Cu-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles for Non-Enzymatic Glucose Sensing

Copper-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (NPs) Cu_xZn_1−xO (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, and 0.04) were synthesized via a sol-gel process and used as an active electrode material to fabricate a non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor for the detection of glucose. Their structure, composition, and chemical properties were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies, and zeta potential measurements. The electrochemical characterization of the sensors was studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Cu doping was shown to improve the electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of glucose, which resulted from the accelerated electron transfer and greatly improved electrochemical conductivity. The experimental conditions for the detection of glucose were optimized: a linear dependence between the glucose concentration and current intensity was established in the range from 1 nM to 100 μM with a limit of detection of 0.7 nM. The proposed sensor exhibited high selectivity for glucose in the presence of various interfering species. The developed sensor was also successfully tested for the detection of glucose in human serum samples.     

Fragmentation dynamics of ammonia cluster ions after single photon ionisation

A reflecting time of flight mass spectrometer (RETOF) is used to study unimolecular and collision induced fragmentation of ammonia cluster ions. Synchrotron radiation from the BESSY electron storage ring is used in a range of photon energies from 9.08 up to 17.7 eV for single photon ionisation of neutral clusters in a supersonic beam. The threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence technique (TPEPICO) is used to define the energy initially deposited into the cluster ions. Metastable unimolecular decay (µs range) is studied using the RETOF's capacity for energy analysis. Under collision free conditions the by far most prominent metastable process is the evaporation of one neutral NH₃ monomer from protonated clusters (NH₃) _{n ? 2}NH ₄ ⁺ . Abundance of homogeneous vs. protonated cluster ions and of metastable fragments are reported as a function of photon energy and cluster size up ton=10.     

Multicomponent polymer coating to block photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticles

Chemical grafting of anti-oxidant molecules with an additional hydrophobic polymer coating directly onto TiO(2) particle surfaces, using sonochemistry, is found to eliminate photocatalytic degradation enabling highly effective screening against UV radiation.     

Controlled pinewood fractionation with supercritical ethanol: A prerequisite toward pinewood conversion into chemicals and biofuels

The objective of this work was to investigate the ability of supercritical (SC) ethanol conditions to attack preferentially the lignin fraction against the carbohydrate fraction and their effects on the product distribution among gases, light products, bio-oils, and chars. In this study, the conversion of each pinewood component was determined by the analysis of solid residues to quantify cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and char contents. It is shown that, by tuning the temperature, hemicellulose and lignin are already transformed in subcritical ethanol conditions, lignin being more reactive than hemicellulose. In contrast, native wood cellulose is recalcitrant to liquefaction in SC ethanol near the critical point (T_c = 241 °C and P_c = 61 bar), but 20% of native wood cellulose is converted in SC ethanol at 280 °C. Besides, the severity of the conditions, in terms of temperature and treatment time, does not significantly influence the yields of gases, light products, and bio-oils but strongly enhances char formation. Interestingly, the increase in SC ethanol density does not change the conversion of biomass components but has a marked effect on bio-oil yield and prevents char formation. The optimum fractionation conditions to convert the lignin component, while keeping unattacked the cellulose fraction with a minimum formation of char, are dense SC ethanol, at 250 °C for 1 h, in batch conditions. However, although lignin is more reactive than hemicellulose under these conditions, these fractions are converted, in a parallel way, to around 50% and 60%, respectively.     

Control of vortex breakdown in a closed cylinder with a rotating lid

The flow within a closed cylinder with a rotating lid is considered as a prototype for fundamental studies of vortex breakdown. Numerical simulations for various parameter values have been carried out to reproduce the known effect of a thin rotating rod positioned along the center axis as well as analyze the influence of local vorticity sources. As expected, the results show that the breakdown bubbles in the steady axisymmetric flow can be affected dramatically, i.e., fully suppressed or significantly enhanced, by rotating the rod. The main contribution of this article is to show that the observed behavior can be explained by the vorticity generated by the rod locally near the rotating lid and near the fixed lid, as analogous behavior is caused by the introduction of local vorticity sources in the flow without a rod. Moreover, we describe the influence on the breakdown bubbles of the vorticity sources by an analytical model. In addition to improving our understanding, this finding should also open the door to other types of flow control devices capable of generating localized vorticity.     

Development and validation of two LC-MS/MS methods for the detection and quantification of amphetamines, designer amphetamines, benzoylecgonine, benzodiazepines, opiates, and opioids in urine using turbulent flow chromatography

In the context of driving ability diagnostics in Germany, administrative cutoffs for various drugs and pharmaceuticals in urine have been established. Two liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry methods for simultaneous detection and quantification of amphetamines, designer amphetamines, benzoylecgonine, benzodiazepines, opiates, and opioids in urine were developed and validated. A 500-μL aliquot of urine was diluted and fortified with an internal standard solution. After enzymatic cleavage, online extraction was performed by an ion-exchange/reversed-phase turbulent flow column. Separation was achieved by using a reversed-phase column and gradient elution. For detection, a Thermo Fisher TSQ Quantum Ultra Accurate Mass tandem mass spectrometer with positive electrospray ionization was used, and the analytes were measured in multiple-reaction monitoring mode detecting two transitions per precursor ion. The total run time for both methods was about 15 min. Validation was performed according to the guidelines of the Society of Toxicological and Forensic Chemistry. The results of matrix effect determination were between 78 % and 116 %. The limits of detection and quantification for all drugs, except zopiclone, were less than10?ng/mL and less than 25 ng/mL, respectively. Calibration curves ranged from 25 to 200 ng/mL for amphetamines, designer amphetamines, and benzoylecgonine, from 25 to 250 ng/mL for benzodiazepines, from 12.5 to 100 ng/mL for morphine, codeine, and dihydrocodeine, and from 5 to 50 ng/mL for buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine. Intraday and interday precision values were lower than 15 %, and bias values within?±?15 % were achieved. Turbulent flow chromatography needs no laborious sample preparation, so the workup is less time-consuming compared with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry methods. The methods are suitable for quantification of multiple analytes at the cutoff concentrations required for driving ability diagnostics in Germany.     

Synthesis and properties of a functionalized heterobimetallic Re(I)–Gd(III) complex as a potential dual-contrast agent for molecular imaging

In the design of dual-imaging probes, the first functionalized and neutral heterobimetallic Re(I)–Gd(III) complex, highly soluble in aqueous solutions, has been prepared. This system exhibits interesting photophysical properties (λ_em = 578 nm, ? = 1.4%) for optical imaging and substantial higher relaxivity (r₁ = 6.6 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 0.47 T and 37 °C) than the clinically used MRI contrast agents. Moreover, this system incorporates an aromatic ester functionality suitable for bioconjugation.