TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Anja A1 - Krahl, T. A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Wagner, Andreas A1 - Werner, W. S. M. A1 - Ritter, B. A1 - Kemnitz, E. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang T1 - Chemical in-depth analysis of (Ca/Sr)F2 core–shell like nanoparticles by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with tunable excitation energy N2 - The fluorolytic sol–gel synthesis is applied with the intention to obtain two different types of core–shell nanoparticles, namely, SrF2–CaF2 and CaF2–SrF2. In two separate fluorination steps for core and shell formation, the corresponding metal lactates are reacted with anhydrous HF in ethylene glycol. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) confirm the formation of particles with mean dimensions between 6.4 and 11.5 nm. The overall chemical composition of the particles during the different reaction steps is monitored by quantitative Al Kα excitation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Here, the formation of stoichiometric metal fluorides (MF2) is confirmed, both for the core and the final core–shell particles. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis by synchrotron radiation XPS (SR-XPS) with tunable excitation energy is performed to confirm the core–Shell character of the nanoparticles. Additionally, Ca2p/Sr3d XPS intensity ratio in-Depth profiles are simulated using the software Simulation of Electron Spectra for Surface Analysis (SESSA). In principle, core–shell like particle morphologies are formed but without a sharp interface between calcium and strontium containing phases. Surprisingly, the in-depth chemical distribution of the two types of nanoparticles is equal within the error of the experiment. Both comprise a SrF2-rich core domain and CaF2-rich shell domain with an intermixing zone between them. Consequently, the internal morphology of the final nanoparticles seems to be independent from the synthesis chronology. KW - Metal fluorides KW - Sol-gel synthesis KW - Synchrotron radiation KW - X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-522284 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.6937 SN - 0142-2421 VL - 53 IS - 5 SP - 494 EP - 508 PB - Wiley VCH AN - OPUS4-52228 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kim, K.J. A1 - Kim, C.S. A1 - Ruh, S. W. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Mata-Salazar, J. A1 - Juarez-Garcia, J.M. A1 - Cortazar-Martinez, O. A1 - Herrera-Gomez, A. A1 - Hansen, P.E. A1 - Madesen, J.S. A1 - Senna, C.A. A1 - Archanjo, B.S. A1 - Damasceno, J.C. A1 - Achete, C.A. A1 - Wang, H. A1 - Wang, M. A1 - Windover, D. A1 - Steel, E. A1 - Kurokawa, A. A1 - Fujimoto, T. A1 - Azuma, Y. A1 - Terauchi, S. A1 - Zhang, L. A1 - Jordaan, W.A. A1 - Spencer, S.J. A1 - Shard, A.G. A1 - Koenders, L. A1 - Krumrey, M. A1 - Busch, I. A1 - Jeynes, C. T1 - Thickness measurement of nm HfO2 films N2 - A pilot study for the thickness measurement of HfO2 films was performed by the Surface Analysis Working Group (SAWG) of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance (CCQM). The aim of this pilot study was to ensure the equivalency in the measurement capability of national metrology institutes for the thickness measurement of HfO2 films. In this pilot study, the thicknesses of six HfO2 films with nominal thickness from 1 nm to 4 nm were measured by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray Reflectometry(XRR), X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (XRF), Transmission Electron Spectroscopy (TEM), Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). The reference thicknesses were determined by mutual calibration of a zero-offset method (Medium Energy Ion Scattering Spectroscopy (MEIS) of KRISS) and a method traceable to the length unit (the average thicknesses of three XRR data except the thinnest film). These reference thicknesses are traceable to the length unit because they are based on the traceability of XRR. For the thickness measurement by XPS, the effective attenuation length of Hf 4f electrons was determined. In the cases of XRR and TEM, the offset values were determined from a linear fitting between the reference thicknesses and the individual data by XRR and TEM. The amount of substance of HfO2, expressed as thickness of HfO2 films (in both linear and areal density units), was found to be a good subject for a CCQM key comparison. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCQM. KW - Thickness measurements KW - nm films KW - X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy KW - Mutual calibration PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/0026-1394/58/1A/08016 SN - 0026-1394 VL - 58 IS - 1a SP - 08016 PB - IOP Publishing Lt. CY - Bristol AN - OPUS4-54175 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-511315 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.6865 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 DO - 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 DO - 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 - 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 DO - 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-509651 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.201902066 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 DO - 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 - TY - JOUR A1 - Unger, Wolfgang T1 - International standardization and metrology as tools to address the comparability and reproducibility challenges in XPS measurements N2 - The status of standardization related to x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, ESCA) at ASTM International (Subcommittee E42.03) and ISO (TC 201) is presented and commented upon in a structured manner. The survey also identifies other active bodies, here VAMAS Technical Working Area 2 and the Surface Analysis Working Group at the International Meter Convention, contributing to prestandardization Research and metrology of XPS and reports their specific activities. It is concluded that existing standardization is delivering good practices in the use of XPS and has a high potential to avoid the recently observed erroneous use, misapplications, and misinterpretation by new and inexperienced users of the method—which seems to be the main reason for the “reproducibility crisis” in the field of XPS applications. A need for a more proactive publicizing of international documentary standards by experienced XPS users, specifically those who are involved in standardization, is identified. Because the existing portfolio of standards addressing the use of XPS is not complete, future standardization projects planned or already ongoing are mentioned. The way the standardization bodies are identifying future needs is shortly explained. KW - Standardisation KW - Comparability KW - Reproducibility KW - XPS KW - VAMAS KW - Metrology PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1116/1.5131074 VL - 38 IS - 2 SP - 021201-1 EP - 021201-8 PB - AVS AN - OPUS4-50560 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beyranvand, S. A1 - Pourghobadi, Z. A1 - Sattari, S. A1 - Soleymani, K. A1 - Donskyi, Ievgen A1 - Gharabaghi, M. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Farjanikish, G. A1 - Nayebzadeh, H. A1 - Adeli, M. T1 - Boronic acid functionalized graphene platforms for diabetic wound N2 - While noncovalent interactions between graphene derivatives and biosystems are extensively studied, less knowledge about their covalent multivalent interactions at biointerfaces is available. Due to the affinity of boronic acids towards cis-diol bearing biosystems, graphene sheets with this functionality were synthesized and their covalent interactions with the bacteria and nematode were investigated. As expected, graphene platforms with boronic acid functionality were able to wrap bacteria and destroy it in a short time. Surprisingly, body of nematodes was ruptured and their viability decreased to 30% after 24 h incubation with the functionalized graphene sheets. Because of their antibacterial and antiparasitic activities as well as their ability for wound dressing, graphene platforms with the boronic acid functionality were further investigated for diabetic wound healing. In vivo experiments showed that graphene platforms are more efficient than the commercially available drug, phenytoin, and restore both infected and non-infected diabetic wounds in ten days. Taking advantage of their straightforward synthesis, strong interactions with different biosystems as well as their ability to heal diabetic wounds, the boronic Acid functionalized graphene sheets are promising candidates for a broad range of future biomedical applications. KW - Graphene KW - Boronic acid KW - Functionalized graphene KW - XPS PY - 2020 UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0008622319310954 DO - https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2019.10.077 VL - 158 SP - 327 EP - 336 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-50559 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -