TY - CONF A1 - Gornushkin, Igor B. T1 - Laser dielectric breakdown as a novel method for producing molybdenum borides N2 - Superhard materials with a Vickers hardness in the range of 30-40 GPa are of great interest, both from a fundamental and a practical viewpoints, since they have outstanding mechanical, thermal and chemical properties. Molybdenum borides belong to this group of materials. A review of publications on synthesis of molybdenum boride indicates a) great interest in this superhard material and b) the need for new effective methods of its synthesis, especially in a nanocrystalline form. Very promising are the plasma-chemical methods based on laser induced breakdown. The breakdown can be created either in reactive gases containing volatile compounds of boron and molybdenum or on solid samples. For gas breakdown, molybdenum hexafluoride MoF6 and boron trifluoride BF3 were used in the mixture with hydrogen and argon; for solid breakdown, the pure molybdenum sample was ablated into the mixture of H2 and BF3. The plasma-chemical synthesis of MoxBy structures was carried out in the reactor shown in Figure. Laser breakdown was created by a pulsed Nd: YAG laser operating at 1064 nm with a 15 ns pulse duration, 5 Hz repetition rate, and 800 mJ pulse energy. The laser was focused by a 5 cm focal length lens to produce 26 J/cm3 energy density in the focal point. The ratios H2:BF3: MoF6 = 5:2:1 and H2:BF3 = 3:1 were used in a pressure range 30 - 760 Torr. After ablation in the mixture H2 + BF3 + MoF6, the deposit contained an amorphous phase with a small impurity of crystalline molybdenum and no boride phase. After ablation of metallic Mo into H2 + BF3, the main phase was MoB2 in the form of nano dispersed powder with an average grain size of 100 nm. The degree of conversion of boron trifluoride and the yield of molybdenum boride were studied as a function of pressure. It was established that 30 Torr is optimal for the formation of MoB2. This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 20-13-00035. T2 - Euro-Mediterranean Symposium on Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy CY - Online meeting DA - 29.11.2021 KW - Plasma enhanced chemical deposition KW - Laser induced plasma KW - Plasma chemistry KW - Molybdenum boride PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53901 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gornushkin, Igor B. A1 - Kornev, R. A1 - Bulanov, A. A1 - Ermakov, A. T1 - Laser-Induced Dielectric Breakdown as a Novel Method for Obtaining Isotopically Enriched Nanoscale Substances N2 - The possibility of obtaining high-purity, isotopically modified and nanostructured elemental substances 29Si, 98Mo, and 100Mo, as well as 98Mox10By compounds from volatile halides under conditions of laser optical breakdown of a pulsed Nd:YAG laser is shown. Currently, research in the field of developing new methods for obtaining high-purity, isotopically modified and nanostructured substances is being actively conducted. Interest in Si and Mo combining these forms has noticeably increased. In nuclear medicine, 29Si-enriched nanoparticles can be used as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and 98Mo and 100Mo isotopes can be used to obtain the unstable 99mTc radioisotope. These applications do not require large amounts of isotopically modified Si and Mo. Their obtaining belongs to the problems of small chemistry. When obtaining isotopically modified Si and Mo, it is expedient to use their volatile fluorides, for which technologies of isotope enrichment and deep purification are well developed. These halides have high chemical and thermal stability; therefore, plasma-chemical methods based on the plasma of a pulsed discharge generated by laser breakdown can be promising for separating 29Si, 98Mo, and 100Mo from them. Laser breakdown in H2+Ar+SiF4 and H2+Ar+MoF6 mixtures in various stoichiometric ratios in the pressure range 30–760 Torr was carried out using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The pulse duration at a wavelength of 1064 nm was 15 ns, the repetition rate was 5 Hz. A pulse energy of 800 mJ was focused by a lens with a focal length of 5 cm. The energy density at the focus was 26 J/cm3 . It has been shown that when using a mixture based on 29SiF4, the sample contains a 29Si crystalline phase with an average grain size of 30–50 nm (Fig. 1a). When using a mixture based on 98MoF6, the sample contains a 98Mo crystalline phase with an average grain size of 70–100 nm (Fig. 1b). In this type of gas discharge, the possibility of forming superhard materials, isotopically modified molybdenum borides, was also studied. These substances in the form of nanosized particles have improved tribological properties. After ablation of metallic Mo in the H2 + BF3 mixture, the main phase was MoB2 in the form of a nanodispersed powder with an average grain size of 100 nm (Fig. 1c) [1]. A technique for modeling gas-dynamic and thermal conditions in a low-temperature chemically active plasma induced by laser breakdown is proposed. Using computational experiments, the features of gas mixture heating and the formation of nanoparticles in the LIBS reactor were studied T2 - 17the International Conference on Laser Applications in Life Sciences CY - Mugla, Turkey DA - 15.10.2023 KW - Laser induced plasma KW - Chemical vapor deposition KW - Isotopically enriched nanomaterials PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58888 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Avci, Fatma T1 - Characterization of black mass by X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy N2 - X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) is a method of elemental analysis that is used either as wavelength dispersive XRF (WDXRF) or energy dispersive XRF (EDXRF). Using EDXRF, it is possible to analyze samples within a few minutes without time-consuming sample preparation. This makes the method potentially suitable for analyzing larger sample quantities under industrial conditions. However, the XRF method is matrix-dependent. Depending on the cathode material of the recycled batteries, there are significant differences in the composition of the resulting black mass. This means that specific calibration models must be developed for different types of black mass. The aim of our work is to use the EDXRF method to reliably analyze black mass of different origins with regard to the elements that are particularly interesting for recycling: nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), silicon (Si), copper (Cu), and phosphorus (P). Based on the different mass fractions of the elements mentioned, black masses from used lithium-ion batteries can be divided into three groups according to the cathode chemistry: lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), and mixed chemistries (MC), the latter of which may contain lithium iron phosphate (LFP). The division into groups is necessary to determine the matrices and thus select the appropriate calibration model for the analysis of the EDXRF data in order to achieve the most accurate determination of the elemental content possible. Reference analyses are performed using WDXRF. The score plots obtained by PLS-DA of the specific elemental composition of the black masses examined to date by both WDXRF and EDXRF reveal a correct separation of the BM matrix types LCO, NMC, and MC. Our preliminary results with test samples yielded 100 % correct predictions with both data sets. However, only two matrix types, NMC and LCO, have been tested with the EDXRF data so far. Data for MC is pending as work progresses. T2 - Doctoral seminar 2025 - Working Group Chemometrics and Quality Assurance (GDCh) CY - Hamburg, Germany DA - 11.09.2025 KW - Black Mass KW - XRF Spectroscopy KW - Chemometric Modeling KW - PLS-DA PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64095 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Paul, Andrea T1 - Classification of mineral wool by spectroscopic methods N2 - Mineral wools from demolition projects are currently disposed of in landfills. To reintroduce them into the material cycle, it is essential (i) to distinguish between glass wool (GW) and rock wool (RW), (ii) to detect foreign substances, and (iii) to assess the period of production (before/after 2000) to identify “old”, potentially carcinogenic wool. Both X-ray and NIR spectroscopic methods are being developed for this purpose and handheld (portable) devices are being tested for field application. To this end, more than 160 mineral wool samples were collected and examined. Since no reference information on the “material” or “age” was available for many samples, we characterized the elemental composition of the mineral wool using wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (WDXRF). For this purpose, pellets and melt tablets were evaluated using a spectrometer-integrated semi-quantitative approach (Omnian). The resulting mass fractions of SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, MgO, K2O, Na2O, Fe2O3, and TiO2 could be used to distinguish between GW and RW and, in the case of RW, also whether it was “old” or “new” wool according to VDI guideline 3492. In some cases, however, ambiguous results were obtained in the material classification. Therefore, a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed enabling the identification of possible outliers and subgroups. Since the classification of “old” and “new” rock wool based on VDI 3492 yielded many unclear results, with the help of partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), the classification was significantly improved [1]. WDXRF spectroscopy delivers accurate results, however, the spectrometers are not mobile and require time demanding sample preparation (pellets, melt tablets). Therefore, it was examined whether useful results could be achieved with portable energy dispersive (EDXRF) spectrometers. For this purpose, a portable EDXRF spectrometer (pXRF) was calibrated based on the WDXRF results. In general, oxides of the lighter elements (MgO and Na2O) could not be analyzed with EDXRF. Although prediction of oxide contents in melt tablets was successful by this approach, no reliable results could be obtained when predicting the oxide content of natural mineral wools. Attempts to perform calibration based on natural wools also failed. However, PCA of EDXRF spectra in the “Light” range was able to distinguish between GW and RW, even with “real-world” samples from so-called Bigbags [2], in which mineral wool in Germany is collected in recycling centers. In addition to XRF, a previous study has already demonstrated that at least the distinction between GW and RW can be performed using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) [3]. For this reason, measurements were also carried out with a handheld NIR device (pNIR) in parallel with the pXRF investigations. Using PLS-DA, it was possible to classify RW and GW using the handheld device with a sensitivity and specificity of 95% for 38 test samples, including wool from big bags. pNIR also remains sensitive when it comes to determining non-metallic “foreign materials.” For example, materials such as brick, plaster, concrete, and organic fibers could be detected by SIMCA as “non-mineral” wool with a specificity of 92% for 19 tested interferents [2]. Questions regarding the detection of metallic impurities based on EDXRF measurements are the subject of ongoing investigations. T2 - Doctoral Seminar of the Working Group Chemometrics & Quality Assurance CY - Hamburg, Germany DA - 10.09.2025 KW - Mineral wool KW - X-ray fluorescence KW - Data analyis PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64077 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Morcillo, Dalia T1 - Atomic absorption spectrometry with machine learning as a tool for lithium isotope analysis N2 - The general interest in the implementation of renewable energies, particularly in the development of lithium-ion batteries, makes lithium a key element to be analyzed. We are working to develop this tool to determine if the isotopic effect of lithium has an impact on battery aging. T2 - SALSA Konferenz CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 16.09.2021 KW - Atomic absorption spectrometry KW - Battery KW - Machine learning KW - Lithium KW - Isotope PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53693 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Morcillo, Dalia T1 - Lithium isotope analysis combining atomic absorption spectroscopy and machine learning N2 - In this poster for the SCIX Conference, we apply an analytical procedure based on the monitoring of the lithium isotope through the partially resolved isotope shift in the electronic transition 22P<-22S around wavelength 670.80 nm using high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometer (HR-CS-AAS) in combination with machine learning (ML) for the determination of Li Isotope ratio analysis. T2 - SCIX Conference CY - Providence, RI, USA DA - 26.09.2021 KW - Lithium isotope KW - High-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometer KW - Machine learning PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53686 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meyer, Klas T1 - On-line monitoring of polyhydroxyalkanoate extraction process using compact NMR spectroscopy N2 - Portable benchtop NMR spectrometers enable real-time process and reaction monitoring in contrast to conventional laboratory based off-line gas chromatography or high-field NMR measurements. In this study, benchtop NMR spectroscopy is demonstrated as a process analytical technology (PAT) tool for the application of the solvent extraction step in downstream processing of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers. These are one of the few thermoplastic polymers synthesized 100 % via biotechnological routes which fully biodegrade in common natural environments. This makes them excellent candidate materials for sustainable replacement of conventional plastic materials. Online NMR experiments were conducted using a fully automated setup, employing commercially available PTFE tubing as a flow-cell assembly. Extraction was carried out in a thermostated stirred batch reactor in lab-scale. Single-scan NMR spectra allowed continuous monitoring of the extraction of the PHA copolymer poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyhexanoate) containing 13.5 mol-% hydroxyhexanoate from Ralstonia eutropha biomass. Extractions were performed in chloroform and acetone across lyophilized cell loadings ranging from 20 to 120 g/L. The reproducibility and reliability of compact NMR spectroscopy closely matched that of parallel high-field NMR measurements. A strong correlation was observed between online low-field NMR data and offline gas chromatography (GC) analysis. The study highlights the versatility of compact NMR for process monitoring, facilitating endpoint determination and enhancing extraction efficiency by optimizing process parameters. Steady-state conditions were achieved within 6 to 10 minutes for chloroform and acetone, respectively, underscoring the method’s value in supporting downstream process development and optimization for PHA recovery. T2 - qNMR Summit Europe 2025 CY - Bari, Italy DA - 19.11.2025 KW - NMR Spectroscopy KW - Extraction KW - Downstream processing KW - Benchtop-NMR PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64920 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - You, Yi T1 - Differential Mobility Analysis with Acoustic Ion Manipulation (AIM) N2 - Ion mobility analyses provide complementarity to mass spectrometry in analyte ion identification through the introduction of a higher-pressure separation modality. The recently discovered acoustic ion manipulation (AIM) phenomenon, which exploits unique behaviors of ions in acoustic fields, presents a novel, electric-field-free means to distinguish ions by mobility. In one form of AIM, a static pressure field in an ultrasonic resonator causes a displacement of the ion stream toward the node region, when initially directed toward the antinode. When the static field strength falls below the threshold for all ion deflection, the partitioning reflects ion-specific acoustic mobilities or acoustic radiation impedance. This study demonstrates ion-oriented mobility separation with the AIM approach for mass-spectrometric analysis. An Orbitrap mass spectrometer was used to record ion signal variations as a function of acoustic field strength. An acoustic pressure source with a transducer–reflector configuration was used to generate a standing acoustic wave for partial ion deflection. The drive frequency was swept near resonance to modulate the static pressure field. An alternating-current (AC) plasma discharge source was used to produce an ion beam directed toward an antinode of the resonant structure and later deflected into the mass spectrometer inlet with the acoustic field. Several small molecule analytes, including methanol, ethanol, acetone, and toluene, were doped in the discharge gas to distinguish ions formed in the source from those produced in transit to the MS inlet. An ion beam, offset relative to the inlet capillary of the mass spectrometer, yielded minimal ion detection in the absence of the resonant acoustic field. A sweep of the frequency near resonance induced a low–high–low transition in the static pressure within the resonator. Consequently, the total ion signal as a function of drive frequency resembled a horn gain curve, which is commonly recognized as a key characteristic in ultrasonic transducer design. Maximum ion signal was attained at the resonance frequency, while a pronounced minimum occurred at the anti-resonance frequency. Analysis of drive frequency response curves for distinct ion peaks revealed that source-generated ions displayed a congruent pattern to the overall ion count, thereby suggesting the formation of clusters prior to the vacuum region of the mass spectrometer. A finer frequency scan near the resonance region differentiated these clusters. For instance, response curves for toluene-related ions are slightly deviated from those associated with alcohols. Notably, a series of ions, presumably originating from an identical chemical precursor, manifested an entirely distinctive drive frequency response; their maximal signal occurred at a frequency not associated with any characteristic of the acoustic system or its electronics. The frequency response curves of the ions allowed implementation of a modified cross-correlation (mXcorr) algorithm to categorize ions according to chemical origin or clustering. The use of frequency, rather than the transducer voltage/power, offers the advantage of electronically measuring the horn gain curve in tandem with ion-specific analysis. This gain curve subsequently serves as a reference to decode latent chemical information for enhanced analytical accuracy. T2 - ASMS 2025 Conference CY - Baltimore, MA, USA DA - 01.06.2025 KW - Acoustic Ion Manipulation KW - Mass Spectrometry PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63512 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Palásti, Dávid jenö T1 - Interferometric sensing in the UV range – Investigation and comparison of the all-reflective spatial heterodyne spectrometer designs N2 - Spatial heterodyne spectrometers (SHS) are optical interferometric devices, working in the UV and visible spectral ranges [1]. The most common SHS setup is similar to the Michelson interferometer, both utilizes a beam splitter in the incoming beam path. In case of the SHS the split beams are not aimed towards orthogonal mirrors, but reflective optical gratings, set under a selected angle. These optical gratings diffract the beams, the direction of every wavelength will depend on the grating constant and the angle of the gratings. The wavefronts belonging to different wavelengths are going to cross each other under a unique angle, resulting in a spatial interference, which is recorded by a digital camera. This relatively compact setup provides high resolution and light throughput, which properties were harnessed for tasks requiring good line separation and/or high sensitivity [2]. However, SHS are only applicable on wavelengths for which an adequate transmissive beam splitter is available like the visible range, but not the far UV. To overcome this limitation, different all-reflective designs were introduced [3]. These instruments utilize symmetric optical gratings for the splitting and recombination of the beams. Although these SHS devices solve the main limitations of the traditional ones, they come with their fair share of drawbacks as well, such as more complex arrangement and the requirement for more delicate tuning. The behaviour of the traditional SHS is well documented [4,5], but in regards of the all-reflective ones we have much less available information. In this current study we utilized computational modelling to predict the behaviour of the all-reflective SH spectrometers, with special attention to the effects of the different alignment errors. Later we utilize this knowledge to fine tune an SHS for sensing (LIBS, Raman) in the UV region. Furthermore, we are introducing two new all-reflective SHS setups and compering them to their older counterparts. T2 - 20th European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectroscopy CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 02.03.2025 KW - SHS KW - Spectroscopy PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63553 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hufgard, Josefin T1 - Traveling Wave Acoustic Ion Manipulation (AIM) for Ion Trajectory Alteration N2 - Acoustic ion manipulation (AIM) is a recent discovery reliant on the sound-ion interactions under ambient conditions. Instead of relying upon conventional electric or magnetic fields, this technique initially exploits standing acoustic waves to focus, gate, deflect, and separate ions. Compared to AIM in a standing wave scenario, the transportation of ions and their response to traveling acoustic waves remain less understood. In contrast to standing waves, which establish stationary pressure domains, traveling waves engender continuously propagating pressure variations. Here, we report on AIM effects induced by traveling acoustic waves that occur from a single-transducer setup. The changes in ion trajectory induced by acoustic traveling waves, ion-specific responses to the traveling wave and its analytical applications will be investigated. A home-built alternating-current (AC) plasma source was used to produce a laminar ion stream, positioned ~10 cm from the inlet capillary of an Orbitrap mass spectrometer. A Langevin-type ultrasonic transducer operated at 40 kHz and ~50 W was used to introduce a diverging sound gradient arranged perpendicular to the ion beam direction. Small model analytes, such as methanol, isopropanol, and acetone, were doped in the discharge gas flow as traces produced in the source, to differentiate from ions produced between the source and MS inlet capillary. Aerodynamic information on both the sound field and the gas stream is provided by defocusing shadowgraphy images. T2 - ASMS 73rd Conference on Mass spectrometry and Allied topics CY - Baltimore, Maryland, USA DA - 01.06.2025 KW - Mass spectrometry KW - Acoustic Ion Manipulation (AIM) KW - Traveling acoustic wave PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63380 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hufgard, Josefin T1 - Use Your Time (Domain) Wisely: Streamlined Analysis of Complex Mixtures with Pulsed-Laser Techniques N2 - This study aims to streamline complex mixture analysis through the parallel ionization of all analytes without extensive preprocessing. Here, pulsed laser ablation of single droplets is used with modified cross-correlation, a phase-sensitive algorithm. This combined method allows contactless chemical investigation with minimal sample pretreatment, as well as the separation of analytes in mixtures and reconstruction of analyte-specific mass spectra. T2 - SciX 2024 CY - Raleigh, NC, USA DA - 20.10.2024 KW - MS KW - Data analysis KW - Laser ablation PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62120 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hufgard, Josefin T1 - Use Your Time (Domain) Wisely: Streamlined Analysis of Complex Mixtures with Pulsed-Laser Techniques N2 - Analyzing complex mixtures with mass spectrometry (MS) usually requires extensive sample preprocessing and separation techniques such as high-pressure iquid chromatography (HPLC). This approach allows for subsequent detection of one analyte at a time but at a cost of throughput. Recently, increasing attention has been put on thesimultaneous ionization of all analytes in complex mixtures without extensive preprocessing, aiming to streamline the analysis process while accepting a compromise in identification. Such methods are commonly referred to as direct mass-spectrometric analysis. Among those, pulsed laser-based ablation, allows for contactless chemical investigation and reaction monitoring in situ, with minimal sample pretreatments. Specifically, the mid-infrared lasers encompass the fundamental vibrational resonances of typical biological matrices and solvents; their use results in efficient material removal from the bulk phase. Interestingly, the resulting analyte chronograms during the ablation process showed that the analytes were not detected concomitantly. Instead, chronograms offered time-domain information by being detected at different timestamps. It is certain that chemical information is encoded in the time domain. However, the analyte-specific chronograms could be difficult to interpret with conventional workflows as they mostly overlap. In this study, we aim exploiting the commonly discarded information in the time domain as an orthogonal dimension to the m/z domain, achieving ategorization and grouping mass-spectral peaks according to their chemical origins. Here, we applied a pulsed diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser at 3-μm wavelength to 10 μL hanging droplets of analyte. A secondary electrospray ionization (SESI) source was built in-house to ionize ablated analytes. With a model sample, i.e. a mixture of two antibiotics, remarkable differences in their chronograms were observed. In fact, the time-domain information reflects the chemical signature of the analytes and can provide an additional data dimension for accurate interpretation. With a phase-sensitive algorithm, the modified cross-correlation (mXcorr), the similarity between chronograms can be gauged. Consequently, mass-spectral peaks that shared the same chronogram features were grouped together, yielding analyte-specific mass spectra that can aid analyte identification. Lastly, the applicability for biological samples, such as peptides, will be discussed. T2 - ANAKON 2025 CY - Leipzig, Germany DA - 10.03.2025 KW - Mass specrometry KW - Laser Ablation KW - secondary ionization PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62733 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Sander, Luise T1 - Multi-Scale Analysis of Commercially Available Sodium-Ion Cells N2 - As the first commercial sodium-ion-batteries (SIBs) are available for purchase, it is possible to investigate material composition. Gaining an insight into the material composition of these SIBs is of interest not only for the classification of possible safety risks and hazards, but also in regards to recycling. Herein we report the preliminary investigations of the chemical and structural composition of first commercial SIB-cells. Two different SIB-cells with different specification were compared regarding electrode size, thickness and further parameters. Furthermore, the composition of the active materials and electrolyte was investigated and compared. T2 - Solid State Ionics (SSI) CY - London, United Kingdom DA - 15.07.2024 KW - Sodium Ion-Cells KW - Multi-Scale PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60764 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Riedel, Soraya T1 - Steps Forward in the Application of 3,3’,5,5’- Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in Amperometric Assays N2 - Electrochemical methods make great promise to meet the demand for user-friendly on-site devices for monitoring important parameters. Food industry often runs own lab procedures, e.g. for mycotoxin analysis, but it is a major goal to simplify analysis, linking analytical methods with miniaturized technologies. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, with photometric detection of the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) substrate, 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), form a good basis for sensitive detection. To provide a straight-forward approach for the miniaturization of the detection step, we have studied the pitfalls of the electrochemical TMB detection. By cyclic voltammetry it was found that the TMB electrochemistry is strongly dependent on the pH and the electrode material. It was found that screen-printed gold electrodes and a highly acidic pH value (pH 1) are well-suited to perform the electrochemical detection of TMB, due to the reversible character of the redox reaction under these conditions. This set-up provides a good signal stability over several measuring cycles, providing the basis for analysing multiple samples. In contrast to this, for carbon screen-printed electrodes, it was found that the signal response has changed after the electrochemical reaction with TMB at pH 1. At a weakly acidic pH value (pH 4), neither with carbon nor with gold electrodes a reproducible electrochemical detection of TMB could be achieved [1]. Based on these findings we created a smartphone-based, electrochemical, immunomagnetic assay for the detection of ochratoxin A and ergometrine in real samples. Therefore, a competitive assay was performed on magnetic beads using HRP and TMB/H2O2 to generate the signal. Enzymatically oxidized TMB was quantified after addition of H2SO4 by amperometry with screen-printed gold electrodes in a custom-made wall-jet flow cell. The results are in good correlation with the established photometric detection method, providing a solid basis for sensing of further analytes in HRP-based assays using the newly developed miniaturized smartphone-based, electrochemical, immunomagnetic assay. T2 - Electrochemistry 2022 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 28.09.2022 KW - Cylic Voltammetry KW - Immunoassay KW - TMB KW - Amperometry PY - 2022 N1 - Geburtsname von Riedel, Soraya: Höfs, S. - Birth name of Riedel, Soraya: Höfs, S. AN - OPUS4-55876 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Li, Xunyu T1 - Atomic Isotope Analysis of Lithium with Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometry and Lineshape Recovery through Deconvolution N2 - A spatial heterodyne spectrometer (SHS) was combined with a reduced-pressure glow discharge to demonstrate the analytical utilization of high resolving-power spectral analysis for atomic isotopes. In the experimental illustrations, we will demonstrate the spectra for the lithium isotope ratio through the D-lines featuring 6Li and 7Li. The SHS utilized in our setup boasts single-digit picometer resolution, enabling the precise discrimination of three separate spectral bands in real-time. To further enhance the spectral quality and improve quantification accuracy, we established an innovative approach to recover the natural lineshape, avoiding interferences from the instrumental function that broadens fine features. By understanding the inherent characteristics of an SHS interferogram and leveraging computational capabilities, we will demonstrate the direct extraction of the numerical presentation of the instrumental function from an SHS interferogram; this instrumental function was used for spectral data processing that enables significant improvements in spectral resolution through deconvolution algorithms. The resulting high-quality spectra enabled precise quantitative determination of lithium concentrations and isotope ratios. We aim to showcase the procedures involved in fine-tuning an SHS platform, along with software design strategy to track real-time spectral variations. Meanwhile, the concept of the lineshape recovery through deconvolution will also be discussed. Furthermore, atomic lithium spectra featuring various isotope compositions will be presented to highlight the potential of SHS in real-life applications. T2 - SCIX 2024 Conference CY - Raleigh, NC, USA DA - 20.10.2024 KW - Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometry KW - High-Resolution Spectrometry KW - Isotopic Analysis KW - Line Shape Recovery KW - Instrumental Function PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62138 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hufgard, Josefin T1 - Use Your Time (Domain) Wisely: Streamlined Analysis of Complex Mixtures with Pulsed-Laser Techniques N2 - This study aims to streamline complex mixture analysis through the parallel ionization of all analytes without extensive preprocessing. Here, pulsed laser ablation of single droplets is used with modified cross-correlation, a phase-sensitive algorithm. This combined method allows contactless chemical investigation with minimal sample pretreatment, as well as the separation of analytes in mixtures and reconstruction of analyte-specific mass spectra. T2 - Future WINS: Corss-sections and interfaces in science, careers, and communication CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 21.11.2024 KW - MS KW - Data analysis KW - Laser ablation PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62124 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schröter, Felix T1 - Fluorescence? Not on my Shift! Excitation- Shifted UV Raman Microspectroscopy N2 - Spectroscopic analysis of samples provides elemental information, which is useful when the sample is homogenous. But many samples are not and consequently the creation of maps detailing the spatial composition of materials is needed. Raman microscopy can be used for this exact purpose but suffers a big drawback. The inherently weak Raman scattering results in long measurement times, especially when maps with many data points are created. This is due to the long exposure times needed when visible light lasers are used. A shift to UV-Lasers significantly increases the Raman intensity, as it scales with the fourth power of the inverse of the laser wavelength. But UV excitation often leads to fluorescence which can obscure the relatively weak Raman signal. Consequently, UV-Raman can only be used with specially prepared samples, for example through photo-bleaching, or with samples producing no fluorescence background in the measurement region. A solution is proposed that uses shifted-excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) in a confocal microscope to obtain fluorescence-free Raman spectra. This is possible due to the collection of two Raman spectra at different excitation wavelengths. SERDS then allows for the calculation of just the Raman signal from the difference spectrum, which eliminates any fluorescence backgrounds, as they are not excitation wavelength dependent. The presented approach employs a polarized beamsplitter to irradiate the same spot with two lasers of different wavelengths which share the same beam path in the microscope. Consequently, a SERDS UV Raman Microscope is created, which utilizes the speed of UV-Raman without the drawbacks of possible broad fluorescence backgrounds. Here we present the instruments methodology and some first results. T2 - ANAKON 2025 CY - Leipzig, Germany DA - 10.03.2025 KW - UV Raman Spectroscopy KW - UV Raman Microspectroscopy KW - Confocal Microscopy KW - Excitation-Shifted Raman Spectroscopy PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-62734 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Blume, Simon T1 - Exploiting Lithium Self-Absorption in a Laser-Induced Breakdown Plasma for Isotopic Analysis via Spatial Heterodyne Spectroscopy N2 - Lithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous in modern life. From powering consumer electronics to enabling electric mobility and energy storage, they are a key building block of a sustainable future. Determination of the ratio of the two naturally abundant stable isotopes, 7Li and 6Li, provides access to a wide variety of information, such as studying the aging processes of lithium-ion batteries or elucidating the isotopic fingerprinting of natural or recycled sources of lithium. However, accurately measuring the lithium isotope ratio in complex samples remains challenging, often requiring either extensive sample pretreatment or specialized equipment, thus impeding in-situ and high-throughput demands of global industries. Recognition and determination of the individual lithium isotopes with conventional laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) setups is nearly impossible. While LIBS offers several advantages, such as obviating time- and resource-intensive sample preparation and enabling rapid measurements, the high temperature (~20,000 K) of the plasma, as well as the Stark-broadening caused by the nascent free electrons spectrally broaden the atomic emission lines to such an extent that the isotopic shift of the lithium doublet at 670 nm cannot be resolved. Since, the excited state energy for this transition amounts to only 14,900 cm-1, lithium exhibits a pronounced self-absorption dip in the emission signal. This self-absorption dip is significantly less affected by the broadening effects, therefore, allowing for the resolution of the isotopic shift from its line shape. Spatial heterodyne spectroscopy (SHS) offers the superior resolution capabilities necessary to differentiate the individual isotopic contributions. To address the generally limited sensitivity of SHS, a high-repetition-rate (>10 kHz) laser allows the accumulation of more than 10,000 lasing events per spectral recording for a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio and gain statistical validity. Optical lithium fluoride serves as a model sample to showcase the analytical performance. Additionally, the impact of the laser parameters on the self-absorption will also be discussed. T2 - ANAKON 2025 CY - Leipzig, Germany DA - 10.03.2025 KW - Isotopic Analysis KW - Spatial Heterodyne Spectroscopy PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63559 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Blume, Simon T1 - Femtosecond Laser-induced XUV Spectroscopy (LIXS) for Elemental Analysis N2 - In a typical laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) setup, emissions from collisional excitation of the atoms in the later stages of the plasma are detected and provide information about the elemental fingerprint of the sample. However, precise measurements, in particular quantification efforts, suffer from fluctuations of the intensity of the detected emission lines due to matrix effects and plasma-flicker noise, as well as significant background noise. In contrast, the early stages of the plasma are dominated by electron-ion recombination and Bremsstrahlung, which lead to sharp and intense x-ray emissions with consistent intensity profiles between laser pulses and suppressed background noise, therefore improving the limit of detection, especially for lighter elements. These emissions are detected in laser-induced XUV spectroscopy (LIXS).[1] Introduction of a femtosecond laser (pulse length ~100 fs) to the LIXS setup fundamentally changes the laser energy absorption and ablation process. The laser pulse energy is absorbed and redistributed by multiphoton absorption and inverse Bremsstrahlung and operates on a time frame faster than the plasma formation. Additionally, the plasma formation itself is accelerated leading to signal generation in the XUV-range before generation of the undesired background emissions. Thus, utilization of a femtosecond laser allows for further suppression of broadband emissions from the plasma allowing for sharper separation of the emission lines and improved limit of detection. This work presents the results of the combination of a LIXS setup with a femtosecond laser and assess the capabilities of this system with a model sample of cathode material from a spent lithium-ion battery. T2 - AMACEE 2025 CY - Brno, Czech Republic DA - 26.8.2025 KW - LIXS KW - Femtosecond laser KW - Instrumentation PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64118 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Palásti, Dávid jenö T1 - Interferometric sensing in the UV range – Investigation and comparison of the all-reflective spatial heterodyne spectrometer designs N2 - Spatial heterodyne spectrometers (SHS) are optical interferometric devices, working in the UV and visible spectral ranges [1]. The most common SHS setup is similar to the Michelson interferometer, both utilizes a beam splitter in the incoming beam path. In case of the SHS the split beams are not aimed towards orthogonal mirrors, but reflective optical gratings, set under a selected angle. These optical gratings diffract the beams, the direction of every wavelength will depend on the grating constant and the angle of the gratings. The wavefronts belonging to different wavelengths are going to cross each other under a unique angle, resulting in a spatial interference, which is recorded by a digital camera. This relatively compact setup provides high resolution and light throughput, which properties were harnessed for tasks requiring good line separation and/or high sensitivity [2]. However, SHS are only applicable on wavelengths for which an adequate transmissive beam splitter is available like the visible range, but not the far UV. To overcome this limitation, different all-reflective designs were introduced [3]. These instruments utilize symmetric optical gratings for the splitting and recombination of the beams. Although these SHS devices solve the main limitations of the traditional ones, they come with their fair share of drawbacks as well, such as more complex arrangement and the requirement for more delicate tuning. The behaviour of the traditional SHS is well documented [4,5], but in regards of the all-reflective ones we have much less available information. In this current study we utilized computational modelling to predict the behaviour of the all-reflective SH spectrometers, with special attention to the effects of the different alignment errors. Later we utilize this knowledge to fine tune an SHS for sensing (LIBS, Raman) in the UV region. Furthermore, we are introducing two new all-reflective SHS setups and compering them to their older counterparts. T2 - ANAKON 2025 CY - Leipzig, Germany DA - 10.03.2025 KW - SHS KW - Spectroscopy PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63556 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Blume, Simon T1 - Isotopic analysis of lithium via acousto-optically gated high-repetition laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and spatial heterodyne spectroscopy N2 - Acousto-optically gating the emission signal from a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) plasma negates some of the line-broadening effects, therefore, improving the signal line shape. However, the remaining influences disallow the differentiation of the contributions of the individual lithium isotopes, even when utilizing a high-resolution spatial heterodyne spectrometer (SHS). Nevertheless, isotopic analysis of lithium with LIBS is still feasible, because lithium exhibits a strong self-absorption dip in the emission signal, which is likewise characterized by the isotopic shift and even benefits from the broad emission lines typically observed in LIBS. The isotopic ration can be resolved from the absorption dip via high-resolution SHS. T2 - SciX 2024 CY - Raleigh, NC, USA DA - 20.10.2024 KW - LIBS KW - SHS KW - Isotopic analysis KW - Lithium PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62012 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Palásti, Dávid jenö T1 - The effects of the laser pulse profile on the plasma emission properties N2 - Intense laser pulses create plasmas upon radiation on targets, and the properties of such plasmas are generally determined by both the properties of the target and the laser pulse. In terms of laser intensity, the irradiance and even more importantly the fluence are the critical parameters [1]. Since most lasers emit pulses of a constant pulse duration dictated by the design of the resonator and Q-switch, these two parameters are usually used interchangeably in studies. However, with the emergence of fiber laser based light sources [2], which are capable not just to freely tune the pulse duration, but to generate variable and high pulse repetition rates, up to the MHz range, a new and interesting optimization aspect is given to the laser spectroscopy community. In our study a low alloy steel standard sample (BAS 403/1) was investigated using a variable pulse duration and pulse repetition rate MOPA laser with 80W power of  = 1064 nm emission (JPT M7, VONJAN Technology GmbH, Wessling, Germany). In our experiments the laser was set to pulses with low individual energy (0.4 mJ) at 200 kHz pulse repetition rate, while the pulse duration was varied between 50 and 500 ns. The plasma emission was recorded by an LTB Demon spectrometer in several spectral regions, which included iron, chromium and manganese lines. Utilizing the variable pulse duration of this laser source, it was possible to assess the effects of changing the fluence, while the irradiance was kept at the same value. Among the investigated parameters are the emission intensity, peak width and self-absorption characteristics of major and minor components, as well as the plasma temperature. While the effects for the peak intensity are quite well correlated with the fluence, its interplay with other peak parameters appear to be more complicated. T2 - AMACEE 2025 CY - Brno, Czech Republic DA - 26.08.2025 KW - LIBS KW - Fiberlaser KW - Plasma properties PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64218 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meyer, Klas T1 - On-line monitoring of polyhydroxyalkanoate extraction process using compact NMR spectroscopy N2 - Portable benchtop NMR spectrometers enable real-time process and reaction monitoring in contrast to conventional laboratory based off-line gas chromatography or high-field NMR measurements. In this study, benchtop NMR spectroscopy is demonstrated as a process analytical technology (PAT) tool for the application of the solvent extraction step in downstream processing of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers. These are one of the few thermoplastic polymers synthesized 100 % via biotechnological routes which fully biodegrade in common natural environments. This makes them excellent candidate materials for sustainable replacement of conventional plastic materials. Online NMR experiments were conducted using a fully automated setup, employing commercially available PTFE tubing as a flow-cell assembly. Extraction was carried out in a thermostated stirred batch reactor in lab-scale. Single-scan NMR spectra allowed continuous monitoring of the extraction of the PHA copolymer poly-(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyhexanoate) containing 13.5 mol-% hydroxyhexanoate from Ralstonia eutropha biomass. Extractions were performed in chloroform and acetone across ground lyophilized cell loadings ranging from 20 to 120 g/L. The reproducibility and reliability of compact NMR spectroscopy closely matched with high-field NMR measurements. A strong correlation was observed between online low-field NMR data and offline gas chromatography (GC) analysis. The study highlights the versatility of compact NMR for process monitoring, facilitating endpoint determination and enhancing extraction efficiency by optimizing process parameters. Steady-state conditions were achieved within 6 to 10 minutes for chloroform and acetone, respectively, underscoring the method’s value in supporting downstream process development and optimization for PHA recovery. T2 - 20. Herbstkolloquium Arbeitskreis Prozessanalytik CY - Frankfurt am Main, Germany DA - 03.12.2025 KW - Polyhydroxyalkanoate KW - Process Analytical Technology KW - Downstream processing KW - Benchtop-NMR PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-65065 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meyer, Klas T1 - Benchtop-NMR Spectroscopy as a PAT tool in industrial environments – Field integration of a laboratory instrument N2 - Chemical industry is currently in a rapidly changing environment, e.g., due to variability of raw material quality, high energy costs and demand for improving efficiency. Process optimization and new process concepts become more and more important. Flexible chemical plants can produce various high-quality products using multi-purpose equipment with short downtimes between campaigns and reduce time to market for new products. Intensified continuous production plants allow for difficult to produce compounds like exothermic reactions with high heat dissipation. Highly automated chemical process monitoring along with real-time quality control are prerequisites to such concepts and, thus, should be based on “real-time” chemical information. A commercially available benchtop NMR spectrometer was integrated to the full requirements of an automated chemical production environment such as explosion safety, field communication, and robust evaluation of sensor data. Field studies in modular and conventional production plant setups show promising results gaining process knowledge for further optimization. NMR spectroscopy appeared as powerful online analytical method and allows using a modular data analysis approach, which can even serve as reliable reference method for further calibration-dependent PAT applications (e.g., NIR or Raman spectroscopy). Based on experiences from earlier field studies an enhanced field enclosure setup was developed and built, including the option of a secondary analytical method (e.g., optical spectroscopy). Integrated control systems allow for a flexible implementation based on the available automation infrastructure at the chemical plant or pilot plant setup. In the future, modular interconnecting “smart” PAT systems and process equipment have the potential speed up the setup of production equipment for chemicals and pharma-ceuticals and therefore help to reduce the time-to-market. T2 - Analytica Conference 2026 CY - Munich, Germany DA - 24.03.2026 KW - Benchtop NMR spectroscopy KW - Process Analytical Technology KW - Field integration KW - Explosion safety PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65771 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -