Pharmaceuticals in biota in the aquatic environment: analytical methods and environmental implications

The presence of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment is an ever-increasing issue of concern as they are specifically designed to target specific metabolic and molecular pathways in organisms, and they may have the potential for unintended effects on nontarget species. Information on the presence of pharmaceuticals in biota is still scarce, but the scientific literature on the subject has established the possibility of bioaccumulation in exposed aquatic organisms through other environmental compartments. However, few studies have correlated both bioaccumulation of pharmaceutical compounds and the consequent effects. Analytical methodology to detect pharmaceuticals at trace quantities in biota has advanced significantly in the last few years. Nonetheless, there are still unresolved analytical challenges associated with the complexity of biological matrices, which require exhaustive extraction and purification steps, and highly sensitive and selective detection techniques. This review presents the trends in the analysis of pharmaceuticals in aquatic organisms in the last decade, recent data about the occurrence of these compounds in natural biota, and the environmental implications that chronic exposure could have on aquatic wildlife.     

Alginate-enfolded copper hexacyanoferrate graphene oxide granules for adsorption of low-concentration cesium ions from aquatic environment

Alginate-enfolded copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) graphene oxide granules (CGAGs) were prepared and showed excellent mechanical strength and water-swelling resistance. The maximum adsorption capacity was 50.5 mg/g. The distribution coefficient reached the maximum at pH 5.0, and was almost unaffected by the coexisted metal ions (K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, less than 20 mg/L). With the flow rate of 1.2 mL/min and the feed concentration of 20 mg/L, the efficiency of the fixed-bed column was calculated as 60.6%. These results suggested that CGAGs could be an alternative adsorbent for removing low-concentration cesium from the contaminated potable water and surface water so on.

     

Computational studies for reduced graphene oxide in hydrogen-rich environment

We employ molecular dynamic simulations to study the reduction process of graphene oxide (GO) in a chemically active environment enriched with hydrogen. We examine the concentration and pressure of hydrogen gas as a function of temperature in which abstraction of oxygen is possible with minimum damage to C-sp(2) bonds, hence preserving the integrity of the graphene sheet. Through these studies we find chemical pathways that demonstrate beneficiary mechanisms for the quality of graphene including formation of water as well as suppression of carbonyl pair holes in favor of hydroxyl and epoxide formation facilitated by hydrogen gas in the environment.     

Evaluation of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide in the immobilization of laccase enzyme and its application in the determination of dopamine

Bioelectrodes were developed based on a simple deposition of graphene oxide (GO) or reduced graphed oxide (rGO) and laccase (Lac) on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode surface. The morphology and electrochemical behavior of the biosensors were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry. These results demonstrated that only rGO was successfully applied for the immobilization of the laccase enzyme, improving the analytical signal for the determination of dopamine. The GC/rGO/Lac biosensor was applied to the detection of dopamine in synthetic urine and plasmatic serum samples, achieving a detection limit of 91.0 nmol L^?1.     

The reduction of graphene oxide by elemental copper and its application in the fabrication of graphene supercapacitor

In this work, graphene oxide (GO) was directly reduced by copper to reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and formed a highly uniform RGO film on copper foil or copper-modified titanium (Ti) substrate. The characterization of as-prepared RGO film by FTIR and XRD indicated that GO was partially reduced by copper while some oxygen-containing groups still remained. The conductivity of the RGO film was improved from 3.76?×?10³ to 2.98?×?10⁴ S/m after it was further electrochemically reduced due to the removal of additional oxygen groups. The graphene supercapacitor prepared with this method exhibited better performances in a neutral aqueous electrolyte compared with that reported for graphene electrodes prepared by other fabrication methods.     

Synthesis of reduced graphene oxide and its electrocatalytic properties

The method of the chemical synthesis of reduced graphene oxide was developed. Sodium hypophosphite and sulfi te were used as reducing agents. The formation of reduced graphene oxide was confi rmed by several methods. Volt-ampere characteristics of electrodes based on reduced graphene oxide were investigated in an experimental model of an oxygen fuel cell with an alkaline electrolyte. Characteristics of oxygen electrodes based on reduced graphene oxide were stable over semiannual tests. The resulting reduced graphene oxide is a promising material for oxygen electrodes of chemical current sources.     

石墨烯/还原氧化石墨烯/聚苯胺复合材料的制备及在超级电容器中的应用

本研究以低成本、易规模化的亲水性石墨烯/氧化石墨烯为前驱体,通过原位聚合的方法制备石墨烯/氧化石墨烯/聚苯胺复合材料,经过化学还原后制备得到石墨烯/还原氧化石墨烯/聚苯胺复合材料.采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和傅里叶红外变化光谱仪(FT-IR)对制备的材料进行了结构和形貌的表征.运用循环伏安法...     

磁性氧化石墨烯的制备及其在环境水样中7种内分泌干扰物检测中的应用

制备了十二胺修饰的磁性氧化石墨烯纳米材料并将其用于磁固相萃取。在对磁固相萃取材料合成与萃取条件以及液相色谱分离等条件进行优化的基础上,建立了磁固相萃取与高效液相色谱-紫外检测对环境水样中7种内分泌干扰物的分析方法。该方法对雌酮、雌二醇、雌三醇、双酚A、17α-乙炔基雌二醇、己烷雌酚和雄烯二酮7种内分泌干扰物的检出限在0.10～0.23 nmol/L之间。将该方法分别应用于废水样品和湖水样品的加标回收试验,回收率在73.9%～112.9%和74.9%～114.7%之间。该方法操作简便,分析成本较低,可为环境水体中内分泌干扰物的分析提供技术支持。     

Hyperbranched polytriazine grafted reduced graphene oxide and its application

In this article, cyanuric chloride (CC) and hexamethylenediamine (HMD) as raw material, the grafting of hyperbranched polytriazine onto reduced graphene oxide surface (HBP‐RGO) was achieved by the repeated nucleophilic substitution between chlorine groups of CC and amino groups of HMD, respectively. The Fourier transform infrared, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic, Raman, transmission electron microscopic, thermogravimetric, and atomic force microscopic analysis showed that HBP‐RGO had been successfully prepared and the HBP had a dendritic structure on the surface of RGO. And then, the HBP‐RGO was added into polystyrene (PS) and the HBP‐RGO/PS composite was prepared by solution mixing. The micro‐morphology, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity of RGO/PS and HBP‐RGO/PS composites were characterized and compared. The scanning electron microscopic analysis showed that the HBP‐RGO can uniformly disperse in PS. Meanwhile, the HBP‐RGO/PS composite showed good thermal stability and electrical conductivity, the percolation threshold of the composites is low as 0.32 vol %. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 2132–2140     

Electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide and its electrochemical capacitive performance

A convenient method for the production of graphene is developed using the electrochemical reduction of graphite oxide (GO) in solution without assembling it onto the electrode. The samples were examined by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that the number of oxygen functional groups can be significantly decreased. The electrochemical capacitance of the prepared graphene after 8 h of reduction is 158.5 F g^?1 at 0.5 A g^?1, much higher than that of GO and carbon nanotubes. The mechanism for this reaction is also proposed in this paper.     

Features of the reduction of graphene from graphene oxide

Features of the reduction of graphene from graphene oxide in media containing hydrazine hydrate, ethylene glycol, and hydrogen are studied. X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy data indicate that this process proceeds through the high-temperature annealing of graphene oxide in a hydrogen environment.     

氧化石墨烯和石墨烯在催化领域中的应用研究进展

石墨烯具有独特的二维平面结构,其导电性能好,比表面积大,耐酸碱,耐高温.基于石墨烯的优异特性,本文作者从材料的合成和结构等方面对石墨烯基催化剂的研制及其催化性能进行了评述.介绍了石墨烯催化体系的类型和机理,对石墨烯催化中存在的问题进行了简单分析,并对石墨烯在催化领域的应用前景进行了展望.     

Ecotoxicity and analysis of nanomaterials in the aquatic environment

Nanotechnology is a major innovative scientific and economic growth area. However nanomaterial residues may have a detrimental effect on human health and the environment. To date there is a lack of quantitative ecotoxicity data, and recently there has been great scientific concern about the possible adverse effects that may be associated with manufactured nanomaterials. Nanomaterials are in the 1- to 100-nm size range and can be composed of many different base materials (carbon, silicon and metals, such as gold, cadmium and selenium) and they have different shapes. Particles in the nanometer size range do occur both in nature and as a result of existing industrial processes. Nevertheless, new engineered nanomaterials and nanostructures are different because they are being fabricated from the “bottom up”. Nanomaterial properties differ compared with those of the parent compounds because about 40–50% of the atoms in nanoparticles (NPs) are on the surface, resulting in greater reactivity than bulk materials. Therefore, it is expected that NPs will have different biological effects than parent compounds. In addition, release of manufactured NPs into the aquatic environment is largely an unknown. The surface properties and the very small size of NPs and nanotubes provide surfaces that may bind and transport toxic chemical pollutants, as well as possibly being toxic in their own right by generating reactive radicals. This review addresses hazards associated and ecotoxicological data on nanomaterials in the aquatic environment. Main weaknesses in ecotoxicological approaches, controversies and future needs are discussed. A brief discussion on the scarce number of analytical methods available to determinate nanomaterials in environmental samples is included.     

A nickel oxide nanoflakes/reduced graphene oxide composite and its high-performance lithium-storage properties

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Since conventional graphite-based anode possesses a low capacity, seeking for high-capacity anode candidates becomes significant for constructing emerging...     

Coagulation in the aquatic environment: Theory and practice

The recent inundation of the literature with papers reporting advances in the study of particle collisions and coalescence may have caused bewilderment to the student of coagulation. A systematic outline of the state-of-the-art in coagulation modeling Is a particular need for one who wishes to use coagulation models for practical applications, such as the environmental scientist simulating the dynamics of particulate suspensions in waters and wastewaters. This paper provides such a detailed presentation of the current trends in coagulation modeling.The three modes of coagulation modeling — the direct simulation of particle collisions, the numerical solution of the kinetic coagulation equation and the exact Monte Carlo simulation of particle collisions — are presented and their merits and uses evaluated through the selective presentation of relevant applications. It is stressed that these three simulation modes are complimentary rather than competitive. The discussion focuses also on some special features of flocculent suspensions found in waters and wastewaters which present unique problems in coagulation modeling.     

Dispersion of graphene oxide and its flame retardancy effect on epoxy nanocomposites

Graphene oxide was prepared by ultrasonication of completely oxidized graphite and used to improve the flame retardancy of epoxy.The epoxy/graphene oxide nanocomposite was studied in terms of exfoliation/dispersion,thermal stability and flame retardancy.X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the exfoliation of the graphene oxide nanosheets in epoxy matrix.Cone calorimeter measurements showed that the time to ignition of the epoxy/graphene oxide nanocomposite was longer than that of neat epoxy.The heat release rate curve of the nanocomposite was broadened compared to that of neat epoxy and the peak heat release rate decreased as well.     

氧化石墨烯浓度对还原氧化石墨烯/ZnS电化学性能的影响

以氧化石墨烯(GO)、乙酸锌(Zn(CH₃COO)₂)和硫脲为原料,采用水热法成功制备了还原氧化石墨烯/ZnS(rGO/ZnS)复合材料,并将该材料用作锂离子电池负极。高导电性的 rGO可以为锂离子和电子的传输提供有效的路径,ZnS可以提供较高的理论比容量。rGO/ZnS复合材料在rGO与纳米级高度分散的类球形ZnS颗粒协同作用下展现了较好的嵌锂容量和循环性能。当GO质量浓度为2 mg·mL^-1时制备的rGO/ZnS复合材料的倍率性能最好,循环稳定性最佳。     

氧化石墨烯浓度对还原氧化石墨烯/ZnS电化学性能的影响

以氧化石墨烯(GO)、乙酸锌(Zn(CH₃COO)₂)和硫脲为原料,采用水热法成功制备了还原氧化石墨烯/ZnS(rGO/ZnS)复合材料,并将该材料用作锂离子电池负极。高导电性的 rGO可以为锂离子和电子的传输提供有效的路径,ZnS可以提供较高的理论比容量。rGO/ZnS复合材料在rGO与纳米级高度分散的类球形ZnS颗粒协同作用下展现了较好的嵌锂容量和循环性能。当GO质量浓度为2 mg·mL^-1时制备的rGO/ZnS复合材料的倍率性能最好,循环稳定性最佳。