Graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets as a fluorescent probe for chromium speciation

Update on chromium speciation analysis in foods: a review of advances in analytical methods and dietary exposure assessment

Chromium occurs naturally in different oxidation states. Amongst them, hexavalent chromium is classified as both genotoxic and carcinogenic while trivalent chromium can be considered as an essential element. Therefore, speciation analysis is essential when conducting dietary exposure assessment. Several critical reviews have been published on chromium speciation analysis in foodstuffs in the last decade. However, a method that can account for species interconversion during the extraction procedure has not been reported in the reviews. In recent years, an online method using species-specific isotope dilution mass spectrometry has been developed for the simultaneous determination of trivalent and hexavalent chromium in foodstuffs. Apart from that, new methods based on offline analytical techniques, to analyse trivalent and hexavalent chromium separately, are still under development. Therefore, one of the objectives of this paper is to review these recently published analytical methods and assess whether they are fit for chromium speciation analysis in foodstuffs. Additionally, an objective is also to assess whether their limits of detection are sufficiently low for dietary exposure assessment with respect to the neoplastic effects of hexavalent chromium. Moreover, possible future research gaps are identified based on the current knowledge and existing literature.

Graphitic carbon nitride derived probes for the recognition of heavy metal pollutants of environmental concern in water bodies

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) has a number of valuable features that have been recognized during the studies related to its photocatalytic activity enhancement derived by visible light. Because of these characteristics, g-CN can be used as a detecting signal transducer with different transmission modalities. The latest up-to-date detection capabilities of modified g-CN nanoarchitectures are covered in this study. The structural features and synthetic methodologies have been discussed in a number of reports. Herein, employment of the g-CN as a promising probing modality for the recognition of different toxic heavy metals is the promising feature of the present study.

Dual-quenching electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer system from CoPd nanoparticles enhanced porous g-C3N4 to FeMOFs-sCuO for neuron-specific enolase immunosensing

For the diagnosis and therapy of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), the accurate and sensitive determination of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) content is crucial. This work outlines a dual-quenching electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) immunosensor based on the double quenching effects of iron base metal organic frameworks (FeMOFs) loaded with small sized CuO nanoparticles (FeMOFs-sCuO) towards CoPd nanoparticles (CoPdNPs) enhanced porous g-C₃N₄ (P-C₃N₄-CoPdNPs). To be specific, we prepared a porous g-C₃N₄ (P-C₃N₄) which has a rich porous structure, and significantly increased the specific surface area and the number of reaction sites of P-C₃N₄. Meanwhile, the CoPdNPs were loaded onto P-C₃N₄ to improve the ECL luminescence property of P-C₃N₄/K₂S₂O₈ system through acting as a coreaction accelerator. In addition, the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectra of FeMOFs and small sized CuO nanoparticles (sCuO) showed considerable overlap with the ECL emission spectra of P-C₃N₄ appropriately. Therefore, FeMOFs with high specific surface area were prepared and well combined with sCuO to effectively dual-quenching the ECL emission of P-C₃N₄ based on resonance energy transfer. Hence, a new type ECL-RET couple made up of P-C₃N₄-CoPdNPs (donor) and FeMOFs-sCuO (acceptor) were developed for the first time. A certain amount of P-C₃N₄-CoPdNPs, Ab₁, BSA, NSE were modified layer by layer onto the electrode surface. Then FeMOFs-sCuO-Ab₂ bioconjugates was incubated through the immune recognition binding. As a result, a sandwich-type ECL biosensor was manufactured successfully for NSE immunoassay. Under optimal experimental conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) of the prepared ECL sensor for NSE analysis was 20.4 fg mL^-1 and 7.99 fg mL^-1, respectively, with the relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.68%. The linear detection range was 0.0000500-100 ng mL^-1. The studied immunosensor had satisfactory sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility, manifesting the suggested sensing strategy might offer a good technical means and theoretical basis for the sensitivity analysis of NSE and has a potential application in clinical diagnosis analysis.

2,6-Diaminopyridine-Based Polyurea as an ORR Electrocatalyst of an Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

In order to yield more Co(II), 2,6-diaminopyridine (DAP) was polymerized with 4,4-methylene diphenyl diisocyanates (MDI) in the presence of Co(II) to obtain a Co-complexed polyurea (Co-PUr). The obtained Co-PUr was calcined to become Co, N-doped carbon (Co-N-C) as the cathode catalyst of an anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC). High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) of Co-N-C indicated many Co-Nx (Co covalent bonding with several nitrogen) units in the Co-N-C matrix. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that carbon and cobalt crystallized in the Co-N-C catalysts. The Raman spectra showed that the carbon matrix of Co-N-C became ordered with increased calcination temperature. The surface area (dominated by micropores) of Co-N-Cs also increased with the calcination temperature. The non-precious Co-N-C demonstrated comparable electrochemical properties (oxygen reduction reaction: ORR) to commercial precious Pt/C, such as high on-set and half-wave voltages, high limited reduction current density, and lower Tafel slope. The number of electrons transferred in the cathode was close to four, indicating complete ORR. The max. power density (P_max) of the single cell with the Co-N-C cathode catalyst demonstrated a high value of 227.7 mWcm^-2.

A Comprehensive Review on Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Carbon Dioxide Photoreduction

Inspired by natural photosynthesis, harnessing the wide range of natural solar energy and utilizing appropriate semiconductor-based catalysts to convert carbon dioxide into beneficial energy species, for example, CO, CH₄ , HCOOH, and CH₃ COH have been shown to be a sustainable and more environmentally friendly approach. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃ N₄ ) has been regarded as a highly effective photocatalyst for the CO₂ reduction reaction, owing to its cost-effectiveness, high thermal and chemical stability, visible light absorption capability, and low toxicity. However, weaker electrical conductivity, fast recombination rate, smaller visible light absorption window, and reduced surface area make this catalytic material unsuitable for commercial photocatalytic applications. Therefore, certain procedures, including elemental doping, structural modulation, functional group adjustment of g-C₃ N₄ , the addition of metal complex motif, and others, may be used to improve its photocatalytic activity towards effective CO₂ reduction. This review has investigated the scientific community's perspectives on synthetic pathways and material optimization approaches used to increase the selectivity and efficiency of the g-C₃ N₄ -based hybrid structures, as well as their benefits and drawbacks on photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. Finally, the review concludes a comparative discussion and presents a promising picture of the future scope of the improvements.

Sulfur-doped graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets as a sensitive fluorescent probe for detecting environmental and intracellular Ag

Silver is widely used in medical materials, photography, electronics and other industries as a precious metal. The large-scale industrial production of silver-containing products and liquid waste emissions aggravate the environmental pollution. Silver ion is one of the most toxic metal ions, causing pollution to the environment and damage to public health. Therefore, the efficient and sensitive detection of Ag+ in the water environment is extremely important. Sulfur-doped carbon nitride nanosheets (SCN Ns) were prepared by melamine and thiourea via high-temperature calcination. The morphology, chemical composition and surface functional groups of the SCN Ns were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, and FT-IR. The fluorescence of SCN Ns was gradually quenched as the Ag+ concentration increased. The detection limit for Ag+ was as low as 0.28 nM. The quenching mechanism mainly is attributed to static quenching. In this paper, SCN Ns were used as the fluorescent probe for detecting Ag+. SCN Ns have successfully detected Ag+ in different environmental aqueous samples and cells. Finally, SCN Ns were further applied to the visual quantitative detection of intracellular Ag+.

A Fluorescent g-C3N4 Nanosensor for Detection of Dichromate Ions

Background:

Dichromate (Cr2O7 2-) ion is one of the carcinogenic and toxic spices in environment which can easily contaminate the environment due to its high solubility in water. Therefore, a lot of attention has been focused on the detection of Cr2O7 2- with high sensitivity and selectivity.

Methods:

In present work, nitrogen-rich precursor was used for synthesizing graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanostructures through hydrothermal oxidation of g-C3N4 nanosheets. The prepared nanostructures show two distinct fluorescence emissions centered at 368 and 450 nm which are highly sensitive toward Cr2O7 2- ions.

Results:

The as-prepared g-C3N4 was characterized by several techniques such as Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and fluorescence emission spectra. The XRD pattern of prepared nanostructures illustrated two diffraction patterns (at 13.4° and 27.6°) indicating tri-s-tri-azine-based structures. The g-C3N4 exhibited good selectivity and sensitivity toward Cr2O7 2- among other anions. According to titration test, the detection limit and stern-volmer constant (Ksv) were calculated as 40 nM and 0.13×106 M-1, respectively. The investigation of quenching mechanism shows that Cr2O7 2- may form hydrogen bonding with surface groups of g-C3N4 (such as NH2, OH and COOH) resulted in more fluorescence quenching in comparison with the pure inner filter effect.

Conclusion:

The g-C3N4 nanostructures were successfully synthesized through the hydrothermal oxidation. The as-prepared g-C3N4 can be used as a highly sensitive fluorescent probe for the selective determination of Cr2O7 2 ion among other anions. The quenching mechanism was experimentally studied. According to reliable responses in real sample tests, it can be proposed that g-C3N4 nanostructure is a suitable sensitive nanosensor for detection of Cr2O7 2 ions in aqueous media.

A novel strategy for detection of small molecules based on aptamer/gold nanoparticles/graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets as fluorescent biosensor

Herein, a novel ultrasensitive strategy has been developed by designing a label free fluorescent nano-aptasensor for monitoring of small moecules in human plasma. In this nano-aptasensor, graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets were used as fluorescent probe. The fluorescence intensity of the probe was decreased by interaction between graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets and label-free aptamer/gold nanoparticles conjugate, via Fluorescence resonance energy transfer mechanism. Upon addition of the analyte, the fluorescence of graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets was restored due to the aptamer/analyte interaction, and the aggregation of gold nanoparticles in the presence of salt. The influence of various factors on sensing method was investigated, and under the approved conditions, the fluorescence signal showed a linear relation with Digoxin concentration in the range of 10-500 ng L^-1 with limit of detection down to 3.2 ng L^-1 relative standard deviations for 25, 100 and 500 ng L^-1 of analyte concentrations were 2.6, 4.0 and 6.5%, respectively. This strategy provided a simple, rapid, cost effective and reproducible experimental model, with successful application for determination of Digoxin in plasma samples without any pretreatment steps.

Polyhydroquinoline nanoaggregates: A dual fluorescent probe for detection of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol and chromium (VI)

Fluorescent polyhydroquinoline (PHQ) derivative was fabricated utilizing one-pot engineered course. The PHQ derivative indicated aggregation induced emission enhancement (AIEE) with arrangement of nanoaggregates of size 11-13 nm in 95% watery DMF medium. The fluorescence emission of PHQ nanoaggregates was extinguished by including TNP and Cr (VI). They indicated prevalent fluorescence quenching towards both TNP and Cr (VI) over other meddling nitro-compounds and metal particles. In light of results got we presumed that both photo-induced fluorescence quenching of PHQ nanoaggregates by TNP, while Inner Filter Effect (IFE) was in charge of fluorescence quenching of PHQ nanoaggregates by Cr (VI). The PHQ nanoaggregates empowered identification of TNP and Cr (VI) down to 0.66 μM (TNP) and 0.28 μM (Cr (VI)). The use of PHQ nanoaggregates were reached out for location of TNP and Cr (VI) in genuine water tests.

Surface-imprinted β-cyclodextrin-functionalized carbon nitride nanosheets for fluorometric determination of sterigmatomycin

β-Cyclodextrin-functionalized carbon nitride nanosheets were modified with a molecularly imprinted polymer to obtain a fluorescent probe of type MIP@β-CD/CNNS which is shown to enable fluorometric determination of sterigmatocystin (STG). The material was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectra, powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and by absorption and emission spectra. The modified CNNSs have a good fluorescence quantum yield (13%), high sorption capacity for STG (86 mg·g^-1), fast adsorption rate (25 min), and superior adsorption selectivity (with an imprint factor 2.56). When used as an optical probe for STG, the CNNSs act as the chromophore, while β-CD and MIP act as the recognition groups. The blue fluorescence of MIP@β-CD/CNNS (with excitation/emission maxima at 368/432 nm) is quenched by STG. Fluorescence drops linearly in the 0.15 to 3.1 μM STG concentration range. The lower detection limit is 74 nM. The method was successfully applied to the determination of STG in spiked wheat extract. Conceivably, this detection scheme based on a combination of β-CD inclusion and molecular imprinting may be extended to the detection of various other organic compounds. Graphical abstractSchematic representation of the preparation of surface-imprinted β-cyclodextrin-functionalized carbon nitride nanosheets. These are used, along with a molecularly imprinted polymer, for fluorometric determination of sterigmatomycin.

Chromium speciation by isophthalic acid-doped polymer dots as sensitive and selective fluorescent probes

Hexavalent chromium is a known carcinogen, among all species of chromium ions, for the respiratory tract in humans. In the present work, a new facile probe is developed for rapid and sensitive determination of Cr(VI) based on utilizing highly fluorescent conjugated poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-alt-co-(1,4-benzo-(2,1',3) thiadiazole)] (PFBT) polymer dots (PDs). The PDs are easily functionalized by doping of isophthalic acid (IPA) into the target PDs during a single step preparation. The prepared PDs with an average diameter of 30 nm illustrated a strong fluorescence with an emission peak centered at 530 nm (photo-excited at 480 nm). The strong fluorescence of PDs is selectively and significantly quench with Cr(VI), while it does not change by Cr(III) ion and, thus, can facilitate a chromium speciation process. The proposed mechanism is an inner filter effect (IFE) mechanism, in which the absorption bands of Cr(IV) overlaps with the emission and excitation bands of the modified PDs. The prepared PDs revealed a good linear relationship from 0.1 to 1000 μmol L^-1 for Cr(VI) with a detection limit of 0.03 μmol L^-1, which further used to track the Cr distribution in water samples. Finally, the IPA-doped PDs with excellent optical properties, biocompatibility, and high quantum yield showed promising potential in tracking Cr species and specifying of different Cr ions inside the human cells, which opening a new door toward getting a better insight into the cell function and metabolism in the presence of heavy metal ions, and especially chromium ions.

Chromium speciation using paper-based analytical devices by direct determination and with electromembrane microextraction

In this study, we developed and compared three different methods for chromium speciation in water samples using microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs). In all methods, detection was based on the complexation reaction of Cr(VI) with diphenylcarbazide on the μPADs. Cr(III) ions were oxidized to Cr(VI) by Ce(IV) prior to colorimetric detection on the μPADs. In the first method, oxidization of Cr(III) to Cr(VI) in the solution containing both trivalent and hexavalent chromium was performed using a batch procedure to obtain total chromium. A dual electromembrane extraction (DEME) technique for simultaneous preconcentration and extraction of chromium species and a single electromembrane extraction (SEME) for preconcentration and extraction of Cr(VI)/total chromium [quantified as Cr(VI) content after oxidation of Cr(III) ions to Cr(VI)] were used in the second and third methods, respectively. The electromembrane extraction was based on the electrokinetic migration of cationic Cr(III) and anionic Cr(VI) toward the cathode and anode, respectively, into the two different hollow fibres. Octanol-1 and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (DEHP) in octanol-1 (0.7% v/v) were the most suitable supported liquid membranes for extraction of Cr(VI) and Cr(III), respectively. Among these methods, SEME showed the lowest limits of detection for both analytes. Under optimized conditions, linear calibrations were obtained for Cr(III) from 3 to 30 μg L^-1 and for Cr(VI) from 3 to 70 μg L^-1. The detection limits were 1.0 μg L^-1 and 0.7 μg L^-1 for Cr(III) and Cr(VI), respectively. Our developed method was applied to analyse water samples spiked with different concentrations of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) at the parts-per-billion (ppb) level. The statistical evaluation showed that the proposed method agreed well with the validation method, i.e., inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).

A label-free nano-probe for sequential and quantitative determination of Cr(VI) and ascorbic acid in real samples based on S and N dual-doped carbon dots

A fluorescent sulfur and nitrogen dual-doped carbon dots (S,N-CDs) was prepared by a simple and one-step acid-base neutralization and exothermic carbonization method. Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) could effectively quench the fluorescence of S,N-CDs based on inner filter effect (IFE) and dynamic quenching, whereas ascorbic acid (AA) could recover the fluorescence of S,N-CDs/Cr(VI) because of IFE weakening. So an "on-off-on" and label-free nano-probe consecutive determination of Cr(VI) and AA was constructed. This nano-probe system demonstrated excellent selectivity and sensitivity to Cr(VI) and AA with linear range of 0.065-198 μmol/L (3.38-10,296 μg/L) and 6.6-892 μmol/L (1.16-157 mg/L), respectively. Meanwhile, the as-prepared S,N-CDs possess low toxicity and could be used for multi-color cell imaging in SMMC 7721 cells. More importantly, this nano-probe was successfully employed for detection of Cr(VI) in tap water and AA in food samples. In view of its simple detection condition, rapid response, wide linear range, low detection limit and inexpensive instrument, the as-constructed nano-probe system could have a wide range of potential application, including water quality monitoring and evaluation, food inspection and testing and biomedical analysis.

A sensitive fluorescent sensing strategy for nanomolar levels of metformin using graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets as nanofluoroprobe

A simple and green fluorescence detection system on the basis of the quenching effect of Cu(II) ions on the graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (g-C₃N₄ NS) fluorescence and recording the changes of restored fluorescence intensity upon the addition of metformin (MET) was developed for the first time. The g-C₃N₄ NS were produced using high-temperature polymerization of melamine followed by ultrasonication-assisted liquid exfoliation. The method exhibited excellent sensitivity and accuracy toward MET with the detection as low as 3 nM and linear calibration curve in the range of 0.01-20 μM. In addition, this assay was successfully applied to the determination of MET concentration in human serum samples. It is robust and is suitable for fast, sensitive and cost effective measurement of MET in biological materials.