Xia Xie

Label free detection of lead using impedimetric sensor based on ordered mesoporous carbon-gold nanoparticles and DNAzyme catalytic beacons.

A novel label-free impedimetric sensing system based on DNAzyme and ordered mesoporous carbon-gold nanoparticle (OMC-GNPs) for the determination of Pb(2+) concentration was developed in the present study. Firstly, gold nanoparticles deposited on the modified electrode surface were employed as a platform for the immobilization of thiolated probe DNA, and then hybridized with DNAzyme catalytic beacons. Subsequently, in the presence of Pb(2+), the DNAzyme could be activated to cleave the substrate strand into two DNA fragments, which causes differences in the electrical properties of the film. Randles equivalent circuit was employed to evaluate the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) result. The charge transfer resistance (R(CT)) value for the [Fe(CN)6](3-/4-) redox indicator was remarkably decline after hybridization with Pb(2+). The difference in RCT values before and after hybridization with Pb(2+) showed a linear relation with the concentration of the Pb(2+) in a range of 5×10(-10)-5×10(-5) M, with a detection limit of 2×10(-10) M (S/N=3). Furthermore, with the application of Pb(2+) dependent 8-17DNAzyme, the proposed sensing system exhibited high selectivity without using any labeled probes. This biosensor demonstrated a promising potential for Pb(2+) detection in real sample.

Amplified and selective detection of manganese peroxidase genes based on enzyme-scaffolded-gold nanoclusters and mesoporous carbon nitride

This work has demonstrated an amplified and selective detection platform using enzyme-scaffolded-gold nanoclusters as signal label, coupling with mesoporous carbon nitride (MCN) and gold nanoparticles (GNPs) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase (SA-HRP) has been integrated with gold nanoclusters (GNCs) as scaffold using a simple, fast and non-toxic method. The mechanisms of enzymatic amplification, redox cycling and signal amplification by this biosensor were discussed in detail. GNCs might perform important roles as electrocatalyst as well as electron transducer in these processes. The concentrations of reagents and the reaction times of these reagents were optimized to improve the analytical performances. Under the optimized condition, the signal response to enzyme-scaffolded-gold nanoclusters catalyzed reaction was linearly related to the natural logarithm of the target nucleic acid concentration in the range from 10(-17)M to 10(-9)M with a correlation coefficient of 0.9946, and the detection limit was 8.0×10(-18)M (S/N=3). Besides, synthesized oligonucleotide as well as Phanerochaete chrysosporium MnP fragments amplified using polymerase chain reaction and digested by restriction endonucleases were tested. Furthermore, this biosensor exhibited good precision, stability, sensitivity, and selectivity, and discriminated satisfactorily against mismatched nucleic acid samples of similar lengths.

Determination of Cd2+ and Pb2+ Based on Mesoporous Carbon Nitride/Self-Doped Polyaniline Nanofibers and Square Wave Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

The fabrication and evaluation of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with self-doped polyaniline nanofibers (SPAN)/mesoporous carbon nitride (MCN) and bismuth for simultaneous determination of trace Cd2+ and Pb2+ by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) are presented here. The morphology properties of SPAN and MCN were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the electrochemical properties of the fabricated electrode were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Experimental parameters, such as deposition time, pulse potential, step potential, bismuth concentration and NaCl concentration, were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the fabricated electrode exhibited linear calibration curves ranging from 5 to 80 nM for Cd2+ and Pb2+. The limits of detection (LOD) were 0.7 nM for Cd2+ and 0.2 nM for Pb2+ (S/N = 3). Additionally, the repeatability, reproducibility, anti-interference ability and application were also investigated, and the proposed electrode exhibited excellent performance. The proposed method could be extended for other heavy metal determination.

Synthesis of Pd/Au bimetallic nanoparticle-loaded ultrathin graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets for highly efficientcatalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol

Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) applied in heterogeneous catalysis have attracted considerable attention due to their highly efficient catalytic performance. Pd/Au bimetallic NPs were successfully decorated on the ultrathin graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (g-C3N4-N) by a facile one-pot deposition reduction method. The obtained results show that Pd/Au NPs with average diameter around 8nm are homogeneously dispersed on the surface of unmodified g-C3N4-N. The obtained materials were characterized via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In addition, considering the large surface area and special π-bonded planar structure, the unique ultrathin g-C3N4-N behave as an excellent carrier and stabilizer in this synthesis. The as-synthesized Pd/Au bimetallic nanohybrids show superior catalytic performance and stability for reduction of p-nitrophenol (p-NP), which is better than either of pure Pd or Au nanohybrids. Besides, the catalytic activities of Pd/Au@g-C3N4-N nanohybrids were found to be controlled by altering the Pd versus Au mass ratio in the preparation process.

A novel biosensor for silver(I) ion detection based on nanoporous gold and duplex-like DNA scaffolds with anionic intercalator

This study demonstrates a novel biosensor for silver(I) ion detection based on nanoporous gold (NPG) and duplex-like DNA scaffolds with anionic intercalator. The hairpin structure was formed initially through hybridization with the unlabeled probe (S1 + S2 + S3). In the presence of Ag+, the structure of immobilized DNA changed to duplex-like structure, and formed a C–Ag+–C complex at electrode surface. The response current of the modified electrode after immersing in the disodium anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) as the signal agent was changed. And an increased current was obtained, corresponding to Ag+ concentration. NPG provided faster electron transfer and an excellent platform for DNA immobilization. Under optimal conditions, silver(I) ion could be detected in the range from 1 × 10−10 M to 1 × 10−6 M, and the lower detection limit of the biosensor for Ag+ is 4.8 × 10−11 M with good specificity. The results showed that this novel approach provided a reliable method for the quantification of Ag+ with sensitivity and specificity, which was potential for practical applications.