Solution mixing and the emission of light in flow-cells for chemiluminescence detection

Constructing flow-through reactors for chemiluminescence detection by machining channels into polymer disks has enabled the exploration of new configurations and materials that can improve signal intensity beyond that attainable with the traditional coiled-tubing design. Several approaches to merge reactant solutions were examined: an intersection, chamber or deeper well in the centre of a serpentine configuration flow-cell (directly in front of a photomultiplier tube), or a confluence point outside the detection zone. For several analytically useful, rapid chemiluminescence reactions, the single-inlet flow-cell with external Y-piece was most suitable, but for others (such as KMnO(4)/Mn(II) with morphine, and [Ir(f-ppy)(2)BPS](-) with fluoroquinolones) the dual-inlet configuration provided greater signals. The introduction of central mixing zones with larger widths than the channel reduced the chemiluminescence response. The reversing turns of a serpentine channel promote efficient mixing and greater chemiluminescence intensities than a spiral channel, but increasing the sharpness of the turns created areas of poor solution flow and decreased the chemiluminescence response. Teflon disks impregnated with glass microspheres increased the chemiluminescence signals by 13%-17%, due to the greater reflection of stray light towards the photodetector.     

Fabrication of novel supramolecular hydrogels with high mechanical strength and adjustable thermosensitivity

An effective strategy was developed to fabricate the supramolecular hydrogels with high mechanical strength and adjustable thermosensitivity in aqueous systems, in which physical hydrogel precursors were first formed by the inclusion complexation of Pluronic F68/poly(epsilon-caprolactone) block copolymer end-capped with acryloyl groups with alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) and subsequently in situ UV photo-cross-linking was carried out. In this way, strong supramolecular hydrogels with elastic moduli greater than 100 000 Pa could be created, which is an order of magnitude higher than that previously achieved with related supramolecular hydrogels. Moreover, the stimuli-responsive property of these hydrogels could be tailored by changing the molar feed ratio of alpha-CD to the macromer. By X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analyses, the polypseudorotaxane structure of the inclusion complexes in as-obtained hydrogels was confirmed.     

新型三维可调共聚焦激光诱导荧光检测器的研制与评价

共聚焦结构是激光诱导荧光检测器(LIFD)中使用最广泛的光路结构之一,增强光路系统同轴精度和降低系统杂散光是降低仪器基线噪声水平、提高其信噪比(S/N)的两种有效手段。采用精密三维反光镜调节架和模块化设计光路系统,研制了一种高效液相色谱用高精度共聚焦激光诱导荧光检测器,对异硫氰酸荧光素(fluorescein isothiocyanate, FITC)的检出限为1×10~12 mol/L。基线噪声与漂移较改进前降低了一个数量级,分别达到8.0×10~3 mV和1.4×10~3 mV/h,且稳定性好,5×10~9 mol/L FITC样品连续5次进样分析的峰面积和峰高相对标准偏差(RSD)均小于0.5%。进一步用FITC衍生化生物胺对研制的检测器进行评价,检出限(S/N=3)达到0.01～0.02 nmol/L。新研制的LIFD噪声低、稳定性好、灵敏度高,适用于生物、食品和环境样品中痕量物质的分析。     

A novel microfluidic concept for bioanalysis using freely moving beads trapped in recirculating flows

There are only a few examples in which beads are employed for heterogeneous assays on microfluidic devices, because of the difficulties associated with packing and handling these in etched microstructures. This contribution describes a microfluidic device that allows the capture, preconcentration, and controlled manipulation of small beads (<6 microm) in etched microchannels using fluid flows only. The chips feature planar diverging and converging channel elements connected by a narrow microchannel. Creation of bi-directional liquid movement by opposing electro-osmotic and pressure-driven flows can lead to the generation of controlled recirculating flow at these elements. Small polymer beads can actually be captured in the controlled rotating flow patterns. The clusters of freely moving beads that result can be perfused sequentially with different solutions. A preliminary binding curve was determined for the reaction of streptavidin-coated beads and fluorescein-labelled biotin, demonstrating the potential of this bead-handling approach for bioanalysis.     

Preparation of novel silica-cadmium sulfide composite nanoparticles having adjustable void space by size-selective photoetching

The size-selective photoetching technique was used to control the size of a CdS nanoparticle inside a silica shell. With monochromatic light irradiation, the diffuse reflectance spectra of silica-coated CdS nanoparticles were blue-shifted, and the size of the resulting CdS nanoparticles incorporated in the silica shells was adjustable by varying the wavelength of irradiated light. TEM observation revealed that the original CdS nanoparticle seemed to be in close contact with the amorphous silica shell to leave almost no clearance, while the monochromatic light irradiation caused the decrease in the size of CdS particles, resulting in the formation of a void space between the photoetched CdS core particle and the silica shell. The average void spaces available in the shells were calculated to be ca. 1.4 and 2.4 nm with the irradiation at 514 and 458 nm, respectively. These results indicated that the size-selective photoetching technique enables the regulation of void space formed in the core-shell structure by choosing the wavelength of irradiation light.     

Devising an adjustable splitter for dual-column gas chromatography

A flow controlled adjustable splitter was configured from a Deans switch and employed in an automated dual column gas chromatographic (GC) system for analyzing mono-aromatic compounds. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), thermally desorbed from the sorbent trap, were split by the adjustable splitter onto two columns of different phases for separation and then detection by flame ionization detection (FID). Unlike regular splitters in which the split ratio is passively determined by the diameter and/or length of the connecting columns or tubing, the split ratio in our adjustable splitter is controlled by the auxiliary flow in the Deans switch. The auxiliary flow serves as a gas plug on either side of the column for decreasing the sample flow in one transfer line, but increasing the flow in the other. By adjusting the auxiliary flow and therefore the size of the gas plug, the split ratio can be easily varied and favorable to the side of no auxiliary gas. As an illustration, two columns, DB-1 and Cyclodex-B, were employed in this study for separating benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, denoted as BTEX, in particular the structural isomers of o-, m-, p-xylenes. This configuration demonstrates that BTEX cannot be fully separated with either column, but can be deconvoluted by simple algebra if dual columns are used with a splitter. The applicability of the proposed concept was tested by analyzing a gas standard containing BTEX at different split ratios and with various sample sizes, all leading to a constant ratio of m-xylene versus p-xylene.     

Biocompatible hydrogel for cartilage repair with adjustable properties

Synthesis of hydrogel at mild conditions is considered one most important challenge, especially if the hydrogel will be used for hosting bioactive materials or drugs. The procedure of hydrogel preparation should have no effect on the properties of the hosted materials. Hyaluronic acid (HA) was modified by adding dialdehyde groups to its structure to facilitate formation of hydrogel at very mild conditions. Dialdehyde HA (DHA) was prepared through oxidation of HA using sodium metaperiodate as oxidizing agent. The prepared DHA was characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and aldehyde content. A hydrogel was prepared using different chitosan/DHA molar ratio and fixed amount of glutaraldehyde at 25°C. The prepared hydrogel has tunable properties and pores size depending on the chitosan/DHA molar ratio. Sodium diclofenac was loaded on the hydrogel as a model drug. The hydrogel was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, swelling rate, gel fraction, drug release profile, and cytotoxicity. The results obtained indicated that the properties of the prepared hydrogel, including gelling time, gel fraction, swelling, pores size, and drug release profile are highly tuned depending on the chitosan/DHA molar ratio. The drug loading efficiency was in the range of 70% to 85%. The cytotoxicity results reveal that the prepared hydrogel has a very low toxicity in presence and absence of sodium diclofenac.     

2D models for MHD flows

A new model is proposed for low Rm MHD flows which remain turbulent even in the presence of a magnetic field. These flows minimize the Joule dissipation because of their tendency to become two-dimensional and, therefore to suppress all induction effects. However, some small three-dimensional effects, due to inertia and to the electric coupling between the core flow and the Hartmann layers, are present even within the core flow. This new model, which may be seen as an improvement of the Sommeria–Moreau 2D model, introduces this three-dimensionality as a small perturbation. It yields an equation for the average velocity over the magnetic field lines, whose solution agrees well with available measurements performed on isolated vortices.     

Helmholtz-Smoluchowski velocity for viscoelastic electroosmotic flows

Many biofluids such as blood and DNA solutions are viscoelastic and exhibit extraordinary flow behaviors, not existing in Newtonian fluids. Adopting appropriate constitutive equations these exotic flow behaviors can be modeled and predicted reasonably using various numerical methods. However, the governing equations for viscoelastic flows are not easily solvable, especially for electroosmotic flows where the streamwise velocity varies rapidly from zero at the wall to a nearly uniform velocity at the outside of the very thin electric double layer. In the present investigation, we have devised a simple method to find the volumetric flow rate of viscoelastic electroosmotic flows through microchannels. It is based on the concept of the Helmholtz-Smoluchowski velocity which is widely adopted in the electroosmotic flows of Newtonian fluids. It is shown that the Helmholtz-Smoluchowski velocity for viscoelastic fluids can be found by solving a simple cubic algebraic equation. The volumetric flow rate obtained using this Helmholtz-Smoluchowski velocity is found to be almost the same as that obtained by solving the governing partial differential equations for various viscoelastic fluids.     

双金属离子调控型镍钴氧化物纳米片用于非对称超级电容器

通过水热-煅烧两步法制备了系列镍钴氧化物（NCO）纳米片。通过改变前驱体溶液中的镍、钴离子物质的量之比,进而调控NCO纳米片中的过渡金属离子比例。NCO纳米片的晶相、形貌和结构利用X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜和X射线光电子能谱表征。此外,对NCO纳米片的电化学性能进行测试。结果表明,NCO-2（Ni_1.95Co₁O_x）纳米片在0.5 A·g^-1电流密度下,比电容为1 096.88 F·g^-1,且经过5 000次循环后具有78.26%的循环稳定性。以NCO-2为正极、活性碳为负极构成的非对称超级电容器,在功率密度为576 W·kg^-1时,能量密度为57.70 Wh·kg^-1。     

双金属离子调控型镍钴氧化物纳米片用于非对称超级电容器

通过水热-煅烧两步法制备了系列镍钴氧化物(NCO)纳米片。通过改变前驱体溶液中的镍、钴离子物质的量之比,进而调控NCO纳米片中的过渡金属离子比例。NCO纳米片的晶相、形貌和结构利用X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜和X射线光电子能谱表征。此外,对NCO纳米片的电化学性能进行测试。结果表明,NCO-2(Ni_1.95Co₁O_x)纳米片在0.5 A·g^-1电流密度下,比电容为1 096.88 F·g^-1,且经过5 000次循环后具有78.26%的循环稳定性。以NCO-2为正极、活性碳为负极构成的非对称超级电容器,在功率密度为576 W·kg^-1时,能量密度为57.70 Wh·kg^-1。     

Diffusion based analysis in a sheath flow microchannel: the sheath flow T-sensor

This paper describes a microfluidic channel that allows for diffusion-based analysis of adsorbing species without passivation of the channel surfaces. The sheath flow configuration was used to measure the diffusion coefficient of fluorescently labeled species from their spatial distribution within the microchannel by analyzing the derivative of the intensity profile at the interface between two distinct core fluids. Measurements for both a small molecule (rhodamine B) and an intermediate-sized protein (wheat germ agglutinin) were made, demonstrating the utility of the sheath flow T-sensor.     

Two simple and rugged designs for creating microfluidic sheath flow

A simple design capable of 2-dimensional hydrodynamic focusing is proposed and successfully demonstrated. In the past, most microfluidic sheath flow systems have often only confined the sample solution on the sides, leaving the top and bottom of the sample stream in contact with the floor and ceiling of the channel. While relatively simple to build, these designs increase the risk of adsorption of sample components to the top and bottom of the channel. A few designs have been successful in completely sheathing the sample stream, but these typically require multiple sheath inputs and several alignment steps. In the designs presented here, full sheathing is accomplished using as few as one sheath input, which eliminates the need to carefully balance the flow of two or more sheath inlets. The design is easily manufactured using current microfabrication techniques. Furthermore, the sample and sheath fluid can be subsequently separated for recapture of the sample fluid or re-use of the sheath fluid. Designs were demonstrated in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) using soft lithography and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) using micromilling and laser ablation.     

A three-dimensionally adjustable amperometric detector for microchip electrophoretic measurement of nitroaromatic pollutants

A microchip capillary electrophoresis (CE)–amperometric detection (AD) system has been fabricated by integrating a two-dimensionally adjustable CE microchip and an amperometric detection cell containing a one-dimensionally adjustable disc detection electrode in a Plexiglas holder. It facilitates the precise three-dimensional alignment between the channel outlet and the detection electrode without a complicated three-dimensional manipulator. The performance of this unique system was demonstrated by separating four nitroaromatic pollutants (nitrobenzene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and p-nitrobenzene). Factors influencing their separation and detection processes were examined and optimised. The four analytes have been well-separated within 120 s in a 75 cm long separation channel at a separation voltage of +2000 V using an electrophoretic separation medium containing 15 mM borax and 15 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (pH 9.2). Highly linear response is obtained for the four analytes over the range of 0–5 ppm with the detection limits ranging from 12 to 52 ppb. The present system demonstrated long-term stability and reproducibility with relative standard deviations of less than 5% for the peak current (n = 9). The new approach for the microchannel–electrode alignment should find a wide range of applications in other microfluidic analysis systems.     

A beveled tip sheath liquid interface for capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

A simple and durable sheath liquid interface for capillary zone electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (CZE-ESI-MS) has been developed. This interface utilized a beveled tip emitter and was found to be more sensitive than the conventional sheath liquid interface. The use of a beveled tip reduces the optimal flow rate and therefore decreases sample dilution. The interface utilized a 380 microm inner diameter and 400 microm outer diameter beveled tapered tip. Because of the large inner diameter and outer diameter of the tip, the interface is robust and can be easily implemented. The performance of this interface for CZE-ESI-MS and micelle electrokinetic capillary electrophoresis-electrospray-mass spectrometry, as demonstrated by the analysis of synthetic drugs and triazine mixtures, was significantly better than results obtained using a conventional sheath liquid interface.     

Supercooled micro flows and application for asymmetric synthesis

Supercooled micro flow in microchannels was demonstrated. In order to clarify fundamental properties of the supercooling state in microchannels, freezing temperature was measured in the microchannels having widths ranging from 70 microm to 300 microm. The freezing temperature decreased with decreasing width of the microchannel when the microchannel wall was chemically modified with octadecylsilane group. The lowest freezing temperature was observed as -28 degrees C for water in the 70 microm wide microchannel. By contrast, the freezing temperature was -15 degrees C and did not depend on width when a microchannel with a bare glass surface was used. Next, the freezing point was measured with flow rates ranging from 0.1 to 2.0 microl min(-1) and no dependence on flow rate was observed. Then, the supercooled micro flow was applied to an asymmetric reaction in micro two-phase flow of aqueous and CH2Cl2 phases. As expected from thermodynamic prediction, enantiomeric selectivity increased in the supercooled state of water.     

Laser array line source with adjustable period used for LGUS chemical corrosion detection

A novel optical arrangement to generate a laser array line source of laser-generated ultrasound based on two-beam interference is proposed. The arrangement simplifies the adjustment of the laser array source period by changing the intersection angle of two interference beams. The performance of the arrangement is illustrated through measurements of the surface acoustic wave generated by the nanosecond laser array line source in aluminum metal. The surface acoustic wave generated by the laser line array source has stronger directivity parallel to the direction of the line source. The intensity of the measured surface acoustic wave is higher than that generated by a laser spot source with the same incident energy. The optical arrangement generating the laser array line source will be particularly advantageous in laser-generated ultrasound systems used for chemical corrosion detection.