multiple pathogens from raw milk samples. Salmonella Enteritidis (Gram-negative) and Listeria monocytogenes (Gram-positive) were used as model organisms to artificially contaminate raw milk samples. After magnetic separation and S-PCR, the detection sensitivities were 8 CFU mL⁻¹ and 13 CFU mL⁻¹ respectively for these two types of pathogens. Furthermore, this method was successfully used to detect multiple pathogens (S. Enteritidis and L. monocytogenes) from artificially contaminated raw milk using M-PCR at sensitivities of 15 CFU mL⁻¹ and 25 CFU mL⁻¹, respectively. This method has great potential to rapidly and sensitively detect pathogens in raw milk or other complex food matrices.     

Polyphosphoric acid supported on silica-coated NiFe2O4 nanoparticles: An efficient and magnetically-recoverable catalyst for N-formylation of amines

A rapid, green and simple method for the N-formylation of various aromatic amines with formic acid using polyphosphoric acid supported on silica-coated NiFe₂O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (NiFe₂O₄@SiO₂–PPA) under solvent-free conditions at room temperature has been developed. The magnetic catalyst can be easily removed by a simple magnet and reused at least three times without any loss of its high catalytic activity. In addition to its facility, this protocol enhances product purity and promises economic and also environmental profits.     

Potentiometric detection of polyions based on functionalized magnetic nanoparticles

A novel potentiometric detection strategy based on functionalized magnetic nanoparticles has been developed for rapid and sensitive sensing of polyions. Highly dispersed magnetic nanoparticles coated with ion exchanger and plasticizer could promote an in situ cooperative ion-pairing interaction between the ion exchanger and the polyion analyte in sample solution by dramatically reducing the mass-transfer distance. With applying a magnetic field, the nanoparticles can be attached to the surface of ion exchanger free polymeric membrane. The observed potential signals are related to the polyion concentrations. The proposed polymeric membrane electrode exhibits a linear relationship between the greatest potential response slope (dE/dt) and the logarithm of protamine concentration in the range of 0.05−5 μg/mL with a lower detection limit of 0.033 μg/mL.     

Synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles for analytical applications

A simple method based on magnetically assisted chemical separation has been developed for analytical purposes. In this method, morin-modified magnetic nanoparticles were used for the selective extraction and preconcentration of copper ions from aqueous solutions. The influence of different parameters, such as the presence of the morin extractant, the amount of morin extractant loaded on the nanoparticles, the pH, adsorption time and the type and minimum amount of eluent required for elution of the copper from the magnetic nanoparticles, were evaluated. The detection limit of the proposed method followed by ICP–OES was found to be 1.3 µg L^?1 and a dynamic linear range of 10–200 µg L^?1 was obtained. The relative standard deviation was less than 5%. The method was applied to the recovery and determination of copper in real samples.     

Ionic liquid-modified silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles; promising anion-exchange sorbent for extraction of Cr(VI)

In the present study, ionic liquid-modified silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesised and applied as a new anion-exchange sorbent for extraction and determination of Cr(VI) followed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The characterisation of MNPs was carried out by scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared and vibrating sample magnetometer. Experimental design and response surface methodology were used for optimisation of different parameters which affect extraction efficiency of Cr(VI). Under the optimised conditions, extraction recoveries within the range of 25–33% with relative standard deviations (RSD%, n = 4) within the range of 3.0–5.0% were obtained. The limit of detection was found to be 0.1 µg L^?1. The linearity was studied in the range of 0.5-200 µg L^?1 with the determination coefficient of 0.9958. Also, calculated Errors% for determination of Cr(VI) in the range of 5-15 depict that the method offers acceptable accuracy for analysis of Cr(VI). The method was successfully applied for extraction and determination of Cr(VI) selectively in some tannery waste water samples.     

Palladium nanoparticles immobilized on amphiphilic and hyperbranched polymer‐functionalized magnetic nanoparticles: An efficient semi‐heterogeneous catalyst for Heck reaction

To address the obstacles facing the use of palladium‐based homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts in C─C cross‐coupling reactions, a novel semi‐heterogeneous support was developed based on hyperbranched poly(ethylene glycol)‐block ‐poly(citric acid)‐functionalized Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@PCA‐b ‐PEG). Because of the surface modification of the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles with amphiphilic and hyperbranched polymers (PCA‐b ‐PEG), these hybrid materials are not only soluble in a wide range of solvents (e.g. water, ethanol and dimethylformamide) but also are able to trap Pd²⁺ ions via complex formation of free carboxyl groups of the PCA dendrimer with metal ions. The reduction of trapped palladium ions in the dendritic shell of Fe₃O₄@PCA‐b ‐PEG leads to immobilized palladium nanoparticles. The morphology and structural features of the catalyst were characterized using various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The catalyst was effectively used in the palladium‐catalysed Mizoroki–Heck coupling reaction in water as a green solvent. In addition, the catalyst can be easily recovered from the reaction mixture by applying an external magnetic field and reused for more than ten consecutive cycles without much loss in activity, exhibiting an example of a sustainable and green methodology.     

Synthesis and characterization of bromine source immobilized on diethylenetriamine‐functionalized magnetic nanoparticles: A novel,versatile and highly efficient reusable catalyst for organic synthesis

Bromine source immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles functionalized with diethylenetriamine was successfully synthesized and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, thermogravimetric analysis and X‐ray diffraction. The catalytic activity in the synthesis of 2,3‐dihydroquinazoline‐4(1H )‐one and polyhydroquinoline derivatives and in Knoevenagel condensation was studied. The bromine catalyst can be magnetically recovered and reused several times without significant loss of its catalytic activity. All products were obtained in high to excellent yields.     

New acrylamide‐based monomer containing metal chelating units: Homopolymer grafted magnetite nanoparticles via ATRP for the magnetic removal of Co(II) ions

In this research, we synthesized and characterized a new acrylamide‐based monomer containing pyridine and 1,3,4‐oxadiazole moieties, N‐(4‐(5‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazol‐2‐yl)phenyl)acrylamide (POPA). Poly(POPA)‐grafted magnetite nanoparticles were then obtained via surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. The grafted nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared analysis, scanning electron microscopy, wide angle X‐ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The amount of the grafted polymer was 126 mg/g, as calculated from thermo gravimetric analysis experiment. The capability of poly(POPA)‐g‐magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) to remove Co(II) cations, under optimal time period, pH and adsorbent mass, was shown by atomic absorption. The adsorption kinetics obeyed the pseudo–second‐order kinetic equation, and the adsorption isotherm was best described by the Freundlich model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 59.90 mg/g. In addition, the poly(POPA)‐g‐MNPs were regenerated by simply washing with an aqueous 0.1M HCl solution, and no considerable decrease was observed in the extraction efficiency following the test of up to 7 cycles. These findings suggest that poly(POPA)‐g‐MNPs are stable and reusable adsorbent, and they could be potentially applied to water treatments for an efficient removal of Co(II) cations.     

Development of a test strip based on DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles for rapid detection of mercury(II) ions

A rapid,sensitive,selective and reliable strip assay based on DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles for Hg²⁺ detection has been developed,with a detection limit 5 nmol/L.The measurement principle was based on thymine-Hg²⁺-thymine(T-Hg²⁺-T) coordination chemistry and streptavidin-biotin interaction.The major advantages of this assay are that results can be read visually without any instrument in less than 10 min and that it does not require any sample pretreatment.     

Fluorescent detection of protein kinase based on zirconium ions-immobilized magnetic nanoparticles

We report here an affinity separation-based fluorometric method for monitoring the activity and inhibition of protein kinase. In this assay, when the fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled substrate peptides (S-peptide) are phosphorylated by kinase, the product peptides (P-peptide) will be adsorbed and concentrated onto the surface of Zr⁴⁺-immobilized nitrilotriacetic acid-coated magnetic nanoparticles (Zr-NTA MNPs) through the chelation of Zr⁴⁺ and phosphate groups. After magnetic separation, the fluorescence intensity of the homogeneous solution changes dramatically. Hence the fluorescence response allows this MNPs-based method to easily probe kinase activity by a spectrometer. The feasibility of the method has been demonstrated by sensitive measurement of the activity of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) with a low detection limit (0.5 mU μL⁻¹). Moreover, the system is successfully applied to estimate the IC₅₀ value of PKA inhibitor H-89 and detect the Forskolin/3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) stimulated activation of PKA in cell lysate. Additionally, Zr-NTA MNPs are reusable by stripping Zr⁴⁺ ions from NTA-coated MNPs and rechelating again. This method, which relies on the surface-functionalized MNPs, presents a promising candidate for simple and cost-effective assay of kinase activity and inhibitor screening.     

Pd@tetrahedral hollow magnetic nanoparticles coated with N‐doped porous carbon as an efficient catalyst for hydrogenation of nitroarenes

Hollow magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with tetrahedral morphology were synthesized and then covered by a shell prepared by coating with melamine–formaldehyde followed by the introduction of glucose‐derived carbon. Subsequently, Pd nanoparticles were immobilized and the core–shell nanocomposite was carbonized. The obtained magnetic catalyst was successfully applied for the hydrogenation of nitroarenes in aqueous media. To investigate the effects of the morphology of MNPs, the nature of carbon shell, and the order of incorporation of Pd nanoparticles, several control catalysts, including the MNPs with different morphologies (disc‐like and cylinder); MNPs coated with different shells (sole glucose‐derived carbon or melamine–formaldehyde carbon shell); and a nanocomposite, in which Pd was immobilized after carbonization, were prepared and examined as catalyst for the model reaction. To justify the observed different catalytic activities of the catalysts, their Pd loadings, leaching, and specific surface areas were compared. The results confirmed that tetrahedral MNPs coated with porous N‐rich carbon shell exhibited the best catalytic activity. The high catalytic activity of this catalyst was attributed to its high surface area and the interaction of N‐rich shell with Pd nanoparticles that led to the higher Pd loading and suppressed Pd leaching.     

Synthesis and characterization of silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles modified with bis(pyrazolyl) triazine ruthenium(II) complex and the application of these nanoparticles as a highly efficient catalyst for the hydrogen transfer reduction of ketones

We present a facile and efficient method for modifying the surface of silica-coated Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with bis(pyrazolyl) triazine ruthenium(II) complex [ MNPs@BPT–Ru (II) ] . Field emission-scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric/derivative thermogravimetry analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry analyses were employed for characterizing the structure of these nanoparticles. MNPs@BPT–Ru(II) nanoparticles proved to be a magnetic, reusable, and heterogeneous catalyst for the hydrogen transfer reduction of ketone derivatives. In addition, highly pure products were obtained with excellent yields in relatively short times in the presence of this catalyst. A comparison of this catalyst with those previously used for the hydrogen transfer reactions proved the uniqueness of MNPs@BPT–Ru(II) nanoparticle which is due to its inherent magnetic properties and large surface area. The presented method also had other advantages such as simple reaction conditions, eco-friendliness, high recovery ability, easy work-up, and low cost.     

Pseudo-homogeneous immunoextraction of epitestosterone from human urine samples based on gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles

A pseudo-homogeneous immunoextraction method based on gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for the specific extraction and quantitative analysis of epitestosterone (17α-hydroxy-4-androsten-3-one, abbreviated as “ET”) from human urine samples by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed. Half-IgG of anti-ET monoclonal antibodies were covalently immobilized onto (Fe₃O₄)_core-Au_shell (Fe₃O₄@Au) MNPs. An external magnetic field was applied to collect the MNPs which were then rinsed with distilled water followed by elution with absolute methanol to obtain ET as the analyte. The obtained extraction solution was analyzed by HPLC with UV detection (244 nm) within 12 min. The standard calibration curve for ET showed good linearity in the range of 20-200 ng mL⁻¹ in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solutions with acceptable accuracy and precision. Limit of detection for ET was 0.06 ng mL⁻¹ due to an enrichment factor of 100-fold was achieved. The results obtained by the present method for spiked human urine samples were in agreement with those from indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assays (ELISAs). The antibody-conjugated Fe₃O₄@Au MNPs are novel materials for immunoaffinity extraction. Compared with the conventional technique using immunoaffinity column, the method described here for sample pretreatment was fast, highly specific, and easy to operate.     

Distribution of magnetic nanoparticles in spherical polyelectrolyte brushes as observed by small-angle X-ray scattering

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with a size of about 2 nm are prepared in nanoreactors of spherical polyelectrolyte brushes (SPBs) consisting of a solid polystyrene (PS) core and a shell of linear poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) chains densely grafted onto the core by one end. The synthesized MNP are strongly adhered to PAA chains due to the intense interaction of chemical coordination with the carboxyl groups. The generation of MNP in SPB layer is legibly revealed by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) due to the significant increase in electron density. The radial distribution of MNP in SPB is built by fitting SAXS data. Most of MNP are found to locate nearby the surface of PS core. Compared to dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy, SAXS can observe the generation and distribution of MNP in SPB as well as the changes upon changing pH and salt concentration in real time. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 1681–1688     

A novel technology for the detection, enrichment, and separation of trace amounts of target DNA based on amino-modified fluorescent magnetic composite nanoparticles

A novel, highly sensitive technology for the detection, enrichment, and separation of trace amounts of target DNA was developed on the basis of amino-modified fluorescent magnetic composite nanoparticles (AFMN). In this study, the positively charged amino-modified composite nanoparticles conjugate with the negatively charged capture DNA through electrostatic binding. The optimal combination of AFMN and capture DNA was measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. The highly sensitive detection of trace amounts of target DNA was achieved through enrichment by means of AFMN. The detection limit for target DNA is 0.4 pM, which could be further improved by using a more powerful magnet. Because of their different melting temperatures, single-base mismatched target DNA could be separated from perfectly complementary target DNA. In addition, the photoluminescence (PL) signals of perfectly complementary target DNA and single-base mismatched DNA as well as the hybridization kinetics of different concentrations of target DNA at different reaction times have also been studied. Most importantly, the detection, enrichment, and separation ability of AFMN was further verified with milk. Simple and satisfactory results were obtained, which show the great potential in the fields of mutation identification and clinical diagnosis.     

A highly reactive and magnetic recyclable catalyst based on silver nanoparticles supported on ferrite for N‐monoalkylation of amines with alcohols

Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐Ag catalyst was found to be highly active and selective in the N ‐alkylation of amines with a variety of aromatic and linear alcohols. The heterogeneous nature of the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐Ag catalyst allows easy recovery and regeneration by applying an external magnet for six subsequent reaction cycles. The prepared catalyst was characterized using electron microscopy techniques, X‐ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry and atomic absorption spectroscopy.     

Facile and versatile strategy to prepare magnetic molecularly imprinted particles based on the coassembly of magnetic nanoparticles and amphiphilic random copolymers

Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles for bisphenol A were prepared by coassembling magnetic nanoparticles and amphiphilic random copolymers. Under optimized conditions, bisphenol A as template molecules, magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer particles with regular morphology, small size, good monodispersity, and high content of OA‐Fe₃O₄ were prepared by the coassembly method using P(MMA‐co‐MAA) with monomer ratio of 9:1. These magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer particles could be rapidly collected by an external magnet within 1 min. The saturated adsorption capacity of the magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer for bisphenol A was 201.5 mg/g, and the imprinting factor was 2.5. The separation factors for bisphenol A to β‐estradiol, estriol, and diethylstilbestrol was 3.1, 2.9, and 3.7, respectively. Unlike assembling amphiphilic copolymer in the selective solvent, the coassembly process was simple and rapid. Therefore, the present work provided a facile and versatile approach to construct magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles under mild conditions.     

New metal complexes supported on Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles as recoverable catalysts for selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides

Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were coated with aminopropyltriethoxysilane and subsequently reacted with isatin to obtain imine‐bonded Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The addition of ZrOCl₂?8H₂O or CuCl₂ led to the formation of complexes of Zr(IV)/isatin@Fe₃O₄ or Cu (II)/isatin@Fe₃O₄ as new magnetically separable catalysts. The synthesized catalysts were characterized using various techniques. These catalysts are shown to be efficient for chemo‐selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides using hydrogen peroxide as oxidative agent. This system has many advantages, such as excellent level of reusability of magnetic catalysts, high yields, simplicity of separation of catalysts using an external magnet, environmental benignity and ease of handling. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

催化材料对病毒吸附及灭活作用特性的研究

以核酸分子及普通病毒作为探针和模拟对象,进行了催化材料吸附 灭活副流感病毒的研究,旨在筛选出对病毒有过滤 吸附及灭活作用的高效非特异性催化材料,以应用于病毒的各种防护设施以及有效控制非典型性肺炎的传播。共评价了93种新合成的催化剂,发现两种催化材料对病毒具有杀灭作用。