TY - JOUR A1 - Kittner, Maria A1 - Kerndorff, A. A1 - Ricking, M. A1 - Bednarz, M. A1 - Obermaier, N. A1 - Lukas, M. A1 - Asenova, M. A1 - Bordós, G. A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Hohenblum, P. A1 - Hudcova, H. A1 - Humer, F. A1 - István, T. G. A1 - Kirchner, M. A1 - Marushevska, O. A1 - Nemejcová, D. A1 - Oswald, P. A1 - Paunovic, M. A1 - Sengl, M. A1 - Slobodnik, J. A1 - Spanowsky, K. A1 - Tudorache, M. A1 - Wagensonner, H. A1 - Liska, I. A1 - Braun, U. A1 - Bannick, C. G. T1 - Microplastics in the Danube River Basin: A First Comprehensive Screening with a Harmonized Analytical Approach N2 - In this study, carried out within the Joint Danube Survey 4, a comprehensive microplastic screening in the water column within a large European river basin from its source to estuary, including major tributaries, was realized. The objective was to develop principles of a systematic and practicable microplastic monitoring strategy using sedimentation boxes for collection of suspended particulate matter followed by its subsequent analysis using thermal extraction desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. In total, 18 sampling sites in the Danube River Basin were investigated. The obtained suspended particulate matter samples were subdivided into the fractions of >100 μm and <100 μm and subsequently analyzed for microplastic mass contents. The results showed that microplastics were detected in all samples, with polyethylene being the predominant polymer with maximum contents of 22.24 μg/mg, 3.23 μg/mg for polystyrene, 1.03 μg/mg for styrene-butadiene-rubber, and 0.45 μg/mg for polypropylene. Further, polymers such as different sorts of polyester, polyacrylates, polylactide, and natural rubber were not detected or below the detection limit. Additional investigations on possible interference of polyethylene signals by algae-derived fatty acids were assessed. In the context of targeted monitoring, repeated measurements provide more certainty in the interpretation of the results for the individual sites. Nevertheless, it can be stated that the chosen approach using an integrative sampling and determination of total plastic content proved to be successful. KW - Thermal extraction desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TED-GC/MS), monitoring KW - Microplastics KW - River KW - Suspended particulate matter (SPM) KW - Sedimentation box (SB) PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-551444 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.1c00439 VL - 2 IS - 7 SP - 1174 EP - 1181 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-55144 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wang, L. A1 - Stebbings, R. A1 - Gaigalas, A.K. A1 - Sutherland, J. A1 - Kammel, M. A1 - John, M. A1 - Roemer, B. A1 - Kuhne, Maren A1 - Schneider, Rudolf A1 - Braun, M. A1 - Engel, A. A1 - Dikshit, D. A1 - Abbasi, F. A1 - Marti, G.E. A1 - Sassi, M. A1 - Revel, L. A1 - Kim, S.K. A1 - Baradez, M.-O. A1 - Lekishvili, T. A1 - Marshall, D. A1 - Whitby, L. A1 - Jing, W. A1 - Ost, V. A1 - Vonsky, M. A1 - Neukammer, J. T1 - Quantification of cells with specific phenotypes II: Determination of CD4 expression level on reconstituted lyophilized human PBMC labelled with anti-CD4 FITC antibody N2 - This report focuses on the characterization of CD4 expression level in terms of equivalent number of reference fluorophores (ERF). Twelve different flow cytometer platforms across sixteen laboratories were utilized in this study. As a first step the participants were asked to calibrate the fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) channel of each flow cytometer using commercially available calibration standard consisting of five populations of microspheres. Each population had an assigned value of equivalent fluorescein fluorophores (EFF denotes a special case of the generic term ERF with FITC as the reference fluorophore). The EFF values were assigned at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). A surface-labelled lyophilized cell preparation was provided by the National Institute of Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) pre-labeled with a FITC conjugated anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody. Three PBMC sample vials, provided to each participant, were used for the CD4 expression analysis. The PBMC are purported to have a fixed number of surface CD4 receptors. On the basis of the microsphere calibration, the EFF value of the PBMC samples was measured to characterize the population average CD4 expression level of the PBMC preparations. Both the results of data analysis performed by each participant and the results of centralized analysis of all participants' raw data are reported. Centralized analysis gave a mean EFF value of 22,300 and an uncertainty of 750, corresponding to 3.3% (level of confidence 68%) of the mean EFF value. The next step will entail the measurement of the ERF values of the lyophilized PBMC stained with labels for other fluorescence channels. The ultimate goal is to show that lyophilized PBMC is a suitable biological reference cell material for multicolor flow cytometry and that it can be used to present multicolor flow cytometry measurements in terms of ABC (antibodies bound per cell) units. KW - Surface labelled lyophilized PBMC KW - CD4 expression level KW - FITC KW - Equivalent fluorescein fluorophore (EFF) KW - Quantitative flow cytometry KW - Calibration KW - Standard measurement procedure KW - Measurement uncertainty KW - Reference cell material PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/cyto.a.22634 SN - 0196-4763 SN - 1552-4922 SN - 1552-4930 VL - 87 IS - 3 SP - 254 EP - 261 PB - Wiley-Liss CY - Hoboken, NJ AN - OPUS4-32981 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stebbings, R. A1 - Wang, L. A1 - Sutherland, J. A1 - Kammel, M. A1 - Gaigalas, A.K. A1 - John, M. A1 - Roemer, B. A1 - Kuhne, Maren A1 - Schneider, Rudolf A1 - Braun, M. A1 - Engel, A. A1 - Dikshit, D.K. A1 - Abbasi, F. A1 - Marti, G.E. A1 - Sassi, M.P. A1 - Revel, L. A1 - Kim, S.-K. A1 - Baradez, M.-O. A1 - Lekishvili, T. A1 - Marshall, D. A1 - Whitby, L. A1 - Jing, W. A1 - Ost, V. A1 - Vonsky, M. A1 - Neukammer, J. T1 - Quantification of cells with specific phenotypes I: Determination of CD4+ cell count per microliter in reconstituted lyophilized human PBMC prelabeled with anti-CD4 FICT antibody N2 - A surface-labeled lyophilized lymphocyte (sLL) preparation has been developed using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells prelabeled with a fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody. The sLL preparation is intended to be used as a reference material for CD4+ cell counting including the development of higher order reference measurement procedures and has been evaluated in the pilot study CCQM-P102. This study was conducted across 16 laboratories from eight countries to assess the ability of participants to quantify the CD4+ cell count of this reference material and to document cross-laboratory variability plus associated measurement uncertainties. Twelve different flow cytometer platforms were evaluated using a standard protocol that included calibration beads used to obtain quantitative measurements of CD4+ T cell counts. There was good overall cross-platform and counting method agreement with a grand mean of the laboratory calculated means of (301.7 ± 4.9) µL-1 CD4+ cells. Excluding outliers, greater than 90% of participant data agreed within ±15%. A major contribution to variation of sLL CD4+ cell counts was tube to tube variation of the calibration beads, amounting to an uncertainty of 3.6%. Variation due to preparative steps equated to an uncertainty of 2.6%. There was no reduction in variability when data files were centrally reanalyzed. Remaining variation was attributed to instrument specific differences. CD4+ cell counts obtained in CCQM-P102 are in excellent agreement and show the robustness of both the measurements and the data analysis and hence the suitability of sLL as a reference material for interlaboratory comparisons and external quality assessment. KW - CD4+ cell counting KW - Relative concentration measurement KW - Lyophilized cells KW - Flow cytometry KW - Standard measurement procedure KW - Measurement of uncertainty KW - Human immunodeficiency virus-1 KW - Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome KW - Reference material PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/cyto.a.22614 SN - 0196-4763 SN - 1552-4922 SN - 1552-4930 VL - 87 IS - 3 SP - 244 EP - 253 PB - Wiley-Liss CY - Hoboken, NJ AN - OPUS4-32847 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wildgruber, M. A1 - Lueg, C. A1 - Borgmeyer, S. A1 - Karimov, I. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Kiechle, M. A1 - Meier, R. A1 - Koehler, M. A1 - Ettl, J. A1 - Berger, H. T1 - Polyurethane versus silicone catheters for central venous port devices implanted at the forearm N2 - Purpose: We aimed to analyse short and long-term complications of polyurethane (PU) versus silicone catheters used in totally implantable venous-access ports (TIVAPs) implanted at the forearm. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 698 consecutively implanted TIVAPs was performed. Primary end-points were defined as rates of major complications associated with either type of central venous port catheter. Technical success rate, device service interval as well as minor complications not requiring port explantation were defined as secondary end-points. Results: A total of 698 port devices were implanted in 681 patients, 396 equipped with a PU catheter, 302 with a silicone catheter. The technical success rate was 99.9% with no major periprocedural complications. During follow-up a total of 211 complications in 146 patients were observed (1.0/1000 catheter days), 183 occurred associated with PU catheters (1.8/100 catheter days), 28 (0.3/1000 catheter days) with silicone catheters (log rank test p < 0.0001). Catheter-related bloodstream infections as well as thrombotic complications occurred significantly more frequently with PU catheters, while silicone catheters exhibited a trend towards a higher rate of mechanical failure such as disconnection or catheter rupture. Major complications requiring explantation of the device occurred more frequently with PU-based catheters (10.6%) compared to silicone catheter carrying ports (4.6%, log rank test p < 0.001). KW - Chemotherapy KW - Central venous access port KW - Complication KW - Thrombosis KW - Infection PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2016.02.011 SN - 0959-8049 VL - 59 SP - 113 EP - 124 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - Oxford, UK AN - OPUS4-36288 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Dümichen, Erik A1 - Ruhl, A. A1 - Jekel, M. A1 - Albrecht, M. A1 - Gehde, M. A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Two Birds with One Stone-Fast and Simultaneous Analysis of Microplastics: Microparticles Derived from Thermoplastics and Tire Wear N2 - Analysis of microplastic particles (MP) in environmental samples needs sophisticated techniques and is time intensive due to sample preparation and detection. An alternative to the most common (micro ) spectroscopic techniques, FTIR or Raman spectroscopy, are the thermoanalytical methods, where specific decomposition products can be analyzed as marker compounds for different kind of plastics types and mass contents. Thermal extraction desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TED-GC-MS) allows the fast identification and quantification of MP in environmental samples without sample preparation. Whereas up to now only the analysis of thermoplastic polymers was realized, this is the first time that even the analysis of tire wear (TW) content in environmental samples is possible. Various marker compounds for TW were identified. They include characteristic decomposition products of elastomers, antioxidants and vulcanization agents. Advantages and drawbacks of these marker substances were evaluated. Environmental samples from street run off were exemplarily investigated and presented. KW - TED-GC-MS KW - Microplastic KW - Tire wear PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.8b00446 VL - 5 IS - 10 SP - 608 EP - 613 PB - American Chemical Society AN - OPUS4-46460 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Perez, R.M. A1 - Sandler, J.K.W. A1 - Altstädt, V. A1 - Hoffmann, T. A1 - Pospiech, D. A1 - Ciesielski, M. A1 - Döring, M. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Knoll, Uta A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Effective halogen-free flame retardants for carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy composites N2 - DOPO-based flame retardants with tailored chemical structures are proposed for carbon fibre reinforced epoxy composites. Critical properties related to the fracture toughness are maintained, effectively allowing the use of such compounds in composites for demanding applications. KW - Fire retardancy KW - DOPO KW - Epoxy resin KW - LOI KW - UL94 PY - 2006 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-006-0134-4 SN - 0022-2461 SN - 1573-4803 VL - 41 IS - 15 SP - 4981 EP - 4984 PB - Springer Science + Business Media B.V. CY - New York, USA AN - OPUS4-12641 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Perez, R.M. A1 - Sandler, J.K.W. A1 - Altstädt, V. A1 - Hoffmann, T. A1 - Pospiech, D. A1 - Ciesielski, M. A1 - Döring, M. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Balabanovich, Aliaksandr A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Novel phosphorus-modified polysulfone as a combined flame retardant and toughness modifier for epoxy resins N2 - A novel phosphorus-modified polysulfone (P-PSu) was employed as a combined toughness modifier and a source of flame retardancy for a DGEBA/DDS thermosetting system. In comparison to the results of a commercially available polysulfone (PSu), commonly used as a toughness modifier, the chemorheological changes during curing measured by means of temperature-modulated DSC revealed an earlier occurrence of mobility restrictions in the P-PSu-modified epoxy. A higher viscosity and secondary epoxy-modifier reactions induced a sooner vitrification of the reacting mixture; effects that effectively prevented any phase separation and morphology development in the resulting material during cure. Thus, only about a 20% increase in fracture toughness was observed in the epoxy modified with 20 wt.% of P-PSu, cured under standard conditions at 180 °C for 2 h. Blends of the phosphorus-modified and the standard polysulfone (PSu) were also prepared in various mixing ratios and were used to modify the same thermosetting system. Again, no evidence for phase separation of the P-PSu was found in the epoxy modified with the P-PSu/PSu blends cured under the selected experimental conditions. The particular microstructures formed upon curing these novel materials are attributed to a separation of PSu from a miscible P-PSu–epoxy mixture. Nevertheless, the blends of P-PSu/PSu were found to be effective toughness/flame retardancy enhancers owing to the simultaneous microstructure development and polymer interpenetration. KW - Flame retardants KW - Phosphorus-modified polysulfone KW - Fracture toughness PY - 2007 SN - 0032-3861 SN - 1873-2291 VL - 48 IS - 3 SP - 778 EP - 790 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-14515 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Perez, R.M. A1 - Sandler, J.K.W. A1 - Altstädt, V. A1 - Hoffmann, T. A1 - Pospiech, D. A1 - Artner, J. A1 - Ciesielski, M. A1 - Döring, M. A1 - Balabanovich, Aliaksandr A1 - Knoll, Uta A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Schartel, Bernhard T1 - Novel Phosphorus-containing Hardeners with Tailored Chemical Structures for Epoxy Resins: Synthesis and Cured Resin Properties N2 - A comparative evaluation of systematically tailored chemical structures of various phosphorus-containing aminic hardeners for epoxy resins was carried out. In particular, the effect of the oxidation state of the phosphorus in the hardener molecule on the curing behavior, the mechanical, thermomechanical, and hot-wet properties of a cured bifunctional bisphenol-A based thermoset is discussed. Particular attention is paid to the comparative pyrolysis of neat cured epoxy resins containing phosphine oxide, phosphinate, phosphonate, and phosphate (with a phosphorus content of about 2.6 wt %) and of the fire behavior of their corresponding carbon fiber-reinforced composites. Comparatively faster curing thermosetting system with an enhanced flame retardancy and adequate processing behavior can be formulated by taking advantage of the higher reactivity of the phosphorus-modified hardeners. For example, a combination of the high reactivity and of induced secondary crosslinking reactions leads to a comparatively high Tg when curing the epoxy using a substoichiometric amount of the phosphinate-based hardener. The overall mechanical performance of the materials cured with the phosphorus-containing hardeners is comparable to that of a 4,4-DDS-cured reference system. While the various phosphorus-containing hardeners in general provide the epoxy-based matrix with enhanced flame retardancy properties, it is the flame inhibition in the gas phase especially that determines the improvement in fire retardancy of carbon fiber-reinforced composites. In summary, the present study provides an important contribution towards developing a better understanding of the potential use of such phosphorus-containing compounds to provide the composite matrix with sufficient flame retardancy while simultaneously maintaining its overall mechanical performance on a suitable level. KW - Flame retardance KW - Organo-phosphorus compounds KW - Fracture toughness PY - 2007 SN - 0021-8995 SN - 1097-4628 VL - 105 IS - 5 SP - 2744 EP - 2759 PB - Wiley InterScience CY - Hoboken, NJ AN - OPUS4-15071 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Balabanovich, Aliaksandr A1 - Artner, J. A1 - Ciesielski, M. A1 - Döring, M. A1 - Perez, R.M. A1 - Sandler, J.K.W. A1 - Altstädt, V. T1 - Pyrolysis and fire behaviour of epoxy systems containing a novel 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide-(DOPO)-based diamino hardener N2 - Highly soluble 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide-(DOPO)-based diamino hardener (2), bearing its amino groups directly on the DOPO framework, is investigated with respect to its use as a reactive flame retardant in thermosets. A mechanism for decomposition of the corresponding phosphorus-modified epoxy resin system based on a diglycidylether of bisphenol A DGEBA and 2 (DGEBA/2) is proposed and compared to the systems using DGEBA and 4,4'-diaminodiphenylsulfon (DGEBA/DDS) and to a similar system based on the structurally comparable non-reactive DOPO-based compound (DGEBA/DDS/1). Additive 1 changed the decomposition characteristics of the epoxy resin only slightly and phosphorus was released. Incorporating 2 induces two-step decomposition and most of the phosphorus remains in the residue. Furthermore, the fire behaviour of neat epoxy resin systems and a representative carbon fibre-reinforced composite based on DGEBA, DDS and 2 (DGEBA/DDS/2) were examined and compared to that of the analogous composite systems based on DGEBA/DDS and DGEBA/DDS/1. Based on different flame retardancy mechanisms both the reactive compound 2 and the additive compound 1 improve flammability (increase in LOI >13% and achieving V-1 behaviour) of the epoxy resin and composites. Under forced flaming only the flame inhibition of the additive compound 1 acts sufficiently. Lastly, the superior key mechanical properties of the epoxy resin and composite based on 2 are sketched. KW - Decomposition KW - DOPO KW - Flame retardancy KW - Composites KW - Thermosets PY - 2008 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2008.01.017 SN - 0014-3057 SN - 1873-1945 VL - 44 IS - 3 SP - 704 EP - 715 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford AN - OPUS4-16708 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meyer, S. A1 - Timmel, S. A1 - Richter, S. A1 - Werner, M. A1 - Gläser, M. A1 - Swatek, S. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Hagendorf, C. T1 - Silver nanoparticles cause snail trails in photovoltaic modules N2 - After some months of operation, a number of PV modules develop a discolouration defect called 'snail trails', or 'snail traces', which appear as irregular dark stripes across the cells. Whereas these traces were soon identified as discoloured silver contacts along the cell edges or at micro cracks, the chemical and mechanistic reasons for this phenomenon have not yet been resolved in detail. In this work we show that silver nanoparticles accumulating within the encapsulation foil cause the brownish discolouration, and that certain additives of encapsulation and back sheet foils trigger the formation of these nanoparticles. KW - Snail trails KW - Cell cracks KW - Encapsulation foil KW - Ag contact finger KW - Nanoparticles PY - 2014 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2013.11.013 SN - 0927-0248 VL - 121 SP - 171 EP - 175 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - Amsterdam [u.a.] AN - OPUS4-30059 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wesch, Ch. A1 - Elert, Anna Maria A1 - Wörner, M. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Klein, R. A1 - Paulus, M. T1 - Assuring quality in microplastic monitoring: About the value of clean-air devices as essentials for verified data N2 - Avoiding aerial microfibre contamination of environmental samples is essential for reliable analyses when it comes to the detection of ubiquitous microplastics. Almost all laboratories have contamination problems which are largely unavoidable without investments in clean-air devices. Therefore, our study supplies an approach to assess background microfibre contamination of samples in the laboratory under particle-free air conditions. We tested aerial contamination of samples indoor, in a mobile laboratory, within a laboratory fume hood and on a clean bench with particles filtration during the examining process of a fish. The used clean bench reduced aerial microfibre contamination in our laboratory by 96.5%. This highlights the value of suitable clean-air devices for valid microplastic pollution data. Our results indicate, that pollution levels by microfibres have been overestimated and actual pollution levels may be many times lower. Accordingly, such clean-air devices are recommended for microplastic laboratory applications in future research work to significantly lower error rate KW - Microplastics KW - FTIR KW - Quality KW - Environmental Science KW - Biological techniques PY - 2017 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-412402 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-05838-4 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 7 SP - Article 5424, 1 EP - 8 PB - Nature AN - OPUS4-41240 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Knoll, Uta A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Hoffmann, T. A1 - Pospiech, D. A1 - Artner, J. A1 - Ciesielski, M. A1 - Döring, M. A1 - Perez-Graterol, R. A1 - Sandler, J.K.W. A1 - Altstädt, V. T1 - Novel Phosphorus-Containing Poly(ether sulfone)s and Their Blends with an Epoxy Resin: Thermal Decomposition and Fire Retardancy N2 - Summary: The decomposition of novel phosphorus-containing poly(oxyphenylene-sulfonyl-phenylene-oxy-diphenyl phenylene phosphine oxide) (PSU_I), 2,5-dihydroxy-1-biphenylene-phosphine oxide based polysulfone (PSU_II), poly(sulfonyl-diphenylphenylene phosphonate) (PSU_P) and bisphenol A-based polysulfone (PSU) is studied. The influence of the chemical structure, charring and phosphorus release is discussed based on the mass loss, kinetics and products. The pyrolysis and fire behaviour of blends with epoxy resin (EP) are studied. For EP-PSU_II, phosphorus initiates water elimination and changes the decomposition pathway of EP. The fire behaviour of EP-PSU shows some improvements, whereas the heat release rate is crucially reduced for EP-PSU_II due to simultaneous char formation and flame inhibition. KW - Epoxy KW - Flame retardance KW - High performance polymers KW - Polysulfones KW - Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) PY - 2006 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.200600182 SN - 1022-1352 SN - 1521-3935 VL - 207 IS - 16 SP - 1501 EP - 1514 PB - Wiley-VCH Verl. CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-12650 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Balabanovich, Aliaksandr A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Knoll, Uta A1 - Artner, J. A1 - Ciesielski, M. A1 - Döring, M. A1 - Perez, R. A1 - Sandler, J.K.W. A1 - Altstädt, V. A1 - Hoffmann, T. A1 - Pospiech, D. T1 - Influence of the oxidation state of phosphorus on the decomposition and fire behaviour of flame-retarded epoxy resin composites N2 - A systematic and comparative evaluation of the pyrolysis of halogen-free flame-retarded epoxy resins containing phosphine oxide, phosphinate, phosphonate, and phosphate (phosphorus contents around 2.6 wt.%) and the fire behaviour of their carbon fibre composites is presented. Decomposition pathways are proposed based on the thermal analysis (TG), TG coupled with evolved gas analysis (TG-FTIR), kinetics and analysis of the residue with FTIR and XPS. All organophosphorus-modified hardeners containing phenoxy groups lead to a reduced decomposition temperature and mass loss step for the main decomposition of the cured epoxy resin. With increasing oxidation state of the phosphorus the thermally stable residue increases, whereas the release of phosphorus-containing volatiles decreases. The flammability of the composites was investigated with LOI and UL 94 and the fire behaviour for forced-flaming conditions with cone calorimeter tests performed using different irradiations. The flame retardancy mechanisms are discussed. With increasing oxidation state of the phosphorus additional charring is observed, whereas the flame inhibition, which plays the more important role for the performance of the composites, decreases. The processing and the mechanical performance (delamination resistance, flexural properties and interlaminar bonding strength) of the fibre-reinforced composites containing phosphorus were maintained at a high level and, in some cases, even improved. The potential for optimising flame retardancy while maintaining mechanical properties is highlighted in this study. KW - Fire retardant KW - Composites KW - Organophosphorus-containing epoxy resin PY - 2006 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2006.10.022 SN - 0032-3861 SN - 1873-2291 VL - 47 IS - 26 SP - 8495 EP - 8508 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-14054 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Balabanovich, Aliaksandr A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Knoll, Uta A1 - Artner, J. A1 - Ciesielski, M. A1 - Döring, M. A1 - Perez, R. A1 - Sandler, J.K.W. A1 - Altstädt, V. A1 - Hoffmann, T. A1 - Pospiech, D. T1 - Pyrolysis of Epoxy Resins and Fire Behavior of Epoxy Resin Composites Flame-Retarded with 9,10-Dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide Additives N2 - The pyrolysis of an epoxy resin and the fire behavior of corresponding carbon fiber-reinforced composites, both flame-retarded with either 10-ethyl-9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene 10-oxide or 1,3,5-tris[2-(9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene 10-oxide-10-)ethyl]1, 3,5-triazine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione, are investigated. The different fire retardancy mechanisms are discussed, and their influence on the fire properties assessed, in particular for flammability (limiting oxygen index, UL 94) and developing fires (cone calorimeter with different external heat fluxes of 35, 50, and 70 kW m-2). Adding the flame retardants containing 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide affects the fire behavior by both condensed phase and gas phase mechanisms. Interactions between the additives and the epoxy resin result in a change in the decomposition pathways and an increased char formation. The release of phosphorous products results in significant flame inhibition. The fire properties achieved are thus interesting with respect to industrial exploration. KW - Flame retardance KW - Thermosets KW - Composites KW - Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) KW - Pyrolysis KW - High performance polymers KW - Epoxy resin PY - 2007 SN - 0021-8995 SN - 1097-4628 VL - 104 IS - 4 SP - 2260 EP - 2269 PB - Wiley InterScience CY - Hoboken, NJ AN - OPUS4-14573 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schubnell, J. A1 - Konidena, S. K. A1 - Jung, M. A1 - Braun, M. A1 - Ehlers, S. A1 - Madia, Mauro A1 - Kannengießer, Thomas A1 - Löschner, D. T1 - Approach for the probabilistic fatigue assessment of welded joints based on the local geometry of the weld seam N2 - Welded joints show large variation of the weld toe geometry along the weld seam, which is one important reason for the comparably large scatter in fatigue life. Therefore, it is crucial to take the local geometry at the weld toe into account, to reduce the conservatism in fatigue assessment of welded joints. This study is based on the IBESS procedure for the calculation of the fatigue strength, whereby the evaluation of local geometrical parameters is carried out by means of 3D surface scans. The approach is validated against 26 fatigue test series. The fatigue life is in general overpredicted, whereas good agreement is achieved for high stress ratio (R = 0.5). A sensitivity analysis conducted with IBESS shows that weld toe radii ρ < 2 mm and flank angle α < 30° have a significant influence on the calculated fatigue strength. In contrast to this, no strong correlation between ρ and the fatigue strength was determined experimentally in this study. KW - 3D Scanning KW - Fatigue Strength KW - Fracture Mechanics KW - IBESS Approach KW - Local Weld Geometry KW - Welded Joints PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-585700 DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/ffe.14170 SN - 8756-758X SP - 1 EP - 20 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-58570 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Bannick, C.-G. A1 - Bednarz, M. A1 - Herper, D. A1 - Knefel, M. T1 - TED-GC/MS: Schnelle Bestimmung von Mikroplastik-Massegehalten in verschiedenen Proben N2 - Zur Ermittlung von Mikroplastik-Gehalten in verschiedenen Umweltmatrices ist ein schnelles Detektionsverfahren für die Routineanalytik notwendig. Ein solches Verfahren wird hier in Form der ThermoExtraktion/Desorption-GasChromatographie/ MassenSpektroskopie (TED-GC/MS) vorgestellt. Neben grundlegenden verfahrensspezifischen Erläuterungen zur Identifizierung und Quantifizierung von Mikroplastik werden auch exemplarische Beispiele aus unterschiedlichen Umweltkompartimenten und Produkten dargestellt. Neu vorgestellt wird ein neues Verfahren zur Analytik von Flaschenwasser. Dazu wurde ein Messfiltertiegel entwickelt, der besonders für Proben mit geringen Gehalten an abfiltrierbaren Stoffen geeignet ist KW - Mikroplasik KW - Mikroplastik-Analyse KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Thermoanalytische Verfahren KW - Mikroplastik-Massengehalte PY - 2020 VL - 2020 IS - 02 SP - 55 EP - 57 PB - Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh) CY - Frankfurt am Main AN - OPUS4-50835 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Koshkina, Olga A1 - Westmeier, D. A1 - Lang, Thomas A1 - Bantz, C. A1 - Hahlbrock, A. A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Thiermann, Raphael A1 - Weise, C. A1 - Eravci, M. A1 - Mohr, B. A1 - Schlaad, H. A1 - Stauber, R. H. A1 - Docter, D. A1 - Bertin, Annabelle A1 - Maskos, M. T1 - Tuning the surface of nanoparticles: Impact of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) on protein adsorption in serum and cellular uptake N2 - Due to the adsorption of biomolecules, the control of the biodistribution of nanoparticles is still one of the major challenges of nanomedicine. Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) for surface modification of nanoparticles is applied and both protein adsorption and cellular uptake of PEtOxylated nanoparticles versus nanoparticles coated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and non-coated positively and negatively charged nanoparticles are compared. Therefore, fluorescent poly(organosiloxane) nanoparticles of 15 nm radius are synthesized, which are used as a scaffold for surface modification in a grafting onto approach. With multi-angle dynamic light scattering, asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation, gel electrophoresis, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, it is demonstrated that protein adsorption on PEtOxylated nanoparticles is extremely low, similar as on PEGylated nanoparticles. Moreover, quantitative microscopy reveals that PEtOxylation significantly reduces the non-specific cellular uptake, particularly by macrophage-like cells. Collectively, studies demonstrate that PEtOx is a very effective alternative to PEG for stealth modification of the surface of nanoparticles. KW - Poloxazolines KW - Protein corona KW - Cellular uptake PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/mabi.201600074 SN - 1616-5187 SN - 1616-5195 VL - 16 IS - 9 SP - 1287 EP - 1300 AN - OPUS4-37369 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ressnig, A. A1 - Corbiere, T. A1 - Lunkenbein, T. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Willinger, M. G. A1 - Antonietti, M. T1 - Decomposition synthesis of tuneable, macroporous carbon foams from crystalline precursors via in situ templating N2 - A flexible, sustainable, one-step thermal decomposition route for the synthesis of hierarchical, heteroatom doped carbon foams is presented. Task-specific semi-organic crystals combine functions for three different purposes: the carbon and heteroatom source, a foaming agent (CO2) and an in situ generable template (NaCl). Insights to the decomposition pathway were gained through FTIR/MS coupled TGA and an ultrafast out-of-furnace heating procedure and the products were analysed with (HR)SEM/TEM, EELS, FTIR, and N2 sorption. The resulting macroporous carbon foams are excellent supports for metallic nanoparticles due to their hierarchical structure, high surface area and tuneable heteroatom contents. This was demonstrated for catalytically active copper or the magnetic CoNi alloy for water purification. KW - macroporous carbon KW - thermal decomposition KW - synthesize heteroatom KW - in situ template (NaCl) PY - 2014 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-318641 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c4ta03646h SN - 2050-7496 SN - 2050-7488 VL - 2 IS - 42 SP - 18076 EP - 18081 PB - RSC CY - London [u.a.] AN - OPUS4-31864 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dittmann, D. A1 - Saal, L. A1 - Zietschmann, F. A1 - Mai, M. A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Al-Sabbagh, Dominik A1 - Schuhmann, P. A1 - Ruhl, A. A1 - Jekel, M. A1 - Braun, U. T1 - Characterization of activated carbons for water treatment using TGA‑FTIR for analysis of oxygen‑containing functional groups N2 - Water treatment with activated carbon (AC) is an established method for the removal of organic micropollutants and natu ral organic matter. However, it is not yet possible to predict the removal of individual pollutants. An appropriate material characterization, matching adsorption processes in water, might be the missing piece in the puzzle. To this end, this study examined 25 diferent commercially available ACs to evaluate their material properties. Frequently reported analyses, including N2 adsorption/desorption, CHNS(O), point of zero charge (PZC) analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, were conducted on a selected subset of powdered ACs. Inorganic elements examined using X-ray fuorescence and X-ray difraction spectroscopy revealed that relative elemental contents were distinctive to the individual AC’s raw material and activation procedure. This study also is the frst to use thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled to Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to conduct quantitative analyses of functional surface oxygen groups (SOGs: carboxylic acid, anhydride, lactone, phenol, carbonyl, and pyrone groups) on such a large number of ACs. The comparably economical TGA method was found to provide good surrogates for the PZC by pyrolytic mass loss up to 600 ◦C (ML600), for the oxygen content by ML1000 and for the carbon content by oxidation. Mass loss profles depict the AC’s chemistry like fngerprints. Furthermore, we found that SOG contents determined by TGA-FTIR covered a wide individual range and depended on the raw material and production process of the AC. TGA and TGA-FTIR might therefore be used to identify the suitability of a particular AC for a variety of target substances in diferent target waters. This can help practitioners to control AC use in waterworks or wastewater treatment plants. KW - Adsorbtion KW - Organic contaminants KW - Temperature-programmed desorption KW - Proximate analysis KW - Principal component analysis PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-555506 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-022-01723-2 SN - 2190-5495 VL - 12 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-55550 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Goedecke, C. A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Elert, Anna Maria A1 - Bannick, C. G. A1 - Ricking, M. A1 - Obermaier, N. A1 - Barthel, A.-K. A1 - Schmitt, T. A1 - Jekel, M. A1 - Braun, U. T1 - Development of a routine screening method for the microplastic mass content in a wastewater treatment plant effluent N2 - An investigation of microplastic (MP) occurrence in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent with tertiary treatment was carried out. Representative sample volumes of 1 m3 were taken by applying a fractionated filtration method (500, 100, and 50 µm mesh sizes). The detection of MP mass fractions by thermal extraction desorption–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TED-GC/MS) was achieved without the previously required additional sample pretreatment for the first time. Different types of quantification methods for the evaluation of TED-GC/MS data were tested, and their accuracy and feasibility have been proven for real samples. Polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene were identified in effluent samples. The polymer mass content varied significantly between 5 and 50 mg m−3. A correlation between the MP load and the quantity of suspended matter in the WWTP effluents, particle size distribution, particle type, and operation day (i.e., weekday, season, and capacity) was not found. It can be concluded that a meaningful assessment of WWTPs requires a comprehensive sampling campaign with varying operation conditions. KW - Microplastic KW - Waste water treatment KW - Thermoanalytics PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-550862 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvc.2022.844633 SN - 2673-4486 VL - 3 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne AN - OPUS4-55086 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Heymann, S. A1 - Braun, U. A1 - Bannick, C.-G. A1 - Heller, C. A1 - Fuchs, M. A1 - Scheid, C. A1 - Abusafia, A. A1 - Steinmetz, H. A1 - Ricking, M. A1 - Kerndorff, A. T1 - Untersuchungsverfahren von Mikroplastikgehalten im Wasser für Praxis und Wissenschaft N2 - Zielsetzung des vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung geförderten Projektes RUSEKU war es, repräsentative Untersuchungsstrategien für die Detektion von Mikroplastik mittels TED GC/MS in wässerigen Medien zu ermitteln. Dabei wurden verschiedene Probenahmekonzepte und – verfahren für unterschiedliche Fallgestaltungen und Fragestellungen untersucht, sowie neue Filtersysteme entwickelt. Bei der Detektion der Partikel lag der Fokus auf der Anwendung und Weiterentwicklung der ThermoExtraktion/Desorption-Gaschromatographie-Massenspektrometrie (TED-GC/MS) zur Bestimmung von Mikroplastikgehalten. Anwendung fanden die Methoden bei der Beprobung von Flaschenwasser, Waschmaschinenabläufen, dem urbanen Abwassersystem der Stadt Kaiserslautern, sowie in Oberflächengewässer. KW - Mikroplastik KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Mikroplastik-Analytik KW - Probennahme PY - 2021 VL - 14. Jahrgang IS - 3 SP - 147 EP - 152 PB - Deutschen Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall CY - Hennef AN - OPUS4-52260 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Braun, U. A1 - Herper, D. A1 - Knefel, M. A1 - Bednarz, M. A1 - Bannick, C.-G. T1 - Smart filters for the analysis of microplastic in beverages filled in plastic bottles N2 - The occurrence of microplastic (MP) in food products, such as beverages in plastic bottles, is of high public concern. Existing analytical methods focus on the determination of particle numbers, requiring elaborate sampling tools, laboratory infrastructure and generally time-consuming imaging detection methods. A comprehensive routine analysis of MP in food products is still not possible. In the present work, we present the development of a smart filter crucible as sampling and detection tool. After filtration and drying of the filtered-off solids, a direct determination of the MP mass content from the crucible sample can be done by thermal extraction desorption gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (TED-GC/MS). The new filter crucible allows a filtration of MP down to particle sizes of 5 µm. We determined MP contents below 0.01 µg/L up to 2 µg/L, depending on beverages bottle type. This may be directly related to the bottle type, especially the quality of the plastic material of the screw cap. Dependent on the plastic material, particle formation increases due to opening and closing operations during the use phase. However, we have also found that some individual determinations of samples were subjected to high errors due to random events. A conclusive quantitative evaluation of the products is therefore not possible at present. KW - Microplastic KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Plastic bottles KW - Bbeverages KW - Filter crucible PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/19440049.2021.1889042 SN - 1944-0057 VL - 38 IS - 4 SP - 691 EP - 700 PB - Taylor & Francis AN - OPUS4-52323 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wawrzyn, Eliza A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Ciesielski, M. A1 - Kretzschmar, B. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Döring, M. T1 - Are novel aryl phosphates competitors for bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate) in halogen-free flame-retarded polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene blends? N2 - The reactivity of the flame retardant and its decomposition temperature control the condensed-phase action in bisphenol A polycarbonate/acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene/polytetrafluoroethylene (PC/ABSPTFE) blends. Thus, to increase charring in the condensed phase of PC/ABSPTFE + aryl phosphate, two halogen-free flame retardants were synthesized: 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexylbisphenol bis(diphenyl phosphate) (TMC-BDP) and bisphenol A bis(diethyl phosphate) (BEP). Their performance is compared to bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate) (BDP) in PC/ABSPTFE blend. The comprehensive study was carried out using thermogravimetry (TG); TG coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (TG-FTIR); the Underwriters Laboratory burning chamber (UL 94); limiting oxygen index (LOI); cone calorimeter at different irradiations; tensile, bending and heat distortion temperature tests; as well as rheological studies and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). With respect to pyrolysis, TMC-BDP works as well as BDP in the PC/ABSPTFE blend by enhancing the cross-linking of PC, whereas BEP shows worse performance because it prefers cross-linking with itself rather than with PC. As to its fire behavior, PC/ABSPTFE + TMC-BDP presents results very similar to PC/ABSPTFE + BDP; the blend PC/ABSPTFE + BEP shows lower flame inhibition and higher total heat evolved (THE). The UL 94 for the materials with TMC-BDP and BDP improved from HB to V0 for specimens of 3.2 mm thickness compared to PC/ABSPTFE and PC/ABSPTFE + BEP; the LOI increased from around 24% up to around 28%, respectively. BEP works as the strongest plasticizer in PC/ABSPTFE, whereas the blends with TMC-BDP and BDP present the same rheological properties. PC/ABSPTFE + TMC-BDP exhibits the best mechanical properties among all flame-retarded blends. KW - Polycarbonate (PC) KW - Aryl phosphate KW - Flame retardancy KW - Pyrolysis KW - PC/ABS PY - 2012 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2012.06.015 SN - 0014-3057 SN - 1873-1945 VL - 48 IS - 9 SP - 1561 EP - 1574 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford AN - OPUS4-26292 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Secker, C. A1 - Brosnan, S.M. A1 - Limberg, F.R.P. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Trunk, M. A1 - Strauch, P. A1 - Schlaad, H. T1 - Thermally induced crosslinking of poly(N-propargyl glycine) N2 - As polypeptoids become increasingly popular, they present a more soluble and processable alternative to natural and synthetic polypeptides; the breadth of their potential functionality slowly comes into focus. This report analyzes the ability of an alkyne-functionalized polypeptoid, poly(N-propargyl glycine), to crosslink upon heating. The crosslinking process is analyzed by thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis), Fourier-transform infrared, electron paramagnetic resonance, and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. While a precise mechanism cannot be confidently assigned, it is clear that the reaction proceeds by a radical mechanism that exclusively involves the alkyne functionality, which, upon crosslinking, yields alkene and aromatic products. KW - Fourier-transform infrared KW - Metal-free crosslinking KW - Polypeptoid KW - Propargyl KW - Solid-state NMR PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.201500223 SN - 1022-1352 SN - 1521-3935 VL - 216 IS - 21 SP - 2080 EP - 2085 PB - Wiley-VCH Verl. CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-35265 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jahnke, Annika A1 - Beck, Aaron J. A1 - Becker, Richard L. A1 - Bedulina, Daria A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Gerdts, Gunnar A1 - Hildebrandt, Lars A1 - Joerss, Hanna A1 - Klein, Ole A1 - Korduan, Janine A1 - Laforsch, Christian A1 - Lannig, Gisela A1 - Leslie, Heather A. A1 - Lips, Stefan A1 - Menger, Frank A1 - Nabi, Deedar A1 - Oberbeckmann, Sonja A1 - Primpke, Sebastian A1 - Pröfrock, Daniel A1 - Ramsperger, Anja F.R.M. A1 - Römerscheid, Mara A1 - Schmitt-Jansen, Mechthild A1 - Scholz-Böttcher, Barbara M. A1 - Tröppner, Oliver A1 - Wendt-Potthoff, Katrin A1 - Kühnel, Dana T1 - Perspective article: Multisectoral considerations to enable a circular economy for plastics N2 - Plastics are widely used but improper disposal and release lead to increasing global pollution, threatening environmental and human health. To address this issue, we suggest intersectoral collaboration to achieve zero plastic pollution. The outcomes of the project P-LEACH demonstrated the enormous complexity and range of potential toxic effects of plastic-associated chemicals and micro-/nanoplastics released into water from UV-weathered plastics. We initiated an intersectoral dialogue amongst scientists, manufacturers, regulators and representatives of civil society about how to alleviate the negative impacts of plastic pollution. Circular economy offers a framework for selecting non-toxic chemicals, extending product (re)use, and waste reduction, which act to alleviate pollution when applied to plastics. We suggest three measures to advance a circular economy of plastics: 1.) Increase simplicity of chemicals in virgin plastics combined with transparent information on the contents; 2.) Consider recyclability already in plastic material and product design; 3.) Foster communication through intersectoral dialogue. Major cornerstones are the provision of standardized, easy-to-use tools to characterize plastics and plastic leachates chemically and (eco)toxicologically, the enhancement of citizen awareness enabling them to make informed choices, the creation of economic incentives for manufacturers, and sector-specific regulations to provide products that safeguard environmental and human health. KW - Plastics KW - Circular economy KW - Cross-sectoral dialogue KW - Recyclability KW - Plastic-associated chemicals PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-638280 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139326 SN - 0304-3894 VL - 496 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-63828 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Barthel, Anne-Kathrin A1 - Wesch, Ch. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Klein, R. A1 - Paulus, M. T1 - No microplastics in benthic eelpout (Zoarces viviparus): An urgent need for spectroscopic analyses in microplastic detection N2 - Monitoring the ingestion of microplastics is challenging and suitable detection techniques are insufficiently used. Thus, misidentifying natural for synthetic microfibres cannot be avoided. As part of a framework to monitor the ingestion of microplastics in eelpout, this short report addresses the accurate identification of microfibres. We show that, following visual inspections, putatively synthetic microfibres are indeed of natural origin, as ascertained by spectrometric analyses. Consequently, we call for an inclusion of spectroscopic techniques in standardized microplastic monitoring schemes. KW - Monitoring KW - Ingestion KW - Misidentification KW - Microfibre KW - Spectroscopy PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2016.03.017 SN - 0013-9351 VL - 148 SP - 36 EP - 38 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-35603 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dümichen, Erik A1 - Barthel, Anne-Kathrin A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Bannick, Claus Gerhard A1 - Brand, K. A1 - Jekel, M. A1 - Senz, R. T1 - Analysis of polyethylene microplastics in environmental samples, using a thermal decomposition method N2 - Small polymer particles with a diameter of less than 5 mm called microplastics find their way into the environment from polymer debris and industrial production. Therefore a method is needed to identify and quantify microplastics in various environmental samples to generate reliable concentration values. Such concentration values, i.e. quantitative results, are necessary for an assessment of microplastic in environmental media. This was achieved by thermal extraction in thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), connected to a solid-phase adsorber. These adsorbers were subsequently analysed by thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TDS-GC-MS). In comparison to other chromatographic methods, like pyrolyse gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS), the relatively high sample masses in TGA (about 200 times higher than used in Py-GC-MS) analysed here enable the measurement of complex matrices that are not homogenous on a small scale. Through the characteristic decomposition products known for every kind of polymer it is possible to identify and even to quantify polymer particles in various matrices. Polyethylene (PE), one of the most important representatives for microplastics, was chosen as an example for identification and quantification. KW - Microplastic KW - Identification and quantification of polymers KW - Thermogravimetric analysis KW - Evolved gas analysis KW - Gas chromatography mass spectroscopy PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2015.09.002 SN - 0043-1354 VL - 85 SP - 451 EP - 457 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-34337 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dittmann, Daniel A1 - Lucke, T. A1 - Ruhl, A. S. A1 - Winzenbacher, R. A1 - Jekel, M. A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Untersuchungen zu biologischen, organischen und anorganischen Veränderungen granulierter Aktivkohlen während der Trinkwasseraufbereitung N2 - Untersuchungen zu biologischen, organischen und anorganischen Veränderungen granulierter Aktivkohlen während der Trinkwasseraufbereitung des Landeswasserversorgers Langenau. KW - Thermogravimetrie KW - Trinkwasser KW - Wasseraufbereitung KW - Aktivkohle PY - 2020 SN - 0083-6915 VL - 118 IS - 2 SP - 47 EP - 50 PB - Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA AN - OPUS4-51434 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dittmann, Daniel A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Jekel, M. A1 - Ruhl, A. S. T1 - Quantification and characterisation of activated carbon in activated sludge by thermogravimetric and evolved gas analyses N2 - Advanced wastewater treatment with powdered activated carbon (PAC) leads to a spread of PAC into different purification stages of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) due to recirculation and filter back-wash. Currently, no methods for quantification of PAC in activated sludge are available. In this study, PAC containing activated sludge from four WWTP were examined by two-step thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) with heating up to 600°C in N2 and subsequently in synthetic air. Direct quantification of PAC according to temperature specific weight losses was possible for one WWTP. Quantification by combining specific mass losses was found to be an alternative direct method, with a detection limit of 1.2% PAC in dry sample mass. Additionally, evolved gas analysis (EGA) by infrared-spectroscopy (FTIR) during TGA revealed interaction mechanisms between PAC and activated sludge. Aliphatic compounds from activated sludge were identified as major substances influenced by PAC. In derivative thermogravimetry (DTG), a typical double peak at approximately 300°C was found to be related to carbonylic species with increased evolution of acetic acid in aged activated sludge. TGA and EGA are promising tools to understand, control and optimise the application of PAC in advanced wastewater treatment. KW - Advanced wastewater treatment KW - Powdered activated carbon KW - Sewage treatment plant KW - Thermoanalysis KW - Thermogravimetry KW - Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy PY - 2018 UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213343718301313 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2018.03.010 SN - 2213-3437 VL - 6 IS - 2 SP - 2222 EP - 2231 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-44978 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bannick, Claus Gerhard A1 - Bierl, R. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Brand, K. A1 - Dümichen, Erik A1 - Jekel, M. A1 - Klein, S. A1 - Knepper, T.P. A1 - König, F. A1 - Miklos, D. A1 - Rechenberg, B. A1 - Steffens, I. T1 - Mikroplastik in der aquatischen Umwelt - Ein Beitrag zur aktuellen Diskussion in Deutschland N2 - Plastics are important materials in households and industry and therefore a crucial part of our everyday life. Since the beginning of the 1970s the occurrence of plastic particles in coastal waters has been explicitly described. Meanwhile, besides the marine environment, microplastics were also detected in other environmental media, biota and water management facilities. This work gives an overview of the occurrence and first known effects of microplastics in the environment. Furthermore, current scientific proceedings are considered and pending issues are discussed. In this regard it is of central importance to develop an environmentally comprehensive, harmonized scientific proceeding for miroplastics, which enables an evaluation of relevant material flows in adaption to necessary assessment concepts. N2 - Kunststoffe sind wichtige Werkstoffe und heutzutage aus Haushalt und Wirtschaft nicht mehr wegzudenken. Seit Anfang der 1970er-Jahre wird das Vorkommen von Kunststoffpartikeln in Küstengewässern beschrieben. Inzwischen ist Mikroplastik nicht nur im marinen Bereich, sondern auch in weiteren Umweltkompartimenten, Biota und technischen Einrichtungen der Wasserwirtschaft nachgewiesen worden, in dieser Arbeit wird ein Überblick über das Vorkommen von Mikroplastik in der aquatischen Umwelt und ersten bekannten Auswirkungen gegeben. Darüber hinaus werden die aktuellen Untersuchungsverfahren von Probenahme, Probenaufbereitung und Analytik betrachtet und offene fragen diskutiert. Zentral erscheint in diesem Zusammenhang die Entwicklung einer harmonisierten medienübergreifenden Untersuchungsmethodik, die eine Auswertung relevanter Stoffströme ermöglicht und auf notwendige Bewertungskonzepte abgestimmt ist. KW - Water management KW - Plastics KW - Microplastics KW - Environment KW - Analysis KW - Mikroplastik KW - Kunststoff KW - Wasserwirtschaft KW - Analytik KW - Umwelt PY - 2015 SN - 0083-6915 VL - 113 IS - 1 SP - 7 EP - 14 PB - Wiley-VCH Verl. CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-33105 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meyer, S. A1 - Timmel, S. A1 - Gläser, M. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Wachtendorf, Volker A1 - Hagendorf, C. T1 - Polymer foil additives trigger the formation of snail trails in photovoltaic modules N2 - After several months of operation, many photovoltaic (PV) modules develop a discolouration defect called snail trails which appear as irregular dark traces across the cells. These traces are caused by silver nanoparticles accumulating within the encapsulation foil directly above the grid finger. In this work we systematically investigate combinations of encapsulation and back-sheet foils with respect to their susceptibility for snail trails. We can show that certain additive compositions within the encapsulation and back sheet foils are critical for the formation of the discolouring silver nanoparticles. We suggest a reaction model explaining the formation of snail trails from a chemical point of view. This fundamental understanding allows the rapid testing of foils for their snail trail sensitivity as well as the special design of resistant foils. KW - Snail trails KW - Encapsulation foil KW - Back-sheet foil KW - Additives KW - Silver nanoparticles PY - 2014 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2014.06.028 SN - 0927-0248 VL - 130 SP - 64 EP - 70 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - Amsterdam [u.a.] AN - OPUS4-31249 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schartel, Bernhard A1 - Weiß, André A1 - Mohr, F. A1 - Kleemeier, M. A1 - Hartwig, A. A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Flame retarded epoxy resins by adding layered silicate in combination with the conventional protection-layer-building flame retardants melamine borate and ammonium polyphosphate N2 - The pyrolysis and flammability of phosphonium-modified layered silicate epoxy resin nanocomposites (EP/LS) were evaluated when LS was combined with two flame retardants, melamine borate (MB) and ammonium polyphosphate (APP), that also act via a surface protection layer. Thermogravimetry (TG), TG coupled with Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (TG-FTIR), oxygen index (LOI), UL 94 burning chamber (UL 94) and cone calorimeter were used. The glassy coating because of 10 wt % MB during combustion showed effects in the cone calorimeter test similar to nanodispersed LS, and somewhat better flame retardancy in flammability tests, such as LOI and UL 94. Adding APP to EP resulted in intumescent systems. The fire retardancy was particularly convincing when 15 wt % APP was used, especially for low external heat flux, and thus, also in flammability tests like LOI and UL 94. V0 classification is achieved when 15 wt % APP is used in EP. The flame retardancy efficiency of the protection layers formed does not increase linearly with the MB and APP concentrations used. The combination of LS with MB or APP shows antagonism; thus the performance of the combination of LS with MB or APP, respectively, was disappointing. No optimization of the carbonaceous-inorganic surface layer occurred for LS-MB. Combining LS with APP inhibited the intumescence, most probably through an increase in viscosity clearly above the value needed for intumescent behavior. KW - Nanocomposites KW - Fire retardance KW - Thermosets KW - Organoclay KW - Ammonium polyphosphate KW - Melamine borate PY - 2010 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/app.32512 SN - 0021-8995 SN - 1097-4628 VL - 118 IS - 2 SP - 1134 EP - 1143 PB - Wiley InterScience CY - Hoboken, NJ AN - OPUS4-21725 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heller, C. A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Braun, U. A1 - Kerndorff, A. A1 - Bannick, C.-G. A1 - Fuchs, M. A1 - Thamsen, P. U. T1 - Garment ageing in a laundry care process under household‐like conditions N2 - This study reflects typical consumer textile washing behaviour while taking into account existing standards in the household appliance and garment industries. Two garments were washed repeatedly with artificial dirt and detergent 30 times. The collected washing water was separated using fractional filtration. Textile physical tests were used to follow property changes of the garments, the microplastic release is determined using thermoextraction/desorbtion–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and the total organic carbon was measured as a sum parameter for the organic bonded carbon. This article shows the importance of a reality‐based approach when investigating microplastics of textile origin in the laundry care process. Deposits of detergent and dirt on the textiles were detected. The total mass of sieve residues was much higher than the release of synthetic polymers. The cotton content of the garments causes a much higher fibre release than synthetic fibres. Both will lead to false results by purely gravimetric analysis because nonpolymer fibres will be included microplastic mass. The results cannot be generalised only by the main polymer type, knowledge of the textile construction must be included for final evaluation. KW - Fibre release KW - Microplastics KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Washing machine PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/appl.202200086 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley online library AN - OPUS4-56976 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lukas, M. A1 - Kittner, Maria A1 - Isernhinke, L. A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Braun, U. T1 - A new concept for the ecotoxicological assessment of plastics under consideration of aging processes N2 - Microplastics are widely distributed in aquatic and terrestrial environments, but up to now less is known about (eco)toxicological impacts under realistic conditions. Research so far has focused mainly on impacts on organisms by fresh, single‐origin plastic fragments or beads. However, plastics found in the environment are complex in composition, this means different polymer types and sources, with and without additives and in all stages of age, and therefore, in a more or less advanced stage of degradation. For oxidized degradation products that might be released from plastic materials during aging, there is a lack of information on potentially adverse effects on aquatic biota. The latter is of particular interest as oxidized degradation products might become more water soluble due to higher polarity and are more bioavailable, therefore. The present study focused on plastic leachates of polystyrene (PS) and polylactic acid (PLA), which were derived from alternating stress by hydrolysis and ultraviolet (UV) radiation—representing a realistic scenario in the environment. Test specimens of PS, PLA, or a PLA/PS layer (each 50%) were alternately exposed to UV radiation for 5 days followed by hydrolysis for 2 days, for several weeks alternating. Ecotoxicological effects of the storage water (artificial freshwater) of the test specimens and additionally, in a second experimental setup, the effects of five potential polymer degradation products were detected by 72 h algae growth inhibition tests with Desmodesmus subspicatus. Results clearly indicate inhibitory effects on algae growth by contaminants in the storage water of stressed plastics with increasing growth inhibition of proceeding hydrolysis and UV stress times. Different polymers caused variable inhibitions of algae growth with stronger inhibitions by PS and less effects by PLA and the mixed layer of both. Moreover, not microplastic particles but the resulting dissolved degradation products after aging caused the ecotoxicological effects—with strong effects by the oxidized degradation products. The existing data highlight the relevance of plastic aging as a framework for microplastic ecotoxicity evaluation and allow a proof of concept. KW - Algae growth test KW - Ecotoxicology KW - Microplastic KW - Polystyrene KW - UV degradation KW - Weathering PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/appl.202200124 SN - 2702-4288 VL - 2 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-57510 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Lorenz, Edelgard A1 - Weimann, Christiane A1 - Sturm, Heinz A1 - Karimov, I. A1 - Ettl, J. A1 - Meier, R. A1 - Wohlgemuth, W. A. A1 - Berger, H. A1 - Wildgruber, M. T1 - Mechanic and surface properties of central-venous port catheters after removal: A comparison of polyurethane and Silicon rubber materials N2 - Central venous port devices made of two different polymeric materials, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)and silicone rubber (SiR), were compared due their material properties. Both naïve catheters as well as catheters after removal from patients were investigated. In lab experiments the influence of various chemo-therapeutic solutions on material properties was investigated, where as the samples after removal were compared according to the implanted time inpatient. The macroscopic,mechanical performance was assessed with dynamic, specially adapted tests for elasticity. The degradation status of the materials was determined with common tools of polymer characterisation, such as infrared spectroscopy, molecular weight measurements and various methods of thermal analysis. The surface morphology was an alysed using scanning electron microscopy. A correlation between material properties and clinical performance was proposed. The surface morphology and chemical composition of the polyurethane catheter materials can potentially result in increased susceptibility of the catheter to bloodstream infections and thrombotic complications. The higher mechanic failure,especially with increasing implantation time of the silicone catheters is related to the lower mechanical performance compared to the polyurethane material as well as loss of barium sulphate filler particles near the surface of the catheter. This results in preformed microscopic notches, which act as predetermined sites of fracture. KW - Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) KW - Silicone rubber (SiR) KW - Catheters KW - Central venous access port KW - Complication KW - Structure propertyrelationship KW - Mechanical testing PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2016.08.002 SN - 1751-6161 SN - 1878-0180 VL - 64 SP - 281 EP - 291 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-37178 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dümichen, Erik A1 - Javdanitehran, M. A1 - Erdmann, Maren A1 - Trappe, Volker A1 - Sturm, Heinz A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Ziegmann, G. T1 - Analyzing the network formation and curing kinetics of epoxy resins by in situ near-infrared measurements with variable heating rates N2 - Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) turned out to be well suited for analyzing the degree of cure for epoxy systems. In contrast to dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC), where the released heat of reaction determines the degree of epoxy conversion indirectly, NIR spectroscopy is able to determine the conversion directly by analyzing structural changes. Therefore, a new heatable NIR cell was equipped with an integrated thermocouple, which enables the real sample temperature to be controlled and monitored in situ during epoxy curing. Dynamic scans at different heating rates were used for kinetic modelling, to define kinetic parameters and to predict real curing processes. The kinetic models and their parameters were validated with an isothermal and a more complex multi-step curing scenario. Two available commercial epoxy systems based on DGEBA were used with an anhydride and with an amine hardener. NIR results were compared with DSC data. The simulated conversion predicted with a model fitted on the basis of NIR and DSC dynamic scans showed good agreement with the conversion measured in the isothermal curing validation test. Due to the proven reliability of NIR in measuring the reaction progress of curing, it can be considered a versatile measurement system for in situ monitoring of component production in the automotive, aerospace and wind energy sectors. KW - Epoxy resins KW - Curing kinetics KW - Near-infrared spectroscopy KW - DSC PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tca.2015.08.008 SN - 0040-6031 SN - 1872-762X VL - 616 SP - 49 EP - 60 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-34187 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lackmann, C. A1 - Velki, M. A1 - Šimić, A. A1 - Müller, Axel A1 - Braun, U. A1 - Ečimović, S. A1 - Hollert, H. T1 - Two types of microplastics (polystyrene-HBCD and car tire abrasion) affect oxidative stress-related biomarkers in earthworm Eisenia andrei in a time-dependent manner N2 - Microplastics are small plastic fragments that are widely distributed in marine and terrestrial environments. While the soil ecosystem represents a large reservoir for plastic, research so far has focused mainly on the impact on aquatic ecosystems and there is a lack of information on the potentially adverse effects of microplastics on soil biota. Earthworms are key organisms of the soil ecosystem and are due to their crucial role in soil quality and fertility a suitable and popular model organism in soil ecotoxicology. Therefore, the aim of this study was to gain insight into the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics on the earthworm Eisenia andrei on multiple levels of biological organization after different exposure periods. Earthworms were exposed to two types of microplastics: (1) polystyrene-HBCD and (2) car tire abrasion in natural soil for 2, 7, 14 and 28 d. Acute and chronic toxicity and all subcellular investigations were conducted for all exposure times, avoidance behavior assessed after 48 h and reproduction after 28 d. Subcellular endpoints included enzymatic biomarker responses, namely, carboxylesterase, glutathione peroxidase, acetylcholinesterase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase and catalase activities, as well as fluorescence-based measurements of oxidative stress-related markers and multixenobiotic resistance activity. Multiple biomarkers showed significant changes in activity, but a recovery of most enzymatic activities could be observed after 28 d. Overall, only minor effects could be observed on a subcellular level, showing that in this exposure scenario with environmentally relevant concentrations based on German pollution levels the threat to soil biota is minimal. However, in areas with higher concentrations of microplastics in the environment, these results can be interpreted as an early warning signal for more adverse effects. In conclusion, these findings provide new insights regarding the ecotoxicological effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics on soil organisms. KW - Microplastics KW - Earthworms KW - Toxicity KW - Biomarker KW - oxidative stress PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-545423 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107190 VL - 163 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-54542 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dümichen, Erik A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Celina, M. A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Automated thermal extraction-desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry: A multifunctional tool for comprehensive characterization of polymers and their degradation products N2 - The TED-GC-MS analysis is a two-step method. A sample is first decomposed in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and the gaseous decomposition products are then trapped on a solid-phase adsorber. Subsequently, the solid-phase adsorber is analyzed with thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TDU-GC-MS). This method is ideally suited for the analysis of polymers and their degradation processes. Here, a new entirely automated System is introduced which enables high sample throughput and reproducible automated fractioned collection of decomposition products. Strengths and limitations of the system configuration are elaborated via three examples focused on practical challenges in materials analysis and identification: i) separate analysis of the components of a wood-plastic-composite material, ii) quantitative determination of weight concentration of the constituents of a polymer blend and iii) quantitative analysis of model samples of microplastics in suspended particulate matter. KW - Thermal extraction-desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry KW - Analysis KW - Polymers KW - Microplastics KW - Automation PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2019.01.033 VL - 1592 SP - 133 EP - 142 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-48287 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vlajića, M. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Bruns, J. A1 - Rueck-Braun, K. T1 - Photoswitching of fulgimides in different environments on silicon surfaces N2 - Reversible light-modulation of fulgimide based monolayers on Si(1 1 1) and Si(1 0 0) was investigated using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Fulgimide monolayers were prepared from neat COOH-terminated SAMs on Si(1 1 1) obtained from methyl undec-10-enoate, (1:1)-diluted COOH-terminated monolayers on Si(1 1 1), and GPTMS monolayers on Si(1 0 0). The epoxy-terminated monolayer on oxidized Si(1 0 0) was characterized with ellipsometry, XPS, as well as contact angle measurements, and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy revealed a strong influence of toluene water content on reproducible high-quality monolayer formation. The results of this study show that environmental polarity has a strong influence on fulgimide imide IR band locations and read-out options for the two photostationary states PSS(365 nm), containing E/Z- and C-isomers, and PSS(545 nm), with solely the E/Zisomers. Neat COOH-terminated monolayers on flat Si(1 1 1) have the Advantage of high functional Group concentration, orientation and stability, and an upright arrangement of fulgimide head groups. KW - Surface functionalization KW - Photoswitchable monolayers KW - ATR-FTIR spectroscopy KW - XPS PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.09.159 SN - 0169-4332 SN - 1873-5584 VL - 465 SP - 686 EP - 692 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-46276 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bui, M. A1 - Hoffmann, K. F. A1 - Braun, T. A1 - Riedel, S. A1 - Heinekamp, Christian A1 - Scheurell, K. A1 - Scholz, G. A1 - Stawski, Tomasz A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - An Amorphous Teflate Doped Aluminium Chlorofluoride: A Solid Lewis-Superacid for the Dehydrofluorination of Fluoroalkanes N2 - Ananion-dopedaluminiumchlorofluoride AlCl0.1F2.8(OTeF5)0.1(ACF-teflate) was synthesized.The material contains pentafluor-oorthotellurate(teflate)groups, which mimic fluoride ions electronically, but are sterically more demanding. They are embedded into the amorphous structure. The latter was studied by PDF analysis, EXAFS data and MAS NMR spectroscopy. The mesoporous powder is a Lewis superacid, and ATR-IR spectra of adsorbed CD3CN reveal a blue-shift of the adsorption band by73 cm-1, which is larger than the shift for SbF5. Remarkably,ACF-teflate catalyzes dehydrofluorination reactions of mono-fluoroalkanes to yield olefins in C6D6. In these cases,no Friedel-Crafts products were formed. KW - Aluminium fluorides KW - Aluminium teflates KW - C-F bond activation KW - Lewis superacids KW - Silanes PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-572290 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.202300350 SN - 1867-3880 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-57229 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinekamp, Christian A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Ahrens, M. A1 - Braun, T. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - An amorphous Lewis-acidic zirconium chlorofluoride as HF shuttle: C–F bond activation and formation N2 - An exceptional HF transfer reaction by C–F bond activation of fluoropentane and a subsequent hydrofluorination of alkynes at room temperature is reported. An amorphous Lewis-acidic Zr chlorofluoride serves as heterogeneous catalyst, which is characterised by an eightfold coordination environment at Zr including chlorine atoms. The studies are seminal in establishing sustainable fluorine chemistry. KW - ZCF KW - Heterogeneous catalysis KW - C-F bond activation KW - HF-shuttle PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-582249 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3CC03164K SN - 1359-7345 VL - 59 IS - 75 SP - 11224 EP - 11227 PB - RSC CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-58224 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kader, A. A1 - Snellings, J. A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Gottheil, P. A1 - Mangarova, D. B. A1 - Heyl, J. L. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Moeckel, J. A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Auer, T. A. A1 - Collettini, F. A1 - Sauer, F. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Käs, J. A1 - Sack, I. A1 - Makowski, M. R. A1 - Braun, J. T1 - Sensitivity of magnetic resonance elastography to extracellular matrix and cell motility in human prostate cancer cell line-derived xenograft models N2 - Prostate cancer (PCa) is a significant health problem in the male population of the Western world. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), an emerging medical imaging technique sensitive to mechanical properties of biological tissues, detects PCa based on abnormally high stiffness and viscosity values. Yet, the origin of these changes in tissue properties and how they correlate with histopathological markers and tumor aggressiveness are largely unknown, hindering the use of tumor biomechanical properties for establishing a noninvasive PCa staging system. To infer the contributions of extracellular matrix (ECM) components and cell motility, we investigated fresh tissue specimens from two PCa xenograft mouse models, PC3 and LNCaP, using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), quantitative histology, and nuclear shape analysis. Increased tumor stiffness and impaired water diffusion were observed to be associated with collagen and elastin accumulation and decreased cell motility. Overall, LNCaP, while more representative of clinical PCa than PC3, accumulated fewer ECM components, induced less restriction of water diffusion, and exhibited increased cell motility, resulting in overall softer and less viscous properties. Taken together, our results suggest that prostate tumor stiffness increases with ECM accumulation and cell adhesion - characteristics that influence critical biological processes of cancer development. MRE paired with DWI provides a powerful set of imaging markers that can potentially predict prostate tumor development from benign masses to aggressive malignancies in patients. Statement of significance: Xenograft models of human prostate tumor cell lines, allowing correlation of microstructure-sensitive biophysical imaging parameters with quantitative histological methods, can be investigated to identify hallmarks of cancer. KW - Magnetic resonance elastography KW - Quantitative histology KW - Prostate cancer KW - Stiffness KW - Fluidity KW - Apparent diffusion coefficient KW - Collagen KW - Elastin KW - Nuclear shape PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-618361 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioadv.2024.213884 SN - 2772-9508 VL - 161 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-61836 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinekamp, Christian A1 - Roy, Arkendu A1 - Karafiludis, Stephanos A1 - Kumar, Sourabh A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Stawski, Tomasz M. A1 - Miliūtė, Aistė A1 - von der Au, Marcus A1 - Ahrens, Mike A1 - Braun, Thomas A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Zirconium fluoride-supported high-entropy fluoride: a catalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction N2 - Extended hydrogen initiatives promote the urgency of research on water splitting technologies and, therein, oxygen evolution reaction catalysts being developed. A route to access a ZrF4 supported high-entropy fluoride catalyst using a facile sol–gel route is presented. The high-entropy character of the catalyst was confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDX) as well as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Additional investigations on the local structure were performed using extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis. The catalyst shows significant potential for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media with a current density of 100 mA cm−2 at approximately 1.60 V, thus outperforming benchmark materials such as IrO2, despite a significant reduction in electrochemical mass loading. A potential mechanism is suggested based on free energy calculation using DFT calculations. KW - OER KW - HEA KW - CCMAT PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-637116 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D4TA08664C SN - 2050-7488 VL - 13 IS - 26 SP - 20383 EP - 20393 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-63711 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Bannick, C.G. A1 - Szewzyk, R. A1 - Ricking, M. A1 - Schniegler, S. A1 - Obermaier, N. A1 - Barthel, A. K. A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Eisentraut, Paul T1 - Development and testing of a fractionated filtration for sampling of microplastics in water N2 - A harmonization of sampling, sample preparation and detection is pivotal in order to obtain comparable data on microplastics (MP) in the environment. This paper develops and proposes a suitable sampling concept for waterbodies that considers different plastic specific properties and influencing factors in the environment. Both artificial water including defined MP fractions and the discharge of a wastewater treatment plant were used to verify the derived sampling procedure, sample preparation and the subsequent analysis of MP using thermal extraction-desorption gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (TED-GC-MS). A major finding of this paper is that an application of various particle size classes greatly improves the practical handling of the sampling equipment. Size classes also enable the TED-GC-MS to provide any data on the MP size distribution, a substantial sampling property affecting both the necessary sampling volume and the optimal sampling depth. In the artificial water with defined MP fractions, the recovery rates ranged from 80 to 110%, depending on the different MP types and MP size classes. In the treated wastewater, we found both Polyethylene and polystyrene in different size classes and quantities. KW - Microplastics KW - Sampling KW - Sampling techniques KW - Water PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.10.045 SN - 0043-1354 VL - 149 SP - 650 EP - 658 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-47200 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eitzen, L. A1 - Paul, S. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Jekel, M. A1 - Ruhl, A. T1 - The challenge in preparing particle suspensions for aquatic microplastic research N2 - The occurrence of small particles consisting of organic polymers, so-called microplastic (MP), in aquatic Environments attracts increasing interest in both public and science. Recent sampling campaigns in surface Waters revealed substantial numbers of particles in the size range from a few micrometers to a few millimeters. In order to validate sample preparation, identification and quantification and to investigate the behavior of MP particles and potential toxic effects on organisms, defined MP model particles are needed. Many studies use spherical compounds that probably behave differently compared to irregularly shaped MP found in environmental samples. However, preparation and handling of MP particles are challenging tasks and have been systematically investigated in the present study. Polystyrene (PS) as a commonly found polymer with a density slightly above that of water was selected as polymer type for milling and fractionation studies. A cryogenic ball mill proved to be practical and effective to produce particles in the size range from 1 to 200 μm. The yield of small particles increased with increasing pre-cooling and milling durations. Depending on the concentration and the size, PS particles do not completely disperse in water and particles partly creep vertically up along glass walls. Stabilized MP suspensions without use of surfactants that might harm organisms are needed for toxicological studies. The stabilization of PS particle suspensions with ozone treatment reduced the wall effect and increased the number of dispersed PS particles but increased the dissolved organic carbon concentration and changed the size Distribution of the particles. KW - Reference material KW - Microplastic PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.09.008 SN - 0013-9351 SN - 1096-0953 VL - 168 SP - 490 EP - 495 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-46462 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dittmann, Daniel A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Goedecke, Caroline A1 - Wiesner, Yosri A1 - Jekel, M A1 - Ruhl, A S A1 - Braun, Ulrike T1 - Specific adsorption sites and conditions derived by thermal decomposition of activated carbons and adsorbed carbamazepine N2 - The adsorption of organic micropollutants onto activated carbon is a favourable solution for the treatment of drinking water and wastewater. However, these adsorption processes are not sufficiently understood to allow for the appropriate prediction of removal processes. In this study, thermogravimetric analysis, alongside evolved gas analysis, is proposed for the characterisation of micropollutants adsorbed on activated carbon. Varying amounts of carbamazepine were adsorbed onto three different activated carbons, which were subsequently dried, and their thermal decomposition mechanisms examined. The discovery of 55 different pyrolysis products allowed differentiations to be made between specific adsorption sites and conditions. However, the same adsorption mechanisms were found for all samples, which were enhanced by inorganic constituents and oxygen containing surface groups. Furthermore, increasing the loadings led to the evolution of more hydrated decomposition products, whilst parts of the carbamazepine molecules were also integrated into the carbon structure. It was also found that the chemical composition, especially the degree of dehydration of the activated carbon, plays an important role in the adsorption of carbamazepine. Hence, it is thought that the adsorption sites may have a higher adsorption energy for specific adsorbates, when the activated carbon can then potentially increase its degree of graphitisation. KW - Aktivkohle KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Adsorption KW - Thermoanalytik PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-506946 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63481-y VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 6695 PB - Nature Publishing Group AN - OPUS4-50694 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grabmayer, K. A1 - Wallner, G.M. A1 - Beißmann, S. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Steffen, R. A1 - Nitsche, D. A1 - Röder, B. A1 - Buchberger, W. A1 - Lang, R.W. T1 - Accelerated aging of polyethylene materials at high oxygen pressure characterized by photoluminescence spectroscopy and established aging characterization methods N2 - Two commercial polyethylene grades were exposed to water at elevated temperatures and enhanced oxygen pressure. To characterize their aging behavior laser-induced photoluminescence spectroscopy was applied. Additionally, aging characterization was performed by established methods such as tensile testing, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and UV–VIS spectroscopy. During the initial stages of aging, the overall concentration of phenolic antioxidants as well as oxidation onset temperatures decreased exponentially. Simultaneously, significant discoloration due to the formation of conjugated degradation products from phenolic antioxidants (e.g., quinone methides) was detected. After the consumption of antioxidants, photoluminescence started to grow continuously presumably due to the formation of photoluminescent unsaturated carbonyls. In the final stages of aging, embrittlement of the materials as characterized by the degradation of mechanical properties (i.e., loss in ductility) coincided with rising carbonyl index values as well as an increase in crystallinity due to chemicrystallization. Between integrated photoluminescence intensity and carbonyl index, a linear correlation was established. In the induction period, the photoluminescence method exhibited a significantly higher sensitivity to reflect aging induced material changes. KW - Polyethylene KW - PE-RT KW - High oxygen pressure KW - Photoluminescence spectroscopy KW - Aging PY - 2014 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2014.06.021 SN - 0141-3910 SN - 1873-2321 VL - 109 SP - 40 EP - 49 PB - Applied Science Publ. CY - London AN - OPUS4-31349 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Seefeldt, Henrik A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Wagner, M.H. T1 - Residue stabilization in the fire retardancy of wood-plastic composites: combination of ammonium polyphosphate, expandable graphite, and red phosphorus N2 - Combinations of different common flame retardants in wood–plastic composites (WPCs) are tested to identify synergistic or antagonistic effects with the goal of improving the fire performance of WPCs. Flame retardants investigated are expandable graphite (EG), ammonium polyphosphate (APP), and red phosphorus (RP) and combinations of two of them are used. The fire behavior is studied by cone calorimetric measurements. Additional thermogravimetry is used for further investigations. The fire tests show that EG has the highest potential for flame retardancy, but due to its expansion it cracks the formed residue layer. Combinations of EG with RP or with high amounts of APP are able to suppress this cracking. KW - Flame retardance KW - Halogen free KW - Renewable resources KW - Wood-plastic composites KW - WPC PY - 2012 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.201200119 SN - 1022-1352 SN - 1521-3935 VL - 213 IS - 22 SP - 2370 EP - 2377 PB - Wiley-VCH Verl. CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-27489 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lukowiak, M.C. A1 - Wettmarshausen, Sascha A1 - Hidde, Gundula A1 - Landsberger, Petra A1 - Boenke, Viola A1 - Rodenacker, K. A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Friedrich, Jörg Florian A1 - Gorbushina, Anna A1 - Haag, R. T1 - Polyglycerol coated polypropylene surfaces for protein and bacteria resistance N2 - Polyglycerol (PG) coated polypropylene (PP) films were synthesized in a two-step approach that involved plasma bromination and subsequently grafting hyperbranched polyglycerols with very few amino functionalities. The influence of different molecular weights and density of reactive linkers were investigated for the grafted PGs. Longer bromination times and higher amounts of linkers on the surface afforded long-term stability. The protein adsorption and bacteria attachment of the PP-PG films were studied. Their extremely low amine content proved to be beneficial for preventing bacteria attachment. PY - 2015 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-325406 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c4py01375a SN - 1759-9954 SN - 1759-9962 VL - 6 IS - 8 SP - 1350 EP - 1359 AN - OPUS4-32540 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kervarec, M.-C. A1 - Kemnitz, E. A1 - Scholz, G. A1 - Rudic, S. A1 - Jäger, Christian A1 - Braun, T. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - A HF Loaded Lewis-Acidic Aluminium Chlorofluoride for Hydrofluorination Reactions N2 - The very strong Lewis acid aluminium chlorofluo-ride (ACF) was loaded with anhydrous HF. The interactionbetween the surface of the catalyst and HF was investigatedusing a variety of characterization methods, which revealed he formation of polyfluorides. Moreover, the reactivity ofthe HF-loaded ACF towards the hydrofluorination of alkyneswas studied. KW - Aluminium KW - HF KW - Hydrofluorination KW - Metal fluorides PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-508360 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202001627 VL - 26 SP - 1 PB - Wiley Online Libary AN - OPUS4-50836 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -