TY - JOUR A1 - Steiner, S. A1 - Heldt, J. A1 - Sobol, Oded A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Frömeling, T. T1 - Influence of oxygen vacancies on core-shell formation in solid solutions of (Na,Bi)TiO3 and SrTiO3 N2 - Solid solutions of (Na,Bi)TiO3 (NBT) and SrTiO3 (ST) are materials of interest for high-strain or high-energy density capacitor applications. Often, they exhibit chemical heterogeneity and develop core-shell structures during regular solid-state synthesis with an NBT-rich core. In this case, the NBT forms first so that the strontium needs to diffuse into the material to reach chemical homogeneity. Depending on the presence of core-shell structures, the electrical properties can vary drastically. In this work, we rationalize the effect of variations in oxygen vacancy concentration by Fe-acceptor and Nb-donor doping. It can be shown that a diffusion couple of strontium and oxygen is responsible for chemical homogenization and that the oxygen vacancy content can control the formation of a core-shell structure. KW - Lead-free ceramics KW - Bismuth titanates KW - Core-shell structures KW - Diffusion/diffusivity KW - Ferroelectricity/ferroelectric materials PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525988 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley Periodicals LLC, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. AN - OPUS4-52598 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kjaervik, Marit A1 - Ramstedt, M. A1 - Schwibbert, Karin A1 - Dietrich, P. M A1 - Unger, Wolfgang T1 - Comparative Study of NAP-XPS and Cryo-XPS for the Investigation of Surface Chemistry of the Bacterial Cell-Envelope N2 - Bacteria generally interact with the environment via processes involving their cell-envelope. Thus, techniques that may shed light on their surface chemistry are attractive tools for providing an understanding of bacterial interactions. One of these tools is Al Kα-excited photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with its estimated information depth of <10 nm. XPS-analyses of bacteria have been performed for several decades on freeze-dried specimens in order to be compatible with the vacuum in the analysis chamber of the spectrometer. A limitation of these studies has been that the freeze-drying method may collapse cell structure as well as introduce surface contaminants. However, recent developments in XPS allow for analysis of biological samples at near ambient pressure (NAP-XPS) or as frozen hydrated specimens (cryo-XPS) in vacuum. In this work, we have analyzed bacterial samples from a reference strain of the Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens using both techniques. We compare the results obtained and, in general, observe good agreement between the two techniques. Furthermore, we discuss advantages and disadvantages with the two analysis approaches and the output data they provide. XPS reference data from the bacterial strain are provided, and we propose that planktonic cells of this strain (DSM 50090) are used as a reference material for surface chemical analysis of bacterial systems. KW - P. Fluorescens KW - Cryo XPS KW - NAP-XPS KW - DSM 5009 PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525640 VL - 9 SP - Article 666161 PB - Frontiers CY - Switzerland AN - OPUS4-52564 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Anja A1 - Sparnacci, K. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Tougaard, S. T1 - Determining nonuniformities of core-shell nanoparticle coatings by analysis of the inelastic background of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy survey spectra N2 - Most real core-shell nanoparticle (CSNP) samples deviate from an ideal core-shell structure potentially having significant impact on the particle properties. An ideal structure displays a spherical core fully encapsulated by a shell of homogeneous thickness, and all particles in the sample exhibit the same shell thickness. Therefore, analytical techniques are required that can identify and characterize such deviations. This study demonstrates that by analysis of the inelastic background in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) survey spectra, the following types of deviations can be identified and quantified: the nonuniformity of the shell thickness within a nanoparticle sample and the incomplete encapsulation of the cores by the shell material. Furthermore, CSNP shell thicknesses and relative coverages can be obtained. These results allow for a quick and straightforward comparison between several batches of a specific CSNP, different coating approaches, and so forth. The presented XPS methodology requires a submonolayer distribution of CSNPs on a substrate. Poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-polystyrene polymer CSNPs serve as model systems to demonstrate the applicability of the approach. KW - Core-shell KW - Nanoparticles KW - Inelastic background KW - Polymers KW - QUASES KW - XPS PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-511315 SN - 0142-2421 SN - 1096-9918 VL - 52 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley CY - Chichester AN - OPUS4-51131 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Faghani, A. A1 - Gholami, M. F. A1 - Trunk, M. A1 - Müller, J. A1 - Pachfule, P. A1 - Vogl, S. A1 - Donskyi, Ievgen A1 - Li, M. A1 - Nickl, Philip A1 - Shao, J. A1 - Huang, M. R. S. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Arenal, R. A1 - Koch, C. T. A1 - Paulus, B. A1 - Rabe, J. P. A1 - Thomas, A. A1 - Haag, R. A1 - Adeli, M. T1 - Metal-Assisted and Solvent-Mediated Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Triazine Structures on Gram Scale N2 - Covalent triazine frameworks are an emerging material class that have shown promising performance for a range of applications. In this work, we report on a metal-assisted and solvent-mediated reaction between calcium carbide and cyanuric chloride, as cheap and commercially available precursors, to synthesize two-dimensional triazine structures (2DTSs). The reaction between the solvent, dimethylformamide, and cyanuric chloride was promoted by calcium carbide and resulted in dimethylamino-s-triazine intermediates, which in turn undergo nucleophilic substitutions. This reaction was directed into two dimensions by calcium ions derived from calcium carbide and induced the formation of 2DTSs. The role of calcium ions to direct the two-dimensionality of the final structure was simulated using DFT and further proven by synthesizing molecular intermediates. The water content of the reaction medium was found to be a crucial factor that affected the structure of the products dramatically. While 2DTSs were obtained under anhydrous conditions, a mixture of graphitic material/2DTSs or only graphitic material (GM) was obtained in aqueous solutions. Due to the straightforward and gram-scale synthesis of 2DTSs, as well as their photothermal and photodynamic properties, they are promising materials for a wide range of future applications, including bacteria and virus incapacitation. KW - XPS KW - Triazine KW - 2D PY - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.0c02399 VL - 142 IS - 30 SP - 12976 EP - 12986 PB - ACS American Chemical Society AN - OPUS4-51203 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Donskyi, Ievgen A1 - Chen, Y. A1 - Nickl, Philip A1 - Guday, G. A1 - Qiao, H. A1 - Achasi, K. A1 - Lippitz, Andreas A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Böttcher, C. A1 - Chen, W. A1 - Adeli, M. A1 - Haag, R. T1 - Self-degrading graphene sheets for tumor therapy N2 - Low biodegradability of graphene derivatives and related health risks are the main limiting factors for their in vivo biomedical applications. Here, we present the synthesis of enzyme-functionalized graphene sheets with self-degrading properties under physiological conditions and their applications in Tumor therapy. The synergistic enzyme cascade glucose oxidase and myeloperoxidase are covalently conjugated to the surface of graphene sheets and two-dimensional (2D) platforms are obtained that can produce sodium hypochlorite from glucose. The enzyme-functionalized graphene sheets with up to 289 nm average size are degraded into small pieces (≤40 nm) by incubation under physiological conditions for 24 h. Biodegradable graphene sheets are further loaded with doxorubicin and their ability for Tumor therapy is evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The laser-triggered release of doxorubicin in combination with the enzymatic activity of the functionalized graphene sheets results in a synergistic antitumor activity. Taking advantage of their neutrophil-like activity, fast biodegradability, high photo- and chemotherapeutic effects, the novel two-dimensional nanoplatforms can be used for tumor therapeutic applications. KW - Graphene KW - Self-degrading KW - Thumor therapy KW - XPS KW - NEXAFS PY - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0nr02159h SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - The Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-50978 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tu, Z. A1 - Donskyi, Ievgen A1 - Qiao, H. A1 - Zhu, Z. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Hackenberger, C. P. R. A1 - Chen, W. A1 - Adeli, M. A1 - Haag, R. T1 - Graphene Oxide-Cyclic R10 Peptide Nuclear Translocation Nanoplatforms for the Surmounting of Multiple-Drug Resistance N2 - Multidrug resistance resulting from a variety of defensive pathways in Cancer has become a global concern with a considerable impact on the mortality associated with the failure of traditional chemotherapy. Therefore, further research and new therapies are required to overcome this challenge. In this work, a cyclic R10 peptide (cR10) is conjugated to polyglycerol-covered nanographene oxide to engineer a nanoplatform for the surmounting of multidrug resistance. The nuclear translocation of the nanoplatform, facilitated by cR10 peptide, and subsequently, a laser-triggered release of the loaded doxorubicin result in efficient anticancer activity confirmed by both in vitro and in vivo experiments. The synthesized nanoplatform with a combination of different features, including active nucleus-targeting, highloading capacity, controlled release of cargo, and photothermal property, provides a new strategy for circumventing multidrug resistant cancers. KW - Graphen Oxide KW - Nanoplatform KW - Cancer PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-510061 VL - 30 IS - 35 SP - 2000933 PB - Wiley VCH AN - OPUS4-51006 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stockmann, Jörg M. A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Bütefisch, S. A1 - Busch, I. A1 - Weimann, T. A1 - Passiu, C. A1 - Rossi, A. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang T1 - A new test specimen for the determination of the field of view of small-area X-ray photoelectron spectrometers N2 - Small-area/spot photoelectron spectroscopy (SAXPS) is a powerful tool for the investigation of small surface features like microstructures of electronic devices, sensors or other functional surfaces, and so forth. For evaluating the quality of such microstructures, it is often crucial to know whether a small signal in a spectrum is an unwanted contamination of the field of view (FoV), defined by the instrument settings, or it originated from outside. To address this issue, the d80/20 parameter of a line scan across a chemical edge is often used. However, the typical d80/20 parameter does not give information on contributions from the long tails of the X-ray beam intensity distribution or the electron-optical system as defined by apertures. In the VAMAS TWA2 A22 project “Applying planar, patterned, multi-metallic samples to assess the impact of analysis area in surface-chemical analysis,” new test specimen was developed and tested. The here presented testing material consists of a silicon wafer substrate with an Au-film and embedded Cr circular and square spots with decreasing dimensions from 200 μm down to 5 μm. The spot sizes are traceable to the length unit due to size measurements with a metrological SEM. For the evaluation of the FoV, we determined the Au4f intensities measured with the center of the FoV aligned with the center of the spot and normalized to the Au4f intensity determined on the Au-film. With this test specimen, it was possible to characterize, as an example, the FoV of a Kratos AXIS Ultra DLD XPS instrument. T2 - ECASIA 2019 CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 15.09.2019 KW - Field of view KW - Reference material KW - Selected area XPS KW - Small-area XPS KW - Small-spot XPS PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-509902 SN - 1096-9918 VL - 52 IS - 12 SP - 890 EP - 894 PB - John Wiley & Sons Ltd AN - OPUS4-50990 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sattari, S. A1 - Beyranvand, S. A1 - Soleimani, K. A1 - Rassoli, K. A1 - Salahi, P. A1 - Donskyi, Ievgen A1 - Shams, A. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Yari, A. A1 - Farjanikish, G. A1 - Nayebzadeh, H. A1 - Adeli, M. T1 - Boronic Acid-Functionalized Two-Dimensional MoS2 at Biointerfaces N2 - While noncovalent interactions at two-dimensional nanobiointerfaces are extensively investigated, less knowledge about covalent interactions at this interface is available. In this work, boronic acid-functionalized 2D MoS2 was synthesized and its covalent multivalent interactions with bacteria and nematodes were investigated. Polymerization of glycidol by freshly exfoliated MoS2 and condensation of 2,5-thiophenediylbisboronic acid on the produced platform resulted in boronic acid-functionalized 2D MoS2. The destructive interactions between 2D MoS2 and bacteria as well as nematodes were significantly amplified by boronic acid functional groups. Because of the high antibacterial and antinematodal activities of boronic acid-functionalized 2D MoS2, its therapeutic efficacy for diabetic wound healing was investigated. The infected diabetic wounds were completely healed 10 days after treatment with boronic acid-functionalized 2D MoS2, and a normal structure for recovered tissues including different layers of skin, collagen, and blood vessels was detected. KW - XPS KW - Boronic acid-functionalized 2D MoS2 KW - Covalent interactions KW - Bacteria KW - Nanobiointerfaces PY - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c00776 VL - 36 IS - 24 SP - 6706 EP - 6715 PB - ACS American Chemical Society AN - OPUS4-51024 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ahmed, R. A1 - Vaishampayan, A. A1 - Cuellar-Camacho, J. L. A1 - Wight, D. J. A1 - Donskyi, Ievgen A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Grohmann, E. A1 - Haag, R. A1 - Wagner, O. T1 - Multivalent Bacteria Binding by Flexible Polycationic Microsheets Matching Their Surface Charge Density N2 - Aiming at the overall negative surface charge of bacteria, a new strategy of antibacterial agents based on large polymer-modified graphene oxide (GO) sheets is assessed. The presented flexible, polycationic Sheets match the size and charge density of the Escherichia coli surface charge density (2 × 1014 cm−2). These matching parameters create an unspecific but very strong bacteria adsorber by multivalent, electrostatic attraction. Their interaction with bacteria is visualized via atomic force and confocal microscopy and shows that they effectively bind and wrap around E. coli cells, and thereby immobilize them. The incubation of Gram-negative and -positive bacteria (E. coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA) with these polycationic sheets leads to the inhibition of proliferation and a reduction of the colony forming bacteria over time. This new type of antibacterial agent acts in a different mode of Action than classical biocides and could potentially be employed in medicinal, technical, or agriculture applications. The presented microsheets and their unspecific binding of cell interfaces could further be employed as adsorber material for bacterial filtration or immobilization for imaging, analysis, or sensor technologies. KW - Surface charge KW - Bacteria KW - Graphene oxide KW - Escherichia coli KW - XPS PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-509651 VL - 7 IS - 15 SP - 1902066 PB - WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-50965 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cant, D. J. H. A1 - Minelli, C. A1 - Sparnacci, K. A1 - Müller, Anja A1 - Kalbe, H. A1 - Stoger-Pollach, M. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Werner, W. S. M. A1 - Shard, A. G. T1 - Surface-Energy Control and Characterization of Nanoparticle Coatings N2 - Accurate and reproducible measurement of the structure and properties of high-value nanoparticles is extremely important for their commercialization. A significant proportion of engineered nanoparticle systems consist of some form of nominally core-shell structure, whether by design or unintentionally. Often, these do not form an ideal core-shell structure, with typical deviations including polydispersity of the core or shell, uneven or incomplete shells, noncentral cores, and others. Such systems may be created with or without intent, and in either case an understanding of the conditions for formation of such particles is desirable. Precise determination of the structure, composition, size, and shell thickness of such particles can prove challenging without the use of a suitable range of characterization techniques. Here, the authors present two such polymer core-shell nanoparticle systems, consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene cores coated with a range of thicknesses of either polymethylmethacrylate or polystyrene. By consideration of surface energy, it is shown that these particles are expected to possess distinctly differing coating structures, with the polystyrene coating being incomplete. A comprehensive characterization of these systems is demonstrated, using a selection of complementary techniques including scanning electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic light scattering, differential centrifugal sedimentation, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. By combining the results provided by these techniques, it is possible to achieve superior characterization and understanding of the particle structure than could be obtained by considering results separately. KW - Nanoparticles KW - Core-shell KW - XPS KW - Size KW - Thickness KW - Damage PY - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.0c02161 VL - 124 IS - 20 SP - 11200 EP - 11211 PB - ACS CY - Washington DC AN - OPUS4-50899 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -