A Zeolite Nanoparticle-Modified Anionic Surface for Aptasensing Lipocalin-2 in Ulcerative Colitis by Dual-Electrodes

An aptasensor was developed on an interdigitated microelectrode (IDME) by current-volt sensing for the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis by detecting the biomarker lipocalin-2. Higher immobilization of the anti-lipocalin-2 aptamer as a probe was achieved by using sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate-aided zeolite particles. FESEM and FETEM observations revealed that the size of the zeolite particles was <200 nm, and they displayed a uniform distribution and spherical shape. XPS analysis attested the occurrence of Si, Al, and O groups on the zeolite particles. Zeolite particles were immobilized on IDME by a (3-aminopropyl)-trimethoxysilane amine linker, and then, the aptamer as the probe was tethered on the zeolite particles through a biotin-streptavidin strategy assisted by a bifunctional aldehyde linker. Due to the high occupancy of the aptamer and the efficient electric transfer from zeolite particles, higher changes in current can be observed upon interaction of the aptamer with lipocalin-2. The lower detection of lipocalin-2 was noted as 10 pg/mL, with a linear range from 10 pg/mL to 1 μg/mL and a linear regression equation of y=8E−07x+8E−08; R2 = 0.991. Control experiments with complementary aptamer and matrix metalloproteinase-9 indicate the specific detection of lipocalin-2. Furthermore, spiking lipocalin-2 in human serum does not interfere with the identification.

Surface Treatment of Carbon Nanotubes Using Modified Tapioca Starch for Improved Force Detection Consistency in Smart Cementitious Materials

The remarkable mechanical properties and piezo-responses of carbon nanotubes (CNT) makes this group of nanomaterials an ideal candidate for use in smart cementitious materials to monitor forces and the corresponding structural health conditions of civil structures. However, the inconsistency in measurements is the major challenge of CNT-enabled smart cementitious materials to be widely applied for force detection. In this study, the modified tapioca starch co-polymer is introduced to surface treat the CNTs for a better dispersion of CNTs; thus, to reduce the inconsistency of force measurements of the CNTs modified smart cementitious materials. Cement mortar with bare (unmodified) CNTs (direct mixing method) and surfactant surface treated CNTs using sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (NaDDBS) were used as the control. The experimental results showed that when compared with samples made from bare CNTs, the samples made by modified tapioca starch co-polymer coated CNTs (CCNTs) showed higher dynamic load induced piezo-responses with significantly improved consistency and less hysteresis in the cementitious materials. When compared with the samples prepared with the surfactant method, the samples made by the developed CCNTs showed slightly increased force detection sensitivity with significantly improved consistency in piezo-response and only minor hysteresis, indicating enhanced dispersion effectiveness. The new CNT surface coating method can be scaled up easily to cater the potential industry needs for future wide application of smart cementitious materials.

Synergistic effects of boron-doped silicone resin and a layered double hydroxide modified with sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate for enhancing the flame retardancy of polycarbonate

Boron-doped silicone resin (BSR) combined with a layered double hydroxide (LDH) modified with sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS) to improve the flame retardancy of polycarbonate (PC).

Removal of anionic surfactants from wastewater by magnetic mineral sorbents

The simplest and most effective method of removing low concentrations of anionic surfactants such as sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is adsorption. Among adsorbents the natural clays are cheap and promising for these purposes. However, there are significant difficulties in removal of spent sorbent after the adsorption process. So, the creation of magnetic sorbents that can be effectively removed from water after sorption by magnetic separation will be a successful decision. The aim of this investigation is the creation of cheap and efficient magnetic sorbents based on natural clays and magnetite for anionic surfactant removal from wastewater. We have synthe-sized a series of magnetic sorbents from different natural clays with a content of magnetite from 2 to 10 wt%. The ability of magnetic sorbents to remove SDBS and SLS from aqueous solutions has been studied for different adsorbate concen-trations by varying the amount of adsorbent, temperature and shaking time. Thermodynamic parameters were calculated from the slope and intercept of the linear plots of ln K against 1/T. Analysis of adsorption results obtained at different temperatures showed that the adsorption pattern on magnetic sorbents correspond to the Langmuir isotherm. It is shown that with increasing the content of magnetite in the magnetic sorbents improves not only their separation from water by magnetic separation, but adsorption capacity to SDBS and SLS. Thus, we obtained of cheap magnetic sorbents based on natural clays and magnetite by the easy way, which not only quickly separated from the solution by magnetic separation, but effectively remove anionic surfactants.