A nanoporous interferometric micro-sensor for biomedical detection of volatile sulphur compounds

ABSTRACT: This work presents the use of nanoporous anodic aluminium oxide [AAO] for reflective interferometric sensing of volatile sulphur compounds and hydrogen sulphide [H2S] gas. Detection is based on changes of the interference signal from AAO porous layer as a result of specific adsorption of gas molecules with sulphur functional groups on a gold-coated surface. A nanoporous AAO sensing platform with optimised pore diameters (30 nm) and length (4 μm) was fabricated using a two-step anodization process in 0.3 M oxalic, followed by coating with a thin gold film (8 nm). The AAO is assembled in a specially designed microfluidic chip supported with a miniature fibre optic system that is able to measure changes of reflective interference signal (Fabry-Perrot fringes). When the sensor is exposed to a small concentration of H2S gas, the interference signal showed a concentration-dependent wavelength shifting of the Fabry-Perot interference fringe spectrum, as a result of the adsorption of H2S molecules on the Au surface and changes in the refractive index of the AAO. A practical biomedical application of reflectometric interference spectroscopy [RIfS] Au-AAO sensor for malodour measurement was successfully shown. The RIfS method based on a nanoporous AAO platform is simple, easy to miniaturise, inexpensive and has great potential for development of gas sensing devices for a range of medical and environmental applications.     

Controlling interferometric properties of nanoporous anodic aluminium oxide

A study of reflective interference spectroscopy [RIfS] properties of nanoporous anodic aluminium oxide [AAO] with the aim to develop a reliable substrate for label-free optical biosensing is presented. The influence of structural parameters of AAO including pore diameters, inter-pore distance, pore length, and surface modification by deposition of Au, Ag, Cr, Pt, Ni, and TiO₂ on the RIfS signal (Fabry-Perot fringe) was explored. AAO with controlled pore dimensions was prepared by electrochemical anodization of aluminium using 0.3 M oxalic acid at different voltages (30 to 70 V) and anodization times (10 to 60 min). Results show the strong influence of pore structures and surface modifications on the interference signal and indicate the importance of optimisation of AAO pore structures for RIfS sensing. The pore length/pore diameter aspect ratio of AAO was identified as a suitable parameter to tune interferometric properties of AAO. Finally, the application of AAO with optimised pore structures for sensing of a surface binding reaction of alkanethiols (mercaptoundecanoic acid) on gold surface is demonstrated.     

Corrosion behavior of electrochemically assembled nanoporous titania for biomedical applications

Corrosion resistance of nanoporous titania was investigated in Hank’s solution using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic techniques. The phase structure, surface morphology and elemental composition of the untreated, anodized heat treated and anodized heat treated titanium specimens immersed in Hank’s solution for seven days were characterized using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques, respectively. The X-ray diffraction technique revealed that the anodized heat treated titanium exhibited anatase structure. The atomic force microscopic and scanning electron microscopic results showed that the titanium surface has transformed from a smooth to nanoporous surface depending on the anodization conditions. The energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results confirmed the formation of hydroxyapatite over the anodized titanium after immersion for seven days in Hank’s solution. The electrochemical results revealed that the anodized heat treated titanium after seven day immersion in Hank’s solution showed nobler shift in corrosion potential compared to untreated and anodized titanium. Hence, the results suggested that the nanoporous titania layer developed on titanium is a promising material for application as orthopaedic implants.     

胶粘剂中挥发性有机物的检测方法研究

通过热失重法测定胶粘剂中的总挥发性有机物,了解胶粘剂在初始状态的挥发性有机物的含量;进一步结合袋子法,考虑胶粘剂的实际应用情况,模拟胶粘剂在不同固化时间下其释放的挥发性有机物含量及主要成分。一方面可以了解各类胶粘剂的环保性能,另一方面可以为企业筛选适合的胶粘剂提供参考。     

Porous SnO2 nanospheres as sensitive gas sensors for volatile organic compounds detection

Porous SnO(2) nanospheres with high surface areas have been synthesized through a solvothermal method in the absence of any templates. The structure and morphology of the resultant products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and nitrogen adsorption-desorption technique. The as-prepared SnO(2) porous nanospheres with the diameters ranging from 90-150 nm are composed of small nanocrystals with average sizes of less than 10 nm. Results demonstrated that the formation of porous SnO(2) nanospheres is ascribed to etching the center part of the nanospheres. It was found that hydrochloric acid and NaClO played important roles in determining the final morphologies of the porous SnO(2) nanospheres. The gas sensing properties of the as-prepared porous SnO(2) nanospheres were investigated. By the comparative gas sensing tests, the porous SnO(2) nanospheres exhibited a superior gas sensing performance toward ppb level 2-chloroethanol and formaldehyde vapor, implying promising applications in detecting toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs).     

挥发性有机化合物催化氧化技术

基于环境友好,对使用催化氧化法去除挥发性有机化合物(VOCs)的原理、特点以及催化剂、工艺流程等研究进行综述。挥发性有机化合物完全催化氧化机理分为:Mars-van Krevelen(MVK)模型、Langmuir-Hinshelwood(L-H)模型和Eley-Rideal(E-R)模型。复合金属氧化物催化剂是研究的热点,去除VOCs的核心是使反应温度降低,即具有低温和高活性的催化剂。延长催化剂寿命、提高去除效率也可以带来良好的节能效果和降低投资成本。对于低浓度和大体积VOCs排放,可通过吸附+催化混合法先进技术实现去除,且成功应用于实践。     

挥发性有机化合物的净化处理技术

有机废气中大多含有低浓度的苯、甲苯、苯乙烯、多环芳烃等挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）。治理VOCs污染是大气污染治理的重要组成部分。叙述了吸收法、吸附法、生物法和低温等离子体4种废气净化技术的原理和国内外研究进展情况,并对其发展前景和研究方向进行了探讨。最后认为有机废气的联合协同处理方法是今后的一个重要研究方向。     

Release of oxygen and sulphur compounds from coal

The evolution of small quantities of carboxylic acids, indanols and phenols and of dibenzothiophenes and azadibenzothiophenes at temperatures up to 300 °C has been studied by pyrolysis-mass spectrometry.     

Permeation of binuclear, sulphur containing aromatic compounds

Removal of sulphur containing aromatics from fuel is strictly regulated and thus interesting for research as well as for industrial application. Especially difficult is the removal of complex dinuclear thiophenes and their methylated derivatives with conventional hydrotreating technology. Pervaporation could be an alternative separation technology. In order to find out if the separation of the more complex aromatics is possible, especially in low concentrations, variation of separation conditions and development of suitable membrane materials is necessary. The synthesized membrane materials based on 6FDA-4MPD/DABA copolyimides were analyzed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) in combination with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In this work temperature-dependent pervaporation experiments were carried out with benzothiophene (about 0.25 wt.%) and n-dodecane as components of a binary feed mixture. The temperature has been varied between 80 °C and 140 °C. Thereby fluxes between 4.1 kg μm m^− 2 h ^− 1 and 32 kg μm m^− 2 h ^− 1 were found. Enrichment factors up to β = 3.3 were reached. In summary, the pervaporation experiments have shown that a significant enrichment of dinuclear aromatic sulphur compounds in combination to an adequate flux is possible.     

挥发性有机物燃烧催化剂的研究进展

挥发性有机物（VOCs）是主要大气污染物质,也是形成PM_2.5和臭氧的重要前体。强化挥发性有机物控制,是改善大气环境的重要途径。催化燃烧（氧化）被认为是去除VOCs最有效的方式之一,本文综述了VOCs催化燃烧常用的贵金属催化剂、非贵金属催化剂。其中,贵金属催化剂主要包括基于Pd、Pt、Ru等的催化剂,非贵金属催化剂主要包括Mn、Co、Ce、Zr等的氧化物,通常贵金属催化剂具有比非贵金属更高的氧化活性和稳定性,但对于含氮VOCs非贵金属催化剂（Mn、Cu）具有更好的氮气选择性,Cr基催化剂对于含氯VOCs燃烧具有更好的效果。此外,还重点讨论了载体、分散度、催化剂制备方法对贵金属催化剂性能的影响,并对发展VOCs氧化催化剂的研究提出了展望。     

生物法处理有机废气的研究进展

简述了生物法处理有机废气(VOCs)的理论以及3种处理VOCs的生物工艺及其优缺点,并对影响生物法处理VOCs性能的重要因素,如填料、营养物质、微生物以及微生物量的控制等进行了详细阐述,结合生物法处理VOCs的研究现状对发展前景进行了展望.     

室内挥发性有机化合物及其炭吸附净化

新型建筑装饰材料和日用化学品的大量使用,使得挥发性有机化合物(vOCs)不断释放到室内,由此导致室内空气品质(IAQ)下降.介绍了室内空气环境中VOCs的来源及其去除方法,并重点介绍了炭吸附净化法的研究进展.认为活性炭纤维吸附净化VOCs效率高,节能效果显著,是目前改善室内空气品质最有前景的技术之一.     

Environmental plasma-catalysis for the energy-efficient treatment of volatile organic compounds

Nonthermal plasma (NTP) coupled with catalysis is a promising technique for the abatement of dilute volatile organic compounds (VOCs), because it is operable under mild reaction conditions, i.e., low temperature and atmospheric pressure. This review addresses the mechanistic aspects of catalyst activation by NTP, such as the generation and fixation of reactive species, facilitation of redox cycles, photocatalysis, and local heating, to clarify the combined effects of plasma and catalysis. The plasma-catalytic removal of VOCs preferentially requires the catalyst to have a large specific surface area, high surface oxygen storage capacity, and to be highly reducible. The energy consumption and deactivation of catalysts are considered by comparing continuous and cyclic operations in terms of specific input energy, VOC removal and energy efficiencies, and byproduct formation. Based on the information in the literature, a plasma-catalytic system operating in cyclic adsorption-oxidation mode is recommended for the treatment of air contaminated by dilute VOCs. Finally, the effects of NTP on the regeneration of deactivated catalysts are also discussed.     

Synthesis and characterization of nanoporous sodium-substituted hydrophilic titania ceramics coated on 316L SS for biomedical applications

Bioactive sodium-substituted titania coating on 316L SS substrate was prepared. XRD patterns exhibited the formation of a mixture of two phases (Na₂Ti₃O₇, Na₂Ti₆O₁₃) with monoclinic structure. FTIR spectra showed that the set of overlapping peaks in the range of 800–400 cm⁻¹ are related to Ti–O and Ti–O–Ti groups. SEM-EDAX, AFM, and TEM showed the surface morphology of the coated surface to be nanoporous and uniform. The influence of the bioactivity of the coating in a simulated body fluid (SBF) medium was examined. Excellent adhesion of the ceramic composites to the substrate was achieved. The hydrophilic nature of the sodium titanate coating induced the formation of hydroxyapatite layer on the metal surface. The corrosion protection performance of the coatings has been evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements, which proved increased corrosion resistance of nanosodium titanate-coated 316L SS. These results imply that the sodium titanate-coated 316L SS acts as a barrier layer to the metallic substrate.     

Comparison of techniques for extracting volatile compounds from conifer needles

Five extraction techniques were used to obtain quantitative measurements of monoterpenes from blue spruce and grand fir needles. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated that there was a significant difference in the amount of each monoterpene extracted by using different techniques. For both species, an 8-hr steam distillation of 10 g of material yielded the greatest amount of each monoterpene. This technique was also the most reproducible in that the coefficients of variation were lowest. A rapid steam distillation was relatively effective for grand fir, but not for blue spruce. A CO₂ extraction was unreliable for both species.     

有机硅乳液中挥发性物质的测定

根据固相微萃取原理,对萃取条件进行了优化。优化后的HS-SPME-GC-MS(顶空固相微萃取/气相/质谱)实验条件为:采用85μm PAA纤维萃取头,萃取时间30min,萃取温度室温,解吸时间5min。在此条件下对3种有机硅乳液进行分析,通过计算机数据系统(质谱数据库NIST和Willy)检索及人工谱图解析,鉴定了非硅油挥发性成分。该方法的相对标准偏差为0·57%~2·59%。     

Recovery of volatile compounds from butter oil

Three methods for the isolation of volatile compounds from oils and fats were compared using small concentrations (approximately 1 ppm) of added C_3-12 n-alkan-2-ones and C_2-10 n-alkan-1-ols in commercial butter oil. These were : high vacuum degassing, cold-finger molecular distillation and reduced pressure steam distillation. Several modifications were incorporated. The highest yields of all compounds were obtained by cold-finger molecular distillation but difficulties were encountered in subsequent analysis. It was more convenient to recover compounds boiling below 150C by either high vacuum degassing or reduced pressure steam distillation. The latter was more efficient for the higher boiling compounds. Extraction with organic solvents was not required in any of these techniques. The combination of high vacuum degassing and cold-finger molecular distillation was found to be the best method of analyzing the complete range of model compounds.     

不同萃取头萃取月盛斋清香牛肉挥发性成分

分别采用65μm PDMS/DVB、75μm CAR/PDMS、50/30μm DVB/CAR/PDMS 3种萃取头提取月盛斋清香牛肉挥发性成分,经气相色谱-质谱联用仪(GC-MS)对挥发性成分进行鉴定,分析比较了3种萃取头提取的挥发性成分差别,确定适宜的萃取头。3种萃取头共检测出53种挥发性化合物,通过对3种萃取头萃取效果的比较,发现75μm CAR/PDMS萃取头对月盛斋清香牛肉的挥发性化合物的萃取较有利。