TY - JOUR
A1 - Schmidt, C.
A1 - Schierack, P.
A1 - Gerber, U.
A1 - Schröder, C.
A1 - Choi, Youngeun
A1 - Bald, Ilko
A1 - Lehmann, W.
A1 - Rödiger, S.
T1 - Streptavidin Homologues for Applications on Solid Surfaces at High Temperatures
N2 - One of the most commonly used bonds between two biomolecules is the bond between biotin and streptavidin (SA) or streptavidin homologues (SAHs). A high dissociation constant and the consequent high-temperature stability even allows for its use in nucleic acid detection under polymerase chain reaction (PCR) conditions. There are a number of SAHs available, and for assay design, it is of great interest to determine as to which SAH will perform the best under assay conditions. Although there are numerous single studies on the characterization of SAHs in solution or selected solid phases, there is no systematic study comparing different SAHs for biomolecule-binding, hybridization, and PCR assays on solid phases. We compared streptavidin, core streptavidin, traptavidin, core traptavidin, neutravidin, and monomeric streptavidin on the surface of microbeads (10–15 μm in diameter) and designed multiplex microbead-based experiments and analyzed simultaneously the binding of biotinylated oligonucleotides and the hybridization of oligonucleotides to complementary capture probes. We also bound comparably large DNA origamis to capture probes on the microbead surface. We used a real-time fluorescence microscopy imaging platform, with which it is possible to subject samples to a programmable time and temperature profile and to record binding processes on the microbead surface depending on the time and temperature. With the exception of core traptavidin and monomeric streptavidin, all other SA/SAHs were suitable for our investigations. We found hybridization efficiencies close to 100% for streptavidin, core streptavidin, traptavidin, and neutravidin. These could all be considered equally suitable for hybridization, PCR applications, and melting point analysis. The SA/SAH–biotin bond was temperature-sensitive when the oligonucleotide was mono-biotinylated, with traptavidin being the most stable followed by streptavidin and neutravidin. Mono-biotinylated oligonucleotides can be used in experiments with temperatures up to 70 °C. When oligonucleotides were bis-biotinylated, all SA/SAH–biotin bonds had similar temperature stability under PCR conditions, even if they comprised a streptavidin variant with slower biotin dissociation and increased mechanostability.
KW - Biopolymers Probes
KW - Hybridization
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Genetics
PY - 2020
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b02339
VL - 36
IS - 2
SP - 628
EP - 636
PB - American Chemical Society Publication
CY - Washington
AN - OPUS4-50357
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Solomun, Tihomir
A1 - Cordsmeier, Leo
A1 - Hallier, Dorothea C.
A1 - Seitz, Harald
A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin
T1 - Interaction of a Dimeric Single-Stranded DNA-Binding Protein (G5P) with DNA Hairpins. A Molecular Beacon Study
N2 - Gene-V protein (G5P/GVP) is a single-stranded (ss)DNA-binding protein (SBP) of bacteriophage f1 that is required for DNA synthesis and repair. In solution, it exists as a dimer that binds two antiparallel ssDNA strands with high affinity in a cooperative manner, forming a left-handed helical protein–DNA filament. Here, we report on fluorescence studies of the interaction of G5P with different DNA oligonucleotides having a hairpin structure (molecular beacon, MB) with a seven base-pair stem (dT24-stem7, dT18-stem7), as well as with DNA oligonucleotides (dT38, dT24) without a defined secondary structure. All oligonucleotides were end-labeled with a Cy3-fluorophore and a BHQ2-quencher. In the case of DNA oligonucleotides without a secondary structure, an almost complete quenching of their strong fluorescence (with about 5% residual intensity) was observed upon the binding of G5P. This implies an exact alignment of the ends of the DNA strand(s) in the saturated complex. The interaction of the DNA hairpins with G5P led to the unzipping of the base-paired stem, as revealed by fluorescence measurements, fluorescence microfluidic mixing experiments, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay data. Importantly, the disruption of ssDNA’s secondary structure agrees with the behavior of other single-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SBPs). In addition, substantial protein-induced fluorescence enhancement (PIFE) of the Cy3-fluorescence was observed.
KW - DNA
KW - Protein
KW - ssDNA
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Raman
KW - G5P
KW - Hairpin
KW - Molecular beacon
KW - Quencher
KW - Amino Acids
KW - SBP
KW - SSB
KW - Cy3
KW - PIFE
KW - Protein-induced fluorescence enhancement
KW - Protein–DNA filament
KW - Single-stranded DNA-binding protein
KW - Bacteriophage f1
KW - Oligonucleotides
PY - 2023
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c03669
SN - 1520-6106
VL - 127
IS - 38
SP - 8131
EP - 8138
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-58295
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Chazeau, E.
A1 - Fabre, C.
A1 - Privat, M.
A1 - Godard, A.
A1 - Racoeur, C.
A1 - Bodio, E.
A1 - Busser, B.
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
A1 - Sancey, L.
A1 - Paul, C.
A1 - Goze, C.
T1 - Comparison of the In Vitro and In Vivo Behavior of a Series of NIR-II-Emitting Aza-BODIPYs Containing Different Water-Solubilizing Groups and Their Trastuzumab Antibody Conjugates
N2 - The development of new fluorescent organic probes effective in the NIR-II region is currently a fast-growing field and represents a challenge in the domain of medical imaging. In this study, we have designed and synthesized an innovative series of aza-boron dipyrromethenes emitting in the NIR-II region. We have investigated the effect of different water-solubilizing groups not only on the photophysical properties of the compounds but also on their in vitro and in vivo performance after bioconjugation to the antibody trastuzumab. Remarkably, we discovered that the most lipophilic compound unexpectedly displayed the most favorable in vivo properties after bioconjugation. This underlines the profound influence that the fluorophore functionalization approach can have on the efficiency of the resulting imaging agent.
KW - NIR-II
KW - In vivo imaging
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Spectroscopy
KW - Antibody conjugates
PY - 2024
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02139
SN - 1520-4804
VL - 67
IS - 5
SP - 3679
EP - 3691
PB - ACS Publications
CY - Washington, DC
AN - OPUS4-59607
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Chazeau, E.
A1 - Pipier, A.
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
A1 - Ghiringhelli, F.
A1 - Sancey, L.
A1 - Paul, C.
A1 - Goze, C.
T1 - NIR-II aza-BODIPY Platform for the Development of a Fluorescent Antibody Drug Conjugate
N2 - Real-time imaging of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) offers valuable insights for assessing tumor targeting specificity, monitoring therapeutic efficacy, and detecting off-target accumulation that may cause adverse effects. To enable precise tracking, we developed a versatile fluorescent platform based on an NIR-II emitting aza-BODIPY dye, which can be site-specifically grafted onto an IgG1 antibody to generate well-defined fluorescent ADCs. As a proof of concept, we synthesized an HER2-targeting trastuzumab immunoconjugate bearing a NIR-II aza-BODIPY fluorophore. The cytotoxic monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) payload was introduced in the final step, resulting in a trackable and homogeneous ADC suitable for both in vitro and in vivo investigations. The resulting Trastu-azaNIRII-MMAE selectively accumulated in HER2-positive subcutaneous tumors, significantly reducing the tumor growth. Using NIR-II optical imaging, a single injection of the NIR-II-ADC allowed for the detection of the conjugate over a period of more than one month, highlighting its potential for long-term tracking and therapeutic applications.
KW - NIR-II
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Antibody drug conjugate
KW - In vivo imaging
PY - 2025
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c02777
VL - 68
IS - 7
SP - 7232
EP - 7242
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-63025
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kimani, Martha Wamaitha
A1 - Beyer, S.
A1 - El-Schich, Z.
A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia
A1 - Rurack, Knut
A1 - Gjörloff-Wingren, A.
T1 - Imprinted Particles for Direct Fluorescence Detection of Sialic Acid in Polar Media and on Cancer Cells with Enhanced Control of Nonspecific Binding
N2 - Glycoproteins are abundant on the cell surface of mammals, providing structural support, modulating cell Membrane properties, and acting as signaling agents. Variation of glycosylation patterns has been found to indicate various disease states, including cell malignancy. Sialic acid (SA) is present as a terminating group on cell-surface glycans, and its overexpression has been linked to several types of cancer. Detection of SA on the cell surface is therefore critical for detection of cancer in its early stages. In this work, a fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymer layer targeting SA was synthesized on the surface of silica-coated polystyrene (PS) particles. Compared to previous works, a PS core supplies a lighter, lower-density support for improved suspension stability and scattering properties. Moreover, their smaller size provides a higher surface-area-to-volume ratio for binding. The incorporation of a fluorescent monomer in the MIP shell allowed for simple and rapid determination of binding specificity in polar media due to a deprotonation−reprotonation interaction mechanism between the fluorescent monomer and SA, which led to spectral changes.
Upon titration of the MIP particles with SA in suspension, an increase in fluorescence emission of the particles was observed, with the MIP particles binding SA more selectively compared to the nonimprinted polymer (NIP) control particles. In cell staining experiments performed by flow cytometry, the binding behavior of the MIP particles compared favorably with that of SA-binding lectins. NIPs prepared with a “dummy” template served as a better negative control in cell binding assays due to the favorable inward orientation of template-binding functional groups in the polymer shell, which reduced nonspecific binding. The results show that fluorescent MIPs targeting SA are a promising tool for in vitro fluorescence staining of cancerous cells and for future diagnosis of cancer at early stages.
KW - Flow cytometry
KW - Sialic acid
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Molecularly imprinted polymers
KW - Cancer cells
PY - 2021
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525216
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.0c01353
VL - 3
IS - 5
SP - 2363
EP - 2373
PB - American Chemical Society
AN - OPUS4-52521
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Li, Q.
A1 - Shinde, S.
A1 - Grasso, G.
A1 - Caroli, A.
A1 - Abouhany, R.
A1 - Lanzillotta, M.
A1 - Pan, G.
A1 - Wan, Wei
A1 - Rurack, Knut
A1 - Sellergren, B.
T1 - Selective detection of phospholipids using molecularly imprinted fluorescent sensory core-shell particles
N2 - Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive sphingo-lipid with a broad range of activities coupled to its role in G-protein coupled receptor signalling. Monitoring of both intra and extra cellular levels of this lipid is challenging due to its low abundance and lack of robust affinity assays or sensors. We here report on fluorescent sensory core-shell molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) particles responsive to near physiologically relevant levels of S1P and the S1P receptor modulator fingolimod phosphate (FP) in spiked human serum samples. Imprinting was achieved using the tetrabutylammonium (TBA) salt of FP or phosphatidic acid (DPPA·Na) as templates in combination with a polymerizable nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBD)-urea monomer with the dual role of capturing the phospho-anion and signalling its presence. The monomers were grafted from ca 300 nm RAFT-modified silica core particles using ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as crosslinker resulting in 10–20 nm thick shells displaying selective fluorescence response to the targeted lipids S1P and DPPA in aqueous buffered media. Potential use of the sensory particles for monitoring S1P in serum was demonstrated on spiked serum samples, proving a linear range of 18–60 μM and a detection limit of 5.6 μM, a value in the same range as the plasma concentration of the biomarker.
KW - Molecularly imprinted polymers
KW - Phospholipids
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Dye monomers
PY - 2020
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-509485
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66802-3
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 10
IS - 1
SP - 9924
PB - Nature Research
CY - London
AN - OPUS4-50948
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Buchholz, Michelle
T1 - Dual Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) for Detection of the Prevalent Anti-Inflammatory Drug Diclofenac
N2 - Ensuring the purity of air and water is essential for the overall well-being of life on earth and the sustainability of the planet's diverse ecosystems. To achieve the goal of zero pollution, as outlined in the 2020 European Green Deal by the European Commission,[1] significant efforts are in progress. A key aspect of this commitment involves advancing more efficient and economically viable methods for treating wastewater. This includes the systematic monitoring of harmful pollutants such as heavy metals, microplastics, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals.
One example is the presence of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac in water systems, primarily originating from its use as a gel or lotion for joint pain treatment. Diclofenac contamination in surface waters has been detected at approximately 10 μg L-1 (0.03 μM)[2] which is not solely due to widespread usage but also because of the drug's resistance to microbial degradation. Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which rely on biodegradation, sludge sorption, ozone oxidation, and powdered activated carbon treatment, struggle to efficiently remove diclofenac from wastewater.[3],[4] For instance, to enable WWTPs to efficiently monitor and optimize their processes, it would be advantageous to develop on-site detection and extraction methods for persistent pharmaceutical residues in aqueous samples.
In this work, a sol-gel process was used to prepare Nile blue-doped silica nanoparticles (dSiO2-NPs) with a diameter of ca. 30 nm that were further functionalized to enable reversible-addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. To achieve fluorescence detection, a fluorescent monomer was used as a probe for diclofenac in ethyl acetate, generating stable complexes through hydrogen bond formation. The diclofenac/fluorescent monomer complexes were imprinted into thin molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) shells on the surface of the dSiO2-NPs. Thus, the MIP binding behaviour could be easily evaluated by fluorescence titrations to monitor the spectral changes upon addition of the analyte. Doping the core substrate with Nile blue generates effective dual fluorescent signal transduction. This approach does not solely depend on a single fluorescence emission band in response to analyte recognition. Instead, it enables the fluorescent core to function as an internal reference, minimizing analyte-independent factors such as background fluorescence, instrumental fluctuation, and operational parameters.[5] Rebinding studies showed that the MIP particles have excellent selectivity towards the imprinted template and good discrimination against the competitor ibuprofen, with a discrimination factor of 2.5. Additionally, the limit of detection was determined to be 0.6 μM. Thus, with further optimization of the MIP, there is potential for the development of a MIP-based biphasic extract-&-detect fluorescence assay for simple, sensitive and specific sensing of diclofenac in aqueous samples down to the required concentrations of 0.03 μM.
T2 - MIP2024: The 12th International Conference on Molecular Imprinting
CY - Verona, Italy
DA - 18.06.2024
KW - Sensor
KW - Diclofenac
KW - Molecularly Imprinted Polymers
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Pollutant
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-60439
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Prakash, Swayam
T1 - Silane Functionalized Paper Test Strips for Rapid and Sensitive Faecal Pigments Detection towards On-site Water Quality Testing
N2 - Introduction. W.H.O estimated that globally at least 2 billion people use drinking water sources contaminated with faeces and according to UNICEF, most of these faecal detection methods are expensive, time-consuming (18–24 h time to result), and, with few exceptions, not suited for on-site analysis. Hence, there is an urgent need for the development of analytical methods that allow to unequivocally test for drinking water quality directly on-site.
Aims. Development of rapid and sensitive fluorescence based analytical methods for faecal pigments (FPs) detection towards on-site water quality testing.
Methods. Silane functionalized glass fiber paper test strips were developed for the sensitive drop-&-detect analysis of FPs. Drop casting of water samples containing faecal pigment on specifically functionalized test strips allowed the sensitive detection of FPs with a smartphone coupled to a 3D printed optical setup.
Results. A series of silanes were used to functionalize glass fiber paper and tune its hydrophobicity, exploiting the influence of matrix tailoring to enhance binding of the Zn salt used as co-reagent to urobilin for optimal fluorescence response. Combination of bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane with zinc chloride-impregnated test strips demonstrated optimum fluorescence response for sensitive (nano- and sub-nanomolar concentration) smartphone-based faecal pigments detection. The obtained fluorescence sensing results were validated with a benchtop fluorometer. Furthermore, the developed analytical method was successfully applied to the analysis of real water samples.
Conclusions. The possibilities of matrix tailoring and co-reagent nature on the development of a rapid, sensitive, and embedded fluorescence-based on-site strip test are presented and discussed. This technique has potential application for faecal biomarker detection/primary screening for water quality in developing countries, where sophisticated instruments may not be available.
T2 - 18th Conference of Methods and Applications in Fluorescence
CY - Valencia, Spain
DA - 08.09.2024
KW - Faecal contamination
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Metal complexes
KW - Water analysis
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-61479
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Bandi, V.G.
A1 - Luciano, M.P.
A1 - Saccomano, M.
A1 - Patel, N.L.
A1 - Bischof, Th. S.
A1 - Lingg, J.G.P.
A1 - Tsrunchev, P.T.
A1 - Nix, M.N.
A1 - Ruehle, Bastian
A1 - Sanders, C.
A1 - Riffle, L.
A1 - Robinson, C.M.
A1 - Difilippantonio, S.
A1 - Kalen, J.D.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Ivanic, J.
A1 - Bruns, O.T.
A1 - Schnermann, M.
T1 - Targeted multicolor in vivo imaging over 1,000 nm enabled by nonamethine cyanines
N2 - Recent progress has shown that using wavelengths between 1,000 and 2,000 nm, referred to as the shortwave-infrared or near-infrared (NIR)-II range, can enable high-resolution in vivo imaging at depths not possible with conventional optical wavelengths.
However, few bioconjugatable probes of the type that have proven invaluable for multiplexed imaging in the visible and NIR range are available for imaging these wavelengths. Using rational design, we have generated persulfonated indocyanine dyes with absorbance maxima at 872 and 1,072 nm through catechol-ring and aryl-ring fusion, respectively, onto the nonamethine scaffold. Multiplexed two-color and three-color in vivo imaging using monoclonal antibody and dextran conjugates in several tumor models illustrate the benefits of concurrent labeling of the tumor and healthy surrounding tissue and lymphatics.
These efforts are enabled by complementary advances in a custom-built NIR/shortwave-infrared imaging setup and software package for multicolor real-time imaging.
KW - Photoluminescence
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Dye
KW - Cyanine
KW - Antibody
KW - Bioconjugate
KW - Conjugate
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Photophysics
KW - Lifetime
KW - Sensor
KW - NIR
KW - SWIR
KW - Mechanism
KW - Imaging
KW - Application
KW - Contrast agent
KW - Bioimaging
PY - 2021
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-022-01394-6
VL - 19
IS - 3
SP - 353
EP - 358
PB - Nature Research
AN - OPUS4-54465
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Recknagel, Sebastian
A1 - Bresch, Harald
A1 - Kipphardt, Heinrich
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Koch, Matthias
A1 - Rosner, M.
T1 - Trends in selected fields of reference material production
N2 - For more than 110 years, BAM has been producing reference materials for a wide range of application fields. With the development of new analytical methods and new applications as well as continuously emerging more stringent requirements of laboratory accreditation with regard to quality control and metrological traceability, the demand and requirements for reference materials are increasing. This trend article gives an overview of general developments in the field of reference materials as well as developments in selected fields of application in which BAM is active. This includes inorganic and metal analysis, gas analysis, food and consumer products, and geological samples. In addition to these more traditional fields of application, developments in the areas of optical spectroscopy, particulary fluorescence methods, and nanomaterials are considered.
T2 - 150 years BAM: Science with impact
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 01.01.2021
KW - Reference material
KW - ISO REMCO
KW - Gas analysis
KW - Food
KW - Nanomaterials
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2022
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-548407
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-022-03996-7
SN - 1618-2642
SN - 1618-2650
VL - 414
IS - Topical collection: Analytical methods and applications in the materials and life sciences
SP - 4281
EP - 4289
PB - Springer
CY - Berlin
AN - OPUS4-54840
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Boehm, U.
A1 - Nelson, G.
A1 - Brown, C. M.
A1 - Bagley, S.
A1 - Bajcsy, P.
A1 - Bischof, J.
A1 - Dauphin, A.
A1 - Dobbie, I. M.
A1 - Eriksson, J. E.
A1 - Faklaris, O.
A1 - Fernandez-Rodriguez, J.
A1 - Ferrand, A.
A1 - Gelman, L.
A1 - Gheisari, A.
A1 - Hartmann, H.
A1 - Kukat, C.
A1 - Laude, A.
A1 - Mitkovski, M.
A1 - Munck, S.
A1 - North, A. J.
A1 - Rasse, T. M.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Schuetz, L. C.
A1 - Seitz, A.
A1 - Strambio-De-Castillia, C.
A1 - Swedlow, J. R.
A1 - Nitschke, R.
T1 - QUAREP-LiMi: A community endeavor to advance quality assessment and reproducibility in light microscopy
N2 - The community-driven initiative Quality Assessment and Reproducibility for Instruments & Images in Light Microscopy (QUAREP-LiMi) wants to improve reproducibility for light microscopy image data through Quality control (QC) management of instruments and images. It aims for a common set of QC guidelines for Hardware calibration and image acquisition, management and analysis.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Microscopy
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Comparability
KW - Imaging
KW - Standards
KW - Reference materials
KW - Reliability
KW - Data
KW - Reference data
KW - Biology
KW - Medicine
KW - Life science
PY - 2021
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-021-01162-y
SN - 1548-7105
VL - 18
SP - 1424
EP - 1427
PB - Nature Publishing Group
CY - London
AN - OPUS4-52722
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Maisuls, I.
A1 - Wang, Cui
A1 - Gutierrez Suburu, M. E.
A1 - Wilde, S.
A1 - Daniliuc, C.-G.
A1 - Brunink, D.
A1 - Doltsinis, N. L.
A1 - Ostendorp, S.
A1 - Kösters, J.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Strassert, C. A.
T1 - Ligand-controlled and nanoconfinement-boosted luminescence employing Pt(II) and Pd(II) complexes: from color-tunable aggregation-enhanced dual emitters towards self-referenced oxygen reporters
N2 - In this work, we describe the synthesis, structural and photophysical characterization of four novel Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes bearing tetradentate luminophoric ligands with high photoluminescence quantum yields (FL) and long excited state lifetimes (s) at room temperature, where the results were interpreted by means of DFT calculations. Incorporation of fluorine atoms into the tetradentate ligand favors aggregation and thereby, a shortened average distance between the metal centers, which provides accessibility to metal–metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (3MMLCT) excimers acting as red-shifted Energy traps if compared with the monomeric entities. This supramolecular approach provides an elegant way to enable room-temperature phosphorescence from Pd(II) complexes, which are otherwise quenched by a thermal population of dissociative states due to a lower ligand field splitting. Encapsulation of These complexes in 100 nm-sized aminated polystyrene nanoparticles enables concentration-controlled aggregation-enhanced dual emission. This phenomenon facilitates the tunability of the absorption and emission colors while providing a rigidified environment supporting an enhanced FL up to about 80% and extended s exceeding 100 ms. Additionally, these nanoarrays constitute rare examples for selfreferenced oxygen reporters, since the phosphorescence of the aggregates is insensitive to external influences, whereas the monomeric species drop in luminescence lifetime and intensity with increasing triplet molecular dioxygen concentrations (diffusion-controlled quenching).
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Multiplexing
KW - Lifetime
KW - Bead
KW - Particle
KW - Dye
KW - Barcoding
KW - Encoding
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Label
KW - Reporter
KW - Pd(II)
KW - Pt(II)
KW - Complex
KW - NMR
KW - X-ray
KW - Sythesis
KW - Aggregation
KW - Monomer
KW - Color
PY - 2021
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525288
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0sc06126c
VL - 12
IS - 9
SP - 3270
EP - 3281
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry
AN - OPUS4-52528
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Rietsch, P.
A1 - Sobottka, S.
A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin
A1 - Hildebrandt, P.
A1 - Sarkar, B.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Eigler, S.
T1 - Identification of the Irreversible Redox Behavior of Highly Fluorescent Benzothiadiazoles
N2 - Redox switches are applied in various fields of research, including molecular lifts, electronic devices and sensors. Switching the absorbance between UV and Vis/NIR by redox processes is of interest for applications in light harvesting or biomedicine.
Here, we present a series of push-pull benzothiadiazole derivatives with high fluorescence quantum yields in solution and in the crystalline solid state. Spectroelectrochemical analysis reveals the switching of UV-absorption in the neutral state to Vis/NIR absorption in the reduced state. We identify the partial irreversibility of the switching process, which appears to be reversible on the cyclic voltammetry timescale.
KW - Redox switch
KW - Electrochemistry
KW - Dye
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Absorption
KW - Sensor
KW - Benzothiadiazole
PY - 2020
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-520865
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/cptc.202000050
SN - 2367-0932
VL - 4
IS - 9
SP - 668
EP - 673
PB - Wiley Online Library
AN - OPUS4-52086
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Potopnyk, M.
A1 - Mech-Piskorz, J.
A1 - Angulo, G.
A1 - Ceborska, M.
A1 - Luboradzki, R.
A1 - Andresen, Elina
A1 - Gajek, A.
A1 - Wisniewska, A.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Aggregation/Crystallization-Induced Emission in Naphthyridine-Based Carbazolyl-Modified Donor-Acceptor Boron Dyes Tunable by Fluorine Atoms
N2 - Four donor-acceptor boron difluoride complexes based on the carbazole electron donor and the [1,3,5,2]oxadiazaborinino[3,4-a][1,8]naphthyridine acceptor were designed, synthesized, and systematically spectroscopically investigated in solutions, in the solid states, and dye-doped polymer films. The dyes exhibit an intense blue to red solid-state emission with photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 56% in pure dye samples and 86% in poly(methyl methacrylate) films. All boron complexes show aggregation-induced emission and reversible mechanofluorochromism. The optical properties of these dyes and their solid state luminescence can be tuned by substitution pattern, i.e., the substituents at the naphthyridine unit. Exchange of CH3- for CF3-groups does not only increase the intramolecular charge transfer character, but also provides a crystallization-induced emission enhancement.
KW - Spectroscopy
KW - Dye
KW - Luminescence
KW - Sensor
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Lifetime
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Synthesis
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-597426
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202400004
SN - 0947-6539
SP - 1
EP - 12
PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag
AN - OPUS4-59742
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Wang, P.
A1 - Morales-Marquez, R.
A1 - Cervas, G.
A1 - Hernandez Medel, A.
A1 - Ogayar, M. P.
A1 - Jimenez de Aberasturi, D.
A1 - de Isidro-Gomez, A. I.
A1 - Torres-Padro, A.
A1 - Palomares, F. J.
A1 - Garcia-Orrit, S.
A1 - Sousa, C. T.
A1 - Espinosa, A.
A1 - Telle, H. H.
A1 - Ortgies, D. H.
A1 - Vega-Mayoral, V.
A1 - Cabanillas-Gonzalez, J.
A1 - Rodriguez, E. M.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
A1 - Juarez, B. H.
T1 - The role of temperature in the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of Ag2S-based nanocrystals
N2 - Highly emissive Ag2S nanocrystals (NCs) passivated with a gradated shell incorporating Se and Zn were synthesized in air, and the temperature dependence of their photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) was quantified in both organic and aqueous media at B1200 nm. The relevance of this parameter, measured at physiological temperatures, is highlighted for applications that rely on the near infrared (NIR) photoluminescence of NCs, such as deep NIR imaging or luminescence nanothermometry. Hyperspectral NIR imaging shows that Ag2S-based NCs with a PLQY in organic media of about 10% are inefficient for
imaging at 40 8C through 20 mm thick tissue with low laser irradiation
power densities. In contrast, water-transferred Ag2S-based NCs with an
initial PLQY of 2% in water exhibit improved robustness against temperature changes, enabling improved imaging performance.
KW - Quantum dots
KW - Ag2S
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nanomaterial design
KW - Advanced nanomaterials
KW - Shortwave infrared (SWIR)
KW - Temperature sensing
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-613877
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D4MH01016G
SP - 1
EP - 11
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
AN - OPUS4-61387
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
T1 - Amorphous, fluorescent silica particles for bioimaging applications
N2 - Nowadays amorphous silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NP) are one of the most abundant engineered nanomaterials, with an annual production of hundreds of thousands of tons, that are used in a broad field of industrial products and processes. Since SiO2 NP are highly stable and easily produced on a large scale at low cost, they are widely employed as fillers for rubbers and composites, absorbents, catalysts, advanced coating additives as well as plant growth agents in agriculture, anti-caking agents in food products, or as carrier material in cosmetic industry. Moreover, they are promising candidates for colloidal scaffolds in biomedical applications like bioimaging, sensing or controlled drug delivery. SiO2 NP modified with luminescent chromophores have several advantages as compared to conventional molecular probes like enhanced brightness, ease of designing ratiometric systems, and increased photostability. Here we present our work on multicolored SiO2 NP for imaging and sensing applications.
T2 - FUNGLASS Workshop
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 06.03.2024
KW - Sensors
KW - Nano
KW - Particles
KW - Silica
KW - Luminescence
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Method
KW - Synthesis
KW - Dye
KW - pH
KW - Surface analysis
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-62167
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Schlögl, Johanna
A1 - Krappe, Alexander R.
A1 - Fürstenwerth, Paul C.
A1 - Brosius, Amelie L.
A1 - Fasting, Carlo
A1 - Hoffmann, Kurt F.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Eigler, Siegfried
A1 - Steinhauer, Simon
A1 - Riedel, Sebastian
T1 - Luminescent Perhalofluoro Trityl Radicals
N2 - In this proof-of-concept study, we show that polyfluorinated trityl radicals with the, to this date, highest fluorination grade can be accessed in quantitative yields in a straightforward manner starting from the perfluorinated trityl cation. The trityl skeleton is functionalized with trimethylsilyl halides to yield perhalofluoro trityl cations, which are subsequently reduced using commercial zinc powder. In this way, we prepare three perhalofluoro trityl radicals and analyze the impact of the fluorine ligands on their electro-optical properties, revealing some interesting trends. In comparison to literature-known polychlorinated trityl radicals, the new polyfluorinated derivatives exhibit substantially higher fluorescence quantum yields, longer luminescence lifetimes, and an expanded emission range that extends into the yellow spectral region. They further display enhanced photostability under light irradiation. In radical-stained polystyrene nanoparticles, an additional broad emission band in the red−NIR wavelength region is observed, which is attributed to excimer formation. Finally, the stability of the new radicals is investigated under ambient conditions, showing the slow conversion with atmospheric oxygen yielding the respective peroxides, which are characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All in all, our study extends the present scope of luminescent trityl radicals, as the functionalization of the perfluorinated cationic precursor unlocks the path toward a vast variety of polyfluorinated trityl radicals.
KW - Dye
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Radical
KW - Synthesis
KW - Mechanism
KW - Signal enhancement
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Characterization
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Photophysics
KW - Lifetime
KW - Polarity
KW - Polymer
KW - Solvatchromism
KW - Excimer
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-647973
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c16418
SN - 0002-7863
VL - 147
IS - 46
SP - 1
EP - 8
PB - American Chemical Society (ACS)
AN - OPUS4-64797
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Bertorelle, F.
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
A1 - Berkulic, M. P.
A1 - Fakhouri, H.
A1 - Comby-Zerbino, C.
A1 - Sagar, A.
A1 - Bernadó, P.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Bonacic-Koutecký, V.
A1 - Le Guével, X.
A1 - Antoine, R.
T1 - Tailoring the NIR-II Photoluminescence of Single Thiolated Au25 Nanoclusters by Selective Binding to Proteins
N2 - Atomically precise gold nanoclusters are a fascinating class of nanomaterials that exhibit molecule-like properties and have outstanding photoluminescence (PL). Their ultrasmall size, molecular chemistry, and biocompatibility make them extremely appealing for selective biomolecule labeling in investigations of biological mechanisms at the cellular and anatomical levels. In this work, we report a simple route to incorporate a preformed Au25 nanocluster into a model bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein. A new approach combining small-angle X-ray scattering and molecular modeling provides a clear localization of a single Au25 within the protein to a cysteine residue on the gold nanocluster surface.
Attaching Au25 to BSA strikingly modifies the PL properties with enhancement and a redshift in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window. This study paves the way to conrol the design of selective sensitive probes in biomolecules through a ligand-based strategy to enable the optical detection of biomolecules in a cellular environment by live imaging.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Aggregation
KW - Signal enhancement
KW - Cluster
KW - Nano
KW - Metal
KW - NIRII
KW - SWIR
KW - Sensor
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Lifetime
KW - Photophysics
KW - Synthesis
KW - Protein
KW - Imaging
KW - Bioimaging
KW - Ligand
KW - Gold
PY - 2022
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202200570
SN - 1521-3765
VL - 28
IS - 39
SP - 1
EP - 8
PB - Wiley-VCH
CY - Weinheim
AN - OPUS4-55077
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Geißler, Daniel
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
A1 - Fischer, C.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Exploring Simple Particle-Based Signal Amplification Strategies in a Heterogeneous Sandwich Immunoassay with Optical Detection
N2 - Heterogeneous sandwich immunoassays are widely used for biomarker detection in bioanalysis and medical diagnostics. The high analyte sensitivity of the current “gold standard” enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) originates from the signal-generating enzymatic amplification step, yielding a high number of optically detectable reporter molecules. For future point-of-care testing (POCT) and point-of-need applications, there is an increasing interest in more simple detection strategies that circumvent time-consuming and temperature-dependent enzymatic reactions. A common concept to aim for detection limits comparable to those of enzymatic amplification reactions is the usage of polymer nanoparticles (NP) stained with a large number of chromophores. We explored different simple NP-based signal amplification strategies for heterogeneous sandwich immunoassays
that rely on an extraction-triggered release step of different types of optically detectable reporters. Therefore, streptavidinfunctionalized polystyrene particles (PSP) are utilized as carriers for (i) the fluorescent dye coumarin 153 (C153) and (ii) hemin (hem) molecules catalyzing the luminol reaction enabling chemiluminescence (CL) detection. Additionally, (iii) NP labeling with hemin-based microperoxidase MP11 was assessed. For each amplification approach, the PSP was first systematically optimized regarding size, loading concentration, and surface chemistry. Then, for an immunoassay for the inflammation marker C- eactive protein (CRP), the analyte sensitivity achievable with optimized PSP
ystems was compared with the established ELISA concept for photometric and CL detection. Careful optimization led to a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1 ng/mL for MP11-labeled PSP and CL detection, performing similarly well to a photometric ELISA (0.13 ng/mL), which demonstrates the huge potential of our novel assay concept.
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Immunoassay
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Antibody
KW - Polymer
KW - Dye
KW - Signal enhancement
KW - CRP
KW - Biosensing
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-597853
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03691
SN - 1520-6882
VL - 96
IS - 13
SP - 5078
EP - 5085
PB - American Chemical Society
CY - Columbus, Ohio
AN - OPUS4-59785
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Reliable Photoluminescence Quantum Yields – New Reference Materials and Interlaboratory Comparisons
N2 - The rational design and choice of molecular and nanoscale reporters, the comparison of different emitter classes, and photophysical and mechanistic studies require quantitative photoluminescence measurements and the reliable determination of the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield (QY), i.e., the number of emitted per absorbed photons. This is of special importance for all photoluminescence applications in the life and material sciences in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR. To improve the reliability and comparability of photoluminescence and QY measurements across laboratories, pitfalls, achievable uncertainties, and material-specific effects related to certain emitter classes must be explored. Also, suitable protocols and reference materials are needed which have been validated in interlaboratory comparisons for different wavelength regions and transparent and scattering luminophores.[1]
Based on absolute and relative photoluminescence measurements of functional dyes and luminescent nanomaterials, reliable methods for determining QY of transparent and scattering luminophores, nonlinear emitters, and solid luminescent nanomaterials have been developed.[1-4] Thereby, material- and method-related uncertainties of relative and absolute QY measurements and achievable uncertainties could be quantified for linear and nonlinear UV/vis/NIR/SWIR emitters and lately for also luminescent and scattering materials and solid phoshors.
In this context, we present the development and certification of a first set of UV/vis/NIR quantum yield standards with a complete uncertainty budget,[5] which present simple tools for a better comparability of QY measurements. In addition, a first interlaboratory comparison of absolute QY measurements of solid and scattering LED converter materials with integrating sphere spectroscopy has been performed.[5] The outcome of this study is presented, thereby addressing common pitfalls and measurement uncertainties and providing recommendations for the performance of reliable QY measurements of linear and non-linear emitters in transparent, scattering, and solid samples.
T2 - Anakon 2025
CY - Leipzig, Germany
DA - 10.03.2025
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Reference material
KW - Method
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Absolute
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Interlaboratory comparison
KW - Dye
KW - Film
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Scattering
KW - Uncertainty
KW - LED converter
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-62792
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Osiopova, Viktoriia
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
A1 - Ge, L.
A1 - Kitzmann, W. R.
A1 - Heinze, K.
A1 - Reithofer, M. R.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Complete protection of NIR-luminescent molecular rubies from oxygen quenching in air by L-arginine-mediated silica nanoparticles
N2 - The application of emerging luminophores such as near-infrared (NIR) emissive complexes based on earth-abundant chromium as central ion and triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) systems in air as optical reporters for bioimaging or photonic materials for energy conversion requires simple and efficient strategies for their complete protection from uminescence quenching by oxygen. Therefore, we explored the influence of sol–gel synthesis routes on the oxygen protection efficiency of the resulting core and core/shell silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs), utilizing the molecular ruby-type luminophores CrPF6 ([Cr(ddpd)2](PF6)3; ddpd = N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-dipyridin-2-ylpyridin-2,6-diamine) and CrBF4 ([Cr(ddpd)2](BF4)3) with their oxygendependent, but polarity-, proticity-, viscosity-, and concentration-independent luminescence as optical probes for oxygen permeability. The sol–gel chemistry routes we assessed include the classical Stöber method and the underexplored Larginine approach, which relies on the controlled hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in a biphasic cyclohexane/water system with the catalyst L-arginine. As demonstrated by luminescence measurements of air- and argon-saturated dispersions of CrPF6- and CrBF4-stained SiO2 NPs of different size and particle architecture, utilizing the luminescence decay kinetics of argon-saturated solutions of CrPF6 and CrBF4 in acetonitrile (ACN) as benchmarks, only SiO2 NPs or shells synthesized by the L-arginine approach provided complete oxygen protection of the CrIII complexes under ambient conditions. We ascribe the different oxygen shielding efficiencies of the silica networks explored to differences in density and surface chemistry of the resulting nanomaterials and coatings, leading to different oxygen permeabilities. Our Larginine based silica encapsulation strategy can open the door for the efficient usage of oxygen-sensitive luminophores and TTA-UC systems as optical reporters and spectral shifters in air in the future.
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantification
KW - Advanced materials
KW - Nano
KW - Quantum yield
KW - NIR
KW - Characterization
KW - Electron microscopy
KW - Silica
KW - Synthesis
KW - Oxygen sensing
KW - Surface
KW - Doping
KW - Lifetime
KW - Cr(III) complex
KW - Shielding
KW - Sensing
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-638271
DO - https://doi.org/10.26599/NR.2025.94907241
SN - 1998-0000
VL - 18
IS - 3
SP - 1
EP - 13
PB - SciOpen
AN - OPUS4-63827
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Fallisch, A.
A1 - Petrov, E. P.
A1 - Salhany, R.
A1 - Forthman, C.
A1 - Guttenberg, Z.
A1 - Nitschke, R.
T1 - Spectral fluorescence standards for the calibration and performance validation of fluorescence microscopes
N2 - The standardization and calibration of fluorescence microscopy have become increasingly vital due to the wide-spread use of in life and materials sciences. As the demand for reliable and user-friendly methods to assess micro-scope performance grows, universal calibration tools accessible to both researchers and vendors are needed. To support the standardization of characterization methods in microscopy, it is crucial to provide calibration tools together with standardized operating procedures for their effective implementation.
The public-funded project "FluMiKal"* develops calibration tools in the shape of typical microscopic slides to assess key parameters such as spatial resolution, point spread function, spectral sensitivity, linearity and sensitivity of the detection system. The focus is on creating calibration tools that are user-friendly, robust, and versatile in their application.
This work addresses the critical parameter of wavelength-dependent spectral sensitivity, which affects the meas-ured signals from the instrument side, yielding instrument-specific data and instrument aging-induced changes over time. For this purpose, μ-slides from ibidi with six channels are used, allowing them to be filled with different solutions containing molecular or nanoscale fluorophores with well-characterized absorption and fluorescence properties. The certified spectral fluorescence standards BAM-F003, F004, F005, and F007 assessed provided as ethanolic solutions by the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), cover a broad spectral range from the blue to the near-infrared [1], [2]. Dye-based slide prototypes have been used to determine the spectral sensitivity of confocal microscopes from different vendors with various detector types by acquiring the spectral data of the BAM dyes under standardized measurement conditions, demonstrating the applicability of this concept. Proof-of-concept experiments could demonstrate the proper sealing of the slides. Further experiments will explore long-term stability and their potential as standards for relative intensity calibrations.
* FluMiKal is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Germany (WIPANO FKZ 03TN0047B)
[1] doi: 10.1007/4243_2008_028.
[2] doi: 10.1007/s00216-024-05723-w.
T2 - European Light Microscopy Initiative - ELMI 2025
CY - Heidelberg, Germany
DA - 03.06.2025
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Advanced material
KW - Validation
KW - Calibration
KW - Method comparison
KW - Reference material
KW - Dye
KW - Fluorescence standard
KW - Microscopy
KW - CLSM
KW - Imaging
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64206
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Meng, M.
A1 - Zhang, T.
A1 - Wang, J.
A1 - Cheng, Z.
A1 - Liu, Y.
A1 - Qiao, X.
A1 - Wen, J.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Long, W.
A1 - Ou, J.
T1 - NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaYF4:Yb3+ Upconversion Nanoparticles for Optical Temperature Monitoring and Self-Heating in Photothermal Therapy
N2 - The core−shell NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaYF4:Yb3+ upconversion nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a solvothermal method, and a layer of mesoporous silica (mSiO2) was successfully coated on the periphery of the core−shell nanoparticles to transform their surface from lipophilic to hydrophilic, further expanding their applications in biological tissues. The physical phase, morphology, structure, and fluorescence properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ζ potential analysis, and fluorescence spectroscopy. It was found that the material has a hexagonal structure with good hydrophilicity and emits intense fluorescence under 980 nm pump laser excitation. The non-contact temperature sensing performance of nanoparticles was evaluated by analyzing the upconversion fluorescence of Tm3+ (1G4 → 3F4 and 3F3 → 3H6) in the temperature range of 284−344 K. The absolute and relative sensitivities were found to be 0.0067 K−1 and 1.08 % K−1, respectively, with high-temperature measurement reliability and good temperature cycling performance. More importantly, its temperature measurement in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution is accurate. In addition, the temperature of the cells can be increased by adjusting the laser power density and laser irradiation time. Therefore, an optical temperature sensing platform was built to realize the application of real-time monitoring of cancer cell temperature and the dual function of photothermal therapy.
KW - Sensor
KW - Temperature
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Tag
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nanoparticles
KW - Synthesis
KW - Environment
KW - Monitoring
KW - Sensing
KW - Nano
KW - Life sciences
KW - Upconversion
PY - 2023
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.2c05110
VL - 6
IS - 1
SP - 759
EP - 771
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-57081
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Hartmann, Yannic
A1 - El Abbassi, Abdelouahad
A1 - Mayer, Bernhard
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Müller, Thomas J. J.
T1 - Ester‐Aroyl‐S,N‐Ketene Acetals with Solid‐State Luminescence: AIEgens from Sequential Three‐Component Desymmetrization
N2 - AbstractDi(hetero)aroyl dichlorides are desymmetrized upon sequential reaction with alcohols and 2‐methyl N‐benzyl thiazolium salts within the course of a one‐pot three‐component reaction yielding ester‐substituted aroyl‐S,N‐ketene acetals under mild conditions in good yields. A prerequisite for the concise one‐pot process is the different nucleophilicity of the alcohols and in situ generated S,N‐ketene acetals. The resulting compounds are merocyanines with dominant charge‐transfer absorption bands which are fluorescent in the solid state, but not in solution. In water/ethanol solvent mixtures of increasing water content, the water‐insoluble dyes display typical aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) characteristics. The water fraction inducing AIE as well as the emission color, and fluorescence quantum yield (Φf) of the aggregated dyes can be controlled by the alcohol part of the ester moiety. Encapsulation into polystyrene nanoparticles can lead to a considerable increase of the fluorescence quantum yield Φf to 30% as shown for a representatively chosen dye revealing the highest Φf of 11% within the dye series in the water/ethanol mixtures and enabling the usage of these dyes as fluorescent reporters in aqueous environments.
KW - Dye
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Aggregation
KW - Mechanism
KW - Signal enhancement
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Characterization
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Photophysics
KW - Probe
KW - Sensor
KW - Lifetime
KW - Polarity
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-642400
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202502071
SN - 0947-6539
SP - 1
EP - 10
PB - Wiley-VCH
CY - Weinheim
AN - OPUS4-64240
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Reichenauer, F.
A1 - Wang, Cui
A1 - Förster, C.
A1 - Boden, P.
A1 - Ugur, N.
A1 - Báez-Cruz, R.
A1 - Kalmbach, J.
A1 - Carrella, L. M.
A1 - Rentschler, E.
A1 - Ramanan, C.
A1 - Niedner-Schatteburg, G.
A1 - Gerhards, M.
A1 - Seitz, M.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Heinze, K.
T1 - Strongly Red-Emissive Molecular Ruby [Cr(bpmp)2]3+ Surpasses [Ru(bpy)3]2+
N2 - Gaining chemical control over the thermodynamics and kinetics of photoexcited states is paramount to an efficient and sustainable utilization of photoactive transition metal complexes in a plethora of technologies. In contrast to energies of charge Transfer states described by spatially separated orbitals, the energies of spinflip states cannot straightforwardly be predicted as Pauli Repulsion and the nephelauxetic effect play key roles. Guided by multireference quantum chemical calculations, we report a novel highly luminescent spin-flip emitter with a quantum chemically predicted blue-shifted luminescence. The spin-flip emission band of the chromium complex [Cr(bpmp)2]3+ (bpmp = 2,6-bis(2-pyridylmethyl) pyridine) shifted to higher energy from ca. 780 nm observed for known highly emissive chromium(III) complexes to 709 nm. The photoluminescence quantum yields climb to 20%, and very long excited state lifetimes in the millisecond range are achieved at room temperature in acidic D2O solution. Partial ligand deuteration increases the quantum yield to 25%. The high excited state energy of [Cr(bpmp)2]3+ and its facile reduction to [Cr(bpmp)2]2+ result in a high excited state redox potential. The ligand’s methylene bridge acts as a Brønsted acid quenching the luminescence at high pH. Combined with a pH-insensitive chromium(III) emitter, ratiometric optical pH sensing is achieved with single wavelength excitation. The photophysical and Ground state properties (quantum yield, lifetime, redox potential, and acid/base) of this spin-flip complex incorporating an earth-abundant metal surpass those of the classical precious metal [Ru(α-diimine)3]2+ charge transfer complexes, which are commonly employed in optical sensing and photo(redox) catalysis, underlining the bright future of these molecular ruby analogues.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Optical probe
KW - Sensor
KW - PH
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Complex
KW - Cr(III)
KW - Lifetime
KW - Ligand
KW - Theory
PY - 2021
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-530548
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.1c05971
VL - 143
IS - 30
SP - 11843
EP - 11855
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-53054
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Auxillos, J.
A1 - Crouigneau, R.
A1 - Li, Y.-F.
A1 - Dai, Y.
A1 - Stigliani, A.
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Sandelin, A.
A1 - Marie, R.
A1 - Pedersen, S. F.
T1 - Spatially resolved analysis of microenvironmental gradient impact on cancer cell phenotypes
N2 - Despite the physiological and pathophysiological significance of microenvironmental gradients, e.g., for diseases such as cancer, tools for generating such gradients and analyzing their impact are lacking. Here, we present an integrated microfluidic-based workflow that mimics extracellular pH gradients characteristic of solid tumors while enabling high-resolution live imaging of, e.g., cell motility and chemotaxis, and preserving the capacity to capture the spatial transcriptome. Our microfluidic device generates a pH gradient that can be rapidly controlled to mimic spatiotemporal microenvironmental changes over cancer cells embedded in a 3D matrix. The device can be reopened allowing immunofluorescence analysis of selected phenotypes, as well as the transfer of cells and matrix to a Visium slide for spatially resolved analysis of transcriptional changes across the pH gradient. This workflow is easily adaptable to other gradients and multiple cell types and can therefore prove invaluable for integrated analysis of roles of microenvironmental gradients in biology.
KW - Bioimaging
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Cell
KW - Cancer
KW - Method
KW - Microfluids
KW - Model
KW - Calibration
KW - Sensor
KW - Ph
KW - Probe
KW - Workflow
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-604631
DO - https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adn3448
VL - 19
IS - 18
SP - 1
EP - 17
AN - OPUS4-60463
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Stroyuk, O.
A1 - Raievska, O.
A1 - Barabash, A.
A1 - Batentschuk, M.
A1 - Osvet, A.
A1 - Fiedler, Saskia
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Hauch, J.
A1 - Brabec, C. J.
T1 - "Green" synthesis of highly luminescent lead-free Cs2AgxNa1-xBiyIn1-yCl6 perovskites
N2 - A new “green” and mild synthesis of highly stable microcrystalline Cs2AgxNa1-xBiyIn1-yCl6 (CANBIC) perovskites under ambient conditions was developed that is scalable to the multi-gram production. Under UV illumination, the CANBIC perovskites emit intense broadband photoluminescence (PL) with a quantum yield (QY) of 92% observed for x = 0.35 and y = 0.01-0.02. The combination of strong UV absorbance and broadband visible emission, high PL QY, and long PL lifetimes of up to 1.4 μs, along with an outstanding stability makes these CANBICs a promising material class for many optical applications.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Perovskites
KW - Solar cell
KW - Automated synthesis
KW - Green synthesis
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Absolute fluorescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Application
KW - Semiconductor
KW - Quantum dot
KW - Renewable energy
PY - 2022
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d2tc02055f
SN - 2050-7526
VL - 10
IS - 27
SP - 9938
EP - 9944
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry
AN - OPUS4-55453
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Wang, Cui
A1 - Kitzmann, W.R.
A1 - Weigert, Florian
A1 - Förster, Ch.
A1 - Wang, X.
A1 - Heintze, K.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Matrix Effects on Photoluminescence and Oxygen Sensitivity of a Molecular Ruby
N2 - The molecular ruby analogue [Cr(ddpd)2]3+ (ddpd=N,N’-dimethyl-N,N’-dipyridine-2-ylpyridine-2,6-diamine) exhibits near infrared (NIR) emission with a high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield ΦPL of 11 % and a lifetime of 898 μs in deaerated water at room temperature. While ligand-based control of the photophysical properties has received much attention, influences of the counter anions and microenvironment are still underexplored. In this study, the luminescence properties of the molecular ruby were systematically examined for the counter anions Cl−, Br−, [BF4]−, [PF6]−, [BPh4]−, and [BArF24]− in acetonitrile (MeCN) solution, in crystals, and embedded into polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNP). Stern-Volmer analyses of the oxygen quenching studies in the intensity and lifetime domain showed the highest oxygen sensitivity of the complexes with the counter anions of [BF4]− and [BArF24]−, which also revealed the longest luminescence lifetimes. Embedding [Cr(ddpd)2][PF6]3 in PSNPs and shielding with poly(vinyl alcohol) yields a strongly NIR-emissive oxygen-insensitive material with a record ΦPL of 15.2 % under ambient conditions.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Sensor
KW - Oxygen
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Complex
KW - Cr(III)
KW - Lifetime
KW - Ligand
KW - Solid state
KW - X-Ray analysis
KW - Structure-property relationship
KW - Nano
KW - Polymer
KW - Particle
PY - 2022
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-546057
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/cptc.202100296
SN - 2367-0932
VL - 6
IS - 6
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Wiley-VCH
CY - Weinheim
AN - OPUS4-54605
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Witte, F.
A1 - Rietsch, P.
A1 - Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya
A1 - Weigert, Florian
A1 - Götze, J. P.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Eigler, S.
A1 - Paulus, B.
T1 - Aggregation-induced emission leading to two distinct emissive species in the solid-state structure of high-dipole organic chromophores
N2 - The concept of aggregation-induced emission represents a means to rationalise photoluminescence of usually nonfluorescent excimers in solid-state materials. In this publication, we study the photophysical properties of selected diaminodicyanoquinone (DADQ) derivatives in the solid state using a combined approach of experiment and theory. DADQs are a class of high-dipole organic chromophores promising for applications in non-linear optics and light-harvesting devices. Among the compounds investigated, we find both aggregation-induced emission and aggregation-caused quenching effects rationalised by calculated energy transfer rates. Analysis of fluorescence spectra and lifetime measurements provide the interesting result that (at least) two emissive species seem to contribute to the photophysical properties of DADQs. The main emission peak is notably broadened in the long-wavelength limit and exhibits a blue-shifted shoulder. We employ high-level quantum-chemical methods to validate a molecular approach to a solid-state problem and show that the complex emission features of DADQs can be attributed to a combination of H-type aggregates, monomers, and crystal structure defects.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Optical probe
KW - Dye
KW - Photophysics
KW - Theory
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Mechanism
KW - Quantum chemistry
KW - Modelling
KW - Aggregation
KW - Lifetime
KW - Single particle
KW - Microscopy
KW - Solid
KW - Crystal
PY - 2021
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-531138
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d1cp02534a
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry
AN - OPUS4-53113
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Andresen, Elina
A1 - Radunz, Sebastian
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Novel PET-Operated Rosamine Sensor Dyes with Substitution Pattern-Tunable pKa Values and Temperature Sensitivity
N2 - We present the synthesis and characterization of a family of regioisomerically pure pH-sensitive rosamine fluorophores consisting of xanthene fluorophore cores, which determine the dyes’ photophysical properties such as excitation/emission wavelength, fluorescence quantum yield, and fluorescence lifetime, and differently substituted phenol moieties. The hydroxyl substituent of the phenol moiety introduces a pH sensitivity of the dyes’ fluorescence exploiting a photoinduced electron transfer (PET), that leads to a protonation-induced switching ON of the rosamine emission. Rational tuning of the pKa value of the rosamine fluorescence between 4 to 9 is achieved by altering the substitution pattern and degree of bromination of the phenolic subunits. Additionally, a temperature sensitivity of the fluorescence quantum yield is introduced or suppressed based upon the degree of rigidity of the xanthene scaffold.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Optical probe
KW - Sensor
KW - Dye
KW - Rosamine
KW - Synthesis
KW - Photophysics
KW - PH
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Quality assurancemechanism
KW - temperature
PY - 2021
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-530562
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d1nj02505h
VL - 45
IS - 31
SP - 13934
EP - 13940
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry
AN - OPUS4-53056
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - López-Puertollano, Daniel
A1 - Tobias, Charlie
A1 - Bell, Jérémy
A1 - Abad-Somovilla, A.
A1 - Abad-Fuentes, A.
A1 - Rurack, Knut
T1 - Superparamagnetic Bead-Based Microfluidic Fluoroimmunoassay Platform for Rapid Ochratoxin A Detection in Flour
N2 - Simplification and reduction of time and costs are the primary goals in the development and use of onsite methods in diagnostics and food safety. To facilitate the transition from laboratory techniques to simple, miniaturized devices, we have developed a modular microfluidic platform. This platform integrates a competitive fluorescence immunoassay on the surface of superparamagnetic beads, serving as a complementary technique to traditional cytometry assays. In the first chip module, a fast competitive reaction (5 min) occurs, after which the particles are retained in the second module. This module consists of a PDMS chip and a permanent magnet, allowing only the fluorescent competitor to reach the detection module. Ochratoxin A (OTA) was chosen as the model analyte for device development, using fluorescein-labeled OTA as a competitor. The system efficiently separates particles, with OTA concentration directly correlated to the amount of fluorescent competitor remaining in solution after the competitive reaction. This innovative setup allows to perform rapid measurements with small sample volumes in a short time (10 min), achieving a limit of detection for OTA of 1.2 μg L–1. The system was successfully applied to the accurate determination of OTA in wheat flour spiked at regulatorily relevant concentrations. Using this device, conventional cytometry immunoassays can be seamlessly transformed into user-friendly, miniaturized analytical methods at reduced cost for applications outside of a laboratory directly at the point of need.
KW - Bead-based assay
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Immunoassay
KW - Microfluidics
KW - mycotoxins
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-638472
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.5c01119
SN - 2379-3694
SP - 1
EP - 10
PB - American Chemical Society
CY - Washington, D.C.
AN - OPUS4-63847
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Rurack, Knut
T1 - Sensitive and multiplexed assays for point-of-need applications: innovations for robust, reliable, and user-friendly diagnostics
N2 - The development of portable analytical assays, particularly during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, has revolutionized diagnostics and expanded their use to areas such as food safety, environmental monitoring and forensics. These assays offer the advantage of rapid on-site decision making without the need for laboratory facilities. The omnipresence of mobile devices with advanced cameras and processing power further increases their usability. However, most current assays are limited to detecting single parameters. The challenge now is to develop robust multiplexed assays that can simultaneously detect multiple parameters with high sensitivity. This lecture will present generic approaches developed at BAM with a focus on supramolecular chemistry, luminescence detection, nanomaterials and miniaturization of devices. Examples include mesoporous nanomaterials, gated indicator systems, imprinted polymers, microfluidic devices, test strips and smartphone-based analysis.
T2 - Kolloquium Optische Technologien der FH Münster
CY - Steinfurt, Germany
DA - 18.12.2024
KW - Rapid testing
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Explosives
KW - Environmental contaminants
KW - Multiplexing
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-62322
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Yanbaeva, M.
A1 - Soyka, J.
A1 - Holthoff, J. M.
A1 - Rietsch, P.
A1 - Engelage, E.
A1 - Ruff, A.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Weiss, R.
A1 - Eigler, S.
A1 - Huber, S. M.
T1 - Dimethylene-Cyclopropanide Units as Building Blocks for Fluorescence Dyes
N2 - Many organic dyes are fluorescent in solution. In the solid state, however, quenching processes often dominate, hampering material science applications such as light filters, light-emitting devices, or coding tags. We show that the dimethylene-cyclopropanides caffold can be used to form two structurally different types of chromophores, which feature fluorescence quantum yields up to 0.66 in dimethyl sulfoxide and 0.53 in
solids. The increased fluorescence in the solid state for compounds bearing malonate substituents instead of dicyanomethide ones is rationalized by the induced twist between the planes of the cyclopropanide core and a pyridine ligand.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Dye
KW - Sensor
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Spectroscopy
KW - Photophysics
KW - Synthesis
KW - Solvatochromism
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-614931
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202402476
VL - 30
IS - 56
SP - 1
EP - 7
PB - Chemistry - A European Journal
AN - OPUS4-61493
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - From molecular and nanoscale chromophores with UV/VIS/NIR/SWIR luminescence to multi method characterization of surface coatings
N2 - An overview of the research activities of division Biophotonics is presented covering examples for photophysical studies of different types of molecular and nanocrystalline luminophores, luminescent particles, and sensor systems in solution, in dispersion, and in the solid state and multi-method charactreization workflow for the characterization of surface-functionalized engineered nanomaterials. In addition, the importance of reliable optical measurements, particularly standardized workflows for the determination of the key performance parameter luminescence quantum yield of transparent and scattering luminescent samples with fluorescence and integrating sphere spectroscopy, and validated methods for quantifying surface functional groups and ligands on nanomaterials is highlighted. Thereby, also ongoing standardization activities are presented as well as certified reference materials and reference materials from division Biophotonics.
T2 - Chinese-German Chemical Association - Annual Meeting
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 22.08.2025
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Synthesis
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Characterization
KW - Advanced material
KW - Surface
KW - Lifetime
KW - Sensor
KW - Oxygen
KW - Ph
KW - Standardization
KW - Fluorescent probe
KW - Reference material
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64181
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kromer, C.
A1 - Schwibbert, Karin
A1 - Gadicherla, A. K.
A1 - Thiele, Dorothea
A1 - Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya
A1 - Laux, P.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Luch, A.
A1 - Tschiche, H. R.
T1 - Monitoring and imaging pH in biofilms utilizing a fluorescent polymeric nanosensor
N2 - Biofilms are ubiquitous in nature and in the man-made environment. Given their harmful effects on human health, an in-depth understanding of biofilms and the monitoring of their formation and growth are important. Particularly relevant for many metabolic processes and survival strategies of biofilms is their extracellular pH. However, most conventional techniques are not suited for minimally invasive pH measurements of living biofilms. Here, a fluorescent nanosensor is presented for ratiometric measurements of pH in biofilms in the range of pH 4.5–9.5 using confocal laser scanning microscopy. The nanosensor consists of biocompatible polystyrene nanoparticles loaded with pH-inert dye Nile Red and is surface functionalized with a pH-responsive fluorescein dye. Its performance was validated by fluorometrically monitoring the time-dependent changes in pH in E. coli biofilms after glucose inoculation at 37 °C and 4 °C. This revealed a temperature-dependent decrease in pH over a 4-h period caused by the acidifying glucose metabolism of E. coli. These studies demonstrate the applicability of this nanosensor to characterize the chemical microenvironment in biofilms with fluorescence methods.
KW - Dye
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Signal enhancement
KW - Sensor
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Synthesis
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Nano
KW - Polymer
KW - Ph
KW - Biofilm
KW - MIC
KW - Corrosion
KW - Microorganism
KW - Bacteria
PY - 2022
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-550751
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-13518-1
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 12
IS - 1
SP - 1
EP - 10
PB - Nature Publishing Group
CY - London
AN - OPUS4-55075
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Stein, L.
A1 - Wang, Cui
A1 - Förster, C.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Heinze, K.
T1 - Bulky ligands protect molecular ruby from oxygen quenching
N2 - Chromium(III) complexes can show phosphorescence from the spin-flip excited doublet states 2E/2T1 in the near-infrared with high photoluminescence quantum yields and extremely long lifetimes in the absence of dioxygen. The prototype molecular ruby, [Cr(ddpd)2]3+ (ddpd = N,N’-dimethyl-N,N’-dipyridine-2-ylpyridine-2,6-diamine), has a photoluminescence quantum yield and a luminescence lifetime of 13.7% and 1.1 ms in deaerated acetonitrile, respectively. However, its luminescence is strongly quenched by 3O2 via an efficient Dexter-type energy transfer process. To enable luminescence applications of molecular rubies in solution under aerobic conditions, we explored the potential of sterically demanding ddpd ligands to shield the chromium(III) center from O2 using steady state and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. The structures of the novel complexes with sterically demanding ligands were investigated by single crystal X-ray diffraction and quantum chemically by density functional theory calculations. The O2 sensitivity of the photoluminescence was derived from absolutely measured photoluminescence quantum yields and excited state lifetimes under inert and aerobic conditions and by Stern–Volmer analyses of these data. Optimal sterically shielded chromium(III) complexes revealed photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 5.1% and excited state lifetimes of 518 μs in air-saturated acetonitrile, underlining the large potential of this ligand design approach to broaden the applicability of highly emissive chromium(III) complexes.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Synthesis
KW - Production
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Ligand
KW - Photophysics
KW - Cr(III)
KW - Mechanism
KW - NIR
KW - Sensor
KW - Oxygen
PY - 2022
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-570807
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d2dt02950b
VL - 51
IS - 46
SP - 17664
EP - 17670
PB - The Royal Society of Chemistry
CY - Berlin
AN - OPUS4-57080
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Scholtz, Lena
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
A1 - Eckert, J. G.
A1 - Lutowski, Marc
A1 - Geißler, Daniel
A1 - Hertwig, Andreas
A1 - Hidde, Gundula
A1 - Bigall, N. C.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Influence of nanoparticle encapsulation and encoding on the surface chemistry of polymer carrier beads
N2 - Surface-functionalized polymer beads encoded with molecular luminophores and nanocrystalline emitters such as semiconductor nanocrystals, often referred to as quantum dots (QDs), or magnetic nanoparticles are broadly used in the life sciences as reporters and carrier beads. Many of these applications require a profound knowledge of the chemical nature and total number of their surface functional groups (FGs), that control bead charge, colloidal stability, hydrophobicity, and the interaction with the environment and biological systems. For bioanalytical applications, also the number of groups accessible for the subsequent functionalization with, e.g., biomolecules or targeting ligands is relevant. In this study, we explore the influence of QD encoding on the amount of carboxylic acid (COOH) surface FGs of 2 μm polystyrene microparticles (PSMPs). This is done for frequently employed oleic acid and oleylamine stabilized, luminescent core/shell CdSe QDs and two commonly used encoding procedures. This included QD addition during bead formation by a thermally induced polymerization reaction and a post synthetic swelling procedure. The accessible number of COOH groups on the surface of QD-encoded and pristine beads was quantified by two colorimetric assays, utilizing differently sized reporters and electrostatic and covalent interactions. The results were compared to the total number of FGs obtained by a conductometric titration and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, a comparison of the impact of QD and dye encoding on the bead surface chemistry was performed. Our results demonstrate the influence of QD encoding and the QD-encoding strategy on the number of surface FG that is ascribed to an interaction of the QDs with the carboxylic acid groups on the bead surface. These findings are of considerable relevance for applications of nanoparticle-encoded beads and safe-by-design concepts for nanomaterials.
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Particle
KW - Optical assay
KW - IR spectroscopy
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Nano
KW - Synthesis
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Quantification
KW - Method
KW - Conductometry
PY - 2023
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-581502
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38518-7
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 13
IS - 1
SP - 1
EP - 15
PB - Springer Nature
CY - London
AN - OPUS4-58150
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Reiber, T.
A1 - Hübner, Oskar
A1 - Dose, C.
A1 - Yushchenko, D. A.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Fluorophore multimerization on a PEG backbone as a concept for signal amplification and lifetime modulation
N2 - Fluorescent labels have strongly contributed to many advancements in bioanalysis, molecular biology, molecular imaging, and medical diagnostics. Despite a large toolbox of molecular and nanoscale fluorophores to choose from, there is still a need for brighter labels, e.g., for flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy, that are preferably of molecular nature. This requires versatile concepts for fluorophore multimerization, which involves the shielding of dyes from other chromophores and possible quenchers in their neighborhood. In addition, to increase the number of readout parameters for fluorescence microscopy and eventually also flow cytometry, control and tuning of the labels’ fluorescence lifetimes is desired. Searching for bright multi-chromophoric or multimeric labels, we developed PEGylated dyes bearing functional groups for their bioconjugation and explored their spectroscopic properties and photostability in comparison to those of the respective monomeric dyes for two exemplarily chosen fluorophores excitable at 488 nm. Subsequently, these dyes were conjugated with anti-CD4 and anti-CD8 immunoglobulins to obtain fluorescent conjugates suitable for the labeling of cells and beads. Finally, the suitability of these novel labels for fluorescence lifetime imaging and target discrimination based upon lifetime measurements was assessed. Based upon the results of our spectroscopic studies including measurements of fluorescence quantum yields (QY) and fluorescence decay kinetics we could demonstrate the absence of significant dye-dye interactions and self-quenching in these multimeric labels. Moreover, in a first fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) study, we could show the future potential of this multimerization concept for lifetime discrimination and multiplexing.
KW - Imaging
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Antibody
KW - Conjugate
KW - Cell
KW - FLIM
KW - PEG
KW - Flow cytometry
KW - Lifetime
KW - Energy transfer
KW - Quantitative spectroscopy
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Dye
KW - Amplification
KW - Microscopy
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-602197
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62548-4
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 14
IS - 1
SP - 1
EP - 11
AN - OPUS4-60219
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Fiedler, Saskia
A1 - Frenzel, Florian
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
A1 - Grüne, M.
A1 - Schweizer, S.
A1 - Engel, A.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Interlaboratory Comparison on Absolute Photoluminescence Quantum Yield Measurements of Solid Light Converting Phosphors with Three Commercial Integrating Sphere Setups
N2 - Scattering luminescent materials dispersed in liquid and solid matrices and luminescent powders are increasingly relevant for fundamental research and industry. Examples are luminescent nano- and microparticles and phosphors of different compositions in various matrices or incorporated into ceramics with applications in energy conversion, solid-state lighting, medical diagnostics, and security barcoding. The key parameter to characterize the performance of these materials is the photoluminescence/fluorescence quantum yield (Φf), i.e., the number of emitted photons per number of absorbed photons. To identify and quantify the sources of uncertainty of absolute measurements of Φf of scattering samples, the first interlaboratory comparison (ILC) of three laboratories from academia and industry was performed by following identical measurement protocols. Thereby, two types ofcommercial stand-alone integrating sphere setups with different illumination and detection geometries were utilized for measuring the Φf of transparent and scattering dye solutions and solid phosphors, namely, YAG:Ce optoceramics of varying surface roughness, used as converter materials for blue light emitting diodes. Special emphasis was dedicated to the influence of the measurement geometry, the optical properties of the blank utilized to determine the number of photons of the incident excitation light absorbed by the sample, and the sample-specific surface roughness. While the Φf values of the liquid samples matched between instruments, Φf measurements of the optoceramics with different blanks revealed substantial differences. The ILC results underline the importance of the measurement geometry, sample position, and blank for reliable Φf data of scattering the YAG:Ce optoceramics, with the blank’s optical properties accounting for uncertainties exceeding 20%.
KW - Nano
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Reference material
KW - Luminescence
KW - Quantitative spectroscopy
KW - Particle
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Phosphor
KW - Converter material
KW - Lifetime
KW - Interlaboratory comparison
KW - Method
KW - Uncertainty
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-600945
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00372
SN - 0003-2700
SP - 6730
EP - 6737
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-60094
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Wang, Cui
A1 - Ebel, Kenny
A1 - Heinze, Katja
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Bald, Ilko
T1 - Quantum Yield of DNA Strand Breaks under Photoexcitation of a Molecular Ruby
N2 - Photodynamic therapy (PDT) used for treating cancer relies on the generation of highly reactive oxygen species, for example, singlet oxygen 1O2, by light-induced excitation of a photosensitizer (PS) in the presence of molecular oxygen, inducing DNA damage in close proximity of the PS. Although many precious metal complexes have been explored as PS for PDT and received clinical approval, only recently, the potential of photoactive complexes of nonnoble metals as PS has been discovered. Using the DNA origami technology that can absolutely quantify DNA strand break cross sections, we assessed the potential of the luminescent transition metal complex [Cr(ddpd)2]3+ (ddpd=N,N’-dimethyl-N,N’-dipyridine-2-ylpyridine-2,6-diamine) to damage DNA in an air-saturated aqueous environment upon UV/Vis illumination. The quantum yield for strand breakage, that is, the ratio of DNA strand breaks to the number of absorbed photons, was determined to 1–4%, indicating efficient transformation of photons into DNA strand breaks by [Cr(ddpd)2]3+.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Synthesis
KW - Production
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Ligand
KW - Photophysics
KW - Cr(III)
KW - Mechanism
KW - NIR
KW - PDT
KW - Singlet oxygen
KW - DNA
KW - Origami
KW - Quantum yield
PY - 2023
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-573631
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202203719
SP - 1
EP - 7
AN - OPUS4-57363
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
A1 - Sander, P. C.
A1 - Andresen, Elina
A1 - Schedler, U.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Expanding the Toolbox of Simple, Cost-Efficient, and Automatable Methods for Quantifying Surface Functional Groups on Nanoparticles� Potentiometric Titration
N2 - Measuring surface functional groups (FGs) on nanomaterials (NMs) is essential for designing dispersible and stable NMs with tailored and predictable functionality. FG screening and quantification also plays a critical role for subsequent processing steps, NM long-term stability, quality control of NM production, and risk assessment studies and enables the implementation of sustainable and safe(r)-by-design concepts. This calls for simple and cost-efficient methods for broadly utilized FGs that can be ideally automated to speed up FG screening, monitoring, and quantification. To expand our NM surface analysis toolbox, focusing on simple methods and broadly available, cost-efficient instrumentation, we explored a NM-adapted pH titration method with potentiometric and optical readout for measuring the total number of (de)protonable FGs on representatively chosen commercial and custom-made aminated silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs). The accuracy and robustness of our stepwise optimized workflows was assessed by several operators in two laboratories and method validation was done by cross-comparison with two analytical methods relying on different signal generation principles. This included traceable, chemo-selective quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), providing the amounts of amino silanes released by particle dissolution and the total mass of the surface coatings. A comparison of the potentiometric titration results with the reporter-specific amounts of surface amino FGs determined with the previously automated fluorescamine (Fluram) assay highlights the importance of determining both quantities for surface-functionalized NMs. In the future, combined NM surface analysis with optical assays and pH titration will simplify quality control of NM production processes and stability studies and can yield large data sets for NM grouping that facilitates further developments in regulation and standardization.
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Synthesis
KW - Characterization
KW - Advanced material
KW - Surface
KW - Standardization
KW - Reference material
KW - Functional group
KW - Quantification
KW - Coating
KW - Automation
KW - Potentiometry
KW - Method
KW - Validation
KW - Optical assay
KW - Fluram
KW - Fluorescamine
KW - qNMR
KW - Comparison
KW - ILC
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-642371
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmeasuresciau.5c00062
SN - 2694-250X
SP - 1
EP - 13
PB - American Chemical Society
CY - Washington, DC
AN - OPUS4-64237
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Richter, Maria
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Pauli, Jutta
A1 - Vogel, K.
A1 - Homann, Christian
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Extending certified spectral fluorescence standards for the calibration and performance validation of fluorescence instruments to the NIR—closing the gap from 750 to 940 nm with two novel NIR dyes
N2 - Fluorescence techniques such as fluorescence spectroscopy, microfluorometry, and fluorescence microscopy, providing spectral, intensity, polarization, and lifetime information, are amongst the most broadly utilized analytical methods in the life and materials sciences. However, the measured fluorescence data contain sample- and instrument-specific contributions, which hamper their comparability across instruments and laboratories. Comparable, instrument-independent fluorescence data require the determination of the fluorescence instrument’s wavelength-dependent spectral responsivity, also termed emission correction curve, for the same instrument settings as those used for the fluorescence measurements as a prerequisite for the subsequent correction of the measured instrument-specific data. Such a spectral correction is essential for the performance comparison of different fluorescent labels and reporters, quantitative fluorescence measurements, the determination of the fluorescence quantum yield, and the spectroscopic measure for the fluorescence efficiency of a fluorophore. Simple-to-use tools for obtaining emission correction curves are chromophore-based reference materials (RMs), referred to as fluorescence standards, with precisely known, preferably certified instrument-independent fluorescence spectra. However, for the increasingly used near-infrared (NIR) wavelength region >700 nm, at present, no spectral fluorescence standards are available. To close this gap, we developed two novel spectral fluorescence standards, BAM F007 and BAM-F009, with broad emission bands from about 580 to 940 nm in ethanolic solution. These liquid fluorescence standards currently under certification, which will be released in 2025, will expand the wavelength range of the already available certified Calibration Kit BAM F001b-F005b from about 300–730 to 940 nm. In this research article, we will detail the criteria utilized for dye and matrix selection and the homogeneity and stability tests accompanying dye certification as well as the calculation of the wavelength-dependent uncertainty budgets of the emission spectra BAM F007 and BAM-F009, determined with the traceably calibrated BAM reference spectrofluorometer. These fluorescence standards can provide the basis for comparable fluorescence measurements in the ultraviolet, visible, and NIR for the fluorescence community.
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Reference material
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Dye
KW - Traceability
KW - Metrology
KW - Calibration
KW - Reference data
KW - Reference product
KW - Digital certificate
KW - NIR
KW - Instrument performance validation
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-626317
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-024-05723-w
SN - 1618-2650
SP - 1
EP - 15
PB - Springer
AN - OPUS4-62631
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Deumer, J.
A1 - Andresen, Elina
A1 - Gollwitzer, C.
A1 - Schürmann, R.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Adding More Shape to Nanoscale Reference Materials-LiYF4:Yb,Tm Bipyramids as Standards for Sizing Methods and Particle Number Concentration
N2 - The increasing industrial use of nanomaterials calls for the reliable characterization of their physicochemical key properties like size, size distribution, shape, and surface chemistry, and test and reference materials (RMs) with sizes and shapes, closely matching real-world nonspheric nano-objects. An efficient strategy to minimize efforts in producing nanoscale RMs (nanoRMs) for establishing, validating, and standardizing methods for characterizing nanomaterials are multimethod nanoRMs.
Ideal candidates are lanthanide-based, multicolor luminescent, and chemically inert nanoparticles (NPs) like upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), which can be prepared in different sizes, shapes, and chemical composition with various surface coatings. This makes UCNPs interesting candidates as standards not only for sizing methods, but also for element-analytical methods like laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), quantitative bioimaging methods like X-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XFCT), and luminescence methods and correlative measurements.
Here, we explore the potential of two monodisperse LiYF4:Yb,Tm bipyramids with peak-to-peak distances of (43 ± 2) nm and (29 ± 2) nm as size standards for small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and tools for establishing and validating the sophisticated simulations required for the analysis of SAXS data derived from dispersions of nonspheric nano-objects. These SAXS studies are supplemented by two-dimensional (2D)-transmission electron microscopy measurements of the UCNP bipyramids. Additionally, the particle number concentration of cyclohexane dispersions of these UCNP bipyramids is determined by absolute SAXS measurements, complemented by gravimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). This approach enables traceable particle number concentration measurements of ligand-capped nonspheric particles with unknown chemical composition.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Upconversion nanoparticles
KW - SAXS
KW - Particle number concentration
KW - Reference material
KW - Traceability
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Spectroscopy
KW - Synthesis
KW - Quantification
KW - NanoRM
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Bipyramid
KW - Reference data
KW - Simulation
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-617940
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c03641
SP - 1
EP - 8
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-61794
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Molecular and nanoscale emitters photophysics , photoluminescence quantum yields, and surface chemistry
N2 - Inorganic nanocrystals such as spectrally shifting lanthanide-based nanoparticles (LnNCs) like NaYF4: Yb, Er and semiconductor quantum dots, organic and inorganic particles stained with sensor molecules, and organic dyes showing aggregation-induced emission are meanwhile broadly applied in the life and material sciences. The identification of optimum particle architectures and molecular structures for photonic applications requires quantitative spectroscopic studies and methods to control and analyse particle surface chemistry. In the following, photoluminescence studies of different emitter classes are presented, thereby addressing the measurement of particle brightness and photoluminescence quantum yields in different spectral windows parameters required for an in-depth mechanistic understanding. In addition, examples for the quantification of surface functional groups on nanomaterials with optical spectroscopy are given.
T2 - GdCH Kolloquium
CY - Düsseldorf, Germany
DA - 11.11.2025
KW - Dye
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Lifetime
KW - Sensor materials
KW - Temperature
KW - Cr(III) complex
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Silica
KW - Polymer
KW - Metrology
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Reference material
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Size
KW - Shape
KW - Particle number concentration
KW - Method
KW - Optical assay
KW - qNMR
KW - Validation
KW - Potentiometry
KW - XPS
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64728
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Rietsch, P.
A1 - Zeyat, M.
A1 - Hübner, Oskar
A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Kutter, M.
A1 - Paskin, A.
A1 - Uhlig, J.
A1 - Lentz, D.
A1 - Eigler, S.
T1 - Substitution Pattern-Controlled Fluorescence Lifetimes of Fluoranthene Dyes
N2 - The absorption and emission properties of organic dyes are generally tuned by altering the substitution pattern. However, tuning the fluorescence lifetimes over a range of several 10 ns while barely affecting the spectral features and maintaining a moderate fluorescence quantum yield is challenging. Such properties are required for lifetime multiplexing and barcoding applications. Here, we show how this can be achieved for the class of fluoranthene dyes, which have substitution-dependent lifetimes between 6 and 33 ns for single wavelength excitation and emission. We explore the substitution-dependent emissive properties in the crystalline solid state that would prevent applications.
Furthermore, by analyzing dye mixtures and embedding the dyes in carboxyfunctionalized 8 μm-sized polystyrene particles, the unprecedented potential of these dyes as labels and encoding fluorophores for time-resolved fluorescence detection techniques is demonstrated.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Label
KW - Fluoranthene
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Reporter
KW - Crystal
KW - Encoding
KW - Multiplexing
KW - Particle
KW - Bead
KW - Lifetime
KW - Dye
KW - Barcoding
PY - 2021
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c08851
SN - 1520-5207
VL - 125
IS - 4
SP - 1207
EP - 1213
PB - American Chemical Society
AN - OPUS4-52087
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
A1 - Sander, P.
A1 - Andresen, Elina
A1 - Schedler, U.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Potentiometric and Optical Titration for Cost- Efficient Quantification of Surface Functional Groups on Silica Nanoparticles
N2 - Surface chemistry of engineered nanomaterials (NMs) plays a critical role not only in determining their interactions with the environment but also in their stability, safety, and functionality across diverse applications ranging from catalysis to biomedicine. Accurate quantification of surface functional groups (FGs) is therefore essential for quality control, risk assessment, and performance optimization.[1] However, many existing analytical techniques are either cost-intensive, require specialized instrumentation, or lack scalability for routine use.
In this study, we present a comparative evaluation of potentiometric and optical titration as two simple, cost-efficient, and automatable methods for quantifying surface functional groups on a variety of surface-modified silica nanoparticles (SiO₂ NPs). These NPs were chosen as they are among the most frequently utilized engineered NMs in the life and material sciences.
Potentiometric titration, based on pH monitoring during acid-base neutralization, offers a direct and label-free approach to determine the total amount of FGs. Optical titration provides a complementary method with potential for high-throughput screening. To examine the accuracy and robustness of our stepwise-optimized workflows and the achievable relative standard deviations (RSDs), measurements were performed by multiple operators in two laboratories. Method validation was conducted through cross-comparison with traceable, chemo-selective quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). A comparison with optical assays highlights the importance of measuring both quantities for comprehensive characterization of surface-modified NMs.[2]
A combined NM surface analysis using optical assays and pH titration will simplify quality control of NM production processes and stability studies, and can yield large datasets for NM grouping in sustainable and safe(r)-by-design studies.
T2 - eMRS Fall Meeting 2025
CY - Warsaw, Poland
DA - 15.09.2025
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Advanced material
KW - Synthesis
KW - Characterization
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Silica
KW - Surface analysis
KW - Validation
KW - qNMR
KW - Fluram assay
KW - Functional group
KW - Quantification
KW - Potentiometry
KW - Amino groups
KW - Fluorescamine
KW - Calibration
KW - Method comparison
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64205
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Quantifying functional groups and coatings on nanoobjects
N2 - Engineered nanomaterials (NM) of different size, shape, chemical composition, and surface chemistry are increasingly used for many key technologies of the 21st century and consumer products. This includes polymer and silica or silica-coated nanoparticles (NP) with covalently bound surface groups, semiconductor quantum dots (QD), metal and metal oxide NP, and lanthanide NP with coordinatively or electrostatically bound ligands, as well as surface-coated nanostructures like micellar encapsulated NP. Decisive for most applications of NMs are their specific surface properties, which are largely determined by the chemical nature and amounts of ligands and functional groups (FGs) on the NM surface. The surface chemistry can strongly affect the physicochemical properties of NM, their charge, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, reactivity, function, stability, and processability and thereby their impact on human health and environment. Knowledge of NM surface chemistry plays an important role for NM functionality and performance in (bio)applications and the fate, exposure, dissolution, transformation, and accumulation of NM, and thus, the potential risks for human health and the environment. This highlights the importance of reliable, validated, and eventually standardized analytical methods for analyzing and quantifying NM surface chemistry for process and quality control of NM production, safe use of NMs, design of novel NM, and sustainable concepts for NM fabrication.[1-3] In this context, interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) are needed to assess method reliability and reference materials with known surface chemistries for establishing surface analytical methods and their performance validation.[2,4] Also, to respond to the increasing number of samples to be analyzed, cost-efficient automation concepts for surface analysis are needed that can be realized with affordable and preferably commercial instrumentation.[5] Here, we provide an overview of analytical methods for FG analysis and quantification used by us for quantifying broadly utilized FGs and ligands on different types of NMs with electrochemical titration methods, optical assays, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and vibrational (IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray based and thermal analysis methods.[1,2] Thereby, method- and material-related challenges are addressed, and the importance of multi-method characterization approaches easing method validation by method cross-validation. Special emphasis is dedicated to simple, versatile, and cost-efficient methods such as optical assays and electrochemical titration methods.
T2 - eMRS Fall Meeting 2025
CY - Warsaw, Poland
DA - 15.09.2025
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Synthesis
KW - Characterization
KW - Advanced material
KW - Surface
KW - Standardization
KW - Reference material
KW - Functional group
KW - Quantification
KW - Coating
KW - Interlaboratory comparison
KW - Uncertainty
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64183
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Assessing different types of silica networks for the complete protection of nir luminescent molecular rubies from oxygen quenching in air
N2 - The application of emerging luminophores such as near-infrared (NIR) emissive earth-abundant chromium(III) (CrIII) complexes and triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) systems in air as optical reporters for bioimaging or photonic materials for energy conversion requires simple and efficient strategies for their complete protection from luminescence quenching by oxygen. Therefore, we explored the influence of sol-gel synthesis routes on the oxygen protection efficiency of the resulting core and core/shell silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs), utilizing the molecular ruby-type luminophores CrPF6 ([Cr(ddpd)2](PF6)3; ddpd = N,N’-dimethyl- N,N’-dipyridin-2-ylpyridin-2,6-diamine) and CrBF4 ([Cr(ddpd)2](BF4)3) with their oxygen-dependent, but polarity-, proticity-, viscosity-, and concentration-independent luminescence as optical probes for oxygen permeability. The sol-gel chemistry routes we assessed include the classical Stöber method and the underexplored larginine approach, which relies on the controlled hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in a biphasic cyclohexane/water system with the catalyst l-arginine. As demonstrated by luminescence measurements of air- and argon-saturated dispersions of CrPF6- and CrBF4-stained SiO2 NPs of different size and particle architecture, utilizing the luminescence decay kinetics of argon-saturated solutions of CrPF6 and CrBF4 in acetonitrile (ACN) as benchmarks, only SiO2 NPs or shells synthesized by the l-arginine approach provided complete oxygen protection of the CrIII complexes under ambient conditions. We ascribe the different oxygen shielding efficiencies of the silica networks explored to differences in density and surface chemistry of the resulting nanomaterials and coatings, leading to different oxygen permeabilities. Our l-arginine based silica encapsulation strategy can open the door for the efficient usage of oxygen-sensitive luminophores and TTA-UC systems as optical reporters and spectral shifters in air in the future.
T2 - eMRS Strasbourg
CY - Strasbourg, France
DA - 26.05.2025
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Synthesis
KW - Quantum yield
KW - NIR
KW - Mechanism
KW - Characterization
KW - Electron microscopy
KW - Silica
KW - Oxygen sensing
KW - Surface
KW - Doping
KW - Lifetime
KW - Cr(III) complex
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-63300
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Richter, Maria
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - New Reference Materials for the Quantification and Standardization of Fluorescence-based Measurements
N2 - Luminescence techniques are amongst the most commonly used analytical methods in the life and material sciences due to their high sensitivity and non-destructive and multiparametric character. Photoluminescence signals are, however, affected by wavelength-, polarization-, and time-dependent instrument specific effect and the compound-specific photoluminescence quantum yield. The former hamper the comparability of fluorescence measurements, while the relative determination of the latter requires suitable quantum yield standards with well-known photoluminescence quantum yields (QY). For the simple correction of instrument specific effects in the wavelength region of 300 nm to 950 nm, the set of the five certified spectral fluorescence standards BAM-F001 – BAM-F005, has been extended to the NIR range by including two new fluorescence standards currently under certification. For the reliable and accurate determination of QY which is the key performance parameter for the comparison of different luminophores, we certified a set of 12 quantum yield standards, which absorb and emit in the wavelength range from 300 nm to 1000 nm.
T2 - Methods and Applications in Fluorescence
CY - Gothenburg, Sweden
DA - 11.09.2022
KW - Luminescence
KW - Photoluminescence
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Certified reference material
KW - Standard
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-55914
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Getting it right with photoluminescence quantum yields of molecular and nanoscale luminophores and luminescent particles
N2 - Photophysical and mechanistic studies, the comparison of different emitter classes, and the rational design of the next generation of molecular and nanoscale reporters require quantitative photoluminescence measurements and the reliable determination of the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield (QY), i.e., the number of emitted per absorbed photons. This is of special importance for all photoluminescence applications in the life and material sciences in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR. To improve the reliability and comparability of photoluminescence and QY measurements across laboratories, pitfalls, achievable uncertainties, and material-specific effects related to certain emitter classes must be explored. Also, suitable protocols and reference materials are needed which have been validated in interlaboratory comparisons for different wavelength regions and transparent and scattering luminophores.[1] Based on absolute and relative photoluminescence measurements of functional dyes and nanomaterials like semiconductor quantum dots and rods, spectrally shifting lanthanide upconversion nanocrystals, perovskites, and YAG:Cer converter materials, reliable methods for determining QY of transparent and scattering luminophores, nonlinear emitters, and solid luminescent nanomaterials have been developed.[2,3] Thereby, material- and method-related uncertainties of relative and absolute QY measurements and achievable uncertainties could be quantified for linear and nonlinear UV/vis/NIR/SWIR emitters and lately for also luminescent and scattering materials and solid phoshors, here in an interlaboratory comparison of three labs utilizing integrating sphere spectroscopy.[4,5] In addition, to provide simple tools for a better comparability of QY measurements, recently, a first set of UV/vis/NIR quantum yield standards has been developed and certified with complete uncertainty budgets.[6] In the following, the outcome of these studies will be presented, thereby addressing common pitfalls and providing recommendations on the performance of reliable QY measurements of linear and non-linear emitters in transparent, scattering, and solid samples.
T2 - 29th Lecture Conference on Photochemistry (LCP 2024) GDCh
CY - Mainz, Germany
DA - 16.09.2024
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Nano
KW - Luminescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Synthesis
KW - Standardization
KW - Reference material
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Reference data
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - ILC
KW - Converter material
KW - YAG:Ce
KW - Optoceramic
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-61075
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Frenzel, F.
A1 - Fiedler, S.
A1 - Bardan, A.
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Influence of Measurement Geometry and Blank on Absolute Measurements of Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Scattering Luminescent Films
N2 - For a series of 500 μm-thick polyurethane films containing different concentrations of luminescent and scattering YAG:Ce microparticles, we systematically explored and quantified pitfalls of absolute measurements of photoluminescence quantum yields (Φf) for often employed integrating sphere (IS) geometries, where the sample is placed either on a sample holder at the bottom of the IS surface or mounted in the IS center. Thereby, the influence of detection and illumination geometry and sample position was examined using blanks with various scattering properties for measuring the number of photons absorbed by the sample. Our results reveal that (i) setup configurations where the scattering sample is mounted in the IS center and (ii) transparent blanks can introduce systematic errors in absolute Φf measurements.
For strongly scattering, luminescent samples, this can result in either an under- or overestimation of the absorbed photon flux and hence an under- or overestimation of Φf. The size of these uncertainties depends on the scattering properties of the sample and instrument parameters, such as sample position, IS size, wavelength-dependent reflectivity of the IS surface coating, and port configuration. For accurate and reliable absolute Φf measurements, we recommend (i) a blank with scattering properties closely matching those of the sample to realize similar distributions of the diffusely scattered excitation photons within the IS, and (ii) a sufficiently high sample absorption at the excitation wavelength. For IS setups with center-mounted samples, measurement geometries should be utilized that prevent the loss of excitation photons by reflections from the sample out of the IS.
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Characterization
KW - Silica
KW - Scattering
KW - Uncertainty
KW - Film
KW - Pphosphor
KW - YAG:Ce
KW - LED
KW - Converter material
KW - Solid material
KW - Polymer
KW - Composite material
KW - Advanced material
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-638304
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c06726
SN - 1520-6882
SP - 1
EP - 8
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-63830
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Güttler, Arne
T1 - Certified Reference Materials for the Quantification and Standardization of Fluorescence-based Measurements
N2 - The size and shape of photoluminescence signals is affected by wavelength-, polarization-, and time-dependent instrumentspecific contributions and the compound- and environment-specific photoluminescence quantum yield. The former hamper the comparability of fluorescence measurements performed on different measuring devices. The commonly relatively done determination of the performance parameter requires suitable quantum yield standards with well-known. The performance of such measurements is, e.g., described in the written standard IEC 62607 currently revised.
T2 - Colloquium für Optische Spektrometrie 2025
CY - Jena, Germany
DA - 24.09.2025
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Advanced material
KW - Calibration
KW - Characterization
KW - Fluorescence quantum yield
KW - Phosphor
KW - Absolute
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Dye
KW - Standardization
KW - Reference material
KW - Interlaboratory comparison
KW - Uncertainty
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64213
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Meyerhofer, F.
A1 - Dissinger, F.
A1 - Weigert, Florian
A1 - Jungclaus, J.
A1 - Müller-Caspary, K.
A1 - Waldvogel, S. R.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Voss, T.
T1 - Citric Acid Based Carbon Dots with Amine Type Stabilizers: pHSpecific
N2 - We report the synthesis and spectroscopic characteristics of two different sets of carbon dots (CDs) formed by hydrothermal reaction between citric acid and polyethylenimine (PEI) or 2,3-diaminopyridine (DAP). Although the formation of amide-based species and the presence of citrazinic acid type derivates assumed to be responsible for a blue emission is confirmed for both CDs by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry, a higher abundance of sp2-hybridized nitrogen is observed for DAP-based CDs, which causes a red-shift of the n-π* absorption band relative to the one of PEI-based CDs. These CD Systems possess high photoluminescence quantum yields (QY) of ∼40% and ∼48% at neutral pH, demonstrating a possible tuning of the optical properties by the amine precursor. pH-Dependent spectroscopic studies revealed a drop in QY to < 9% (pH ∼ 1) and < 21% (pH ∼ 12) for both types of CDs under acidic and basic conditions. In contrast, significant differences in the pHdependency of the n-π* transitions are found for both CD types which are ascribed to different (de)protonation sequences of the CD-specific fluorophores and functional groups using Zeta potential analysis.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Particle
KW - Nano
KW - Surface group analysis
KW - Carbon dot
KW - C-dot
KW - Fluorescent probe
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Synthesis
KW - IR
KW - MS
KW - Polymer
KW - Ligand
PY - 2020
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b11732
VL - 124
IS - 16
SP - 8894
EP - 8904
PB - American Chemical Society
AN - OPUS4-50813
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Xu, R.
A1 - Teich, W.
A1 - Frenzel, Florian
A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin
A1 - Radke, J.
A1 - Rösler, J.
A1 - Faust, K.
A1 - Blank, A.
A1 - Brandenburg, S.
A1 - Misch, M.
A1 - Vajkoczy, P.
A1 - Onken, J. S.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Optical characterization of sodium fluorescein in vitro and ex vivo
N2 - Objective: The utilization of fluorescein-guided biopsies and resection has been recently discussed as a suitable strategy to improve and expedite operative techniques for the resection of central nervous system (CNS) tumors. However, little is known about the optical properties of sodium fluorescein (NaFl) in human tumor tissue and their potential impact on ex vivo analyses involving fluorescence-based methods.
Methods: Tumor tissue was obtained from a study cohort of an observational study on the utilization of fluorescein-guided biopsy and resection (n=5). The optical properties of fluorescein-stained tissue were compared to the optical features of the dye in vitro and in control samples consisting of tumor tissue of high-grade glioma patients (n=3) without intravenous (i.v.) application of NaFl. The dye-exposed tumor tissues were used for optical measurements to confirm the detectability of NaFl emission ex vivo. The tissue samples were fixed in 4%PFA, immersed in 30% sucrose, embedded in Tissue-Tek OCT compound, and cut to 10 mm cryosections. Spatially resolved emission spectra from tumor samples were recorded on representative slides with a Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope FV1000 (Olympus GmbH, Hamburg, Germany) upon excitation with lexc = 488 nm.
Results: Optical measurements of fluorescein in 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl) under in vitro conditions showed an absorption maximum of lmax abs = 479 nm as detected with spectrophotometer Specord 200 and an emission peak at lmax em = 538 nm recorded with the emCCD detection system of a custom-made microscope-based single particle setup using a 500 nm long-pass filter. Further measurements revealed pH- and concentration-dependent emission spectra of NaFl. Under ex vivo conditions, confocal laser scanning microscopy of fluorescein tumor samples revealed a slight bathochromic shift and a broadening of the emission band.
Conclusion: Tumor uptake of NaFl leads to changes in the optical properties – a bathochromic shift and broadening of the emission band – possibly caused by the dye’s high pH sensitivity and concentration-dependent reabsorption acting as an innerfilter of the dye’s emission, particularly in the short wavelength region of the Emission spectrum where absorption and fluorescence overlap. Understanding the ex vivo optical properties of fluorescein is crucial for testing and validating its further applicability as an optical probe for intravital microscopy, immunofluorescence localization studies, and flow cytometry analysis.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Optical probe
KW - Sensor
KW - Fluorescein
KW - PH
KW - Imaging
KW - Tissue
KW - Cancer
KW - Medical diagnostics
KW - Tumor
KW - In vivo
KW - Ex vivo
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Dye
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Microscopy
PY - 2021
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-527843
DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.654300
SN - 2234-943X
VL - 11
SP - 1
EP - 8
PB - Frontiers Media
CY - Lausanne
AN - OPUS4-52784
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Meng, M.
A1 - Zhang, T.
A1 - Wang, J.
A1 - Cheng, Z.
A1 - Yang, J.
A1 - Qiao, X.
A1 - Wen, J.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Ou, J.
T1 - Fluorescence temperature sensing of NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaGdF4:Nd3+/Yb3+ nanoparticles at low and high temperatures
N2 - NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaGdF4:Nd3+/Yb3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were prepared using a solvothermal method, and the effects of key factors such as the content of sensitiser Nd 3+ and Yb3+ on their luminescence properties were investigated. The nanoparticles are homogeneous in size and well dispersed. Under 808 nm excitation, it can produce strong upconversion fluorescence. At the same time, the nanoparticles have good temperature-sensing properties at the thermally coupled energy levels of 700 nm and 646 nm for Tm3+. Using its fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR), accurate temperature measurements can be performed, and it has been found that it exhibits different temperature sensing properties in low and high-temperature regions. The maximum relative sensitivity was found to be 0.88% K-1 and 1.89% K-1 for the lowtemperature region of 285 K-345 K and the high-temperature region of 345 K-495 K. The nanoparticles were applied to the internal temperature measurement of lithium batteries and the actual high-temperature environment, respectively, and were found to have good temperature measurementt performance.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Sensor
KW - Temperature
KW - Ratiometric
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Absolute fluorescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Application
KW - Upconversion nanoparticle
PY - 2022
DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/ac84e4
SN - 1361-6528
VL - 33
IS - 34
SP - 1
EP - 15
PB - IOP Publishing
CY - Bristol
AN - OPUS4-55454
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Quantifying the total and accessible amount of surface functionalities and ligands on nanomaterials
N2 - Engineered nanomaterials (NMs) of various chemical composition and surface functionalization are routinely fabricated for industrial applications such as medical diagnostics, drug delivery, sensing, catalysis, energy conversion and storage, opto-electronics, and information storage. NM dispersibility, stability, processability, and function as well as the interaction with biological species and environmental fate are largely determined by NM surface functionalities, i.e., functional groups (FGs) and ligands. Therefore, reliable, reproducible, and eventually standardized surface characterization methods are vital for quality control of NMs, and mandatory to meet increasing concerns regarding their safety.
Suitable methods for determining surface functionalities on ligand-stabilized core and core/shell NPs include advanced techniques such as traceable quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) as well as X-ray electron spectroscopy (XPS) and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), and simpler optical and electrochemical methods.[1] The latter less costly and fast methods, which can be automated, are often used by NM producers for process and quality control.[1,2] To validate methods, establish measurement uncertain-ties, test reference materials, and produce reference data, multi-method characterization studies are needed.[3,4] as well as interlaboratory comparisons (ILC) on determining NM surface chemistry and well characterized test and reference NMs providing benchmark values.[5,6] Here, we present examples for quantifying common surface FGs such as amino and carboxyl groups on functional NMs of different chemical composition such as silica, polymer, iron oxide, and lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles with optical assays, electrochemical titration methods, qNMR, and chromatographic separation techniques. In addition, ongoing interlaboratory comparisons will be presented.
T2 - Yucomat 2025
CY - Herec Novi, Montenegro
DA - 01.09.2025
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Synthesis
KW - Characterization
KW - Advanced material
KW - Surface
KW - Standardization
KW - Reference material
KW - Functional group
KW - Quantification
KW - Coating
KW - Interlaboratory comparison
KW - Uncertainty
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64182
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Nelson, G.
A1 - Boehm, U.
A1 - Bagley, S.
A1 - Bajcsy, P.
A1 - Bischof, J.
A1 - Brown, C. M.
A1 - Dauphin, A.
A1 - Dobbie, I. M.
A1 - Eriksson, J. E.
A1 - Faklaris, O.
A1 - Fernandez-Rodriguez, J.
A1 - Ferrand, A.
A1 - Gelman, L,
A1 - Gheisari, A.
A1 - Hartmann, H.
A1 - Kukat, C.
A1 - Laude, A.
A1 - Mitkovski, M.
A1 - Munck, S.
A1 - North, A. J.
A1 - Rasse, T.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Schuetz, L. C.
A1 - Seitz, A.
A1 - Strambio-De-Castillia, C.
A1 - Swedlow, J. R.
A1 - Alexopoulos, I.
A1 - Aumayr, K.
A1 - Avilov, S.
A1 - Bakker, G.-J.
A1 - Bammann, R. R.
A1 - Bassi, A.
A1 - Beckert, H.
A1 - Beer, S.
A1 - Belyaev, Y.
A1 - Bierwagen, J.
A1 - Birngruber, K. A.
A1 - Bosch, M.
A1 - Breitlow, J.
A1 - Cameron, L. A.
A1 - Chalfoun, J.
A1 - Chambers, J. J.
A1 - Chen, C.-L.
A1 - Conde-Sousa, E.
A1 - Corbett, A. D.
A1 - Cordelieres, F. P.
A1 - Del Nery, E.
A1 - Dietzel, R.
A1 - Eismann, F.
A1 - Fazeli, E.
A1 - Felscher, A.
A1 - Fried, H.
A1 - Gaudreault, N.
A1 - Goh, W. I.
A1 - Guilbert, T.
A1 - Hadleigh, R.
A1 - Hemmerich, P.
A1 - Holst, G. A.
A1 - Itano, M. S.
A1 - Jaffe, C. B.
A1 - Jambor, H. K.
A1 - Jarvis, S. C.
A1 - Keppler, A.
A1 - Kirchenbuechler, D.
A1 - Kirchner, M.
A1 - Kobayashi, N.
A1 - Krens, G.
A1 - Kunis, S.
A1 - Lacoste, J.
A1 - Marcello, M.
A1 - Martins, G. G.
A1 - Metcalf, D. J.
A1 - Mitchell, C. A.
A1 - Moore, J.
A1 - Mueller, T.
A1 - Nelson, M. S.
A1 - Ogg, S.
A1 - Onami, S.
A1 - Palmer, A. L.
A1 - Paul-Gilloteaux, P.
A1 - Pimentel, J. A.
A1 - Plantard, L.
A1 - Podder, S.
A1 - Rexhepaj, E.
A1 - Royon, A.
A1 - Saari, M. A.
A1 - Schapman, D.
A1 - Schoonderwoert, V.
A1 - Schroth-Diez, B.
A1 - Schwartz, S.
A1 - Shaw, M.
A1 - Spitaler, M.
A1 - Stoeckl, M. T.
A1 - Sudar, D.
A1 - Teillon, J.
A1 - Terjung, S.
A1 - Thuenauer, R.
A1 - Wilms, C. D.
A1 - Wright, G. D.
A1 - Nitschke, R.
T1 - QUAREP-LiMi: A community-driven initiative to establish guidelines for quality assessment and reproducibility for instruments and images in light microscopy
N2 - A modern day light microscope has evolved from a tool devoted to making primarily empirical observations to what is now a sophisticated, quantitative device that is an integral part of both physical and life science research. Nowadays, microscopes are found in nearly every experimental laboratory. However, despite their prevalent use in capturing and quantifying scientific phenomena, neither a thorough understanding of the principles underlying quantitative imaging techniques nor appropriate knowledge of how to calibrate, operate and maintain microscopes can be taken for granted. This is clearly demonstrated by the well-documented and widespread difficulties that are routinely encountered in evaluating acquired data and reproducing scientific experiments. Indeed, studies have shown that more than 70% of researchers have tried and failed to repeat another scientist’s experiments, while more than half have even failed to reproduce their own experiments1. One factor behind the reproducibility crisis of experiments published in scientific journals is the frequent underreporting of imaging methods caused by a lack of awareness and/or a lack of knowledge of the applied technique2,3. Whereas quality control procedures for some methods used in biomedical research, such as genomics (e.g., DNA sequencing, RNA-seq) or cytometry, have been introduced (e.g. ENCODE4), this issue has not been tackled for optical microscopy instrumentation and images. Although many calibration standards and protocols have been published, there is a lack of awareness and agreement on common Standards and guidelines for quality assessment and reproducibility5.
In April 2020, the QUality Assessment and REProducibility for instruments and images in Light Microscopy (QUAREP-LiMi) initiative6 was formed. This initiative comprises imaging scientists from academia and industry who share a common interest in achieving a better understanding of the performance and limitations of microscopes and improved quality control (QC) in light microscopy. The ultimate goal of the QUAREP-LiMi initiative is to establish a set of common QC standards, guidelines, metadata models7,8, and tools9,10, including detailed protocols, with the ultimate aim of improving reproducible advances in scientific research.
This White Paper 1) summarizes the major obstacles identified in the field that motivated the launch of the QUAREP-LiMi initiative; 2) identifies the urgent need to address these obstacles in a grassroots manner, through a community of Stakeholders including, researchers, imaging scientists11, bioimage analysts, bioimage informatics developers, corporate partners, Funding agencies, standards organizations, scientific publishers, and observers of such; 3) outlines the current actions of the QUAREPLiMi initiative, and 4) proposes future steps that can be taken to improve the dissemination and acceptance of the proposed guidelines to manage QC.
To summarize, the principal goal of the QUAREP-LiMi initiative is to improve the overall quality and reproducibility of light microscope image data by introducing broadly accepted standard practices and accurately captured image data metrics.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Microscopy
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Comparability
KW - Imaging
KW - Standards
KW - Reference materials
KW - Reliability
KW - Data
KW - Reference data
KW - Biology
KW - Medicine
KW - Life science
PY - 2021
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-530629
DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/jmi.13041
SN - 1365-2818
VL - 284
IS - 1
SP - 56
EP - 73
PB - Wiley-Blackwell
CY - Oxford
AN - OPUS4-53062
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Measurements of Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Scattering LED Converter Materials
N2 - How to Get it Right with the Absolute Measurement of Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Scattering LED Converter Materials Saskia Fiedler+,a, Florian Frenzel+,a, Christian Würth a, Isabella Tavernaro a, Michelle Grüne c, Stefan Schweizer c,d, Axel Engel e, and Ute Resch-Genger a* a Division Biophotonics, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Richard-Willstaetter-Strasse 11, D-12489 Berlin, Germany; email: ute.resch@bam.de b Present address: Photonic Materials, NWO-Institute AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands c Faculty of Electrical Engineering, South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences, Lübecker Ring 2, 59494, Soest, Germany d Fraunhofer Application Center for Inorganic Phosphors, Branch Lab of Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS, Lübecker Ring 2, 59494, Soest, Germany e Schott AG Technical Services, Hattenbergstrasse 10, D-55122 Mainz, Germany Optical measurements of scattering materials such as luminescent nano- and microparticles and phosphors dispersed in liquid and solid matrices play an important role in energy conversion, solid-state lighting, medical diagnostics, and security barcoding. A key performance parameter is the photoluminescence quantum yield QY, i.e., the number of emitted per number of absorbed photons. QY of transparent luminophore solutions can be obtained relative to a fluorescence QY standard of known QY, meanwhile available as certified reference materials.[1] The determination of QY of scattering liquid and solid samples like nanoparticle dispersions, phosphors, and optoceramics requires, however, absolute measurements with an integrating sphere setup. Despite the need for reliable absolute QY measurements, no interlaboratory comparison (ILCs) on measurement uncertainties has been performed and scattering standards with known QY are not available. We present the results of an ILC of 3 labs from academia and industry on measurements of transparent and scattering dye solutions and solid phosphors and converter materials like YAG:Ce optoceramics with commercial stand-alone integrating sphere setups of different illumination and detection geometries. Special emphasis was dedicated to the influence of measurement geometry, optical properties of the blank for determining the number of incident photons absorbed by the sample, and sample-specific surface roughness. Matching QY values could be obtained for transparent dye solutions and scattering dispersions with a blank with scattering properties closely matching those of the sample, QY measurements of optoceramic samples with different blanks revealed substantial differences of more than 20 %. Based on our data, we recommend non-absorbing blank materials with a high reflectivity (>95 %) such as a 2 mm-thick PTFE target placed on the sample holder as blanks.
T2 - eMRS
CY - Strasbourg, France
DA - 26.05.2025
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Quantum yield
KW - NIR
KW - Characterization
KW - Electron microscopy
KW - Film
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Calibration
KW - Lifetime
KW - Advanced materials
KW - LED converter
KW - YAG:Ce
KW - ILC
KW - Measurement uncertainty
KW - Absolute quantum yield
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-63327
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Rezvani, A.
A1 - Wang, Z.
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
A1 - Soltanmoradi, H.
A1 - Kichigin, A.
A1 - Zhou, X.
A1 - Gantenberg, T.
A1 - Schram, J.
A1 - Zubiri, B. A.
A1 - Spiecker, E.
A1 - Walter, J.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Segets, D.
T1 - Separation of Indium Phosphide/Zinc Sulfide Core−Shell Quantum Dots from Shelling Byproducts through Multistep Agglomeration
N2 - Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) possess unique electronic and optical properties, making them promising candidates for applications in lightemitting diodes, solar cells, bioimaging, and photocatalysis. Precise control over their size, shape, and chemical and electronic structure is crucial to ensure the desired functional properties and optimize device performance. However, challenges in QD synthesis and post-synthesis modification persist, especially in large-scale production. This study addresses the classification of QDs synthesized in a tubular flow reactor consisting of a mixture of the desired InP/ZnS core−shell QDs and QDs made from the shell material, i.e., here ZnS QDs formed as a byproduct during the formation step of the ZnS shell. The homogeneous nucleation of ZnS nanoparticles from the shelling material introduces a heterogeneity in size and composition and affects the optical properties of the resulting QDs. To address this issue, we developed a size-selective agglomeration (SSA) technique by incrementally introducing ethanol as a poor solvent and classified the synthesized QDs into 13 distinct fractions. These 13 fractions are sorted into three distinct groups: (i) larger InP/ZnS QDs, (ii) a combination of smaller InP/ZnS QDs and larger ZnS QDs, and (iii) predominant ZnS QDs with some very tiny InP/ZnS QDs. The comprehensive characterization of the fractions was conducted using UV−visible absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, total reflection X-ray fluorescence, and analytical ultracentrifugation. We could demonstrate that our method effectively separated unwanted ZnS QDs from the target InP/ZnS QDs. In addition, the fractions enriched in smaller InP/ZnS QDs exhibited a higher photoluminescence quantum yield compared to the fractions with larger QDs. This demonstrates the efficacy of SSA in finetuning the composition of QD mixtures produced on a larger scale to improve their functional properties. This approach provides fundamental understanding toward the development of a scalable two-dimensional classification process for such ultrasmall nanoparticles by particle size and composition.
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Reference material
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Quantum dot
KW - Synthesis
KW - Flow reactor
KW - InP
KW - Shell
KW - ZnS
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Method
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - TEM
PY - 2025
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c18530
SN - 1936-086X
VL - 19
IS - 20
SP - 19080
EP - 19094
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-63215
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Forschung in einer Bundesoberbehörde wie der BAM
N2 - Die Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) ist eine forschende Bundesoberbehörde und Einrichtung der Ressortforschung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Unter ihrer Leitlinie „Sicherheit in Technik und Chemie“ ist sie zuständig für die öffentliche technische Sicherheit und für metrologische Aufgaben in der Chemie. Das Aufgabenspektrum der BAM, das sich an aktuellen Fragestellungen aus Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft, Politik und Normung orientiert, bietet sehr viele interessante Tätigkeitsfelder für Naturwissenschaftler*Innen und Ingenieur*Innen.
T2 - WIFO Leipzig 2023
CY - Leipzig, Germany
DA - 05.09.2023
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Certification
KW - Reference product
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Reference material
KW - Reference data
KW - Traceability
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Analytical chemistry
KW - Sensor
KW - Safety
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-58397
LA - mul
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin
A1 - Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Fluorescence calibration standards made from broadband emitters encapsulated in polymer beads for fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry
N2 - We present here the design and characterization of a set of spectral calibration beads. These calibration beads are intended for the determination and regular control of the spectral characteristics of fluorescence microscopes and other fluorescence measuring devices for the readout of bead-based assays. This set consists of micrometer-sized polymer beads loaded with dyes from the liquid Calibration Kit Spectral Fluorescence Standards developed and certified by BAM for the wavelength-dependent Determination of the spectral responsivity of fluorescencemeasuring devices like spectrofluorometers. To cover the wavelength Region from 400 to 800 nm, two new near-infrared emissive dyes were included, which were spectroscopically characterized in solution and encapsulated in the beads. The resulting set of beads presents the first step towards a new platform of spectral calibration beads for the determination of the spectral characteristics of fluorescence instruments like fluorescence microscopes, FCM setups, and microtiter plate readers, thereby meeting the increasing demand for reliable and comparable fluorescence data especially in strongly regulated areas, e.g., medical diagnostics. This will eventually provide the basis for standardized calibration procedures for imaging systems as an alternative to microchannel slides containing dye solutions previously reported by us.
KW - Fluorescence standard
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Dye
KW - Microscopy
KW - Bead
KW - Particle
KW - NIR
KW - calibration
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Traceability
PY - 2020
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-508117
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-020-02664-y
SN - 1618-2642
VL - 412
IS - 24
SP - 6499
EP - 6507
PB - Springer
AN - OPUS4-50811
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Srivastava, Priyanka
A1 - Fürstenwerth, Paul Christian
A1 - Witte, J. F.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of a fluorescent phenanthrene-rhodamine dyad for ratiometric measurements of acid pH values
N2 - We present the rational design, synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of a novel dual excitation, three color emitting, pH-responsive fluorescent probe consisting of two phenanthrene and one rhodamine B units linked by click chemistry. The rhodamine moiety, excitable at λEx = 315 nm and at λEx = 560 nm in its ring-opened form, provides the pH-responsive fluorophore, while the pH-insensitive phenanthrene, excited at λEx = 315 nm, serves as inert internal reference, The presence of two phenanthrene moieties enables a blue monomer and a blueish green excimer emission at 351 nm and 500 nm, respectively. Opening of the rhodamine B spirolactam ring at an acidic pH below 5.0 (pKa = 2.59 ± 0.04) switches on its emission at 580 nm. Simultaneously, the phenanthrene excimer emission decreases caused by a change in orientation of the phenanthrene units, while the monomer emission is barely affected. This sensor design enables ratiometric measurements in the low acidic pH range utilizing the intensity ratios of the rhodamine B and phenanthrene excimer emission at 580 nm and 500 nm. Alternatively, also the intensity ratios of the rhodamine B and the phenanthrene monomer emission could be exploited or the sum of the phenanthrene monomer and excimer fluorescence. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of ratiometric sensing utilizing such a versatile type of tricolor emissive dyad probe bearing phenanthrene moieties and showing phenanthrene monomer and excimer emission.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Optical probe
KW - Sensor
KW - Dye
KW - Rhodamine
KW - Synthesis
KW - Photophysics
KW - PH
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Mechanism
KW - Chemodosimeter
KW - Phenanthrene
KW - Ratiometric
KW - Dyad
PY - 2021
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-530554
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d1nj01573g
SN - 1144-0546
VL - 45
IS - 31
SP - 13755
EP - 13762
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry
AN - OPUS4-53055
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Richter, Maria
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Pauli, Jutta
A1 - Vogel, K.
A1 - Homann, Christian
A1 - Würth, Christian
T1 - Extending Certified Spectral Fluorescence Standards for the Calibration and Performance Validation of Fluorescence Instruments to the NIR – Closing the Gap from 750 nm to 940 nm with Two Novel NIR Dyes
N2 - Fluorescence methods provide spectral, intensity, polarization, and lifetime information, which contain sample- and instrument-specific contributions. Fluorescence data, comparable across instruments and laboratories, require validated calibration procedures and certified fluorescence standards.
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Reference material
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Dye
KW - Traceability
KW - Metrology
KW - Calibration
KW - Reference data
KW - Reference product
KW - Digital certificate
KW - NIR
KW - Instrument performance validation
PY - 2025
SP - 1
EP - 4
PB - Springer Nature
CY - London
AN - OPUS4-62739
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Wasternack, J.
A1 - Schröder, H. V.
A1 - Witte, J. F.
A1 - Ilisson, M.
A1 - Hupatz, H.
A1 - Hille, J. F.
A1 - Gaedke, M.
A1 - Valkonen, A. M.
A1 - Sobottka, S.
A1 - Krappe, A.
A1 - Schubert, M.
A1 - Paulus, B.
A1 - Rissanen, K.
A1 - Sarkar, B.
A1 - Eigler, S.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Schalley, C. A.
T1 - Switchable protection and exposure of a sensitive squaraine dye within a redox active rotaxane
N2 - In nature,molecular environments in proteins can sterically protect and stabilize reactive species such as organic radicals through non-covalent interactions.Here, wereport a near-infrared fluorescent rotaxane in which the stabilization of a chemically labile squaraine fluorophore by the coordination of a tetralactam macrocycle can be controlled chemically and electrochemically. The rotaxane can be switched between two co-conformations inwhich thewheel either stabilizes or exposes the fluorophore. Coordination by the wheel affects the squaraine’s stability across four redox states and renders the radical anion significantly more stable—by a factor of 6.7—than without protection by a mechanically bonded wheel. Furthermore, the fluorescence properties can be tuned by the redox reactions in a stepwise manner. Mechanically interlockedmolecules provide an excellent scaffold to stabilize and selectively expose reactive species in a co-conformational switching process controlled by external stimuli.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Dye
KW - Sensor
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Spectroscopy
KW - Photophysics
KW - Synthesis
KW - Squaraine
KW - Switch
KW - Redox-active
KW - Rotaxane
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-614959
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-024-01312-1
VL - 7
SP - 1
EP - 11
AN - OPUS4-61495
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Andreato, E.
A1 - Panov, N.
A1 - Artiga, A.
A1 - Osipova, Viktoriia
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Ximendes, E.
A1 - Molina, P.
A1 - Canton, P.
A1 - Marin, R.
T1 - Indium-Based Fluoride Nanoparticles Doped with Chromium for Near-Infrared Luminescence
N2 - Transition metal (TM) and rare earth (RE) ion-doped nanoparticles (NPs) are photoluminescent materials of technological relevance in bioimaging, sensing, and light conversion. Fluoride NPs are particularly attractive in this context, since they combine low-energy phonons, high chemical stability, optical transparency, size, and architecture tunability. Yet, nearly all reported colloidal fluoride NPs (e.g., NaYF4 and LiYF4) can only be efficiently doped with RE3+ and not with luminescent TM ions. Herein, we contribute to filling this gap in materials science by reporting Na3InF6 NPs doped with Cr3+ as a model luminescent TM ion. We unveil the heat-driven NP formation mechanism, which involves a cubic-to-monoclinic phase conversion, similarly to the cubic-tohexagonal phase conversion in NaYF4. Reaction temperatures above 225 °C and reaction time have a limited impact on the NP morphology, while the amount of fluoride precursor and oleylamine grants control over the NP size. After verifying that Na3InF6 NPs show negligible cytotoxicity toward U-87 cell line, we study the optical properties of these NPs upon Cr3+ doping.
Temperature-dependent photoluminescence measurements indicate that Cr3+ ions experience a weak crystal field in the Na3InF6 host lattice, while their photoluminescence lifetime varies linearly in the 20−50 °C range. These results set the ground for further studies of photoluminescent TM-doped fluoride NPs, toward their applications in bioimaging, sensing, and light-converting devices.
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Traceability
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Synthesis
KW - Quantum yield
KW - NIR
KW - Mechanism
KW - Characterization
KW - XRD
KW - Phase transition
KW - Ligand
KW - Surface
KW - Doping
KW - Lifetime
PY - 2025
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.4c03335
SN - 1520-5002
SP - 1
EP - 14
PB - American Chemical Society
AN - OPUS4-63073
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia
T1 - Using Dual Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Particles Coupled with a Miniaturized Opto-Microfluidic Platform for On-Site Detection of Perfluoroalkyl Carboxylic Acids
N2 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic organofluorine chemicals widely used in the production of various materials, including firefighting foams, adhesives, and coatings that resist stains and oil. In recent years, PFAS have gained attention as emerging environmental contaminants, with particular emphasis on perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), the most common type of PFAS. PFCAs are defined by a fully fluorinated carbon chain and a charged carboxylic acid group. They have been classified as Substances of Very High Concern and included in the REACH Candidate List due to their persistence, resistance to biodegradation, and toxicological impacts.
Traditional methods for analyzing PFCAs, like GC-MS, HRMS, and HPLC-based techniques, are time-consuming, non-portable, expensive, and require specialized expertise. On the other hand, fluorescence assays offer a user-friendly, portable, and cost-effective alternative with high sensitivity and quick results, particularly when the binding of the analyte causes a specific increase in the probe’s fluorescence. Combining these probes with a carrier platform and a miniaturized optofluidic device presents a promising approach for PFCA monitoring.
In this study, a new guanidine BODIPY fluorescent indicator monomer was synthesized, characterized, and incorporated into a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) designed for the specific detection of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The MIP layer was formed on silica core nanoparticles doped with tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) chloride, serving as an optical internal reference for calibration-free assays. In combination with an extraction step prior to sample analysis, this system enables selective and reliable detection of PFCAs in surface water samples, minimizing interference from competing substances, matrix effects, and other factors. When integrated into an opto-microfluidic setup, the assay provided a compact, user-friendly detection system capable of detecting micromolar levels of PFOA in under 15 minutes from surface water samples.
T2 - ANAKON2025
CY - Leipzig, Germany
DA - 10.03.2025
KW - Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
KW - On-site detection
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Microfluidics
KW - Molecularly Imprinted Polymers
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-62712
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Prakash, Swayam
T1 - Fluorescence Spectroscopy as an Analytical Tool for Rapid and Sensitive Faecal Pigments Detection: From Fundamentals to Onsite Applications
N2 - W.H.O estimated that globally at least 2 billion people use drinking water sources contaminated with faeces [1] and according to UNICEF, most of these faecal detection methods are expensive, time-consuming (18–24 h time to result),[2] and, with few exceptions, not suited for on-site analysis.[3] Hence, there is an urgent need for the development of analytical methods that allow to unequivocally test for drinking water quality directly on-site.
Today, microbial detection methods primarily targeting E. coli, the major faecal indicator bacteria, are still the prevalent methods for detecting faecal contamination of drinking and recreational waters. As an alternative, Schlesinger proposed the detection of urobilin (UB), a metabolic degradation product of haemoglobin occurring in all mammals, as faecal indicator pigment (FIP) through enhancement of its weak fluorescence by complexation with Zn2+ in alcoholic media already 120 years ago.[4] However, the major limitation of this method is the only weak enhancement of the intrinsically very weak UB fluorescence in aqueous media, requiring either the use of organic solvents or very sensitive instrumentation to reach the relevant detection limits, hampering the method’s use outside of a laboratory environment.[3]
In the present work, we addressed the shortcomings relying on interfacial and supramolecular chemistry as well as materials functionalization, transforming Schlesinger’s approach into a fluorometric ‘drop and detect’ assay using a smartphone coupled to a 3D-printed optical setup as a simple and portable device. A series of silanes were used to functionalize glass fibre paper and tune its hydrophobicity, exploiting the influence of matrix tailoring to enhance binding of the Zn salt used as co-reagent to UB for optimal fluorescence response. Combination of bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and N-octyltrimethoxysilane with ZnCl2-impregnated test strips showed the best response for sensitive (nano- and sub-nanomolar concentration) smartphone-based FIP detection. The obtained fluorescence sensing results were validated with a benchtop fluorometer. Furthermore, the developed analytical method was successfully applied to the analysis of real water samples, allowing for the first time to test for faecal water contamination directly on site in a very short time of few minutes.
T2 - Anakon 2025
CY - Leipzig, Germany
DA - 10.03.2025
KW - Faecal contamination
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Metal complexes
KW - Water analysis
KW - Optical and chemical sensing
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-62795
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Prakash, Swayam
T1 - Photophysical Understanding of Urobilin and its Zinc Complexes for Water Quality Testing
N2 - Faecal contaminants in water are considered serious threats for human health, due to the presence of viruses, bacteria and other harmful microorganisms.1 Urobilin (UB) is a well-known faecal pigment and can be used as a marker for faecal matter in water.2 UB is commonly present in the urine of all mammals as the catabolic end product of bilirubin degradation.2 As the only simple chemical approach to its detection, Schlesinger’s test is usually used to enhance the weak fluorescence of UB in alcoholic media by complexation with Zinc.2, 3 The major limitation of this method is the only weak enhancement of the intrinsically weak UB fluorescence in aqueous media.3 This work presents an approach to introduce different Zn salts for improved fluorescence response, where we found a clear dependence of the fluorescence yield of UB-Zn(II) complexes on the counterion of the salt in water. By employing a combination of fluorescence parameters like transition energy, fluorescence intensity, and fluorescence lifetime, a photophysical understanding of the structure and conformation of the UB-Zn(II) complexes responsible for the fluorescence enhancement in water could be gained. The possibilities of developing a sensitive analytical method based on the acquired understanding are also discussed.
T2 - Central European Conference on Photochemistry CECP 2024
CY - Bad Hofgastein, Austria
DA - 18.02.2024
KW - Water analysis
KW - Faecal contamination
KW - Metal complexes
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-59874
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Biyikal, Mustafa
T1 - Development of a handheld device for the trace detection of explosives
N2 - This presentation introduces a new explosives trace detector (ETD), a handheld device developed by True Detection Systems (TDS). Addressing the limitations of current handheld detectors—such as unreliable measurements and cumbersome operation— the new ETD XT-1 integrates advanced sensor technology, including a Lab-on-a-Chip, to deliver high sensitivity and accuracy. Capable of detecting trace levels of substances like TNT, TATP, and ammonium nitrate, the device offers rapid, user-friendly detection through AI/ML-enhanced algorithms. These algorithms enable precise substance identification by analyzing absorption and desorption rates, significantly reducing false positives. The XT-1 has broad applications in security, hazardous material detection, and environmental monitoring.
T2 - Photonics Days Berlin Brandenburg
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 09.10.2024
KW - Explosives
KW - Trace detection
KW - Handheld device
KW - Lab-on-a-chip
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-61433
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Homann, Christian
A1 - Peeters, Régis
A1 - Mirmajidi, Hana
A1 - Berg, Jessica
A1 - Fay, Michael
A1 - Rodrigues, Lucas Carvalho Veloso
A1 - Radicchi, Eros
A1 - Jain, Akhil
A1 - Speghini, Adolfo
A1 - Hemmer, Eva
T1 - Rapid microwave-assisted synthesis of morphology-controlled luminescent lanthanide-doped Gd2O2S nanostructures
N2 - Gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd2O2S) is an attractive material of demonstrated suitability for a variety of imaging applications, leveraging its magnetic, scintillating, and luminescent properties, particularly when doped with optically active lanthanide ions (Ln3+). For many of these applications, control over size and morphology at the nanoscale is crucial. This study demonstrates the rapid microwave-assisted Synthesis of colloidal Ln2O2S (Ln = Gd and dopants Yb, Er, Tb) nanostructures in as little as 20 min. Structural characterization using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, as well as Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), including elemental mapping via energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), unveiled the key role of elemental sulphur (S8) in the reaction mixtures for materials growth. By systematically varying the Ln-to-S ratio from 1 : 0.5 to 1 : 15, controlled morphologies ranging from triangular nanoplatelets to berry- and flower-like shapes were achieved. Doping with Er3+/Yb3+ endowed the nano-triangles with upconverting and near-infrared emitting properties. Tb3+-doped Gd2O2S exhibited the characteristic green Tb3+ emission under UV excitation, while also showing X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL), rendering the material interesting as a potential nano-scintillator.
KW - Upconversion
KW - Microwave-assisted synthesis
KW - Synthesis
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - NIR
KW - XRD
KW - X-ray fluoressence
KW - Morphology control
KW - Raman
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-647907
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5TC01646K
SN - 2050-7526
VL - 13
IS - 35
SP - 18492
EP - 18507
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
AN - OPUS4-64790
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Srivastava, Priyanka
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
A1 - Genger, C.
A1 - Welker, P.
A1 - Huebner, Oskar
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Multicolor Polystyrene Nanosensors for the Monitoring of Acidic, Neutral, and Basic pH Values and Cellular Uptake Studies
N2 - A first tricolor fluorescent pH nanosensor is presented, which was rationally designed from biocompatible carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles and two analyte-responsive molecular fluorophores. Its fabrication involved particle staining with a blue-red-emissive dyad, consisting of a rhodamine moiety responsive to acidic pH values and a pH-inert quinoline fluorophore, followed by the covalent attachment of a fluorescein dye to the particle surface that signals neutral and basic pH values with a green fluorescence. These sensor particles change their fluorescence from blue to red and green, depending on the pH and excitation wavelength, and enable ratiometric pH measurements in the pH range of 3.0−9.0. The localization of the different sensor dyes in the particle core and at the particle surface was confirmed with fluorescence microscopy utilizing analogously prepared polystyrene microparticles. To show the application potential of these polystyrene-based multicolor sensor particles, fluorescence microscopy studies with a human A549 cell line were performed, which revealed the cellular uptake of the pH nanosensor and the differently colored emissions in different cell organelles, that is, compartments of the endosomal-lysosomal pathway. Our results demonstrate the underexplored potential of biocompatible polystyrene particles for multicolor and multianalyte sensing and bioimaging utilizing hydrophobic and/or hydrophilic stimuli-responsive luminophores.
KW - Microparticle
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Sensor
KW - pH
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Multiplexing
KW - Imaging
KW - Cell
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Nano
KW - Polymer
KW - Bioimaging
KW - Particle
KW - Application
PY - 2022
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.2c00944
VL - 94
IS - 27
SP - 9656
EP - 9664
PB - ACS
AN - OPUS4-55365
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Wang, Cui
A1 - Reichenauer, F.
A1 - Kitzmann, W.R.
A1 - Kerzig, Ch.
A1 - Heintze, K.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Efficient Triplet-Triplet Annihilation Upconversion Sensitized by a Chromium(III) Complex via an Underexplored Energy Transfer Mechanism
N2 - Sensitized triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (sTTA-UC) mainly relies on precious metal complexes thanks to their high intersystem crossing (ISC) efficiencies, excited state energies, and lifetimes, while complexes of abundant first-row transition metals were only rarely utilized and with often moderate UC quantum yields. [Cr(bpmp)2]3+ (bpmp = 2,6-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)pyridine) containing earth-abundant chromium possesses an absorption band suitable for green light excitation, a doublet excited state energy matching the triplet energy of 9,10-diphenyl anthracene (DPA), a close to millisecond excited state lifetime, and high photostability. Combined ISC and doublet-triplet energy transfer from excited [Cr(bpmp)2]3+ to DPA gives 3DPA with close-to-unity quantum yield. TTA of 3DPA furnishes greento-blue UC with a quantum yield of 12.0 % (close to the theoretical maximum). Sterically less-hindered anthracenes undergo a [4+4] cycloaddition with [Cr(bpmp)2]3+ and green light.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Optical probe
KW - Sensor
KW - ph
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Cr(III)
KW - Lifetime
KW - Ligand
KW - Theory
KW - TTA-UC
KW - Energy transfer
KW - Upconversion
KW - Mechanism
KW - Anthracene
KW - Photochemistry
KW - DFT
KW - Cycloaddition
KW - Transient absorbtion spectroscopy
PY - 2022
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202202238
VL - 61
IS - 24
SP - 1
EP - 8
PB - Wiley online library
AN - OPUS4-54604
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Engineered Nanomaterials- Novel Approaches for Risk Assessment and Safe-by-Design
N2 - The overall interest in nanotoxicity, triggered by the increasing use of nanomaterials in the material and life sciences, and the synthesis of an ever increasing number of new functional nanoparticles calls not only for standardized test procedures1,2 and for efficient approaches to screen the potential genotoxicity of these materials, but also for standardized and validated methods for surface analysis.
4,5 The analysis and quantification of surface chemistry is hence in the focus of an increasing number of standardization organizations and interlaboratory comparisons with different analytical methods are being done.5 For the monitoring of nanomaterial synthesis and the fast assessment of the number of functional groups such as carboxyl and amino functionalities, which are very commonly used functionalities in the life sciences, simple and validated methods are needed that can be performed with common laboratory instrumentation. 5,6 Here we provide a brief overview of the ongoing research in division Biophotonics employing quantitative NMR (qNMR), conductometry, and colorimetric and fluorometric optical assays for the determination of the total and the accessible number of carboxyl and amino groups on differently sized polymer and silica nano- and microparticles.5-7
T2 - Workshop NanoRiskSD project
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 09.06.2022
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Surface analysis
KW - Standardization
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Validation
KW - qNMR
KW - Silica
KW - Polymer
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Assay
KW - Conductometry
KW - Method comparison
KW - Analytical sciences
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-54999
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Pauli, Jutta
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Reliable Determination of the Signal-Relevant Spectroscopic Key Characteristics of Luminescent Reporters and Optical Probes for Imaging in the vis/NIR/SWIR
N2 - Introduction. Comparing different emitter classes and rationally designing the next generation of molecular and nanoscale probes for bioimaging applications require accurate and quantitative methods for the measurement of the key parameter photoluminescence quantum yield f.1 f equals the number of emitted per number of absorbed photons. This is particularly relevant for increasingly used fluorescence imaging in the short wave-infrared region (SWIR) ≥ 900 nm providing deeper penetration depths, a better image resolution, and an improved signal-to-noise or tumor-to-background ratio.2, 3 However, spectroscopic measurements in the SWIR are more challenging and require specific calibrations and standards.
T2 - EMIM 2021
CY - Göttingen, Germany
DA - 24.08.2021
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Optical probe
KW - Dye
KW - Photophysics
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Mechanism
KW - NIR
KW - SWIR
KW - Imaging
KW - Reference material
KW - Reliability
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Method
KW - Quality assurance
PY - 2021
AN - OPUS4-53233
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Design and Quantitative Characterization of Functional Molecular Chromophores and Nanomaterials with UV/vis/NIR/IR Emission – An Overview of Research Activities in Division Biophotonics
N2 - In the focus of division Biophotonics are the design, preparation, analytical and spectroscopic characterization, and application of molecular and nanoscale
functional materials, particularly materials with a photoluminescence in the visible, near infrared (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR). This includes optical reporters for bioimaging and sensing, security and authentication barcodes, and materials for solid state lighting, energy conversion, and photovoltaics. For the identification of optimum particle structures quantitative spectroscopic studies are performed under application-relevant conditions, focusing on the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield. In addition, simple, cost-efficient, and standardizable strategies for quantifying functional groups on the surface of nano- and microparticles are developed, here with a focus on optical assays and electrochemical titration methods, cross-validated by more advanced methods such as quantitative NMR. In addition, reference materials and reference products are developed for optical methods, particularly luminescence techniques, and for analytical methods utilized for the characterization of nanomaterials.
T2 - Projekttreffen Nile-Chrome 2.0
CY - Mainz, Germany
DA - 11.12.2023
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Reference material
KW - Reference data
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Dye
KW - Reference product
KW - NIR
KW - SWIR
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Silica
KW - Polymer
KW - Surface group analysis
KW - Sensor molecules
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-59123
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
T1 - Design of Fluorescent, Amorphous Silica-NPs and their Versatile Use in Sensing Applications
N2 - Surface functionalized silica nanoparticles (SiO2-NP) gained great interest in the life and material sciences, as they can be used e.g. as drug carriers, fluorescent sensors, and multimodal labels in bioanalytical assays and imaging applications. They are highly stable, are easily produced and modified on a large scale at low cost and can be labeled or stained with a multitude of sensor dyes. These dye modified particle conjugates have several advantages as compared to conventional molecular probes like enhanced brightness, ease of designing ratiometric systems by combining analyte-sensitive and inert reference dyes, and increased photostability. Moreover, stained nanoparticles can enable the use of hydrophobic dyes in aqueous environments.
Here we present our work on multicolored sensors for the measurement of pH, oxygen and saccharides utilizing amorphous SiO2 NPs.
T2 - Focus Area Day Analytical Sciences 2023
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 20.04.2023
KW - Amorphous silica particles
KW - Particle Synthesis
KW - Nano
KW - Ratiometric Sensors
KW - Fluorescence
KW - pH probe
KW - Dye
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-59151
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Measuring the Upconversion Luminescence of Ensemble and Single Particle Lanthanide-Based Upconversion Nanocrystals
N2 - Lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) like hexagonal 𝛽-NaYF4 UCNPs doped with Yb3+ and Er3+, which efficiently convert 976 nm light to ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared photons, offer new strategies for luminescence-based sensing, barcoding, and Imaging. Their upconversion (UC) luminescence (UCL) features like UCL intensity, quantum yield, relative spectral distribution / UCL luminescence color, and luminescence decay kinetics are, however, strongly influenced by particle size, dopant ion concentration, particle architecture, surface chemistry including presence and thickness of surface passivation and shielding shells, microenvironment/presence of quenchers with high energy vibrations, and excitation power density (P).
We present here a comprehensive study of the influence of excitation power density on the UCL features of different types of UCNPs, focusing on Yb3+ and Er3+ co-doped NaYF4 core-only and core-shell nanostructures with different sizes and doping ion concentration, which underlines the importance of P-dependent optimum dopant concentrations for UCNP performance and the potential of P-tuning of UCL.
T2 - Materials Challenges in Alternative & Renewable Energy 2021 (MCARE 2021)
CY - Online meeting
DA - 19.07.2021
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Lifetime
KW - Method
KW - Stability
KW - Coating
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Upconversion
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Single particle spectroscopy
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Microscopy
KW - Photophysics
PY - 2021
AN - OPUS4-53111
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Richter, Maria
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - New Reference Materials for Quantification and Standardization of Fluorescence-based Measurements
N2 - Luminescence techniques are amongst the most commonly used analytical methods in the life and material sciences due to their high sensitivity and non-destructive and multiparametric character. Photoluminescence signals are, however, affected by wavelength-, polarization-, and time-dependent instrument specific effects and the compound-specific photoluminescence quantum yield. The former hamper the comparability of fluorescence measurements, while the relative determination of the latter requires suitable quantum yield standards with well-known photoluminescence quantum yields. For the simple correction of instrument specific effects in the wavelength region of 300 nm to 950 nm, the set of the five certified spectral fluorescence standards (CRM) BAM-F001 – BAM-F005, has been extended to the NIR range by including two new fluorescence standards currently under certification.
T2 - 17th conference on Methods and Applications in Fluorescence
CY - Gothenburg, Sweden
DA - 11.09.2022
KW - Luminescence
KW - Photoluminescence
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Certified reference material
KW - Standard
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-56441
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Introduction to Fluorescence Spectroscopy
N2 - A brief introduction to fluorescence spectroscopy will be provided, ranging from typically measured fluorescence quantities over instrument-specific contributions to measured fluorescence signals to selected applications. In this context, an overview of the photoluminescence properties of molecular and nanoscale luminescence reporters will be given including a brief insight into their photophysics and fluorescence standards designed by division Biophotonics for the calibration and instrument performance validation of fluorescence measuring devices will be presented.
T2 - Analytical Academy BAM
CY - Online meeting
DA - 17.11.2020
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Quantification
KW - Linearity
KW - Measurement uncertainty
KW - Method
KW - Nano particle
KW - Dye
PY - 2020
AN - OPUS4-51619
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Design and Quantitative Characterization of Functional Molecular Chromophores and Nanomaterials with UV/vis/NIR/IR Emission and Traceable Optical Measurements
N2 - Research of division Biophotonics at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) covers several topics including photophysics of molecular and nanocrystalline emitters, the development of signal enhancement, multiplexing, and barcoding strategies, surface group quantification, the rational design of different types of stimuli-responsive optical probes, and concepts and reference materials for the validation of optical-spectroscopic measurements. In the following representative examples for each of these topics are given. Also, current developments like single particle spectroscopy and flow cytometry with lifetime detection and newly certified fluorescence quantum yield standards are presented.
T2 - Kolloquium BfR
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 12.10.2020
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantitative spectroscopy
KW - Single particle spectroscopy
KW - Multiplexing
KW - Reference materials
KW - Optical probes
KW - Sensor molecules
KW - Assay
KW - Dye
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Method development
KW - surface group analysis
KW - synthesis
KW - fluorescence standards
PY - 2020
AN - OPUS4-51449
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Billimoria, K.
A1 - Diaz Fernandez, Y. A.
A1 - Andresen, Elina
A1 - Sorzabal-Bellido, I.
A1 - Huelga-Suarez, G.
A1 - Bartczak, D.
A1 - Ortiz de Solórzano, C.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Goenaga Infante, H.
T1 - The potential of bioprinting for preparation of nanoparticle-based calibration standards for LA-ICP-ToF-MS quantitative imaging
N2 - This paper discusses the feasibility of a novel strategy based on the combination of bioprinting nano-doping technology and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis for the preparation and characterization of gelatin- based multi-element calibration standards suitable for quantitative imaging. To achieve this, lanthanide up-conversion nanoparticles were added to a gelatin matrix to produce the bioprinted calibration standards. The features of this bioprinting approach were com- pared with manual cryosectioning standard preparation, in terms of throughput, between batch repeatability and elemental signal homogeneity at 5 μm spatial resolution. By using bioprinting, the between batch variability for three independent standards of the same concentration of 89 Y (range 0–600 mg/kg) was reduced to 5% compared to up to 27% for cryosectioning. On this basis, the relative standard deviation ( RSD ) obtained between three independent calibration slopes measured within 1 day also reduced from 16% (using cryosectioning ) to 5% (using bioprinting), supporting the use of a single standard preparation replicate for each of the concentrations to achieve good calibration performance using bioprinting. This helped reduce the analysis time by approximately 3-fold. With cryosectioning each standard was prepared and sectioned individually, whereas using bio-printing it was possible to have up to six different standards printed simultaneously, reducing the preparation time from approximately 2 h to under 20 min (by approxi- mately 6-fold). The bio-printed calibration standards were found stable for a period of 2 months when stored at ambient temperature and in the dark.
KW - Environmental analysis
KW - LA-ICP-MS
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Tag
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nanoparticles
KW - Reference material
KW - Quality assurance
KW - 3D-printing
KW - Synthesis
KW - Production
KW - Multimodal
PY - 2022
DO - https://doi.org/10.1093/mtomcs/mfac088
SN - 1756-591X
VL - 14
IS - 12
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Oxford University Press
CY - Oxford
AN - OPUS4-57018
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
T1 - Luminescent Quantum dots – the next-generation nano light bulbs
N2 - Fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots (QDs), enabled many advancements in biotechnology, photovoltaics, photocatalysis, quantum computing and display devices. The high versatility of this nanomaterial is based on their unique size-tunable photoluminescence properties, which can be adjusted from the visible to the near-infrared range. In contrast to other nanomaterials, QDs made the transition from a laboratory curiosity to the utilization in commercial products, like the QLED television screen or in smartphone displays. The best investigated QDs are composed of heavy metals like cadmium or lead, which is not the best choice in terms of toxicity and environmental pollution. A more promising material is Indium Phosphide (InP), which is also currently used by Samsung, Sony and co. in the QLED displays.
In this contribution, I would like to give you a sneak peek behind the curtains of nanomaterial synthesis and show how this material is produced, how to stabilize their structural properties, and assess their toxicity in environmentally relevant conditions. Furthermore, I would like to present a synthesis method to accomplish the last open challenge in display technology of a blue luminescent LED based on QDs by introducing a new element to the InP QDs.
T2 - The Berlin Postdoc Day
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 03.11.2022
KW - InP
KW - Quantum dots
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Aging
KW - Doping
KW - Nanomaterial
KW - Cytotoxicity
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-56194
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
T1 - Exploring the photoluminescence of gold NCs and Ag2S NPs to boost their SWIR emission
N2 - Current challenges and objectives for non-invasive optical bioimaging are deep tissue penetration, high detection sensitivity, high spatial and temporal resolution, and fast data acquisition. A promising spectral window to tackle these challenges is the short-wave infrared (SWIR) ranging from 900 nm to 1700 nm where scattering, absorption, and autofluorescence of biological components are strongly reduced compared to the visible/NIR. At present, the best performing SWIR contrast agents are based on nanomaterials containing toxic heavy-metal ions like cadmium or lead, which raises great concerns for biological applications. Promising heavy-metal free nanoscale candidates are gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) and Ag2S nanoparticles (NPs). The photoluminescence (PL) of both types of nanomaterials is very sensitive to their size, composition of their surface ligand shell, and element composition, which provides an elegant handle to fine-tune their absorption and emission features and boost thereby the size of the signals recorded in bioimaging studies.
Aiming for the development of SWIR contrast agents with optimum performance, we dived deeper into the photophysical processes occurring in these nanomaterials, thereby exploring in depth how the environment, surface ligand composition, and the incorporation of transition metals influence the optical properties of AuNCs and Ag2S NPs. We observed a strong enhancement of the SWIR emission of AuNCs upon exposure to different local environments (in solution, polymer, and in the solid state). Addition of metal ions such as Zn2+ to Ag2S based NPs led to a strong PL enhancement, yielding PL quantum yields of about 10% and thus making them highly suitable for non-invasive deep imaging of vascular networks and 3D fluid flow mapping.
T2 - NaNaX 10 - Nanoscience with Nanocrystals
CY - Klosterneuburg, Austria
DA - 03.07.2023
KW - Quantum dots
KW - Ag2S
KW - Fluorescence
KW - SWIR
KW - Gold nanocluster
KW - Nanomaterial
KW - bioimaging
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-58104
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Photoluminescence quantum yields of molecular & nanoscale luminophores in the UV/VIS/NIR/SWIR in dispersion and in the solid state
N2 - Photophysical and mechanistic studies, the comparison of different emitter classes, and the rational design of the next generation of molecular and nanoscale reporters require quantitative photoluminescence measurements and the reliable determination of the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield (QY), i.e., the number of emitted per absorbed photons. This is of special importance for all photoluminescence applications in the life and material sciences in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR.
T2 - MAF 2024 Conference
CY - Valencia, Spain
DA - 08.09.2024
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Nano
KW - Luminescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Synthesis
KW - Standardization
KW - Reference material
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Reference data
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - ILC
KW - Converter material
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-61072
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Pauli, J.
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Schneider, T.
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Fluorescence Quantum Yield Standards for the UV/Visible/NIR: Development, Traceable Characterization, and Certification
N2 - The rational design of next generation molecular and nanoscale reporters and the comparison of different emitter classes require the determination of the fluorometric key performance parameter fluorescence quantum yield (Φf), i.e., the number of emitted photons per number of absorbed photons. Main prerequisites for reliable Φf measurements, which are for transparent luminophore solutions commonly done relative to a reference, i.e., a fluorescence quantum yield standard of known Φf, are reliable and validated instrument calibration procedures to consider wavelength-, polarization-, and time-dependent instrument specific signal contributions, and sufficiently well characterized fluorescence quantum yield standards. As the standard’s Φf value directly contributes to the calculation of the sample’s Φf, its accuracy presents one of the main sources of uncertainty of relative Φf measurements. To close this gap, we developed a first set of 12 fluorescence quantum yield standards, which absorb and emit in the wavelength region of 330−1000 nm and absolutely determined their Φf values with two independently calibrated integrating sphere setups.
Criteria for standard selection and the configuration of these novel fluorescence reference materials are given, and the certification procedure is presented including homogeneity and stability studies and the calculation of complete uncertainty budgets for the certified Φf values. The ultimate goal is to provide the community of fluorescence users with available reference materials as a basis for an improved comparability and reliability of quantum yield data since the measurement of this spectroscopic key property is an essential part of the characterization of any new emitter.
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Traceability
KW - Reference product
KW - Dye
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Reference material
KW - Reference data
KW - Certification
KW - Quality assurance
PY - 2023
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.2c05530
VL - 95
SP - 5671
EP - 5677
PB - American Chemical Society
AN - OPUS4-58151
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Absolute Determination of Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Scattering LED Converter Materials – How to Get it Right
N2 - Optical measurements of scattering luminescent materials dispersed in liquid and solid matrices and luminescent powders play an important role in fundamental research and industry. Typical examples are luminescent nano- and microparticles and phosphors of different composition in different matrices or incorporated into ceramics with applications in energy conversion, solid-state lighting, medical diagnostics, and security barcoding. The key parameter for the performance of these materials is the photoluminescence quantum yield QY, i.e., the number of emitted photons per number of absorbed photons. QY of transparent luminophore solutions can be determined relatively to a fluorescence quantum yield standard of known QY. Such standards are meanwhile available as certified reference materials.[1] The determination of QY of scattering liquid and solid samples like dispersions of luminescent nanoparticles, solid phosphors, and optoceramics requires, however, absolute measurements with an integrating sphere setup. Although the importance of reliable absolute QY measurements has been recognized, no interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) on measurement uncertainties and the identification of typical sources of uncertainty have been yet reported. Also, no scattering reference materials with known QY are available.
We present here the results of a first ILC of 3 laboratories from academia and industry performed to identify and quantify sources of uncertainty of absolute QY measurements of scattering samples. Thereby, two types of commercial stand-alone integrating sphere setups with different illumination and detection geometries were utilized for measuring QY of transparent and scattering dye solutions and solid phosphors. As representative and industrially relevant solid and scattering samples, YAG:Ce optoceramics of varying surface roughness were chosen, applied, e.g., as converter materials for blue light emitting diodes. Special emphasis was dedicated to the influence of the measurement geometry, the optical properties of the blank, utilized to determine the number of photons of the incident excitation light absorbed by the sample, and the sample-specific surface roughness. While matching QY values could be obtained for transparent dye solutions and scattering dispersions, here using a blank with scattering properties closely matching those of the sample, QY measurements of optoceramic samples with different blanks revealed substantial differences, with the blank's optical
properties accounting for measurement uncertainties of more than 20 %. Based upon the ILC results, we recommend non-absorbing blank materials with a high reflectivity (>95 %) such as a 2 mm-thick PTFE target placed on the sample holder which reveals a near-Lambertian light scattering behavior, yielding a homogeneous light distribution within the integrating sphere.
T2 - e-MRS 2024
CY - Strasbourg, France
DA - 27.05.2024
KW - Luminescence
KW - Quantitative spectroscopy
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Lifetime
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Phosphor
KW - Converter marterial
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Interlaboratory
KW - Comparison
KW - Method
KW - Uncertainty
KW - Reference material
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-60490
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
T1 - Development of amorphous silica particle based reference materials for surface functional group quantification
N2 - Functionalized nanomaterials (NM) with their unique size-dependent properties are of increasing relevance for current and future developments in various fields such as medical and pharmaceutical industry, computing, electronics or food and consumer products. The performance and safety of NM are determined by the sum of their intrinsic physicochemical properties.1 Besides other key parameters, the particle surface chemistry, which is largely controlled by the chemical nature and density of functional groups and ligands, must be considered for a better performance, stability, and processibility of NM, as well as their interaction with the environment. Thus, particle standards with well-designed surfaces and methods for functional group quantification can foster the sustainable development of functional and safe(r) NM.2 Here we provide a brief overview of the ongoing research in division Biophotonics to design tailored amorphous silica reference particles with bioanalytically relevant functional groups and ligands, for the development of standardized and validated surface functional group quantification methods.
T2 - Workshop NanoRiskSD project
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 09.06.2022
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Surface analysis
KW - Silica
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Assay
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-55004
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
T1 - Rational Design of Analyte-responsive Fluorescent Particle Sensors for Life Sciences Applications
N2 - Engineered and tailor-made nanomaterials (NM) are of increasing relevance for current and future developments in the life and material sciences for applications, e.g., as drug carriers, fluorescent sensors, and multimodal labels in bioanalytical assays, and reporters for imaging applications. For instance, NM-based reporters and sensors, that are labelled or stained with a multitude of conventional or sensor dyes, have several advantages as compared to molecular probes like enhanced brightness, i.e., amplified signals, ease of designing ratiometric systems by combining analyte-sensitive and inert reference dyes, and increased photostability. Moreover, this can enable the use of hydrophobic dyes in aqueous environments. For rational NM design, choosing and tailoring the intrinsic physicochemical properties, such as particle size, size distribution, morphology, and surface chemistry of the NM application-specific considerations like biocompatibility, ease and low cost of preparation, and colloidal stability and performance in the targeted environment must be considered. In this lecture, different design concepts of inorganic, organic, and hybrid NM and microparticles with hydrophilic surface chemistries and different functionalities are presented that can be used for the targeting of lysosomes; and to monitor functional parameters of endo-lysosomal compartments, like pH or enable oxygen sensing.
T2 - Chemical Probes for Lysosomal Biology
CY - York, United Kingdom
DA - 09.09.2024
KW - Luminescence
KW - Quantification
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Method
KW - Uncertainty
KW - Reference material
KW - Sensor
KW - Synthesis
KW - Dye
KW - pH
KW - Silica
KW - Polystyrene
KW - Surface analysis
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-62173
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Scholtz, Lena
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Behind the Paper - Dual color pH probes made from silica and polystyrene nanoparticles and their performance in cell studies
N2 - In this contribution we highlight the importance of comparison for scientific research while developing a new, functional pH sensor system, and the valuable insights this can provide.
KW - Dye
KW - Optical Spectroscopy
KW - pH probe
KW - Silica and Polystyrene Particles
KW - Nano
KW - Surface groups
KW - Safe-by-Design
KW - Cell studies
KW - Sensors
KW - Particle Synthesis
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2023
UR - https://communities.springernature.com/posts/dual-color-ph-probes-made-from-silica-and-polystyrene-nanoparticles-and-their-performance-in-cell-studies
SP - 1
EP - 2
PB - Springer Nature
CY - London
AN - OPUS4-59150
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Pauli, J.
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Richter, Maria
A1 - Fiedler, Saskia
A1 - Frenzel, Florian
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
A1 - Würth, Christian
T1 - Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Luminescent Nanocrystals and Particles in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR
N2 - The rational design of functional luminescent materials such as semiconductor quantum dots and lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles, all photophysical and mechanistic studies, and the comparison of different emitters require accurate and quantitative photoluminescence measurements. Particularly the reliable determination of the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield (f), the number of emitted per absorbed photons, and the brightness are of special importance for luminescence applications in the life and material sciences and nano(bio)photonics.[1] In this context, examples for absolute measurements of the photoluminescence quantum yields of UV/vis/NIR/SWIR emissive semiconductor quantum dots and rods, made from different materials, and spectrally shifting lanthanide upconversion nanocrystals with different surface chemistries in transparent matrices are presented including excitation wavelength and power density dependent studies utilizing integration sphere spectroscopy.[2,3] In addition, procedures for the absolute determination of the photoluminescence quantum yields of scattering dispersions of larger size quantum rods and differently sized inorganic particles have been developed as well as procedures for the characterization of solid luminescent nanomaterials such as different perovskites and YAG:Cer converter materials.[4] Thereby, challenges and pitfalls of f measurements in different wavelength regions including the SWIR and material-specific effects related to certain emitter classes are addressed, achievable uncertainties are quantified, and relative and absolute measurements of photoluminescence quantum yield measurements are compared to underline limitations of the former approach. Finally, a set of novel UV/vis/NIR quantum yield standards is presented including their certification with a complete uncertainty budget.[5]
T2 - NANAX 10
CY - Klosterneuburg, Austria
DA - 03.07.2023
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Reference data
KW - Traceability
KW - NIR
KW - Scattering
KW - Reference material
KW - Certification
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Dye
KW - Reference product
KW - SWIR
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Perovskite
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Quantum yield
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-58238
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
T1 - SWIR luminescent nanomaterials – key chemical parameters for bright probes for in vivo bioimaging
N2 - A current challenge for studying physio-pathological phenomena and diseaserelated processes in living organisms with non-invasive optical bioimaging is the development of bright optical reporters that enable deep tissue penetration, a high detection sensitivity, and a high spatial and temporal resolution. The focus of this project are nanomaterials, which absorb and emit in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) between ~900–2500 nm where scattering, absorption, and autofluorescence of the tissue are strongly reduced compared to the visible and NIR.
T2 - QD2024 - 12th International Conference on Quantum Dots
CY - Munich, Germany
DA - 18.03.2024
KW - Quantum dots
KW - Advanced nanomaterials
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Gold nanocluster
KW - Shortwave infrared
KW - Spectroscopy
KW - Bioimaging
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-59783
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Srivastava, Priyanka
T1 - Multi-color nanosensors for ratiometric measurements of acidic, neutral, and basic pH based on silica and polystyrene particles
N2 - pH presents one of the most important analytes in the life and material sciences, indicating, e.g., diseases and corrosion processes. This includes the optical monitoring of pH in living cells for studying cellular internalization pathways, such as phagocytosis, endocytosis, and receptor mediated internalization with the aid of molecular and nanoscale fluorescent sensors. Nanoparticle (NP)-based sensors, that are labelled or stained with a multitude of sensor dyes, have several advantages as compared to conventional molecular probes like enhanced brightness, i.e., amplified signals, ease of designing ratiometric systems by combining analyte-sensitive and inert reference dyes, and increased photostability. Moreover, this can enable the use of hydrophobic dyes in aqueous environments. Versatile templates and carriers for the fabrication of nanosensors by staining and/or labelling with different fluorophores and sensor molecules are surface-functionalized particles like silica (SiO2) and polystyrene (PS) particles. Here we present a platform of blue-red-green fluorescent pH nanosensors for the measurement of acidic, neutral, and basic pH utilizing both types of matrices and two spectrally distinguishable sensor dyes with an integrated reference dye and demonstrate its applicability for cellular studies.
T2 - E-MRS Spring Meeting 2022
CY - Online meeting
DA - 30.05.2022
KW - Nanosensors
KW - pH sensing
KW - Silica- and polystyrene particles
KW - Ratiometric sensors
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-55597
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Sun, Yijuan
A1 - Pérez-Padilla, Víctor
A1 - Valderrey, Virginia
A1 - Bell, Jérémy
A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia
A1 - Rurack, Knut
T1 - Ratiometric detection of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids using dual fluorescent nanoparticles and a miniaturised microfluidic platform
N2 - The widespread contamination of soil and water with perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has caused considerable societal and scientific concern. Legislative measures and an increased need for remediation require effective on-site analytical methods for PFAS management. Here we report on the development of a green-fluorescent guanidine-BODIPY indicator monomer incorporated into a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the selective detection of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Complexation of PFOA by the indicator, which is mediated by concerted protonation-induced ion pairing-assisted hydrogen bonding, significantly enhances fluorescence in polar organic solvents. The MIP forms as a thin layer on silica nanoparticles doped with tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) chloride, which provides an orange emission signal as internal reference, resulting in low measurement uncertainties. Using a liquid-liquid extraction protocol, this assay enables the direct detection of PFOA in environmental water samples and achieves a detection limit of 0.11 µM. Integration into an opto-microfluidic system enables a compact and user-friendly system for detecting PFOA in less than 15 minutes.
KW - PFAS
KW - Molecular imprinting
KW - Microfluidics
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Onsite assay
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-650270
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66872-9
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 16
IS - 1
SP - 1
EP - 16
PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AN - OPUS4-65027
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Oskoei, Párástu
A1 - Afonso, Rúben
A1 - Bastos, Verónica
A1 - Nogueira, João
A1 - Keller, Lisa-Marie
A1 - Andresen, Elina
A1 - Saleh, Maysoon I.
A1 - Rühle, Bastian
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Daniel-da-Silva, Ana L.
A1 - Oliveira, Helena
T1 - Upconversion Nanoparticles with Mesoporous Silica Coatings for Doxorubicin Targeted Delivery to Melanoma Cells
N2 - Melanoma is one of the most aggressive skin cancers and requires innovative therapeutic strategies to overcome the limitations of conventional therapies. In this work, upconversion nanoparticles coated with mesoporous silica and functionalized with folic acid (UCNP@mSiO2-FA) were developed as a targeted nanocarrier system for the delivery of doxorubicin (DOX). The UCNPs were synthesized via thermal decomposition, coated with mesoporous silica shells, and functionalized with folic acid (FA) to enable receptor-mediated targeting. DOX was then loaded into the mesoporous silica coating by adsorption, yielding UCNP@mSiO2-FA-DOX. The different UCNPs were characterized for size, composition, colloidal stability, and loading and release of DOX. This comprehensive physicochemical characterization confirmed a high DOX loading efficiency and a slightly increased drug release under acidic conditions, mimicking the tumour microenvironment. In vitro assays using four melanoma cell lines (A375, B16-F10, MNT-1, and SK-MEL-28) revealed an excellent biocompatibility of UCNP@mSiO2-FA and a significantly higher cytotoxicity of UCNP@mSiO2-FA-DOX compared to unloaded UCNPs, in a dose-dependent manner. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated G2/M phase arrest after treatment with UCNP@mSiO2-FA-DOX, confirming its antiproliferative effect. Overall, UCNP@mSiO2-FA-DOX represents a promising nanoplatform for targeted melanoma therapy, combining active tumour targeting and enhanced anticancer efficacy.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Synthesis
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Silica
KW - Cell
KW - Uptake
KW - Drug
KW - Characterization
KW - DOX
KW - Imaging
KW - Toxicity
KW - Release
KW - pH
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-653596
DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31010074
SN - 1420-3049
VL - 31
IS - 1
SP - 1
EP - 18
PB - MDPI AG
AN - OPUS4-65359
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Rodriguez, Santiago
A1 - Kumanski, Sylvain
A1 - Ayed, Zeineb
A1 - Fournet, Aurélie
A1 - Bouanchaud, Charlène
A1 - Sagar, Amin
A1 - Allemand, Frédéric
A1 - Baulin, Vladimir A.
A1 - Resch‐Genger, Ute
A1 - Cortés, Juan
A1 - Sibille, Nathalie
A1 - Chirot, Fabien
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
A1 - Antoine, Rodolphe
A1 - Le Guével, Xavier
A1 - Bernadó, Pau
T1 - Programming the Optoelectronic Properties of Atomically Precise Gold Nanoclusters Using the Conformational Landscape of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
N2 - The rational design of hybrid nanomaterials with precisely controlled properties remains a central challenge in materials science. While atomically precise gold nanoclusters (Au‐NCs) offer molecule‐like control over a metallic core, tuning their optoelectronic behavior via surface engineering is often empirically driven. Here, we establish a design principle by demonstrating that the conformational landscape of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDP) can be used as a programmable scaffold to rationally modulate the photophysical properties of a covalently bound Au‐NC. We synthesized a series of bioconjugates between Au 25 nanoclusters and bioengineered IDPs containing a variable number of cysteine anchoring points. A combination of mass spectrometry, small‐angle X‐ray scattering, and modeling on the conjugates indicates that increasing the number of covalent anchors systematically restricts the conformational ensemble, inducing a progressively more compact protein shell around nanoclusters. This structural rigidification at the interface directly translates into a 15‐fold enhancement of the Au‐NC near‐infrared photoluminescence and a six‐fold increase in its average lifetime. Our findings demonstrate that the conformational plasticity of IDPs and the capacity to engineer them can be harnessed as a molecular tuning knob, moving to a new regime of programmable soft‐matter control over the properties of quantum‐confined nanomaterials for tailored biotechnological applications.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Custer
KW - Nano
KW - Advanced material
KW - Characterization
KW - Fluorescence quantum yield
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Thiol ligands
KW - Gold
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - SWIR
KW - Mass spectrometry
KW - Protein
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-655086
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202502991
SN - 0947-6539
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag
AN - OPUS4-65508
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Rurack, Knut
T1 - Advanced Onsite Analysis for Point-of-Need Applications: Innovations for Robust, Reliable, and User-Friendly Detection
N2 - The advancement of portable analytical assays has transformed onsite analysis in several areas, including food safety, environmental monitoring and forensics. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has fueled a need for rapid, onsite solutions that enable immediate decision making without the need for and use of laboratory infrastructure. The integration of mobile devices with advanced cameras and significant computing power improves the accessibility and usability of these tests. However, many current methods are limited to the detection of single parameters. The next challenge is to develop robust multiplexed assays that can analyze multiple parameters simultaneously with high sensitivity. In this lecture, innovative approaches developed at BAM will be presented with a focus on supramolecular chemistry, luminescence detection, nanomaterials and miniaturization of devices. Examples will include mesoporous nanomaterials, gated indicator systems, imprinted polymers, microfluidic devices, test strips and smartphone-based analytical tools, focusing on two use cases, i.e., the detection of contaminants in surface waters and immunoanalytical explosives detection.
T2 - International Conference on Emergin Trends in Materials Chemistry
CY - Coimbatore, India
DA - 03.04.2025
KW - Onsite analysis
KW - Rapid tests
KW - Mobile devices
KW - Supramolecular chemistry
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-65434
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Ramirez Caro, Alejandra
A1 - Pauli, Jutta
A1 - Mota, Berta
A1 - Simon, Sebastian
A1 - Schmidt, Wolfram
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - C3A passivation with gypsum and hemihydrate monitored by optical spectroscopy
N2 - Tricalcium aluminate (C3A) is found with less than 10% wt. of the total composition; however, during hydration, C3A plays an important role in the early hydration of cement in the presence of gypsum as a set retarder.
The aim of this investigation is to assess the suitability of optical spectroscopy and a dye-based optical probe to monitor early hydration of C3A in the presence of gypsum and hemihydrate. Optical evaluation was performed using steady-state fluorescence and diffuses reflectance spectroscopy (UV-VisDR). Phase characterization during hydration was done with in-situ X-ray diffraction. UV-VisDR with a cyanine dye probe was used to monitor the formation of metastable phases and was employed together with fluorescence spectroscopy, to follow the Aggregation and disaggregation of the dye during hydration. In conclusion, for the first time, a cyanine dye was identified as a feasible and stable probe to monitor C3A hydration changes in the presence of calcium sulfate.
KW - Dye
KW - Photoluminescence
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Reflection spectroscopy
KW - Cement
KW - Hydration
KW - Method development
PY - 2020
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2020.106082
VL - 133
SP - 106082
PB - Elsevier Ltd.
CY - Amsterdam
AN - OPUS4-50952
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Scholtz, Lena
T1 - Luminescent, Semiconductor Nanoparticle-Loadedpolymer Microbeads–Comparingparticlearchitectures
N2 - Luminescent polymer microparticles (PMPs) are applied in various (bio)analytical and diagnostic processes.[1] The staining of these beads is important for the realization of optically distinguishable barcodes that can be read out, e.g., by a flow cytometer or fluorescence microscope. Typically, luminescent semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) absorb in a broad wavelength range and show narrow emission bands, which enables simultaneous excitation of differently colored luminophores and facilitates a spectral discrimination.[1] This makes them ideal candidates for this purpose and encouraged us to explore and develop a simple, effective approach to luminescent semiconductor NP encoding of polystyrene PMPs and identify suitable synthesis conditions.[2]
Until now, mainly semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have been used for the synthesis of luminescent PMPs, although NPs with different shapes could introduce beneficial new features. Aiming for the application of our developed procedure to non-spherical NPs, we systematically investigated the luminescence properties of the resulting NP-stained beads using fluorescence and integrating sphere spectroscopy as well as fluorescence and electron microscopy. These studies showed that the suitability of semiconductor NPs for the synthesis of luminescent PMPs depends not only on their shape, but also heavily on their surface chemistry.[3] The successful incorporation of nonspherical NPs opens the path to include even more NPs, and the results can help to deduce future applications for the beads which best suit their specific properties.
T2 - E-MRS Fall Meeting 2025
CY - Warsaw, Poland
DA - 15.09.2025
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Synthesis
KW - Quantum dot
KW - Quantum rod
KW - Platelet
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Polymer particle
KW - Encoding
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Mechanism
KW - Characterization
KW - Lifetime
KW - Barcode
KW - Polymerization
KW - Method
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64242
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Shovo, Redoy Gazi
A1 - Thünemann, Andreas
A1 - Katcharava, Zviadi
A1 - Marinvo, Anja
A1 - Hoppe, Richard
A1 - Woltersdorf, Georg
A1 - Du, Mengxue
A1 - Androsch, Rene
A1 - de Souza e Silva, Juliana Martins
A1 - Busse, Karste
A1 - Binder, Wolfgang H.
T1 - Generating Tagged Micro- and Nanoparticles of Poly(ethylene furanoate) and Poly(ethylene terephthalate) as Reference Materials
N2 - Detecting nanoplastic particles in environmental samples and biological tissues remains a significant challenge, especially in view of newly emerging polymers, not yet commercially exploited. Fluorescent labeling provides a tagging strategy to overcome this limitation by reducing the detection limit of individual particles, especially for small-sized particles. We present a method for producing labeled nanoparticles (NP/MP) of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEF), tagged with Alexa Fluor 633 or Alexa Fluor 647. Our preparations used mechanical grinding or solvent-based approaches (confined impinging jet mixing, ((CIJ, precipitation), generating particles with hydrodynamic diameters of 200–700 nm, displaying long-term stability in water of up to 57 days. Stable suspensions with concentrations of the particles ranging from 10 µg/mL (surfactant-free, by solvent mixing) to 5.88 mg/mL (precipitation, containing surfactant) were generated with zeta-potentials from −5 to −50 mV. Characterization of the nanoparticles by SEC, DSC, and XRD showed no significant changes in molecular weight, thermal behavior, or crystallinity via the solvent-based methods, compared to the pristine polymer, highlighting their suitability for producing standardized nanoparticle dispersions. Fluorescence spectroscopy of the Alexa-dye-labeled particles confirmed the successful incorporation of the Alexa dyes, so improving monitoring of their biological profiles of the PEF-MP/NPs. s-SNOM (near field imaging) could identify individual PEF-particles sized ∼200 nm by direct imaging.
KW - Reference Materials
KW - Nanoplastics
KW - Microplastics
KW - Polymer
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-655531
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202500839
SN - 1521-3927
VL - 47
IS - 4
SP - 1
EP - 11
PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag
CY - Weinheim
AN - OPUS4-65553
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Prakash, Swayam
A1 - Bell, Jérémy
A1 - Rurack, Knut
T1 - Rapid Onsite Detection of Fecal Contamination in Water Using a Portable Fluorometric Assay
N2 - Fecal pollution in water poses significant health risks, especially when contaminated sources are used for drinking and food production. Traditional water quality testing methods are expensive, slow, and require skilled personnel, limiting their accessibility. This work addresses these issues by developing a portable fluorometric assay for the detection of the fecal indicator pigment urobilin (UB). The assay uses silane-functionalized glass fiber strips impregnated with zinc chloride, providing a ‘drop-&-detect’ approach with enhanced fluorescence response mediated by the unique complexation properties of ZnCl2 and UB. This approach allows for the detection of UB at sub-nanomolar concentrations in less than 1 min using a 3D-printed setup with miniaturized optical components powered by a smartphone with its camera as a detector. The results validated with a benchtop fluorometer show the effectiveness of this method. The successful application of this userfriendly, rapid, and sensitive assay to real water samples from three rivers and the influx and efflux of a wastewater treatment plant advances field-based water quality monitoring, meets the WHO’s ASSURED criteria, and supports progress toward the global clean water and sanitation goals.
KW - Fecal pigment
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Signal amplification
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Water quality testing
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-655543
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.5c03922
SN - 2379-3694
VL - 11
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - American Chemical Society
CY - Washington, D.C.
AN - OPUS4-65554
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -