TY - CONF A1 - Nakadi, Flavio V. T1 - Single-event analysis of discrete entities using microwave-induced nitrogen plasma–mass spectrometry N2 - ICP-MS has become a standard for (ultra)trace elemental analysis due to its excellent sensitivity and multi-element capabilities. However, its widespread use is hampered by spectral interferences—especially in the low mass range (<81 amu)—primarily arising from Ar-based polyatomic ions, such as ArO+ and Ar2+, which compromise the accurate quantification of key elements like Fe and Se.1 Over the years, improvements such as collision/reaction cells and sector-field configurations have helped mitigate these interferences, albeit often at the cost of instrument complexity and increased operational burden.The microwave-induced nitrogen plasma (MINP) source, sustained by microwaves at atmospheric pressure and using nitrogen as the plasma gas, offers a fundamentally different plasma environment. Nitrogen is not only more economical (40-60%) and readily available than Ar, but also avoids the generation of problematic Ar-based interferences. While MINP had been previously applied in optical emission and bulk mass spectrometry,2 its implementation in single-event detection had not yet been demonstrated. This study pioneers the application of MINP-MS in single-event mode for real-time, high-throughput characterization of NPs, cells, and MPs. The evaluation began with Fe2O3 NPs monitoring the 56Fe nuclide, with a limit of detection of 8.6 ag for Fe, equivalent to a particle size threshold of 19 nm—surpassing the detection capabilities of quadrupole-based ICP-MS systems. Size distribution results obtained by SP-MINP-MS for Fe2O3 NPs (20–70 nm) matched closely with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), confirming the method’s accuracy. For Se, despite its high ionization energy, metallic SeNPs (150 and 250 nm) were reliably quantified by monitoring 80Se. A calibration curve constructed using SeNP standards yielded excellent linearity (R2 = 0.9994). This approach was further extended to single-cell analysis, using Se-enriched yeast (SELM-1 CRM) as a model. A transport efficiency-independent calibration strategy was employed, relying on SeNPs to determine Se content per cell. The results showed strong agreement with data from conventional SC-ICP-MS, with average Se masses of ~65 fg per cell, validating the performance of SC-MINP-MS for biological systems. Additionally, the instrument's capability to handle large, low atomic number particles was demonstrated via the analysis of polystyrene (PS) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) MPs. These MPs (2.5–3.0 µm) were quantified by monitoring 12C+ signals and applying a calibration strategy using citric acid as a standard. The resulting size distributions closely matched nominal sizes, reinforcing the system’s robustness for micrometer-sized polymeric materials. Event durations ranging from 470 to over 900 µs were consistent with literature values for single-entity ICP-MS and correlated well with particle size. These findings establish single-event MINP-MS as a promising analytical platform for analyzing discrete entities. It provides significant advantages over conventional Ar-based ICP-MS, including reduced interferences, lower operational cost, and comparable or superior sensitivity for analytes such as Fe and Se. By avoiding the limitations of Ar-based plasmas and enabling accurate quantification across a wide range of particle types and sizes, MINP-MS in single-event mode opens new avenues for high-resolution, interference-free elemental analysis at the individual entity level. T2 - 17th Rio Symposium on Atomic Spectrometry (17th RSAS) CY - São Pedro City, Brazil DA - 09.11.2025 KW - MICAP-MS KW - Nitrogen plasma KW - Nanoparticles KW - Cells KW - Microplastic KW - Single particle KW - Single event KW - ICP-MS PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64954 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Stolar, Jasna A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Gugin, Nikita A1 - Casali, Lucia T1 - Mechanochemical pathways to sustainability: from molecular insights to applications N2 - Mechanochemical Innovations for Sustainable Synthesis of Framework Materials and Industrial ScaleUp Mechanochemistry has emerged as a powerful approach for sustainable materials synthesis and processing, with significant potential to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This presentation will highlight our recent advancements in understanding, monitoring, and scaling-up mechanochemical synthesis of framework materials, focusing on the balance between fundamental understanding of reaction mechanisms and its practical applications in energy storage and energy transfer materials. A central focus of our work has been the development and application of time-resolved in situ monitoring techniques for mechanochemical processes. Our research on real-time synchrotron X-ray diffraction has enabled unprecedented insights into reaction pathways and kinetics. Recently, we have successfully applied energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction for time-resolved in situ monitoring of reactive extrusion, marking a significant step towards ‘lighting up’ industrial-scale mechanochemistry. Bridging fundamental understanding with practical applications, we have explored the mechanochemical synthesis of functional materials for energy storage and transfer, making process in the mechanochemical synthesis of highly proton-conductive metal phosphonates, demonstrating the potential of mechanochemistry to manufacture advanced materials for energy applications. T2 - GDCh Universität Marburg CY - Marburg, Germany DA - 10.02.2025 KW - Situ investigation KW - Nanoparticles KW - Metal phosphonates PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64844 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Frelih, Milena T1 - Material-Microbiome Interactions N2 - Estimations show that the anthropogenic mass, the technosphere, already exceeds the biomass on Earth. Understanding the technosphere-environment interactions and their impacts is key to safe and healthy ecosystems and human societies. At BAM, we aim at promoting awareness for microorganisms living and evolving in contact with human-made materials and technical systems. We are creating datasets of biofilms on plastic and other anthropogenic materials and in the context of important technical challenges (e.g. microbially influenced corrosion or biocide-induced antimicrobial resistance). This enables us to identify and examine key organisms in the investigated systems that potentially harbor new, also industrially relevant, species and traits. Further, we explore material effects on aquatic microbial communities, aiming at the development and establishment of innovative and environmentally relevant methodologies. By using bioinformatic and molecular tools and interdisciplinary research, we enhance the understanding of material-microbiome interactions for a safe and sustainable future. T2 - NFDI4Microbiota Annual Conference CY - Cologne, Germany DA - 30.09.2025 KW - Microbiome KW - Microplastics KW - Black fungi KW - Nanoparticles PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64637 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schardt, Annika T1 - Fast screening method for nanoparticles in surface waters via nanosecond spICP-MS and a tailored automated ion cloud recognition algorithm N2 - Single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) is a powerful technique for nanoparticle (NP) analysis in aqueous samples, which provides essential information on size distribution and particle number concentration (PNC) of nanometer-sized particles in various water samples for risk assessment and toxicity tests. In contrast to spectroscopic particle analysis methods, this mass spectrometry-based tool can provide chemical information on the elemental composition of NPs after minimal sample preparation. We recently presented a novel spICP-MS instrumentation and tailored software that acquires data with nanosecond time resolution, lowering the particle size detection limit to 7 nm for gold NP (1). The system directly samples the output signal of the electron multiplier and records the detection of individual ions with a time resolution of only a few nanoseconds. With nanosecond time resolution, we were able to visualize profiles of ion clouds that were produced from ionization of nanoparticles in the ICP on a single-ion basis and to use the temporal gap between those ions for particle sizing. Our latest improvement of the data acquisition system (nanoDAQ) features ca. 2 ns integration time and a matching processing software prototype, which automatically recognizes and counts ion clouds in the transient data. With this combination we achieved an experimentally determined size detection limit of ca. 5 nm for gold nanoparticles. A feasibility study shows that the nanoDAQ in combination with the ion cloud recognition algorithm succeeds in fast detection and counting of NP containing Ag, Ce, or Zr in waste water and surface water samples from the area of Siegen. PNCs ranged from ca. 7 x 106–2 x 108 particles/L, which is in good agreement with concentrations reported for similar water samples in the literature. T2 - 56th Annual Conference of the German Society for Mass Spectrometry (DGMS) CY - Göttingen, Germany DA - 04.03.2025 KW - Instrumentation KW - Mass Spectrometry KW - Nanoparticles KW - spICP-MS PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63662 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Mrkwitschka, Paul T1 - Understanding Correlative Electron Microscopy Imaging with SEM, STEM in SEM and TEM for the Accurate Characterization of Size and Shape of FeOx Nanoparticles N2 - The recently certified reference material (CRM) BAM-N012 as cubical iron oxide FeOx nanoparticles (NPs) of 8 nm area equivalent square edge length (ESL) and the RM candidate BAM-N013 as nearly spherical NPs of 22 nm size were analyzed in detail by electron microscopy (EM). For the metrological characterization with SEM, STEM in SEM and TEM, the understanding of the imaging contrasts and sensitivities, and the correct interpretation of the (art)effects which are inherent to each detection mode is necessary. The same sample areas with NPs deposited on a TEM grid were analyzed by two SEM acquisition modes, i. e. SE InLens and STEM in SEM using a dedicated transmission sample holder, and further, correlatively, analyzed with TEM. With increasing kV, SE InLens shows increasing particle size (unless overcharging at the particle boundaries is filtered), as a known effect. For STEM-in-SEM the particle size decreases significantly and individual particles are identified easier (at 2 kV only a few single particles can be detected automatically). ❑ Documentation of the sample preparation and measurement conditions (including optimization process) is important for reproducibility. ❑ Plasma cleaning, analysis in the transmission mode at SEM is recommended for FeOx NPs. ❑ Selection of the threshold algorithm can significantly alter the reported ECD T2 - 2. Treffen des DGE-Arbeitskreises SEM CY - Stuttgart, Germany DA - 26.09.2024 KW - Correlative microscopy KW - Electron microscopy KW - Iron oxide KW - Nanoparticles KW - Reference materials KW - Size and shape distribution PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62349 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Mrkwitschka, Paul T1 - Understanding Correlative Electron Microscopy Imaging with SEM, STEM-in-SEM and TEM for the Accurate Characterization of Size and Shape of FeOx Nanoparticles N2 - The recently certified reference material (CRM) BAM-N012 as cubical iron oxide FeOx nanoparticles (NPs) of 8 nm area equivalent square edge length (ESL) and the RM candidate BAM-N013 as nearly spherical NPs of 22 nm size were analyzed in detail by electron microscopy (EM). For the metrological characterization with SEM, STEM in SEM and TEM, the understanding of the imaging contrasts and sensitivities, and the correct interpretation of the (art)effects which are inherent to each detection mode is necessary. The same sample areas with NPs deposited on a TEM grid were analyzed by two SEM acquisition modes, i. e. SE InLens and STEM in SEM using a dedicated transmission sample holder, and further, correlatively, analyzed with TEM. With increasing kV, SE InLens shows increasing particle size (unless overcharging at the particle boundaries is filtered), as a known effect. For STEM-in-SEM the particle size decreases significantly and individual particles are identified easier (at 2 kV only a few single particles can be detected automatically). ❑ Documentation of the sample preparation and measurement conditions (including optimization process) is important for reproducibility. ❑ Plasma cleaning, analysis in the transmission mode at SEM is recommended for FeOx NPs. ❑ Selection of the threshold algorithm can significantly alter the reported ECD. T2 - SALSA Make and Measure 2024: Interfaces CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 11.09.2024 KW - Correlative microscopy KW - Electron microscopy KW - Iron oxide KW - Nanoparticles KW - Reference materials KW - Size and shape distribution PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62347 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schmitt, Johannes T1 - Data Acquisition System for Single Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (spICP-MS) with Nanosecond Time Resolution N2 - This study presents our data acquisition system prototype for spICP-MS with nanosecond time resolution (nanoDAQ) and a matching data processing approach for nanosecond resolved single particle spICP-MS data. The system continuously samples the secondary electron multiplier (SEM) detector signal with a dwell time of approximately 2 ns and enables the detection of gold nanoparticles (AuNP) as small as 7.5 nm[1] with a commercial single quadrupole ICP-MS instrument. The acquired transient data is processed based on the temporal distance between detector events and the event density. It was shown that the inverse logarithm of the distance between detector events is proportional to the particle size and that the number of detector events corresponding to a particle signal distribution can be used to calibrate and determine the particle number concentration (PNC) of a nanoparticle dispersion.[1] The high data acquisition frequency of the systems allows recording of a statistically significant number of data points in 60 s or less, which leads to the main time limitation for analyses being merely the sample uptake time and rinsing step between analyte solutions. T2 - 55th Annual Conference of the German Society for Mass Spectrometry CY - Freising, Germany DA - 10.03.2024 KW - Nanoparticles KW - Mass Spectrometry KW - Instrumentation KW - spICP-MS PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62315 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schardt, Annika A1 - Schmitt, Johannes A1 - Engelhard, Carsten T1 - Cover image for the article "Single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with nanosecond time resolution" N2 - Image for the front cover of the issue 39(2) of the JAAS (Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry). See Annika Schardt et al., pp. 389–400. Image reproduced by permission of Annika Schardt, Johannes Schmitt and Carsten Engelhard. KW - Analytical chemistry KW - Nanoparticles KW - Single-particle characterization KW - Instrumentation KW - spICP-MS PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D4JA90005G SN - 1364-5544 SN - 0267-9477 VL - 39 IS - 2 SP - 295 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-62156 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - INPR A1 - Kalady, Mohammed Fayis A1 - Schultz, Johannes A1 - Weinel, Kristina A1 - Wolf, Daniel A1 - Lubk, Axel T1 - Localization of Hybridized Surface Plasmon Modes on Random Gold Nanoparticle Assemblies N2 - Assemblies of plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) support hybridized modes of localized surface plasmons (LSPs), which delocalize in geometrically well-ordered arrangements. Here, the hybridization behavior of LSPs in geometrically completely disordered arrangements of Au NPs fabricated by an e-beam synthesis method is studied. Employing electron energy loss spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope in combination with numerical simulations, the disorder-driven spatial and spectral localization of the coupled LSP modes that depend on the NP thickness is revealed. Below 0.4nm sample thickness (flat NPs), localization increases towards higher hybridized LSP mode energies. In comparison, above 10nm thickness, a decrease of localization (an increase of delocalization) with higher mode energies is observed. In the intermediate thickness regime, a transition of the energy dependence of the localization between the two limiting cases, exhibiting a transition mode energy with minimal localization, is observed. This behavior is mainly driven by the energy and thickness dependence of the polarizability of the individual NPs. KW - Plasmonics KW - Electron-Energy Loss Spectroscopy KW - Discrete Dipole Approximation KW - Nanoparticles PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-618323 DO - https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2410.10514 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Cornell University CY - Ithaca, NY AN - OPUS4-61832 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Fagan, Jeffrey A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - VAMAS TWA Nanoparticle Populations Projects 15 and 16 N2 - The progress in the VAMAS Project #15 "Measurement of particle size and shape distribution of bipyramidal titania including deposition from liquid suspension" within TWA 34 Nanoparticle Populations is presented with highlight of the following points: - Determine and compare particle size and shape distribution by means of electron microscopy (SEM, TEM, STEM-in-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). - Determine uncertainty induced by deposition protocol from liquid suspension with comparison to known values from a prior ILC with already deposited nanoparticles on TEM grids. - Provide comparative validation of protocols for the techniques other than TEM. Further, the VAMAS/TWA 34 Project #16 "Measurement of (relative) number concentration of bimodal silica nanoparticles including deposition from liquid suspension" is presented. Follwowing points are discusssed: - Validate the performance of imaging methods to measure the relative number concentration by electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) and two modes of bimodal (30 and 60 nm) silica nanoparticles - Validate the performance of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) for the traceable measurement of the number concentration of the two modes. T2 - Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards (VAMAS) 49th Steering Committee Meeting CY - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil DA - 23.09.2024 KW - VAMAS KW - Nanoparticles KW - Nanoparticle size and shape distribution KW - Particle number concentration KW - Interlaboratory comparison KW - Standardisation PY - 2024 UR - http://www.vamas.org/twa34/index.html AN - OPUS4-61422 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -