TY - JOUR A1 - Kovacevic, E. A1 - Strunskus, T. A1 - Santhosh, N. M. A1 - Zavasnik, Z. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Sauvage, T. A1 - Ammar, M.-R. A1 - Cvelbar, U. A1 - Berndt, J. T1 - Thermal stability studies of plasma deposited hydrogenated carbon nitride nanostructures N2 - Thermally stable carbon nitride nanostructures have potential applications in surface coatings and automotive fields. In this work, hydrogenated nitrogen-rich carbon nitride nanoparticles have been synthesised via low-pressure low-power plasma vapour deposition technique from methane/Nitrogen gas mixture in a dry process. Thermal stability of the initially prepared hydrogenated carbon Nitride structures has been analysed by near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS, insitu), Raman spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and nuclear reaction Analysis (NRA). Thermal studies reveal the excellent stability of the material and nitrogen-rich characteristics (N/C ratio 0.5e0.2 ± 0.01). The obtained results suggest transformation of sp3-rich as-deposited carbon Nitride into sp2-carbon phase with more graphitic features upon thermal annealing. Such in-situ thermal studies of plasma deposited carbon nitrides confirm the conversion of sp3-rich phase to sp2-rich carbon phase at the critical temperature (about 450 K), without a huge loss in nitrogen content. The analysis revealed that the material is a stable plasma deposit after this critical temperature up to >1100 K. Additionally, super hydrophilic carbon nitride nanostructure transforms into a hydrophobic surface after thermal annealing. These thermally stable hydrophobic carbon nitride nanoparticles could be used as a promising material for the hydrophobic coatings for various applications, especially for harsh conditions. KW - Carbon nanoparticles KW - Hydrogenated nanostructures KW - Plasma deposition KW - NEXAFS KW - Thermal annealing PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-536163 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2021.08.008 SN - 0008-6223 VL - 184 SP - 82 EP - 90 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-53616 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - 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 - 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525640 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.666161 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 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Senoner, M. A1 - Stockmann, Jörg M. A1 - Fernandez, V. A1 - Fairley, N. A1 - Passiu, C. A1 - Spencer, N. D. A1 - Rossi, A. T1 - Summary of ISO/TC 201 International Standard ISO 18516:2019 Surface chemical analysis - Determination of lateral resolution and sharpness in beam-based methods with a range from nanometres to micrometres and its implementation for imaging laboratory X-ray photoelectron spectrometers (XPS) N2 - ISO 18516:2019 Surface chemical analysis—Determination of lateral resolution and sharpness in beam-based methods with a range from nanometres to micrometres revises ISO 18516:2006 Surface chemical analysis—Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy—Determination of lateral resolution. It implements three different methods delivering parameters useful to express the lateral resolution: (1) the straight edge method, (2) the narrow line method and (3) the grating method. The theoretical background of these methods is introduced in ISO/TR 19319:2013 Surface chemical analysis—Fundamental approaches to determination of lateral resolution and sharpness in beam-based methods. The revised International Standard ISO 18516 delivers standardized procedures for the determination of the (1) effective lateral resolution by imaging of square-wave gratings, the (2) lateral resolution expressed as the parameter D12–88 characterizing the steepness of the sigmoidal edge spread function (ESF) determined by imaging a straight edge and (3) the lateral resolution expressed as the full width of half maximum of the line spread function (LSF), wLSF, determined by imaging a narrow line. The last method also delivers information on the shape of the LSF, which characterizes an individual imaging instrument. Finally, the implementation of all three standardized methods in the field of imaging laboratory X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is shortly presented. This part of the letter is based on the use of a new test sample developed at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. This test sample displays a micrometre scaled pattern motivated by the resolving power of recent imaging XPS instruments. KW - Grating method KW - Imaging AES KW - Imaging SIMS KW - Imaging XPS KW - Lateral resolution KW - Narrow line method KW - Noise in image KW - Resolution criterion KW - Straight edge method PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-536330 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.7025 SN - 1096-9918 VL - 54 IS - 4 SP - 320 EP - 327 PB - Wiley CY - Chichester AN - OPUS4-53633 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525988 DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/jace.17845 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 - CONF A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Ciornii, Dmitri A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Validation of microplastics detection methods and proficiency testing: Suitable microplastic reference materials for interlaboratory comparison N2 - The talk summarizes challenges in microplastic analysis. It shows the preparation of microplastic reference materials as well as the testing on homogeneity and stability. The reference material is used in an international laboratory comparison to compare different detection methods used for microplastic analysis. The methods used were µ-IR (FTIR+LDIR) for number-based methods and TED-GC/MS and Py-GC/MS for mass-based methods. The ILC was done under the umbrella of VAMAS TWA 45. Results of the participants are presented. T2 - BAM Akademie CY - Online meeting DA - 16.05.2024 KW - Microplastics KW - Reference materials KW - ILC KW - Microplastics detection KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Polymer 3R PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60085 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Ciornii, Dmitri A1 - Knigge, Xenia A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Altmann, Korinna T1 - Identification of toxicologically relevant functional groups on micro- and nanoplastic particles’ surface by means of X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy N2 - Microplastic and nanoplastic particles (MNP) are spread all over the world in various types, shapes and sizes making it very challenging to accurately analyse them. Each sampling procedure, sample preparation method and detection technique needs suitable reference materials to validate the method for accurate results. Furthermore, the effects of these MNPs should be evaluated by risk and hazard assessment with test particles close to reality. To better understand MNP behavior and aid in clarification of their interactions with organisms, we produced several MNP materials by top-down procedure and characterized their properties. Since surface properties mostly determine particles’ toxicity, the aim of the present study was to determine which functional groups are present on MNPs and how the surface can be affected by the production process and particle’s environment. T2 - SETAC 34th Meeting CY - Seville, Spain DA - 05.05.2024 KW - Microplastics KW - Nanoplastics KW - Polypropylene KW - XPS KW - SEM PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60037 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Mrkwitschka, Paul A1 - Abram, Sarah-Luise A1 - Rühle, Bastian A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Correlative analysis with electron microscopy applied in different operating modes (SEM, STEM-in-SEM and TEM) for the accurate morphological characterisation of non-spherical fine nanoparticles N2 - Electron microscopy applied in different operating modes, e.g., SEM, TEM or STEM-in-SEM, is the gold standard method to investigate the exact size and shape of individual nanoparticles. However, when fine nanoparticles with a non-monodisperse size distribution and non-spherical shapes are analysed, achieving an accurate result is challenging. Deviations in size measurements of more than 10% may occur. Understanding of the contrasts and sensitivities characteristic to the individual operating modes of an electron microscope is key in interpreting and evaluating quantitatively the measurement uncertainties needed for an eventual certification of specific nanoparticles via traceable results. Further, beyond the pure measurement, the other components in the analysis workflow with significant impact on the overall measurement uncertainties are the sample preparation and the image segmentation. In the present study the same areas of selected iron oxide fine nanoparticles (<25 nm) as reference nanomaterial (candidate) prepared on substrate for electron microscopy imaging are analysed correlatively with SEM, STEM-in-SEM and TEM with respect to their size and shape distribution. Individual significant measurement uncertainties are discussed, e.g., the sensitivity of secondary electron detectors of InLens-type to the surface morphology, particularly to the presence of an ultrathin organic coating or signal saturation effects on the particle edges, to electron beam exposure, to surface contamination, or the selection of the threshold for image segmentation. Another goal of this study is to establish a basis of analysis conditions which shall guarantee accurate results when both manual and particularly (semi-)automated segmentation approaches are applied. Advantages as well as limitations of the use of different electron microscopy operating modes, applied individually and correlatively, are highlighted. T2 - E-MRS 2024 Spring Meeting CY - Strasbourg, France DA - 27.05.2024 KW - Nanoparticles KW - Electron Microscopy KW - Metrology KW - Imaging KW - Reference materials PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60436 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Habibimarkani, Heydar A1 - Abram, Sarah-Luise A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Comparative chemical analysis of Ni-Fe oxide nanoparticles N2 - Ni-Fe oxide nanoparticles have gained a lot of interest because of their high activity in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) which is crucial for water splitting. [1] Although there have been great efforts in the last years, the understanding of the synergistic effect between Fe and Ni is still under discussion. Therefore, we prepared different Ni-Fe oxide nanoparticles with different compositions from pure iron oxide to pure nickel oxide adapting a known procedure. [2,3] Size and morphology of the nanoparticles depend on the composition which was shown with Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The compositions of the nanoparticles were measured with a comparative approach using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (HAXPES), and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) coupled with the TEM providing detailed chemical information of the nanoparticles in different sample regions. EDS reveals that the different sample regions are dominated by one of the components, Fe or Ni, but a slight mixing between the components can be found (see Figure 1), which was confirmed with X-ray Diffraction (XRD). XPS indicates the enrichment of Fe at the sample surface, while HAXPES and EDS data agree on the stoichiometry of the bulk. High-resolution XPS and HAXPES exhibit some differences in the valence states of Fe and Ni, whereas Ni seems to be easier to reduce than Fe. Further investigations combining these different techniques and additionally Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) are ongoing by using in situ approaches and coupling cyclic voltammetry to the analytical techniques. T2 - ECASIA 2024 CY - Gothenburg, Sweden DA - 09.06.2024 KW - Oxygen evolution reaction KW - Transmission Electron Microscopy KW - (Hard) X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy KW - Synergistic effects PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60534 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Ciornii, Dmitri A1 - Knigge, Xenia A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Bennet, F. A1 - Meirer, F. A1 - Duijndam, A. A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Drexel, R. A1 - Fadda, M. A1 - Sacco, A. A1 - Giovannozzi, A.M. A1 - Donskyi, I. A1 - Schusterbauer, R. A1 - Nickl, P. A1 - Reichardt, P. A1 - Altmann, Korinna T1 - Revealing surface functionalities of micro- and nanoplastic particles’ surface by means of XPS N2 - Over the last 20 years, many researchers, politicians, and citizens themselves have become increasingly aware of the growing plastic problem of our time. Inadequate recycling concepts, collection points, and careless dumping of plastic products in the environment lead to an accumulation of plastic. External weather influences can cause these to degrade and fractionate, so that today microplastics (1-1000 µm, ISO/TR 21960:2020) [1] of different polymer materials can be detected in all parts of the world. The precautionary principle applies to microplastics. The particles can break down further to form nanoplastics (<1 µm, ISO/TR 21960:2020) [1]. Whether microplastics or nanoplastics pose a toxicological hazard is being investigated in a variety of ways. Valid results are still pending, however, investigations into the frequency, transport, possible sinks and entry paths must be taken into account. This is why monitoring of microplastics is already required in the revision of the Drinking Water Framework Directive [2]. The same is still pending in the final version of the revision of the Waste Water Framework Directive this year, but is expected. Nanoplastics are particularly under discussion for having a toxic effect on humans and animals, as these particles are small enough to be absorbed by cells. For targeted toxicological studies, it is important to have test and reference materials that resemble the particles found in the environment. To mimic environmental samples, these materials should also have an irregular shape and show aging at the surface, which can be detected with XPS or SEM/EDS. BAM in collaboration with the EMPIR project "PlasticTrace" works on a reference material candidate of nano-sized polypropylene (nano-PP) [3]. The nano-PP vials were tested for homogeneity with PTA and further characterized with bulk and surface-sensitive techniques. An SEM image and a corresponding XPS spectrum are presented in Figure 1. Raman measurements as well as XPS indicate an aged surface. T2 - ECASIA 2024 CY - Gothenburg, Sweden DA - 09.06.2024 KW - Surface chemistry KW - Micro- and nanoplastics KW - X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy KW - MNP production technique PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60535 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Measurement of Lateral Dimensions of Particles & Flakes (2D) by Imaging Methods N2 - An overview with the basics of size and shape measurement of particles and 2D structures according to established methodologies (and popular imaging processing software packages) with imaging techniques is given. Main descriptors are explained based on practical cases are determined interactively at the flipchart. T2 - MaterialsWeek 2024 CY - Limassol, Cyprus DA - 17.06.2024 KW - Nanoparticles KW - 2D materials KW - Lateral dimensions KW - ISO KW - Imaging PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60454 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Ciornii, Dmitri A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Altmann, Korinna T1 - Validation of microplastics detection methods and proficiency testing: Suitable microplastic reference materials for interlaboratory comparison N2 - Since microplastics (MPs) can be found everywhere and are becoming a problem of high concern, it is necessary to understand their physico-chemical properties. To obtain reliable analytical data a set of validated methods for sampling, sample preparation, detection, and data evaluation are needed. To meet these needs an interlaboratory comparison (ILC) with 84 participants worldwide has been organized under the international pre-standardisation platform VAMAS (www.vamas.org/twa45/) as Project 2 “Development of standardized methodologies for characterisation of microplastics with microscopy and spectroscopy methods” within the Technical Working Area TWA 45 “Micro and Nano Plastics in the Environment”. In this ILC thermo-analytical methods (Py-GC/MS and TED-GC/MS) and vibrational methods (µ-Raman and µ-FTIR) have been tested and compared by providing a set of microplastic representative test materials and measurement protocols developed at BAM. The defined measurands were: particle number concentration, particle size distribution (PSD), and polymer identity and mass content. To increase the statistical quality, 6 samples were shipped together with blank samples. Hence, the ILC provides information on precision and accuracy of the results obtained with different methods as well as strengths and limitations of the proposed protocols. T2 - SETAC 34th Meeting CY - Seville, Spain DA - 05.05.2024 KW - ILC KW - Microplastic KW - Method validation KW - Stakeholder KW - Reference materials KW - Polyethylene KW - Polyethylene Terephtalate PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60039 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Ciornii, Dmitri A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Benismail, Nizar A1 - Altmann, Korinna T1 - Interlaboratory comparisons for obtaining reliable data on microplastic detection methods N2 - Since microplastics (MPs) can be found everywhere and are becoming a problem of high concern, it is necessary to understand their occurrence and fate in the environment. However, to obtain data of high quality is very challenging, since measurement operating procedures differ from laboratory to laboratory. Currently, there are no standardized methods to analyze microplastics. One promissing possibility to adress standardization of the methodology and operating procedures are interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs). In this contribution we report the first results of an ILC on microplastic detection methods organized under the pre-stantdardisation plattform of VAMAS (www.vamas.org/twa45/) as Project 2 “Development of standardized methodologies for characterisation of microplastics with microscopy and spectroscopy methods”, within the Technical Working Area TWA 45 “Micro and Nano Plastics in the Environment”. The ILC has gathered 84 participants all over the world representing all continents. BAM, as the project leader, produced a set of reference microplastic materials, which have been distributed to all the participants together with the measurement protocols and reporting data templates. T2 - SETAC 34th Meeting CY - Seville, Spain DA - 05.05.2024 KW - ILC KW - Microplastic KW - Py-GC/MS KW - Polyethylene KW - µ-Raman KW - µ-FTIR KW - Polyethylene Terephtalate KW - TED-GC/MS PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60038 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Milczewski, Frank A1 - Ciornii, Dmitri A1 - Hodoroaba, Dan T1 - Preliminary results of an interlaboratory comparison on microplastics organised by plasticsfate N2 - Microplastics are everywhere in the environment, but analytics is challenging. Since harmonisation is missing as well es suitable reference materials, BAM did under th umbrella of VAMAS funded by the EU Horizon 2020 project PlasticsFate a ILC for microplastic detection methods. Methods adressed were IR, Raman, Py-GC/MS and TED-GC/MS. The talk gives a first presentation and evaluation on the results. T2 - CUSP annual meeting and conference CY - Utrecht, Netherlands DA - 12.09.2023 KW - Microplastics KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Polymer 3R KW - Reference material KW - ILC on detection methods PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-60036 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hülagü, Deniz A1 - Tobias, Charlie A1 - Dao, Radek A1 - Komarov, Pavel A1 - Rurack, Knut A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Towards 3D determination of the surface roughness of core–shell microparticles as a routine quality control procedure by scanning electron microscopy N2 - AbstractRecently, we have developed an algorithm to quantitatively evaluate the roughness of spherical microparticles using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. The algorithm calculates the root-mean-squared profile roughness (RMS-RQ) of a single particle by analyzing the particle’s boundary. The information extracted from a single SEM image yields however only two-dimensional (2D) profile roughness data from the horizontal plane of a particle. The present study offers a practical procedure and the necessary software tools to gain quasi three-dimensional (3D) information from 2D particle contours recorded at different particle inclinations by tilting the sample (stage). This new approach was tested on a set of polystyrene core-iron oxide shell-silica shell particles as few micrometer-sized beads with different (tailored) surface roughness, providing the proof of principle that validates the applicability of the proposed method. SEM images of these particles were analyzed by the latest version of the developed algorithm, which allows to determine the analysis of particles in terms of roughness both within a batch and across the batches as a routine quality control procedure. A separate set of particles has been analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) as a powerful complementary surface analysis technique integrated into SEM, and the roughness results have been compared. KW - Core–shell particles KW - Image analysis KW - Roughness KW - Scanning electron microscopy KW - Atomic force microscopy KW - Tilting KW - Batch analysis PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-607590 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-68797-7 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 14 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-60759 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Mrkwitschka, Paul A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Abram, Sarah-Luise A1 - Rühle, Bastian T1 - Understanding Correlative Electron Microscopy Imaging with SEM, STEM in SEM and TEM for the Accurate Characterization of Size and Shape of FeOx Nanoparticles N2 - The recently certified reference material (CRM) BAM-N012 as cubical iron oxide FeOx nanoparticles (NPs) of 8 nm area equivalent square edge length (ESL) and the RM candidate BAM-N013 as nearly spherical NPs of 22 nm size were analyzed in detail by electron microscopy (EM). For the metrological characterization with SEM, STEM in SEM and TEM, the understanding of the imaging contrasts and sensitivities, and the correct interpretation of the (art)effects which are inherent to each detection mode is necessary. The same sample areas with NPs deposited on a TEM grid were analyzed by two SEM acquisition modes, i. e. SE InLens and STEM in SEM using a dedicated transmission sample holder, and further, correlatively, analyzed with TEM. With increasing kV, SE InLens shows increasing particle size (unless overcharging at the particle boundaries is filtered), as a known effect. For STEM-in-SEM the particle size decreases significantly and individual particles are identified easier (at 2 kV only a few single particles can be detected automatically). ❑ Documentation of the sample preparation and measurement conditions (including optimization process) is important for reproducibility. ❑ Plasma cleaning, analysis in the transmission mode at SEM is recommended for FeOx NPs. ❑ Selection of the threshold algorithm can significantly alter the reported ECD. T2 - Microscopy and Microanalysis 2024 CY - Cleveland, OH, USA DA - 28.07.2024 KW - Nanoparticles KW - Electron microscopy KW - Iron oxide KW - Reference materials KW - Correlative microscopy KW - Size and shape distribution PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60806 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Hülagü, Deniz A1 - Tobias, Charlie A1 - Dao, R. A1 - Komarow, P. A1 - Rurack, Knut A1 - Hodoroaba, Dan T1 - Dataset accompanying the publication "Towards 3D determination of the surface roughness of core-shell microparticles as a routine quality control procedure by scanning electron microscopy" N2 - This dataset accompanies the following publication: Hülagü, D., Tobias, C., Dao, R., Komarov, P., Rurack, K., Hodoroaba, V.-D., Towards 3D determination of the surface roughness of core-shell microparticles as a routine quality control procedure by scanning electron microscopy. Sci.Rep, 14, 17936 (2024), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-68797-7. It contains SEM and AFM-in-SEM images of polystyrene (PS) core particles, polystyrene-iron oxide (PS/Fe3O4) core-shell particles, and polystyrene-iron oxide-silica (PS/Fe3O4/SiO2) core-shell-shell particles. Please refer to the publication and its supporting information for more details on the acquisition and contents of the dataset, as well as the GitHub repository at https://github.Com/denizhulagu/roughness-analysis-by-electron-microscopy. The investigated particles were produced at BAM laboratories as previously described in: Hülagü, D. et al. Generalized analysis approach of the profile roughness by electron microscopy with the example of hierarchically grown polystyrene–iron oxide–silica core–shell–shell particles. Adv. Eng. Mater. 24, 2101344, https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202101344 (2022). Tobias, C., Climent, E., Gawlitza, K. & Rurack, K. Polystyrene microparticles with convergently grown mesoporous silica shells as a promising tool for multiplexed bioanalytical assays. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 13, 207, https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c17940 (2020). KW - Core–shell particles KW - Image analysis KW - Roughness KW - Scanning electron microscopy KW - Atomic force microscopy KW - Tilting KW - Batch analysis PY - 2024 UR - https://zenodo.org/records/11108726 DO - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11108725 PB - Zenodo CY - Geneva AN - OPUS4-60760 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Salzmann, Christoph A1 - Mrkwitschka, Paul A1 - Pellegrino, F. T1 - STEM in SEM vs SE InLens type SEM as a Reliable Analytical Pair Tool for Measurement of Nanoparticle Size and Shape Distribution N2 - In this lecture, following points are addressed: – Advantages of correlative analysis in electron microscopy – Measurement principle of the different electron microscopy modes used – Presentation of the nanomaterials used for this study – Role of sample preparation – Sequence kV variation with InLens & transmission detection of the same field-of-view – Conclusive remarks including Monte Carlo simulations T2 - Microscopy and Microanalysis 2024 CY - Cleveland, OH, USA DA - 28.07.2024 KW - Correlative analysis KW - Electron microscopy KW - Nanoparticles KW - SEM KW - STEM-in-SEM KW - Particle size distribution KW - Titanium dioxide PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60804 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Sachse, René A1 - Kotil, L. A1 - Matjacic, L. A1 - McMahon, G. A1 - Bernicke, M. A1 - Bernsmeier, D. A1 - Kraehnert, R. A1 - Hertwig, Andreas T1 - Morphological and Chemical Nanoscale Analysis of Mesoporous Mixed IrO x TiO y Thin Films as Electrode Materials N2 - Porous films play an important role particularly in energy applications like photovoltaics, electrolysis or batteries. Thin film properties such as thickness, chemical composition, crystallinity of the framework, and porosity define the activity of the porous films. The accurate morpho-chemical characterisation of mesoporous thin films is a challenging analytical task which requires the consideration of new analytical approaches based on the combination of data of different methods able to address the structure and chemical composition at the nanoscale. In this contribution we characterise thin mesoporous iridium-titanium mixed oxide film properties by Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) at an SEM applied in a dedicated “thin film analysis” approach (1). Thus, the film mass deposition, film thickness and the film density can be determined. Further, by dividing the measured film density to an assumed (theoretical) metal oxide framework (skeletal) density, the thin film porosity can be extracted, too. In order to assess the homogeneity of the thin film properties like the chemical composition, Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and Auger Electron Spectrometry are applied in the depth profiling mode, so that possible in-depth gradients are detected. Lateral inhomogeneities in the chemical composition and structure of the thin mesoporous films are also identified by applying the same methods in the line-scan or mapping mode, which can be further combined with in-depth sputtering for 3D information. The role of the spatial resolution of the analytical methods considered, which can go down well below 100 nm, will be highlighted. T2 - Microscopy and Microanalysis 2024 CY - Cleveland, OH, USA DA - 28.07.2024 KW - Auger electron spectroscopy KW - Iridium oxide KW - Mesoporous thin films KW - SIMS KW - Titanium oxide KW - Porosity PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60805 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Omar, Hassan A1 - Ahamadi, Shayan A1 - Hülagü, Deniz A1 - Hidde, Gundula A1 - Hertwig, Andreas A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Investigations of the adsorbed layer of polysulfone: Influence of the thickness of the adsorbed layer on the glass transition of thin films N2 - This work studies the influence of the adsorbed layer on the glass transition of thin films of polysulfone. Therefore, the growth kinetics of the irreversibly adsorbed layer of polysulfone on silicon substrates was first investigated using the solvent leaching approach, and the thickness of the remaining layer was measured with atomic force microscopy. Annealing conditions before leaching were varied in temperature and time (0–336 h). The growth kinetics showed three distinct regions: a pre-growth step where it was assumed that phenyl rings align parallel to the substrate at the shortest annealing times, a linear growth region, and a crossover from linear to logarithmic growth observed at higher temperatures for the longest annealing times. No signs of desorption were observed, pointing to the formation of a strongly adsorbed layer. Second, the glass transition of thin polysulfone films was studied in dependence on the film thickness using spectroscopic ellipsometry. Three annealing conditions were compared: two with only a tightly bound layer formed in the linear growth regime and one with both tightly bound and loosely adsorbed layers formed in the logarithmic growth regime. The onset thickness and increase in the glass transition temperature increases with annealing time and temperature. These differences were attributed to the distinct conformations of the formed adsorbed layers. KW - Glass transition KW - Adsorbed Layer PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-607701 DO - https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0223415 SN - 0021-9606 VL - 161 IS - 5 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - AIP Publishing AN - OPUS4-60770 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Kai A1 - Mirabella, Francesca A1 - Knigge, Xenia A1 - Mezera, Marek A1 - Weise, Matthias A1 - Sahre, Mario A1 - Wasmuth, Karsten A1 - Voss, Heike A1 - Hertwig, Andreas A1 - Krüger, Jörg A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Chemical and topographical changes upon sub-100-nm laser-induced periodic surface structure formation on titanium alloy: the influence of laser pulse repetition rate and number of over-scans N2 - Titanium and its alloys are known to allow the straightforward laser-based manufacturing of ordered surface nanostructures, so-called high spatial frequency laser-induced periodic surface structures (HSFL). These structures exhibit sub-100 nm spatial periods – far below the optical diffraction limit. The resulting surface functionalities are usually enabled by both, topographic and chemical alterations of the nanostructured surfaces. For exploring these effects, multi-method characterizations were performed here for HSFL processed on Ti–6Al–4V alloy upon irradiation with near-infrared ps-laser pulses (1030 nm, ≈1 ps pulse duration, 1–400 kHz) under different laser scan processing conditions, i.e., by systematically varying the pulse repetition frequency and the number of laser irradiation passes. The sample characterization involved morphological and topographical investigations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), tactile stylus profilometry, as well as near-surface chemical analyses hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) and depth-profiling time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). This provides a quantification of the laser ablation depth, the geometrical HSFL characteristics and enables new insights into the depth extent and the nature of the non-ablative laser-induced near-surface oxidation accompanying these nanostructures. This allows to answer the questions how the processing of HSFL can be industrially scaled up, and whether the latter is limited by heat-accumulation effects. T2 - 2023 E-MRS Spring Meeting, Symposium L "Making light matter: lasers in material sciences and photonics" CY - Strasbourg, France DA - 29.05.2023 KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - Ultrashort laser pulses KW - Laser processing KW - Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) KW - Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-589902 UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pssa.202300719 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202300719 SN - 1862-6319 VL - 221 IS - 15 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Wiley-VCH GmbH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-58990 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -