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High per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substance (PFAS) concentrations have been detected in agricultural soils in Southwest Germany. Discharges of PFAS-contaminated paper sludge and compost are suspected to be the cause of the contamination. Perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) have been detected also in groundwater, drinking water, and plants in this area. Recently, previously unknown compounds have been identified by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Major contaminants were polyfluorinated dialkylated phosphate esters (diPAPs) and N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamide ethanol–based phosphate diester (diSAmPAP). In this study, HRMS screening for PFAS was applied to 14 soil samples from the contaminated area and 14 impregnated paper samples which were from a similar period than the contamination. The paper samples were characterized by diPAPs (from 4:2/6:2 to 12:2/12:2), fluorotelomer mercapto alkyl phosphates (FTMAPs; 6:2/6:2 to 10:2/10:2), and diSAmPAP. In soil samples, diPAPs and their transformation products (TPs) were the major contaminants, but also FTMAPs, diSAmPAP, and their TPs occurred. The distribution patterns of the carbon chain lengths of the precursor PFAS in soil samples were shown to resemble those in paper samples. This supports the hypothesis that paper sludge is a major source of contamination. The presence of major degradation products like PFCAs, FTSAs, or PFOS and their distribution of carbon chain lengths indicate the activity of biotic or abiotic degradation processes and selective leaching processes from the upper soil horizons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) make up a significant proportion of the global burden of disease in vulnerable groups and tend to substantially impair the quality of life of those affected, making timely detection of UTIs a priority for public health. However, economic and societal barriers drastically reduce accessibility of traditional lab-based testing methods for critical patient groups in low-resource areas, negatively affecting their overall healthcare outcomes. As a result, cellulose-based materials such as paper and thread have garnered significant interest among researchers as substrates for so-called frugal analytical devices which leverage the material's portability and adaptability for facile and reproducible diagnoses of UTIs. Although the field may be only in its infancy, strategies aimed at commercial penetration can appreciably increase access to more healthcare options for at-risk people. In this review, we catalogue recent advances in devices that use cellulose-based materials as the primary housing or medium for UTI detection and chart out trends in the field. We also explore different modalities employed for detection, with particular emphasis on their ability to be ported onto discreet casings such as sanitary products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quantitative non-destructive express method of determining fillers —kaolin and chalk— in paper was created using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy in the mid-IR and far-IR region (3800–245 cm−1) combined with partial least squares (PLS) data analysis. Altogether, 30 two-component (cellulose pulp + kaolin and cellulose pulp + chalk) reference paper samples with known different filler concentrations and one reference paper sample without any fillers were prepared for calibration and validation. The reference values of filler concentrations in the prepared papers were determined by gravimetric analysis via dry ashing (for establishing accurate concentrations of fillers in paper) and ATR-FT-IR microspectroscopy (for evaluating homogeneity of the papers). Two-component (cellulose pulp + kaolin or cellulose pulp + chalk) PLS models were created with papers of different cellulose types and containing different amounts of fillers. The best model had root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) for determining the kaolin or chalk content in the two-component papers of 2.0 and 2.1 g/100 g, respectively. The performance indices were 90.4% and 92.9%, respectively. As a demonstration of practical applicability of the method, different papers from books, journals, etc. were analysed. It was concluded that the developed quantitative method is suitable for non-destructive express analysis of kaolin or chalk in paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an analytical support, paper, being low cost, highly abundant, of high porosity, disposable or biodegradable, and easy to use, store, transport, and print, has excellent chemical compatibility with many applications. Since the first microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μ-PAD or lab-on-paper) was proposed, the paper-based assay has never attracted as much attention as it does now. There has recently been rapidly increasing interest in using sensitive luminescence methods, for example chemiluminescence (CL) and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL), as the detection strategy for lab-on-paper devices. Because of their intrinsic characteristics, CL and ECL provide outstanding performance while retaining the simplicity, low cost, multifunctionality, versatility, flexibility, and disposability of μ-PADs. The objective of this review is to cover the development of lab-on-paper-based devices using CL and ECL detection, including fabrication of paper devices, construction of sensing interfaces, signal amplification strategies, external instruments used, and applications. We believe that lab-on-paper devices with CL and ECL detection methods will meet the diverse requirements of point-of-care diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research into paper-based sensors or functional materials that can perform analytical functions with active recognition capabilities is rapidly expanding, and significant research effort has been made into the design and fabrication of bioactive paper at the biosensor level to detect potential health hazards. A key step in the fabrication of bioactive paper is the design of the experimental and operational procedures for the immobilization of biomolecules such as antibodies, enzymes, phages, cells, proteins, synthetic polymers and DNA aptamers on a suitably prepared paper membrane. The immobilization methods are concisely categorized into physical absorption, bioactive ink entrapment, bioaffinity attachment and covalent chemical bonding immobilization. Each method has individual immobilization characteristics. Although every biomolecule-paper combination has to be optimized before use, the bioactive ink entrapment method is the most commonly used approach owing to its general applicability and biocompatibility. Currently, there are four common applications of bioactive paper: (1) paper-based bioassay or paper-based analytical devices for sample conditioning; (2) counterfeiting and countertempering in the packaging and construction industries; (3) pathogen detection for food and water quality monitoring; and (4) deactivation of pathogenic bacteria using antimicrobial paper. This article reviews and compares the different biomolecule immobilization techniques and discusses current trends. Current, emerging and future applications of bioactive paper are also discussed. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Italian dialect poet Cesare Pascarella travelled all around the world, noting down in notebooks his keen and caustic observations, and drawing sketches that are a visual reportage of his journeys. The sketches were mounted as a random collage over acidic cardboards that were exposed to direct sunlight in his studio. Their poor state of conservation is related to the use of modern paper: chemical instability of raw materials caused acidification and strong oxidation of the support, with intense yellowing of the surfaces and brittleness of the paper. To ensure future preservation of the drawings, chemical stabilisation with simultaneous alcoholic treatment by deacidification (calcium propionate) and reduction (borane tert-butylamine complex) appeared necessary. To verify its applicability, it was indispensible to characterise the support and identify the nature of all the graphic media. The use of Raman, Infrared, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopies and scanning electron microscopy coupled with X-ray microanalysis allowed us to clear the problems related to the different penetration depth of each analytical technique and the different responses of pigments/dyes to each spectroscopy. The palette, how it varied along the journeys, the different supports used and preparations were completely identified showing a choice of colours compatible with the reduction treatment. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic compounds emitted from a several decade series of bound periodicals (1859-1939) printed on ground wood paper, as well as historical books dating from the 1500s to early 1800s made from cotton/linen rag, were studied using an improved headspace SPME/GC-MS method. The headspace over the naturally aging books, stored upright in glass chambers, was monitored over a 24-h period, enabling the identification of a wide range of organic compounds emanating from the whole of the book. The detection of particular straight chain aldehydes, as well as characteristic alcohols, alkenes and ketones is correlated with oxidative degradation of the C fatty acid constituency of paper. The relative importance of hydrolytic and oxidative chemistry involved in paper aging in books published between 1560 and 1939 was examined by comparing the relative abundances of furfural (FUR) a known cellulose hydrolysis product, and straight chain aldehydes (SCA) produced from the oxidation of fatty acids in paper. The relative abundance of furfural is shown to increase across the 379-year publication time span. A comparison of relative SCA peak areas across the series of books examined reveals that SCA emission is more important in the cotton/linen rag books than in the ground wood books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an inkjet printing method for the fabrication of lateral flow immunochromatographic devices made from a single piece of filter paper by patterning microfluidic channels and dispensing immunosensing inks, requiring only a single printing apparatus. This “paperfluidic” immunosensing device allows for a less time-consuming and more low-cost fabrication compared with the conventional immunochromatographic strips requiring multiple pads, plastic or nylon backing, and a plastic case. A sandwich immunoreaction was performed on the patterned immunosensing paper device, and the sensitivity of the device was optimized with an IgG model analyte. Inkjet-printed antibodies on the test line and the control line were immobilized by physical adsorption, resulting in a very simple fabrication method applicable for pure cellulose surfaces. The color intensity in the test line and the control line was determined both by naked eye and by means of a color scanner in combination with a simple computer program. With the resulting paperfluidic immunosensing device, human IgG concentrations at least down to 10 μg/l could be detected within 20 min. Additionally, in order to demonstrate the feasibility of a total multianalyte sensing system, a combined immuno-chemical sensing device was also fabricated by patterning an additional microfluidic channel for a chemical assay onto the same paper substrate. This low-cost multianalyte paperfluidic sensing device thus demonstrates the feasibility of simple, portable, and disposable tools for pathogen detection in the field of medical, environmental, and food analyses, possibly resulting in useful devices in remote settings and less-industrialized countries. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the use of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) to perform quantitative chemical assays with internal standards. MicroPADs are well-suited for colorimetric biochemical assays; however, errors can be introduced from the background color of the paper due to batch difference and age, and from color measurement devices. To reduce errors from these sources, a series of standard analyte solutions and the sample solution are assayed on a single device with multiple detection zones simultaneously; an analyte concentration calibration curve can thus be established from the standards. Since the μPAD design allows the colorimetric measurements of the standards and the sample to be conducted simultaneously and under the same condition, errors from the above sources can be minimized. The analytical approach reported in this work shows that μPADs can perform quantitative chemical analysis at very low cost. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the study of the kinetic migration of a series of organic compounds representative of potential contaminants in packaging materials and used as surrogates ( o-xylene, acetophenone, dodecane, naphthalene, 2,3,4-trichloroanisole, benzophenone, isomeric mix of diisopropylnaphthalene, diisobutyl phthalate and methyl stearate). Migration to one side of a solid simulant, Tenax®, also referred to as MPPO (modified polyphenylene oxide), was investigated in this study. One spiked sample of multilayer material was used to optimise the extraction procedures for the multilayer paper-based material and the Tenax as well as to perform kinetic migration studies. Three sequential extractions using ethanol were necessary for the strips of the multilayer material but only one extraction was necessary for the solid simulant to obtain >70% recovery of the surrogates. These results enabled us to specify the extraction requirements of the multilayer sample and the solid simulant and as well as those of the migration tests at high temperature using Tenax as solid simulant. The matrix effect associated with the extraction of the contaminants from the multilayer sample is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of exposure of paper samples to UV light was monitored by use of ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy and multivariate statistical tools. Three types of paper were tested: common laser-printer paper, newsprint, and thermal fax paper. The samples were first characterised by ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy to determine natural experimental variability. They were then exposed to UV light for 30 h and the effects of the exposure were monitored by use of the same spectroscopic technique. Finally, multivariate statistical tools were applied to the final dataset, coupled with construction of multivariate control charts, to identify the effects of UV light on the sample surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porapak has been studied as a solid-food simulant in experiments on paper and board packaging. Three samples of paper with different recycled pulp content and surface treatment, and of different grammage and thickness, were used for the studies. Kinetic behaviour from 25 °C to 100 °C and different contact times ranging from 5 min at 100 °C to 10 days at 25 °C were studied using Porapak or, occasionally, Tenax or milk powder. Similar results were obtained with Porapak and Tenax but those from Porapak were more stable with temperature. Porapak behaves as good solid-food simulant even at high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to study the efficiency of extraction of iron from model paper samples by use of different ligands (deferoxamine mesylate, the potassium–magnesium salt of phytic acid and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) at varied concentrations (0.01, 0.005, and 0.001 mol L-1) and pH (7, 8, 9). Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) was used to monitor the total amount of iron in solutions of the respective ligands. Two types of model were used to investigate the behaviour of various iron species present in ancient iron-gall ink. Requirements for the optimal procedure, which could possibly be used in the conservation of ancient manuscripts, included high effectiveness of iron extraction from samples which modelled free iron ions (samples "Fe"), while iron deposited in the form of ink (samples "A") should remain without any visible change of the ink's intensity. The best results were achieved with the solution of 0.005 mol L-1 diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (pH=9), which allowed extraction of 97±1% of iron from "Fe" model samples and only 64±1% from "A" samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]