TY - JOUR A1 - Abram, Sarah-Luise A1 - Mrkwitschka, Paul A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Häusler, I. A1 - Bresch, Harald A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Iron Oxide Nanocubes as a New Certified Reference Material for Nanoparticle Size Measurements N2 - The rational design and increasing industrial use of nanomaterials require a reliable characterization of their physicochemical key properties like size, size distribution, shape, and surface chemistry. This calls for nanoscale reference materials (nanoRMs) for the validation and standardization of commonly used characterization methods closely matching real-world nonspherical nano-objects. This encouraged us to develop a nonspherical nanoRM of very small size consisting of 8 nm iron oxide nanocubes (BAM-N012) to complement spherical gold, silica, and polymer nanoRMs. In the following, the development and production of this nanoRM are highlighted including the characterization by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) as complementary methods for size and shape parameters, homogeneity and stability studies, and calculation of a complete uncertainty budget of the size features. The determination of the nanocubes’ edge length by TEM and SAXS allows a method comparison. In addition, SAXS measurements can also provide the mean particle number density and the mass concentration. The certified size parameters, area equivalent circular diameter and square edge length, determined by TEM with a relative expanded uncertainty below 9%, are metrologically traceable to a natural constant for length, the very precisely known (111) lattice spacing of silicon. Cubic BAM-N012 qualifies as a certified nanoRM for estimating the precision and trueness, validation, and quality assurance of particle size and shape measurements with electron microscopy and SAXS as well as other sizing methods suitable for nanomaterials. The production of this new iron oxide nanocube RM presents an important achievement for the nanomaterial community, nanomaterial manufacturers, and regulators. KW - Certification KW - SAXS KW - Homogeneity KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Iron oxide KW - Quality assurance KW - Reference material KW - Size KW - Electron microscopy KW - Stability KW - Shape PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00749 SN - 0003-2700 VL - 95 IS - 33 SP - 12223 EP - 12231 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Columbus, Ohio AN - OPUS4-58176 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Abram, Sarah-Luise A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Johnston, L. J. A1 - Zou, S. T1 - Nanoscale reference and test materials for the validation of characterization methods for engineered nanomaterials — current state, limitations, and needs N2 - The rational design of engineered nanomaterials (NMs) with improved functionality and their increasing industrial application requires reliable, validated, and ultimately standardized characterization methods for their application-relevant, physicochemical key properties such as size, size distribution, shape, or surface chemistry. This calls for nanoscale (certified) reference materials (CRMs; RMs) and well-characterized reference test materials (RTMs) termed also quality control (QC) samples, assessed, e.g., in interlaboratory comparisons, for the validation and standardization of commonly used characterization methods. Thereby, increasing concerns regarding potential risks of NMs are also addressed and the road for safe and sustainable-by-design concepts for the development of new functional NMs and their use as nanomedicines is paved. With this respect, we will provide an overview of relevant international standardization and regulatory activities, definitions, and recommendations on characterization methods and review currently available organic or inorganic nanoscale CRMs, RMs, and RTMs, including their characterization or certification. In addition, we will highlight typical applications to streamline the regulatory approval process and improve manufacturability including the special challenges imposed by the colloidal nature and sometimes limited stability of NMs. Subsequently, we will critically assess the limitations of currently available nanoscale RMs and RTMs and address the gaps to be filled in the future such as the availability of NMs that come with reference data on properties other than commonly addressed particle size, such as surface chemistry or particle number concentration, or more closely resemble commercially available formulations or address application-relevant matrices. KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Silica KW - Quality assurance KW - Reference material KW - Review KW - Surface chemistry KW - Size KW - Shape KW - Particle number concentration KW - Lipid nanoparticles KW - Metal nanoparticles KW - Liposomes PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-625746 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-024-05719-6 SN - 1618-2650 SP - 1 EP - 21 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-62574 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ahiboz, D. A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Manley, P. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Becker, C. T1 - Metasurface-Enhanced Photon Upconversion upon 1550 nm Excitation N2 - Photon upconversion upon 1550 nm excitation is of high relevance for applications in the third biological excitation window, for photovoltaics beyond current limitations, and enables appealing options in the field of glass Fiber telecommunications. Trivalent doped erbium ions (Er3+) are the material of choice for 1550 nm excited upconversion, however, they suffer from a low absorption cross-section and a low brightness. Therefore, the ability of Silicon metasurfaces to provide greatly enhanced electrical near-fields is employed to enable efficient photon upconversion even at low external Illumination conditions. Hexagonally shaped β-NaYF4:Er3+ nanoparticles are placed on large-area silicon metasurfaces designed to convert near-infrared (1550 nm) to visible light. More than 2400-fold enhanced photon upconversion luminescence is achieved by using this metasurface instead of a planar substrate. With the aid of optical simulations based on the finite-element method, this result is attributed to the coupling of the excitation source with metasurface resonances at appropriate incident angles. Analysis of the excitation power density dependence of upconversion luminescence and red-to-green-emission ratios enables the estimation of nanoscale near-field enhancement on the metasurface. The findings permit the significant reduction of required external excitation intensities for photon upconversion of 1550 nm light, opening perspectives in biophotonics, telecommunication, and photovoltaics. KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Lifetime KW - Sensor KW - Excitation power density KW - Single particle KW - Brightness KW - NIR KW - Mechanism KW - Single enhancement KW - SWIR KW - Method PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-537193 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202101285. SN - 2195-1071 VL - 9 IS - 24 SP - 2101285 PB - Wiley-VCH-GmbH AN - OPUS4-53719 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ahmed, A. A. A. A1 - Alegret, N. A1 - Almeida, B. A1 - Alvarez-Puebla, R. A1 - Andrews, A. M. A1 - Ballerini, L. A1 - Barrios-Capuchino, J. J. A1 - Becker, C. A1 - Blick, R. H. A1 - Bonakdar, S. A1 - Chakraborty, I. A1 - Chen, X. A1 - Cheon, J. A1 - Chilla, G. A1 - Conceicao, A. L. C. A1 - Delehanty, J. A1 - Dulle, M. A1 - Efros, A. L. A1 - Epple, M. A1 - Fedyk, M. A1 - Feliu, N. A1 - Feng, M. A1 - Fernandez-Chacon, R. A1 - Fernandez-Cuesta, I. A1 - Fertig, N. A1 - Förster, S. A1 - Garrido, J. A. A1 - George, M. A1 - Guse, A. H. A1 - Hampp, N. A1 - Harberts, J. A1 - Han, J. A1 - Heekeren, H. R. A1 - Hofmann, U. G. A1 - Holzapfel, M. A1 - Hosseinkazemi, H. A1 - Huang, Y. A1 - Huber, P. A1 - Hyeon, T. A1 - Ingebrandt, S. A1 - Ienca, M. A1 - Iske, A. A1 - Kang, Y. A1 - Kasieczka, G. A1 - Kim, D.-H. A1 - Kostarelos, K. A1 - Lee, J.-H. A1 - Lin, K.-W. A1 - Liu, S. A1 - Liu, X. A1 - Liu, Y. A1 - Lohr, C. A1 - Mailänder, V. A1 - Maffongelli, L. A1 - Megahed, S. A1 - Mews, A. A1 - Mutas, M. A1 - Nack, L. A1 - Nakatsuka, N. A1 - Oertner, T. G. A1 - Offenhäusser, A. A1 - Oheim, M. A1 - Otange, B. A1 - Otto, F. A1 - Patrono, E. A1 - Peng, B. A1 - Picchiotti, A. A1 - Pierini, F. A1 - Pötter-Nerger, M. A1 - Pozzi, M. A1 - Pralle, A. A1 - Prato, M. A1 - Qi, B. A1 - Ramos-Cabrer, P. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Ritter, N. A1 - Rittner, M. A1 - Roy, S. A1 - Santoro, F. A1 - Schuck, N. W. A1 - Schulz, F. A1 - Seker, E. A1 - Skiba, M. A1 - Sosniok, M. A1 - Stephan, H. A1 - Wang, R. A1 - Wang, T. A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Weiss, P. S. A1 - Xu, M. A1 - Yang, C. A1 - Zargarin, S. S. A1 - Zeng, Y. A1 - Zhou, Y. A1 - Zhu, D. A1 - Zierold, R. A1 - Parak, W. J. T1 - Interfacing with the Brain: How Nanotechnology Can Contribute N2 - Interfacing artificial devices with the human brain is the central goal of neurotechnology. Yet, our imaginations are often limited by currently available paradigms and technologies. Suggestions for brain−machine interfaces have changed over time, along with the available technology. Mechanical levers and cable winches were used to move parts of the brain during the mechanical age. Sophisticated electronic wiring and remote control have arisen during the electronic age, ultimately leading to plug-and-play computer interfaces. Nonetheless, our brains are so complex that these visions, until recently, largely remained unreachable dreams. The general problem, thus far, is that most of our technology is mechanically and/or electrically engineered, whereas the brain is a living, dynamic entity. As a result, these worlds are difficult to interface with one another. Nanotechnology, which encompasses engineered solid-state objects and integrated circuits, excels at small length scales of single to a few hundred nanometers and, thus, matches the sizes of biomolecules, biomolecular assemblies, and parts of cells. Consequently, we envision nanomaterials and nanotools as opportunities to interface with the brain in alternative ways. Here, we review the existing literature on the use of nanotechnology in brain−machine interfaces and look forward in discussing perspectives and limitations based on the authors’ expertise across a range of complementary disciplines from neuroscience, engineering, physics, and chemistry to biology and medicine, computer science and mathematics, and social science and jurisprudence. We focus on nanotechnology but also include information from related fields when useful and complementary. KW - Nanoneuro interface KW - Brain-on-a-chip KW - Nanostructured interface KW - Electrode arrays KW - Neuro-implants KW - Advanced nanomaterials KW - Quality assurance PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-634893 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c10525 SN - 1936-086X VL - 19 IS - 11 SP - 10630 EP - 10717 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-63489 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Amouroux, B. A1 - Eftekhari, A. A1 - Roux, C. A1 - Micheau, J. A1 - Roblin, P. A1 - Pasturel, M. A1 - Gauffre, F. A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Sliwa, M. A1 - Bouchet, A. A1 - Coudret, C. T1 - Synthesis and Emission Dynamics of Sub-3 nm Upconversion Nanoparticles N2 - Reducing the size of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) down to a few nm yields luminescent materials containing a very small number of emitters. Considering the bottom limit of one activator per particle ultrasmall UCNPs offer an unprecedented platform to study the contributions of the energy transfers at play in upconversion luminescence. Maintaining detectable emission despite the limited number of emitting ions and the high surface-to-volume ratio requires suitable particle architectures. Na(Gd-Yb)F4:Tm3+ emissive sub-3 nm diameter 𝜷-phase UCNPs are prepared using a gadolinium-rich composition in situ mixing of the precursors and a microwave high-temperature cycling sequence allowing precise control of the particle size and dispersity. These cores are coated with a NaGdF4 inert shell to minimize the deleterious influence of surface quenching (SQ). Time-resolved luminescence measurements combining standard NIR excitation of the Yb3+ sensitizer and direct UV excitation of the Tm3+ activator are performed to quantify cross relaxation and surface quenching processes. The fine tuning of the number of activators per particle via an optimized synthesis pathway along with the use of an appropriate excitation scheme enabled to provide an accurate analysis of the different mechanisms at play in these model nanoparticles and to characterize the structure of the core-shell architecture. KW - Lanthanide KW - Nanoparticle KW - Luminescence KW - Quantitative spectroscopy KW - Quantum yield KW - Energy transfer KW - Quality assurance KW - Synthesis KW - Surface modification KW - Photophysics PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-606877 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202303283 SN - 2195-1071 SP - 1 EP - 13 AN - OPUS4-60687 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Amouroux, B. A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Roux, C. A1 - Eftekhari, A. A1 - Sliwa, M. A1 - Bouchet, A. A1 - Micheau, J.-C. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Coudret, C. T1 - Time-Resolved Rate Equation Analysis Disclose Kinetics Controlling Luminescence of Nanometer Tm-Upconverting Nanoparticles N2 - Upconversion luminescence of lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) is a nonlinear step-wise process in which the consecutive absorption of multiple, low-energy photons results in the subsequent emission of a high-energy photon. The primary upconversion mechanism is energy transfer upconversion (ETU) from a sensitizer (Yb3+) to an activator (Tm3+). It requires the absorption of several excitation lowenergy photons by Yb3+, followed by the sequential energy transfer to Tm3+ions. Excited states relax to their ground states either radiatively by emitting a high-energy photon or non-radiatively by multiphonon relaxation through the crystalline host matrix. The time-resolved rise and decay luminescence curves of a set of five ultrasmall have been recorded under varying power near-infrared μs pulses. Six wavelengths have been used to monitor the evolution of the main Yb and Tm excited states. We use an average rate equations model to decipher the relationships between the compositional constraints and size of these ultrasmall UCNPs and the luminescence kinetic parameters. Several rate constants of ETU and other depopulation processes involving the multiple states of the Tm3+ energy scaffold have been retrieved from the simultaneous fit of the recorded curves. Their values have been interpreted by considering bulk and surface quenching, radiative and multi-phonon relaxations, and ion-to-ion hopping. Energy transfer between Yb3+ and Tm3+ is mainly occurring within neighbor atoms. The importance of mismatches on multiphonon relaxations, ETUs, and back-transfers has also been highlighted. For these numerical modeling, it appears that changing the composition and synthesis conditions with the aim to improve a single-specific parameter could remain a major challenge as this modification would automatically impact other properties with immediate consequences on UCNP dynamics. KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Synthesis KW - Shell KW - Fluorescence KW - Lifetime KW - Decay kinetics KW - Method KW - Modelling KW - Quality assurance KW - Energy transfer KW - Upconversation PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.4c04969 VL - 128 IS - 44 SP - 18836 EP - 18848 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-61645 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Andreato, E. A1 - Panov, N. A1 - Artiga, A. A1 - Osipova, Viktoriia A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Ximendes, E. A1 - Molina, P. A1 - Canton, P. A1 - Marin, R. T1 - Indium-Based Fluoride Nanoparticles Doped with Chromium for Near-Infrared Luminescence N2 - Transition metal (TM) and rare earth (RE) ion-doped nanoparticles (NPs) are photoluminescent materials of technological relevance in bioimaging, sensing, and light conversion. Fluoride NPs are particularly attractive in this context, since they combine low-energy phonons, high chemical stability, optical transparency, size, and architecture tunability. Yet, nearly all reported colloidal fluoride NPs (e.g., NaYF4 and LiYF4) can only be efficiently doped with RE3+ and not with luminescent TM ions. Herein, we contribute to filling this gap in materials science by reporting Na3InF6 NPs doped with Cr3+ as a model luminescent TM ion. We unveil the heat-driven NP formation mechanism, which involves a cubic-to-monoclinic phase conversion, similarly to the cubic-tohexagonal phase conversion in NaYF4. Reaction temperatures above 225 °C and reaction time have a limited impact on the NP morphology, while the amount of fluoride precursor and oleylamine grants control over the NP size. After verifying that Na3InF6 NPs show negligible cytotoxicity toward U-87 cell line, we study the optical properties of these NPs upon Cr3+ doping. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence measurements indicate that Cr3+ ions experience a weak crystal field in the Na3InF6 host lattice, while their photoluminescence lifetime varies linearly in the 20−50 °C range. These results set the ground for further studies of photoluminescent TM-doped fluoride NPs, toward their applications in bioimaging, sensing, and light-converting devices. KW - Quality assurance KW - Fluorescence KW - Traceability KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Synthesis KW - Quantum yield KW - NIR KW - Mechanism KW - Characterization KW - XRD KW - Phase transition KW - Ligand KW - Surface KW - Doping KW - Lifetime PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.4c03335 SN - 1520-5002 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - American Chemical Society AN - OPUS4-63073 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Islam, Fahima A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Gehrmann, P. A1 - Licha, K. A1 - Roik, Janina A1 - Recknagel, Sebastian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Assessing the reproducibility and up‑scaling of the synthesis of Er,Yb‑doped NaYF4‑based upconverting nanoparticles and control of size, morphology, and optical properties N2 - Lanthanide-based, spectrally shifting, and multi-color luminescent upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) have received much attention in the last decades because of their applicability as reporter for bioimaging, super-resolution microscopy, and sensing as well as barcoding and anti-counterfeiting tags. A prerequisite for the broad application of UCNPs in areas such as sensing and encoding are simple, robust, and easily upscalable synthesis protocols that yield large quantities of UCNPs with sizes of 20 nm or more with precisely controlled and tunable physicochemical properties from lowcost reagents with a high reproducibility. In this context, we studied the reproducibility, robustness, and upscalability of the synthesis of β-NaYF4:Yb, Er UCNPs via thermal decomposition. Reaction parameters included solvent, precursor chemical compositions, ratio, and concentration. The resulting UCNPs were then examined regarding their application-relevant physicochemical properties such as size, size distribution, morphology, crystal phase, chemical composition, and photoluminescence. Based on these screening studies, we propose a small volume and high-concentration synthesis approach that can provide UCNPs with different, yet controlled size, an excellent phase purity and tunable morphology in batch sizes of up to at least 5 g which are well suited for the fabrication of sensors, printable barcodes or authentication and recycling tags. KW - Photoluminescence KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Synthesis KW - Reproducibility KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-570170 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-28875-8 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 13 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 13 AN - OPUS4-57017 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Radunz, Sebastian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Novel PET-Operated Rosamine Sensor Dyes with Substitution Pattern-Tunable pKa Values and Temperature Sensitivity N2 - We present the synthesis and characterization of a family of regioisomerically pure pH-sensitive rosamine fluorophores consisting of xanthene fluorophore cores, which determine the dyes’ photophysical properties such as excitation/emission wavelength, fluorescence quantum yield, and fluorescence lifetime, and differently substituted phenol moieties. The hydroxyl substituent of the phenol moiety introduces a pH sensitivity of the dyes’ fluorescence exploiting a photoinduced electron transfer (PET), that leads to a protonation-induced switching ON of the rosamine emission. Rational tuning of the pKa value of the rosamine fluorescence between 4 to 9 is achieved by altering the substitution pattern and degree of bromination of the phenolic subunits. Additionally, a temperature sensitivity of the fluorescence quantum yield is introduced or suppressed based upon the degree of rigidity of the xanthene scaffold. KW - Fluorescence KW - Optical probe KW - Sensor KW - Dye KW - Rosamine KW - Synthesis KW - Photophysics KW - PH KW - Quantum yield KW - Quality assurancemechanism KW - temperature PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-530562 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d1nj02505h VL - 45 IS - 31 SP - 13934 EP - 13940 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-53056 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Michaelis, Matthias A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Würth, Christian T1 - Time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy for monitoring the stability and dissolution behaviour of upconverting nanocrystals with different surface coatings† N2 - We demonstrate the potential of time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy for the straightforward assessment and in situ monitoring of the stability of upconversion nanocrystals (UCNPs). Therefore, we prepared hexagonal NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ UCNPs with various coatings with a focus on phosphonate ligands of different valency, using different ligand exchange procedures, and studied their dissolution behaviour in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) dispersions at 20 °C and 37 °C with various analytical methods. The amount of the released UCNPs constituting fluoride ions was quantified by potentiometry using a Fluoride ion-sensitive electrode and particle disintegration was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy studies of the differently aged UCNPs. In parallel, the luminescence features of the UCNPs were measured with special emphasis on the lifetime of the sensitizer emission to demonstrate its suitability as Screening parameter for UCNP stability and changes in particle composition. The excellent correlation between the changes in luminescence lifetime and fluoride concentration highlights the potential of our luminescence lifetime method for UCNP stability screening and thereby indirect monitoring of the release of potentially hazardous fluoride ions during uptake and dissolution in biological systems. Additionally, the developed in situ optical method was used to distinguish the dissolution dynamics of differently sized and differently coated UCNPs. KW - Fluorescence KW - Lifetime KW - Method KW - Quantification KW - Stability KW - Coating KW - Surface chemistry KW - Lanthanide KW - Fluoride KW - Electrochemistry KW - ICP-OES KW - Upconversion KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Aging KW - Quality assurance KW - TEM PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0nr02931a VL - 12 IS - 23 SP - 12589 EP - 12601 PB - Royal Society od Chemistry AN - OPUS4-52088 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -