An optical sensor for mercury ion based on the fluorescence quenching of tetra(p-dimethylaminophenyl)porphyrin

An optical sensor for mercury ion (Hg²⁺), based on quenching the fluorescence of the sensing reagent porphyrin immobilized in plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane, has been developed. The responses to mercury ion were compared for the sensors modified with three porphyrin compounds including 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP), tetra(p-dimethylaminophenyl)porphyrin (TDMAPP) and tetra(N-phenylpyrazole) porphyrin (TPPP). Among them, TDMAPP showed the most remarkable response to Hg²⁺. The drastic decrease of the TDMAPP fluorescence intensity was attributed to the formation of a complex between TDMAPP and Hg²⁺, which has been utilized as the fabrication basis of a Hg²⁺-sensitive fluorescence sensor. The analytical performance characteristics of the TDMAPP modified sensor was investigated. The response mechanism, especially involving the response difference of three porphyrin compounds, was discussed in detail. The sensor can be applied to the quantification of Hg²⁺ with a linear range covering from 4.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ to 4.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. The limit of detection was 8.0 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. The sensor exhibited excellent reproducibility, reversibility and selectivity. Also, the TDMAPP-based sensor was successfully used for the determination of Hg²⁺ in environmental water samples.     

Chromophoric thin film based on cellulose triacetate blends for sensing metal ions

Chromophoric sensors were made based on 8-hydroxyquinoline immobilized onto a thin film of a polymer blend matrix. The thin films were made by the solution casting method using cellulose triacetate and polyethylene glycol (PEG 600) as plasticizer and pore-forming agent. Different contents of PEG 600 additive were investigated. The prepared films were characterized by FTIR and thermal analysis. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of different films were dependent on the content of PEG 600 with clear quenching of the fluorescence of the film that contains PEG 600 compared to that with zero content. This behavior was attributed to the collective effect of hydrogen bonding (intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding) that enhances the process of excited-state proton transfer. This result is favorable to a responsive sensor that shows fluorescence off in the absence of metal ions and fluorescence on upon metal ion chelation. The detection of 5 × 10⁻⁵ M of Al³⁺, Zn²⁺ and thallium (I) in aqueous solution has been observed with the fluorescence method. The result obtained is consistent with the enhancing effect of PEG 600 in the detectability of metal ions. Compared with the detection of Al³⁺ and Zn²⁺, the sensor shows better detection of thallium (I), with clear fluorescence spectra.     

Stability of new optical pH sensing material based on cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) copolymer

Cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-silica gel copolymer has been employed as a optical pH sensor substrate for immobilisation of fluorescein. Cross-linking was carried out by the sol-gel process incorporating PVA in initial sol-gel solution of tetra-methoxysilane (TMOS) under acidic conditions. Three dimensional network formation could be achieved using compositions of PVA/TMOS=80-90/20-10 vol.% to result in crack-free films. The fluorescent sensor layers were prepared by dip-coating of gel solution onto glass slides. The dynamic fluorescence response towards different pH values was investigated in terms of the influence of sample ionic strength, membrane composition as well as age of sol-gel layers. Depending on the composition of the matrix pK_a values of 6.50, 6.68 and 7.06 were found 18 days after continues storage in buffer.     

Electrochemical sensing chemical oxygen demand based on the catalytic activity of cobalt oxide film

Cobalt oxide sensing film was in situ prepared on glassy carbon electrode surface via constant potential oxidation. Controlling at 0.8 V in NaOH solution, the high-valence cobalt catalytically oxidized the reduced compounds, decreasing its surface amount and current signal. The current decline was used as the response signal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) because COD represents the summation of reduced compounds in water. The surface morphology and electrocatalytic activity of cobalt oxide were readily tuned by variation of deposition potential, time, medium and Co²⁺ concentration. As confirmed from the atomic force microscopy measurements, the cobalt oxide film, that prepared at 1.3 V for 40 s in pH 4.6 acetate buffer containing 10 mM Co(NO₃)₂, possesses large surface roughness and numerous three-dimensional structures. Electrochemical tests indicated that the prepared cobalt oxide exhibited high electrocatalytic activity to the reduced compounds, accompanied with strong COD signal enhancement. As a result, a novel electrochemical sensor with high sensitivity, rapid response and operational simplicity was developed for COD. The detection limit was as low as 1.1 mg L⁻¹. The analytical application was studied using a large number of lake water samples, and the accuracy was tested by standard method.     

试纸-光反射传感仪快速测定痕量甲醛的研究

在KOH溶液中，利用甲醛与4-氨基-3-联氨-5-巯基-1、2、4-三氮杂茂(AHMT)的缩合，并经KIO4氧化后的显色反应原理制备出检测甲醛的试纸条，并将该检测试纸与研制光反射传感仪联用，实现了对海产品及其浸泡液中痕量甲醛的现场、快速、定量检测。该方法的检出限为0．4μg/mL，对鱿鱼、海参以及水样中甲醛进行测定，其RSD均小于5％，与国家标准方法进行了对照，结果一致。该法用于甲醛的检测可实现对痕量甲醛进行现场快速定量检测，值得推广应用。     

A fluorescent sensing membrane for iodine based on intramolecular excitation energy transfer of anthryl appended porphyrin

A single anthryl appended meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) dyad has been synthesized and applied in fluorescence sensing of iodine based on the intramolecular excitation energy transfer. The molecular recognition of the sensor is based on the interaction of iodine with inner anthracene moiety of the dyad, while the signal reporter for the recognition process is the TPP fluorescence quenching. Because the emission spectrum of anthracene is largely overlapped with the Soret band absorption of TPP, intramolecular excitation energy transfer interaction occurs between the donor, anthracene and acceptor, TPP. This energy transfer leads to TPP fluorescence emission by excitation of anthracene. The sensor was constructed by immobilizing the dyad in a plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane. The sensing membrane shows higher sensitivity compared to the sensors by using anthracene, TPP, or a mixture of anthracene and TPP as sensing materials. Under the optimum conditions, iodine in a sample solution can be determined from 2.04 to 23.6 mmol·L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 33 nmol·L⁻¹. The sensing membrane shows satisfactory response characteristics including good reproducibility, reversibility and stability, as well as the short response time of less than 60 s. Except for Cr₂O₇²⁻ and MnO₄⁻, other common metal ions and anions in foodstuff do not interfere with iodine determination. The proposed method was applied in the determination of iodine in table salt samples. The results agree well with those obtained by other methods. Supported by the National Outstanding Youth Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20525518), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20775005), and the National Natural Science Foundation of Hunan province (Grant No. JJ076021)     

LiFe0.98 Pt0.02 PO4薄膜的光学及气敏性研究

为提高LiFePO_4敏感薄膜元件的灵敏度,以铂(Pt)作为掺杂元素,用水热法一步合成出LiFe_(0.98)Pt_(0.02)PO_4粉末;利用旋涂法将其固定在锡掺杂玻璃光波导表面,制备了LiFe_(0.98)Pt_(0.02)PO_4薄膜/锡掺杂玻璃光波导元件。将敏感薄膜在不同温度下热处理,通过比较各个敏感薄膜元件对苯类挥发性有机气体的响应讨论薄膜处理温度对LiFe_(0.98)Pt_(0.02)PO_4薄膜元件光学特性及气敏性的影响。结果显示,在450℃下处理的薄膜因具有光学透明性好、折射率高、光传播损失小等特点对苯类气体显出较大的响应,能够检测出浓度为1×10~(-7)~1×10~(-3)V/V_0的二甲苯气体。当气体浓度小于1×10~(-6)V/V_0时,其他苯类气体不会对二甲苯的检测产生影响。     

基于分子内荧光能量转移的碘聚合膜荧光传感器

合成了基于分子内荧光能量转移的蒽（An）-四苯基卟啉（TPP）双发色团碘荧光探针1．由于An的荧光光谱与TPP的S吸收带具有较好的重叠,供体An与受体TPP之间可以发生有效的分子内荧光能量转移,以An的最大吸收波长作为激发波长时,由于分子内荧光能量转移,受体TPP发出荧光．当碘与探针分子中的识别基团An作用时,导致探针分子的荧光转导基团TPP荧光淬灭．与An、TPP和An＋TPP混合物作敏感材料相比,将探针1固定在PVC膜中制备的敏感膜对碘选择性高、灵敏度好．另外,敏感膜具有很好的重现性、可逆性和稳定性,响应时间小于60S．除Cr2O7^2-和MnO4^-外,食品中常见的无机离子和可能存在的干扰物质不影响碘的测定．在最优条件下,传感器的线性范围为2．04×10^-6-2．36×10^-2mol／L,检出限为3．30×10^-8mol／L．本方法应用于加碘食盐中碘含量的测定,结果满意．     

Dual optical sensor for oxygen and temperature based on the combination of time domain and frequency domain techniques

In measuring specific conditions in the real world, there are many situations where both the oxygen concentration and the temperature have to be determined simultaneously. Here we describe a dual optical sensor for oxygen and temperature that can be adapted for different applications. The measurement principle of this sensor is based on the luminescence decay times of the oxygen-sensitive ruthenium complex tris-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline ruthenium(III) [Rudpp] and the temperature-sensitive europium complex tris(dibenzoylmethane) mono(5-amino-1,10-phenanthroline)europium(III) [Eudatp]. The excitation and emission spectra of the two luminophores overlap significantly and cannot be discriminated in the conventional way using band pass filters or other optical components. However, by applying both the frequency and time domain techniques, we can separate the signals from the individual decay time of the complexes. The europium complex is entrapped in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) layer and the ruthenium complex is physically adsorbed on silica gel and incorporated in a silicone layer. The two layers are attached to each other by a double sided silicone based tape. The europium sensing film was found to be temperature-sensitive between 10 and 70 °C and the ruthenium oxygen-sensitive layer can reliably measure between 0 and 21% oxygen.     

Implementation and efficiency of an automatic peak-purity-control procedure in HPLC-UV-VIS-coupling based on principal component analysis

Summary Based on a thorough knowledge of the actual system precision significance testing of the primary eigen values, resulting from principal component analysis of the two-dimensional data array of HPLC with photodiode-array detection, is a powerful means to uncover unresolved chromatographic peaks. The implementation of this chemometric technique for assuring peak homogeneity and results showing the efficiency for two-component peaks in regard to spectral characteristics, chromatographic resolution and absorbance ratio of the investigated compounds are presented.     

A selective optical chemical sensor for 2,6-dinitrophenol based on fluorescence quenching of a novel functional polymer

A bifurcated optical fiber based chemical sensor for continuous monitoring of 2,6-dinitrophenol (2,6-DNP) has been proposed based on the reversible chemical reaction between a novel functional poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) as the sensing material and the analytes. The functional PVC (FPVC), containing a fluorescent curcumin moiety, was synthesized by the nucleophilic substitution of a fraction of the chlorine atoms bound to the PVC backbone by curcumin. When plasticized in a membrane of 5 μm thickness, FPVC extracts 2,6-DNP from aqueous solution into the bulk membrane phase and reacts with the analyte to form a complex with low fluorescence efficiency through hydrogen bonding. Formation of the complex gave a significant fluorescence quenching which is suitable for signalling the occurrence of the host-guest interaction. At pH 3.50, the sensor exhibits a dynamic detection range from 2.5 × 10⁻⁶ to 7.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ with a limit of detection of 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. As 2,6-DNP can provide an optimal space geometry matches to the formation of hydrogen bonds, the sensor shows excellent selectivity for 2,6-DNP over other nitrophenols. The forward and reverse response time (t₉₅) of the sensor both was within 1 min. The repeatability, reproducibility, and lifetime of the sensor were also satisfied. The sensor was applied to determine 2,6-DNP in water samples successfully.     

Design of an optical sensor for ethylene based on nanofiber bacterial cellulose film and its application for determination of banana storage time

In this work, new ethylene gas sensor was developed on the basis of portable bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofiber film doped with KMnO₄ (K‐BC). The relationship between the concentration of KMnO₄ (8 × 10⁻³, 8 × 10⁻⁴, and 8 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹) and the optical and morphological properties of ethylene sensor was investigated. The Fourier‐transform infrared results showed that some new interactions have occurred between BC membrane and KMnO₄. The significant reduction in the relative intensity of the characteristic X‐ray diffraction peak of BC in the doped films clearly indicates that the crystalline fraction decreases as a result of KMnO₄ addition. The fabricated K‐BC was used for determination of ethylene concentration. The color, clarity, and absorbance of film at different concentrations of ethylene (10‐2000 μg mL⁻¹) were determined by spectrophotometer. Moisture absorption and water vapor permeability of BC were increased by the addition of KMnO₄. Finally, the ethylene optical sensor was used for detection and determination of ethylene concentration in the bunch banana packages.     

Application of a quartz crystal nanobalance and principal component analysis for the detection and determination of histidine

The aim of the present investigation was to develop a biosensor based on a quartz crystal nanobalance (QCN) for the detection of histidine (His). A thin layer of nickel was electrochemically deposited over the gold crystal electrode and exposed to H₂O₂ to form nickel oxide. The composite electrode was then used to determine His. The frequency shifts were linear with respect to the concentration of His in solution. His can be measured in the range of 100–2000 mg L⁻¹. A lower limit of detection of 48 mg L⁻¹ and a sensitivity factor of 0.0307 Hz/mg L⁻¹ was obtained. Some possible interferences were checked for, and the performance of the sensor was found to be unaffected by any interference except for those from arginine, cysteine and NaH₂PO₄. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to process the frequency response data of the single piezoelectric crystal at various times, considering the different adsorption–desorption dynamics of His and the interfering compounds. Over 85% of the variance in the data was explained by two principal components. A score plot of the data for the first two PCs showed that the modified QCN yields favorable identification and quantification performances for His and the interfering compounds.     

Greener analytical method for the determination of copper(II) in wastewater by micro flow system with optical sensor

Greener analytical method using micro flow system for the determination of Cu(II) in wastewater samples was designed and investigated. The micro flow system consisted of a planar glass chip with poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) top plate and fixed with fiber optic probe as optical sensor for monitoring of Cu(II) that reacted with 2-carboxy-2′-hydroxy-5′-sulfoformazyl benzene (zincon) on the chip at 605 nm. This design gave a satisfied sensitivity with a linear calibration graph over the range of 0.1-3.0 μg mL⁻¹ of Cu(II) and correlation coefficient 0.9991. The percentage relative standard deviation was 2.5 for 10-replicate measurements and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.1 μg mL⁻¹. This system has been successfully applied to the determination of Cu(II) in wastewaters from electroplating industry with less reagents and samples consumption and diminutive waste generation.     

Development of an optical fibre reflectance sensor for p-aminophenol detection based on immobilised bis-8-hydroxyquinoline

2,2′-(1,4-Phenylenedivinylene)bis-8-hydroxyquinoline (PBHQ), a highly sensitive reagent used for the colorimetric determination of p-aminophenol (PAP), was successfully immobilised on XAD-7 and coupled with optical fibres to investigate a sensor-based approach for determining p-aminophenol. The solid-state sensor is based on the reaction of PAP with PBHQ in presence of an oxidant to produce an indophenol dye. The reflectance measurements were carried out at a wavelength of 647 nm since it yielded the largest divergence different in reflectance spectra before and after reaction with the analyte. The linear dynamic range of PAP was found within the concentration range of 0.1-2.18 mg l⁻¹ with its LOD of 0.02 mg l⁻¹. The sensor response from different probes (n = 7) gave a R.S.D. of 4.4% at 1.09 mg l⁻¹ PAP concentration. The response time of the optical one-shot sensor was 5 min for a stable solution. As this PAP sensor is irreversible, a fresh sensor has to be used for each measurement. All the experimental parameters were optimized for the determination of PAP. Using the optical sensing probe, PAP in pharmaceutical wastewater and paracetamol was determined. The effect of potential interferences such as inorganic and organic compounds was also evaluated. Potential on-site determination of PAP with such sensors can indirectly aid detection of organo-phosphorus nerve agents and pesticides in the field by inhibition of acetylcholine esterase-catalyzed hydrolysis of p-aminophenyl acetate to p-aminophenol.     

Development of an optical chemical sensor based on 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-(diethylamino)phenol in Nafion for determination of nickel ion

An optical chemical sensor based on immobilization of 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-(diethylamino)phenol (Br-PADAP) in Nafion membrane is described. The membranes were cast onto glass substrates and were used for the determination of nickel in aqueous solutions by spectrophotometry. The sensor system is highly transparent, mechanically stable and showed no evidence of reagent leaching. The influence of several parameters such as pH, ligand concentration, and type and concentration of regenerating solution were optimized. The sensor system showed good sensitivity in the range 0.5-20 μg ml⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.3 μg ml⁻¹ Ni(II). The sensor has been incorporated into a home-made flow-through cell for determination of nickel in flowing streams with improved sensitivity, precision and detection limit. The calibration curve in the flow system was linear in the range 0.1-16 μg ml⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.07 μg ml⁻¹. The sensor is easily regenerated by dilute nitric acid solution. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of nickel content in vegetable oil and chocolate samples and the results were compared with those obtained using atomic absorption spectrometry.     

A flow injection method for the analysis of tetracycline antibiotics in pharmaceutical formulations using electrochemical detection at anodized boron-doped diamond thin film electrode

A method using flow injection (FI) with amperometric detection at anodized boron-doped diamond (BDD) thin films has been developed and applied for the determination of tetracycline antibiotics (tetracycline, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline and doxycycline). The electrochemical oxidation of the tetracycline antibiotics was studied at various carbon electrodes including glassy carbon (GC), as-deposited BDD and anodized BDD electrodes using cyclic voltammetry. The anodized BDD electrode exhibited well-defined irreversible cyclic voltammograms for the oxidation of tetracycline antibiotics with the highest current signals compared to the as-deposited BDD and glassy carbon electrodes. Low detection limit of 10 nM (signal-to-noise RATIO = 3) was achieved for each drug when using flow injection analysis with amperometric detection at anodized BDD electrodes. Linear calibrations were obtained from 0.1 to 50 mM for tetracycline and 0.5–50 mM for chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline and doxycycline. The proposed method has been successfully applied to determine the tetracycline antibiotics in some drug formulations. The results obtained in percent found (99.50–103.01%) were comparable to dose labeled.     

A nonenzymatic optical immunoassay strategy for detection of Salmonella infection based on blue silica nanoparticles

A novel nonenzymatic optical immunoassay strategy was for the first time designed and utilized for sensitive detection of antibody to Salmonella pullorum and Salmonella gallinarum (S. pullorum and S. gallinarum) in serum. The optical immunoassay strategy was based on blue silica nanoparticles (Blue-SiNps) and magnetic beads (MB). To construct such an optical immunoassay system, the Blue-SiNPs were first synthesized by inverse microemulsion method, characterized by SEM, Zeta potential and FTIR. Two nanostructures including Blue-SiNPs and MB were both functionalized with antibody against S. pullorum and S. gallinarum (anti-PG) without using enzyme labeled antibody. Anti-PG functionalized blue silica nanoparticles (IgG-Blue-SiNps) were used as signal transduction labels, while anti-PG functionalized magnetic beads (IgG-MB) were selected to separate and enrich the final sandwich immune complexes. In the process of detecting negative serum, a sandwich immunocomplex is formed between the IgG-MB and IgG-Blue-SiNPs. With the separation of the immunocomplex using an external magnetic field, the final plaque displayed bright blue color. While in the detection of infected serum, IgG-MB and anti-PG formed sandwich immunocomplexes, IgG-Blue-SiNPs were unable to bind to the limited sites of the antigen, and a light brown plaque was displayed in the bottom of microplate well. Stable results were obtained with an incubation time of 60 min at room temperature, and different colors corresponding to different results can be directly detected with naked eye. The reaction of IgG-Blue-SiNPs with S. pullorum was inhibited by 1:100 dilution of positive chicken serum. Such a simple immunoassay holds great potential as sensitive, selective and point-of-care (POC) tool for diagnosis of other biological molecules.     

A capacitive sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymers and poly(p-aminobenzene sulfonic acid) film for detection of pazufloxacin mesilate

A novel capacitive sensor for pazufloxacin mesilate (pazufloxacin) determination was developed by electropolymerizing p-aminobenzene sulfonic (p-ABSA) and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), which was synthesized through thermal radical copolymerization of metharylic acid (MAA) and ethyl-ene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) in the presence of pazufloxacin template molecules, on the gold electrode surface. Furthermore, 1-dedecanethiol was used to insulate the modified electrode. Alter-nating current (ac) impedance experiments were carried out with a Model IM6e to obtain the capaci-tance responses. Under the optimum conditions, the sensor showed linear capacitance response to pazufloxacin in the range of 5 ng·mL-1 to 5 μg·mL-1 with a relative standard deviation (RSD) 5.3% (n=7) and a detection limit of 1.8 ng·mL-1. The recoveries for different concentration levels of pazufloxacin samples varied from 94.0% to 102.0%. Electrochemical experiments indicated the capacitive sensor exhibited good sensitivity and selectivity and showed excellent parameters of regeneration and stabil-ity.     

A fluorometric sensing method for sensitive detection of trypsin and its inhibitor based on gold nanoclusters and gold nanoparticles

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry - In this work, a facile, label-free, and sensitive fluorometric strategy for detection of trypsin and its inhibitor was established on the basis of the...