There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

다중혈관 관상동맥 환자에서 y-문합을 이용하여 양쪽 내흉동맥만을 사용한 우회술의 조기 성적

[신간의 별자리x] 우리/미술, 그리고 ‘슬픔의 박물관’

Titanium Dioxide Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties, Modifications, and Applications

Detection of chemical and biological agents plays a fundamental role in biomedical, forensic and environmental sciences1–4 as well as in anti bioterrorism applications.5–7 The development of highly sensitive, cost effective, miniature sensors is therefore in high demand which requires advanced technology coupled with fundamental knowledge in chemistry, biology and material sciences.8–13

In general, sensors feature two functional components: a recognition element to provide selective/specific binding with the target analytes and a transducer component for signaling the binding event. An efficient sensor relies heavily on these two essential components for the recognition process in terms of response time, signal to noise (S/N) ratio, selectivity and limits of detection (LOD).14,15 Therefore, designing sensors with higher efficacy depends on the development of novel materials to improve both the recognition and transduction processes. Nanomaterials feature unique physicochemical properties that can be of great utility in creating new recognition and transduction processes for chemical and biological sensors15–27 as well as improving the S/N ratio by miniaturization of the sensor elements.28

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) possess distinct physical and chemical attributes that make them excellent scaffolds for the fabrication of novel chemical and biological sensors (Figure 1).29–36 First, AuNPs can be synthesized in a straightforward manner and can be made highly stable. Second, they possess unique optoelectronic properties. Third, they provide high surface-to-volume ratio with excellent biocompatibility using appropriate ligands.30 Fourth, these properties of AuNPs can be readily tuned varying their size, shape and the surrounding chemical environment. For example, the binding event between recognition element and the analyte can alter physicochemical properties of transducer AuNPs, such as plasmon resonance absorption, conductivity, redox behavior, etc. that in turn can generate a detectable response signal. Finally, AuNPs offer a suitable platform for multi-functionalization with a wide range of organic or biological ligands for the selective binding and detection of small molecules and biological targets.30–32,36 Each of these attributes of AuNPs has allowed researchers to develop novel sensing strategies with improved sensitivity, stability and selectivity. In the last decade of research, the advent of AuNP as a sensory element provided us a broad spectrum of innovative approaches for the detection of metal ions, small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, malignant cells, etc. in a rapid and efficient manner.37



Figure 1

Physical properties of AuNPs and schematic illustration of an AuNP-based detection system.



In this current review, we have highlighted the several synthetic routes and properties of AuNPs that make them excellent probes for different sensing strategies. Furthermore, we will discuss various sensing strategies and major advances in the last two decades of research utilizing AuNPs in the detection of variety of target analytes including metal ions, organic molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, and microorganisms.

/pdf/gold-nanoparticles-in-chemical-and-biological-sensing-5e2qojkdzn.pdf

Gold nanoparticles in chemical and biological sensing.

We report on the fabrication of self-organized titanium oxide nanotube arrays of enhanced surface area prepared by anodic oxidation of a pure titanium sheet in electrolyte solutions containing potassium fluoride (KF) or sodium fluoride (NaF). The effects of electrolyte composition and concentration, solution pH, and the anodic potential on the formation of nanotubes and dimensions of the resulting nanotubes are detailed. Although nanotube arrays of length greater than 500 nm are not possible with hydrofluoric acid containing electrolytes [G.K. Mor, O.K. Varghese, M. Paulose, N. Mukherjee, C.A. Grimes, J. Mater. Res. 18, 2588 (2003)], by adjusting the pH of a KF containing electrolyte to 4.5 using additives such as sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, sodium hydrogen sulfate, and/or citric acid, we could increase the length of the nanotube-array to approximately 4.4 μm, an order of magnitude increase in length. The as-prepared nanotubes are composed of amorphous titanium oxide. Independent of the electrolyte composition, crystallization of the nanotubes to anatase phase occurred at temperatures ≥280 °C. Rutile formation occurred at the nanotube-Ti substrate interface at temperatures near 480 °C. It appears geometry constraints imposed by the nanotube walls inhibit anatase to rutile transformation. No disintegration of the nanotube array structure is observed at temperatures as high as 580 °C. The excellent structural and crystal phase stability of these nanotubes make them promising for both low- and high-temperature applications.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0884291400091263

The Effect of Electrolyte Composition on the Fabrication of Self-Organized Titanium Oxide Nanotube Arrays by Anodic Oxidation

p-Nitrophenol (PNP) is a difficultly decomposed organic pollutant under solar light in the absence of strong oxidants. This study shows that under artificial solar light PNP can be effectively degraded by a Cu(2)O/TiO(2) p-n junction network which is fabricated by anodizing Cu(0) particles-loaded TiO(2) nanotubes (NTs). The network is composed of p-type Cu(2)O nanowires on the top surface and Cu(2)O nanoparticles on the inner walls of the n-type TiO(2) NT arrays. The Cu(2)O/TiO(2) network shows much higher degradation rate (1.97 μg/min cm(2)) than the unmodified TiO(2) NTs (0.85 μg/min cm(2)). The enhanced photocatalytic acitivity can be attributed to the extended absorption in the visible resulting from the Cu(2)O nanowire networks and the effective separation of photogenerated carriers driven by the photoinduced potential difference generated at the Cu(2)O/TiO(2) p-n junction interface.

High efficient photocatalytic degradation of p-nitrophenol on a unique Cu2O/TiO2 p-n heterojunction network catalyst.

Photoreduction of Cr(VI) was successfully achieved on WO3 doped TiO2 nanotube (NT) arrays in the presence of citric acid. WO3 doped TiO2 NT arrays were fabricated by annealing anodic titania NTs that were preloaded with peroxotungstic acid. Driven by electrostatic force, the negatively charged peroxotungstic acid sol uniformly clung to the positively charged titania NT arrays, causing a solid solution of WO3 and TiO2 after annealing. The citric acid plays an important role in the photoreduction of Cr(VI): (i) it works as a sacrificial electron donor to deplete the photogenerated holes from the excited TiO2; and (ii) it takes part in the redox with Cr(VI) under UV illumination because of its electron rich property. The photochemical-reduction rate of Cr(VI) in citric acid under simulated solar light was 6.9 μg/L min cm2. Subtracting the part mentioned above, the reduction rate of Cr(VI) due to photogenerated electrons from excited photocatalysts increased from 8.3 μg/L min cm2 on TiO2 NTs to 31.6 μg/L min cm2 on WO3/TiO2 NTs containing 1 at% of W. The net Cr(VI) reduction rate on WO3/TiO2 NT arrays is 3.76 times that on the unmodified TiO2 NTs. Since both WO3 and TiO2 can be excited by UV light, the enhanced photoactivity of WO3/TiO2 is attributed to the increased probability of charge–carrier separation and the extended photo-response spectrum in visible light region due to the doping of WO3 (band gap: 2.6 eV).

Photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) on WO3 doped long TiO2 nanotube arrays in the presence of citric acid

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-modified titania nanotube (NT) arrays are prepared by vapor-growing CNTs in the inner of titania NTs. Pt nanoparticles of ∼3 nm in diameter are uniformly decorated on the as synthesized titania-supported CNTs (TiO2/CNTs) electrode, showing remarkably improved catalytic activities for the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide. The consequent glucose biosensor fabricated by modifying TiO2/CNT/Pt electrode with glucose oxidase (GOx) presents a high sensitivity of 0.24 μA mM−1 cm−2 to glucose in the range of 0.006 mM to 1.5 mM with a response time of less than 3 s and a detection limit of 5.7 μM at 3 signal/noise ratio.

An amperometric glucose biosensor fabricated with Pt nanoparticle-decorated carbon nanotubes/TiO2 nanotube arrays composite

Thick-film magnetoelastic sensors vibrate mechanically in response to a time varying magnetic excitation field. The mechanical vibrations of the magnetostrictive magnetoelastic material launch, in turn, a magnetic field by which the sensor can be monitored. Magnetic field telemetry enables contact-less, remote-query operation that has enabled many practical uses of the sensor platform. This paper builds upon a review paper we published in Sensors in 2002 (Grimes, C.A.; et al. Sensors 2002, 2, 294-313), presenting a comprehensive review on the theory, operating principles, instrumentation and key applications of magnetoelastic sensing technology.

https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/11/3/2809/pdf

Qingyun Cai

Papers

The Effect of Electrolyte Composition on the Fabrication of Self-Organized Titanium Oxide Nanotube Arrays by Anodic Oxidation

High efficient photocatalytic degradation of p-nitrophenol on a unique Cu2O/TiO2 p-n heterojunction network catalyst.

Photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) on WO3 doped long TiO2 nanotube arrays in the presence of citric acid

An amperometric glucose biosensor fabricated with Pt nanoparticle-decorated carbon nanotubes/TiO2 nanotube arrays composite

Theory, Instrumentation and Applications of Magnetoelastic Resonance Sensors: A Review