TY - GEN A1 - Stawski, Tomasz A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Scoppola, E. A1 - Jha, D. A1 - Morales, L. F. G. A1 - Moya, A. A1 - Wirth, R. A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Van Driessche, A. E. S. T1 - Supplementary data set for "Seeds of imperfection rule the mesocrystalline disorder in natural anhydrite single crystals" N2 - In recent years, we have come to appreciate the astounding intricacy of the formation process of minerals from ions in aqueous solutions. In this context, a number of studies have revealed that nucleation in the calcium sulfate system is non-classical, involving the aggregation and reorganization of nanosized prenucleation particles. In a recent work we have shown that this particle-mediated nucleation pathway is actually imprinted in the resultant single micron-sized CaSO4 crystals. This property of CaSO4 minerals provides us with an unique opportunity to search for evidence of non-classical nucleation pathways in geological environments. In particular, we focused on the quintessential single crystals of anhydrite extracted from the Naica mine in Mexico. We elucidated the growth history from this mineral sample by mapping growth defects at different length scales. Based on these data we argue that the nano-scale misalignment of the structural sub-units observed in the initial calcium sulfate crystal seed propagate through different length-scales both in morphological, as well as strictly crystallographic aspects, eventually causing the formation of large mesostructured single crystals of anhydrite. Hence, the nanoparticle mediated nucleation mechanism introduces a 'seed of imperfection', which leads to a macroscopic single crystal, in which its fragments do not fit together at different length-scales in a self-similar manner. Consequently, anisotropic voids of various sizes are formed with very well-defined walls/edges. But, at the same time the material retains its essential single crystal nature. These findings shed new light on the longstanding concept of crystal structure. KW - Calcium sulfate KW - Mesocrystal KW - Anhydrite PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4943234 PB - Zenodo CY - Geneva AN - OPUS4-53765 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fink, Friedrich A1 - Stawski, Tomasz M. A1 - Stockmann, Jörg Manfred A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana T1 - Surface Modification of Kraft Lignin by Mechanochemical Processing with Sodium Percarbonate N2 - In this article, we present a novel one-pot mechanochemical reaction for the surface activation of lignin. The process involves environmentally friendly oxidation with hydrogen peroxide, depolymerization of fractions with high molecular mass, and introduction of new carbonyl functions into the lignin backbone. Kraft lignin was ground with sodium percarbonate and sodium hydroxide in a ball mill at different time intervals. Analyses by infrared spectroscopy (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), dynamic vapor sorption (DVS), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) showed significant improvements. After only 5 min of reaction, there was a 47% reduction in mass-average molecular weight and an increase in carboxyl functionalities. Chemical activation resulted in an approximately 2.8-fold increase in water adsorption. Principal component analysis (PCA) provided further insight into the correlations between IR spectra and SAXS parameters KW - Kraft Lignin KW - Mechanochemical oxidation KW - SEC KW - FTIR KW - SAXS KW - PCA PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00584 SN - 1525-7797 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - American Chemical Society AN - OPUS4-58074 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reigl, Selina A1 - Van Driessche, Alexander A1 - Stawski, Tomasz A1 - Koltzenburg, Sebastian A1 - Kunz, Werner A1 - Kellermeier, Matthias T1 - Sustainable Pathways for the Synthesis of Calcium Sulfate Hemihydrate N2 - Calcium sulfate, and especially its hemihydrate form (bassanite), is crucial in the construction industry, primarily used as a hydraulic binder in cements, mortars, and wallboards. Because of the rapid transformation of bassanite into thermodynamically stable gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate) upon contact with water, natural deposits are scarce, rendering it one of the most extensively produced inorganic materials worldwide. Currently, bassanite is derived from mined or waste gypsum through a thermal dehydration process, which is energy-intensive and costly. As sustainability has become a key target for industrial processes and products, a series of studies aiming to increase the energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of bassanite production was published recently. Two primary approaches are pursued: conversion of gypsum and direct precipitation of bassanite from solution. In both cases, organic solvents, (specific) additives and/or elevated temperatures have been used to control the activity/availability of water in the reaction medium and thus direct phase selection towards bassanite. This review offers a comprehensive overview of alternative bassanite production methods, critically examining their benefits, potential downsides, and overall impact on the sustainability of industrial-scale use. KW - Calcium sulfate KW - Gypsum KW - Bassanite KW - Recycling PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-630657 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202415161 SN - 1521-3773 SP - 1 EP - 20 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-63065 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Miliūtė, Aistė A1 - Bustamante, Joana A1 - Karafiludis, Stephanos A1 - Zöllner, Moritz A1 - Eddah, Mustapha A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Mieller, Björn A1 - George, Janine A1 - Stawski, Tomasz M. T1 - Synthesis and phase purity of the negative thermal expansion material ZrV2O7 N2 - Synthesis of pure, homogeneous, and reproducible materials is key for the comprehensive understanding, design, and tailoring of material properties. In this study, we focus on the synthesis of ZrV2O7, a material known for its negative thermal expansion properties. We investigate the influence of solid-state and wet chemistry synthesis methods on the purity and homogeneity of ZrV2O7 samples. Our findings indicate that different synthesis methods significantly impact the material's characteristics. The solid-state reaction provided high-purity material through extended milling time and repeated calcination cycles, while the sol-gel reaction enabled a “near-atomic” level of mixing and, therefore, homogenous phase-pure ZrV2O7. We confirmed purity via X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, highlighting differences between phase-pure and multiphase ceramics. These analytical techniques allowed us to distinguish subtle differences in the structure of the material. Based on ab initio simulated phonon data, we were able to interpret the Raman spectra and visualise Raman active atom vibrations. We show that phase purity enables the unbiased characterisation of material properties such as negative thermal expansion. KW - NTE KW - Sol-gel KW - Solid-state KW - Ab-initio KW - XRD KW - Raman PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-624013 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d4tc04095c SN - 2050-7534 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-62401 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Karafiludis, Stephanos A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Heinekamp, Christian A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - ten Elshof, J. E. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Stawski, Tomasz T1 - Template-free synthesis of mesoporous, amorphous transition metal phosphate materials N2 - We present how mesoporosity can be engineered in transition metal phosphate (TMPs) materials in a template-free manner. The method involves a transformation of a precursor metal phosphate phase, called M-struvite (NH4MPO4·6H2O, M = Mg2+, Ni2+, Co2+, NixCo1-x2+). It relies on the thermal decomposition of crystalline M-struvite precursors to an amorphous and simultaneously mesoporous phase, which forms while degassing of NH3 and H2O. The temporal evolution of mesoporous frameworks and the response of the metal coordination environment were followed with in-situ and ex-situ scattering and diffraction, as well as X -ray spectroscopy. Despite sharing the same precursor struvite structure, different amorphous and mesoporous structures were obtained depending on the involved transition metal. We highlight the systematic differences in absolute surface area, pore shape, pore size, and phase transitions depending on a metal cation present in the analogous M-struvites. The amorphous structures of thermally decomposed Mg-, Ni- and NixCo1-x-struvites exhibit high surface areas and pore volumes (240 m²g-1 and 0.32 cm-3 g-1 for Mg and 90 m²g-1 and 0.13 cm-3 g-1 for Ni). We propose that the low-cost, environmentally friendly M-struvites could be obtained as recycling products from industrial and agricultural wastewaters. These waste products could be then upcycled into mesoporous TMPs through a simple thermal treatment for further applications, for instance, in (electro)catalysis. KW - Struvite KW - Pphosphates KW - Transition metal KW - In-situ SAXS/WAXS KW - Mesoporosity PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-569503 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D2NR05630E SN - 2040-3364 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-56950 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stawski, Tomasz M. A1 - Salvalaglio, Matteo A1 - Wallace, Adam F. A1 - De Yoreo, James J. T1 - The Birth of Minerals: From Single Step to Multiple Step Mechanisms N2 - Mineral formation from ions in aqueous solutions begins with complex initial stages, where amorphous and liquid-like precursors play pivotal roles before crystalline growth occurs. Both classical and non-classical nucleation and growth theories, introduced in previous chapters, offer explanations, each with their own strengths and limitations, for the complex intermediate phases observed in experimental research. Analytical techniques play a critical role in detecting and characterizing precursor phases, offering valuable insights into nucleation and growth mechanisms across various temporal and spatial scales. Molecular dynamics and modelling provide in-depth perspectives on these phases, allowing for a closer examination of their nucleation and growth mechanisms at the molecular level, and revealing the intricate processes that govern their behaviour. KW - Crystallisation KW - Nucleation KW - Synchrotron KW - Thermodynamics KW - Minerals PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.2138/gselements.21.1.25 SN - 1811-5217 VL - 21 IS - 1 SP - 25 EP - 32 PB - Mineralogical Society of America AN - OPUS4-62841 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Anker, A. S. A1 - Annadurai, V. A1 - Balazs, D. M. A1 - Bienert, Ralf A1 - Bouwman, W. G. A1 - Breßler, Ingo A1 - Breternitz, J. A1 - Brok, E. S. A1 - Bryant, G. A1 - Clulow, A. J. A1 - Crater, E. R. A1 - De Geuser, F. A1 - Del Giudice, A. A1 - Deumer, J. A1 - Disch, S. A1 - Dutt, S. A1 - Frank, K. A1 - Fratini, E. A1 - Garcia, P. R. A. F. A1 - Gilbert, E. P. A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Hallett, J. A1 - Hohenschutz, M. A1 - Hollamby, M. A1 - Huband, S. A1 - Ilavsky, J. A1 - Jochum, J. K. A1 - Juelsholt, M. A1 - Mansel, B. W. A1 - Penttilä, P. A1 - Pittkowski, R. K. A1 - Portale, G. A1 - Pozzo, L. D. A1 - Rochels, L. A1 - Rosalie, Julian A1 - Saloga, Patrick E. J. A1 - Seibt, S. A1 - Smith, A. J. A1 - Smith, G. N. A1 - Spiering, G. A. A1 - Stawski, Tomasz M. A1 - Taché, O. A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Toth, K. A1 - Whitten, A. E. A1 - Wuttke, J. T1 - The human factor - Results of a small-angle scattering data analysis round robin N2 - A round-robin study has been carried out to estimate the impact of the human element in small-angle scattering data analysis. Four corrected datasets were provided to participants ready for analysis. All datasets were measured on samples containing spherical scatterers, with two datasets in dilute dispersions and two from powders. Most of the 46 participants correctly identified the number of populations in the dilute dispersions, with half of the population mean entries within 1.5% and half of the population width entries within 40%. Due to the added complexity of the structure factor, far fewer people submitted answers on the powder datasets. For those that did, half of the entries for the means and widths were within 44 and 86%, respectively. This round-robin experiment highlights several causes for the discrepancies, for which solutions are proposed. KW - Round Robin KW - Data analysis KW - Small-angle scattering KW - Nanomaterials KW - Interlaboratory comparability KW - Nanostructure quantification KW - Methodology KW - MOUSE PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-587091 DO - https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576723008324 SN - 1600-5767 VL - 56 IS - 6 SP - 1618 EP - 1629 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Oxford AN - OPUS4-58709 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - INPR A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Anker, A. S. A1 - Balazs, D. M. A1 - Beyer, F. L. A1 - Bienert, Ralf A1 - Bouwman, W. G. A1 - Breßler, Ingo A1 - Breternitz, J. A1 - Brok, E. S. A1 - Bryant, G. A1 - Clulow, A. J. A1 - Crater, E. R. A1 - De Geuser, F. A1 - Giudice, A. D. A1 - Deumer, J. A1 - Disch, S. A1 - Dutt, S. A1 - Frank, K. A1 - Fratini, E. A1 - Gilbert, E. P. A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Hallett, J. A1 - Hohenschutz, Max A1 - Hollamby, M. J. A1 - Huband, S. A1 - Ilavsky, J. A1 - Jochum, J. K. A1 - Juelsholt, M. A1 - Mansel, B. W. A1 - Penttilä, P. A1 - Pittkowski, R. K. A1 - Portale, G. A1 - Pozzo, L. D. A1 - Ricardo de Abreu Furtado Garcia, P. A1 - Rochels, L. A1 - Rosalie, Julian A1 - Saloga, P. E. J. A1 - Seibt, S. A1 - Smith, A. J. A1 - Smith, G. N. A1 - Annadurai, V. A1 - Spiering, G. A. A1 - Stawski, Tomasz A1 - Taché, O. A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Toth, K. A1 - Whitten, A. E. A1 - Wuttke, J. T1 - The human factor - Results of a small-angle scattering data analysis round robin N2 - A Round Robin study has been carried out to estimate the impact of the human element in small-angle scattering data analysis. Four corrected datasets were provided to participants ready for analysis. All datasets were measured on samples containing spherical scatterers, with two datasets in dilute dispersions, and two from powders. Most of the 46 participants correctly identified the number of populations in the dilute dispersions, with half of the population mean entries within 1.5 % and half of the population width entries within 40 %, respectively. Due to the added complexity of the structure factor, much fewer people submitted answers on the powder datasets. For those that did, half of the entries for the means and widths were within 44 % and 86 % respectively. This Round Robin experiment highlights several causes for the discrepancies, for which solutions are proposed. KW - Round robin KW - Sall-angle scattering KW - Nanostructure quantification KW - Nanostructure KW - SAXS KW - MOUSE KW - X-ray scattering KW - Size distribution KW - Nanoparticles PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-571342 DO - https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2303.03772 SP - 1 EP - 23 PB - Cornell University CY - Ithaca, NY AN - OPUS4-57134 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Stawski, Tomasz T1 - The structure of amorphous calcium sulfate and its role in the nucleation pathway and final mesostructure of CaSO 4 phases N2 - In recent years, we have come to appreciate the astounding intricacy of the formation process of minerals from ions in aqueous solutions. In this context, a number of studies have already revealed that nucleation in the CaSO4-H2O system is non-classical, where the formation of the different crystalline phases involves several steps including a common amorphous precursor. In this contribution a holistic view of the formation mechanism of gypsum and bassanite from solution will be presented. In short, our in situ and time-resolved scattering data demonstrate that calcium sulfate precipitation starts with the formation and aggregation of well-defined sub-3 nm primary species. These species constitute building “bricks'' of an amorphous precursor phase. We characterised the “bricks” by combining information obtained at different length-scales accessible at the mesoscale (from small-angle scattering) and at the atomic-length-scale (wide-angle scattering and high-energy diffraction). From these scattering data we derived pair distribution functions of the clusters and restricted their external shapes and dimensions. This allowed us to propose a structure of the primary species and to explore their dynamic properties with unbiased MD simulations using polarizable force fields. The formation of the amorphous phase involves the aggregation of these small primary species into larger disordered aggregates exhibiting “brick-in-the-wall” structure. The actual crystallisation occurs by the restructuring and coalescence of the “bricks” into a given calcium sulfate phase depending on the thermodynamic conditions of the solution. Importantly, these rearrangement processes by no means continue until a (nearly-)perfect homogeneous single crystal is obtained. Instead they come to a stop or at least significantly slow down. Such a process thus yields a final imperfect mesocrystal, composed of smaller domains rather than a continuous crystal structure, within which the domains are separated by an amorphous calcium sulfate phase. T2 - Goldschmidt Virtual 2021 CY - Online meeting DA - 04.07.2021 KW - Amorphous calcium sulfate KW - Scattering KW - SAXS/WAXS PY - 2021 UR - https://2021.goldschmidt.info/goldschmidt/2021/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/3847 AN - OPUS4-53621 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Karafiludis, Stephanos A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Fink, Friedrich A1 - Feldmann, Ines A1 - ten Elshof, J. E. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Stawski, Tomasz T1 - Thermally processed Ni-and Co-struvites as functional materials for proton conductivity N2 - We present how mesoporosity can be engineered in transition metal phosphate (TMPs) materials in a template-free manner. The method involves the transformation of a precursor metal phosphate phase, called M-struvite (NH4MPO4·6H2O, M = Mg2+, Ni2+, Co2+, NixCo1−x2+). It relies on the thermal decomposition of crystalline M-struvite precursors to an amorphous and simultaneously mesoporous phase, which forms during degassing of NH3 and H2O. The temporal evolution of mesoporous frameworks and the response of the metal coordination environment were followed by in situ and ex situ scattering and diffraction, as well as X-ray spectroscopy. Despite sharing the same precursor struvite structure, different amorphous and mesoporous structures were obtained depending on the involved transition metal. We highlight the systematic differences in absolute surface area, pore shape, pore size, and phase transitions depending on the metal cation present in the analogous M-struvites. The amorphous structures of thermally decomposed Mg-, Ni- and NixCo1−x-struvites exhibit high surface areas and pore volumes (240 m2 g−1 and 0.32 cm−3 g−1 for Mg and 90 m2 g−1 and 0.13 cm−3 g−1 for Ni). We propose that the low-cost, environmentally friendly M-struvites could be obtained as recycling products from industrial and agricultural wastewaters. These waste products could be then upcycled into mesoporous TMPs through a simple thermal treatment for further application, for instance in (electro)catalysis. KW - Struvite KW - Phosphates KW - Transition metals KW - Proton conductivity PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-575862 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3DT00839H SN - 1477-9226 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Royal Society of Chemisty (RSC) CY - London/Cambridge AN - OPUS4-57586 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eiby, Simon H. J. A1 - Tobler, Dominique J. A1 - Voigt, Laura A1 - van Genuchten, Case M. A1 - Bruns, Stefan A1 - Jensen, Kirsten M. Ø. A1 - Stawski, Tomasz M. A1 - Wirth, Richard A1 - Benning, Liane G. A1 - Stipp, S. L. S. A1 - Dideriksen, Knud T1 - Topotactic Redox-Catalyzed Transformation of Iron Oxides N2 - Fe oxides frequently exist in systems containing both Fe(II) and Fe(III), where their reactivity is enhanced and where interfacial electron transfer from Fe(II) adsorbed to the solids causes the transformation of metastable Fe oxides. Here, we contribute to the understanding of such a transformation using green rust sulfate (GR) synthesized in the presence or absence of Si or Al as the starting material. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and pair distribution function (PDF) analyses showed that (i) rapid oxidation by Cr(VI) caused transformation to Fe oxyhydroxide with short-range ordering, with a pattern identical to that reported for the oxidation of isolated GR hydroxide sheets (i.e., a trilayer of Fe with both edge- and corner-sharing polyhedra) and (ii) goethite formed at the expense of the short-range-ordered Fe oxyhydroxide when residual Fe(II) was present, particularly when Si was absent. This is consistent with the Fe(II)-catalyzed transformation of the short-range-ordered Fe oxyhydroxide. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the two oxidation products coexisted within individual particles and that particle shape and the crystallographic orientation of both products were inherited from the original GR crystals, i.e., they had formed through topotactic transformation. We interpret that the structural reorganization to goethite occurred either in response to distortions caused by polaron movement or as a result of electron transfer reactions occurring at internal surfaces. Once nucleated, goethite growth can be sustained by dissolution–reprecipitation. KW - Iron oxide KW - Electron microscopy KW - Pair distribution funvtion KW - Total scattering PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.5c00220 SN - 2472-3452 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) AN - OPUS4-64924 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wolf, J. A1 - Stawski, Tomasz A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Towards automation of the polyol process for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles N2 - Metal nanoparticles have a substantial impact across diferent felds of science, such as photochemistry, energy conversion, and medicine. Among the commonly used nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles are of special interest due to their antibacterial properties and applications in sensing and catalysis. However, many of the methods used to synthesize silver nanoparticles often do not result in well-defned products, the main obstacles being high polydispersity or a lack of particle size tunability. We describe an automated approach to on-demand synthesis of adjustable particles with mean radii of 3 and 5 nm using the polyol route. The polyol process is a promising route for silver nanoparticles e.g., to be used as reference materials. We characterised the as-synthesized nanoparticles using small-angle X-ray scattering, dynamic light scattering and further methods, showing that automated synthesis can yield colloids with reproducible and tuneable properties. KW - Sillver KW - Nanoparticles KW - Automated synthesis KW - Chemputer KW - Scattering KW - SAXS PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-546803 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-09774-w VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Nature Springer AN - OPUS4-54680 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Stawski, Tomasz T1 - Towards circular economy of gypsum N2 - Gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O) is a crucial mineral across sectors such as construction, agriculture, and biomedicine. Despite its potentially full recyclability, a shortage looms due to limited mining in Europe and decreasing production of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum, a byproduct of coal power plants. With current EU consumption at 24 MT/a (17 MT mined, 7 MT FGD), a deficit of 10-35 MT/a is projected by the 2030s as CaSO₄ becomes a critical raw material [1]. Meanwhile, substantial CaSO₄ waste is produced in various industries (e.g., phosphogypsum, red gypsum), but its recycling remains limited (10% in Germany, 5% in the EU) due to contamination and separation challenges. This talk introduces a sustainable, efficient wet-chemical method for converting gypsum to bassanite (CaSO₄·0.5H₂O), and thus recycling gypsum, under mild conditions (T < 100 °C) using reusable high-salinity aqueous solutions (brines with c[NaCl] > 4 M) [2]. The wet-chemical process facilitates the physical removal of impurities from gypsum matrices, making it advantageous for recycling gypsum waste from sources such as demolition or urban mining, where it is often mixed with other materials. The approach presents a sustainable pathway for recovering high-purity bassanite from contaminated gypsum waste, aligning with EU goals for resource conservation and waste reduction. T2 - GFZ Interface Geochemistry Seminars Spring 2025 CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 06.05.2025 KW - Calcium sulfate KW - Circular economy KW - Gypsum PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64681 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Stawski, Tomasz T1 - Towards solution-driven recycling of gypsum N2 - Gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O) is a crucial mineral across sectors such as construction, agriculture, and biomedicine. Despite its potentially full recyclability, a shortage looms due to limited mining in Europe and decreasing production of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum, a byproduct of coal power plants. With current EU consumption at 24 MT/a (17 MT mined, 7 MT FGD), a deficit of 10-35 MT/a is projected by the 2030s as CaSO₄ becomes a critical raw material [1]. Meanwhile, substantial CaSO₄ waste is produced in various industries (e.g., phosphogypsum, red gypsum), but its recycling remains limited (10% in Germany, 5% in the EU) due to contamination and separation challenges. This contribution introduces a sustainable, efficient wet-chemical method for converting gypsum to bassanite (CaSO₄·0.5H₂O), and thus recycling gypsum, under mild conditions (T < 100 °C) using reusable high-salinity aqueous solutions (brines with c[NaCl] > 4 M) [2]. The optimal conversion conditions (T > 80°C, c[NaCl] > 4 M) enable rapid (<5 min) and reversible transformation. Upon cooling, gypsum re-forms, offering a temperature-dependent control over phase transition. Unlike conventional thermal dehydration (150-200 °C), this approach promotes the dissolution of gypsum, allowing contaminants to be separated via selective precipitation or adsorption. Additionally, the wet-chemical process facilitates the physical removal of impurities from gypsum matrices, making it advantageous for recycling gypsum waste from sources such as demolition or urban mining, where it is often mixed with other materials. T2 - Geo4Göttingen 2025 CY - Göttingen, Germany DA - 14.09.2025 KW - Calcium sulfate KW - Gypsum PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.48380/fhck-bv98 AN - OPUS4-64684 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Stawski, Tomasz T1 - Towards sustainable solution-driven recycling of gypsum N2 - Calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CaSO4ᐧ0.5H2O), also known as bassanite, has been used as a precursor to produce gypsum (dihydrate, CaSO4ᐧ2H2O) for various construction and decorative purposes since prehistoric times. The main route to obtain hemihydrate is a thermal treatment of gypsum at temperatures typically between 150 °C and 200 °C to remove some of the structural water. In this contribution, we introduce (Fig. 1) a more efficient and sustainable method (T < 100 °C) that enables the direct, rapid, and reversibly conversion of gypsum to bassanite using reusable high salinity aqueous solutions (brineswith c[NaCl] > 4 M). The optimum conditions for the efficient production of bassanite in a short time (< 5 min) involve the use of brines with c(NaCl) > 4 M and maintaining a temperature, T > 80 °C. When the solution containing bassanite crystals is cooled down to around room temperature, eventually gypsum is formed. When the temperature is raised again to T > 80 °C, bassanite is rapidly re-precipitated. This contrasts with the typical behaviour of the bassanite phase in low salt environments. Traditionally, hemihydrate is obtained through a solid state thermal treatment because bassanite is considered to be metastable with respect to gypsum and anhydrite in aqueous solutions, and therefore gypsum-to-bassanite conversion should not occur in water. Its very occurrence actually contradicts numerical thermodynamic predictions regarding solubility of calcium sulfate phases. By following the evolution of crystalline phases with in situ and time-resolved X-ray diffraction/scattering and Raman spectroscopy, we demonstrated that the phase stability in brines at elevated temperatures is inaccurately represented in the thermodynamic databases. Most notably for c(NaCl) > 4 M, and T > 80 °C gypsum becomes readily more soluble than bassanite, which induces the direct precipitation of the latter from gypsum. The fact that these transformations are controlled by the solution provides extensive opportunities for precise manipulation of crystal formation. Our experiments confirmed that bassanite remained the sole crystalline structure for many hours before reverting into gypsum. This property is extremely advantageous for practical processing and efficient crystal extraction in industrial scenarios. T2 - RAL-SAS - UK Small angle scattering meeting 2025 CY - Oxford, United Kongdom DA - 16.06.2025 KW - Scattering KW - SAXS KW - Calcium sulfate KW - Gypsum PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64682 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Stawski, Tomasz T1 - Towards sustainable solution-driven recycling of gypsum N2 - Gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O) is a crucial mineral across sectors such as construction, agriculture, and biomedicine. Despite its potentially full recyclability, a shortage looms due to limited mining in Europe and decreasing production of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum, a byproduct of coal power plants. With current EU consumption at 24 MT/a (17 MT mined, 7 MT FGD), a deficit of 10-35 MT/a is projected by the 2030s as CaSO₄ becomes a critical raw material [1]. Meanwhile, substantial CaSO₄ waste is produced in various industries (e.g., phosphogypsum, red gypsum), but its recycling remains limited (10% in Germany, 5% in the EU) due to contamination and separation challenges. This contribution introduces a sustainable, efficient wet-chemical method for converting gypsum to bassanite (CaSO₄·0.5H₂O), and thus recycling gypsum, under mild conditions (T < 100 °C) using reusable high-salinity aqueous solutions (brines with c[NaCl] > 4 M) [2]. The optimal conversion conditions (T > 80°C, c[NaCl] > 4 M) enable rapid (<5 min) and reversible transformation (Fig. 1). Upon cooling, gypsum re-forms, offering a temperature-dependent control over phase transition. Unlike conventional thermal dehydration (150-200 °C), this approach promotes the dissolution of gypsum, allowing contaminants to be separated via selective precipitation or adsorption. Additionally, the wet-chemical process facilitates the physical removal of impurities from gypsum matrices, making it advantageous for recycling gypsum waste from sources such as demolition or urban mining, where it is often mixed with other materials. Our approach presents a sustainable pathway for recovering high-purity bassanite from contaminated gypsum waste, aligning with EU goals for resource conservation and waste reduction. T2 - MaterialsWeek 2025 CY - Frankfurt am Main, Germany DA - 02.04.2025 KW - Gypsum KW - Calcium sulfate KW - Recycling PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64677 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mishmastnehi, Moslem A1 - Stawski, Tomasz M. A1 - Eftekhari, Negar A1 - Schneider, Kathrin P. A1 - Vaccaro, Carmela A1 - Aghajani, Iman A1 - Grbanovic, Ana Marija A1 - Korn, Lorenz T1 - Unveiling the craftsmanship and knowledge behind iranian stuccoes (11th–14th centuries): New insights from an archaeometric perspective N2 - Gypsum-based stucco decorations of 47 monuments in Iran, from the Seljuq to the Ilkhanid period (11th-14th centuries), were studied by multimodal analytical methods, including X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy and image analysis to evaluate their composition properties. The assessment of results shows that stucco masters in those periods exerted control over the setting process of the gypsum-paste and its microstructure by adjusting water-to-plaster ratio, fine-clay addition, and by means of mechanical processing. Furthermore, the presence of anhydrite in the composition of stucco decorations located in the hot-desert climate of Iran provides evidence for the probability of gypsum-anhydrite transition, which has technical and preservation consequences for this less-investigated type of cultural materials. KW - Gypsum KW - Diffraction KW - Anhydrite KW - Calcium sulfate PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-628406 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2025.106199 SN - 1095-9238 VL - 177 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-62840 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Stawski, Tomasz A1 - Mishmastnehi, Moslem T1 - What can we learn from traditional stucco masters? N2 - Historical plaster formulations represent an underexplored avenue for understanding advanced materials engineering in premodern cultures. In this contribution, we investigate two distinct historical gypsum plasters, Gach-e Koshteh from 14th century Persia and Gesso Sottile from 15th century Italy, both of which were essential for architectural decoration and fine art. By replicating these methods in a laboratory setting, we explore how traditional artisans manipulated gypsum microstructures without any additives, to optimize surface and mechanical properties for specific artistic and functional outcomes. Gach-e Koshteh employs a labor-intensive process involving kneading and mechanical treatment during hydration of bassanite to gypsum. This results in a plaster with a platelet-like crystal morphology and a pronounced alignment of the {010} faces, leading to a hydrophilic surface ideal for water-based decoration. These platelets form a compacted structure, reducing porosity while providing a smooth, workable surface for wall paintings. In contrast, Gesso Sottile relies on a slow recrystallization process in a large excess of water, yielding needle-like gypsum crystals that minimize hydrophilic surface area. This makes Sottile more suitable for oil-based panel paintings or as a substrate for gilding. Our study applies a combination of wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to reveal the microstructural and surface properties of these historical plaster recipes. We demonstrate that the mechanical treatment in the Koshteh method leads to a denser, better-packed plaster with enhanced wettability due to the increased exposure of hydrophilic crystallographic planes. Meanwhile, the extended treatment time and high dilution in the Sottile recipe promote larger, loosely packed needle crystals that create a more hydrophobic surface. These findings not only highlight the ingenuity of historical materials engineering but also provide valuable insights for modern restoration and preservation techniques. By understanding the role of microstructure in the durability and surface properties of historical plasters, we can improve the conservation of gypsum-based cultural heritage objects. This research also demonstrates the potential for sustainable materials engineering practices rooted in historical techniques, as these additive-free formulations exhibit long-lasting performance with minimal environmental impact. T2 - Granada Muenster Discussion Meeting, GMDM2024 CY - Granada, Spain DA - 27.11.2024 KW - Gypsum PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62004 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 - CONF A1 - Miliūtė, Aistė A1 - George, Janine A1 - Mieller, Björn A1 - Stawski, Tomasz T1 - ZrV2O7 negative thermal expansion (NTE) material N2 - Zirconium vanadate (ZrV2O7) is a well-known negative thermal expansion (NTE) material that exhibits significant isotropic contraction over a broad temperature range (~150°C < T < 800°C). Therefore, it can be used to create composites with controllable expansion coefficients and prevent thermal stress, fatigue, cracking, and deformation at interfaces. We implement interdisciplinary research to analyze such material. We study the influence of the synthesis methods and their parameters on the sample's purity, crystallinity, and homogeneity. Moreover, we implement ab initio-based vibrational computations with partially treated anharmonicity in combination with experimental methods to follow temperature-induced structural changes and rationalize the negative thermal expansion in this material, including the influence of the local structure disorder. T2 - SALSA Make and Measure Conference CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 13.09.2023 KW - NTE KW - Composites KW - TEM PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58367 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -