Sharif Digital Repository

In this study, titania-ceria-graphene quantum dot (TC-GQD) nanocomposite was synthesized by hydrothermal method for the first time. The prepared nanomaterials were characterized by XRD, FTIR dynamic light scattering (DLS), FESEM, HRTEM, and EDX spectroscopy along with elemental mapping. The synergistic effect of the nanocomposite components was studied by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and electrical conductivity meter. The results showed that band gap of TC-GQD nanocomposite was shifted to visible lights relative to its components (1.3 eV), and electrical conductivity of the sample was significant increased to 89.5 μS cm−1. After chemical and physical characterization, prepared new... 

In this study, for the first time, we reported a fast and facile three-step in situ strategy for direct controllable growth of the Co3(BTC)2 MOFs thin films on the GCE, through the rapid conversion of the electrodeposited Co(OH)2 nano-flakes on rGO/GCE, to crystalline rectangular bar-shape structures of MOFs. X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and elemental mapping analysis used to the structural and morphological characterization of the well-synthesized MOFs. The as-prepared Co3(BTC)2 MOFs were used to construct a non-enzymatic sensing platform for determining the glucose... 

Prostate cancer (PCa), the second most malignant neoplasm in men, is also the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men globally. Unfortunately, this malignancy remains largely asymptomatic until late-stage emergence when treatment is limited due to the lack of effective metastatic PCa therapeutics. Due to these limitations, early PCa detection through prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening has become increasingly important, resulting in a more than 50% decrease in mortality. Conventional assays for PSA detection, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), are labor intensive, relatively expensive, operator-dependent and do not provide adequate sensitivity.... 

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a family of viral pathogens that infect both birds and mammals, including humans. Seven human coronaviruses (HCoV) have been recognized so far. HCoV-229E, -OC43, -NL63, and -HKU1 account for one-third of common colds with mild symptoms. The other three members are severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. These viruses are responsible for SARS, MERS, and CoV disease 2019 (COVID-19), respectively. A variety of diagnostic techniques, including chest X-rays, computer tomography (CT) scans, analysis of viral nucleic acids, proteins, or whole virions, and host antibody detection using serological assays have... 

Coronaviruses are a group of envelop viruses which lead to diseases in birds and mammals as well as human. Seven coronaviruses have been discovered in humans that can cause mild to lethal respiratory tract infections. HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63, and HCoV-HKU1 are the low-risk members of this family and the reason for some common colds. Besides, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and newly identified SARS-CoV-2, which is also known as 2019-nCoV, are the more dangerous viruses. Due to the rapid spread of this novel coronavirus and its related disease, COVID-19, a reliable, simple, fast, and low-cost detection method is necessary for patient diagnosis and tracking worldwide. Human coronaviruses detection... 

Acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), also called COVID-19, is one of the most contagious viruses resulting in a progressive pandemic. Since specific antiviral treatments have not been developed yet and its fatal rate is almost high, early and fast detection is critical for controlling the outbreak. In this study, a piezoelectric microcantilever biosensor has been designed for detecting COVID-19 samples directly without requiring preparation steps. The biosensor acts as a transducer and is coated with the related antibody. When the SARS-CoV-2 antigens adsorbed on the microcantilever top surface through their spike proteins, a surface stress due to the mass change would be... 

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) have gained prominence in recent years, and their structural design is crucial for improvement of energy harvesting performance and sensing. Wearable biosensors can receive information about human health without the need for external charging, with energy instead provided by collection and storage modules that can be integrated into the biosensors. However, the failure to design suitable components for sensing remains a significant challenge associated with biomedical sensors. Therefore, design of TENG structures based on the human body is a considerable challenge, as biomedical sensors, such as implantable and wearable self-powered sensors, have recently... 

The integration of microfluidics with electrochemical analysis has resulted in the development of single miniaturized detection systems, which allows the precise control of sample volume with multianalyte detection capability in a cost- and time-effective manner. Microfluidic electrochemical sensing devices (MESDs) can potentially serve as precise sensing and monitoring systems for the detection of molecular markers in various detrimental diseases. MESDs offer several advantages, including (i) automated sample preparation and detection, (ii) low sample and reagent requirement, (iii) detection of multianalyte in a single run, (iv) multiplex analysis in a single integrated device, and (v)... 

Cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) is a well-known biomarker for the diagnosis and control of acute myocardial infarction in clinical practice. To improve the accuracy and reliability of cTnI electrochemical immunosensors, we propose a multilayer nanostructure consisting of Fe3O4-COOH labeled anti-cTnI monoclonal antibody (Fe3O4-COOH-Ab1 ) and anti-cTnI polyclonal antibody (Ab2 ) conjugated on Au-Ag nanoparticles (NPs) decorated on a metal–organic framework (Au-Ag@ZIF-67-Ab2 ). In this design, Fe3O4-COOH was used for separation of cTnI in specimens and signal amplification, hierarchical porous ZIF-67 extremely enhanced the specific surface area, and Au-Ag NPs synergically promoted the conductivity... 

Fast, efficient, and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen is pivotal to control the spread and reduce the mortality of COVID-19. Nevertheless, the sensitivity of available nanobiosensors to detect recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen seems insufficient. As a proof-of-concept, MOF-5/CoNi2S4 is developed as a low-cost, safe, and bioactive hybrid nanostructure via the one-pot high-gravity protocol. Then, the porphyrin, H2TMP, was attached to the surface of the synthesized nanomaterial to increase the porosity for efficient detection of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen. AFM results approved roughness in different ranges, including 0.54 to 0.74 μm and 0.78 to ≈0.80 μm, showing good... 

Background: Hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) is an important protein in both diagnosis and prevention of hepatitis B infection. In the current study, a piezoelectric immunosensor based on antibody-antigen interaction was designed to detect HBsAg. A quartz crystal microbalance system was employed to detect antibody-antigen interaction. Methods: At first, an oscillator was designed to measure the resonant frequency affected by the reactants using IC 74LVC1GX04. Antibody against HBsAg was immobilized on 10 MHz AT-cut quartz crystal. The surface modifications were monitored by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle measurements. Different concentrations of antibody were used...