Dongyue Lin

Sea-urchin-like Fe3O4@C@Ag particles: an efficient SERS substrate for detection of organic pollutants

Ag-coated sea-urchin-like Fe3O4@C core-shell particles can be synthesized by a facile one-step solvothermal method, followed by deposition of high-density Ag nanoparticles onto the carbon surface through an in situ growth process, respectively. The as-synthesized Ag-coated Fe3O4@C particles can be used as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate holding reproducible properties under an external magnetic force. The magnetic function of the particles allows concentrating the composite particles into small spatial regions, which can be exploited to decrease the amount of material per analysis while improving its SERS detection limit. In contrast to the traditional SERS substrates, the present Fe3O4@C@Ag particles hold the advantages of enrichment of organic pollutants for improving SERS detection limit and recycled utilization.

Ultrasensitive optical detection of trinitrotoluene by ethylenediamine-capped gold nanoparticles.

This study found that 1,2-ethylenediamine (EDA) as a primary amine could be modified onto the surface of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), and the EDA-capped Au NPs were successfully used as an ultrasensitive optical probe for TNT detection. The strong donor-acceptor (D-A) interactions between EDA and trinitrotoluene (TNT) at the Au NP/solution interface induced significant aggregation of the EDA-capped Au NPs, and enabled to easily realize the direct colorimetric detection of ultratrace TNT. The results showed that such a color change was readily seen by the naked eye, and the colorimetric detection could be down to 400 pM level of TNT with excellent discrimination against other nitro compounds. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy was used to examine the TNT-induced changes in local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of EDA-capped Au NPs, and a new LSPR band at ca. 630 nm arose along with the addition of TNT, which produced a detection limit of TNT down to ca. 40 pM. Furthermore, dynamic light scattering measurements evidenced the ultratrace TNT-induced small changes in the size of the EDA-capped Au NPs, and realized the quick and accurate detection of TNT in 0.4 pM level. These results demonstrated the ultrahigh sensitivity of this optical probe for TNT detection. Moreover, this optical probe is sample, stable, low-cost, and these excellent properties make it quite promising for infield and rapid detection of TNT.

Cetylpyridinium Chloride Activated Trinitrotoluene Explosive Lights Up Robust and Ultrahigh Surface‐Enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering in a Silver Sol

Surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) is not realized for most molecules of interest. Here, we developed a new SERRS platform for the fast and sensitive detection of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), a molecule with low Raman cross section. A cationic surfactant, cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) was modified on the surface of silver sols (CP-capped Ag). CPC not only acts as the surface-seeking species to trap sulfite-sulfonated TNT, but also undergoes complexation with it, resulting in the presence of two charge-transfer bands at 467 and 530 nm, respectively. This chromophore absorbs the visible light that matches with the incident laser and plasmon resonance of Ag sols by the use of a 532.06 nm laser, and offered large resonance Raman enhancement. This SERRS platform evidenced a fast and accurate detection of TNT with a detection limit of 5×10(-11) M under a low laser power (200 μW) and a short integration time (3 s). The CP-capped Ag also provides remarkable sensitivity and reliable repeatability. This study provides a facile and reliable method for TNT detection and a viable idea for the SERS detection of various non-resonant molecules.

Wide pH range for fluoride removal from water by MHS-MgO/MgCO3 adsorbent: Kinetic, thermodynamic and mechanism studies

A novel environment friendly adsorbent, micro-nano hierarchical structured flower-like MgO/MgCO3 (MHS-MgO/MgCO3), was developed for fluoride removal from water. The adsorbent was characterized and its defluoridation properties were investigated. Adsorption kinetics fitted well the pseudo-second-order model. Kinetic data revealed that the fluoride adsorption was rapid, more than 83-90% of fluoride could be removed within 30 min, and the adsorption equilibrium was achieved in the following 4 h. The fluoride adsorption isotherm was well described by Freundlich model. The maximum adsorption capacity was about 300 mg/g at pH=7. Moreover, this adsorbent possessed a very wide available pH range of 5-11, and the fluoride removal efficiencies even reached up to 86.2%, 83.2% and 76.5% at pH=11 for initial fluoride concentrations of 10, 20 and 30 mg/L, respectively. The effects of co-existing anions indicated that the anions had less effect on adsorption of fluoride except phosphate. In addition, the adsorption mechanism analysis revealed that the wide available pH range toward fluoride was mainly resulted from the exchange of the carbonate and hydroxyl groups on the surface of the MHS-MgO/MgCO3 with fluoride anions.

In Situ Photoreduced Silver Nanoparticles on Cysteine: An Insight into the Origin of Chirality

A delicate system, that is, in situ photoreduced silver metal nanoparticles (NPs) formed from a combination of Ag(+) complexes with L- or D-cysteine, enables the introduction of chirality. This chirality is essentially programmed by a synergetic interplay between the CO(2)(-) and NH(3)(+) groups on cysteine, rather than the formation of a chiral metal core (see figure).

Development of a nanosphere adsorbent for the removal of fluoride from water.

A new uniform-sized CeCO3OH nanosphere adsorbent was developed, and tested to establish its efficiency, using kinetic and thermodynamic studies, for fluoride removal. The results demonstrated that the CeCO3OH nanospheres exhibited much high adsorption capacities for fluoride anions due to electrostatic interactions and exchange of the carbonate and hydroxyl groups on the adsorbent surface with fluoride anions. Adsorption kinetics was fitted well by the pseudo-second-order model as compared to a pseudo-first-order rate expression, and adsorption isotherm data were well described by Langmuir model with max adsorption capacity of 45mg/g at pH 7.0. Thermodynamic examination demonstrated that fluoride adsorption on the CeCO3OH nanospheres was reasonably endothermic and spontaneous. Moreover, the CeCO3OH nanospheres have less influence on adsorption of F(-) by pH and co-exiting ions, such as SO4(2-), Cl(-), HCO3(-), CO3(2-), NO3(-) and PO4(3-), and the adsorption efficiency is very high at the low initial fluoride concentrations in the basis of the equilibrium adsorption capacities. This study indicated that the CeCO3OH nanospheres could be developed into a very viable technology for highly effective removal of fluoride from drinking water.

Amphiphilic Functionalized Acupuncture Needle as SERS Sensor for In Situ Multiphase Detection

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful spectroscopic technique with unique vibrational fingerprints, making it an ideal candidate for in situ multiphase detection. However, it is a great challenge to determine how to guide the SERS sensor to target molecules of interest in multiphase heterogeneous samples with minimal disturbance. Here, we present a portable ultrasensitive and highly repeatable SERS sensor for in situ multiphase detection. The sensor is composed of commercial Ag acupuncture needle and PVP-Au nanoparticles (Au NPs). The PVP on the Au NPs can adsorb and induce the Au NPs into a highly uniform array on the surface of the Ag needle because of its adhesiveness and steric nature. The Au NPs-Ag Needle system (Au-AgN) holds a huge SERS effect, which is enabled by the multiple plasmonic couplings from particle-film and interparticle. The PVP, as the amphiphilic polymer, promotes the target molecules to adsorb on surface of the Au-AgN whether in the oil phase or in the water phase. In this work, the Au-AgN sensor was directly inserted into the multiphase system with the laser in situ detection, and SERS detection at different spots of the Au-AgN sensor provided Raman signal of targets molecule in the different phase. In situ multiphase detection can minimize the disturbance of sampling and provide more accurate information. The facile fabrication and amphiphilic functionalization make Au-AgN sensor as generalized SERS detection platform for on-site testing of aqueous samples, organic samples, even the multiphase heterogeneous samples.