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A method is described for modulating the anodic photoelectrochemistry of netlike CdS quantum dots through the deposition and dissolution of the electron acceptor manganese dioxide (MnO2) on the surface of the photoelectrode. Specifically, the photocurrent of a CdS-modified indium tin oxide (ITO/CdS) electrode is inhibited by chemical deposition of MnO2. However, the photocurrent becomes recovered by oxidative removal of MnO2 with H2O2. This deposition-dissolution reaction modulates the photoelectrochemistry of CdS effectively. A bioassay for Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 is designed that uses the antimicrobial peptide magainin I as the recognition element. Glucose oxidase (GOx) acts as a catalytic label tracer to produce the signaling molecule H2O2 in the microwell plates. The enzymatically generated H2O2 etches the deposited MnO2 on the photoelectrode and thus enhances the photocurrent. This detection scheme does not cause any damage to biomolecules. It also avoids the adverse effects of immobilized biomolecules for retarding signal production and leads to improved detection when compared to conventional PEC configurations. E. coli can be detected in the 10 to 5.0 × 106 CFU·mL−1 concentration range, and the limit of detection is 3 CFU·mL−1.

This article describes an aptamer-based thrombin assay using a hemin-based peroxidase mimetic for signal amplification. Thrombin is recognized by an immobilized primary aptamer (G1-quadruplex). The G1-quadruplex/hemin complex formed quenches the fluorescence of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) due to photoinduced electron transfer (PET). In the next step, thrombin is associated with a secondary aptamer (G2-quadruplex) consisting of Pt nanoparticles (NPs), G2-quadruplex and hemin to form a sandwich structure. Both the G1-quadruplex/hemin complex and the Pt NPs/G2-quadruplex/hemin complex associated with thrombin act as enzyme mimetics and catalyze the oxidation of hydroquinone by H2O2 to form 2-hydroxy-p-benzoquinone (HPB). The HPB produced quenches the fluorescence of the CdTe QDs via a PET and an inner filter effect, thus causing large signal amplification. The effects were exploited to design a highly sensitive and selective thrombin assay. Under optimized conditions, a linear fluorescence response is achieved in the 0.05 pmol·L−1 to 10 nmol·L−1 concentration range, with a lower detection limit of 15 fmol·L−1. This approach, in our perception, represents a promising platform for sensitive detection of biomolecules for which appropriate aptamers can be found.

We describe a colorimetric assay for the quantitation of melamine (MA). It relies on the observation that MA reverses the inhibition of the light-triggered activity of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) functionalized gold nanoclusters (HRP-Au NCs) by Hg(II) ions. The HRP-Au NCs catalyze the oxidation of the substrate 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by dissolved oxygen if exposed to visible light provided by a 300 W Xe lamp (λ ≥ 400 nm). The addition of Hg(II) suppresses the enzymatic activity due to the metallophilic interaction between Hg(II) and Au(I) present on the surface of the HRP-Au NCs. MA with its triazole ring can restore the catalytic activity of the HRP-Au NCs by inhibiting the metallophilic interaction. As a result of these findings, a colorimetric “turn-on” assay for MA was worked out that can be used to determine MA in the 0.2 to 15 μmol·L−1 concentration range and with a 72 nmol·L−1 detection limit, which is much lower than the established safety limit. The method was successfully applied to the quantitation of MA in (spiked) raw milk and milk powder, with recoveries ranging from 98.5 % to 101.5 %.

A method of nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis was established for the separation and determination of alanine, phenylalanine, isoleucine and valine after derivatization with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1, 3-diazol in nonaqueous media. The derivatization and separation conditions were optimized. The optimum derivatization conditions were 70 min for the reaction time, 55 °C for the reaction temperature and 20 mM ammonium acetate in methanol for the derivatization buffer. The most suitable running buffer was composed of 60 mM ammonium acetate, 10% acetonitrile in methanol with a fused-silica capillary column (47 cm × 75 µm i.d.), 20 kV applied voltage and 20 °C capillary temperature. The correlation coefficients were better than 0.995 in the investigated concentration ranges. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) (n = 5) of the migration times and peak areas were 2.0–4.3% and 1.9–4.5%, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of four compounds in two compound amino acid injections, with the exception of phenylalanine, the recoveries for the other three compounds ranging between 88–116%.

A novel poly(acryl-p-toluenesulfonamideamidine-p-toluenesulfonylamide) chelating fiber containing S, N and O elements was synthesized from polyacrylonitrile fiber and p-toluenesulfonamide and used for the preconcentration and separation for traces of Ru(III), Rh(III), Au(III) and Pd(IV) ions from waste water and ore sample solution. The synthesis of this fiber was simple and rapid. The results indicate that 100 ng mL−1 of these ions can be quantitatively enriched by the chelating fiber at a flow rate of 6 mL min−1 and a pH of 4 and desorbed quantitatively with 20 mL of 6 mol L−1 HCl and 5% CS(NH2)2 solution at 50 °C (with recovery> 95%). A 50 to 1000-fold excess of Ca2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Fe3+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Al3+ ions caused little interference in the concentration and determination of the analyzed ions. When the fiber had been reused twenty times, the recoveries of the ions enriched by the fiber were still over 96%. The saturated adsorption capacities of the fiber were in the range of 22–96 mg g−1. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the method was between 0.70% and 0.84%. Recoveries of a standard added to actual samples were in range of 95–101%. The results obtained for these ions in real solution samples were basically in agreement with the given values, the average errors being below 5.0%. FT-IR spectra show that the existence of –SO2–Ar, HN=C–NH–, O=C–NH– and –NH–SO2 functional groups are verified in the chelating fiber. The experiments show that the method is rapid, precise, simple and convenient.