Development of a solid‐phase microextraction fiber by the chemical binding of graphene oxide on a silver‐coated stainless‐steel wire with an ionic liquid as the crosslinking agent

Graphene oxide was bonded onto a silver‐coated stainless‐steel wire using an ionic liquid as the crosslinking agent by a layer‐by‐layer strategy. The novel solid‐phase microextraction fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and Raman microscopy. A multilayer graphene oxide layer was closely coated onto the supporting substrate. The thickness of the coating was about 4 μm. Coupled with gas chromatography, the fiber was evaluated using five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (fluorene, anthracene, fluoranthene, 1,2‐benzophenanthrene, and benzo(a)pyrene) as model analytes in direct‐immersion mode. The main conditions (extraction time, extraction temperature, ionic strength, and desorption time) were optimized by a factor‐by‐factor optimization. The as‐established method exhibited a wide linearity range (0.5–200 μg/L) and low limits of determination (0.05–0.10 μg/L). It was applied to analyze environmental water samples of rain and river water. Three kinds of the model analytes were quantified and the recoveries of samples spiked at 10 μg/L were in the range of 92.3–120 and 93.8–115%, respectively. The obtained results indicated the fiber was efficient for solid‐phase microextraction analysis.     

Eco friendly synthesis of fluorescent carbon dots for the sensitive detection of ferric ions and cell imaging

This study established a ferric ion (Fe³⁺) detection method as a result of the fluorescence quenching effect of Fe³⁺ on carbon dots (CDs). Specifically, we proposed, a green microwave synthesis route towards fluorescent CDs that requires only the brewer’s spent grain as starting materials. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were performed to investigate the CDs characteristic: morphology, size distribution, functional groups, and composition, respectively. The experimental results, which were run under optimal experimental conditions, indicated that the fluorescence intensity and concentration of Fe³⁺ were within the desired linear range (0.3–7 μM). The detection limit of this assay towards Fe³⁺ was 95 nM. The proposed method showed significant selectivity with respect to interfering ions. We evaluated the potential application of this method with tap water, lake water and fetal bovine serum as real samples. Additionally, the CDs could be served as superior bioimaging probes in Hela cells as a result of their excellent optical stability and good biocompatibility. In a word, the present study provides a new idea for CDs derived from the waste of agricultural products for detecting food or environmental contaminants and cell imaging.     

Preparation,Bioactivities and Applications in Food Industry of Chitosan-Based Maillard Products: A Review

Chitosan, a biopolymer possessing numerous interesting bioactivities and excellent technological properties, has received great attention from scientists in different fields including the food industry, pharmacy, medicine, and environmental fields. A series of recent studies have reported exciting results about improvement of the properties of chitosan using the Maillard reaction. However, there is a lack of a systemic review about the preparation, bioactivities and applications in food industry of chitosan-based Maillard reaction products (CMRPs). The presence of free amino groups in chitosan allows it to acquire some stronger or new functional properties via the Maillard reaction. The present review aims to focus on the current research status of synthesis, optimization and structural identification of CMRPs. The applications of CMRPs in the food industry are also discussed according to their biological and technological properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial activities and inducing conformational changes of allergens in food. Some promising directions for future research are proposed in this review, aiming to provide theoretical guidance for the further development of chitosan and its derivatives.     

ABC三嵌段共聚物胶束从多间隔结构到多核结构转变的Monte Carlo模拟

采用Monte Carlo模拟方法研究了疏水-亲水-疏水(H-P-H)型ABC三嵌段共聚物在B嵌段的选择性溶剂中的自组装行为. 模拟结果表明, 通过调节A嵌段和C嵌段的疏水性和二者之间的不相容性, 体系中可以形成多种形貌各异的胶束. 根据胶束中疏水核结构的特点, 这些胶束大体上可以被分为多核型胶束和多间隔型胶束两种类型. 通过增强疏水嵌段的疏水性或降低A嵌段和C嵌段间的不相容性, H-P-H型ABC三嵌段共聚物胶束能够发生从多核型胶束向多间隔型胶束的转变. 进一步分析胶束中聚合物的链构象等微观结构信息发现, A嵌段和C嵌段间的排斥作用和疏水作用之间存在竞争关系, 而这种竞争关系是影响体系中形成多核型胶束还是多间隔型胶束的决定性因素.     

Highly Luminescent N‐Doped Carbon Quantum Dots as an Effective Multifunctional Fluorescence Sensing Platform

The doping of carbon quantum dots with nitrogen provides a promising direction to improve fluorescence performance and broaden their applications in sensing systems. Herein we report a one‐pot solvothermal synthesis of N‐doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) and the synthesis of a series of NCQDs with different nitrogen contents. The as‐prepared NCQDs were compared with carbon quantum dots (CQDs); the introduction of nitrogen atoms largely increased the quantum yield of NCQDs and highest emission efficiency is up to 36.3 %. The fluorescence enhancement may originate from more polyaromatic structures induced by incorporated nitrogen atoms and protonation of nitrogen atoms on dots. It was found that NCQDs can act as a multifunctional fluorescence sensing platform because they can be used to detect pH values, Ag^I, and Fe^III in aqueous solution. The fluorescence intensity of NCQDs is inversely proportional to pH values across a broad range from 5.0 to 13.5, which indicates that NCQDs can be devised as an effective pH indicator. Selective detection of Ag^I and Fe^III was achieved based on their distinctive fluorescence influence because Ag^I can significantly enhance the fluorescence whereas Fe^III can greatly quench the fluorescence. The quantitative determination of Ag^I can be accomplished with NCQDs by using the linear relationship between fluorescence intensity of NCQDs and concentration of Ag^I. The sensitive detection of H₂O₂ was developed by taking advantage of the distinct quenching ability of Fe^III and Fe^II toward the fluorescence of NCQDs. Cellular toxicity test showed NCQDs still retain low toxicity to cells despite the introduction of a great deal of nitrogen atoms. Moreover, bioimaging experiments demonstrated that NCQDs have stronger resistance to photobleaching than CQDs and more excellent fluorescence labeling performance.     

微波法制备还原氧化石墨烯负载Pt_3Co纳米合金(英文)

微波辐射法可以在数分钟内将高度分散的Pt3Co合金颗粒负载于还原氧化石墨烯表面上.表征结果发现,与传统的溶剂热法和浸渍法相比,微波法制备的催化剂中贵金属的利用率高,合金颗粒的分布均匀,组成可控,同时氧化石墨烯的再石墨化现象也得到有效地抑制.采用微波法制备的Pt3Co/RGO-MW催化剂在肉桂醛加氢反应中具有较高的活性和和产物选择性.Pt3Co/RGO-MW中每一个Pt原子在70℃的转化频率高达23.8 min-1.     

A General Strategy for Hollow Metal-Phytate Coordination Complex Micropolyhedra Enabled by Cation Exchange

The ability to incorporate functional metal ions (Mⁿ⁺) into metal–organic coordination complexes adds remarkable flexibility in the synthesis of multifunctional organic–inorganic hybrid materials with tailorable electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. We report the cation-exchanged synthesis of a diverse range of hollow Mⁿ⁺-phytate (PA) micropolyhedra via the use of hollow Co²⁺-PA polyhedral networks as templates at room temperature. The attributes of the incoming Mⁿ⁺, namely Lewis acidity and ionic radius, control the exchange of the parent Co²⁺ ions and the degree of morphological deformation of the resulting hollow micropolyhedra. New functions can be obtained for both completely and partially exchanged products, as supported by the observation of Ln³⁺ (Ln³⁺=Tb³⁺, Eu³⁺, and Sm³⁺) luminescence from as-prepared hollow Ln³⁺-PA micropolyhedra after surface modification with dipicolinic acid as an antenna. Moreover, Fe³⁺- and Mn²⁺-PA polyhedral complexes were employed as magnetic contrast agents.     

Anisotropic Protein Organofibers Encoded With Extraordinary Mechanical Behavior for Cellular Mechanobiology Applications

Hydrogels enable a variety of applications due to their dynamic networks, structural flexibility, and tailorable functionality. However, their mechanical performances are limited, specifically in the context of cellular mechanobiology. It is also difficult to fabricate robust gel networks with a long-term durability. Thus, a new generation of soft materials showing outstanding mechanical behavior for mechanobiology applications is highly desirable. We combined synthetic biology and supramolecular assembly to prepare elastin-like protein (ELP) organogel fibers with extraordinary mechanical properties. The mechanical performance and stability of the assembled anisotropic proteins are superior to other organo-/hydrogel systems. Bone-derived mesenchymal cells were introduced into the organofiber system for stem-cell lineage differentiation. This approach demonstrates the feasibility of mechanically strong and anisotropic organonetworks for mechanobiology applications and holds great potential for tissue-regeneration translations.     

Homogeneous,Low-volume,Efficient, and Sensitive Quantitation of Circulating Exosomal PD-L1 for Cancer Diagnosis and Immunotherapy Response Prediction

Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, but its efficacy is severely hindered by the lack of effective predictors. Herein, we developed a homogeneous, low-volume, efficient, and sensitive exosomal programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1, a type of transmembrane protein) quantitation method for cancer diagnosis and immunotherapy response prediction (HOLMES-Exo_PD-L1). The method combines a newly evolved aptamer that efficiently binds to PD-L1 with less hindrance by antigen glycosylation than antibody, and homogeneous thermophoresis with a rapid binding kinetic. As a result, HOLMES-Exo_PD-L1 is higher in sensitivity, more rapid in reaction time, and easier to operate than existing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based methods. As a consequence of an outstanding improvement of sensitivity, the level of circulating exosomal PD-L1 detected by HOLMES-Exo_PD-L1 can effectively distinguish cancer patients from healthy volunteers, and for the first time was found to correlate positively with the metastasis of adenocarcinoma. Overall, HOLMES-Exo_PD-L1 brings a fresh approach to exosomal PD-L1 quantitation, offering unprecedented potential for early cancer diagnosis and immunotherapy response prediction.     

Synthesis of Z-scheme g-C3N4 nanosheets/Ag3PO4 photocatalysts with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance for the degradation of tetracycline and dye

Graphene-like C3N4/Ag3PO4 photocatalysts are synthesized by calcination and solutions precipitating method.The obtained g-C3N4/Ag3PO4 composites display excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene orange(MO),rhodamine B(RhB)and tetracycline(TC)under visible light irradiation.The solutions containing RhB(10 mg/L)and MO(10 mg/L)can be efficiently degraded within15 min and 30 min.Especially,nearly 80%of TC(50 mg/L)is degraded within 20 min.which are much better than those of pure g-C3N4 nanosheets and Ag3PO4,implying that strong interaction and reasonable energy band alignment in the contact interface can effectively transfer the carries.Furthermore,the g-C3N4/Ag3PO4 composites exhibit the improved stability,and only a slight decrease is observed after three recycling runs.Moreover,the impact of inorganic ions and PH values on the degradation performance is rather small.The Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism of the g-C3N4/Ag3PO4 composites based on the active species trapping experimental is proposed.This work demonstrates the promising applications of the g-C3N4/Ag3PO4 composites in environmental issues.