Huige Zhang

Graphene oxide–Fe3O4 magnetic nanocomposites with peroxidase-like activity for colorimetric detection of glucose

In this report, graphene oxide-Fe(3)O(4) magnetic nanocomposites were demonstrated to possess intrinsic peroxidase-like activity and enhanced affinity toward H(2)O(2). The nanocomposites retain their magnetic properties and can be effectively separated by a magnet. Significantly, they were proved to be novel peroxidase mimetics which could quickly catalyze oxidation of the peroxidase substrate 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H(2)O(2), producing a blue-colored solution. Kinetic analysis indicates that the catalytic behavior is in accord with typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics and follows a ping-pong mechanism. On the basis of the high activity, the reaction provides a simple, sensitive and selective method for colorimetric detection of glucose in diabetic urine.

The peroxidase/catalase-like activities of MFe2O4 (M=Mg, Ni, Cu) MNPs and their application in colorimetric biosensing of glucose

MFe2O4 (M=Mg, Ni, Cu) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were found to have catalytic activities similar to those of biological enzymes such as catalase and peroxidase. These nanomaterials, as bifunctional catalase/peroxidases (KatGs), not only could catalyze H2O2 to produce hydroxyl radicals, which oxidized peroxidase substrate to produce color, but also could catalyze the decomposition reaction of H2O2 into water and oxygen directly in the same condition through the catalase-like activity. And it was also found that the amount of generated hydroxyl radicals and oxygen was related to the concentration of MFe2O4 (M=Mg, Ni, Cu) MNPs. The peroxidase-like catalytic behavior of MFe2O4 MNPs was analyzed in detail. Under the optimized conditions, NiFe2O4 MNPs were used as a colorimetric biosensor for the detection of 9.4×10(-7)-2.5×10(-5) mol L(-1) glucose with a limit of detection (LOD) of 4.5×10(-7) mol L(-1). The sensor was successfully applied to glucose detection in urine sample.

In situ synthesis of homochiral metal–organic framework in capillary column for capillary electrochromatography enantioseparation

Homochiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising as porous stationary phase for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC) enantioseparation owing to their fine-tuned pore sizes and large surface areas. In this work, the homochiral MOF AlaZnCl was successfully coated on the inner wall of fused silica capillary by an in situ, layer-by-layer self-assembly approach at room temperature. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), streaming potential (SP) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) indicated that the homochiral MOF AlaZnCl was successfully coated on the capillary inner wall. To evaluate the performance of the homochiral MOF AlaZnCl coated capillary column, the enantioseparation was carried out by using six amine drugs and monoamine neurotransmitters as model analytes and excellent enantioseparation efficiency was achieved. Run-to-run, day-to-day, and column-to-column relative standard deviations (RSDs) were all less than 5%. Moreover, the separation efficiency of the homochiral MOF AlaZnCl coated capillary column did not decrease obviously over 100 runs.

Microwave-accelerated derivatization for capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection: A case study for determination of histidine, 1- and 3-methylhistidine in human urine

The feasibility of microwave-accelerated derivatization for capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection was evaluated. The derivatization reaction was performed in a domestic microwave oven. Histidine (His), 1-methylhistidine (1-MH) and 3-methylhistidine (3-MH) were selected as test analytes and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was chosen as a fluorescent derivatizing reagent. Parameters that may affect the derivatization reaction and/or subsequent CE separation were systematically investigated. Under optimized conditions, the microwave-accelerated derivatization reaction was successfully completed within 150 s, compared to 4-24 h in a conventional water-bath derivatization process. This will remarkably reduce the overall analysis time and increase sample throughput of CE-LIF. The detection limits of this method were found to be 0.023 ng/mL for His, 0.023 ng/mL for 1-MH, and 0.034 ng/mL for 3-MH, respectively, comparable to those obtained using traditional derivatization protocols. The proposed method was characterized in terms of precision, linearity, accuracy and successfully applied for rapid and sensitive determination of these analytes in human urine.

Preparation and characterization of open-tubular capillary column modified with graphene oxide nanosheets for the separation of small organic molecules

A novel coated capillary was prepared by immobilizing graphene oxide (GO) on the fused-silica capillary (75 μm i.d.) which was derivatized by 3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane (APTMS). The bare capillary, APTMS modified capillary (NH2-capillary) and GO coated capillary (GO-capillary) were characterized by streaming potentials (SPs), fluorescence microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results indicated that the capillary was successfully modified with GO sheets via covalent bonding and electrostatic effect. Compared with bare capillary, greater separation efficiency was achieved by GO-capillary column as a result of the increasing interactions between the small organic molecules and the inner wall of the GO-capillary column originated from the π-π electrostatic stacking. For three consecutive runs, the intra-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) of migration time and peak areas were 0.6-4.3% and 2.8-9.3%, respectively. The inter-day relative standard deviations of migration time and peak areas were 0.2-8.3% and 4.5-9.6%. Additionally, one GO-capillary column could be used for more than 100 runs with no observable changes on the separation efficiency.

Sample stacking and sweeping in microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography under pH-suppressed electroosmotic flow

Two on-line sample concentration techniques, sample stacking and sweeping under pH-suppressed electroosmotic flow, were evaluated in microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography. The concept of stacking with anion selective electrokinetic injection and a water plug in a reverse-migrating microemulsion (SASIW-RMME) was brought forward in this article. Six flavonoids were concentrated using a microemulsion consisting of 80 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, 1.2% (v/v) ethyl acetate, 0.6% (v/v) 1-butanol, 10% acetonitrile (v/v) and 50 mM phosphoric acid (pH* 1.8). Significant detector response improvements were achieved. The limits of detection were in the low ng/ml level. Finally, the sample of Fructus aurantii Immaturus was analyzed using sweeping technique.

A dual-color fluorescent biosensing platform based on WS2 nanosheet for detection of Hg2+ and Ag+

In this work, an effective dual-color fluorescent biosensing platform based on WS2 nanosheets was developed for homogeneous detection of Hg(2+) and Ag(+). This sensing platform was constituted by exploiting the fluorescence quenching ability of WS2 nanosheets and the interactions between WS2 nanosheets and DNA molecules. In the absence of additional any masking agents, the biosensor could achieve detection of Hg(2+) and Ag(+) in the same solution by monitoring fluorescence intensity changes at 525nm and 583nm, respectively. Hg(2+) and Ag(+) were selectively detected in the concentration range from 6.0-650.0nM and 5.0-1000.0nM, respectively, with the detection limit of 3.3nM and 1.2nM, respectively. It was also demonstrated that the WS2 nanosheet-based sensing platform was suitable for the simultaneous detection of Hg(2+) and Ag(+) in drinking water, serum and cell lysate samples. Moreover, the possible mechanism of fluorescence quenching by WS2 nanosheets was revealed to be related to static quenching, dynamic quenching, and Fo¨rster resonant energy transfer (FRET). This work extended the application of WS2 nanosheets to environmental monitoring and medical diagnosis.

Extremely Large Volume Electrokinetic Stacking of Cationic Molecules in MEKC by EOF Modulation with Strong Acids in Sample Solutions

In this report, a novel facile way of online preconcentration of trace levels of analytes in capillary electrophoresis is presented. The proposed strategy is based on the combination of strong acidic phosphate as sample buffers with borate separation buffer containing sodium dodecyl sulfate. When injection voltage is applied, the continuous introduction of low pH sample causes the apparent bulk flow inside the capillary gradually slows down. Finally at a certain point, it reaches the same magnitude as that of the oppositely migrating anionic micelles, thus the frontier of the micelle zone becomes stagnant. This steady state can be maintained for a very long time so that essentially extremely large volume of sample solutions can be injected into the capillary, and the cationic analytes may be efficiently stacked at the neutralized micelle zone. A theoretical model was proposed and preconcentration conditions of two model analytes, matrine and oxymatrine, were optimized with the aid of the model. Under optimized conditions, more than 1000-fold increase in sensitivity was obtained as compared with the normal hydrodynamic injection without sample stacking. The limits of detection for oxymatrine and matrine were 0.81 and 0.18 ng/mL, respectively, using photodiode array UV detection at wavelength 211 nm.

A new on-line concentration method of cationic molecules in capillary electrophoresis by a hyphenated micelle to solvent stacking coupling with large amount sample electrokinetic stacking injection.

In this paper, we established a new on-line method using micelle to solvent stacking (MSS) technique combining with large amount sample electrokinetic stacking injection (LASEKSI) for the analysis of cationic molecules. In this MSS-LASEKSI, by modulating the integral EOF across the capillary, a equilibrium state was formed and can be maintained for a long time, leading to the continuous stacking of the analytes on the basis of MSS. Thereby, an extremely large amount sample was permitted to be injected into the capillary and then an improved enrichment fold can be achieved comparing with the each case. The variables affecting the performance of MSS-LASEKSI were investigated and discussed. Under the optimized conditions, 6.3 × 10(3)- and 6.4 × 10(2)-fold enrichment in peak heights upon normal CZE method (injected at 0.5 psi for 3 s) and number of plates of 2.9 × 10(6) and 6.5 × 10(5) were attained for berberine and theophylline, respectively. The developed method described here may provide prospects for exploiting a new concentration technique to achieve higher enrichment factor.

Recent developments in chiral analysis of β-blocker drugs by capillary electromigration techniques.

The latest developments in chiral analysis of β‐blocker drugs by capillary electromigration techniques are reviewed in this article. Following the previous review by Aturki et al. [Electrophoresis 2011, 32, 2602–2628], this review includes the papers published during the period from January 2011 to December 2013. During this time, some novel chiral selectors were reported and applied to improve the enantioseparation of β‐blocker drugs and structurally related compounds. These chiral selectors include CDs and their derivatives, macrocyclic antibiotics, tartrate complexs, the monolithic molecularly imprinted polymer, and the polymeric surfactants. In addition, this article summarizes the methodological improvements for enhancing sensitivity in chiral analysis of β‐blockers and structurally related compounds by CE. The involved authors described the use of online sample preconcentration techniques to increase the detection sensitivity in the enantiomeric analysis of a broad range of samples.