Preparation of Bi0.15Fe0.15TiO2 Nanocomposites for the Highly Selective Enrichment of Phosphopeptides

Novel Bi0.15Fe0.15TiO2 nanocomposites (B0.15F0.15TNs) were synthesized for the first time by a modified sol–gel technology and successfully applied to selective extraction and enrichment of phosphopeptides from digested protein mixture solutions and real samples (tissue protein extract from human liver). The codoping of Bi and Fe into TiO2 results in a significant enhancement in both the enrichment efficiency and selectivity. Compared with the commercial available TiO2 extractant, the proposed B0.15F0.15TNs possess a lower detection limit (2 × 10–9 M) and higher selectivity at a low weight ratio of 1:1200 (phosphopeptides/nonphosphopeptides). Additionally, a total of 223 phosphorylation sites were identified from the human liver lysate after enrichment by the B0.15F0.15TNs. In addition, the synthesis of B0.15F0.15TNs is quite easy, of high yield, and inexpensive.