TY - JOUR
A1 - Dalgic, Mete‐Sungur
A1 - Kumar, Sourabh
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Quantitative Analysis of Polymers by MALDI‐TOF Mass Spectrometry: Correlation Between Signal Intensity and Arm Number
N2 - The signal intensities of linear and star‐shaped poly(L‐lactides) (PLA) and poly (ethylene oxides) (PEO) were compared to determine the influence of the number of arms on the ionization in matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry. In this study, a variety of blends were prepared and investigated, including binary and ternary combinations of linear and star‐shaped polymers with similar molecular masses. The focus was on examining their intensity ratios. In equimolar binary PLA blends, polymer stars were observed to exhibit higher intensities than their linear counterparts. This result was supported by experiments with equimolar ternary PLA blends, which clearly demonstrated an intensity dependence on the number of polymer arms. It was observed that four‐arm PLA exhibited higher intensities than three‐arm PLA. A similar trend was observed in investigations involving acetylated polymer end groups, suggesting that differences in ionization are primarily influenced by polymer architecture rather than end groups. In order to validate this assumption, the binding energies for [polymer‐K] + adduct ions utilizing the most stable geometry obtained from GOAT (Global Optimizer Algorithm) were calculated, revealing that star‐shaped lower mass oligomers have slightly higher binding energies.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Starlike polymers
KW - Quantification
KW - Topology
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-653401
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/jms.70023
SN - 1076-5174
VL - 61
IS - 1
SP - 1
EP - 12
PB - John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
AN - OPUS4-65340
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Meyer, Andreas
A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana
A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R.
T1 - Cyclic polyglycolide by means of metal acetylacetonates
N2 - Glycolide was polymerized in bulk at 160 °C using various metal acetylacetonates as catalysts. Zirconium acetylacetonate was particularly efficient, enabling rapid polymerization even at 130 °C. The formation of cyclic poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), most likely via a ring-expansion polymerization (REP) mechanism, was proven by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Depending on the polymerization conditions, the formation of even-numbered cycles was favored to varying degrees. Number-average molecular weights (Mn) in the range of 2000–3500 g mol−1 were achieved with dispersities below 2.0. Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) powder patterns showed that the crystal lattice was the same as that of known linear PGAs, regardless of the Mn values. These patterns enabled a comparison of crystallinities with values derived from DSC measurements.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Polyglycolide
KW - Crystallization
KW - Small-angle X-ray scattering
KW - Cyclization
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-653731
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ra07961f
SN - 2046-2069
VL - 16
IS - 2
SP - 1757
EP - 1764
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
AN - OPUS4-65373
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - RPRT
A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana
A1 - Beskers, Timo. F.
A1 - Myxa, Anett
A1 - Pursch, Matthias
T1 - Round-robin test for size exclusion chromatography – Data summary
N2 - Size exclusion chromatography (SEC or GPC) is one critical component of polymer analysis to meet the increasing requirements in regulatory context – namely, determination of Mn, as well as oligomers of less than 500 g mol-1 and 1000 g mol-1. The underlying test methods (OECD 118/119 and DIN EN ISO 13885 1 to 3) provide a framework for SEC measurements; however, they lack sufficient specificity to obtain accurate results. Previous SEC round robin tests were mostly performed on homopolymers and did not collect data on oligomer contents.
A new round robin test was initiated and conceptualized within the Task force “Method Evaluation for Polymer REACh (MeEP)”, an initiative of “Industrieforum Analytik” within the German Chemical Society (GDCh). Samples for this study were selected to represent both easy benchmark polymers as well as real-life, industry-relevant polymer materials. Data collection focused on the regulatory requirements.
Distribution of samples, gathering of individual results and evaluation were carried out by BAM. A data summary as initial result is reported here. Further evaluation and interpretation are a part of ongoing research.
KW - Size exclusion chromatography
KW - Polymers
KW - Oligomer content
KW - Round-robin test
PY - 2026
DO - https://doi.org/10.26272/opus4-65587
SP - 1
EP - 84
PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
CY - Berlin
AN - OPUS4-65587
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - MALDI-TOF MS in der Synthese hochmolekularer Polylaktid Homo- und Copolymere
N2 - Die MALDI-TOF Massenspektrometrie stellt eine wichtige Methode zur simultanen Bestimmung von Molmassen, Molmassenverteilungen und Endgruppen von synthetischen Polymeren dar. In dem Vortrag wird gezeigt, welche zusätzlichen Informationen über die Art der Polymerisation, der Nebenreaktionen und der Topologie der gebildeten hochmolekularen Polylaktid-Homo- und Copolymere im Verlauf ihrer Synthese erhalten werden können.
T2 - Bruker Anwendertreffen
CY - Online meeting
DA - 05.03.2021
KW - MALDI
KW - Polylaktide
PY - 2021
AN - OPUS4-52278
LA - deu
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - You, Zengchao
A1 - Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Panne, Ulrich
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Separation of polystyrene nanoparticles bearing different carboxyl group densities and functional groups quantification with capillary electrophoresis and asymmetrical flow field flow fractionation
N2 - Two sets of polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs) with comparable core sizes but different carboxyl group densities were made and separated using asymmetric flow field flow fractionation (AF4), capillary electrophoresis (CE), and the off-line hyphenation of both methods. Our results revealed the significant potential of two-dimensional off-line AF4-CE hyphenation to improve the separation and demonstrated for the first time, the applicability of CE to determine the functional group density of nanoparticles (NPs). Compared to the result acquired with conductometric titration, the result obtained with synthesized 100 nm sized PSNPs revealed only a slight deviation of 1.7%. Commercial 100 nm sized PSNPs yielded a deviation of 4.6 %. For 60 nm sized PSNPs, a larger deviation of 10.6 % between both methods was observed, which is attributed to the lower separation resolution.
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - A4F
KW - Capillary electrophoresis
KW - Carboxyl group
PY - 2020
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461392
VL - 1626
SP - 461392
PB - Elsevier B.V.
AN - OPUS4-51080
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Meyer, A.
A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R.
T1 - Sn(II)2-ethylhexanoate-catalyzed polymerizations of L-lactide in solution – Solution grown crystals of cyclic Poly(L-Lactide)s
N2 - L-lactide (LA) was polymerized in toluene by means of neat tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct2). Concentration, time and temperature were varied. The isothermally crystallized polyLAs (PLA) were characterized in the virgin state with regard to topology, molar mass, melting temperature (Tm), crystal modification, high or low Tm morphology, crystallinity and crystal thickness. Even a small amount of solvent favored cyclization relative to polymerization in bulk, so that cyclic polylactides were obtained at 115 ◦C and even at 95 ◦C. At all temperatures the α-modification of PLA was obtained along with crystallinities up to 90%. With 6 M solution the high Tm morphology with Tm’s > 190 ◦C was obtained at 115 ◦C. The crystal thickness of crystallites grown from solution at 115 ◦C was on the average 10–20% higher than that of PLA polymerized in bulk. At a polymerization temperature of 75 ◦C cyclization was incomplete and fewer perfect crystallites were formed. A new hypothesis for the crystal growth of cyclic polyLAs is proposed.
KW - Polylactide
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Crystalinity
KW - Polymerization
PY - 2022
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2022.125142
SN - 0032-3861
VL - 255
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Elsevier
CY - Oxford
AN - OPUS4-55283
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Emmerling, Franziska
A1 - Michalchuk, Adam
A1 - Stolar, Jasna
A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana
A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit
A1 - Gugin, Nikita
A1 - Casali, Lucia
T1 - Mechanochemical pathways to sustainability: from molecular insights to applications
N2 - Mechanochemical Innovations for Sustainable Synthesis of Framework Materials and Industrial ScaleUp
Mechanochemistry has emerged as a powerful approach for sustainable materials synthesis and processing, with significant potential to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This presentation will highlight our recent advancements in understanding, monitoring, and scaling-up mechanochemical synthesis of framework materials, focusing on the balance between fundamental understanding of reaction mechanisms and its practical applications in energy storage and energy transfer materials.
A central focus of our work has been the development and application of time-resolved in situ monitoring techniques for mechanochemical processes. Our research on real-time synchrotron X-ray diffraction has enabled unprecedented insights into reaction pathways and kinetics. Recently, we have successfully applied energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction for time-resolved in situ monitoring of reactive extrusion, marking a significant step towards ‘lighting up’ industrial-scale mechanochemistry.
Bridging fundamental understanding with practical applications, we have explored the mechanochemical synthesis of functional materials for energy storage and transfer, making process in the mechanochemical synthesis of highly proton-conductive metal phosphonates, demonstrating the potential of mechanochemistry to manufacture advanced materials for energy applications.
T2 - GDCh Universität Marburg
CY - Marburg, Germany
DA - 10.02.2025
KW - Situ investigation
KW - Nanoparticles
KW - Metal phosphonates
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64844
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana
T1 - Microstructure characterization of oligomers by analysis of UPLC / ESI-TOF-MS reconstructed ion chromatograms
N2 - It is a well-known story that copolymers beside their molar mass distribution (MMD) can exhibit a functionality type distribution (FTD), a copolymer composition distribution (CCD), a monomer sequence distribution (MSD) and additionally different topologies within one sample. Small, often isobaric heterogeneities in topology or microstructure can usually not be simply separated chromatographically or distinguished by any common detector. Nowadays a wide range of different analytical separation techniques and multi-detection possibilities are available. The challenge consists in a clever combination of these techniques with a specific approach of data analysis. In this presentation different liquid chromatographic separation modes were combined with Electrospray Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry.
The online coupling allows the analysis of reconstructed ion chromatograms (RIC) of each degree of polymerization. While a complete separation often cannot be achieved, the derived retention times and peak widths lead to information on the existence and dispersity of heterogeneities in microstructure or topology, that are otherwise inaccessible This method is suitable to detect small differences in e. g. branching, topology, monomer sequence or tacticity and could potentially be used in production control of oligomeric products or other routinely done analyses to quickly indicate deviations from set parameters. Based on a variety of examples e.g. the topology elucidation of branched EO-PO copolymers, the possibilities and limitations of this approach were demonstrated.
T2 - Analyticon 2020
CY - Online meeting
DA - 05.11.2020
KW - Microstructure
KW - Copolymer
KW - LC-MS
PY - 2020
AN - OPUS4-51540
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Trimpin, Sarah
A1 - Yenchick, Frank S.
A1 - Lee, Chuping
A1 - Hoang, Khoa
A1 - Pophristic, Milan
A1 - Karki, Santosh
A1 - Marshall, Darrell D.
A1 - Lu, I-Chung
A1 - Lutomski, Corinne A.
A1 - El-Baba, Tarick J.
A1 - Wang, Beixi
A1 - Pagnotti, Vincent S.
A1 - Meher, Anil K.
A1 - Chakrabarty, Shubhashis
A1 - Imperial, Lorelei F.
A1 - Madarshahian, Sara
A1 - Richards, Alicia L.
A1 - Lietz, Christopher B.
A1 - Moreno-Pedraza, Abigail
A1 - Leach, Samantha M.
A1 - Gibson, Stephen C.
A1 - Elia, Efstathios A.
A1 - Thawoos, Shameemah M.
A1 - Woodall, Daniel W.
A1 - Jarois, Dean R.
A1 - Davis, Eric T.J.
A1 - Liao, Guochao
A1 - Muthunayake, Nisansala S.
A1 - Redding, McKenna J.
A1 - Reynolds, Christian A.
A1 - Anthony, Thilani M.
A1 - Vithanarachchi, Sashiprabha M.
A1 - DeMent, Paul
A1 - Adewale, Adeleye O.
A1 - Yan, Lu
A1 - Wager-Miller, James
A1 - Ahn, Young-Hoon
A1 - Sanderson, Thomas H.
A1 - Przyklenk, Karin
A1 - Greenberg, Miriam L.
A1 - Suits, Arthur G.
A1 - Allen, Matthew J.
A1 - Narayan, Srinivas B.
A1 - Caruso, Joseph A.
A1 - Stemmer, Paul M.
A1 - Nguyen, Hien M.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Rackers, Kevin J.
A1 - Djuric, Ana
A1 - Shulaev, Vladimir
A1 - Hendrickson, Tamara L.
A1 - Chow, Christine S.
A1 - Pflum, Mary Kay H.
A1 - Grayson, Scott M.
A1 - Lobodin, Vladislav V.
A1 - Guo, Zhongwu
A1 - Ni, Chi-Kung
A1 - Walker, J. Michael
A1 - Mackie, Ken
A1 - Inutan, Ellen D.
A1 - McEwen, Charles N.
T1 - New Processes for Ionizing Nonvolatile Compounds in Mass Spectrometry: The Road of Discovery to Current State-of-the-Art
N2 - This Perspective covers discovery and mechanistic aspects aswell as initial applications of novel ionization processes for use in massspectrometry that guided us in a series of subsequent discoveries, instrumentdevelopments, and commercialization. Vacuum matrix-assisted ionization onan intermediate pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization sourcewithout the use of a laser, high voltages, or any other added energy wassimply unbelievable, at first. Individually and as a whole, the variousdiscoveries and inventions started to paint, inter alia, an exciting new pictureand outlook in mass spectrometry from which key developments grew thatwere at the time unimaginable, and continue to surprise us in its simplisticpreeminence. We, and others, have demonstrated exceptional analyticalutility. Our current research is focused on how best to understand, improve, and use these novel ionization processes throughdedicated platforms and source developments. These ionization processes convert volatile and nonvolatile compounds from solid orliquid matrixes into gas-phase ions for analysis by mass spectrometry using, e.g., mass-selected fragmentation and ion mobilityspectrometry to provide accurate, and sometimes improved, mass and drift time resolution. The combination of research anddiscoveries demonstrated multiple advantages of the new ionization processes and established the basis of the successes that lead tothe Biemann Medal and this Perspective. How the new ionization processes relate to traditional ionization is also presented, as wellas how these technologies can be utilized in tandem through instrument modification and implementation to increase coverage ofcomplex materials through complementary strengths.
KW - Mass spectrometry
PY - 2024
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/jasms.3c00122
SN - 1879-1123
VL - 35
IS - 12
SP - 2753
EP - 2784
PB - American Chemical Society (ACS)
AN - OPUS4-61417
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Gugin, Nikita
T1 - ZIF-8-Based Biocomposites via Reactive Extrusion: Towards Industrial-Scale Manufacturing
N2 - Mechanochemistry offers a solvent-free, sustainable alternative to conventional synthesis of metal-organic framework (MOF) biocomposites, which hold great promise for applications in drug delivery, biocatalysis, and biosensing,[1] yet the field remains limited to batch-type, gram-scale processes that restrict industrial application. To overcome these limitations, we present a scalable solid-state method for producing MOF-based biocomposites via continuous reactive extrusion.
The process begins with rapid model reactions using hand-mixing[2] to encapsulate a variety of biomolecules into zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), including proteins, carbohydrates, and enzymes, thereby enabling rapid screening and optimization of reaction conditions. The mild synthesis conditions preserve the catalytic activity of glucose oxidase, confirming the suitability of the method to sensitive biomaterials. Building on this, we translated the batch protocol to twin-screw extrusion,[3] enabling continuous and scalable synthesis of biocomposites such as bovine serum albumin (BSA)@ZIF-8 with tunable protein content. The extrusion process yielded highly crystalline, porous materials with protein loadings of up to 26 wt% and encapsulation efficiencies as high as 96%. The production rate reached 1.2 kg d⁻¹, significantly exceeding previously reported continuous methods.[4]
To demonstrate the industrial viability of the method, we extended the approach to produce shaped ZIF-8 monoliths loaded with hyaluronic acid (HA) in a single-step extrusion. These monoliths retained their structural integrity during washing and released HA without measurable degradation, as confirmed by size-exclusion chromatography.
Our study opens new avenues for the industrial implementation of MOF biocomposites and establishes reactive extrusion as a robust platform for their scalable synthesis and shaping, expanding the toolkit for drug delivery and biocatalytical applications.
T2 - Tag der Chemie 2025
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 03.07.2025
KW - Mechanochemistry
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-63802
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Stolar, Tomislav
T1 - Mechanochemical conversion of polyethylene terephthalate into valuable metal-organic frameworks
N2 - Single-use plastics are causing plastic pollution, and less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled globally. Here, we present a sustainable mechanochemical1 protocol for converting post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) textile and bottles into the porous metal-organic framework (MOF) UiO-66. We used time-resolved in situ synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy to monitor the depolymerization of PET during ball milling with sodium and potassium hydroxide and water as a liquid additive (Figure 1). For synthesizing UiO-66, we focused on the better performing sodium hydroxide and optimized two distinct synthetic routes to produce high-quality UiO-66. Our results demonstrate the potential of mechanochemistry to enable more circular MOF synthesis using post-consumer PET waste.
T2 - The International Symposium on Mechanochemistry (Mech’cheM) 2025: New forces in Mechanochemistry
CY - Montpellier, France
DA - 04.06.2025
KW - Mechanochemistry
KW - Plastic recycling
KW - Circular economy
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-63943
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Meyer, A.
A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R.
T1 - Alcohol-initiated and Tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate-catalyzed polymerization of L-lactide in bulk – About separate crystallization of cyclic and linear Poly (L-lactide)s
N2 - Alcohol-initiated ROPs of L-Lactide were performed at 140 ◦C in bulk with variation of the initiator/catalyst ratio and time. Lower ratios favor the formation of cycles which upon annealing display a change of the MALDI mass peak distribution towards a new maximum with a “saw-tooth pattern” of the mass peaks representing the cycles.
Such a pattern was not observed for the mass peak of the linear chains. The coexistence of these patterns indicate that linear and cyclic poly (L-lactide)s (PLA) crystallize in separate crystals, and that the crystallites of the cycles are made up by extended rings. High Tm and ΔHm values confirm that these extended-ring crystallites represent a thermodynamically optimized form of PLA. Experiments with preformed cyclic and linear PLAs support this interpretation.
KW - Polylactide
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Crystalinity
KW - Polymerization
PY - 2023
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2023.126355
VL - 285
IS - 126355
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Elsevier Ltd.
AN - OPUS4-58355
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana
T1 - Challenges of SEC and the necessity of round robin tests
N2 - Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is still the method of choice for determining the molar mass and molar mass distribution of macromolecules. It is a liquid chromatographic technique that separates molecules based on their size, respectively their hydrodynamic volume using a porous stationary phase that allows smaller molecules to pass through the pores while excluding larger molecules. The chromatogram from the size separation can be calibrated using polymers of known molar mass resulting in a relative molar mass distribution curve. From this distribution curve molar mass averages and the oligomer content (percentage of peak area smaller than 1000 g/mol and 500 g/mol) of polymers can be derived.
The determination of oligomer content is important, because it is often used in regulatory contexts as a measure of small, mobile and potentially more toxic parts of the polymer. Polymer regulations are of increasing political and societal importance. Regulations often strive for narrow limits. But SEC has rather large error margins of 10-20% for the molar mass determination performed in different laboratories or on different instruments. These variances are well known to all experts and users and have been investigated in several round robin tests in the past. These resulted in DIN and ISO standards which, in our opinion, no longer meet today's requirements. Gaps have been identified that require further harmonization. Different polymer types or classes require different methods.
On the other hand, as far as we know, the margins of error in determining oligomer content have not yet been investigated. It is expected that the variation will be rather high. This is because it depends on many factors related to the experimental conditions (column sets used, solvent, temperatures, sample preparation) on the one hand, and the data evaluation mechanisms (choice of baseline and peak limits) on the other. In order to actually measure the error margins and to support this with actual data a round robin test has been performed from June to November 2024 with approx. 40 participating laboratories. Three different solvents were selected, namely THF, DMAc or DMF and water. The samples were selected taking into account a wide range of practical aspects far from narrowly distributed standards: e.g higher distribution range, reduced solubility, included side components, copolymers and dispersions with gel content.
In this contribution we will present the detailed concept of this round robin test and first impressions.
T2 - 11th International Symposium on the Separation and Characterization of Natural and Synthetic Macromolecules
CY - Amsterdam, Netherlands
DA - 21.01.2025
KW - Size exclusion chromatography
KW - Round robin tests
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-62533
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana
T1 - Error margins in the Determination of Molar Mass and Oligomer Content of Polymers
N2 - Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is still the method of choice for determining the molar mass and molar mass distribution of macromolecules.
It is a liquid chromatographic technique that separates molecules based on their size, respectively their hydrodynamic volume using a porous stationary phase that allows smaller molecules to pass through the pores while excluding larger molecules. The chromatogram from the size separation can be calibrated using polymers of known molar mass resulting in a relative molar mass distribution curve. From this distribution curve molar mass averages and the oligomer content (percentage of peak area smaller than 1000 g/mol and 500 g/mol) of polymers can be derived.
The determination of oligomer content is important, because it is often used in regulatory contexts as a measure of small, mobile and potentially more toxic parts of the polymer. Polymer regulations are of increasing political and social importance. Regulations often set very narrow limits.
SEC has rather large error margins of 10-20% for the molar mass determination performed in different laboratories or on different instruments. These variances are well known to all experts and users and have been investigated in several round robin tests in the past. These resulted in DIN and ISO standards which, in our opinion, no longer meet today's requirements.
As far as we know, the margins of error in determining oligomer content have not yet been investigated. It is expected that the variation will be rather high. This is because it depends on many factors related to the experimental conditions (column sets used, solvent, temperatures, sample preparation) on the one hand, and the data evaluation mechanisms (choice of baseline and peak limits) on the other.
In order to actually measure the error margins and to support this with actual data a round robin test has been performed from June to November 2024 with approx. 40 participating laboratories.
Three different solvents were selected, namely THF, DMAc or DMF and water.
The samples were selected together with all the experts, taking into account a wide range of practical aspects far from narrowly distributed standards: e.g higher distribution range, reduced solubility, included side components, copolymers and dispersions with gel content.
In this contribution we will present the detailed concept of this round robin test and first results.
T2 - SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting
CY - Vienna, Austria
DA - 11.05.2025
KW - Size exclusion chromatography
KW - REACH
KW - Polymers
KW - Round Robin Tests
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-63307
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Mechichi, R.
A1 - Chabbah, T.
A1 - Chatti, S.
A1 - Jlalia, I.
A1 - Sanglar, Corinne
A1 - Casablanca, H.
A1 - Vulliet, E.
A1 - Marestin, C.
A1 - Mercier, R.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Errachid, A.
A1 - Hammani, M.
A1 - Jaffrezic-Renault, N.
A1 - Abderrazak, H.
T1 - Semi‑interpenetrating Network‑Coated Silica Gel Based on Green Resources for the Efcient Adsorption of Aromatic Pollutants from Waters
N2 - In the framework of the development of green analytical chemistry, a silica gel (SG) coated with a semi-penetrating network based on the partially biosourced poly(ethersulfone) is studied for a greener extraction process of aromatic organic pollutants. An optimized composition of the semi-penetrating network (80% of the linear polymer (LP): isosorbide-based poly(ethersulfone) and 20% cross-linking agent (XP) type bismaleimide) leads to a total adsorption of the selected aromatic pollutants, whatever their hydrophilicity. Adsorption characteristic, kinetics and isotherms of the SG-semi-INP LP80/XP20 for p-hydroxybenzoic acid and for toluic acid were studied. Langmuir model led to a better ftting of the adsorption isotherms; the adsorption of toluic acid is easier than that of p-hydroxybenzoic acid. 1/n values of benzoic acid was lower for SGsemi-INP LP80/XP20 compared to biochar and to cross-linked methacrylate resin, showing a higher adsorption efciency.
KW - Isosorbide
KW - Semi-interpenetrating networks
KW - Silica gel modification
KW - Aromatic pollutants
KW - Adsorption
PY - 2022
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s42250-022-00463
SN - 2522-5758
SP - 1
EP - 18
PB - Springer
AN - OPUS4-55720
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Bustamante, Joana
A1 - Ghata, Anupama
A1 - Naik, Aakash A.
A1 - Ertural, Christina
A1 - Ueltzen, Katharina
A1 - Zeier, Wolfgang G.
A1 - George, Janine
T1 - Thermal transport in Ag8T S6(T = Si, Ge, Sn) argyrodites: an integrated experimental, quantum-chemical, and computational modelling study
N2 - Argyrodite-type Ag-based sulfides combine exceptionally low lattice thermal and high ionic conductivity, making them promising candidates for thermoelectric and solid-state energy applications. In this work, we studied Ag8TS6 (T = Si, Ge, Sn) argyrodite family by combining chemical-bonding analysis, lattice vibrational properties simulation, and experimental measurements to investigate their structural and thermal transport properties. Furthermore, we propose a two-channel lattice-dynamics model based on Grüneisen-derived phonon lifetimes and compare it to an approach using machine-learned interatomic potentials. Both approaches are able to predict thermal conductivity in agreement with experimental lattice thermal conductivities along the whole temperature range, highlighting their potential suitability for future high-throughput predictions. Our findings also reveal a relationship between bond heterogeneity arising from weakly bonded Ag+ ions and occupied antibonding states in Ag–S and Ag–Ag interactions and strong anharmonicity, including large Grüneisen parameters, and low sound velocities, which are responsible for the low lattice thermal conductivity of Ag8SnS6, Ag8GeS6, and Ag8SiS6. We furthermore show that thermal and ionic conductivities in all three compounds are independent of each other and can likely be tuned individually.
KW - Thermal Conductivity
KW - Ionic Conductivity
KW - Machine Learning
KW - Materials Design
KW - Microstructure
KW - Bonding Analysis
KW - Anharmonicity
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-657076
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5TA08709K
SN - 2050-7488
SP - 1
EP - 13
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
AN - OPUS4-65707
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana
T1 - Limitations of SEC: Strategies for Improved Regulatory Polymer Analysis
N2 - Polymers, composed of repeating units called monomers, exhibit a diverse range of properties, with molecular weight distribution (MWD) being particularly important for regulatory risk assessments. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC), or gel permeation chromatography (GPC), is the primary technique for MWD characterization, as detailed in OECD guidelines 118 and 119, along with DIN and ISO standards. However, SEC faces significant shortcomings that complicate the accurate determination of MWD and oligomer content. These limitations include the insolubility of certain polymers, crosslinking, and ultra-high molecular weight characteristics, which can exceed SEC's separation capabilities. The presence of salts or modifiers can further interfere with oligomer content determination, and the availability of appropriate SEC columns and calibration standards limits comparability across laboratories.
To enhance SEC's reliability and applicability within regulatory frameworks, innovative methods and strategies are essential. Proposed solutions involve new sample preparation techniques, advanced data interpretation methods, and the establishment of standardized methodologies to promote harmonization. This is especially crucial in light of the expected Polymer REACh (PREACh) legislation, which aims to regulate polymer registration and risk assessment within the European market.
Given the anticipated complexity of the registration process, which requires extensive data generation, proactive strategies are needed to address SEC's challenges. Currently, there are no viable alternatives for oligomer content determination, and the unique properties of polymers often necessitate tailored analytical approaches. Without new methodologies and guidelines, the polymer registration process could become burdensome and costly, jeopardizing important products and markets in the EU.
Key areas for improvement include extending existing norms to cover a broader range of solvents, addressing high error margins in oligomer content determination, establishing harmonized approaches for dealing with side components, and providing clarity on measuring partially soluble polymers. In conclusion, addressing SEC's limitations through the development of comprehensive guidelines and harmonization is critical for ensuring accurate and efficient polymer analysis, ultimately facilitating smoother registration processes.
T2 - SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting
CY - Vienna, Austria
DA - 11.05.2025
KW - Size exclusion chromatography
KW - Polymers
KW - REACH
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-63309
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Stolar, Tomislav
T1 - Upcycling waste PET bottles to porous UiO-66 by mechanochemistry
N2 - Single-use plastics are causing plastic pollution, and less than 10% of plastic waste gets recycled globally. Most of it ends up in landfills or gets incinerated in a highly unsustainable manner. Here, I will present a sustainable mechanochemical protocol for the chemical upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to porous UiO-66 metal-organic framework (MOF). In the first step, PET is ball-milled with sodium hydroxide and undergoes alkaline hydrolysis to disodium terephthalate (Na2TP). Time-resolved in situ monitoring of ball milling reaction by synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction shows the appearance of crystalline Na2TP after 20 min of milling. However, ex-situ analysis at different milling times by gel permeation chromatography reveals that the depolymerisation step needs more milling for completion. After two hours of ball milling, there are only trace amounts of leftover PET. For upcycling to UiO-66, a zirconium acetate cluster is added to Na2TP together with liquid additives and after milling for
T2 - International Conference on Resource Chemistry 2024
CY - Alzenau, Germany
DA - 13.03.2024
KW - Mechanochemistry
KW - Plastic recycling
KW - Circular economy
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-62105
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Brirmi, N.
T1 - Effect of the pendant groups on the biobased polymers obtained by click chemistry suitable for the removal of phenolic compounds from water
N2 - Phenolic compounds constitute a widespread and important class of water pollutants that should be efficiently removed from wastewater because of their toxicity even at low concentrations. They are indeed discharged in the liquid effluents from various factories: chemical, petrochemical, paper, wood, metallurgy and cocking plants 1. Phenols are also found in the waste waters of agroindustrial processes like the olive oil mills, tomato processing and wine distilleries 2,3. These contaminants cause several health problems for humans and aquatic organisms 4. Therefore, numerous studies on the removal of polyphenols from wastewaters have been conducted and many techniques have been used. Among them, adsorption is considered to be the best effective and low cost method. In this context, we have focused our efforts on optimizing adsorption process by development of novel, low-cost adsorbents derived from biobased byproducts with high adsorptive capacity.
The main aim of this study is to synthesize triazole-based poly(ether-pyridine)s as new synthetic adsorbent phases for the extraction of phenolic compounds from aqueous solutions. For this purpose, new fluoromonomers containing 1,2,3-triazole units were prepared by the Cu(I)-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction and then used for the elaboration of novel poly(ether-pyridine-triazole)s (PEPTs) by direct polycondensation with isosorbide and bisphenol A. Chemical structure of fluorinated pyridinic monomers as well as resulting polymers was confirmed by 1H and 19F NMR spectroscopic methods. The thermal behaviour of the obtained PEPTs was characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Their uptake performance to eliminate organic compounds was determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
T2 - 12. Journees maghreb-europe. Matériaux et Applications aux Dispositifs et Capteurs
CY - Monastir, Tunisia
DA - 08.11.2022
KW - Biobased polymers
KW - Phenolic compounds
KW - 1,2,3-triazole
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-56287
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - About the crystallization of cyclic and linear poly(L-lactide)s in alcohol-initiated and Sn(II)2-ethylhexanoate- catalyzed ROPs of L-lactide conducted in solution
N2 - 1-Hydroxymethylnaphtalene (HMN) or 11-bromoundecanol (BUND) were used as initiators and Sn(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct2) as catalyst for ROPs of L-Lactide (LA) at 115 °C in bulk or in 4 M and 2M solutions in toluene. The LA/In ratio, the LA/Cat ratio and the time were varied. The matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectra exclusively displayed peaks of linear chains, when the ROPs were conducted in bulk. But in contrast to reports in the literature, mixtures of linear and cyclic poly(L-lactide) (PLA), were obtained, when the ROPs were performed in solution. The intensity distribution of the mass peaks of cyclic PLAs displayed a “saw-tooth pattern” after annealing in contrast to the mass peak distribution of the liner chains. This new phenomenon indicated that cyclic PLAs and linear PLAs crystallized in separate crystals from the same reaction mixture. This conclusion was confirmed by fractionated crystallization from 2 M solution, which confirmed that the cyclic PLAs nucleate and crystallize faster than the linear chains.
KW - Polylactide
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Ring opening polymerization
KW - Crystallization
PY - 2023
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2023.125946
SN - 0032-3861
VL - 276
SP - 1
EP - 11
PB - Elsevier Ltd.
AN - OPUS4-57308
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana
T1 - Biobased and biogegradable polymers: Analytical challenges
N2 - The variability and heterogeneity in their structural composition is significant for nearly all synthetic and natural polymers. Beside molar mass also functionality type distribution, copolymer composition distribution and architectural features are responsible for changing the material properties.
A wide range of analytical techniques are available to get insight into these parameters. However, in most cases it is essential to combine different sophisticated techniques to get closer to actual structures and to avoid statistical averages.
Different liquid chromatographic separation modes and their coupling in a two-dimensional way (SEC, LCCC, HILIC, 2D-LC) in combination with suitable detection techniques (e.g. UV, RI, LS, IR, MALDI/ESI-MS) as well as techniques like BET, DCS, SEM/TEM were applied to make structural features visible.
A few aspects are discussed for structural different polylactides from various synthesis routes and their behavior in LC-MS. Moreover, some analytical results for technical lignins valorized by mechanochemical treatment or modified by functional polymers are presented.
T2 - 10th Intern. Symp. on the Separation and Characterisation of Natural and Synthetic Macromolecules (SCM-10)
CY - Amsterdam, Netherlands
DA - 01.02.2023
KW - Poly(lactides)
KW - Technical lignin
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-57002
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana
T1 - Biobased and biodegradable Polymers: Analytical Challenges
N2 - The variability and heterogeneity in their structural composition is significant for nearly all synthetic and natural polymers. Beside molar mass also functionality type distribution, copolymer composition distribution and architectural features are responsible for changing the material properties.
A wide range of analytical techniques are available to get insight into these parameters. However, in most cases it is essential to combine different sophisticated techniques to get closer to actual structures and to avoid statistical averages.
Different liquid chromatographic separation modes and their coupling in a two-dimensional way (SEC, LCCC, HILIC, 2D-LC) in combination with suitable detection techniques (e.g. UV, RI, LS, IR, MALDI/ESI-MS) as well as techniques like BET, DCS, SEM/TEM were applied to make structural features visible.
A few aspects are discussed for structural different polylactides from various synthesis routes and their behavior in LC-MS.
T2 - 34th International Symposium on Polymer Analysis and Characterization (ISPAC)
CY - Stellenbosch, South Africa
DA - 24.04.2023
KW - Biobased polymers
KW - Biodegradable polymers
KW - Analytical techniques
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-60002
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana
T1 - A Tribute to Harald –Lignin as biobased polymer-Trends and analytical issues
N2 - The presentation includes aspects of material design and characterization with a focus on lignin. Examples are the structural elucidation of lignosulfonates by means of two-dimensional chromatography, the mechanochemical degradation and functionalization of Kraft-Lignin with accompanying analytics. Future projects involving the incorporation of lignin into polymers will be presented.
T2 - Farewell Symposium for Prof. Harald Pasch; Polymer Analysis: Advancements in Characterization and Quantification
CY - Teltow, Germany
DA - 18.03.2024
KW - Lignin
KW - Biobased polymers
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-60003
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Pollard, M.
T1 - Functionalized Poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEGs) as a Reference Material for Detection of Polymeric end Groups via SEC Hyphenated with FTIR and 1H-NMR (80 MHz)
N2 - With the online coupling (or hyphenation) of chemically-resolved spectroscopy detection with classical size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) it is possible to correlate polymer molecular size with chemical structure in a single in-situ or on-flow measurement. Medium-resolution 1H-NMR (60 MHz) spectroscopy (i.e., “desktop NMR”) and Fouriertransform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) have both been developed as coupled methods (SEC-MR-NMR, SEC-FTIR) for the detection of polymer analytes by monitoring e.g. alkene or carbonyl functionality.1,2 Here, we have investigated the potential for the detection of polymer end groups, using a slightly higher field-strength spectrometer (80 MHz 1H Larmor frequency) and taking advantage of a columnless injection method that provides bulk spectra for reference. End-functionalized polymers were synthesized by reaction of PEG with toluene isocyanate, yielding ,-functionalized polymers with exactly 2 IR- and NMR-detectable functional groups per chain, as proven by MALD-TOF mass spectrometry. We have investigated the sensitivity (limit of detection) and spectral resolution for these functional groups in chloroform, THF, and water. Results have demonstrated a good feasibility for the simultaneous online detection of PEG backbone (M~4000 g/mol) and these end groups at the level of ca. 2 mol%.
T2 - 33rd International Symposium on Chromatography
CY - Budapest
DA - 18.09.2022
KW - Size exclusion chromatography
KW - Polyethyleneglycol
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - NMR
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-56716
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Pollack, M.
T1 - Functionalized poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEGs) as a reference material for detection of polymeric end groups via SEC hyphenated with FTIR and 1H-NMR (80 MHz)
N2 - Benchtop 1H-NMR and FTIR have both been successfully developed for size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) applications. The latest implementations of these methods by Wilhelm and collaborators[1-3] have taken advantage of commerically available low-cost equipment, and a provide a means to obtain slice-by-slice spectra for the monitoring of functional groups in polymer separations. Demonstrated applications include the detection of highly diluted chains in a polymer blend (e.g., PS/PMMA), copolymer content determination (e.g., styrene-methyl methacrylate), and butadiene isomer detection. To synthesize and characterize an end-labelled low molecular wt. poly(ethylene glycol) as a model polymer to aid in the development and validation of spectroscopic detection (FTIR and 1H-NMR) for SEC applications. A particular focus is to improve quantitation and/or detection of highly diluted funtional groups (e.g., polymer chain ends or sparsely functionalized chains) In the first approach, an isocyanate with IR- and NMR-active functional groups was reacted with PEG (4000 and 10000 g/mol) to form end-functionalized chains by means of an addition reaction. The functionalization of the 10000 g/mol PEG was found to be non-homogeneous (not discussed further). The 4000 g/mol PEG was successfully functionalized to 100%, found to be homogeneous across the molecular weight distribution and could therefore serve as a model polymer for analysis by the coupled methods.
T2 - 10th International Symposium on the Separation and Charcterization of Natural and Synthetic Macromolecules
CY - Amsterdam, Netherlands
DA - 01.02.2023
KW - PEG
KW - Reference materials
KW - NMR
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-57071
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R.
T1 - Reversible Polycondensations and the Jacobson-Stockmayer Theory
N2 - Reversible polycondensations are polycondensations that include equilibration reactions at any stage of the process. Syntheses of Polyesters in bulk involving transesterification reactions and syntheses of polyamides in bulk involving transamidation are typical examples. In 1950, Jacobson and Stockmayer published a first theory of reversible polycondensations based on experimental studies with aliphatic polyesters.[1,2] They explained the reversibility by the reversible formation of cyclic oligomers and low molar mass polymers from an active chain end (so-called “back-biting”). The formation of cycles via end-to-end cyclization was excluded in agreement with Flory´s theory of irreversible polycondensations.[3] The reinvestigation of the Jacobson-Stockmayer experiments by the authors in combination with theoretical considerations shows that the JS theory is wrong. [4,5] It turned out that the experimental scenario is far from the reality. In real polycondensations, intermolecular equilibration is faster than “back-biting”, and end-to-end cyclization is quite normal. The revised theory of step-growth polymerization predicts that in the ideal case of 100% conversion, all reaction products are cycles, regardless, of whether the step-growth polymerization is reversible or not.
T2 - Polycondensation 2024
CY - Lyon, France
DA - 15.09.2024
KW - Polycondensation
KW - Cyclisation
KW - MALDI TOF MS
PY - 2024
UR - https://polycond-2024.sciencesconf.org/
AN - OPUS4-61070
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Fink, Friedrich
A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana
T1 - From bench to mini – Classification of technical lignins with NIR
N2 - Lignin, a by-product of the pulp and paper industry, is the second most abundant biopolymer but remains underutilized due to its complex structure and variability in biomass origin. Classification based on biomass source is crucial for quality assurance and application predictability. This study employs near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to classify technical lignins from softwoods, hardwoods, straw, and grasses. Machine learning models (ML), including Support Vector Machines (SVM), Gaussian Process Classification (GPC), Gaussian Naive Bayes (GNB), and Decision Tree Classification (DTC), were developed using spectral preprocessing and principle component analysis (PCA).
The models were compared with spectra from handheld and compact
spectrometers. Results highlight the potential of NIR spectroscopy and machine learning to enable rapid, reliable lignin classification, paving the way for improved industrial utilization of this abundant resource.
T2 - 11th International Symposium on the Separation and Characterization of Natural and Synthetic Macromolecules
CY - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
DA - 21.01.2025
KW - Lignin
KW - Classification
KW - Near infrared spectroscopy
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-62531
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Stolar, Tomislav
T1 - Waste to value: upcycling PET bottles into MOFs using mechanochemistry
N2 - Single-use plastics are causing plastic pollution, and less than 10% of plastic waste gets recycled globally. Most of it ends up in landfills or gets incinerated in a highly unsustainable manner. Here, I will present a sustainable mechanochemical protocol for the chemical upcycling of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles to porous UiO-66 metal-organic framework (MOF). We used in situ and ex situ characterization to gain a deep understanding of the underlying mechanochemical process leading to high crystallinity and -porosity UiO-66. Our results show the potential of mechanochemistry for the sustainable production of high-quality value-added materials such as UiO-66 from waste PET bottles.
T2 - 2024 Green Chemistry Gordon Research Conference
CY - Barcelona, Spain
DA - 31.07.2024
KW - Mechanochemistry
KW - Plastic recycling
KW - Circular economy
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-62107
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Alcohol-Initiated and SnOct2-Catalyzed Ring-Opening Polymerization (ROP) of L-Lactide in Solution: A Re-investigation
N2 - Alcohol-initiated ring-opening polymerizations (ROP) of L-lactide (LA) were studied in solution at 70 °C, whereupon the nature of the alcohol, the LA/initiator ratio, the LA/SnOct2 ratio and the time were varied. In contrast to literature, neat SnOct2 is catalytically active in THF and several aromatic but donor solvents, such as 1,3-dioxolane, dimethylformamide (DMF) or N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP), strongly reduce the activity of SnOct2. In agreement with literature, no cycles were formed by neat SnOct2 at 70 °C in toluene, whereas almost complete cyclization occurs at 115 °C. This finding is attributed to strongly reduced mobility of the initially formed linear chains having one Sn-O-CH and one anhydride end group. Due to better solvation and enhanced mobility cyclization occurs in THF at 70 °C.
KW - Polylactide
KW - Ring-opening polymerization
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Transesterification
PY - 2023
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2023.111822
SN - 0014-3057
SP - 1
EP - 18
PB - Elsevier
CY - New York, NY [u.a.]
AN - OPUS4-56818
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Chatti, Saber
T1 - Chemical modification of lignin by functional polymers: towards specific green phases for the adsorption of organic pollutants in water
N2 - Lignin is a highly aromatic low value biomass residue, which can be utilized for chemicals, fuels and materials production. In recent years, significant attention has focused on adsorber materials based on lignin. However, only 5% of the available lignin is exploited worldwide, thus significant opportunities for materials development still exist. Lignin has been vastly utilized as a feedstock for the synthesis of adsorbers for the removal of dyes and toxic organic molecules . To improve adsorption capacity, lignin can be chemically modified with oxygen-, nitrogen-, or sulfur-containing functional groups. Most frequently the phenolic groups of lignin were modified. In order to extend the application of lignin as adsorbers, we are especially interested in the chemical modification of this natural resource with a bio-based linear difluoro oligomers LOx (di- or monofunctional) or a heterocyclic monomer (Figure).
T2 - 12. Journees maghreb-europe. Matériaux et Applications aux Dispositifs et Capteurs
CY - Monastir, Tunisia
DA - 08.11.2022
KW - Lignin
KW - Biobased polymers
KW - Modification
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-56238
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Jaeger, Carsten
T1 - Untargeted Analysis of Leachables Released from Recycled Polyethylene Canisters
N2 - Recycling existing materials and products as far as possible is an integral part of the circular economy. Plastic-based packaging, including containers for food and beverages but also for storing and transporting chemicals and dangerous goods, are presently made to a wide range from fossil resources. However, even for these “contact sensitive” products, there is still the aim of sustainability using recycled materials. For packings for the transport of dangerous goods, safety characteristics of the containments made from the “virgin” materials including polyethylene (PE) are well known and tested within the frame of their design type approval. Much less, however, is known about their counterparts made from recycled materials. Apart from material weaking, incorporation of residues into recycled plastics can cause contamination of the goods inside the packaging.
To fill this gap, we have evaluated high-density PE (HDPE) canisters made from post-consumer waste towards release of plastic additives and contaminants such as residues from former contents. Using a comprehensive untargeted high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) approach as well as thermal extraction-desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TED-GC/MS), we detected up to 870 distinct components depending on the type of stored chemical and storage duration. Most of the components were unique to or released in significantly higher amounts from recycled HDPE compared to conventional HDPE. 129 of the components could be identified and analyzed for functional use. The analysis revealed “cosmetics”, “fragrance” and “flavoring” as major associations next to known and expected uses in the field of “plastics”, indicating significant introduction of foreign contaminants into the product. We present details on the compound classes involved and discuss consequences for political targets on increasing recycling rates in this product segment.
T2 - International Conference on Non-Target Screening
CY - Erding, Germany
DA - 13.10.2025
KW - Extractables
KW - Leachables
KW - Untargeted analysis
KW - Recycling
KW - Polyethylene
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-65742
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Stolar, Tomislav
T1 - Mechanochemical Conversion Of Polyethylene Terephthalate Into Valuable Metal-organic Frameworks
N2 - Single-use plastics are causing plastic pollution, and less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled globally. Here, we present a sustainable mechanochemical protocol for converting post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) textile and bottles into the porous metal-organic framework (MOF) UiO-66. We used time-resolved in situ synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy to monitor the depolymerization of PET during ball milling with sodium and potassium hydroxide and water as a liquid additive. For synthesizing UiO-66, we focused on the better performing sodium hydroxide and optimized two distinct synthetic routes to produce high-quality UiO-66. Our results demonstrate the potential of mechanochemistry to enable more circular MOF synthesis using post-consumer PET waste.
T2 - International Conference on Sustainable Chemistry for Net Zero
CY - St. Andrews, United Kingdom
DA - 10.06.2025
KW - Mechanochemistry
KW - Plastic recycling
KW - Circular economy
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-63944
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Miyata, Ayana
A1 - Tokuda, Shun
A1 - Kuzumoto, Mako
A1 - Lee, Guan-Sian
A1 - Yamashita, Masataka
A1 - Nishiguchi, Taichi
A1 - Negoro, Masaki
A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard
A1 - Chan, Yi-Tsu
A1 - Kanamori, Kazuyoshi
A1 - Urayama, Kenji
A1 - Sugimoto, Kunihisa
A1 - Furukawa, Shuhei
T1 - One-Dimensional van der Waals Porous Fibrils Assembled from Metal–Organic Polyhedra
N2 - Supramolecular systems exhibit collective functions that emerge from the hierarchical assembly of individual molecular building blocks. Metal−organic polyhedra (MOPs) are a class of functional supramolecular architectures with well-defined molecular geometry and an intrinsic cavity. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in assembling MOPs into extended networks to create porous solids. However, most reported MOP assemblies are limited to three-dimensional networks, which, owing to their high-dimensional connectivity, hinder effective stress dissipation and render them brittle under mechanical stress.
Here, we report the one-dimensional (1D) self-assembly of MOPs into supramolecular polymeric aerogels that combine permanent microporosity with exceptional mechanical flexibility. The reaction between amino acid-functionalized naphthalenediimide (NDI) linkers and copper salts led to the synthesis of octahedral copper-based MOPs, followed by their spontaneous self-assembly to form supramolecular gels. The corresponding aerogels converted from the gels possessed uniform 1D fibrillar networks (14.8 ± 2.2 nm in width) with intrinsic microporosity derived from individual MOP cavities. The aerogel endured 87% compressive strain without fracture, demonstrating distinct ductility. Furthermore, these fibrils in the supramolecular gels were converted to crystals after 2 weeks. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction revealed that MOPs are arranged via face-to-face interaction between octahedral MOPs to form a 1D helical chain structure. An analysis of the self-assembly process using Hansen solubility parameters unveiled that solvent conditions with high polarity and low dispersion interaction drive the formation of anisotropic assemblies. This work provides a new strategy for tailoring the mechanical properties of supramolecular materials through dimensional control of their assemblies.
KW - Aerogels
KW - Crystals
KW - Metal organic frameworks
KW - Nanofibers
KW - Solvents
KW - X-ray scattering
KW - SAXS
KW - Nanostructure
KW - Small-angle X-ray scattering
PY - 2026
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c21654
SN - 0002-7863
SP - 1
EP - 13
PB - American Chemical Society (ACS)
AN - OPUS4-65776
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Ruehle, Bastian
T1 - The Role of Analytics for Closing the Loop in Self-Driving Labs
N2 - The recent emergence of self-driving laboratories (SDL) and material acceleration plat-forms (MAPs) demonstrates the ability of these systems to change the way chemistry and material syntheses will be performed in the future. Especially in conjunction with nano- and advanced materials which are generally recognized for their great potential in solving current material science challenges, such systems can make disrupting con-tributions. Consequently, new tools that enhance the development and optimization cycle of nano- and advanced materials are crucial. In this contribution, we present our Self-Driving Lab (SDL) for Nano and Advanced Materials [1], that integrates robotics for batched autonomous synthesis – from molecular precursors to fully purified nano-materials – with automated characterization and data analysis, for a complete and reli-able nanomaterial synthesis workflow. By automating the processing and characteriza-tion steps for seven different materials from five representative, completely different classes of nano- and advanced materials (metal, metal oxide, silica, metal organic framework, and core–shell particles) that follow different reaction mechanisms, we demonstrate the great versatility, reproducibility, and flexibility of the platform.
The system also incorporates in-line characterization measurement of hydrodynamic diameter, zeta potential, and optical properties (absorbance, fluorescence). In general, the interface with data analysis algorithms from in-line, at-line, and off-line measure-ments is of great importance for closing the design-make-test-analyze cycle and using these platforms efficiently. Here, we will give examples of how automatic image seg-mentation of electron microscopy images with the help of AI [2] can be used for reduc-ing the “data analysis bottleneck” from an off-line measurement. We will also discuss various machine learning (ML) algorithms that are currently implemented in the backend and can be used for ML-guided, closed-loop material optimization in our SDL. Lastly, we will show our recent efforts [3] in making the workflow generation on SDLs more user-friendly by using large language models to generate executable workflows automatically from synthesis procedures given in natural language and user-friendly graphical user interfaces based on node editors that also allow for knowledge graph extraction from the workflows. In this context, we are currently also working on a com-mon description or ontology for representing the process steps and parameters of the workflows, which will greatly facilitate the semantic description and interoperability of workflows between different SDL hardware and software platforms.
These features underscore the SDL’s potential as a transformative tool for advancing and accelerating the development of nano- and advanced materials, offering solutions for a sustainable and environmentally responsible future.
T2 - Analytica Conference 2026
CY - Munich, Germany
DA - 24.03.2026
KW - Self-Driving Labs
KW - Materials Acceleration Platforms
KW - Advanced Materials
KW - Nanomaterials
KW - Automation
KW - Digitalization
KW - Ontologies
PY - 2026
AN - OPUS4-65760
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Meier, F.
A1 - Drexel, R.
A1 - Wiesner, Yosri
A1 - Altmann, Korinna
A1 - Bartczak, D.
A1 - Alasonati, E.
T1 - Nano-sized Polypropylene as a Promising Candidate Reference Material: Preparation, Characterization and Stability in Complex Matrices
N2 - The lack of nanoplastic (NPs) reference materials capable of mimicking real-world scenarios is currently hampering the development of validated extraction techniques from complex matrices, the development of analytical approaches for robust identification and quantification, and the ability to use environmentally relevant test materials in (eco)toxicity testing and hazard assessment.
Here, we present a strategy towards the development of a potential NP reference material based on nano-sized polyproplyene particles (nanoPP) developed within the EURAMET-funded PlasticTrace project (https://plastictrace.eu/). The strategy includes the preparation, the physicochemical characterization and the stability assessment of nanoPP in suspension both in its pristine state, but also when spiked into complex matrices like mineral water and milk.
NanoPP was produced reproducibly in a top-down approach by crushing in acetone with an UltraTurrax, filtering and change of solvent to MilliQ water. The prepared nanoPP material was subjected to a comprehensive physicochemical characterization including e.g., DLS, PTA and AF4-MALS for particle size distribution assessment, PTA and SEM for particle number concentration determination, SEM and AFM for shape analysis and pyrolysis GC-MS for chemical identification. Performed studies showed that the prepared nanoPP material is irregularly shaped and highly polydisperse with a particle size of around 180 nm (e.g., Dh,z-ave from DLS) and a particle size distribution from around 15 nm up to 135 nm (radius of gyration Rg from AF4-MALS).
Storage stability studies using DLS, PTA and AF4-MALS revealed nanoPP in aqueous suspension to be stable for at least 22 months with respect to particle size distribution and number concentration rendering it a promising NP candidate reference material. However, conducted spiking experiments in mineral water and milk showed a time-dependent agglomeration of nanoPP that needs further investigation.
T2 - MICROPLASTICdays
CY - Ljubliana, Slovenia
DA - 03.02.2026
KW - Nanoplastics
KW - Reference materials
PY - 2026
AN - OPUS4-65769
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Meier, F.
A1 - Altmann, Korinna
T1 - Challenges in nanoplastic analysis: Reference materials, complex matrices, and limits of detection
N2 - The growing concern over nanoplastic particles (< 1 µm) in food and the environment has intensified the need for robust analytical approaches to detect, quantify, and characterize these particles. But the lack is high of standardized and well-characterized reference materials that reflect environmentally relevant nanoplastics according to:
• Size distribution
• Low abundance
• Chemical diversity
• Surface properties
• Behavior in complex matrices.
This poster shows different methods like FFF and AF4-MALS and their results when measuring a nanoPP reference materials candidate.
T2 - Analytica Conference 2026
CY - Munich, Germany
DA - 24.03.2026
KW - Nanoplastics
KW - Reference materials
KW - AF4-MALS
KW - FFF
PY - 2026
AN - OPUS4-65770
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Witt, Julia
T1 - Electrocatalyticperformance and stabilityofmulti-principalelement alloys (MPEAs)
N2 - Accurately distinguishing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) currents from anodic metal dissolution is essential for accurately evaluating metal electrocatalysts, as both processes often overlap in the transpassive potential region.1,2 This study explored multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs) as a pathway toward sustainable electrocatalysis by reducing reliance on noble and critical metals. CrCoNi and CrMnFeCoNi alloys are used as model systems to understand how complex compositions behave when OER and dissolution occur simultaneously, providing a benchmark for designing Co-reduced/free variants within the FeCrNi MPEA family.
To quantitatively separate these pathways, we employ an integrated operando approach: tip-substrate voltammetry in scanning electrochemical microscopy (TSV-SECM) for spatially resolved O2 detection, ICP-MS and UV-Vis spectroscopy for dissolution quantification and chromium speciation, and in-situ electrochemical AFM (EC-AFM) to identify the onset of corrosion and track nanoscale surface evolution. Converting dissolution data into electrochemical charge enables a precise attribution of transpassive currents to either OER or metal dissolution. To further assessmass-transport effects, MPEAs were examined using rotating disk electrode (RDE) methods. Controlled hydrodynamics separate kinetic from diffusion-limited regimes and reveal how dissolution rates, passive-film behavior, and OER activity respond under flow conditions.
Overall, this methodology provides a robust platform for reliably distinguishing catalytic OER performance from corrosion processes while guiding the design of next-generation electrocatalysts that minimize or eliminate Co and other critical and noble metals. Extending these insights to FeCrNi-based systems offers new opportunities for sustainable, high-performance materials capable of operating under technologically relevant anodic conditions.
T2 - Materials for Sustainable Development Conference (MATSUS26)
CY - Barcelona, Spain
DA - 23.03.2026
KW - Multi-principal elemt alloy (MPEAs), Corrosion, Electrocatalysis, Scanning electrochemical miscroscopy (SECM)
PY - 2026
AN - OPUS4-65791
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -