Poly(sulfosalicylic acid)-functionalized gold nanoparticles for the detection of tetrabromobisphenol A at pM concentrations

A Review on Tetrabromobisphenol A: Human Biomonitoring, Toxicity, Detection and Treatment in the Environment

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is a known endocrine disruptor employed in a range of consumer products and has been predominantly found in different environments through industrial processes and in human samples. In this review, we aimed to summarize published scientific evidence on human biomonitoring, toxic effects and mode of action of TBBPA in humans. Interestingly, an overview of various pretreatment methods, emerging detection methods, and treatment methods was elucidated. Studies on exposure routes in humans, a combination of detection methods, adsorbent-based treatments and degradation of TBBPA are in the preliminary phase and have several limitations. Therefore, in-depth studies on these subjects should be considered to enhance the accurate body load of non-invasive matrix, external exposure levels, optimal design of combined detection techniques, and degrading technology of TBBPA. Overall, this review will improve the scientific comprehension of TBBPA in humans as well as the environment, and the breakthrough for treating waste products containing TBBPA.

A Low Cost Fe3O4-Activated Biochar Electrode Sensor by Resource Utilization of Excess Sludge for Detecting Tetrabromobisphenol A

Owing to its ubiquity in natural water systems and the high toxicity of its accumulation in the human body, it is essential to develop simple and low-cost electrochemical sensors for the determination of 3,3',5,5'-tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). In this work, Fe3O4-activated biochar, which is based on excess sludge, was prepared and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and BET analysis to analyze its basic features. Subsequently, it was used to fabricate an electrochemical sensor for the detection of TBBPA. The electrochemical test results revealed that the Fe3O4-activated biochar film exhibited a larger active surface area, a lower charge transfer resistance and a higher accumulation efficiency toward TBBPA. Consequently, the peak current of TBBPA was significantly enhanced on the surface of the Fe3O4-activated biochar. The TBBPA sensing platform developed using the Fe3O4-activated biochar composite film, with relatively a lower detection limit (3.2 nM) and a wider linear range (5-1000 nM), was successfully utilized to determine TBBPA levels in water samples. In summary, the effective application of Fe3O4-activated biochar provided eco-friendly and sustainable materials for the development of a desirable high-sensitivity sensor for TBBPA detection.

Surface engineering strategies of gold nanomaterials and their applications in biomedicine and detection

Gold nanomaterials have potential applications in biosensors and biomedicine due to their controllable synthesis steps, high biocompatibility, low toxicity and easy surface modification. However, there are still various limitations including low water solubility and stability, which greatly affect their applications. In addition, some synthetic methods are very complicated and costly. Therefore, huge efforts have been made to improve their properties. This review mainly introduces the strategies for surface modification of gold nanomaterials, such as amines, biological small molecules and organic small molecules as well as the biological applications of these functionalized AuNPs. We aim to provide effective ideas for better functionalization of gold nanomaterials in the future.

Latest Advances in Determination of Bisphenols with Nanomaterials, Molecularly Imprinted Polymers and Aptamer Based Electrochemical Sensors

Contamination of environmental sources such as soils, sediments and rivers and human exposure caused by several endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are considered as the most challenging issues of today's world. EDCs cover a wide variety of compounds ranging from phthalates to parabens and bisphenols (BPs) are the leading group among them. BPs are widely used during the production of different plastic materials such as food and beverage containers, toys, medical equipment and baby bottles that we use in every aspect of our lives. BPs may migrate from those products to different media under certain conditions and this situation causes chronic exposure for humans and other creatures in the environment. Especially bisphenol A (BPA) and its other analogues such as bisphenol F, bisphenol S and tetrabromobisphenol that have similar structures and are preferred as alternatives to BPA cause harmful adverse effects such as endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, genotoxicity and cytotoxicity. There are legal restrictions and prohibitions by the European Union (EU) in order to prevent possible harmful effects. Therefore, it is important to develop highly sensitive, fast, easy to use and cheap sensors for the determination of BPs in biological, environmental and commercial samples. Electrochemical sensors, which are one of the most widely, used analytical techniques, provide these conditions. Additionally, it is possible to enhance the performance of electrochemical sensors with nanomaterials, molecularly imprinted polymers or aptamer based technologies. This review aims to give comprehensive information about BPs with summarizing most recent applications of electrochemical sensors for their determination in different samples.