Demei Tian

Single Nanochannel Platform for Detecting Chiral Drugs

Chiral drugs play an essential role in medical and biochemical systems, and thus enantioselective analysis of chiral molecules has become a central focus in chemical, biological, medical, and pharmaceutical research. The design of chiral drug-detecting systems is a long-term and challenging task. Here we report the use of a modification-free nanochannel method for enantioselective recognition of S-naproxen from R-naproxen using N-acetyl-l-cysteine-capped gold nanoparticles as a chiral selector. The chiral discrimination is based on a drug-induced nanoparticle diastereoselective aggregation mechanism that blocks ion transport through the nanochannel. We demonstrated that high S-Npx selectivity in both water and biological samples can be achieved. This simple method has potential applications as a general platform for the detection of chiral molecules.

Highly sensitive chiral recognition of amino propanol in serum with R-mandelic acid-linked calix[4]arene modified graphene

Highly sensitive recognition of important chiral bioactive substances in complex biological fluids is a great challenge. An efficient chiral discrimination system for amino propanol enantiomers is reported based on R-mandelic acid calix[4]arene (FC4D) clicked graphene. Notably, taking advantages of both the functional calixarene and graphene, the proposed FC4D–G demonstrates extremely high sensitivity and selectivity toward the recognition of amino propanol enantiomers, with a detection limit at the nM level in a serum sample. More important, a visible macroscopic chirality-responsive wettability variation was also realized in this study.

Recent progress of calixarene-based fluorescent chemosensors towards mercury ions

In recent years, calixarene-based fluorescent chemosensors for mercury(II) are mushroom growth because of its intrinsic sensitivity. The design of the highly selective calixarene-based chemosensors towards mercury(II) is still a challenging task. In this paper, the progress of highly selective fluorescent sensor for mercury(II) based on calixarene derivatives is reviewed according to a mono-fluorophore chemosensor and a bi-fluorophore chemosensor. Some new developments such as calixarene-modified nanoparticles are also covered.

Cu2+ Ion Responsive Solvent‐Free Quantum Dots

Three quantum dots (QDs) nanofluids modified with different lengths of PEG chainsare synthesized, and the property-structure relationship of QDs nanofluids is established, to achieve QDs nanofluids with tunable fluidic or optical performance. Notably, the proposed QDs nanofluids demonstrate a selective response towards Cu(2+)-based on both fluorescence and contact angle.

A biomimetic chiral-driven ionic gate constructed by pillar[6]arene-based host–guest systems

Inspired by glucose-sensitive ion channels, herein we describe a biomimetic glucose-enantiomer-driven ion gate via the introduction of the chiral pillar[6]arene-based host–guest systems into the artificial nanochannels. The chiral nanochannels show axa0high chiral-driven ionic gate for glucose enantiomers and can be switched “off” by d-glucose and be switched “on” by l-glucose. Remarkably, the chiral nanochannel also exhibited a good reversibility toward glucose enantiomers. Further research indicates that the switching behaviors differed due to the differences in binding strength between chiral pillar[6]arene and glucose enantiomers, which can lead to the different surface charge within nanochannel. Given these promising results, the studies of chiral-driven ion gates may not only give interesting insight for the research of biological and pathological processes caused by glucose-sensitive ion channels, but also help to understand the origin of the high stereoselectivity in life systems.Uptake and release of glucose is regulated by glucose-sensitive ion channels, but complexity of the system impedes investigation of the gating behavior under physiological conditions. Here the authors use a pillararene based artificial ion channel to mimic and investigate chirality driven switching of a glucose ion channel.