High-performance graphene-titania platform for detection of phosphopeptides in cancer cells.

Phosphopeptides play a crucial role in many biological processes and constitute some of the most powerful biomarkers in disease detection. However they are often present in very low concentration, which makes their detection highly challenging. Here, we demonstrate the use of a solution-dispersible graphene-titania platform for the selective extraction of phosphopeptides from peptide mixtures.

Graphene-based SELDI probe with ultrahigh extraction and sensitivity for DNA oligomer.

We demonstrate that graphene can be used as an ultrahigh efficiency preconcentration and detection platform for ssDNA. DNA-adsorbed graphene can be used directly for Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS). The rapid enrichment of biomolecules and direct, label-free detection are potentially useful for analysis in proteomics and genomics.

Room-temperature synthesis of soluble carbon nanotubes by the sonication of graphene oxide nanosheets.

The transformation of two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets into carbon nanotubes was achieved by sonicating GO in 70% nitric acid. Through the use of mass spectrometry to track the evolution of molecular fragments during the acid ultrasonication, it was observed that GO can be readily decomposed into polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The cavitation-induced condensation of these PAHs results in their molecular reconstruction to form folded carbon nanostructures.