Graphene/poly (methyl methacrylate) electrochemical impedance-transduced chemiresistor for detection of volatile organic compounds in aqueous medium

Supramolecular host-guest interaction triggered dye extraction from metal-organic framework for dual-mode ATP sensing from serum

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) universally exists in all living organisms and holds a paramount role as a fundamental energy molecule in daily life. The abnormal concentration of ATP is closely related to many diseases, making the highly efficient detection of ATP very urgent. In this study, a dual-mode sensing system was developed to detect ATP sensitively and selectively via both DPV and fluorescence (FL) techniques, based on the strong interaction of ATP and Zn (II) nodes of zeolitic imidazolate framework-90 (ZIF-90). The disassembly of ZIF-90 further induced the subsequent release of pre-loaded rhodamine B (RhB). Benefitting from the robust host-guest recognition of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) towards RhB, an enzyme-free and highly specific DPV detection strategy was established with the linear detecting range of 10.0-1.0 × 108 pM and the limit of detection (LOD) as low as 0.13 pM. Meanwhile, the FL sensing mode based on RhB exhibits comparable sensing performance with the linearity range of 10.0-1.0 × 107 pM and the LOD of 0.29 pM. Furthermore, the enzyme-free ATP sensing system exhibit outstanding long-term storage stability. The two-mode sensing platform was successfully applied to detect the ATP in human serum samples with the yielded result highly agree with the results of commercial ELISA kits. This dual-mode sensing platform is inspiring and paves the road for developing high-performance biosensor, demonstrating enormous potential for vitro diagnosis and practice clinic.

Graphene-Based Chemiresistor Sensors for Drinking Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring the quality of drinking water is a crucial responsibility for all water infrastructure networks, as it guarantees access to clean water for the communities they serve. With water infrastructure deteriorating due to age and neglect, drinking water violations are on the rise in the US, underscoring the need for improved monitoring capabilities. Among the different sensor technologies, graphene-based chemiresistors have emerged as a promising technology for water quality monitoring due to advantages such as simple design, sensitivity, and selectivity. This review paper provides an overview of recent advances in the development of graphene-based chemiresistors for water quality monitoring, including principles of chemiresistive sensing, sensor design and functionalization, and performance of devices reported in the literature. The paper also discusses challenges and opportunities in the field and highlights future research directions. The development of graphene-based chemiresistors has the potential to revolutionize water quality monitoring by providing highly sensitive and cost-effective sensors that can be integrated into existing infrastructure for real-time monitoring.

Real-Time and Online Monitoring of Hazardous Volatile Organic Compounds in Environmental Water by an Unmanned Shipborne Mass Spectrometer System

Hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are one of the critical concerns in environmental water due to their toxicity to aquatic organisms and drinking water. Therefore, rapid detection of hazardous VOCs in environmental water is highly needed as many analytical methods are limited to on-site monitoring. In this work, we designed a novel unmanned shipborne mass spectrometer (US-MS) system for the real-time and online monitoring of hazardous VOCs in environmental water. The US-MS system consists of a miniaturized mass spectrometer, an automatic sampling device, a robust unmanned ship, and other monitoring and control devices. Along with the navigation route of the US-MS system, environmental water was continuously introduced into the MS system for the online and real-time detection of hazardous VOCs via a liquid/gas exchange membrane. Analytical performances of the US-MS system were investigated by a mixture of 10 VOCs showing low limits of detection (LODs: 0.31-1.26 ng/mL), good reproducibility (RSDs: 2.93-11.03%, n = 7), and excellent quantitative ability (R2 > 0.99). Furthermore, on-site detection and online monitoring of hazardous volatile contaminants such as benzene, chloroprene, and toluene in different aquatic environments such as rivers and lakes were successfully demonstrated, showing excellent field applicability of the US-MS system. Overall, the newly developed US-MS system could perform on-site, online, and real-time monitoring of complex VOCs in environmental water, showing good performances and versatile applications in water analysis.

State-of-the-Art of Polymer/Fullerene C60 Nanocomposite Membranes for Water Treatment: Conceptions, Structural Diversity and Topographies

To secure existing water resources is one of the imposing challenges to attain sustainability and ecofriendly world. Subsequently, several advanced technologies have been developed for water treatment. The most successful methodology considered so far is the development of water filtration membranes for desalination, ion permeation, and microbes handling. Various types of membranes have been industrialized including nanofiltration, microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultrafiltration membranes. Among polymeric nanocomposites, nanocarbon (fullerene, graphene, and carbon nanotubes)-reinforced nanomaterials have gained research attention owing to notable properties/applications. Here, fullerene has gained important stance amid carbonaceous nanofillers due to zero dimensionality, high surface areas, and exceptional physical properties such as optical, electrical, thermal, mechanical, and other characteristics. Accordingly, a very important application of polymer/fullerene C₆₀ nanocomposites has been observed in the membrane sector. This review is basically focused on talented applications of polymer/fullerene nanocomposite membranes in water treatment. The polymer/fullerene nanostructures bring about numerous revolutions in the field of high-performance membranes because of better permeation, water flux, selectivity, and separation performance. The purpose of this pioneering review is to highlight and summarize current advances in the field of water purification/treatment using polymer and fullerene-based nanocomposite membranes. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of fullerene embedded into a variety of polymer membranes (Nafion, polysulfone, polyamide, polystyrene, etc.) and effects on the enhanced properties and performance of the resulting water treatment membranes. Polymer/fullerene nanocomposite membranes have been developed using solution casting, phase inversion, electrospinning, solid phase synthesis, and other facile methods. The structural diversity of polymer/fullerene nanocomposites facilitates membrane separation processes, especially for valuable or toxic metal ions, salts, and microorganisms. Current challenges and opportunities for future research have also been discussed. Future research on these innovative membrane materials may overwhelm design and performance-related challenging factors.

From 0D to 2D: N-doped carbon nanosheets for detection of alcohol-based chemical vapours

The application of N-doped carbon nanosheets, with and without embedded carbon dots, as active materials for the room temperature chemoresistive detection of methanol and/or ethanol is presented. The new carbons were made by converting 0D N-doped carbon dots (NCDs) to 2D nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets by heat treatment (200–700 °C). The nanosheets exhibited a lateral size of ∼3 μm and a thickness of ∼12 nm at the highest annealing temperature. Both Raman and TEM analyses showed morphological transitions of the dots to the sheets, whilst XPS analysis revealed transformation of the N-bonding states with increasing temperature. PDF analysis confirmed the presence of defective carbon sheets. Room temperature screening of the chemical vapours of two alcohols (methanol and ethanol), revealed that the structure and the type of N-configuration influenced the detection of the chemical vapours. For instance, the lateral size of the nanosheets and the high charge density N-configurations promoted detection of both methanol and ethanol vapours at good sensitivity (−16.8 × 10⁻⁵ ppm⁻¹_EtOH and 1.2 × 10⁻⁵ ppm⁻¹_MeOH) and low LoD (∼44 ppm_EtOH and ∼30.3 ppm_MeOH) values. The study showed that the composite nature as well as the large basal area of the carbon nanosheets enabled generation of adequate defective sites that facilitated easy adsorption of the VOC analyte molecules, thereby eliminating the need to use conducting polymers or the formation of porous molecular frameworks for the alcohol detection.

2D layered carbon nanostructures made by annealing 0D carbon dots, have been used as ethanol/methanol sensors.

Potentiodynamic Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy of Polyaniline-Modified Pencil Graphite Electrodes for Selective Detection of Biochemical Trace Elements

In this study, we analyzed the application of potentiodynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (PDEIS) for a selective in situ recognition of biological trace elements, i.e., Cr (III), Cu (II), and Fe (III). The electrochemical sensor was developed using the electropolymerization of aniline (Ani) on the surface of the homemade pencil graphite electrodes (PGE) using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The film was overoxidized to diminish the background current. A wide range of potential (V = −0.2 V to 1.0 V) was investigated to study the impedimetric and capacitive behaviour of the PAni/modified PGE. The impedance behaviors of the films were recorded at optimum potentials through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scrutinized by means of an appropriate equivalent circuit at different voltages and at their corresponding oxidative potentials. The values of the equivalent circuit were used to identify features (charge transfer-resistant and double layer capacitance) that can selectivity distinguish different trace elements with the concentration of 10 μM. The PDEIS spectra represented the highest electron transfer for Cu (II) and Cr (III) in a broad potential range between +0.1 and +0.4 V while the potential V = +0.2 V showed the lowest charge transfer resistance for Fe (III). The results of this paper showed the capability of PDEIS as a complementary tool for conventional CV and EIS measurement for metallic ion sensing.

A selective polypyrrole-based sub-ppm impedimetric sensor for the detection of dissolved hydrogen sulfide and ammonia in a mixture

An impedance-transducer sensor was developed for in situ detection of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and ammonia (NH₃) in aqueous media. Using cyclic voltammetry (CV), polypyrrole (PPy) was deposited on the surface of the microfabricated interdigitated gold electrode. Due to the proton acid doping effect of H₂S on PPy and ionic conduction of the film, the sensor showed a decreasing impedance response to H₂S unlike other reducing chemicals, i.e., ammonia (NH₃). The recorded faradaic data was then associated with an equivalent circuit and compared with that of NH₃ to examine the selectivity of the sensor. An electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis was applied to the mixture of H₂S and NH₃ prepared at different ratios for the concentrations ranging from 2 ppm to 20 ppm (below 2-ppm, no response was observed due to the formation of NH₄HS, not sensible with PPy). The principal component analysis (PCA) was used to train a real-time prediction model for both classification (for the type of the analyte) and regression (the concentration of the analyte). The results showed the high performance of the sensor in determining individual analytes while the model was able to accurately predict the amount of H₂S and NH₃ in the mixture.

Bio-nanocomposites of graphene with biopolymers; fabrication, properties, and applications

The unique properties of graphene and graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites make them suitable for a wide range of medical, industrial, and agricultural applications. The addition of graphene or GO to a polymeric matrix can ameliorate its thermo-mechanical, electrical, and barrier characteristics. The present paper reviews the literature on graphene/GO-based bio-nanocomposites and examines the various fabrication methods, such as chemical vapor deposition, chemical synthesis, microwave synthesis, the solvothermal method, molecular beam epitaxy, and colloidal suspension. Each procedure potentially has its disadvantages, especially for mass production. Therefore, introducing an effective method for fabricating graphene on a large scale with high quality is essential. Recent studies have shown that graphene-based bio-nanocomposites are promising materials given their excellent performance in the development of biosensors, drug delivery systems, antimicrobials, modified electrodes, and energy storage systems among other applications. In this review, we evaluate the various procedures used for developing graphene/GO-based bio-nanocomposites and examine the features and applications of the related products. Furthermore, the toxicity of these compounds and attempts to uncover the optimal combinations of biopolymers and carbon nanomaterials for industrial applications will be discussed.

Structure-Function Relationships of Nanocarbon/Polymer Composites for Chemiresistive Sensing: A Review

Composites of organic compounds and inorganic nanomaterials provide novel sensing platforms for high-performance sensor applications. The combination of the attractive functionalities of nanomaterials with polymers as an organic matrix offers promising materials with tunable electrical, mechanical, and chemisensitive properties. This review mainly focuses on nanocarbon/polymer composites as chemiresistors. We first describe the structure and properties of carbon nanofillers as reinforcement agents used in the manufacture of polymer composites and the sensing mechanism of developed nanocomposites as chemiresistors. Then, the design and synthesizing methods of polymer composites based on carbon nanofillers are discussed. The electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, and the applications of different nanocarbon/polymer composites for the detection of different analytes are reviewed. Lastly, challenges and the future vision for applications of such nanocomposites are described.