High Capture Efficiency Research Articles

Single-cell sequencing of full-length transcripts and T-cell receptors with automated high-throughput Smart-seq3

We developed an automated high-throughput Smart-seq3 (HT Smart-seq3) workflow that integrates best practices and an optimized protocol to enhance efficiency, scalability, and method reproducibility. This workflow consistently produces high-quality data with high cell capture efficiency and gene detection sensitivity. In a rigorous comparison with the 10X platform using human primary CD4 + T-cells, HT Smart-seq3 demonstrated higher cell capture efficiency, greater gene detection sensitivity, and lower dropout rates. Additionally, when sufficiently scaled, HT Smart-seq3 achieved a comparable resolution of cellular heterogeneity to 10X. Notably, through T-cell receptor (TCR) reconstruction, HT Smart-seq3 identified a greater number of productive alpha and beta chain pairs without the need for additional primer design to amplify full-length V(D)J segments, enabling more comprehensive TCR profiling across a broader range of species. Taken together, HT Smart-seq3 overcomes key technical challenges, offering distinct advantages that position it as a promising solution for the characterization of single-cell transcriptomes and immune repertoires, particularly well-suited for low-input, low-RNA content samples.

Seq-Scope: repurposing Illumina sequencing flow cells for high-resolution spatial transcriptomics.

Spatial transcriptomics technologies aim to advance gene expression studies by profiling the entire transcriptome with intact spatial information from a single histological slide. However, the application of spatial transcriptomics is limited by low resolution, limited transcript coverage, complex procedures, poor scalability and high costs of initial setup and/or individual experiments. Seq-Scope repurposes the Illumina sequencing platform for high-resolution, high-content spatial transcriptome analysis, overcoming these limitations. It offers submicrometer resolution, high capture efficiency, rapid turnaround time and precise annotation of histopathology at a much lower cost than commercial alternatives. This protocol details the implementation of Seq-Scope with an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 sequencing flow cell, allowing the profiling of multiple tissue sections in an area of 7 mm × 7 mm or larger. We describe the preparation of a fresh-frozen tissue section for both histological imaging and sequencing library preparation and provide a streamlined computational pipeline with comprehensive instructions to integrate histological and transcriptomic data for high-resolution spatial analysis. This includes the use of conventional software tools for single-cell and spatial analysis, as well as our recently developed segmentation-free method for analyzing spatial data at submicrometer resolution. Aside from array production and sequencing, which can be done in batches, tissue processing, library preparation and running the computational pipeline can be completed within 3 days by researchers with experience in molecular biology, histology and basic Unix skills. Given its adaptability across various biological tissues, Seq-Scope establishes itself as an invaluable tool for researchers in molecular biology and histology.

Capture and Protection of Environmental DNA in a Metal‐Organic Framework

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is released by organisms into their surroundings, enabling non‐invasive species detection and biodiversity assessments without the need for direct observation. However, collection poses challenges due to the generally low abundance of eDNA and the presence of degradation agents, including enzymes, UV radiation, and microorganisms, rendering samples unstable. Active filtration, which is frequently used to capture eDNA in water, can be time‐consuming and cumbersome in field conditions. Herein, a filter‐free one‐pot procedure for capturing eDNA with the metal‐organic framework (MOF), zeolitic imidazolate framework 8 (ZIF‐8), is examined. The method is evaluated on 15 mL water samples from diverse sources (aquarium, river, and sea). ZIF‐8 forms in all with high capture efficiency (>98%) using spiked salmon DNA to represent eDNA. The DNA is resistant to degradation by endonucleases and UV light. In addition, it remains stable over time as a species‐specific salmon quantitative polymerase chain reaction detected genomic DNA in all samples captured with the MOF to a maximum of 28 days at 37 °C while the untreated control samples were below the assay detection limit by day 6. These results highlight the efficacy of ZIF‐8 capture in overcoming challenges associated with the preservation of eDNA obtained from aquatic environments.

Specific isolation and quantification of PD-L1 positive tumor derived exosomes for accurate breast cancer discrimination via aptamer-functionalized magnetic composites and SERS immunoassay

PD-L1 positive tumor derived exosomes (TEXsPD−L1) play a significant role in disease progression, tumor metastasis and cancer immunotherapy. However, the overlap of PD-L1 between TEXs and non-tumor derived exosomes (non-TEXs) restricts the specific isolation and quantification of TEXPD−L1 from clinical samples. Herein, a new aptamer-functionalized and hydrophilic immunomagnetic substrate was designed by decorating generation 5 polyamidoamine dendrimers (G5 PAMAM), zwitterionic trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and EpCAM (Epithelial cell adhesion molecule) aptamers on magnetic cores sequentially (Fe3O4@PAMAM@TMAO@Aptamer, named as FPTA) for rapid target and efficient capture of TEXs. The FPTA substrate gathered excellent characters of strong magnetic responsiveness of Fe3O4, abundant affinity sites of PAMAM, strong hydrophilicity of TMAO and enhanced affinity properties of EpCAM aptamers. Because of these advantages, FPTA can isolate TEXs quickly within 30min with high capture efficiency of 90.5 % ± 3.0 % and low nonspecific absorption of 8.2 % ± 2.0 % for non-TEXs. Furthermore, PD-L1 (Programmed cell death-ligand 1) positive TEXs (TEXsPD−L1) from the captured TEXs were recognized and quantitatively analyzed by utilizing SERS (surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy) reporter molecules 4-NTP (4-Nitrothiophenol) on PD-L1 aptamers-functionalized gold immunoaffinity probe. The signal of TEXsPD−L1 was converted to SERS signal of 4-NTP at 1344 cm−1 which exhibited a linear correlation to concentration of TEXsPD−L1(R2 = 0.9905). With these merits, this strategy was further applied to clinical plasma samples from breast cancer (BC) patients and healthy controls (HC), exhibited an excellent diagnosis accuracy with area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve reaching 0.988. All these results demonstrate that the FPTA immunomagnetic substrate combined with SERS immunoaffinity probe may become a generic tool for specific isolation and quantitative analysis of PD-L1 positive tumor-derived exosomes in clinics.

Performance analysis of refuse‐derived fuel gasification plant with carbon capture and storage for power, heating, and hydrogen production

AbstractAmong various waste‐to‐energy technologies, gasification is one of the most promising, because of high efficiency, feedstock flexibility, and carbon capture potential. This case study is focused on comprehensive analysis of integrated gasification combined cycle‐based plant with refuse‐derived fuel (RDF) as feedstock and carbon capture. As there are hardly any studies focused on simulation of waste gasification with carbon capture, most of which are lacking important process specifics, this study addresses existing research gap. Process flowsheets are developed in detail according to literature data for various process configurations and simulated in AspenPlus software, while obtained results on material and energy balance were used for estimation of plant efficiency and performance indicators. Waste generation data in Novi Sad, Serbia, were used for determination of RDF flowrate. Configurations include different syngas cleaning pathways, final products (power, heating, and hydrogen) and co‐gasification with coal. Cogeneration increases overall plant efficiency from 27%–36% (power production only) to 63%–76%. High net hydrogen efficiencies, around 58%, compensate lower power and thermal energy production in hydrogen‐based configurations. Overall, co‐gasification produces better results due to higher feedstock heating value. Obtained results will be used in further research for environmental and economic evaluation to provide multi‐level assessment of proposed processes.

High prey capture efficiencies of oceanic epipelagic lobate and cestid ctenophores

High prey capture efficiencies of oceanic epipelagic lobate and cestid ctenophores

Porphyrin-based schiff-base and aminal nitrogen-rich porous organic polymers for capture of SO2 and CO2

Due to its serious hazards to human health and the environment, the deep removal of sulfur dioxide (SO2) has been of great significance. Thus, it is critical to develop high efficient SO2 capture and sequestration materials in gas purification process. Herein, we reported two novel prophyrin-based nitrogen-rich porous organic polymers (POPs), PrPOA-BP and PrPSN-BP, constructed through the simple catalyst-free condensation reaction. Owing to the strong affinity to SO2 from the conjugate-electron macrocycles structure of prophyrin and nitrogen-rich porous networks, also the high porous structure, these two POPs demonstrated excellent SO2 capture and separation performance with the adsorption uptakes up to 18.2 mmol g−1 (273 K, 1 bar), 13.3 mmol g−1 (298 K, 1 bar), 1.68 mmol g−1 (298 K, 0.01 bar). This very competitive performance has far exceeded most of the prior reported nanoporous materials. Meanwhile, the IAST selectivities of SO2/CO2 (10/90, v/v) could reach 107.8 and 72.0 at 273 and 298 K, 1 bar. This study represents a new type prophyrin-based POPs materials and confirms the intrinsic potential for high efficiency SO2 capture and sequestration.

BioMOF@PAN Mixed Matrix Membranes as Fast and Efficient Adsorbing Materials for Multiple Heavy Metals' Removal.

Heavy metal ions are a common source of water pollution. In this study, two novel membranes with biobased metal-organic frameworks (BioMOFs) embedded in a polyacrylonitrile matrix with tailored porosity were prepared via nonsolvent induced phase separation methods and designed to efficiently adsorb heavy metal ions from oligomineral water. Under optimized preparation conditions, stable membranes with high MOF loading up to 50 wt % and a cocontinuous sponge-like morphology and a high water permeability of 50-60 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 were obtained. The tortuous flow path in combination with a low water flow rate guarantees maximum contact time between the fluid and the MOFs, and thus a high heavy metal capture efficiency in a single pass. The performances of these BioMOF@PAN membranes were investigated in the dynamic regime for the simultaneous removal of Pb2+, Cd2+, and Hg2+ heavy metals from aqueous environments in the presence of common interfering ions. The new composite adsorbing membranes are capable of reducing the concentration of heavy metal pollutants in a single pass and at much higher efficiency than previously reported membranes. The enhanced performance of the mixed matrix membranes is attributed to the presence of multiple recognition sites which densely decorate the BioMOF channels: (i) the thioether groups, deriving from the S-methyl-l-cysteine and (S)-methionine amino acid residues, able to recognize and capture Pb2+ and Hg2+ ions and (ii) the oxygen atoms of the oxamate moieties, which preferentially interact with Cd2+ ions, as revealed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The flexibility of the pore environments allows these sites to work synergically for the simultaneous capture of different metal ions. The stability of the membranes for a potential regeneration process, a key-factor for the effective feasibility of the process in real life applications, was also evaluated and confirmed less than 1% capacity loss in each cycle.

Long-term and high-efficiency capture of Escherichia coli using cellulose acetate nanofiber membrane functionalized with reactive 19 dye and polyhexamethylene biguanide

Cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibers have been popularly applied in various biomedical and textile products. In this work, a textile azo-dye Reactive Green 19 (RG19) was selected to be chemically coupled to the CA nanofiber membrane to form dyed CA nanofiber membrane (namely CA-RG19) and then poly(hexamethylene biguanide) (PHMB) as an antibacterial reagent was physically attached to the dyed CA nanofiber membrane, forming CA-RG19-PHMB nanofiber membrane. The nanofiber membranes were evaluated for their physical and mechanical properties, including functional group analysis, morphological characterization, and thermal stability assessment. To investigate the antibacterial properties of the nanofiber membrane, various concentrations of RG19 dye and PHMB were tested to evaluate the antibacterial efficiency (AE) against Escherichia coli of the membranes. It was found that the CA-RG19-PHMB nanofiber membrane exhibited an AE value of approximately 100 %, with the immobilization concentrations of RG19 dye and PHMB being 373.46 mg/g and 0.333 mg/g, respectively. The CA-RG19-PHMB nanofiber membrane showed 100 % antibacterial efficacy after 10 min against E. coli cells. Furthermore, the storage stability of the CA-RG19-PHMB nanofiber membrane remained at approximately 100 % of its initial antibacterial efficacy after 60 days, and it exhibited excellent antibacterial efficacy after five cycles.

Capture of circulating metastatic cancer cell clusters from lung cancer patients can reveal unique genomic profiles and potential anti-metastatic molecular targets: A proof-of-concept study.

Metastasis remains the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and lung cancer, known for its highly metastatic progression, remains among the most lethal of malignancies. Lung cancer metastasis can selectively spread to multiple different organs, however the genetic and molecular drivers for this process are still poorly understood. Understanding the heterogeneous genomic profile of lung cancer metastases is considered key in identifying therapeutic targets that prevent its spread. Research has identified the key source for metastasis being clusters of cells rather than individual cancer cells. These clusters, known as metastatic cancer cell clusters (MCCCs) have been shown to be 100-fold more tumorigenic than individual cancer cells. Unfortunately, access to these primary drivers of metastases remains difficult and has limited our understanding of their molecular and genomic profiles. Strong evidence in the literature suggests that differentially regulated biological pathways in MCCCs can provide new therapeutic drug targets to help combat cancer metastases. In order to expand research into MCCCs and their role in metastasis, we demonstrate a novel, proof of principle technology, to capture MCCCs directly from patients' whole blood. Our platform can be readily tuned for different solid tumor types by combining a biomimicry-based margination effect coupled with immunoaffinity to isolate MCCCs. Adopting a selective capture approach based on overexpressed CD44 in MCCCs provides a methodology that preferentially isolates them from whole blood. Furthermore, we demonstrate a high capture efficiency of more than 90% when spiking MCCC-like model cell clusters into whole blood. Characterization of the captured MCCCs from lung cancer patients by immunofluorescence staining and genomic analyses, suggests highly differential morphologies and genomic profiles. This study lays the foundation to identify potential drug targets thus unlocking a new area of anti-metastatic therapeutics.

Pilot Testing of Calcium Looping at TRL7 with CO2 Capture Efficiencies toward 99.

Postcombustion CO2 capture by calcium looping using circulating fluidized bed technology, CFB-CaL, is evolving to tackle industrial sectors that are difficult to decarbonize. In addition to the known advantages of CFB-CaL (i.e., retrofittability and competitive energy efficiencies and cost), the fuel flexibility by using renewable biomass in the oxy-fired CFB calciner and the possibility to reach extremely high CO2 capture efficiencies in the carbonator are demonstrated in this paper. Results from the latest experimental campaigns in the TRL7 CFB-CaL pilot of the La Pereda are reported, treating over 2000 N m3/h of flue gases in the carbonator with a firing capacity of biomass pellets up to 2 MWth in the oxy-fired calciner. A new strategy to reach high CO2 capture efficiencies (above 99% in some cases) in the carbonator has been tested. This involves decoupling the carbonator in two temperature zones by cooling the solids-lean top region to below 550 °C and ensuring that a sufficient flow of active CaO reaches such a region.

Research on CO2 capture performance of DMEDA water-lean absorbents based on molecular dynamics

In recent years, a large number of studies have shown that amine based water-lean absorbents formed by amines and organic solvents exhibit high capture efficiency and low regeneration energy consumption in CO2 capture. However, there is a lack of research that combines molecular level structure with macroscopic properties. In order to optimize the performance of amine based homogeneous water-lean absorbents by utilizing the properties of organic solvents, and to explore the correlation between the macroscopic properties of the absorbents (CO2 capacity, removal efficiency, regeneration rate, regeneration efficiency, etc.) and the molecular structure of the absorbent components. We used experiments and molecular dynamics to study the linear terminal diamine DMEDA and non-proton polar solvent (DMF, DMPA, NMP, SFL, DMSO) system. It was found that the absorption and desorption performance of water-lean solvents was higher than that of aqueous solutions 30 wt% MEA and 30 wt% DMEDA, among which EFH with DMF as the solvent has better comprehensive performance. The molecular dynamics simulation was built to describe the solution structures of these absorbents. Through RDF calculations, the unique behavior of DMEDA in non-proton polar solvent was revealed on molecular level, it was found that organic solvents tend to aggregate with DMEDA molecules to form large molecular clusters, while CO2 molecules may diffuse through ordered pore structures, resulting in a significant improvement in the capture performance. And it was found that there is a quantitative relationship between the intensity of intermolecular interaction between DMEDA and CO2 and the removal efficiency change in DMEDA water-lean absorbents. A functional relationship was fitted, and a preliminary and rapid method for determining capture performance through molecular dynamics was proposed.

Efficient Capture and Release of the Rare-Earth Element Neodymium in Aqueous Solution by Recyclable Covalent Organic Frameworks.

Rare-earth elements (REEs) are present in a broad range of critical materials. The development of solid adsorbents for REE capture could enable the cost-effective recycling of REE-containing magnets and electronics. In this context, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are promising candidates for REE adsorption due to their exceptionally high surface area. Despite having attractive physical properties, COFs are heavily underutilized for REE capture applications due to their limited lifecycle in aqueous acidic environments, as well as synthetic challenges associated with the incorporation of ligands suitable for REE capture. Here, we show how the Ugi multicomponent reaction can be leveraged to postsynthetically modify imine-based COFs for the introduction of a diglycolic acid (DGA) moiety, an efficient scaffold for REE capture. The adsorption capacity of the DGA-functionalized COF was found to be more than 40 times higher than that of the pristine imine COF precursor and more than four times higher than that of the next-best reported DGA-functionalized solid support. This rationally designed COF has appealing characteristics of high adsorption capacity, fast and efficient capture and release of the REE ions, and reliable recyclability, making it one of the most promising adsorbents for solid-liquid REE ion extractions reported to date.

Biomass waste-assisted micro(nano)plastics capture, utilization, and storage for sustainable water remediation

Micro(nano)plastics (MNPs) have become a significant environmental concern due to their widespread presence in the biosphere and potential harm to ecosystems and human health. Here, we propose for the first time a MNPs capture, utilization, and storage (PCUS) concept to achieve MNPs remediation from water while meeting economically productive upcycling and environmentally sustainable plastic waste management. A highly efficient capturing material derived from surface-modified woody biomass waste (M-Basswood) is developed to remove a broad spectrum of multidimensional and compositional MNPs from water. The M-Basswood delivered a high and stable capture efficiency of >99.1% at different pH or salinity levels. This exceptional capture performance is driven by multiscale interactions between M-Basswood and MNPs, involving physical trapping, strong electrostatic attractions, and triggered MNPs cluster-like aggregation sedimentation. Additionally, the invivo biodistribution of MNPs shows low ingestion and accumulation of MNPs in the mice organs. After MNPs remediation from water, the M-Basswood, together with captured MNPs, is further processed into a high-performance composite board product where MNPs serve as the glue for utilization and storage. Furthermore, the life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) results demonstrate the environmental friendliness and economic viability of our proposed full-chain PCUS strategy, promising to drive positive change in plastic pollution and foster a circular economy.

Combinational strategy of chemical graft and layer-by-layer assembly of novel nanocomposite membranes fabrication for heavy metal ion capture

Heavy metal ions (HMI), a non-degradable toxic substance, has raised widespread concerns in water purification. Membrane separation is a considerable and promising technology for removing HMIs from water, due to its environmentally friendly, clean and highly effective. This study reported a functional composite ultrafiltration membrane prepared from natural biomolecules ε-Poly-L-lysine hydrochloride (PLL), sodium lingo sulfonate (SLS) or sodium alginate (SA) based on the combination strategy of chemical graft and layer-by-layer assembly. The fabricated membrane exhibited a high pure water flux (2957 L·m−2·h−1), high capture efficiency for Cu2+ (99.1 %) and Pb2+ (98.9 %). Notably, the layer-by-layer assembly strategy provides abundant groups for HMI binding, ensuring the high capture efficiency. The fabricated membrane demonstrated a low flux decline (9 %), along with a high flux recovery ratio (99.2 %). Moreover, it exhibited exceptional stability and reusability across a wide pH range (pH 5–9), meanwhile maintaining a capture efficiency of approximately 99 % under near-neutral condition after undergoing 5 cycle experiments for both Cu2+ and Pb2+. Our work builds a straightforward approach for UF membrane fabricating with excellent HMI capture capacity, displaying the potential application in HMI waste water purification.

Novel tri-solvent amines absorption for flue gas CO2 capture: Efficient absorption and regeneration with low energy consumption

Blended amine scrubbing is considered as a promising alternative to the monoamine scrubbing process due to the potential for enhanced CO2 capture efficiency and reduced energy consumption. However, striking a balance between absorption rate and regeneration energy consumption in blended amine systems by establishing suitable interactions between activated amines and proton-acceptor amines remains a significant challenge. In this study, a novel blended amine system, involving tertiary amine diethanolamine (DEEA) as the main agent and several monoamines as promoters, was first proposed to achieve highly effective CO2 capture. The designed tri-solvent amine system of DEEA combined with piperazine (PZ) and 4-amino-1-methylpiperidine (PD) (denoted as DEEA + PZ + PD) exhibited exceptional CO2 loading (0.988 mol CO2/mol amine), superior cyclic capacity (0.788 mol CO2/mol amine), and reduced regeneration heat duty (2.14 GJ/t), surpassing monoethanolamine (MEA) by 79.6 %, 277 %, and decreasing by 43.7 %, respectively. Furthermore, the performance improvement mechanism of DEEA + PZ + PD was systematically elucidated, showcasing the swift CO2 absorption facilitated by PD or PZ in the initial reaction phase, and the subsequent formation of bicarbonate from PDCOO− and DEEA in the later stage, enhancing CO2 absorption capacity. The predominant reaction products, bicarbonate and unstable carbamate (PZ(COO−)2, PDCOO−), contribute to the high regeneration efficiency and minimal energy consumption during regeneration for DEEA + PZ + PD. Consequently, this facilely prepared tri-solvent amine system, characterized by high capture efficiency and low energy consumption, holds promise for achieving carbon–neutral operations in coal-fired power plants.

Determination of the optimal total oxygen concentration and oxygen partitioning ratio based on the heat transfer characteristics of oxy-coal combustion in a swirl burner

Oxy-coal combustion is an attractive option for CO2 capture from coal-fired power plants due to high carbon capture efficiency and favorable economic performance. It is critical for the operation of the power plants to maintain similar heat transfer characteristics by rationalizing the partitioning strategy of the oxidant streams when retrofitting coal-fired power plants with oxy-fuel combustion technology. In the present work, the oxy-coal combustion characteristics under various total oxygen concentrations XO2,total of 21 %–32 % and oxygen partitioning ratio conditions in a 100 kW vertical swirl burner were numerically investigated by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. And the effects of the XO2,total and oxygen partitioning ratio on the heat transfer characteristics of oxy-coal combustion were numerically simulated to quantitatively obtain the optimal oxygen supply partitioning strategy for the retrofitting of coal-fired power plants. Then the flame structure, heat transfer flux, and char burnout rate at different oxygen partitioning ratios between the primary and secondary streams were systematically analyzed to further determine the optimal oxygen partitioning ratio. The results showed that the maximum flue gas temperature Tmax increased by 220 K and the total heat transfer flux on the furnace wall increased by 42 % when the XO2,total was increased from 21 % to 32 %, respectively. Under oxy-coal combustion conditions, the Tmax at the XO2,total of 32.4 % was consistent with that under air combustion condition, while the total heat transfer flux at the XO2,total of 29.4 % matched with that under air combustion condition. Moreover, the total heat transfer flux and the flame length were increased by 17.3 % and 46.3 %, respectively, as the oxygen concentration of the primary stream XO2,Pri was increased from 6.5 % to 45 % at the XO2,total of 29 %. More importantly, the total heat transfer flux at the XO2,Pri of 31.9 % under oxy-coal combustion condition matched with that under air combustion condition. The optimal total oxygen concentration and oxygen partitioning ratio of oxy-coal combustion based on the heat transfer characteristics were quantitatively determined, which gave an important reference for the oxy-coal combustion retrofitting of traditional coal-fired power plants.

Lysis-Free Isolation and Direct Amplification of Pathogenic Bacterial DNA Using Diatom Frustules.

DNA has been implicated as an important biomarker for the diagnosis of bacterial infections. Herein, we developed a streamlined methodology that uses diatom frustules (DFs) to liberate and capture bacterial DNA and allows direct downstream amplification tests without any lysis, washing, or elution steps. Unlike most conventional DNA isolation methods that rely on cell lysis to release bacterial DNA, DFs can trigger the oxidative stress response of bacterial cells to promote bacterial membrane vesicle formation and DNA release by generating reactive oxygen species in aqueous solutions. Due to the hierarchical porous structure, DFs provided high DNA capture efficiency exceeding 80% over a wide range of DNA amounts from 10 pg to 10 ng, making only 10 μg DFs sufficient for each test. Since laborious liquid handling steps are not required, the entire DNA sample preparation process using DFs can be completed within 3 min. The diagnostic use of this DF-based methodology was illustrated, which showed that the DNA of the pathogenic bacteria in serum samples was isolated by DFs and directly detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at concentrations as low as 102 CFU/mL, outperforming the most used approaches based on solid-phase DNA extraction. Furthermore, most of the bacterial cells were still alive after DNA isolation using DFs, providing the possibility of recycling samples for storage and further diagnosis. The proposed DF-based methodology is anticipated to simplify bacterial infection diagnosis and be broadly applied to various medical diagnoses and biological research.

Gold nanoparticle-decorated fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate for sensitive label-free OIRD microarray chips.

Oblique incidence reflectance difference (OIRD) is an emerging technique enabling real-time and label-free detection of bio-affinity binding events on microarrays. The interfacial architecture of the microarray chip is critical to the performance of OIRD detection. In this work, a sensitive label-free OIRD microarray chip was developed by using gold nanoparticle-decorated fluorine-doped tin oxide (AuNPs-FTO) slides as a chip substrate. This AuNPs-FTO chip demonstrates ahigher signal-to-noise ratio and improved sensitivity compared to that built on FTO glass, showing a detection limit of as low as 10ngmL-1 for the model target, HRP-conjugated streptavidin. On-chip ELISA experiments and optical calculations suggest that the enhanced performance is not only due to the higher probe density enabling a high capture efficiency toward the target, but most importantly, the AuNP layer arouses optical interference to improve the intrinsic sensitivity of OIRD. This work provides an effective strategy for constructing OIRD-based microarray chips with enhanced sensitivity, and may help extend their practical applications in various fields.

Investigation of the structural and optoelectronic characteristics in coumarin-based dye-sensitized solar cells, both in isolation and with TiO2 adsorption

In this study, six novel organic dyes derived from coumarin have been formulated by limiting the rotation of bithiophene through the introduction of substituents, namely NCH3, Si(CH3)2, C(CH3)2, C=C(CH3)2, and C=O. Their structural, electronic, photovoltaic, and spectral properties were investigated using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. Furthermore, the time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) at TD-BHandH/6-31G(d,p) level method was chosen to calculate the electronic absorption spectra and charge transfer characteristics of the investigated dyes in the chloroform solvent, as well as molecular properties such as geometries parameters, optoelectronic properties, and frontier molecular orbitals. With our studies, we reveal that all the studied dyes show significance in the range of 340.97–610.89 nm, with a band gap in the range of 1.90–2.26 eV, as well as high light capture efficiency (LHE) and significant intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) properties. In addition, we were interested in the energetic, electronic, and absorption studies of dyes linked to the TiO2 semiconductor (Dye@TiO2). All designed dyes exhibit better geometric and optoelectronic properties except for D3, which has the lowest gap energy and extends towards the red. The results reveal that these compounds would be used as potential sensitizers for DSSC applications.