TY - CONF A1 - Mrkwitschka, Paul T1 - Comparative study of suitable preparation methods to evaluate irregular shaped, polydisperse nanoparticles by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). N2 - Reliable characterization of materials at the nanoscale regarding their physio-chemical properties is a challenging task, which is important when utilizing and designing nanoscale materials. Nanoscale materials pose a potential toxicological hazard to the environment and the human body. For this reason, the European Commission amended the REACH Regulation in 2018 to govern the classification of nanomaterials, relying on number-based distribution of the particle size. Suitable methods exist for the granulometric characterization of monodisperse and ideally shaped nanoparticles. However, the evaluation of commercially available nanoscale powders is problematic. These powders tend to agglomerate, show a wide particle size distribution and are of irregular particle shape. Zinc oxide, aluminum oxide and cerium oxide with particle sizes less than 100 nm were selected for the studies and different preparation methods were used comparatively. First, the nanoparticles were dispersed in different dispersants and prepared on TEM-supported copper grids. Furthermore, individual powders were deposited on carbon-based self-adhesive pads. In addition, the samples were embedded by hot mounting and then ground and polished. The prepared samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (including the transmission mode STEM-in-SEM) and Dynamic Light scattering. The software package ImageJ was used to segment the SEM images and obtain the particle sizes and shapes and finally the number-based particles size distribution with size expressed as various descriptors. T2 - Ceramics 2021 CY - Online meeting DA - 19.04.2021 KW - Nanoparticles KW - Preparation KW - Characterization PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53272 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Mrkwitschka, Paul T1 - Fine iron oxide nanoparticles as a candidate reference material for reliable measurement of particle size N2 - Background, Motivation and Objective Nanomaterials are at the core of some of the 21st century’s most promising technologies. In order to utilize and rationally design materials at the nanoscale the reliable characterization of their physico-chemical properties is highly important. Furthermore, the European Commission has taken measures via the REACH Regulations to control the classification of nanomaterials. REACH Annexes which entered into force in January 2020 require manufacturers to register nanomaterials that are traded in larger quantities (at least 1 ton). Every powder or dispersion where 50% (number distribution) of the constituent particles have sizes ≤ 100 nm in at least one dimension are defined as a nanomaterial. This creates a need for both industrial manufacturers and research and analytical service facilities to reliably characterize potential nanomaterials. Currently, BAM is working on developing reference nanoparticles, which shall expand the scarce list of worldwide available nano reference materials certified for particle size distribution, but also targeting other key parameters such as shape, structure (including porosity) and functional properties. Thus, candidate materials are considered to complement the already available spherical and monodisperse silica, Au and polystyrene reference nanoparticles, e.g. iron oxide and titanium oxide, with an average atomic number between those of silica and gold. Particularly for the imaging by electron microscopies, new nanoparticles of well-defined size in the range of 10 nm are decisive for the accurate particle segmentation by setting precise thresholds. Statement of Contribution/Methods Synthesis: Highly monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles can be synthesized in large quantities by thermal decomposition of iron oleate or iron acetylacetonate precursors in high boiling solvents such as octadecene or dioctyl ether in the presence of oleic acid and oleylamine as capping agents. Scanning Electron Microscope: An SEM of type Supra 40 from Zeiss has been used including the dedicated measurement mode transmission in SEM (STEM-in-SEM) with a superior material contrast for the nanoparticle analysis. The software package ImageJ has been used for the analysis of the STEM-in-SEM images and to determine the particle size distribution. Dynamic Light scattering (DLS): Particles in suspension were measured in comparison by means of Zetasizer Nano (Malvern Panalytical; cumulants analysis) and NanoFlex (Microtrac; frequency power spectrum). Results/Discussion In this study iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized at BAM and pre-characterized by DLS, SEM (including the transmission mode STEM-in-SEM) are presented. The particles are spherical and highly monodisperse with sizes slightly larger than 10 nm. T2 - Nanosafe 2020 CY - Online meeting DA - 16.11.2020 KW - Reference nanomaterials KW - Imaging techniques KW - Size and size distribution KW - Reliable characterization KW - Iron oxide nanoparticles PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-51767 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 - INPR A1 - Miliūtė, Aistė ED - Bustamante, Joana ED - Karafiludis, Stephanos ED - Zöllner, Moritz ED - Eddah, Mustapha ED - Emmerling, Franziska ED - Mieller, Björn ED - George, Janine ED - Stawski, Tomasz 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:b43-613643 DO - https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-d4sj9 SN - 2573-2293 VL - 2024 SP - 1 EP - 60 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington, D.C. AN - OPUS4-61364 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Miliūtė, Aistė T1 - How experimental and computational methods allow us to design negative thermal expansion materials N2 - Combined experimental and computational methods allow comprehensive understanding, design, and tailoring of material properties. We focus on a well-known negative thermal expansion (NTE) material, zirconium vanadate (ZrV2O7), and address synthesis, characterisation and validation of results with computational simulations. Experimental and computational X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy data highlighted differences between phase-pure and multiphase ceramics. These techniques allowed us to distinguish subtle differences in the structure of the material. Based on ab initio simulated phonon data, unaffected by impurities or instrumental errors, we could interpret the Raman spectra and visualise Raman active atom vibrations. These computational models allowed better insight and further experimental improvement while high-quality experimental data granted the validation and improvement of computational simulation strategy. T2 - Application of Neutrons and Synchrotron Radiation in Engineering Materials Science CY - Hamburg, Germany DA - 23.03.2025 KW - NTE KW - Sol-gel KW - Ab initio KW - Raman KW - XRD PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-62832 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wu, Shu-Han T1 - MOF-derived Synthetic Carbon Anode Materials for Sodium-Ion Batteries N2 - Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), particularly the zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) family, are attractive precursors for advanced energy-storage materials. Upon pyrolysis, ZIFs can be transformed into electrically conductive carbon materials while preserving their original particle morphology, which is crucial for achieving high-performance sodium-ion battery anodes. Despite these advantages, large-scale implementation remains challenging due to the need for synthesis routes that balance performance, cost, and sustainability. The present study addresses these challenges by developing environmentally benign and economically feasible strategies for the scalable production of ZIF-8-derived carbon anodes suitable for industrial applications. T2 - Batterieforum Deutschland 2026 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 20.01.2026 KW - Sodium-ion battery KW - Negative electrode KW - Metalorganic frameworks PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65644 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Miliūtė, Aistė T1 - How experimental and computational methods allow us to design negative thermal expansion materials N2 - Combined experimental and computational methods allow comprehensive understanding, design, and tailoring of material properties. We focus on a wellknown negative thermal expansion (NTE) material, zirconium vanadate (ZrV2O7), and address synthesis, characterisation and validation of results with computational simulations. Experimental and computational X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy data highlighted differences between phase-pure and multiphase ceramics. These techniques allowed us to distinguish subtle differences in the structure of the material. Based on ab initio simulated phonon data, unaffected by impurities or instrumental errors, we could interpret the Raman spectra and visualise Raman active atom vibrations. These computational models allowed better insight and further experimental improvement while high-quality experimental data granted the validation and improvement of computational simulation strategy. T2 - SALSA Make and Measure 2024 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 11.09.2024 KW - NTE KW - Sol-gel KW - Ab initio KW - Raman KW - XRD PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61358 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Miliute, Aiste T1 - How experimental and computational methods allow us to design negative thermal expansion materials N2 - Combined experimental and computational methods allow a comprehensive understanding, design, and tailoring of material properties. We focus on a well-known negative thermal expansion (NTE) material, zirconium vanadate (ZrV2O7), and address its synthesis, characterisation, and computational validation of results. Experimental and computational X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy data highlighted differences between phase-pure and multiphase ceramics. The total-scattering method enabled us to distinguish subtle differences in the material's structure. Based on ab initio simulated phonon data, we could interpret the Raman spectra, visualise Raman-active atomic vibrations, and gain deeper insight into the local structure. Computational models provided deeper insight and enabled further experimental improvements, while high-quality experimental data validated and improved the computational simulation strategy. T2 - CATS Special Guests III CY - Urcuqui, Ecuador DA - 06.03.2026 KW - NTE KW - Ab initio KW - PDF KW - Raman KW - XRD PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65714 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Miliūtė, Aistė T1 - Synthesis and phase purity of the negative thermal expansion material ZrV2O7 N2 - This repository contains computational and experimental data for the manuscript titled “Synthesis and phase purity of the negative thermal expansion material ZrV2O7”. KW - NTE KW - Sol-gel KW - Solid-state KW - Ab-initio KW - XRD KW - Raman PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12688634 PB - Zenodo CY - Geneva AN - OPUS4-61360 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -