Novel Benzothiophene-Based Fluorescent Dye Exhibiting a Large Stokes Shift

We report a simple two-step method for the synthesis of a novel highly fluorescent benzothiophene-based dye comprising five fused rings and exhibiting a large Stokes shift (Δλ = 152 nm or Δν = 5482 cm–1 in ethanol). Structural features of the obtained compound allow easy functionalization of the carbon core and open new possibility for the development of a series of new classes of fluorescent dyes.

Peroxidase-like activity of Fe3O4/carbon core-shell nanostructured : effects of carbon shell thickness for application to glucose biosensor

In this study, we present a protocol for synthesis of carbon coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles with core-shell structured nanocomposite (FeC) following a two steps approach. The peroxidase-like acitivity of the synthesized FeC nanocomposite has been evaluated towards replacing of the horseradish peroxidase enzyme (HRP) in hydrogen peroxide enzymatic biosensor. In which, FeC has catalyzed for a redox reaction 5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and H2O2 to produce oxidized state of TMB with as a blue color. Results exhibited that FeC has a high catalytic activity accepting for fabrication of a high selectivity hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) colorimetric sensor with low detection of limit (LoD) of 0.02 mM H2O2. Based on this finding, we have used FeC and combined with glucose oxidase (GOx) enzyme to construct a new colorimetric glucose biosensor with high selectivity.

Copper/Carbon Core/Shell Nanoparticles: A Potential Material to Control the Fish Pathogen Saprolegnia parasitica

Copper-based fungicides have a long history of usage in agriculture and aquaculture. With the rapid development of metal-based nanoparticles, copper-based nanoparticles have attracted attention as a potential material for prevention and control of Saprolegnia parasitica. The present study investigated the effectiveness of copper/carbon core/shell nanoparticles (CCCSNs) and a commercial CCCSNs filter product (COPPERWARE®) against S. parasitica in a recirculating system. Results showed that the growth of agar plugs with mycelium was significantly suppressed after exposure to both CCCSNs powder and COPPERWARE® filters. Even the lowest concentration of CCCSNs used in our study (i.e., 100 mg/mL) exhibited significant inhibitory effects on S. parasitica. The smallest quantity of the filter product COPPERWARE® (3.75 × 3.7 × 1.2 cm, 2.58 g) used in our aquarium study also demonstrated significant inhibition compared with the control group. However, we observed leaching of copper into the water especially when larger quantities of COPPERWARE® were used. Water turbidity issues were also observed in tanks with the filter material. Besides these issues, which should be further investigated if the product is to be used on aquatic species sensitive to copper, CCCSNs has promising potential for water disinfection.

Comments on the XPS Analysis of Carbon Materials

The surface chemistry of carbon materials is predominantly explored using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). However, many published papers have critical failures in the published analysis, stemming from an ill-informed approach to analyzing the spectroscopic data. Herein, a discussion on lineshapes and changes in the spectral envelope of predominantly graphitic materials are explored, together with the use of the D-parameter, to ascertain graphitic content, using this information to highlight a simple and logical approach to strengthen confidence in the functionalization derived from the carbon core-level spectra.