Separations

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yu-Chie Chen

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Guest Editor

Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
Interests: affinity; nanoparticles; mass spectrometry

Dr. Karuppuchamy Selvaprakash

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
Interests: analytical chemistry; nanomaterials; mass spectrometry; proteomic

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The success of an analytical method mainly relies on sample pre-treatment and separation methods design. Owing to the advance of material science, a variety of micro/nano-materials, such as metal and metal oxide particles, has been generated and applied in different research fields, being suitable substrates for the development of effective analytical methods in sample pre-treatment and separation for trace analytes from complex samples. This Special Issue aims to present studies regarding the use of micro- and nano-materials for sample pre-treatment and separation for chemical and biochemical analysis applications. The detection tools can be the naked eye, optical spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, etc.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Micro/nano-material-based analytical methods;
Micro/nano-material-based affinity methods;
Micro/nano-material-based solid-phase extraction/solid-phase microextraction;
Micro/nano-material-based separation methods;
Studies of interactions between micro/nano-materials and target species;
Synthesis and application of nanocomposites in sample preparation and separation;
Studies on the mechanism of adsorption and desorption of target species on nanomaterials.

Dr. Yu-Chie Chen
Dr. Karuppuchamy Selvaprakash
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Separations is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

micromaterials
nanomaterials
sample pretreatment
solid-phase extraction
solid-phase microextraction
separation technology
affinity
molecular recognition
chelation
adsorption/desorption

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 3077 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nylon Membrane-Based Electromembrane Extraction Coupled with Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry for the Determination of Insulin

by Jun-Kai Huang, Yi-Wen Hsiao, Wen-Chi Chen and Sarah Y. Chang

Separations 2022, 9(10), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations9100286 - 4 Oct 2022

Viewed by 1150

Abstract

A rapid and sensitive protein determination method that uses electromembrane extraction (EME) and is coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI/MS) is developed. A flat nylon membrane is used to collect proteins from an aqueous solution and is directly analyzed by MALDI/MS after the addition of the MALDI matrix. Insulin is used as a model protein to investigate the optimum extraction of the parameters. The optimum EME conditions are obtained at 12 V of voltage, 10 min of extraction time, 12 mL sample volume, and 400 rpm agitation rate. The linear dynamic range (LDR) of insulin in an aqueous solution is in the range of 1.0–100.0 nM. The limit of detection (LOD) for insulin in an aqueous solution is 0.3 nM with 103-fold signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio enhancement. Furthermore, the applicability of this method to determine insulin in complicated sample matrices is also investigated. The LDR of insulin in human urine samples is in the range of 5.0–100.0 nM, and the LOD of insulin in urine samples is calculated to be 1.5 nM. The precision and accuracy of this method are evaluated at three different concentration levels, and the coefficient of variation (CV) and relative error are less than 6%. This approach is time-efficient and economical, as the flat membrane mode of EME coupled with MALDI/MS is suitable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro/Nano-Material-Assisted Sample Pre-treatment and Separation for Chemical and Biochemical Analysis)

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Graphical abstract

Review

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26 pages, 20238 KiB

Open AccessReview

Exploring the Biosorption of Methylene Blue Dye onto Agricultural Products: A Critical Review

by Manish Kumar Sah, Khaled Edbey, Ashraf EL-Hashani, Sanad Almshety, Luisetto Mauro, Taghrid S. Alomar, Najla AlMasoud and Ajaya Bhattarai

Separations 2022, 9(9), 256; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations9090256 - 13 Sep 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3164

Abstract

Due to their higher specific area and, in most cases, higher adsorption capacity, nanomaterials are noteworthy and attractive adsorbents. Agricultural products that are locally available are the best option for removing methylene blue (MB) dye from aqueous solutions. Because it is self-anionic, FT-IR and SEM investigations of biosorption have confirmed the role of the functional group and its contribution to the formation of pores that bind cationic dye. It is endothermic if the adsorption of MB by an adsorbent is high as the temperature increases; on the other hand, exothermic if it is high as the temperature decreases. A basic medium facilitates adsorption with respect to pH; adsorption is proportional to the initial concentration at a certain level before equilibrium; after equilibrium, adsorption decreases. A pseudo-second-order model applies for certain agricultural products. As per plotted graph for the solid-phase concentration against the liquid-phase concentration, the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model is favored; this model describes a situation in which a number of molecules are adsorbed by an equal number of available surface sites, and there is no interaction between adsorbate molecules once all sites are occupied. In contrast, the Freundlich model depicts non-ideal multi-layer sorption onto heterogeneous surfaces via numerical analysis; with a value of n = 1, the result is a linear isotherm. If the value of n < 1 or n > 1, then it is chemical or physical adsorption, respectively. Based on an EDX analysis, relevant elements are confirmed. BET analysis confirms the surface area. Nanoproducts categorized as agricultural products exhibit the aforementioned tendency. Even though nanoparticles show positive outcomes in terms of higher adsorption, a high specific area for the targeted pollutant is needed in real-world applications. In the relevant sections herein, the behavior of thermodynamic parameters, such as enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy, are examined. There is some question as to which form of agricultural waste is the most effective adsorption medium. There is no direct answer because every form of agricultural waste has its own distinct chemical and physical characteristics, such as porosity, surface area, and strength. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro/Nano-Material-Assisted Sample Pre-treatment and Separation for Chemical and Biochemical Analysis)

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