Archive for August, 2010

Electrochemical sensor for toxic compound

13 Aug 2010

Carbon-modified zinc nanorod array has impoved sensing ability

Chinese scientists have developed a highly efficient and chemically stable hydrazine sensor using carbon modified zinc oxide nanorods.  Hydrazine is highly neurotoxic and carcinogenic and can cause severe damage to the liver, lungs and kidneys.  It is used extensively in industry, and for safety considerations a reliable hydrazine sensor is highly desirable.

To find out why this new sensor is special, read Jacob Bush’s news article at Highlights in Chemical Science or access the full article via Dalton Transactions:

C@ZnO nanorod array-based hydrazine electrochemical sensor with improved sensitivity and stability
Jinping Liu, Yuanyuan Li, Jian Jiang and Xintang Huang
Dalton Trans., 2010, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0DT00258E

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Analyst Editorial Board Chair wins RSC award

05 Aug 2010

I am delighted to say that Professor Paul Bohn, Arthur J. Schmitt Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Notre Dame University, US and Chair of the Analyst Editorial Board has been awarded the 2010 Theophilus Redwood Award. This is in recognition of the breadth and impact of his contribution to analytical science in the areas of microfludic and nanoscale chemical sensing.

Paul joined the Analyst Editorial team in 2007, and served as the Editor for the Americas for three years, before being appointed Chair at the beginning of 2010.

The Theophilus Redwood Award is given to a leading analytical scientist who is also an outstanding communicator, and is awarded by the RSC Analytical Divison. It is sponsored by the Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund.

Read a selection of Paul’s work published in Analyst:

High sensitivity hydrogen sensing with Pt-decorated porous gallium nitride prepared by metal-assisted electroless etching
Barrett K. Duan and Paul W. Bohn
Analyst, 2010, 135, 902-907, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/B926182F

Enzymatic activity of surface-immobilized horseradish peroxidase confined to micrometer- to nanometer-scale structures in nanocapillary array membranes  Zhen Wang, Travis L. King, Sean P. Branagan and Paul W. Bohn
Analyst, 2009, 134, 851-859, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/B815590A

Analytical sciences – an endless horizon 
Analyst, 2010, 135, 439-440, http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C002392M

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New microfluidic device: putting pen to paper

03 Aug 2010

Pressing the buttons allows the device to be programmed for specific tests

George Whitesides and colleagues at Harvard University have developed a paper-based microfluidic device that can be programmed to carry out any test the user wants.

Read the article via the Lab on a Chip homepage.

Devices made from simple materials such as paper have great potential in developing countries, as they are cheap and easy to use.  The paper is soaked in a polymer solution and cured using light to create a network of channels.

Whitesides’ new programmable 3D device can be activated using the humble ballpoint pen.

To find out how, and also why it ‘brings another layer of sophistication to microfluidic devices’, read David Barden’s full story at Highlights in Chemical Technology.

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