Zhong-Qin Pan

Quantum Dot (QD)-Modified Carbon Tape Electrodes for Reproducible Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) Emission on a Paper-Based Platform

Stable and sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection relies on successful immobilization of quantum dots (QDs) on working electrodes. Herein, we report a new technique to apply double-sided carbon adhesive tape as the working electrode to improve the stability and reproducibility of QD-based ECL emission. CdS QD-modified electrodes were prepared by dropping and drying CdS QD suspension on the carbon adhesive tape supported by indium tin oxide (ITO) glass. The ECL detection was performed with the prepared electrode on a paper-based platform. We tested our system using H(2)O(2) of various concentrations and demonstrated that consistent ECL emission could be obtained. We attribute stable and reproducible ECL emission to the robust attachment of CdS QDs on the carbon adhesive tape. The proposed method could be used to quantify the concentration of dopamine from 1 μM to 10 mM based on the quenching effect of dopamine on ECL emission of CdS QD system using H(2)O(2) as the coreactant. Our approach addressed the problem in the integration of stable QD-based ECL detection with portable paper-based analytical devices. The similar design offers great potential for low-cost electrochemical and ECL analytical instruments.

Paper-based electroanalytical devices for in situ determination of salicylic acid in living tomato leaves

Detection of phytohormones in situ has gained significant attention due to their critical roles in regulating developmental processes and signaling for defenses in plants at low concentration. As one type of plant hormones, salicylic acid has recently been found to be one of pivotal signal molecules for physiological behaviors of plants. Here we report the application of paper-based electroanalytical devices for sensitively in situ detection of salicylic acid in tomato leaves with the sample volume of several microliters. Specifically, disposable working electrodes were fabricated by coating carbon tape with the mixture of multiwall carbon nanotubes and nafion. We observed that the treatment of the modified carbon tape electrodes with oxygen plasma could significantly improve electrochemical responses of salicylic acid. The tomato leaves had a punched hole of 1.5mm diameter to release salicylic acid with minor influence on continuous growth of tomatoes. By incorporating the tomato leaf with the paper-based analytical device, we were able to perform in situ determination of salicylic acid based on its electrocatalytic oxidation. Our experimental results demonstrated that the amounts of salicylic acid differed statistically in normal, phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene silent and diseased (infected by Botrytis cinerea) tomato leaves. By quantifying salicylic acid at the level of several nanograms in situ, the simple paper-based electroanalytical devices could potentially facilitate the study of defense mechanism of plants under biotic and abiotic stresses. This study might also provide a sensitive method with spatiotemporal resolution for mapping of chemicals released from living organisms.

Layer by layer assembled films between hemoglobin and multiwall carbon nanotubes for pH-switchable biosensing.

Although pH-switchable behaviors have been reported based on multilayer films modified electrodes, their pH-switchable biosensing is still difficult due to the existence of the electroactive mediator. In this study, we report the pH-dependable determination of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) based on a four-bilayer film fabricated through layer by layer assembly between hemoglobin (Hb) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). We observed that response of electroactive probe Fe(CN)6(3-) at the multilayer films was very sensitive and reversible to pH values of phosphate buffer solutions phosphate buffer solution with cyclic voltammetry. The reduction peak height of Fe(CN)6(3-) at the multilayer film could reach ∼221μA at pH 3.0 while 0μA at pH 9.0. The linear range for the detection of H2O2 at pH 3.0 was from 12.5μM to 10.4mM, which was much wider than that at pH 9.0. Our results demonstrated that the detection of H2O2 with the proposed modified electrode is dependent on pH values of phosphate buffer solution. Moreover, the component of multilayer films has impacts on the performance of biosensors with pH-switchable behaviors.

Simultaneous Electrochemical Determination of Indole-3-acetic Acid and Salicylic Acid in Pea Roots using a Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Modified Electrode

Indole-3-acetic acid and salicylic acid are essential phytohormones with profound effects on growth and development as well as stress responses of plants. Accumulating evidence has suggested that these compounds mediate the same biological process by collaboration or antagonistic actions. Simultaneous determination of indole-3-acetic acid and salicylic acid may significantly improve the understanding on mechanisms of their interaction. In this study, the simultaneous determination of these analytes was electrochemically performed using a multiwalled carbon nanotubes-chitosan modified glassy carbon electrode. Based on differential pulse voltammetry, indole-3-acetic acid and salicylic acid were determined from 0.67 to 48.82 micromolar with detection limits of 0.1 micromolar. In addition, no interferences were observed from other molecules. This method was employed for the simultaneous determination of the analytes in pea root extracts. The approach may be extended for additional study of the interaction of indole-3-acetic acid and salicylic acid in plants.

Layer-by-layer assembly of hemoglobin-coated microspheres for enhancing the oxygen carrying capacity

Hemoglobin-coated microspheres with one layer and five layers were fabricated by layer-by-layer assembly. The electrochemical methods were used to study their capacity for carrying oxygen. The results provided direct evidences that microspheres with five-layer hemoglobin could store and release more oxygen than those with one layer. This study also provided an alternative method for evaluating the oxygen carrying capacity of hemoglobin microspheres.

Paper-based analytical devices for electrochemical study of the breathing process of red blood cells.

Herein we utilized the filter paper to physically trap red blood cells (RBC) to observe the breathing process of red blood cells based on the permeability of the filter paper. By integrating double-sided conductive carbon tape as the working electrodes, the device could be applied to monitor electrochemical responses of RBC for up to hundreds of minutes. The differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) peak currents increased under oxygen while decreased under nitrogen, indicating that RBC could take in and release oxygen. Further studies demonstrated that the RBC suspension could more effectively take in oxygen than the solution of hemoglobin and the supernatant of RBC, suggesting the natural advantage of RBC on oxygen transportation. This study implied that simple paper-based analytical devices might be effectively applied in the study of gas-participating reactions and biochemical detections.