Preparation of quantum dots encoded microspheres by electrospray for the detection of biomolecules

In this paper, a novel method based on the electrospray technique has been developed for preparation of quantum dot (QD)-encoded microspheres for the fist time. By electrospraying the mixture of polymer solution and quantum dots solution (single-color QDs or multi-color QDs), it is accessible to obtain a series of composite microspheres containing the functional nanoparticle. Poly(styrene-acrylate) was utilized as the electrospray polymer materials in order to obtain the microsphere modified with carboxyl group on the surface. Moreover, to test the performance of the QD-encoded microsphere in bioapplication, it is carried out that immunofluorescence analysis between antigens of mouse IgG immobilized on the functional microsphere and FITC labeled antibodies of goat-anti-mouse IgG in experiment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of QD-encoded microspheres prepared by electrospray technology. This technology can carry out the one-pot preparation of different color QD-encoded microspheres with multiple intensities. This technology could be also suitable for encapsulating other optical nanocrystals and magnetic nanoparticles for obtaining multifunctional microspheres. All of the results in this paper show that the fluorescence beads made by electrospray technique can be well applied in multiplex analysis. These works provide a good foundation to accelerate application of preparing microspheres by electrospray technique in practice.     

Facile synthesis of nanocrystal encoded fluorescent silica microspheres

Monodisperse CdTe composite microspheres with a spherical shape were prepared using organosilane chemicals in aqueous solution. CdTe nanocrystals (NCs) were loaded into the matrix of silica microspheres during the formation of composite microspheres. Detailed characterization of the CdTe composite microspheres by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and spectrofluorimeter was performed to elucidate the morphology and fluorescence of the composite microspheres. In contrast to CdTe NCs in aqueous solution, CdTe NCs in the composite microspheres revealed high stability and fluorescence due to the confined effects of silica matrix. In addition, multicolored CdTe QDs were encoded into the microspheres at precise ratios.     

Preparation and characterization of novel cyanate ester/epoxy resin microspheres

A novel kind of cyanate ester (CE)/epoxy resin microspheres have been synthesized using the polymerization technology of cyanate ester and epoxy resin in anhydrous ethanol media; surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate was used as an emulsifier, and imidazole was used as catalyst or curing agent. The morphologies, chemical structures, and thermal properties of microspheres were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy, optical microscope, differential scanning calorimeter, and thermogravimetric analyzer, respectively. The effects of process parameters such as the amount of imidazole and the weight ratio of epoxy resin to CE on the size and morphology of microsphere were discussed. Results indicate that the reactivity and surface morphology of microsphere can be adjusted by the amount of imidazole and the weight ratio of epoxy resin to CE. The prepared microsphere shows excellent thermal stability and good reactivity.     

低成本光镊装置在荧光定量检测中的应用

以国产正置显微镜为平台搭建简易可行的光镊装置,实现了对单个微球的二维捕获,并将其与荧光检测技术相结合,以性质优良的量子点(荧光发射波长605nm)为荧光标记物,建立了一种基于单个微球富集待测分子的高灵敏度高选择性的定量分析方法,实现了人乳头瘤病毒16的DNA的定量分析。     

Preparation of Fluorescent Thiol Group‐Functionalized Silica Microspheres for the Detection and Removal of Silver Ions in Aqueous Solutions

We demonstrate that silica microspheres can act as a sensitive fluorescent sensor and adsorbent of Ag⁺ in aqueous media. These thiol‐functionalized silica microspheres are doped with quantum dots (QDs) using organosilane chemistry in a one‐step preparation. Ligand exchange takes place between the thiolated organosilane and acid‐capped QDs, making the doping easy. Ag⁺ adsorption by the silica microspheres causes the decrease of fluorescence intensity of the QDs. The detection limit for Ag⁺ is found to be 10 μmol/L. The abundance of thiol groups on the surface of the microspheres could effectively remove Ag⁺ through strong interaction. When microspheres with a diameter of 1.1 μm are used as the adsorbents, the adsorption capacity for Ag⁺ reached 102 mg/g. This excellent adsorption ability is due to the abundance of thiol groups that act as the active sites, facilitating the adsorption of the massive metal ions on the surface of the microspheres. Furthermore, the adsorption isotherm data follows the Freundlich model. The structure and content of the silica microspheres were investigated by scanning and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and Raman analysis, and the fluorescence properties were characterized by fluorescence microscopy.     

Electrostatically tuned interactions in silica microsphere-polystyrene nanoparticle mixtures

We explore the generality of nanoparticle haloing as a novel colloidal stabilization mechanism in binary mixtures of silica microspheres and polystyrene nanoparticles. By selectively tuning their electrostatic interactions, both the initial microsphere stability and the role of nanoparticle additions are varied. Adsorption isotherm and zeta potential measurements indicate that highly charged nanoparticles exhibit a weak (haloing) association with negligibly charged microspheres, whereas they either strongly adsorb onto oppositely charged or are repelled by like-charged microsphere surfaces, respectively. Bulk sedimentation and confocal scanning fluorescence microscopy reveal that important differences in system stability emerge depending on whether the added nanoparticles serve as haloing, bridging, or depletant species.     

Multicolor quantum dot-encoded microspheres for the detection of biomolecules

The biocompatible semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have unique photophysical properties, which provide important advantages over organic dyes and lanthanide probes in fluorescence labeling applications. In this work, multicolor quantum QD-encoded microspheres have been prepared via the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly approach. Polystyrene microspheres of 3 μm diameter were used as templates for the deposition of different sized CdTe QDs/polyelectrolyte multilayers via electrostatic interactions. Two kinds of biofuntional multicolor microspheres with two different antibodies, anti-human IgG and anti-rabbit IgG were prepared. Human IgG and rabbit IgG can be detected as target antigens in the multiplexed fluoroimmunoassays. Furthermore, a novel microfluidic on-chip device was developed to detect two kinds of antigen-conjugated multicolor QD-encoded microspheres; the microspheres can be distinguished from each other based on their fluorescence signals.     

Efficient incorporation of quantum dots into porous microspheres through a solvent-evaporation approach

Quantum dot (QD)-encoded microspheres play an important role in suspension arrays by acting as supports for various reactions between biomolecules. With regard to QD-encoded microspheres utilized in suspension arrays, three key requirements are controllable size, abundant surface functional groups, and especially excellent fluorescence properties. In this paper, narrowly dispersed poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene-co-methylacrylic acid) (PSDM) microspheres with specific size, surface carboxyl groups, and porous structures were synthesized by seeded copolymerization. In order to improve the incorporation efficiency of QDs within microspheres, we developed a swelling-evaporation approach in which the swelling process was combined with gradual evaporation of the solvent and thus gradual concentration of QDs in the dispersion solution. This approach was demonstrated to be an efficient method for improving the fluorescence intensity of resultant microspheres compared with the use of swelling alone. Moreover, the porous structure was shown to aid the penetration of QDs into the interiors of the microspheres. Through this approach, microspheres encoded with either single or multiple wavelength-emitting QDs were fabricated effectively. The suspension immunoassays were then founded based on the QD-encoded microspheres, by coating mouse antihuman chorionic gonadotropin as the probe for goat antimouse IgG detection. The positive results determined by Luminex 100 and the low cytotoxicity of the QD-encoded microspheres demonstrated their great potential in suspension arrays.     

Multifunctional manganese carbonate microspheres with superparamagnetic and fluorescent properties: synthesis and biological application

Multifunctional manganese carbonate microspheres with superparamagnetic and fluorescent properties were fabricated and used as biological labels. The Fe(3)O(4)@MnCO(3) microspheres were synthesized by direct co-precipitation without any linker shell. The Fe(3)O(4)@MnCO(3) microspheres have uniform size distribution and rough surface, which provides a promising template for the assembly of polyelectrolytes (PEs) and CdTe quantum dots (QDs). A luminescent CdTe shell was observed in Fe(3)O(4)@MnCO(3)@PE-CdTe spheres by confocal fluorescence imaging. With excellent solubility in water and rough surfaces, the multifunctional microsphere offers a friendly microenvironment for immobilization of α-fetoprotein (AFP) antibodies (Ab(2)) to fabricate Fe(3)O(4)@MnCO(3)@PE-CdTe-Ab(2) architecture. By using the Fe(3)O(4) @MnCO(3)@PEs-CdTe-Ab(2) bioconjugate as a label, a promising and versatile platform for fluorescence imaging and electrochemical immunosensing of cancer biomarker AFP was developed. The prepared electrochemical immunosensor shows high sensitivity and selectivity with a detection limit of 0.3 pg mL(-1).     

Synthesis of polyphenol microsphere‐supported palladium complex and evaluation of its catalytic performance for Heck reaction

Polyphenol microspheres were prepared by template polymerization of phenol in the presence of horseradish peroxidase as bio‐enzyme catalyst and aqueous 1,4‐dioxane as solvent. The morphology of polyphenol microspheres thus obtained was observed with a scanning electron microscope. Further, polyphenol microspheres as obtained were loaded with palladium to generate polyphenol microsphere‐supported Pd complex. Resultant Pd complex catalyst supported by polyphenol microspheres was characterized by means of Fourier transformation infrared spectrometry, X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and its thermal stability was examined. Moreover, the catalytic activity of polyphenol microsphere‐supported Pd catalyst as synthesized for the Heck reactions of acrylic acid with aryl iodides was evaluated. Results indicate that the polyphenol microsphere as obtained has a diameter of about 500 nm. Polyphenol microsphere‐supported Pd catalyst, as synthesized, at a dosage of 0.37 mol% Pd, possesses good catalytic activity for the Heck reactions of acrylic acid with aryl iodides in air at a low temperature of 50°C, and it also exhibits catalytic activity for bromide and activated chlorobenzene. The polyphenol microsphere‐supported Pd complex has good thermal stability, and it can be readily separated and reused; the yield of the reaction of iodobenzene with acrylic acid remains at 82% after five recycle runs, showing promising potential as a catalyst for Heck reactions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

载有量子点的介孔二氧化硅微球的制备与性能研究

采用自组装方法制备了一种磁核/介孔二氧化硅壳的微球, 调节体系中C₁₈TMS的加入量可控制介孔硅球的比表面积; 并通过化学修饰的方法对介孔微球表面进行巯基功能化修饰. 利用巯基与量子点之间的相互作用可将一定尺寸的量子点吸附于介孔二氧化硅球的孔中, 令介孔微球具有荧光效应; 同时可以利用吸附不同粒径的量子点的荧光光谱对介孔二氧化硅微球孔径的大小进行近似考察.     

超小荧光二硫化钨量子点的水热合成及细胞成像应用

以钨酸钠和半胱氨酸为原料, 采用水热法一步合成了具有超小粒径(约2 nm)的二硫化钨荧光量子点(WS₂ QDs). 利用透射电子显微镜(TEM)、 荧光光谱、 X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、 红外光谱(FTIR)和X射线衍射光谱(XRD)对其进行了表征, 并考察了其稳定性和细胞毒性. 结果表明, 制备的WS₂ QDs具有水溶性好、 稳定性高和细胞毒性低的优点. 将此WS₂ QDs用于人乳腺癌细胞(MCF-7)的成像, 并通过溶酶体荧光探针进行共定位, 发现此WS₂ QDs可能借助溶酶体进入细胞内.     

Studies on Monodispersed Microspheres of Zinc Sulfide Doped with Mn^2＋

In this paper,zinc acetate,manganese acetate and thiacetamide are used as raw materials to successfully synthesize monodispersed ZnS:Mn2+ microspheres by using hydrothermal method and taking P123 surfactant as a template. The products were characterized by XRD,STEM,FT-IR and N2 adsorption-desorption. And the results show that the diameter of this microsphere is 1.0 μm or so,which is larger than that of ZnS microsphere without Mn2+ doping,and it has monodispersion,smooth surface and uniform size. The doping of Mn2+ does not obviously change the structure of monodispersed ZnS microsphere. The photoluminescence peak lies in a wide band ranging from 450 to 650 nm,and the microspheres emit orange light; with the increase of Mn2+ concentration,fluorescence intensity of ZnS:Mn2+ microsphere changes,and when the mole ratio of Mn2+:Zn2+ is 0.3:1,the fluorescence intensity is the strongest.     

Preparation of DNA-loaded polysulfone microspheres by liquid-liquid phase separation and its functional utilization

DNA-loaded polysulfone (PSf) microspheres were fabricated by means of a liquid-liquid phase separation technique. The porous microspheres were then used to remove DNA-binding intercalating materials--ethidium bromide, acridine orange, and endocrine disruptors. The DNA-loaded PSf microspheres are stable in water. The stability of the DNA-loaded microspheres and/or the release rate of DNA from the microspheres can be controlled by manipulating the microsphere structure. Increasing the polymer concentration, which causes lower porosity and smaller pores on the outer surface of the microspheres, led to increased stability of the microspheres and decreased release rate of DNA. Additionally, the drying temperature also affected the stability of the microspheres. The DNA-loaded PSf microspheres could effectively accumulate harmful DNA-intercalating pollutants and endocrine disruptors, such as ethidium bromide, acridine orange, biphenyl, dibenzofuran, and dibenzo-p-dioxin. The amount of pollutants removed by the microspheres is dependent on the amount of incorporated DNA and on the microsphere structure. The DNA-loaded microspheres have the potential to be used in environmental applications.     

Copolymer nanosphere encapsulated CdS quantum dots prepared by RAFT copolymerization: synthesis,characterization and mechanism of formation

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) quantum dots (QDs) encapsulated in block copolymer spheres were synthesized by an aqueous emulsion polymerization process. First, stable dispersions of CdS QDs in water were prepared using a polymer dispersant, either poly(acrylic acid) or a random copolymer having an average of ten acrylic acid and five butyl acrylate units. These polymer dispersants were prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. Then, the CdS QDs dispersed in water were encapsulated in a polystyrene shell using an emulsion polymerization process. Spectroscopic and microscopic techniques were used to characterize the resulting nanocomposites. Optical properties of QDs in polymer microspheres were investigated by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopic studies. Particle sizes of all CdS QD samples were calculated from absorption edges using Henglein's empirical curve. Transmission electron microscopy was used to determine the size and morphology of CdS QD samples. These observations were used to elucidate the mechanism of formation of the resulting well-defined polymer-encapsulated CdS nanoparticles.     

Cellphone-based detection platform for rbST biomarker analysis in milk extracts using a microsphere fluorescence immunoassay

Current contaminant and residue monitoring throughout the food chain is based on sampling, transport, administration, and analysis in specialized control laboratories. This is a highly inefficient and costly process since typically more than 99 % of the samples are found to be compliant. On-site simplified prescreening may provide a scenario in which only samples that are suspect are transported and further processed. Such a prescreening can be performed using a small attachment on a cellphone. To this end, a cellphone-based imaging platform for a microsphere fluorescence immunoassay that detects the presence of anti-recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) antibodies in milk extracts was developed. RbST administration to cows increases their milk production, but is illegal in the EU and a public health concern in the USA. The cellphone monitors the presence of anti-rbST antibodies (rbST biomarker), which are endogenously produced upon administration of rbST and excreted in milk. The rbST biomarker present in milk extracts was captured by rbST covalently coupled to paramagnetic microspheres and labeled by quantum dot (QD)-coupled detection antibodies. The emitted fluorescence light from these captured QDs was then imaged using the cellphone camera. Additionally, a dark-field image was taken in which all microspheres present were visible. The fluorescence and dark-field microimages were analyzed using a custom-developed Android application running on the same cellphone. With this setup, the microsphere fluorescence immunoassay and cellphone-based detection were successfully applied to milk sample extracts from rbST-treated and untreated cows. An 80 % true-positive rate and 95 % true-negative rate were achieved using this setup. Next, the cellphone-based detection platform was benchmarked against a newly developed planar imaging array alternative and found to be equally performing versus the much more sophisticated alternative. Using cellphone-based on-site analysis in future residue monitoring can limit the number of samples for laboratory analysis already at an early stage. Therewith, the entire monitoring process can become much more efficient and economical. Figure

Cellphone-based detection platform for rbST biomarker analysis in milk extracts using a microsphere fluorescence immunoassay     

Layer-by-layer assembled Fe3O4@C@CdTe core/shell microspheres as separable luminescent probe for sensitive sensing of Cu2+ ions

A novel multifunctional microsphere with a fluorescent CdTe quantum dots (QDs) shell and a magnetic core (Fe(3)O(4)) has been successfully developed and prepared by a combination of the hydrothermal method and layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly technique. The resulting fluorescent Fe(3)O(4)@C@CdTe core/shell microspheres are utilized as a chemosensor for ultrasensitive Cu(2+) ion detection. The fluorescence of the obtained chemosensor could be quenched effectively by Cu(2+) ions. The quenching mechanism was studied and the results showed the existence of both static and dynamic quenching processes. However, static quenching is the more prominent of the two. The modified Stern-Volmer equation showed a good linear response (R(2) = 0.9957) in the range 1-10 μM with a quenching constant (K(sv)) of 4.9 × 10(4) M(-1). Most importantly, magnetic measurements showed that the Fe(3)O(4)@C@CdTe core/shell microspheres were superparamagnetic and they could be separated and collected easily using a commercial magnet in 10 s. These results obtained not only provide a way to solve the embarrassments in practical sensing applications of QDs, but also enable the fabrication of other multifunctional nanostructure-based hybrid nanomaterials.     

Determination of individual microsphere properties by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

Capillary electrophoresis with postcolumn laser-induced fluorescence detection was used to individually detect 6.0, 1.0, 0.5, and 0.2 num diameter polystyrene microspheres and individually measure their electrophoretic mobility. The analysis of a nanoliter-size volume from a microsphere suspension results in an electropherogram characterized by several narrow spikes in a well-defined migration time window. Each spike is associated with one microsphere because, when one single microsphere is introduced into the capillary by micromanipulation, the electropherogram has only one spike in the same migration time window. The distributions of individual measurements resulting from an electropherogram were used to evaluate the reproducibility from run to run, observe the effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) added to the running buffer, and to investigate the origin of electrophoretic dispersion. As expected from the interactions between microspheres and SDS, the addition of this surfactant to the running buffer narrowed the range and shifted the average electrophoretic mobility to more negative values. After evaluating common sources of broadening in capillary electrophoresis, electrophoretic dispersion was attributed to microsphere heterogeneity. Unlike electropherograms displaying Gaussian-like profiles, the two-dimensional representations of the individual measurements provide a new alternative to evaluate and study electrophoretic-related properties of microspheres.     

A novel enzyme-mimic nanosensor based on quantum dot-Au nanoparticle@silica mesoporous microsphere for the detection of glucose

QD-Au NP@silica mesoporous microspheres have been fabricated as a novel enzyme-mimic nanosensor. CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were loaded into the core, and Au nanoparticles (NPs) were encapsulated in the outer mesoporous shell. QDs and Au NPs were separated in the different space of the nanosensor, which prevent the potential energy or electron transfer process between QDs and Au NPs. As biomimetic catalyst, Au NPs in the mesoporous silica shell can catalytically oxidize glucose as glucose oxidase (GOx)-mimicking. The resultant hydrogen peroxide can quench the photoluminescence (PL) signal of QDs in the microsphere core. Therefore the nanosensor based on the decrease of the PL intensity of QDs was established for the glucose detection. The linear range for glucose was in the range of 5–200 μM with a detection limit (3σ) of 1.32 μM.     

离子凝胶反应法制备壳聚糖/N,O-羧甲基壳聚糖微球

以一氯乙酸与壳聚糖反应形成N,O-羧甲基壳聚糖两性聚电解质,分光光度法测定其等电点IEP=2．86。以此两性聚电解质与壳聚糖可以在一定条件下形成微球,光学显微镜和电子显微镜测试表明,控制两种聚电解质配比可以制备不同粒径大小的微球,而超声功率对微球粒径的影响较小。红外光谱测试表明微球中N,O-羧甲基壳聚糖羧基以羧酸根形式存在,分光光度与电导法联合测定表明两种聚电解质以离子凝胶作用形成微球,其最佳制备条件为IEP（CM-CHITOSAN）〈pH〈pKa（CS）,在此较宽的pH值范围内微球可稳定存在。