TY - JOUR A1 - Bresch, Harald A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Schmidt, Alexandra A1 - Rasmussen, K. A1 - Rauscher, H. T1 - Counting Small Particles in Electron Microscopy Images — Proposal for Rules and Their Application in Practice N2 - Electron microscopy (EM) is the gold standard for the characterisation of the morphology (size and shape) of nanoparticles. Visual observation of objects under examination is always a necessary first step in the characterisation process. Several questions arise when undertaking to identify and count particles to measure their size and shape distribution. In addition to challenges with the dispersion and identification of the particles, more than one protocol for counting particles is in use. This paper focuses on precise rules for the counting of particles in EM micrographs, as this influences the measurement accuracy of the number of particles, thus implicitly affecting the size values of the counted particles. We review and compare four different, commonly used methods for counting, which we then apply in case studies. The impact of the selected counting rule on the obtained final particle size distribution is highlighted. One main aim of this analysis is to support the application of a specific, well-defined counting approach in accordance with regulatory requirements to contribute to achieving more reliable and reproducible results. It is also useful for the new harmonised measurement procedures for determining the particle size and particle size distribution of nanomaterials. KW - Nano KW - Particle size distribution KW - Nanoparticle KW - Nanomaterial KW - OECD PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-551891 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12132238 SN - 2079-4991 VL - 12 IS - 13 SP - 2238 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-55189 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Broicher, Cornelia A1 - Zeng, F. A1 - Pfänder, N. A1 - Frisch, M. A1 - Bisswanger, T. A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Stockmann, Jörg M. A1 - Palkovits, S. A1 - Beine, A. K. A1 - Palkovits, R. T1 - Iron and Manganese Containing Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction - Unravelling Influences on Activity and Stability N2 - Hydrogen economy is a central aspect of future energy supply, as hydrogen can be used as energy storage and fuel. In order tomake water electrolysis efficient, the limiting oxygen evolution reaction (OER) needs to be optimized. Therefore, C-based composite materials containing earth-abundant Fe and Mn were synthesized, characterized and tested in the OER. For pyrolysis temperatures above 700°C N-rich multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) are obtained. Inside the tubes Fe3C particles are formed, Fe and Mn oxides are incorporated in the carbon matrix and metal spinel nanoparticles cover the outer surface. The best catalyst prepared at 800°C achieves a low overpotential of 389 mV (at 10 mA/cm2) and high stability (22.6 h). From electrochemical measurements and characterization it can be concluded that the high activity is mainly provided by MWCNT, Fe3C and the metal oxides in the conductive carbon matrix. The metal spinel nanoparticles in contrast protect the MWCNT from oxidation and thereby contribute to the high stability. KW - Oxygen Evolution Reaction KW - Carbon Nanotubes KW - Stability PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-513955 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.202000944 VL - 12 IS - 21 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley Online Libary AN - OPUS4-51395 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Broichert, C. A1 - Klingenhof, M. A1 - Frisch, M. A1 - Dresp, S. A1 - Kubo, N.M. A1 - Artz, J. A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Palkovits, S. A1 - Beine, A.K. A1 - Strasser, P. A1 - Palkovits, R. T1 - Particle size-controlled synthesis of highperformance MnCo-based materials for alkaline OER at fluctuating potentials N2 - For the large-scale generation of hydrogen via water electrolysis the design of long term stable and active catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remains a key challenge. Most catalysts suffer from severe structural corrosion that becomes even more pronounced at fluctuating potentials. Herein, MnCo based cubic particles were prepared via a hydrothermal approach, in which the edge length of the micron-sized particles can be controlled by changing the pH value of the precursor solution. The cubes are composed of varying amounts of MnCo2O4, CoCO3 and a mixed (Mn/Co)CO3 phase. Structure–activity relationships were deduced revealing a volcano-type behavior for the intrinsic OER activity and fraction of spinel oxide phase. A low overpotential of 0.37 V at 10 mA cm−2 and a stability of more than 25 h was achieved in 1.0 M KOH using a rotating disc electrode (RDE) setup. The best performing catalyst material was successfully tested under dynamic process conditions for 9.5 h and shows a superior catalytic activity as anode for the Overall water splitting in an electrolyser setup in 1.0 M KOH at 333 K compared to a reference NiCo-spinel catalyst. KW - Water electrolysis KW - Oxygen evolution reaction KW - Structure activity relationships PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-536050 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d1cy00905b SN - 2044-4753 VL - 11 IS - 12 SP - 7278 EP - 7286 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-53605 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brüngel, R. A1 - Rückert, J. A1 - Müller, P. A1 - Babick, F. A1 - Friedrich, C. M. A1 - Ghanem, A. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Mech, A. A1 - Weigel, S. A1 - Wohlleben, W. A1 - Rauscher, H. T1 - NanoDefiner Framework and e-Tool Revisited According to the European Commission’s Nanomaterial Definition 2022/C 229/01 N2 - The new recommended definition of a nanomaterial, 2022/C 229/01, adopted by the European Commission in 2022, will have a considerable impact on European Union legislation addressing chemicals, and therefore tools to implement this new definition are urgently needed. The updated NanoDefiner framework and its e-tool implementation presented here are such instruments, which help stakeholders to find out in a straightforward way whether a material is a nanomaterial or not. They are two major outcomes of the NanoDefine project, which is explicitly referred to in the new definition. This work revisits the framework and e-tool, and elaborates necessary adjustments to make these outcomes applicable for the updated recommendation. A broad set of case studies on representative materials confirms the validity of these adjustments. To further foster the sustainability and applicability of the framework and e-tool, measures for the FAIRification of expert knowledge within the e-tool’s knowledge base are elaborated as well. The updated framework and e-tool are now ready to be used in line with the updated recommendation. The presented approach may serve as an example for reviewing existing guidance and tools developed for the previous definition 2011/696/EU, particularly those adopting NanoDefine project outcomes. KW - Nanomaterial definition KW - Nanomaterial categorisation KW - Nanomaterial regulation KW - Nanomaterial legislation KW - Decision support KW - FAIRification PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-571618 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13060990 SN - 2079-4991 VL - 13 IS - 6 - Special Issue "Identification and Quantification of Nanomaterials" SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - MDPI CY - Basel, CH AN - OPUS4-57161 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brüngel, R. A1 - Rückert, J. A1 - Wohlleben, W. A1 - Babick, F. A1 - Ghanem, A. A1 - Gaillard, C. A1 - Mech, A. A1 - Rauscher, H. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Weigel, S. A1 - Friedrich, C. M. T1 - NanoDefiner e-Tool: An Implemented Decision Support Framework for Nanomaterial Identification N2 - The European Commission’s recommendation on the definition of nanomaterial (2011/696/EU) established an applicable standard for material categorization. However, manufacturers face regulatory challenges during registration of their products. Reliable categorization is difficult and requires considerable expertise in existing measurement techniques (MTs). Additionally, organizational complexity is increased as different authorities’ registration processes require distinct reporting. The NanoDefine project tackled these obstacles by providing the NanoDefiner e-tool: A decision support expert system for nanomaterial identification in a regulatory context. It providesMT recommendations for categorization of specific materials using a tiered approach (screening/confirmatory), and was constructed with experts from academia and industry to be extensible, interoperable, and adaptable for forthcoming revisions of the nanomaterial definition. An implemented MT-driven material categorization scheme allows detailed description. Its guided workflow is suitable for a variety of user groups. Direct feedback and explanation enable transparent decisions. Expert knowledge is Held in a knowledge base for representation of MT performance criteria and physicochemical particle type properties. Continuous revision ensured data quality and validity. Recommendations were validated by independent case studies on industry-relevant particulate materials. Besides supporting material identification and registration, the free and open-source e-tool may serve as template for other expert systems within the nanoscience domain. KW - EC nanomaterial definition KW - Decision support KW - Expert system KW - Nanomaterial KW - Nanoparticles PY - 2019 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-492449 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12193247 VL - 12 IS - 19 SP - 3247 PB - MDPI CY - Basel, CH AN - OPUS4-49244 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Busch, I. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Bütefisch, S. A1 - Lenck, O. A1 - Koenders, L. A1 - Weimann, T. A1 - Weinert, M. T1 - Analytical and topographical Reference Material for the Nanoscale N2 - Reliable standards are required to support research and development as well as end-user in application. Appropriate standards have to fulfill three requirements: small uncertainty, easy to use and low overall costs of application. For calibration of microscopes at nanoscale and/or element analysis special requirements for standards are given, which are challenging in manufacture. T2 - Workshop on Reference Nanomaterials CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 14.05.2018 KW - XPS KW - Imaging KW - Reference material KW - NoStep Standards PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-45156 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bäßler, Ralph A1 - Lee, Jun-Seob A1 - Radnik, Jörg T1 - Electrochemical behavior of UNS N08031 in Green-Death-solution N2 - The electrochemical behavior of UNS N08031 was investigated as a function of electrode potential in Green-Death solution at 40 °C. The UNS N08031 surface is in a stable passive state during cyclic potentiodynamic polarization without an initiation and/or propagation of localized corrosion. In potentiostatic polarization of UNS N08031 for 3600 s, passive current density increases with an increase in the passivation potential from 0.7 to 1.0 VSSE (silver/silver chloride reference electrode in saturated potassium chloride) Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Mott-Schottky (M-S) analysis showed that a more defective n-type semiconductive passive film forms as the potential increases. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that passive film consists of mainly chromium and minor iron and nickel oxides. The mechanism of the defective passive film formation is discussed. The increase of the applied potential is considered to be a reason for the change in passive film stability. T2 - NACE International Annual Corrosion Conference CY - Phoenix, AZ, USA DA - 15.04.2018 KW - Steel KW - Passive film KW - X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-44920 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cano Murillo, Natalia A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Emamverdi, Farnaz A1 - Cacua, K. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Carrier Fibers for the Safe Dosage of Nanoparticles in Nanocomposites: Nanomechanical and Thermomechanical Study on Polycarbonate/Boehmite Electrospun Fibers Embedded in Epoxy Resin N2 - The reinforcing effect of boehmite nanoparticles (BNP) in epoxy resins for fiber composite lightweight construction is related to the formation of a soft but bound interphase between filler and polymer. The interphase is able to dissipate crack propagation energy and consequently increases the fracture toughness of the epoxy resin. Usually, the nanoparticles are dispersed in the resin and then mixed with the hardener to form an applicable mixture to impregnate the fibers. If one wishes to locally increase the fracture toughness at particularly stressed positions of the fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPC), this could be done by spraying nanoparticles from a suspension. However, this would entail high costs for removing the nanoparticles from the ambient air. We propose that a fiber fleece containing bound nanoparticles be inserted at exposed locations. For the present proof-of-concept study, an electrospun polycarbonate nonwoven and taurine modified BNP are proposed. After fabrication of suitable PC/EP/BNP composites, the thermomechanical properties were tested by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Comparatively, the local nanomechanical properties such as stiffness and elastic modulus were determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). An additional investigation of the distribution of the nanoparticles in the epoxy matrix, which is a prerequisite for an effective nanocomposite, is carried out by scanning electron microscopy in transmission mode (TSEM). From the results it can be concluded that the concept of carrier fibers for nanoparticles is viable. KW - Advanced materials KW - Electrospun nanocomposite fiber KW - Nanomechanical charecteisation KW - Nanosafety KW - Epoxy nanocomposites PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-528265 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11061591 VL - 11 IS - 6 SP - 1591 PB - MDPI CY - CH - 4020 Basel, Switzerland AN - OPUS4-52826 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Cano Murillo, Natalia A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Cover image for the article "Nanomechanical study of polycarbonate/boehmite nanoparticles/epoxy ternary composite and their interphases" N2 - The image designed by Natalia Cano Murillo and colleagues shows the cross section of a ternary composite (boehmite/polycarbonate/epoxy, 80μm x 80μm). The surface was measured by AFM kelvin probe microscopy, yielding the surface potential which is shown as 3D‐surface and contour lines. The sample was further subjected to AFM force spectroscopy with a lateral resolution of 1μm², yielding the local Young's modulus, projected in false colors on the 3D surface. The ternary system, containing boehmite nanoparticles, shows a broad distribution of modulus, desirable for optimized macroscopic mechanical properties, such as high stiffness as well as toughness. KW - Boehmite KW - Epoxy KW - Polycarbonate KW - AFM KW - BNP PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/app.50400 SN - 0021-8995 SN - 1097-4628 VL - 138 IS - 12 SP - 1 PB - Wiley CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-51831 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cano Murillo, Natalia A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Nanomechanical study of polycarbonate/boehmite nanoparticles/epoxy ternary composite and their interphases N2 - Thermoplastic modified thermosets are of great interest especially due to their improved fracture toughness. Comparable enhancements have been achieved by adding different nanofillers including inorganic particles such as nanosized boehmite. Here, we present a nanomechanical study of two composite systems, the first comprising a polycarbonate (PC) layer in contact with epoxy resin (EP) and the second consisting of a PC layer containing boehmite nanoparticles (BNP) which is also in contact with an EP layer. The interaction between PC and EP monomer is tested by in situ Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) analysis, from which a reaction induced phase separation of the PC phase is inferred. Both systems are explored by atomic force microscopy (AFM) force spectroscopy. AFM force-distance curves (FDC) show no alteration of the mechanical properties of EP at the interface to PC. However, when a PC phase loaded with BNP is put in contact with an epoxy system during curing, a considerable mechanical improvement exceeding the rule of mixture was detected. The trend of BNP to agglomerate preferentially around EP dominated regions and the stiffening effect of BNP on EP shown by spatial resolved measurements of Young's modulus, suggest the effective presence of BNP within the EP phase. KW - Composites KW - Mechanical properties KW - Nanoparticles KW - Thermoplastics KW - Thermosets PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-515965 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/app.50231 SN - 0021-8995 SN - 1097-4628 VL - 138 IS - 12 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Wiley CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-51596 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Cant, D. A1 - Shard, A. A1 - Müller, Anja A1 - Clifford, C. A1 - Wirth, Thomas A1 - Unger, Wolfgang T1 - Surface chemical analysis – Electron spectroscopies – Measurement of the thickness and nature of nanoparticle coatings N2 - Recent years have seen increasing development of nanoparticles for applications in a wide range of fields, including but not limited to areas of great impact such as catalysis, medicine, energy, optoelectronics, cosmetics, and many others. In particular, nanoparticles bearing some form of coating layer, whether by design or due to incidental processes such as contamination or oxidation, are among the most commonly studied and utilised. In the characterisation of nanoparticles, the surface properties are of great importance, because a large proportion of the particle forms a part of the surface or interface. In the case of coated nanoparticles, the thickness of the coating is significant in determining the properties of the nanoparticle, and defines its interactions with its environment. Measurement of surface chemistry and coating thickness of nanoparticles is a challenge to which electron spectroscopies are well suited, due to high surface sensitivity, well-understood physical principles and accessibility. T2 - Annual Meeting of ISO/TC 201/SC7 CY - Cancun, Mexico DA - 21.09.2018 KW - Nanoparticle characterization KW - X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) KW - Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) KW - Core-shell nanoparticles PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-46259 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 - Cant, D. J. H. A1 - Müller, Anja A1 - Clifford, C. A. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Shard, A. G. T1 - Summary of ISO/TC 201 Technical Report 23173—Surface chemical analysis—Electron spectroscopies—Measurement of the thickness and composition of nanoparticle coatings N2 - ISO Technical Report 23173 describes methods by which electron spectroscopies, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and synchrotron techniques, can be employed to calculate the Coating thicknesses and compositions of nanoparticles. The document has been developed to review and outline the current state-of-the-art for such measurements. Such analyses of core–shell nanoparticles are common within the literature, however the methods employed are varied; the relative advantages and disadvantages of These methods, and the optimal usage of each may not be clear to the general analyst. ISO Technical Report 23173 aims to clarify the methods that are available, describe them in clear terms, exhibit examples of their use, and highlight potential issues users may face. The information provided should allow analysts of electron spectroscopy data to make clear choices regarding the appropriate analysis of electron spectroscopy data from coated nanoparticle systems and provide a basis for understanding and comparing results from different methods and systems. KW - Electron spectroscopy KW - Core-shell KW - Nanoparticles KW - ISO 23173 KW - XPS KW - Thickness KW - Composition PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.6987 SN - 0142-2421 VL - 53 IS - 10 SP - 893 EP - 899 PB - John Wiley & Sons Ltd AN - OPUS4-52976 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chemello, Giovanni A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Towards Reproducible Analysis Workflows for Reliable Structural and Chemical Composition of Industrial Graphene N2 - The scientific and technological interest in graphene has been growing more and more in the late years due to its outstanding properties and diverse promising applications. However, graphene implementation into the industrial market is still limited and many challenges are yet to be addressed before this material can become suitable for the large-scale production. One of the most crucial challenge to overcome is to develop reliable and reproducible ways to characterize the material properties which can heavily affect the product performance. In our study the chemical composition of nine different samples of industrial graphene, graphene oxide and functionalized graphene were investigated. The samples were analysed both in form of powder and pellets. A comparative characterisation of the chemical composition was performed through X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX). XPS depth resolution is in the order of 10 nm, while for EDX the analysis was performed at two different energy levels, i.e. 5 keV and 15 keV, and thus varying the analysis depth from 200 nm to 2000 nm. The XPS measurement area is 300x700 µm² while the EDX measurement was performed by analysing a grid of 25 locations (5x5) of 150 x 150 ?m2 area, covering the whole pellet surface of 5 mm diameter and then calculating the mean of the elemental concentration. The results of the elemental concentration values from XPS and EDX analyses show a good agreement for all the elements presents in the samples, despite the different spatial resolutions of the two techniques. Therefore, the samples appear homogeneous both in the lateral and vertical directions. The results relative to powder and pellets samples do not differ in a significant way except for a slight increase in the carbon content regarding the pellet samples, probably due to a minor contamination effect introduced through pressing. Nevertheless, pellets samples appear to be quite representative for the material while being much more convenient in terms of handling and safety compared to nano-powders and providing a regular flat surface for EDX analysis. Finally, this approach correlating XPS and EDS represents a simple, fast and reliable way for characterizing the chemical composition and the homogeneity of industrial graphene. This study is part of the project Standardisation of structural and chemical properties of graphene (ISO-G-SCoPe) which has received funding from the EMPIR programme co-financed by the Participating States and from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant agreement No. 19NRM04. T2 - SALSA Make and Measure... and Machines CY - Online meeting DA - 16.09.2021 KW - Graphene KW - XPS KW - EDX KW - Graphene functionalisation PY - 2021 UR - https://fakultaeten.hu-berlin.de/en/mnf/forschung_internationales/grs/salsa/SALSA_MM AN - OPUS4-53463 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chemello, Giovanni A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Correlative analysis through XPS and EDX measurements for accurate chemical composition of industrial Graphene N2 - The scientific and technological interest in graphene has been growing more and more in the late years due to its outstanding properties and diverse promising applications. However, graphene implementation into the industrial market is still limited and many challenges are yet to be addressed before this material can become suitable for the large-scale production. One of the most crucial challenge to overcome is to develop reliable and reproducible ways to characterize the material properties which can heavily affect the product performance. In our study the chemical composition of nine different samples of industrial graphene, graphene oxide and functionalized graphene were investigated. The samples were analysed both in form of powder and pellets. A comparative characterisation of the chemical composition was performed through X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX). XPS depth resolution is in the order of 10 nm, while for EDX the analysis was performed at two different energy levels, i.e. 5 keV and 15 keV, and thus varying the analysis depth from 200 nm to 2000 nm. The XPS measurement area is 300x700 µm² while the EDX measurement was performed by analysing a grid of 25 locations (5x5) of 150 x 150 ?m2 area, covering the whole pellet surface of 5 mm diameter and then calculating the mean of the elemental concentration. The results of the elemental concentration values from XPS and EDX analyses show a good agreement for all the elements presents in the samples, despite the different spatial resolutions of the two techniques. Therefore, the samples appear homogeneous both in the lateral and vertical directions. The results relative to powder and pellets samples do not differ in a significant way except for a slight increase in the carbon content regarding the pellet samples, probably due to a minor contamination effect introduced through pressing. Nevertheless, pellets samples appear to be quite representative for the material while being much more convenient in terms of handling and safety compared to nano-powders and providing a regular flat surface for EDX analysis. Finally, this approach correlating XPS and EDS represents a simple, fast and reliable way for characterizing the chemical composition and the homogeneity of industrial graphene. This study is part of the project ?Standardisation of structural and chemical properties of graphene? (ISO-G-SCoPe) which has received funding from the EMPIR programme co-financed by the Participating States and from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant agreement No. 19NRM04. T2 - 2021 Fall Meeting of the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS) CY - Online meeting DA - 20.9.2021 KW - Graphene KW - XPS KW - EDS KW - Standardisation KW - Graphene functionalization PY - 2021 UR - https://www.european-mrs.com/meetings/2021-fall-meeting AN - OPUS4-53462 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chemello, Giovanni A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Measurement of the morphology of graphene related 2D materials as flakes N2 - The presentation shows the results of the mini-interlaboratory comparison focused on the measurement of the morphology of graphene oxide flakes using scanning electron microscopy. In this work, a route for the sample preparation, SEM measurement and image analysis is proposed. The results of the image analysis, performed on 200+ flakes per sample, are presented by comparing the distributions of the size and shape descriptors calculated according to two different approaches. The influences of a different SEM measurement operator, analysis approach and analysis operator on the final size and shape distributions are highlighted. T2 - EMRS Fall 2023 CY - Warsaw, Poland DA - 18.09.2023 KW - Graphene oxide KW - SEM KW - 2D flakes KW - Image analysis PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58752 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chemello, Giovanni A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Characterization of industrial graphene using HAXPES N2 - A comparative analysis is performed by XPS, HAXPES and SEM of industrial functionalised graphene powder of different morphology. The chemical analysis carried out by XPS, which probing depth is around 10nm, and HAXPES, which can reach up to 30nm probing depth. By combining these two techniques is possible to get a rough, non-destructive depth profiling of the sample's surface. The results show a higher concentration of the functionlisation elements on the surface of the sample and the influence of the morphology on the functionalisation process and the C/O ratio. T2 - SALSA Make and Measure 2022 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 15.09.2022 KW - Graphene KW - XPS KW - HAXPES KW - SEM KW - Graphene funcionalisation PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55971 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chemello, Giovanni A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Radnik, Jörg T1 - Characterization of Graphene using HAXPES N2 - Since its discovery, graphene has got growing attention in the industrial and application research due to its unique properties . However, graphene has not been yet implemented into the industrial market, in particularly due to the difficulty of properly characterizing this challenging material. As most of other nanomaterials, graphene’s properties are closely linked to its chemical and structural properties, such as number of layers, flake thickness, degree of functionalisation and C/O ratio. For the commercialization, suitable procedures for the measurement and characterization of the ultrathin flakes, of lateral dimensions in the range from µm to tens of µm, are essential.Surface chemical methods, especially XPS, have an outstanding role of providing chemical information on the composition. Thereby, one well-known problem for surface analytical methods is the influence of contamination on the composition as in the case of adventitious carbon. The differentiation between carbon originated from the contamination or from the graphene sample itself is often not obvious, which can lead to altered results in the determination of the composition. To overcome this problem, Hard Energy X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (HAXPES) offers new possibilities due to its higher information depth. Therefore, XPS measurement obtained with Al Kα radiation (E = 1486. 6 eV) were compared with analyses performed with a Cr Kα (E = 5414. 8 eV) excitation on functionalized graphene samples. Differences are discussed in terms of potential carbon contamination, but also of oxygen on the composition of the samples. Measurements are performed on O-, N- and F-functionalized graphene. Different preparation procedures (powder, pellet, drop cast from liquid suspension) will be also discussed, correlation of the results with the flakes morphology as well as their validation with other independent methods are in progress. T2 - ECASIA 2022 CY - Limerick, Ireland DA - 29.05.2022 KW - Graphene KW - Functionalized graphene KW - Depth profiling PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56814 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chemello, Giovanni A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Analysis of industrial graphene-based flakes – first results on morphological characterization, sample preparation and chemical composition N2 - Before industrial grade graphene could reach comparable quality to the controlled laboratory scale material, many challenges must be overcome. In order to bridge the gap between lab-scale and industrial-scale production is necessary to develop processes, equipment and measurement procedures to control the material features. One of the most crucial reasons of graphene’s limited commercialization is the lack of standard procedures to properly characterize and define the material chemical and structural properties down to the nanometer level. This leads to many issues regarding material synthesis repeatability, inappropriateness choice of measurands and measurement reproducibility which heavily affect the consistency of the material performance. For example, among all the different industrially produced real-world graphene, it is crucial to determine how many layers of graphene build the material. Products that are built by more than 10 layers should be more correctly referred as nanosized graphite, a problem that is often regarded as the “fake graphene” issue. In our study, a comparative analysis is performed on two different series (G5 and G6) of industrial graphene powders, each series produced with four types of functionalization: raw graphene, oxygen-functionalized, nitrogen-functionalized and fluorine-functionalized. All the 8 sample variants were analyzed from a chemical and morphological point of view in the form of powders prepared as slightly pressed in metallic sample holders. The results of the comparative chemical analyses XPS and EDS show a good agreement in the concentration values for all the elements present in the samples, despite the different analysis volumes addressed by the two techniques. For this reason, the samples can be considered homogeneous in both lateral and vertical direction. A clear influence of the morphology on the composition is evident. Therefore, such correlative measurements of morphology and composition are necessary for a comprehensive characterization of industrial graphene flakes. Protocols for reliable characterization of industrial graphene flakes are in progress. T2 - Microscopy and Microanalysis 2022 CY - Portland, OR, USA DA - 31.07.2022 KW - Graphene powder KW - Functionalized graphene KW - XPS KW - SEM KW - EDS PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55479 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chemello, Giovanni A1 - Knigge, Xenia A1 - Ciornii, Dmitri A1 - Reed, B.P. A1 - Pollard, A.J. A1 - Clifford, C.A. A1 - Howe, T. A1 - Vyas, N. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Radnik, Jörg T1 - Influence of the Morphology on the Functionalization of Graphene Nanoplatelets Analyzed by Comparative Photoelectron Spectroscopy with Soft and Hard X-Rays N2 - Since its isolation, graphene has received growing attention from academia and industry due to its unique properties. However, the “what is my material” barrier hinders further commercialization. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is considered as a method of choice for the determination of the elemental and chemical composition. In this work the influence of the morphology of graphene particles on the XPS results is studied and investigated as a function of X-ray energy, using conventional XPS with Al K𝜶 radiation and hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES) using Cr K𝜶 radiation. Thereby, the information depth is varied between 10 and 30 nm. For this purpose, two commercial powders containing graphene nanoplatelets with lateral dimensions of either ≈100 nm or in the micrometer range are compared. These larger ones exist as stack of graphene layers which is inspected with scanning electron microscopy. Both kinds of particles are then functionalized with either oxygen or fluorine. The size of the graphene particles is found to influence the degree of functionalization. Only the combination of XPS and HAXPES allows to detect the functionalization at the outermost surface of the particles or even of the stacks and to provide new insights into the functionalization process. KW - Functionalized graphene KW - Hard-energy X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy KW - X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-578860 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202300116 SN - 2196-7350 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley VCH AN - OPUS4-57886 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -