TY - JOUR A1 - Nordholt, Niclas A1 - O'Hara, Kate A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Blaskovich, M. A1 - Rühle, Bastian A1 - Schreiber, Frank T1 - A fluorescently labelled quaternary ammonium compound (NBD-DDA) to study resistance mechanisms in bacteria N2 - Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are widely used as active agents in disinfectants, antiseptics, and preservatives. Despite being in use since the 1940s, there remain multiple open questions regarding their detailed mode-of-action and the mechanisms, including phenotypic heterogeneity, that can make bacteria less susceptible to QACs. To facilitate studies on resistance mechanisms towards QACs, we synthesized a fluorescent quaternary ammonium compound, namely N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-[2-[(4-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-7-yl)amino]ethyl]azanium-iodide (NBD-DDA). NBD-DDA is readily detected by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy with standard GFP/FITC-settings, making it suitable for molecular and single-cell studies. As a proof-of-concept, NBD-DDA was then used to investigate resistance mechanisms which can be heterogeneous among individual bacterial cells. Our results reveal that the antimicrobial activity of NBD-DDA against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa is comparable to that of benzalkonium chloride (BAC), a widely used QAC, and benzyl-dimethyl-dodecylammonium chloride (BAC12), a mono-constituent BAC with alkyl-chain length of 12 and high structural similarity to NBD-DDA. Characteristic time-kill kinetics and increased tolerance of a BAC tolerant E. coli strain against NBD-DDA suggest that the mode of action of NBD-DDA is similar to that of BAC. As revealed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), NBD-DDA is preferentially localized to the cell envelope of E. coli, which is a primary target of BAC and other QACs. Leveraging these findings and NBD-DDA‘s fluorescent properties, we show that reduced cellular accumulation is responsible for the evolved BAC tolerance in the BAC tolerant E. coli strain and that NBD-DDA is subject to efflux mediated by TolC. Overall, NBD-DDA’s antimicrobial activity, its fluorescent properties, and its ease of detection render it a powerful tool to study resistance mechanisms of QACs in bacteria and highlight its potential to gain detailed insights into its mode-of-action. KW - Antimicrobial resistance KW - Bacteria KW - Disinfection KW - Biocides PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-563811 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1023326 SN - 1664-302X IS - 13 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne AN - OPUS4-56381 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Olbrich, Adelina-Elisa A1 - An Stepec, Biwen Annie A1 - Wurzler, Nina A1 - Terol, E. C. A1 - Koerdt, Andrea A1 - Meermann, Björn T1 - Beyond corrosion: Development of a single cell-ICP-ToF-MS method to uncover the process of microbiologically influenced corrosion N2 - The development of the microbiologically influenced corrosion ( MIC ) -specific inductively coupled plasma-time of flight-mass spectrometry ( ICP-ToF-MS ) analytical method presented here, in combination with the investigation of steel-MIC interactions, contributes significantly to progress in instrumental MIC analysis. For this, a MIC-specific staining procedure was developed, which ensures the analysis of intact cells. It allows the analysis of archaea at a single cell level, which is extremely scarce compared to other well-characterized organisms. The detection method revealed elemental selectivity for the corrosive methanogenic strain Methanobacterium -affiliated IM1. Hence, the possible uptake of individual elements from different steel samples was investigated and results showed the cells responded at a single-cell level to the different types of supplemented elements and displayed the abilities to uptake chromium, vanadium, titanium, cobalt, and molybdenum from solid metal surfaces. The methods developed and information obtained will be used in the future to elucidate underlying mechanisms, compliment well-developed methods, such as SEM-EDS, and develop novel material protection concepts. KW - Single cell KW - Microbiological influenced corrosion MIC KW - Sc-ICP-ToF-MS KW - Method development KW - Ir DNA staining approach KW - Carbon steel corrosion PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1093/mtomcs/mfac083 SN - 1756-591X VL - 14 IS - 11 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford AN - OPUS4-56254 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kalbe, Ute A1 - Piechotta, Christian A1 - Bandow, Nicole T1 - Comparing PFAS analysis in batch leaching and column leaching tests N2 - Laboratory leaching tests are tools to assess the mobility of environmental contaminants released from granular materials. Comparative leaching tests were performed using four PFAS-contaminated soils whose concentration patterns of 10 selected perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) differed due to the two types of contamination sources. This study aimed to evaluate the equivalence of two usual laboratory-scale leaching test procedures, batch and column percolation tests, at liquid-to-solid ratios (L/S) of 2 l/kg, which is the current practice within the German assessment framework, and 10 l/kg (relevant for some EU regulations such as the landfill directive). The differences between the replicates of leaching tests investigating PFAS were smaller for column percolation tests than for batch tests, probably mainly due to the greater sample size and the better representativeness of the sample portion analyzed. It was observed that batch tests overestimate the release of shorter-chain PFAS, whereby the effect was greater with carboxylic than with sulfonic acids. Currently, the limits of detection of analyses given by the DIN standard with regard to PFCA and PFSA in soils are partly not sufficient to detect very low contents, whereas the detection of selected PFCA and PFSA in eluates is more sensitive, in accordance with the available standards. This results in limitations when calculating mass balances. KW - PFAS KW - Leaching KW - Column percolation test KW - Batch test KW - Soil PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-618187 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35510-0 SN - 1614-7499 VL - 31 IS - 57 SP - 65233 EP - 65251 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-61818 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Srivastava, Priyanka A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella A1 - Scholtz, Lena A1 - Genger, C. A1 - Welker, P. A1 - Schreiber, Frank A1 - Meyer, Klas A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Dual color pH probes made from silica and polystyrene nanoparticles and their performance in cell studies N2 - Ratiometric green–red fluorescent nanosensors for fluorometrically monitoring pH in the acidic range were designed from 80 nm-sized polystyrene (PS) and silica (SiO2) nanoparticles (NPs), red emissive reference dyes, and a green emissive naphthalimide pH probe, analytically and spectroscopically characterized, and compared regarding their sensing performance in aqueous dispersion and in cellular uptake studies. Preparation of these optical probes, which are excitable by 405 nm laser or LED light sources, involved the encapsulation of the pH-inert red-fuorescent dye Nile Red (NR) in the core of self-made carboxylated PSNPs by a simple swelling procedure and the fabrication of rhodamine B (RhB)-stained SiO2-NPs from a silane derivative of pH-insensitive RhB. Subsequently, the custom-made naphthalimide pH probe, that utilizes a protonation-controlled photoinduced electron transfer process, was covalently attached to the carboxylic acid groups at the surface of both types of NPs. Fluorescence microscopy studies with the molecular and nanoscale optical probes and A549 lung cancer cells confirmed the cellular uptake of all probes and their penetration into acidic cell compartments, i.e., the lysosomes, indicated by the switching ON of the green naphthalimide fluorescence. This underlines their suitability for intracellular pH sensing, with the SiO2-based nanosensor revealing the best performance regarding uptake speed and stability. KW - Sensors KW - Silica and polystyrene nanoparticles KW - pH probe KW - Fluorescence spectroscopy KW - Cell studies KW - Dye KW - Particle synthesis PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-569198 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-28203-0 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 13 IS - 1 SP - 1321 EP - 1336 PB - Nature CY - London AN - OPUS4-56919 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Richter, Matthias A1 - Schühle, Florian T1 - Experimental determination of 7-day uptake rates for diffusive sampling of 86 volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds relevant for indoor air monitoring and investigation on their sensitivity to exposure time and indoor climate N2 - This study aimed to experimentally determine uptake rates for 86 indoor relevant volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOC, SVOC) for the passive sampler type Perkin Elmer/Markes™ with Tenax® TA as sorbent, which was used in the German Environmental Survey on Health (GerES VI) carried out by the German Environmental Agency (UBA) in the years 2023-2024. For this purpose, single reference gas atmospheres of 76 pure VOCs (liquid at room temperature) and a group of 10 SVOCs and VOCs (solid at room temperature) were generated using two generation procedures. By exposing the samplers to individual components, it was ruled out that interactions in a mixture have a influence on the uptake rate. Another aspect was to precisely describe the methodology and the resulting uncertainties, as there are gaps in the literature in this regard. The selection of the compounds was based on the findings of the preceding GerES V study for which data was missing or needed to be verified. In each experiment, a number of six passive samplers was exposed to the test gas atmospheres in dynamically operated exposure chambers for seven days. The sensitivity of the uptake rates of a group of 10 selected VOCs to variations in exposure time, ambient temperature, and air humidity in a multi-component reference gas atmosphere was investigated. Here, a decrease in the uptake rate with the exposure time could be observed stabilising from the fifth day of exposure onwards. A significant effect of temperature and humidity on the uptake rate was not apparent. The determined uptake rates exhibit uncertainties of < 20 % for 71 substances, and < 10 % for 51 substances which are also in good agreement with the literature, if already published elsewhere. The quantity of investigated substances, the detailed description of the methodology used to determine the uptake rates complemented by the respective uncertainties, as well as the compilation of comparative data, contribute to a better assessment of the quality and relevance of such data, which had not been published before. KW - Indoor air quality KW - Volatile organic compounds KW - Uptake rates KW - Passive sampling KW - Tenax TA PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-629913 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100095 VL - 2 IS - 2 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-62991 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tang, Chi-Long A1 - Seeger, Stefan A1 - Röllig, Mathias T1 - Improving the comparability of FFF-3D printing emission data by adjustment of the set extruder temperature N2 - Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a material extrusion-based technique often used in desktop 3D printers. Polymeric filaments are melted and are extruded through a heated nozzle to form a 3D object in layers. The extruder temperature is therefore a key parameter for a successful print job but also one of the main emission driving factors as harmful pollutants (e.g., ultrafine particles) are formed by thermal polymer degradation. The awareness of potential health risks has increased the number of emission studies in the past years. However, studies usually refer their calculated emission data to the printer set extruder temperature for comparison purposes. In this study, we used a thermocouple and an infrared camera to measure the actual extruder temperature and found significant temperature deviations to the displayed set temperature among printer models. Our result shows that printing the same filament feedstocks with three different printer models and with identical printer set temperature resulted in a variation in particle emission of around two orders of magnitude. A temperature adjustment has reduced the variation to approx. one order of magnitude. Thus, it is necessary to refer the measured emission data to the actual extruder temperature as it poses a more accurate comparison parameter for evaluation of the indoor air quality in user scenarios or for health risk assessments. KW - Ultrafine particles KW - Infrared thermography KW - Thermocouple KW - Indoor air quality KW - FFF-3D printer PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-572842 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aeaoa.2023.100217 VL - 18 SP - 100217 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - Amsterdam, Niederlande AN - OPUS4-57284 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Roesch, Philipp A1 - Schinnen, Andrea A1 - Riedel, Maren A1 - Sommerfeld, Thomas A1 - Sawal, G. A1 - Bandow, N. A1 - Vogel, Christian A1 - Kalbe, Ute A1 - Simon, Franz-Georg T1 - Investigation of pH-dependent extraction methods for PFAS in (fluoropolymer-based) consumer products: A comparative study between targeted and sum parameter analysis N2 - Here, we report a comparative study of different sum parameter analysis methods for the extraction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from manufactured consumer products, which can be measured by combustion ion chromatography (CIC). Therefore, a hydrolysis-based extraction method was further developed, which accounts for the addition of hydrolyzable covalently bound polyfluoroalkylated side-chain polymers (SFPs) to the extractable organic fluorine portion of the mass balance proposed as "hydrolyzable organically bound fluorine" (HOF). To test this hypothesis, the method was applied to 39 different consumer products containing fluoropolymers or monomeric PFAS taken from four different categories: outdoor textiles, paper packaging, carpeting, and permanent baking sheets. We also evaluated the method's efficiency by extracting four synthesized fluorotelomer polyacrylate reference compounds. The total fluorine (TF) and extractable organically bound fluorine (EOF) values were measured through CIC using established protocols. The TF values ranged from sub-ppb to %-levels, depending on the compound class. All samples showed results for hydrolyzed organofluorine (HOF) between 0.03 and 76.3 μg/g, while most EOF values were lower (150 mg kg−1, because of different diffusion properties for various PFAS, but also kinetic exchange limitations. KW - Combustion ion chromatography KW - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - Sewage sludge KW - Fertilizer PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-583429 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d3va00178d SN - 2754-7000 VL - 2 IS - 10 SP - 1436 EP - 1445 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) CY - London AN - OPUS4-58342 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wen, Keqing A1 - Gorbushina, Anna A1 - Schwibbert, Karin A1 - Bell, Jérémy T1 - Microfluidic platform with precisely controlled hydrodynamic parameters and integrated features for generation of microvortices to accurately form and monitor biofilms in flow N2 - Microorganisms often live in habitats characterized by fluid flow, and their adhesion to surfaces in industrial systems or clinical settings may lead to pipe clogging, microbially influenced corrosion, material deterioration, food spoilage, infections, and human illness. Here, a novel microfluidic platform was developed to investigate biofilm formation under precisely controlled (i) cell concentration, (ii) temperature, and (iii) flow conditions. The developed platform central unit is a single-channel microfluidic flow cell designed to ensure ultrahomogeneous flow and condition in its central area, where features, e.g., with trapping properties, can be incorporated. In comparison to static and macroflow chamber assays for biofilm studies, microfluidic chips allow in situ monitoring of biofilm formation under various flow regimes and have better environment control and smaller sample requirements. Flow simulations and experiments with fluorescent particles were used to simulate bacteria flow in the platform cell for calculating flow velocity and direction at the microscale level. The combination of flow analysis and fluorescent strain injection in the cell showed that microtraps placed at the center of the channel were efficient in capturing bacteria at determined positions and to study how flow conditions, especially microvortices, can affect biofilm formation. The microfluidic platform exhibited improved performances in terms of homogeneity and robustness for in vitro biofilm formation. We anticipate the presented platform to be suitable for broad, versatile, and high-throughput biofilm studies at the microscale level. KW - Topographical pattern KW - E. coli KW - Fluorescence KW - Bacteria trapping KW - Particle velocimetry PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-610450 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.4c00101 SN - 2373-9878 VL - 10 IS - 7 SP - 4626 EP - 4634 PB - ACS Publ. CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-61045 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vogel, Christian A1 - Roesch, Philipp A1 - Wittwer, Philipp A1 - Sommerfeld, Thomas A1 - Riedel, Maren A1 - Leube, Peter A1 - Kalbe, Ute A1 - Schoknecht, Ute A1 - Simon, Franz-Georg T1 - Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Ski Waxes and Snow from Cross-Country Skiing in Germany - Comparative study of Sum Parameter and Target Analysis N2 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are often environmentally exposed via discharge through human consumer products, such as ski waxes. In our study we analyzed various ski waxes from the 1980s and 2020s, to determine both the sum parameter values total fluorine (TF), extractable organically bound fluorine (EOF), hydrolysable organically bound fluorine (HOF) as well as targeted PFAS analysis. This showed that modern high-performance waxes contain up to 6 % TF, but also PFAS-free labelled ski waxes contain traces of PFAS with EOF/HOF values in the low mg kg-1 range. With the ban of all fluorine-based waxes with the start of the 2023/2024 winter season this will probably change soon. Moreover, we applied our analysis methods to snow samples from a frequently used cross country ski trail (Kammloipe) in the Ore Mountain region in Germany, assessing the potential PFAS entry/discharge through ski waxes. Melted snow samples from different spots were analyzed by the adsorbable organically bound fluorine (AOF) sum parameter and PFAS target analysis and confirmed the abrasion of the ski waxes into the snow. Moreover, on a PFAS hotspot also soil samples were analyzed, which indicate that PFAS from the ski waxes adsorb after snow melting into the soil. KW - Combustion Ion Chromatography KW - Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - Consumer Products PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-612760 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazadv.2024.100484 VL - 16 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-61276 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -