Preparation of ion-imprinted silica gels functionalized with glycine, diglycine, and triglycine and their adsorption properties for copper ions

Tyrosine-Based Dual-Functional Interface for Trapping and On-Site Photo-Induced Covalent Immobilization of Proteins

Tyrosine, a simple and well-available natural amino acid, is featured by the small size of the compound that contains multiple reactive groups. This study developed an efficient bioconjugation strategy using tyrosine-based dual-functional interfaces. When tyrosine molecules are immobilized on the surface of a supporting material through amino groups, their carboxyl groups can function as an attracting trap due to their anionic nature at neutral pH and ability to chelate nickel(II) ions (Ni²⁺), allowing the capture and enrichment of cationic proteins and histidine (His)-tagged proteins on the surface. The trapped proteins can be further covalently immobilized on site through ruthenium-mediated photochemical cross-linking, which has been found to be highly efficient and can be completed within minutes. This strategy was successfully applied to two different material systems. We found that tyrosine-modified agarose beads had a binding capacity of the His-tagged enhanced green fluorescent protein comparable to that of commonly used nitrilotriacetic acid-based resins, and further covalent coupling via dityrosine cross-linking achieved a yield of 85% within 5 min, without compromising much on its fluorescence activity. On the surface of tyrosine-modified 316L stainless steel, lysozyme was captured through electrostatic interaction and further immobilized. The resultant surface exhibited remarkable antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Such a tyrosine-based capture-then-coupling method is featured by its simplicity, high coupling efficiency, and high utilization rate of target molecules, making it particularly suitable for the proteins that are highly priced or vulnerable to general immobilization chemistry.

Optimization of Cd(II) adsorption condition by glycine-modified silica-based adsorbent using central composite design

Silica gel (SG) is one of common adsorbent on solid phase extraction for preconcentration. Due to the low selectivity and effectiveness of adsorption to metal ions, SG should be modified. The SG was modified with d-glycine (Si-Gly) using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane and glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker. Capability of Si-Gly as adsorbent for cadmium ions (Cd) was investigated using batch adsorption. The result was proved by infrared spectra. The optimum condition of Cd adsorption by the Si-Gly was obtained at pH 5, with 0.3 g of adsorbent and 11 minutes of contact time. The percentage of Cd adsorption at the optimum condition by the Si-Gly (99.34%) which is greater than the SG (89.03%). The maximum adsorption capacity of the Si-Gly is 9.77 mg/g, obtained at 400 mg/L. The Cd(II) adsorption on the SG and the Si-Gly follow the Langmuir isotherm equation.

Functionalization of Magnetic Chitosan Particles for the Sorption of U(VI), Cu(II) and Zn(II)-Hydrazide Derivative of Glycine-Grafted Chitosan

A new magnetic functionalized derivative of chitosan is synthesized and characterized for the sorption of metal ions (environmental applications and metal valorization). The chemical modification of the glycine derivative of chitosan consists of: activation of the magnetic support with epichlorohydrin, followed by reaction with either glycine to produce the reference material (i.e., Gly sorbent) or glycine ester hydrochloride, followed by hydrazinolysis to synthesize the hydrazide functionalized sorbent (i.e., HGly sorbent). The materials are characterized by titration, elemental analysis, FTIR analysis (Fourrier-transform infrared spectrometry), TGA analysis (thermogravimetric analysis) and with SEM-EDX (scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy dispersive X-ray analysis). The sorption performances for U(VI), Cu(II), and Zn(II) are tested in batch systems. The sorption performances are compared for Gly and HGly taking into account the effect of pH, the uptake kinetics (fitted by the pseudo-second order rate equation), and the sorption isotherms (described by the Langmuir and the Sips equations). The sorption capacities of the modified sorbent reach up to 1.14 mmol U g^-1, 1.69 mmol Cu g^-1, and 0.85 mmol Zn g^-1. In multi-metal solutions of equimolar concentration, the chemical modification changes the preferences for given metal ions. Metal ions are desorbed using 0.2 M HCl solutions and the sorbents are re-used for five cycles of sorption/desorption without significant loss in performances.

Environmentally friendly chitosan/PEI-grafted magnetic gelatin for the highly effective removal of heavy metals from drinking water

The development of environmentally friendly sorbents with a high adsorption capacity is an essential problem in the removal of heavy metals from drinking water. In this study, magnetic gelatin was prepared using transglutaminase as a cross-linker, which could only catalyze an acyl-transfer reaction between lysine and glutamine residues of the gelatin and not affect other amino groups. Therefore, it was beneficial for the further modification based on the amino groups, and did not affect the spatial structure of gelatin, which can effectively prevent the embedding of active sites in the polymer matrix. After modification with the chitosan/polyethylenimine copolymers, the numbers of amino groups was greatly increased, and the magnetic composites exhibited a high adsorption capacity, excellent water compatibility and simple magnetic separation. The adsorption capacities of lead and cadmium were 341 mg g⁻¹ and 321 mg g⁻¹, respectively, which could be used for the removal of metal ions in drinking water.

Selective Solid-Phase Extraction of Lead Ions in Water Samples Using Three-Dimensional Ion-Imprinted Polymers

Ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs) have drawn much attention in the selective determination of heavy metals. In this study, 8-hydroxyquinoline-grafted gelatin with different types of functional groups was first introduced as a biomolecular monomer to enhance the selectivity of imprinted cavities. Based on its swelling and film-forming properties, a simple strategy containing formation of the hydrogel film, swelling/folding followed by cross-linking, was proposed to prepare three-dimensional IIPs with high adsorption capacity (235.7 mg g(-1)), strong selectivity (imprinted factor was 2.9), and rapid kinetics. Based on the different swelling container, different morphologies of IIPs could be prepared to satisfy the requirements of practical application. Consequently, the IIPs extraction coupled with a spectrophotometric method was applied for determination of lead ions, and the limit of detection was 0.2 ng mL(-1), which could be used for monitoring of Pb(II) in drinking water and surface water.

Highly selective monitoring of metals by using ion-imprinted polymers

Ion imprinting technology is one of the most promising tools in separation and purification sciences because of its high selectivity, good stability, simplicity and low cost. It has been mainly used for selective removal, preconcentration, sensing and few miscellaneous fields. In this review article, recent methodologies in the synthesis of IIPs have been discussed. For several applications, different parameters of IIP including complexing and leaching agent, pH, relative selectivity coefficient, detection limit and adsorption capacity have been evaluated and an attempt has been made to generalize. Biomedical applications mostly include selective removal of toxic metals from human blood plasma and urine samples. Wastewater treatment involves selective removal of highly toxic metal ions like Hg(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), As(V), etc. Preconcentration covers recovery of economically important metal ions such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium. It also includes selective preconcentration of lanthanides and actinides. In sensing, various IIP-based sensors have been fabricated for detection of toxic metal ions. This review article includes almost all metal ions based on the ion-imprinted polymer. At the end, the future outlook section presents the discussion on the advancement, corresponding merits and the need of continued research in few specific areas. Graphical Abstract IIPs for the selective monitoring of metals.

Preparation of core–shell ion imprinted nanoparticles via photoinitiated polymerization at ambient temperature for dynamic removal of cobalt in aqueous solution

In this work, novel core–shell ion imprinted polymers were firstly synthesized by photoinitiated polymerization (P-IIPs) for the selective separation of Co(ii) in aqueous solution.

Imprinting of metal receptors into multilayer polyelectrolyte films: fabrication and applications in marine antifouling

Polymeric films constructed using the layer-by-layer (LbL) fabrication process were employed as a platform for metal ion immobilization and applied as a marine antifouling coating. The novel Cu2+ ion imprinting process described is based on the use of metal ion templates and LbL multilayer covalent cross-linking. Custom synthesized, peptide mimicking polycations composed of histidine grafted poly(allylamine) (PAH) to bind metal ions, and methyl ester containing polyanions for convenient cross-linking were used in the fabrication process. Two methods of LbL film formation have been investigated using alternate polyelectrolyte deposition namely non-imprinted LbLA, and imprinted LbLB. Both LbL films were cross linked at mild temperature to yield covalent bridging of the layers for improved stability in a sea water environment. A comparative study of the non-imprinted LbLA films and imprinted LbLB films for Cu2+ ion binding capacity, leaching rate and stability of the films was performed. The results reveal that the imprinted films possess enhanced affinity to retain metal ions due to the preorganization of imidazole bearing histidine receptors. As a result the binding capacity of the films for Cu2+ could be improved by seven fold. Antifouling properties of the resulting materials in a marine environment have been demonstrated against the settlement of barnacle larvae, indicating that controlled release of Cu ions was achieved.

Molecular imprinting science and technology: a survey of the literature for the years 2004-2011

Herein, we present a survey of the literature covering the development of molecular imprinting science and technology over the years 2004-2011. In total, 3779 references to the original papers, reviews, edited volumes and monographs from this period are included, along with recently identified uncited materials from prior to 2004, which were omitted in the first instalment of this series covering the years 1930-2003. In the presentation of the assembled references, a section presenting reviews and monographs covering the area is followed by sections describing fundamental aspects of molecular imprinting including the development of novel polymer formats. Thereafter, literature describing efforts to apply these polymeric materials to a range of application areas is presented. Current trends and areas of rapid development are discussed.

Design and fabrication of branched polyamine functionalized mesoporous silica: an efficient absorbent for water remediation

A novel branched polyamine (polyethyleneimine, PEI) functionalized mesoporous silica (MS) adsorbent is developed via a facile "grafting-to" approach. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy verified the effective surface functionalization of MS with monolayer and polymer. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was employed to reveal the morphology of the fabricated materials. The adsorption behavior of the polyamine functionalized mesoporous silica (MS-PEI) is assessed against anionic dyes. The adsorbent characteristics of MS-PEI are compared with a monolayer platform comprising of 3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane (APTES) functionalized mesoporous silica (MS-APTES). The adsorption behavior of the MS-PEI and MS-APTES toward anionic dyes is further evaluated by studying the effect of adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time, and temperature. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models are employed to understand the adsorption mechanism. The obtained kinetic data support a pseudo-second-order adsorption behavior for both monolayer and polymer functionalized MS. The associated thermodynamic parameters (ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS°) reveal that the process of adsorption with MS-PEI is more spontaneous and energetically favored as compared to the adsorption with MS-APTES. Taken together, the novel adsorbent system derived from a combination of MS and branched polymer (MS-PEI) shows the higher absorption efficiency and capacity toward the anionic dyes than the monolayer based adsorbent (MS-APTES).

Synthesis of magnetic ion-imprinted composites and selective separation and preconcentration of U(vi)

The synthesis route to magnetic ion-imprinted composites.

A High-Throughput Screening of N-Carbobenzoxy-L-Tryptophan Imprinted Polymers and their Application for Monolithic Chiral Stationary Phase

Molecular imprinting is a technique to prepare polymers with predetermined selectivity, specific recognition and predesigned affinity to a desired molecule. The stability and low cost of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) render them attractive for a broad range of applications. Currently, MIP technique has been widely used in chiral separation. In this study, a series of molecularly imprinted polymers for N-Carbobenzoxy-L-tryptophan (N-Cbz-L-Trp) synthesized in different conditions were prepared in a small scale to simulate the monolithic chiral stationary phases (CSPs) primarily. By coupling in situ processing and batch rebinding evaluation, the type of functional monomers, which likely to affect the chiral selectivity of MIPs, was investigated. It was found that a MIP comprising a mixture of functional monomer 4-vinylpyridine (4-VP) and porogen 1-dodecanol/toluene exhibited the highest binding capacity and chiral selectivity for N-Carbobenzoxy-L-tryptophan. Thereafter, the monolithic MIP synthesized in screened optimum condition is used as chiral stationary phase in HPLC, which shows favourable separating capacity.

Synthesis of silica chemically bonded with poly(ethylene oxide) 4-arm, amine-terminated for copper cation removal

Chemically modified silica containing a poly(ethylene oxide) 4-arm, amine-terminated unit has been obtained in the multi-step synthesis. The synthesized material was characterized by elemental, thermogravimetric analysis and infrared spectroscopy. The surface morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The support studied was applied for selective extraction of copper(II) [Cu(II)] from water solutions. The influence of different parameters (pH, amount of the support studied, and contact time) on the copper extraction was investigated. At the optimum conditions, the copper extraction was approximately 90%, significantly greater than that of the other coexisting ions--nickel(II) [Ni(II)], cobalt(II) [Co(II)], and manganese(II) [Mn(II)]. The exception was calcium(II) [Ca(II)], which reached 30% of the extraction percentage. The solid support retained its properties after treatment with different organic and inorganic solvents. The recovery of adsorbed Cu(II) ions was approximately 97%. The sorbent studied can be applied effectively for the pre-concentration of a low level of Cu(II) in the different water samples.

Development of electrochemical calcium sensors by using silicon nanowires modified with phosphotyrosine

This paper reports the electrical detection of calcium ions by using silicon nanowires (SiNWs) as channels in a chemically gated field-effect-transistor (FET) configuration. To obtain a selective and sensitive layer for calcium sensing, the SiNWs are modified with a biologically relevant amino acid phosphotyrosine (p-Tyr), which is able to complex calcium ions with high affinity. It is found that when the p-Tyr modified SiNWs are exposed to aqueous solutions containing calcium ions, their conductances increase with the increasing of calcium concentration up to 10microM. In contrast, when the SiNWs are exposed to sodium or potassium, or when they are modified with tyrosine (Tyr), no significant increase in the conductance is observed. This finding suggests that the calcium ions complexed with the phosphate group of p-Tyr can act as a positive gate voltage on the FET device comprising of n-type SiNWs, and leads to an increase in their conductances. The FET device is also sensitive to magnesium ions. However, the response is 10 times lower than that of calcium at the same concentration. The study reported here may pave the way for designing an intracellular calcium sensor which permits the monitoring of calcium concentration in real time.

Complexation of copper ions with histidine-containing tripeptides immobilized on solid surfaces

Short oligopeptides that complex with metal ions with high affinity and high specificity are of interest to the design of chemical sensors. In this study, we compare the complexation properties of two copper-selective tripeptides, Gly-Gly-His and His-Gly-Gly, either in aqueous solutions or immobilized on solid surfaces. Our results show that the copper complex formed by Gly-Gly-His is more stable than the complex formed by His-Gly-Gly in aqueous solutions, because the position of histidine (His) in the Gly-Gly-His permits the formation of a tetragonal copper complex with a high stability. However, when the tripeptides are immobilized on aldehyde-decorated silicon wafer surfaces under a reaction condition that gives rise to near maximum surface densities of tripeptides, both immobilized Gly-Gly-His and His-Gly-Gly experience strong steric hindrance on the over-crowded surfaces. The surface crowding effect causes less complexation with copper ions than that in aqueous solutions. To ensure a proper surface density on the surface for complexation with copper ions, a so-called two-dimensional (2D) metal-ion imprinting technique is employed to avoid the surface crowdedness. By immobilizing Gly-Gly-His in the presence of copper ions, we create a tripeptide-functionalized surface that exhibits high complexation capability for copper ions. We attribute the higher copper complexation capability to the proper intermolecular distances obtained from the ion-imprinting procedure that gives the copper-tripeptide complex a preferential tetragonal geometry. Our results show that the amounts of copper complexed to a copper-imprinted surface functionalized with Gly-Gly-His are 62% higher than those of a nonimprinted surface.