Zhijiao Wu

The comparison of different gold nanoparticles/graphene nanosheets hybrid nanocomposites in electrochemical performance and the construction of a sensitive uric acid electrochemical sensor with novel hybrid nanocomposites.

In this paper, water soluble poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)-graphene nanosheets (PDDA-GNs) were synthesized and characterized by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). On the basis of PDDA-GNs, three different types of gold nanoparticles/graphene nanosheets (AuNPs/GNs) hybrid nanocomposites were obtained by one-pot synthesis, in situ reduction and adsorption methods, respectively. These nanocomposites were used as electrode materials for electrochemical determination of uric acid (UA). The results indicated adsorption to be the best method to synthesize hybrid nanocomposites from the electrochemical point of view. Given the fact positively charged PDDA-AuNPs could interact with negatively charged UA molecules, we then synthesized PDDA-protected gold nanoparticles/graphene nanosheets (PDDA-AuNPs/GNs) hybrid nanocomposites by adsorption method, for the first time. As were expected, PDDA-AuNPs/GNs gave better performance for UA than AuNPs/GNs obtained by adsorption, and the anodic peak current of UA obtained by cyclic voltammetry (CV) increased 102.1-fold in comparison to bare GCE under optimizing conditions. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was used to quantitatively determine UA. The linear range of UA was from 0.5μM to 20μM and the detection limit was 0.1μM (S/N=3) with a high sensitivity of 103.08μAμM(-1)cm(-2). The assay results of urine sample provided satisfying recoveries by standard addition method. In addition, the anodic peaks of adrenaline (AD) and UA were well resolved at PDDA-AuNPs/GNs modified electrode, while they were too overlapped to separate at bare electrode, as a result of that UA was successfully detected in the presence of AD. In conclusion, rapid synthesis of PDDA-AuNPs/GNs were realized and applied as an advanced hybrid electrode material for UA determination.

Colorimetric sensing of clenbuterol using gold nanoparticles in the presence of melamine.

A highly sensitive method for the detection of trace amount of clenbuterol based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in the presence of melamine was described in this paper. Hydrogen-bonding interaction between clenbuterol and melamine resulted in the aggregation of AuNPs and a consequent color change of AuNPs from wine red to blue. The concentration of clenbuterol could be determined with naked eye or a UV-vis spectrometer. Results showed that the absorption ratio (A(670)/A(520)) was liner with the logarithm of clenbuterol concentration in the range of 2.8×10(-10) to 2.8×10(-7)M and 2.8×10(-7) to 1.4×10(-6)M with linear coefficients of 0.996 and 0.993, respectively. The detection limit was 2.8×10(-11)M (S/N=3), which was much lower than most existing methods. The coexisting substances including dl-epinephrine, phenylalamine, tryptohan, alamine, uric acid, glycine, glycerol, glucose, MgCl(2), CaCl(2) and NaCl did not affect the determination of clenbuterol. The proposed method could be successfully applied to the determination of clenbuterol in human urine.

Electrochemical immunosensor for casein based on gold nanoparticles and poly(L-Arginine)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite film functionalized interface.

In this paper, a novel electrochemical immunosensor for the determination of casein based on gold nanoparticles and poly(L-Arginine)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (P-L-Arg/MWCNTs) composite film was proposed. The P-L-Arg/MWCNTs composite film was used to modify glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to fabricate P-L-Arg/MWCNTs/GCE through electropolymerization of L-Arginine on MWCNTs/GCE. Gold nanoparticles were adsorbed on the modified electrode to immobilize the casein antibody and to construct the immunosensor. The stepwise assembly process of the immunosensor was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. Results demonstrated that the peak currents of [Fe(CN)(6)](3-/4-) redox pair decreased due to the formation of antibody-antigen complex on the modified electrode. The optimization of the adsorption time of gold nanoparticles, the pH of supporting electrolyte and the incubation time were investigated in details. Under optimal conditions, the peak currents obtained by DPV decreased linearly with the increasing casein concentrations in the range from 1 × 10(-7) to 1 × 10(-5) g mL(-1) with a linear coefficiency of 0.993. This electrochemical immunoassay has a low detection limit of 5 × 10(-8) g mL(-1) and was successfully applied to the determination of casein in cheese samples.

Colorimetric detection of melamine during the formation of gold nanoparticles

A sensitive and simple colorimetric method for determination of melamine was reported based on the seedless production of gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs). Au-NPs were synthesized by using pyrocatechol-3,5-disodiumsulfonate (PD) as reducer without adding nanoparticles seeds and stabilizing agent. PD can form intramolecular hydrogen-bonding in solution by adjacent sulfurnate and α-phenolic hydroxyl group, resulting in its weak reducing capacity and thus the synthesis of Au-NPs was slow. While in the presence of melamine, PD reacted with melamine through hydrogen-bonding. Therefore, the intramolecular hydrogen-bonding of PD was interrupted by melamine, and the α-phenolic hydroxyl group was free to reduce Au(3+), hence, the synthesis of Au-NPs was accelerated. Especially, the presence of melamine led to a shift in the surface plasmon bond and a color change of Au-NPs from green to yellow. Results showed that the absorbance ratio (A(436)/A(600)) was linear with the logarithm of melamine concentration in the range of 4.8×10(-9) to 1.6×10(-6) M with a correlation coefficient of 0.9949. The detection limit (3σ) obtained by UV-vis spectrum was 6.4×10(-10) M (i.e., 0.08 ppb). The proposed method was applied successfully to the determination of melamine in pretreated liquid milk products, and the recoveries were from 93% to 107%.

Colorimetric detection of melamine based on the interruption of the synthesis of gold nanoparticles

A highly sensitive and selective method was presented for colorimetric determination of melamine using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). AuNPs were synthesized using ellagic acid (EA) as reducer in distilled water at room temperature without adding nanoparticle seeds and stabilizing agent. Melamine could interact with EA through a strong hydrogen-bonding interaction leading to weakening of the EA reducing ability, thus the formation of AuNPs was interrupted and the color of the solution changed from red to pale yellow. The concentration of melamine could be quantified visually or using a UV-vis spectrometer in the wide range from 1.6 × 10−8 M to 1.6 × 10−4 M with a correlation coefficient of 0.9961. The detection limit (3σ) was as low as 1.6 × 10−9 M. This sensor was simple, inexpensive and highly sensitive and could be successfully utilized to detect melamine in pretreated liquid milk products with high recoveries from 93% to 106%. Besides, it exhibited excellent selectivity against other interferences.