Preparation of monolithic chelating adsorbent inside a syringe filter tip for solid phase microextraction of trace elements in natural water prior to their determination by ICP-MS.

A syringe-based sample pretreatment tool, named herein "tip-in chelating monolith", has been developed for simple and facile solid phase microextraction (SPME) of trace elements in natural waters. The tip-in chelating monolith was directly prepared within the confines of a commercially available syringe filter tip by a two-step process: (1) in situ polymerization of a monomer solution consisting of 22.5% glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), 7.

An in-syringe La-coprecipitation method for the preconcentration of oxo-anion forming elements in seawater prior to an ICP-MS measurement.

A lanthanum (La) coprecipitation method with low sample consumption was explored for the preconcentration of oxo-anion forming elements prior to a measurement by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The preconcentration procedure was composed of two main steps: (1) the formation of a coprecipitate with the lowest possible La and (2) the redissolution of target analytes with minimal use of nitric acid, and the elimination of high concentration La from the analysis sample. Each step was performed in a 25 mL-volume syringe to reduce the sample consumption and to avoid contamination from the experimental environment.

In vitro apatite formation on polyamide containing carboxyl groups modified with silanol groups.

Modification of organic polymer with silanol groups in combination with calcium salts enables the polymer to show bioactivity, that is, the polymer forms apatite on its surface after exposure to body environment. However, how modification with silanol groups influences ability of apatite formation on the polymer substrate and adhesive strength between polymer and apatite is not yet known. In the present study, polyamide containing carboxyl groups was modified with different amounts of silanol groups, and its apatite-forming ability in 1.

Removal of formaldehyde by hydroxyapatite layer biomimetically deposited on polyamide film.

Some harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as formaldehyde, are regulated atmospheric pollutants. Therefore, development of a material to remove these VOCs is required. We focused on hydroxyapatite, which had been biomimetically coated on a polyamide film, as an adsorbent and found that formaldehyde was successfully removed by this adsorbent.

Apatite deposition on polyamide films containing carboxyl group in a biomimetic solution.

The development of organic-inorganic hybrids composed of hydroxyapatite and organic polymers is attractive because of their novelty in being materials that show a bone-bonding ability, i.e. bioactivity, and because they have mechanical properties similar to those of natural bone.

Coating of an apatite layer on polyamide films containing sulfonic groups by a biomimetic process.

Coating organic polymers with hydroxyapatite is an attractive method for the development of materials for medical applications, as it allows hydroxyapatite to show its unique biological properties such as its ability for bone bonding and protein adsorption. The biomimetic process focuses attention on fabricating such hydroxyapatite-polymer hybrids, where bone-like apatite is deposited on an organic polymer surface in solutions mimicking physiological conditions. In this process, a bone-like apatite layer can be coated onto organic substrates either by using a simulated body fluid (SBF), which has ion concentrations nearly equal to those of human extracellular fluid, or by using fluids that are supersaturated with respect to apatite at ambient conditions.