Analyst Blog

Schematic interaction between Ce3+ and phosphate

Guang-Li Wang and co-workers, from the Jiangnan University, China, have developed an assay to detect the level of phosphate in water. 

Ce³⁺ ions are used to aggregate citrate-capped silver nanoparticles with cysteine-capped quantum dots, thereby causing efficient quenching of the fluorescence signal.  However, when phosphate is introduced to the system it interacts with the Ce³⁺ ions causing the quenched aggregates to redisperse and switching the fluorescent signal from “off” to “on”.  This work has potential applications for the environmental analysis of groundwater.

To read more about this work, please access this Analyst HOT article below. It will be free to read until March 8th.

Novel switchable sensor for phosphate based on the distance-dependant fluorescence coupling of cysteine-capped cadmium sulfide quantum dots and silver nanoparticles
Guang-Li Wang ,  Huan-Jun Jiao ,  Xiao-Ying Zhu ,  Yu-Ming Dong and Zai-Jun Li
Analyst, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36878E

Schematic picture of a hybrid instrument correlating different spectral imaging modes

Scientists use chemical imaging to address a variety of issues visualising the arrangement of atoms, the content of single cells or the colourless gases released into Earth’s atmosphere by cities of kilometre scale. Many analytical techniques have been developed to date and researchers are now interested in combining the different imaging modalities to increase and improve the information gathered from imaging experiments.

In this new Critical Review just published in Analyst Paul Bohn and his group at the University of Notre Dame, USA, explore all the latest imaging techniques and introduce the new area of Raman imaging and mass spectrometry in the field of correlated imaging.

To know more, please access the full article below. It will be free to read until March 8th.

Correlated imaging – a grand challenge in chemical analysis
Rachel Masyuko ,  Eric J. Lanni ,  Jonathan V. Sweedler and Paul W. Bohn
Analyst, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36416J

Overview of DNA Detection Using Fiber Optic Biosensor

Ming-jie Yin and others from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in China have made the latest stride towards development of label-free fiber-optic biosensors for DNA detection.

Their new design involves fabrication of a DNA sensor as part of a thin sensing film on the surface of a thin-core fiber modal interferometer (TCFMI) to measure differences in refractive-index upon detection of target DNA sequences. The research team makes use of a layer-by-layer self-assembly approach, which enables controlled tunability in preparation of the sensing film.

Unlike many other reported fiber-optic biosensing methods, this current strategy confers the advantages of high detection sensitivity, lower cost and ease in preparation.

Read more about the latest discovery by accessing the link below. This article will be free to read until March 6th.

Label-free, disposable fiber-optic biosensors for DNA hybridization detection
Ming-jie Yin ,  Chuang Wu ,  Li-yang Shao ,  Wing Kin Edward Chan ,  A. Ping Zhang ,  Chao Lu and Hwa-yaw Tam
Analyst, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36791F

In the latest issue of Analyst we have some wonderful HOT articles for you to read. They cover a wide variety of topics including iodine determination by optical emission spectrometry, detection of trinitrotoluene in seawater, and immunosensors for surface plasmon field-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy in serum.

If you want to know more about the latest discoveries published in Analyst, take a look at the papers below, they will be free to read until February 28th.

Iodine excitation in a dielectric barrier discharge micro-plasma and its determination by optical emission spectrometry
Yong-Liang Yu ,  Shuai Dou ,  Ming-Li Chen and Jian-Hua Wang
Analyst, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN36780G

Graphenes prepared from multi-walled carbon nanotubes and stacked graphene nanofibers for detection of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in seawater
Shu Min Tan ,  Chun Kiang Chua and Martin Pumera
Analyst, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN00089C

Graphene nanopfibers for detection of trinitrotoluene

A mixed alkanethiol based immunosensor for surface plasmon field-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy in serum
Andreas Scholten ,  Bernhard Menges ,  Martin Juebner ,  Markus A. Rothschild and Katja Bender
Analyst, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN35657D

Facile formation of folic acid-modified dendrimer-stabilized gold–silver alloy nanoparticles for potential cellular computed tomography imaging applications
Hui Liu ,  Mingwu Shen ,  Jinglong Zhao ,  Jingyi Zhu ,  Tingting Xiao ,  Xueyan Cao ,  Guixiang Zhang and Xiangyang Shi
Analyst, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36649A

In-process phase growth measurement technique in the fabrication of monolithic porous layer open tubular (monoPLOT) columns using capacitively coupled contactless conductivity
David A. Collins ,  Ekaterina P. Nesterenko ,  Dermot Brabazon and Brett Paull
Analyst, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN00133D