Ultra-low fouling photocrosslinked coatings for the selective capture of cells expressing CD44.

The effective control of biointerfacial interactions is of outstanding interest in a broad range of biomedical applications, ranging from cell culture tools to biosensors and implantable medical devices. For many of these applications, highly specific interactions between cells and material surfaces are desired. Sophisticated control over these interactions requires reducing or preventing non-specific interactions on the one hand and displaying highly specific signals that can be recognized by extracellular receptors on the other.

Deposition of Aminomalononitrile-Based Films: Kinetics, Chemistry, and Morphology.

In the last few years, the development of versatile coating chemistries has become a hot topic in surface science after the discovery that catecholamines can lead to conformal coatings upon oxidation from aqueous solutions. Recently, it was found that aminomalononitrile (AMN), a molecule implicated in the appearance of life on earth, is an excellent prototype of novel material-independent surface functionalizing agents leading to conformal and biocompatible coatings in a simple and direct chemical process from aqueous solutions. So far, very little insight has been gained regarding the mechanisms underlying coating deposition.

Group 6 Layered Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides in Lab-on-a-Chip Devices: 1T-Phase WS for Microfluidics Non-Enzymatic Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide.

Two-dimensional (2D) layered transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been placed in the spotlight for their advantageous properties for catalytic and sensing applications. However, little work is done to explore and exploit them in enhancing the performance of analytical lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices. In this work, we demonstrate a simple, sensitive, and low-cost fabrication of electrochemical LOC microfluidic devices to be used for enzymatic detection.

3R phase of MoS and WS outperforms the corresponding 2H phase for hydrogen evolution.

Herein, we compare the bulk, 2H and 3R phases of two most prevalent TMD materials: MoS and WS. The 3R phase outperforms its 2H phase counterpart in hydrogen evolution reaction catalysis and is even comparable with the exfoliated, 1T phase in the case of MoS.

MoSe Nanolabels for Electrochemical Immunoassays.

There is huge interest in biosensors as a result of the demand for personalized medicine. In biomolecular detection, transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) can be used as signal-enhancing elements. Herein, we utilize a solution-based electrochemical exfoliation technique with bipolar electrodes to manufacture MoSe nanolabels for biomolecular detection.

Transition Metal Oxides for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction: Influence of the Oxidation States of the Metal and its Position on the Periodic Table.

Electrocatalysts have been developed to meet the needs and requirements of renewable energy applications. Metal oxides have been well explored and are promising for this purpose, however, many reports focus on only one or a few metal oxides at once. Herein, thirty metal oxides, which were either commercially available or synthesized by a simple and scalable method, were screened for comparison with regards to their electrocatalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).

Iridium- and Osmium-decorated Reduced Graphenes as Promising Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution.

Renewable energy sources are highly sought after as a result of numerous worldwide problems concerning the environment and the shortage of energy. Currently, the focus in the field is on the development of catalysts that are able to provide water splitting catalysis and energy storage for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). While platinum is an excellent material for HER catalysis, it is costly and rare.

Direct in vivo electrochemical detection of haemoglobin in red blood cells.

The electrochemical behavior of iron ion in haemoglobin provides insight to the chemical activity in the red blood cell which is important in the field of hematology. Herein, the detection of haemoglobin in human red blood cells on glassy carbon electrode (GC) was demonstrated. Red blood cells or raw blood cells was immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode surface with Nafion films employed to sandwich the layer of biological sample firmly on the electrode surface.

Metallic impurities availability in reduced graphene is greatly enhanced by its ultrasonication.

Ultrasonication is an inherent part of the major routes for preparation of reduced graphene. It is used to exfoliate graphite oxide to graphene oxide with consequent reduction to reduced graphenes. Metallic impurities in graphenes, originating from the starting material, graphite, have a profound influence on many properties of graphene, such as the electrochemical, catalytic and electronic properties.

Transition metal (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni)-doped graphene hybrids for electrocatalysis.

The development of electrocatalysts is crucial for renewable energy applications. Metal-doped graphene hybrid materials have been explored for this purpose, however, with much focus on noble metals, which are limited by their low availability and high costs. Transition metals may serve as promising alternatives.

Bioavailability of metallic impurities in carbon nanotubes is greatly enhanced by ultrasonication.

Metallic impurities within carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered as the main cause of their toxicity. Ultrasonication is a common procedure used to purify and obtain homogeneous dispersions of CNTs as well as to mix them with other components for further processing into composites. Herein, the influence of ultrasonication upon the bioavailability of metallic impurities in CNTs was investigated.