Search

Lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) technology serves a significant role as a simple and rapid biosensor in the detection of influenza viruses. The focus of this study is the development of a rapid and convenient screening method for influenza B virus (IBV) proteins using a fluorescence lateral flow biosensor based on Ag-doped ZnIn2S4 quantum dots (Ag: ZIS QDs) as signal reporters. These Ag: ZIS QDs-emitting orange fluorescence are loaded onto dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs) and are further coated with a layer of silica shell to form a core–shell structured composite nanomaterial (SiO2 @ Ag: ZIS QDs @ DMSNs). The orange fluorescence effectively eliminates the interference of blue background fluorescence, significantly enhancing the detection sensitivity. This technology demonstrates outstanding performance in the immediate detection of IBV, with a minimum detection limit of 1 ng/mL, compared to the traditional colloidal gold strip with a detection limit of 6 ng/mL. Furthermore, both intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CV) are less than 9%. This method holds promise for wide application in early diagnosis, epidemiological investigation, and epidemic surveillance of IBV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited light absorption and rapid photo-generated carriers' recombination pose significant challenges to the practical applications of photocatalysts. In this study, we employed an efficient approach by combining the slow-photon effect with Z-scheme charge transfer to enhance the photo-degradation performance of antibiotics. Specifically, we incorporated 0D ZnIn2S4 quantum dots (QDs) into a 3D hierarchical inverse opal (IO) TiO2 structure through a facile one-step process. This combination enhanced the visible light absorption and provided abundant active surfaces for efficient photo-degradation. Moreover, the ZnIn2S4 QDs formed an artificial Z-scheme system with IO-TiO2, facilitating the separation and migration of charge carriers. To achieve a better band alignment with IO-TiO2, we doped Ag into the ZnIn2S4 QDs (Ag: ZIS QDs) to adjust their energy levels. Through an investigation of the different Ag contents in the ZnIn2S4 QDs, we found that the optimal photo-degradation performance was achieved with Ag (2.0): ZIS QDs/IO-TiO2, exhibiting degradation rates 19.5 and 14.8 times higher than those of ZnIn2S4 QDs and IO-TiO2, respectively. This study provides significant insights for elevating the photocatalytic capabilities of IO-TiO2 and broadening its prospective applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower light absorption and faster carrier recombination are significant challenges in photocatalysis. This study introduces a novel approach to address these challenges by anchoring cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdS QDs) on inverse opal (IO)-TiO2, which increases light absorption and promotes carriers' separation by coupling slow-photon effect with Z-scheme charge transfer. Specifically, the IO-TiO2 was created by etching a polystyrene opal template, which resulted in a periodic structure that enhances light absorption by reflecting light in the stop band. The size of CdS quantum dots (QDs) was regulated to achieve appropriate alignment of energy bands between CdS QDs and IO-TiO2, promoting carrier transfer through alterations in charge transfer modes and resulting in synergistic-amplified photocatalysis. Theoretical simulations and electrochemical investigations demonstrated the coexistence of slow-photon effects and Z-scheme transfer. The system's photodegradation performance was tested using rhodamine B as a model. This novel hierarchical structure of the Z-scheme heterojunction exhibits degradability 7.82 and 4.34 times greater than pristine CdS QDs and IO-TiO2, respectively. This study serves as a source of inspiration for enhancing the photocatalytic capabilities of IO-TiO2 and broadening its scope of potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]