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Working principle and application of magnetic separation for biomedical diagnostic at high- and low-field gradients

Leong SS, Yeap SP, Lim J

Interface Focus, 2016 Dec 06;6(6):20160048.
PMID: 27920891

Magnetic separation is a versatile technique used in sample preparation for diagnostic purpose. For such application, an external magnetic field is applied to drive the separation of target entity (e.g. bacteria, viruses, parasites and cancer cells) from a complex raw sample in order to ease the subsequent task(s) for disease diagnosis. This separation process not only can be achieved via the utilization of high magnetic field gradient, but also, in most cases, low magnetic field gradient with magnitude less than 100 T m-1 is equally feasible. It is the aim of this review paper to summarize the usage of both high gradient magnetic separation and low gradient magnetic separation (LGMS) techniques in this area of research. It is noteworthy that effectiveness of the magnetic separation process not only determines the outcome of a diagnosis but also directly influences its accuracy as well as sensing time involved. Therefore, understanding the factors that simultaneously influence the efficiency of both magnetic separation process and target detection is necessary. Moreover, for LGMS, there are several important considerations that should be taken into account in order to ensure its successful implementation. Hence, this review paper aims to provide an overview to relate all this crucial information by linking the magnetic separation theory to biomedical diagnostic applications.
Fulltext Design of a Smart Safety Vest Incorporated With Metal Detector Kits for Enhanced Personal Protection

Rajendran SD, Wahab SN, Yeap SP

Saf Health Work, 2020 Dec;11(4):537-542.
PMID: 33329921 DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2020.06.007

Background: Personal protective equipment (PPE) has been designed in such a way to reduce accident rates. Unfortunately, existing PPE is rather ineffective as it is not able to provide warning signals when hazard is around. The integration of intelligent systems is envisaged to increase the efficiency of existing PPE.
Methods: This project designed a safety vest incorporated with metal detectors which can provide immediate warning to the field workers when there is metal hazard around. This product has greater freedom of design via smart manufacturing as it involves the assembly of few commercially available parts into a single entity. Briefly, the metal detector is a do it yourself (DIY) kit, and the safety vest is purchasable from any local market. The DIY kit was connected to a copper coil and being sewed into the safety vest.
Results: The metal detector induces beeping sound when there is metal hazard around. A total of 121 engineering students were introduced to the prototype before being requested to answer a survey associated with the design. Respondents have rated >3.00/5.00 for the design simplicity, ease of usage, and light weight. Meanwhile, respondents suggested that the design should be further improved by increasing the metal detection range.
Conclusion: It is envisaged that the introduction of this smart safety vest will allow the workers to carry out their duties securely by reducing the accident rates. Particularly, such design is expected to reduce workplace accident especially during night time at construction sites where the visibility is low.
Fulltext Characterization of magnetic nanoparticle by dynamic light scattering

Lim J, Yeap SP, Che HX, Low SC

Nanoscale Res Lett, 2013;8(1):381.
PMID: 24011350 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-8-381

Here we provide a complete review on the use of dynamic light scattering (DLS) to study the size distribution and colloidal stability of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The mathematical analysis involved in obtaining size information from the correlation function and the calculation of Z-average are introduced. Contributions from various variables, such as surface coating, size differences, and concentration of particles, are elaborated within the context of measurement data. Comparison with other sizing techniques, such as transmission electron microscopy and dark-field microscopy, revealed both the advantages and disadvantages of DLS in measuring the size of magnetic nanoparticles. The self-assembly process of MNP with anisotropic structure can also be monitored effectively by DLS.
Electrosteric stabilization and its role in cooperative magnetophoresis of colloidal magnetic nanoparticles

Yeap SP, Ahmad AL, Ooi BS, Lim J

Langmuir, 2012 Oct 23;28(42):14878-91.
PMID: 23025323 DOI: 10.1021/la303169g

A detailed study on the conflicting role that colloid stability plays in magnetophoresis is presented. Magnetic iron oxide particles (MIOPs) that were sterically stabilized via surface modification with poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) of different molecular weights (i.e., 70 and 1000 kDa) were employed as our model system. Both sedimentation kinetics and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) measurements suggested that PSS 70 kDa is a better stabilizer as compared to PSS 1000 kDa. This observation is mostly attributed to the bridging flocculation of PSS 1000 kDa decorated MIOPs originated from the extended polymeric conformation layer. Later, a lab-scale high gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) device was designed to study the magnetophoretic collection of MIOPs. Our experimental results revealed that the more colloidally stable the MIOP suspension is, the harder it is to be magnetically isolated by HGMS. At 50 mg/L, naked MIOPs without coating can be easily captured by HGMS at separation efficiency up to 96.9 ± 2.6%. However, the degree of separation dropped quite drastically to 83.1 ± 1.2% and 67.7 ± 4.6%, for MIOPs with PSS 1000k and PSS 70k coating, respectively. This observation clearly implies that polyelectrolyte coating that was usually employed to electrosterically stabilize a colloidal system in turn compromises the magnetic isolation efficiency. By artificially destroying the colloidal stability of the MIOPs with ionic strength increment, the ability for HGMS to recover the most stable suspension (i.e., PSS 70k-coated MIOPs) increased to >86% at 100 mM monovalent ion (Na(+)) or at 10 mM divalent ion (Ca(2+)). This observation has verified the conflicting role of colloidal stability in magnetophoretic separation.
Directed assembly of bifunctional silica-iron oxide nanocomposite with open shell structure

Che HX, Yeap SP, Osman MS, Ahmad AL, Lim J

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2014 Oct 8;6(19):16508-18.
PMID: 25198872 DOI: 10.1021/am5050949

The synthesis of nanocomposite with controlled surface morphology plays a key role for pollutant removal from aqueous environments. The influence of the molecular size of the polyelectrolyte in synthesizing silica-iron oxide core-shell nanocomposite with open shell structure was investigated by using dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). Here, poly(diallydimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) was used to promote the attachment of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) onto the silica surface to assemble a nanocomposite with magnetic and catalytic bifunctionality. High molecular weight PDDA tended to adsorb on silica colloid, forming a more extended conformation layer than low molecular weight PDDA. Subsequent attachment of IONPs onto this extended PDDA layer was more randomly distributed, forming isolated islands with open space between them. By taking amoxicillin, an antibiotic commonly found in pharmaceutical waste, as the model system, better removal was observed for silica-iron oxide nanocomposite with a more extended open shell structure.
Magnetophoresis of iron oxide nanoparticles at low field gradient: the role of shape anisotropy

Lim J, Yeap SP, Leow CH, Toh PY, Low SC

J Colloid Interface Sci, 2014 May 1;421:170-7.
PMID: 24594047 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2014.01.044

Magnetophoresis of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticle (IOMNP) under low magnetic field gradient (<100 T/m) is significantly enhanced by particle shape anisotropy. This unique feature of magnetophoresis is influenced by the particle concentration and applied magnetic field gradient. By comparing the nanosphere and nanorod magnetophoresis at different concentration, we revealed the ability for these two species of particles to achieve the same separation rate by adjusting the field gradient. Under cooperative magnetophoresis, the nanorods would first go through self- and magnetic field induced aggregation followed by the alignment of the particle clusters formed with magnetic field. Time scale associated to these two processes is investigated to understand the kinetic behavior of nanorod separation under low field gradient. Surface functionalization of nanoparticles can be employed as an effective strategy to vary the temporal evolution of these two aggregation processes which subsequently influence the magnetophoretic separation time and rate.
Magnetophoresis of Magnetic Pickering Emulsions Under Low Field Gradient: Macroscopic and Microscopic Motion

Tham FK, Ng WM, Leong SS, Yeap SP, Low SC, Lee HL, et al.

Langmuir, 2021 Jan 26.
PMID: 33496594 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c03153

Monodispersed iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) coated with polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) and cetrimonium bromide (CTAB) have been used to stabilize magnetic Pickering emulsions (MPEs). Magnetophoresis of MPEs under the influence of a low gradient magnetic field (∇B < 100 T/m) was investigated at the macroscopic and microscopic scale. At the macroscopic scale, for the case of pH 7, the MPE achieved a magnetophoretic velocity of 70.9 μm/s under the influence of ∇B at 93.8 T/m. The magnetic separation efficiency of the MPE at 90% was achieved within 30 min for pH 3, 7, and 10. At pH 10, the colloidal stability of the MPE was the lowest compared to that for pH 3 and 7. Thus, MPE at pH 10 required the shortest time for achieving the highest separation efficiency, as the MPE experienced cooperative magnetophoresis at alkaline pH. The creaming rate of the MPE at all conditions was still lower compared to magnetophoresis and was negligible in influencing its separation kinetics profiles. At the microscopic scale, the migration pathways of the MPEs (with diameters between 2.5 and 7.5 μm) undergoing magnetophoresis at ∇B ∼ 13.0 T/m were recorded by an optical microscope. From these experiments, and taking into consideration the MPE size distribution from the dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurement, we determined the averaged microscopic magnetophoretic velocity to be 7.8 ± 5.5 μm/s. By making noncooperative magnetophoresis assumptions (with negligible interactions between the MPEs along their migration pathways), the calculated velocity of individual MPEs was 9.8 μm/s. Such a value was within the percentage error of the experimental result of 7.8 ± 5.5 μm/s. This finding allows for an easy and quick estimation of the magnetophoretic velocity of MPEs at the microscale by using macroscopic separation kinetics data.
Effect of magnetic field on nano-magnetite composite exhibits in ion-adsorption

Lo FF, Kow KW, Kung F, Ahamed F, Kiew PL, Yeap SP, et al.

Sci Total Environ, 2021 Aug 01;780:146337.
PMID: 33770606 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146337

Nano-magnetites are widely researched for its potential as an excellent adsorbent in many applications. However, the efficiency of the nano-magnetites are hindered by their tendency to agglomerate. In this work, we dispersed and embedded the nano-magnetites in a porous silica gel matrix to form a nanocomposite to reduce the extent of agglomeration and to enhance the adsorption performance. Our experimental results showed that the removal efficiency of Cu2+ ion has improved by 46% (22.4 ± 2.2%) on the nano-magnetite-silica-gel (NMSG) nanocomposite as compared to pure nano-magnetites (15.3 ± 0.6%). The adsorption capacity is further enhanced by 39% (from 11.2 ± 1.1 to 15.6 ± 1.6 mg/g) by subjecting the NMSG to a magnetic field prior to adsorption. We infer that the magnetic field aligned the magnetic domains within the nano-magnetites, resulting in an increased Lorentz force during adsorption. Similar alignment of magnetic domains is near to impossible in pure nano-magnetites due to severe agglomeration. We further found that the adsorption capacity of the NMSG can be manipulated with an external magnetic field by varying the strength and the configurations of the field. Equipped with proper process design, our finding has great potentials in processes that involve ion-adsorptions, for example, NMSG can: (i) replace/reduce chemical dosing in controlling adsorption kinetics, (ii) replace/reduce complex chemicals required in ion-chromatography columns, and (iii) reduce wastage of nano-adsorbents by immobilizing it in a porous matrix.