Diverse States and Properties of Polymer Nanoparticles and Gel Formed by Polyethyleneimine and Aldehydes and Analytical Applications

Probing the influence of crosslinkers on the properties, response, and degradation of enzymatic hydrogels for electrochemical glucose biosensing through fluorescence analysis

Drop-cast crosslinked hydrogels are a common platform for enzymatic electrochemical biosensors. Despite the widespread use of these complex systems, there are still several questions about how their physicochemical properties affect their performance, stability, and reproducibility. In this work, first-generation faradaic biosensors composed of glucose oxidase and branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI) are prepared using either glutaraldehyde (GA) or ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDGE) as crosslinkers. While EGDGE gels present an increasing electrochemical response with increasing crosslinker concentration, the current of GA gels decreases at high crosslinker concentration probably due to the hampered diffusion on tightly networked gels. We compared different strategies to use fluorescence microscopy to gain insight into the gel structure either by labeling the gel components with fluorophores or taking advantage of the intrinsic fluorescence of the imines formed upon crosslinking with GA. By monitoring the fluorescence of the crosslinking bonds and the electrochemical response, we demonstrate that hydrolysis, a common hydrogel degradation mechanism, is not responsible for the loss of electrical current over time in gels prepared with glutaraldehyde. Most hydrogel-based electrochemical biosensor studies do not perform specific experiments to determine the cause of the degradation and instead just infer it from the dependence of the current on the preparation conditions (most commonly concentrations). We show that, by taking advantage of several analytical techniques, it is possible to gain more knowledge about the degradation mechanisms and design better enzymatic biosensors.

Chemically induced crosslinked enhanced emission of carbon polymer dots discerning healthy and cancer cells through pH-dependent tunable photoluminescence

Chemically induced crosslinked enhanced emission (CEE) of urea and citric acid-derived carbon polymer dot (CPD) nanoparticles is established here with a rare zero linker approach, i.e. without the use of any separate crosslinkers. Such chemical CEE like any chemical reaction was achieved through amide bond formation using carbodiimide chemistry, pointing towards the feasibility of developing a general methodology for their formation through engineering the nanoparticle surface functionality. Exhaustive characterization was done to pinpoint the structure, morphology, and photophysics of the CPDs and concurrently eliminate the possibility of the involvement and interference by molecular fluorophores for the unique optical tuning of the CPDs. The structure-photophysics relation was further restated through theoretical studies involving density functional theory (DFT) that correlated significantly well with the experimental findings. Most interestingly, the CPDs revealed pH responsiveness due to the formation or hydrolysis of amide bonds with acid or base, respectively, which was manifested through a spectacular change in fluorescence emission visible to the naked eye through UV illumination. This distinct pH-dependent photoluminescence properties of CPDs opens up an enormous opportunity for interesting applications, including discriminating normal and cancerous cells, which we demonstrate herein as a proof of concept through in vitro imaging.

Elucidating the Molecular Structure of Hydrophobically Modified Polyethylenimine Nanoparticles and Its Potential Implications for DNA Binding

The structural properties of the polyethylenimine (PEI) polymer are generally tuned and selectively modified to reinforce its potential in a broad spectrum of applied domains of medicine, healthcare, material design, sensing, and electronic optimization. The selective modification of the polymer brings about changes in its interfacial characteristics and behavior. The current work involves the synthesis of naphthalimide conjugated polyethylenimine organic nanoparticles (NPEI-ONPs). The interfacial molecular structure of NPEI-ONPs is explored in an aqueous medium at pH 7.4 using surface tensiometry and sum-frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS). The hydrophobic functionalization rendered a concentration-dependent surface coverage of NPEI-ONPs, where the SFG-VS analysis exhibited the molecular rearrangement of its hydrophobic groups at the interface. The interaction of NPEI-ONPs with double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) is carried out to observe the relevance of the synthesized nanocomposites in the biomedical domain. The bulk-specific studies (i.e., thermal denaturation, viscometry, zeta (ζ) potential, and ATR-FTIR) reveal the condensation of dsDNA in the presence of NPEI-ONPs, making its structure more compact. The interface-sensitive SFG-VS showcased the impact of the dsDNA and NPEI-ONP interaction on the interfacial molecular behavior of NPEI-ONPs at the air-aqueous interface. Our results exhibit the potential of such hydrophobically functionalized ONPs as promising candidates for developing biomedical sealants, substrate coatings, and other biomedical domains.

Construction of a Turn-off-on Fluorescent System Based On Aggregation Induced Emission of Acetaldehyde Using Carbonized Polymer dots and Tb3

It was the first time to report the aggregation induced emission (AIE) of acetaldehyde (AA) on the surface of carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) with the auxiliary of Tb³⁺. Based on the AIE of AA, a turn-off-on fluorescence method was established for AA detection using the porous CPDs-Tb³⁺ system. The one-pot hydrothermal method was used to obtain CPDs, using milk and polyethyleneimine (PEI) as precursors. In the presence of Tb³⁺, CPDs aggregated immediately and even forming precipitate, and the fluorescence intensity decreased obviously. AA can effectively embed on the surface of CPDs-Tb³⁺ due to the porous structure. AA displayed obviously blue fluorescence with excitation wavelength at 370 nm (emission peak at 460 nm), while there was no fluorescence peak when excited at 460 nm. In the CPDs-Tb³⁺ solution, AA exhibits obvious fluorescence enhancement effect (λ_ex 460 nm, λ_em 545 nm). And then, AA can be determined by the turn-off-on system based on the linear relationship between fluorescence enhancement and the concentration of AA ranging from 0.04 mM to 42.48 mM. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.02 mM. The turn-off-on system was successfully applied to determine AA in wine samples. The strategy may be exploited to monitor AA in more drinking or foodstuff samples.

Detection of Cu2+ and S2- with fluorescent polymer nanoparticles and bioimaging in HeLa cells

Novel spherical polymer nanoparticles were synthesized by hyperbranched polyethylenimine (hPEI) and 6-hydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde (HNA) via Schiff base reaction (one-pot reaction), which had great advantages in water solubility and green synthesis. Meanwhile, probe PEI-HNA could quickly detect Cu²⁺ in the range of 0-60 μM in 30 s with the detection limit of 243 nM. The fluorescence of PEI-HNA-Cu²⁺ could be recovered by the addition of S^2- in 50 s with the detection limit of 227 nM. Based on the excellent optical properties, PEI-HNA has been used in the bioimaging of living cells with excellent cell penetrability and low toxicity. More importantly, PEI-HNA has been doped into filter paper, hydrogel, and nanofibrous film to prepare solid-phase sensors, displaying rapid response and excellent sensitivity. Moreover, the low-cost and simple preparation of these sensors offers great potential and possibilities for industrialization, which could help accelerate the development of sensors in environmental and biological fields.

Colorimetric Visualization Using Polymeric Core-Shell Nanoparticles: Enhanced Sensitivity for Formaldehyde Gas Sensors

Although equipment-based gas sensor systems (e.g., high-performance liquid chromatography) have been widely applied for formaldehyde gas detection, pre-treatment and expensive instrumentation are required. To overcome these disadvantages, we developed a colorimetric sensor based on polymer-based core–shell nanoparticles (PCSNPs), which are inexpensive, stable, and exhibit enhanced selectivity. Spherical and uniform poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (PSMA)/polyethyleneimine (PEI) core–shell nanoparticles were prepared and then impregnated with Methyl Red (MR), Bromocresol Purple (BCP), or 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to construct colorimetric sensors for formaldehyde gas. The intrinsic properties of these dyes were maintained when introduced into the PCSNPs. In the presence of formaldehyde, the MR, BCP, and 4-NP colorimetric sensors changed to yellow, red, and gray, respectively. The colorimetric response was maximized at a PEI/PSMA ratio of four, likely owing to the high content of amine groups. Effective formaldehyde gas detection was achieved at a relative humidity of 30% using the MR colorimetric sensor, which exhibited a large color change (92%) in 1 min. Advantageously, this stable sensor allowed sensitive and rapid naked-eye detection of low formaldehyde concentrations (0.5 ppm). Hence, this approach is promising for real-time formaldehyde gas visualization and can also be adapted to other colorimetric gas sensor systems to improve sensitivity and simplicity.

Carbazole and fluorene polyaniline derivatives: Synthesis, properties and application as multiple stimuli-responsive fluorescent chemosensor

Development of conjugated polymers with fluorescence sensing characteristics has received close attention from researchers in fields of environmental protection, biosensing and toxins detection on food. In this paper, novel polyaniline derivatives of poly(9-methyl-9H-carbazol-3-amine) and poly(9,9-dihexyl-9H-fluoren-2-amine) are prepared by facile chemical polymerization. Then they are characterized with NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), GPC (Gel Permeation Chromatography), XRD (X-Ray Diffraction), FT-IR (Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy), FL (Fluorescence spectrometry) and UV-vis (Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy) characterizations and further applied to the fluorescence detection of different acids and amines. Moreover, the obtained poly(9-methyl-9H-carbazol-3-amine) displays excellent fluorescence properties in the detection for both acids and amines. Besides, this poly(9-methyl-9H-carbazol-3-amine) can not only be used for fluorescence detection in solution, but also can be prepared into solid state and applied in the gas phase fluorescence detection. This work has greatly expanded the scope of application to these polyaniline derivatives materials, opening a new path for the researches on multi-functional chemosensor.

A non-conjugated polyethylenimine copolymer-based unorthodox nanoprobe for bioimaging and related mechanism exploration

A non-conjugated polyethylenimine copolymer-based nanoprobe for lysosome-specific staining and tumor-targeted bioimaging and related mechanism exploration.

Redox modulation of polydopamine surface chemistry: a facile strategy to enhance the intrinsic fluorescence of polydopamine nanoparticles for sensitive and selective detection of Fe3

In recent years, polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles have attracted considerable attention in different research fields because of their many fascinating physicochemical properties. However, as an analogue of naturally occurring melanin, PDA nanoparticles (PDANPs) typically exhibit weak fluorescence properties. Herein, we report a facile one-pot method for synthesizing bright blue luminescent PDANPs through the redox modulation of PDA surface chemistry. The composition and morphology of the resultant NPs were systematically characterized by transmission electron microscopy and several spectroscopy methods, which verified the successful fabrication of PDANPs. More importantly, comparative chemical analysis of dopamine polymerization revealed the significant impacts of synthesis conditions and PDA surface chemistry on the luminescence properties of PDANPs. Remarkably, in addition to their excellent water-solubility, salt-tolerance and high photostability under extreme pH conditions, the as-prepared PDANPs possess the highest quantum yield (5.1%) among all the reported intrinsic fluorescent PDANPs. Moreover, based on the coordination interaction between phenolic hydroxyl groups of PDANPs and ferric ions (Fe3+), the synthesized PDANPs were successfully utilized as a turn-off sensing platform for sensitive and selective detection of Fe3+ without using any additional targeting molecules. Upon increasing the Fe3+ concentration in the range from 0.5 to 20 μM, the fluorescence intensity of PDANPs decreased linearly. The detection limit of Fe3+ was 0.15 μM. Finally, this fluorescent sensor was successfully used to determine Fe3+ in natural water samples, showing good prospects for practical applications and may pave the way for the development of new rational methodologies for further enhancing the intrinsic fluorescence of PDA and fabricating other novel fluorescent organic nanoparticles.

Intrinsically fluorescent and highly functionalized polymer nanoparticles as probes for the detection of zinc and pyrophosphate ions in rabbit serum samples

Intrinsically fluorescent polymer nanoparticles (F-PNPs) were synthetized from 2-hydroxy-5-methylisophthalaldehyde and melamine by solvothermal method. F-PNPs can emit strong yellow green fluorescence at 542 nm without the conjugation to any external fluorescent agent and surface modification. Owing to the abundant amino and hydroxyl groups on their surface, the F-PNPs possess multiple binding sites, good biocompatibility and excellent water-solubility. Addition of Zn²⁺ to the F-PNPs solution resulted in a blue shift (Δλ=40 nm) with obvious enhancement in the fluorescence intensity at 502 nm; while there was negligible change in the presence of other metal ions. The subsequent treatment with pyrophosphate (PPi) can cause fluorescence recovery of F-PNPs by pulling the Zn²⁺ out of the coordination cavity of F-PNPs-Zn²⁺ nanocomposites. No interference was observed from other anions and nucleotides, making the F-PNPs-Zn²⁺ ensembles highly sensitive and selective nanoprobes for PPi. The detection limit is 2.75 × 10^-8 M/L and 7.63 × 10^-8 M/L for Zn²⁺ and PPi, respectively. The proposed nanoprobes were then used for detecting the recovery of Zn²⁺ and PPi in rabbit serum samples, which were found to be 99.4-104.2% and 98.6-104.7%, respectively. The present strategy for the fabrication of nanoparticles may offer a new sight for the preparation of polymer nanostructures. The F-FNPs based probes can provide an accurate method for the detection of Zn²⁺ and PPi in serum samples.

From 2D to 3D patches on multifunctional particles: how microcontact printing creates a new dimension of functionality

A straightforward approach for the precise multifunctional surface modification of particles with three-dimensional patches using microcontact printing is presented. By comparison to previous works it was possible to not only control the diameter, but also to finely tune the thickness of the deposited layer, opening up the way for three-dimensional structures and orthogonal multifunctionality. The use of PEI as polymeric ink, PDMS stamps for microcontact printing on silica particles and the influence of different solvents during particle release on the creation of functional particles with three-dimensional patches are described. Finally, by introducing fluorescent properties by incorporation of quantum dots into patches and by particle self-assembly via avidin-biotin coupling, the versatility of this novel modification method is demonstrated.

One-step formation of three-dimensional macroporous bacterial sponges as a novel approach for the preparation of bioreactors for bioremediation and green treatment of water

A novel method of crosslinking live bacteria into a stable 3D porous structure and its subsequent use in phenol degradation is reported.

Carbon quantum dots prepared with polyethyleneimine as both reducing agent and stabilizer for synthesis of Ag/CQDs composite for Hg2+ ions detection

A stable silver nanoparticles/carbon quantum dots (Ag/CQDs) composite was prepared by using CQDs as reducing and stabilizing agent. The CQDs synthesized with polyethyleneimine (PEI) showed an extraordinary reducibility. When Hg²⁺ was presented in the Ag/CQDs composite solution, a color change from yellow to colorless was observed, accompanied by a shift of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band and decrease in absorbance of the Ag/CQDs composite. On the basis of the further studies on TEM, XPS and XRD analysis, the possible mechanism is attributed to the formation of a silver-mercury amalgam. Hence, a two dimensional sensing platform for Hg²⁺ detection was constructed upon the Ag/CQDs composite. Based on the change of absorbance, a good linear relationship was obtained from 0.5 to 50μM for Hg²⁺. And the limit of detection for Hg²⁺ was as low as 85nM, representing high sensitivity to Hg²⁺. More importantly, the proposed method also exhibits a good selectivity toward Hg²⁺ over other metal ions. Besides, this strategy demonstrates practicability for the detection of Hg²⁺ in real water samples with satisfactory results.

pH-Mediated Fluorescent Polymer Particles and Gel from Hyperbranched Polyethylenimine and the Mechanism of Intrinsic Fluorescence

We report that fluorescence properties and morphology of hyperbranched polyethylenimine (hPEI) cross-linked with formaldehyde are highly dependent on the pH values of the cross-linking reaction. Under acidic and neutral conditions, water-soluble fluorescent copolymer particles (CPs) were produced. However, under basic conditions, white gels with weak fluorescence emission would be obtained. The water-soluble hPEI-formaldehyde (hPEI-F) CPs show strong intrinsic fluorescence without the conjugation to any classical fluorescent agents. By the combination of spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, the mechanism of fluorescence emission was discussed. We propose that the intrinsic fluorescence originates from the formation of a Schiff base in the cross-linking process between hPEI and formaldehyde. Schiff base bonds are the fluorescence-emitting moieties, and the compact structure of hPEI-F CPs plays an important role in their strong fluorescence emission. The exploration on fluorescence mechanism may provide a new strategy to prepare fluorescent polymer particles. In addition, the investigation shows that the hPEI-F CPs hold potential as a fluorescent probe for the detection of copper ions in aqueous media.

Investigation of the fluorescence quenching behavior of PEI-doped silica nanoparticles and its applications

A simple and feasible method for overcoming the fluorescence quenching effect of PEI on fluorophores (eosin Y was chosen as the model dye) was designed for the first time.

Hydrosoluble aliphatic tertiary amine-containing hyperbranched polysiloxanes with bright blue photoluminescence

Two hydrosoluble aliphatic tertiary amine-containing hyperbranched polysiloxanes are explored. The resulting conventional chromophore-free polymers, without any treatment, such as acidification or oxidation, can emit bright blue fluorescence.