scholarly journals A Simple and Low-Cost Optical Fiber Intensity-Based Configuration for Perfluorinated Compounds in Water Solution

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 3009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nunzio Cennamo ◽  
Girolamo D’Agostino ◽  
Filipa Sequeira ◽  
Francesco Mattiello ◽  
Gianni Porto ◽  
...  

We present a very simple approach for the detection of the Perfluorinated Alkylated Substances (PFAs) in water solution. Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) are the most extensively investigated perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water because human exposition can occur through different pathways, even if the dietary intake seems to be their main route of exposure. The developed sensor is based on a specific Molecularly Imprinted Polymer (MIP) receptor deposited on a simple D-shaped Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) platform. This novel chemical sensor has been characterized using a very simple and low-cost experimental setup based on an LED and two photodetectors. This optical sensor system is an alternative method to monitor the presence of contaminants with an MIP receptor, instead of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor in D-shaped POFs. For the sake of comparison, the results obtained exploiting the same MIP for PFAs on a classic SPR-POF sensor have been reported. The experimental results have shown that the actual limit of detection of this new configuration was about 0.5 ppb. It is similar to the one obtained by the configuration based on an SPR-POF with the same MIP receptor.

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (23) ◽  
pp. 5246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pesavento ◽  
Profumo ◽  
Merli ◽  
Cucca ◽  
Zeni ◽  
...  

Highly sensitive plasmonic optical fiber platforms combined with receptors have been recently used to obtain selective sensors. A low-cost configuration can be obtained exploiting a D-shaped plastic optical fiber covered with a multilayer sensing surface. The multilayer consists of a gold film, functionalized with a specific receptor, where the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) occurs. The signal is produced by the refractive index variation occurring as a consequence of the receptor-to analyte binding. In this work, a selective sensor for copper(II) detection in drinking water, exploiting a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of d,l-penicillamine as the sensing layer, has been developed and tested. Different concentrations of copper(II) in NaCl 0.1 M solutions at different pH values and in a real matrix (drinking water) have been considered. The results show that the sensor is able to sense copper(II) at concentrations ranging from 4 × 10-6 M to 2 × 10-4 M. The use of this optical chemical sensor is a very attractive perspective for fast, in situ and low-cost detection of Cu(II) in drinking water for human health concerns. Furthermore, the possibility of remote control is feasible as well, because optical fibers are employed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (02) ◽  
pp. 52-60
Author(s):  
Soudad S. Ahmed ◽  

Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) - based plastic optical fiber has been provided as a sensor to estimating the refractive index and then the concentration of specific chemical samples. Two configurations were suggested for a design. The first was through using a single layer of gold with a thickness of about 40nm deposited on a 10mm portion in the middle of plastic optical fiber. In the second configuration, a bilayer deposited on the fiber. This bilayer consisted of a gold layer with a thickness of about 30 nm and an aluminum layer with a thickness of about 30 nm. Both of these configurations utilized as a chemical sensor. The resonance wavelength for the bilayer-based sensor was higher than that of the single-layer sensor for all studied chemical samples. The highest resonance wavelength was for the salt-water solution with a concentration of 30%. For the salt-water solution with a concentration of 30%, the resonance wavelength with the bilayer-based sensor was 568nm while it was 540nm with the single-layer sensor.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 274-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingang Che ◽  
Lei Chen ◽  
Zi-Han Guo ◽  
Shuaiqun Wang ◽  
Aorigele

Background: Identification of drug-target interaction is essential in drug discovery. It is beneficial to predict unexpected therapeutic or adverse side effects of drugs. To date, several computational methods have been proposed to predict drug-target interactions because they are prompt and low-cost compared with traditional wet experiments. Methods: In this study, we investigated this problem in a different way. According to KEGG, drugs were classified into several groups based on their target proteins. A multi-label classification model was presented to assign drugs into correct target groups. To make full use of the known drug properties, five networks were constructed, each of which represented drug associations in one property. A powerful network embedding method, Mashup, was adopted to extract drug features from above-mentioned networks, based on which several machine learning algorithms, including RAndom k-labELsets (RAKEL) algorithm, Label Powerset (LP) algorithm and Support Vector Machine (SVM), were used to build the classification model. Results and Conclusion: Tenfold cross-validation yielded the accuracy of 0.839, exact match of 0.816 and hamming loss of 0.037, indicating good performance of the model. The contribution of each network was also analyzed. Furthermore, the network model with multiple networks was found to be superior to the one with a single network and classic model, indicating the superiority of the proposed model.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 6053
Author(s):  
Marziyeh Nazari ◽  
Abbas Amini ◽  
Nathan T. Eden ◽  
Mikel C. Duke ◽  
Chun Cheng ◽  
...  

Lead detection for biological environments, aqueous resources, and medicinal compounds, rely mainly on either utilizing bulky lab equipment such as ICP-OES or ready-made sensors, which are based on colorimetry with some limitations including selectivity and low interference. Remote, rapid and efficient detection of heavy metals in aqueous solutions at ppm and sub-ppm levels have faced significant challenges that requires novel compounds with such ability. Here, a UiO-66(Zr) metal-organic framework (MOF) functionalized with SO3H group (SO3H-UiO-66(Zr)) is deposited on the end-face of an optical fiber to detect lead cations (Pb2+) in water at 25.2, 43.5 and 64.0 ppm levels. The SO3H-UiO-66(Zr) system provides a Fabry–Perot sensor by which the lead ions are detected rapidly (milliseconds) at 25.2 ppm aqueous solution reflecting in the wavelength shifts in interference spectrum. The proposed removal mechanism is based on the adsorption of [Pb(OH2)6]2+ in water on SO3H-UiO-66(Zr) due to a strong affinity between functionalized MOF and lead. This is the first work that advances a multi-purpose optical fiber-coated functional MOF as an on-site remote chemical sensor for rapid detection of lead cations at extremely low concentrations in an aqueous system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanhua Xun ◽  
Stephan Thomas Lane ◽  
Vassily Andrew Petrov ◽  
Brandon Elliott Pepa ◽  
Huimin Zhao

AbstractThe need for rapid, accurate, and scalable testing systems for COVID-19 diagnosis is clear and urgent. Here, we report a rapid Scalable and Portable Testing (SPOT) system consisting of a rapid, highly sensitive, and accurate assay and a battery-powered portable device for COVID-19 diagnosis. The SPOT assay comprises a one-pot reverse transcriptase-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) followed by PfAgo-based target sequence detection. It is capable of detecting the N gene and E gene in a multiplexed reaction with the limit of detection (LoD) of 0.44 copies/μL and 1.09 copies/μL, respectively, in SARS-CoV-2 virus-spiked saliva samples within 30 min. Moreover, the SPOT system is used to analyze 104 clinical saliva samples and identified 28/30 (93.3% sensitivity) SARS-CoV-2 positive samples (100% sensitivity if LoD is considered) and 73/74 (98.6% specificity) SARS-CoV-2 negative samples. This combination of speed, accuracy, sensitivity, and portability will enable high-volume, low-cost access to areas in need of urgent COVID-19 testing capabilities.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 3985
Author(s):  
Nan Wan ◽  
Yu Jiang ◽  
Jiamei Huang ◽  
Rania Oueslati ◽  
Shigetoshi Eda ◽  
...  

A sensitive and efficient method for microRNAs (miRNAs) detection is strongly desired by clinicians and, in recent years, the search for such a method has drawn much attention. There has been significant interest in using miRNA as biomarkers for multiple diseases and conditions in clinical diagnostics. Presently, most miRNA detection methods suffer from drawbacks, e.g., low sensitivity, long assay time, expensive equipment, trained personnel, or unsuitability for point-of-care. New methodologies are needed to overcome these limitations to allow rapid, sensitive, low-cost, easy-to-use, and portable methods for miRNA detection at the point of care. In this work, to overcome these shortcomings, we integrated capacitive sensing and alternating current electrokinetic effects to detect specific miRNA-16b molecules, as a model, with the limit of detection reaching 1.0 femto molar (fM) levels. The specificity of the sensor was verified by testing miRNA-25, which has the same length as miRNA-16b. The sensor we developed demonstrated significant improvements in sensitivity, response time and cost over other miRNA detection methods, and has application potential at point-of-care.


Biosensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Donggee Rho ◽  
Seunghyun Kim

An optical cavity-based biosensor (OCB) has been developed for point-of-care (POC) applications. This label-free biosensor employs low-cost components and simple fabrication processes to lower the overall cost while achieving high sensitivity using a differential detection method. To experimentally demonstrate its limit of detection (LOD), we conducted biosensing experiments with streptavidin and C-reactive protein (CRP). The optical cavity structure was optimized further for better sensitivity and easier fluid control. We utilized the polymer swelling property to fine-tune the optical cavity width, which significantly improved the success rate to produce measurable samples. Four different concentrations of streptavidin were tested in triplicate, and the LOD of the OCB was determined to be 1.35 nM. The OCB also successfully detected three different concentrations of human CRP using biotinylated CRP antibody. The LOD for CRP detection was 377 pM. All measurements were done using a small sample volume of 15 µL within 30 min. By reducing the sensing area, improving the functionalization and passivation processes, and increasing the sample volume, the LOD of the OCB are estimated to be reduced further to the femto-molar range. Overall, the demonstrated capability of the OCB in the present work shows great potential to be used as a promising POC biosensor.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1516
Author(s):  
Lian Liu ◽  
Shijie Deng ◽  
Jie Zheng ◽  
Libo Yuan ◽  
Hongchang Deng ◽  
...  

An enhanced plastic optical fiber (POF)-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor is proposed by employing a double-sided polished structure. The sensor is fabricated by polishing two sides of the POF symmetrically along with the fiber axis, and a layer of Au film is deposited on each side of the polished region. The SPR can be excited on both polished surfaces with Au film coating, and the number of light reflections will be increased by using this structure. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed sensor has an enhanced SPR effect. The visibility and full width at half maximum (FWHM) of spectrum can be improved for the high measured refractive index (RI). A sensitivity of 4284.8 nm/RIU is obtained for the double-sided POF-based SPR sensor when the measured liquid RI is 1.42. The proposed SPR sensor is easy fabrication and low cost, which can provide a larger measurement range and action area to the measured samples, and it has potential application prospects in the oil industry and biochemical sensing fields.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 4166
Author(s):  
Román Fernández ◽  
María Calero ◽  
Yolanda Jiménez ◽  
Antonio Arnau

Monolithic quartz crystal microbalance (MQCM) has recently emerged as a very promising technology suitable for biosensing applications. These devices consist of an array of miniaturized QCM sensors integrated within the same quartz substrate capable of detecting multiple target analytes simultaneously. Their relevant benefits include high throughput, low cost per sensor unit, low sample/reagent consumption and fast sensing response. Despite the great potential of MQCM, unwanted environmental factors (e.g., temperature, humidity, vibrations, or pressure) and perturbations intrinsic to the sensor setup (e.g., mechanical stress exerted by the measurement cell or electronic noise of the characterization system) can affect sensor stability, masking the signal of interest and degrading the limit of detection (LoD). Here, we present a method based on the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to improve the stability of the resonance frequency and dissipation signals in real time. The method takes advantage of the similarity among the noise patterns of the resonators integrated in an MQCM device to mitigate disturbing factors that impact on sensor response. Performance of the method is validated by studying the adsorption of proteins (neutravidin and biotinylated albumin) under external controlled factors (temperature and pressure/flow rate) that simulate unwanted disturbances.


Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Zahira. El khalidi ◽  
Maryam Siadat ◽  
Elisabetta. Comini ◽  
Salah. Fadili ◽  
Philippe. Thevenin

Chemical gas sensors were studied long ago and nowadays, for the advantageous role they provide to the environment, health condition monitoring and protection. The recent studies focus on the semiconductors sensing abilities, especially of non toxic and low cost compounds. The present work describes the steps to elaborate and perform a chemical sensor using intrinsic and doped semiconductor zinc oxide. First, we synthesized pure oxide using zinc powder, then, two other samples were established where we introduced the same doping percentage of Al and Sn respectively. Using low cost spray pyrolysis, and respecting the same conditions of preparation. The obtained samples were then characterized by X Ray Diffraction (XRD) that revealed the hexagonal wurzite structure and higher crystallite density towards the direction (002), besides the appearance of the vibration modes related to zinc oxide, confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. SEM spectroscopy showed that the surface morphology is ideal for oxidizing/reduction reactions, due to the porous structure and the low grain sizes, especially observed for the sample Sn doped ZnO. The gas testing confirms these predictions showing that the highest response is related to Sn doped ZnO compared to ZnO and followed by Al doped ZnO. The films exhibited responses towards: CO, acetone, methanol, H2, ammonia and NO2. The concentrations were varied from 10 to 500 ppm and the working temperatures from 250 to 500°C, the optimal working temperatures were 350 and 400 °C. Sn doped ZnO showed a high response towards H2 gas target, with a sensitivity reaching 200 at 500 ppm, for 400 °C.


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