TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, H.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Low Molar Mass Cyclic Poly(L-lactide)s: Separate Transesterification Reactions of Cycles and Linear Chains in the Solid State
N2 - L-Lactide (LA) was polymerized with neat tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct2) in toluene at 115 °C at low concentration with variation of the LA/Cat ratio. Cyclic polylactides (cPLAs) with number average molecular weights (Mn) between 7 000 and 17 000 were obtained. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry also revealed the formation of a few percent of linear chains. Crystalline cPLAs with Mn around 9 000 and 14 000 were annealed at 140 °C in the presence of ScOct2 or dibutyl-2-stanna-1,3-dithiolane (DSTL). Simultaneously, crystallites of extended linear chains and crystallites of extended cycles were formed regardless of the catalyst, indicating that transesterification reaction proceeded different for linear chains and for cycles, governed by thermodynamic control. The formation of extended chain crystallites with low dispersity indicates the existence of symproportionation of short and long chains. A complementary experiment was carried out with a PLA ethyl ester composed mainly of linear chains with a small fraction of cycles
KW - Polylactide
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Annealing
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-606228
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SM00567H
SN - 1744-6848
SP - 1
EP - 12
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
AN - OPUS4-60622
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Meyer, A.
A1 - Kricheldorf, H.
T1 - Transformation of poly(L-lactide) crystals composed of linear chains into crystals composed of cycles
N2 - A poly(L-lactide) with a trifluoroethyl ester end group and an average degree of polymerization (DP) of 50 was synthesized by ROP of L-lactide initiated with trifluoroethanol. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in combination with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements revealed an average crystal thickness of 13 nm, corresponding to 45 repeat units. This suggests that most crystallites were formed by extended PLA chains, and both flat surfaces were covered by CF3 groups. The crystalline PLAs were annealed at 140 or 160 °C in the presence of two catalysts: tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate, (SnOct2) or dibutyltin bis(pentafluorophenoxide) (BuSnPhF). The chemical reactions, such as polycondensation and cyclization, proceeded in the solid state and were monitored by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-offlight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurements. Under optimal conditions a large fraction of linear chains was transformed into crystallites composed of extended cycles. Additionally, MALDI TOF MS analysis of GPC fractions from samples annealed for 28 or 42 days detected chain elongation of the linear species up to a factor of 20.
KW - Polylactide
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Crystalinity
KW - Transesterification
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-597250
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3PY01370G
SN - 1759-9954
VL - 15
IS - 12
SP - 1173
EP - 1181
PB - Royal Society for Chemistry
AN - OPUS4-59725
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, H.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Meyer, A.
T1 - About alcohol-initiated polymerization of glycolide and separate crystallization of cyclic and linear polyglycolides
N2 - Alcohol-initiated polymerizations of glycolide (GL) catalyzed by tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct2) were carried out in bulk with variation of GA/In ratio, temperature and time. Due to a rather strong competition of cyclization polyglycolide (PGA) free of cycles were never obtained. When the cyclic catalysts 2,2-dibutal-2-stanna − 1,3-dithiolane (DSTL) or 2-stanna 1,3-dioxo-4,5,6,7 bibenzepane (SnBiph) were used in combination with 1,4-butanediol the influence of cyclization was even stronger. Furthermore, the degrees of polymerization were higher than the GA/alcohol ratio due to rapid polycondensation in the solid state. At 160 °C or below, the matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectra indicated separate crystallization of low molar mass cyclic and linear PGAs from the same reaction mixture (also observed for poly(L-lactide)s).
KW - MALDI TOF MS
KW - Polyglycolide
KW - Ring opening polymerization
KW - Cyclization
KW - Crystallization
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-607282
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2024.127440
SN - 0032-3861
VL - 309
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Elsevier Ltd.
AN - OPUS4-60728
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Meyer, Andreas
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R.
T1 - Star-shaped poly(l-lactide)s based on pentaerythritol: About crystallization and polycondensation plus disproportionation and ring formation in the solid state
N2 - Star-shaped poly( L-lactide)s (s-PLAs), were prepared by ring-opening polymerization of with pentaerythritol and catalyzed by tin(II) 2-ethylhyexanoate (SnOct out in bulk at either 120 ◦ C or 160 ◦ L-lactide (LA) initiated 2 ). Two small series of ROPs were carried C with variation of the LA/initiator ratio. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectra revealed traces of cycles in 120 ◦ C samples only at low initiator/catalyst ratios. In contrast, higher fractions of cycles were detected in samples prepared at 160 C, suggesting a "back-biting" origin. The influence of arm length and thermal history on crystallinity was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS). It was shown that annealing increased the melting temperature (T ◦ ◦ m ) and crystallinity. However, annealing at 140 ◦ C for 14 d also caused significant solid-state transesterification. In addition, crystallites composed of s-PLAs with extended arms and, simultaneously, crystallites composed exclusively of extended rings were formed, identified by their typical "sawtooth" pattern in the MALDI mass spectra. Small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) indicated that the crystal thickness was lower than that of linear PLAs annealed under identical conditions, but increased upon annealing at 140 C.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Polylactide
KW - Crystallisation
KW - AStar-shaped polymers
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-636832
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2025.128709
SN - 0032-3861
VL - 334
SP - 1
EP - 11
PB - Elsevier Ltd.
AN - OPUS4-63683
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - H2O-Initiated Polymerization of L-Lactide
N2 - Water-initiated ring-opening polymerizations (ROPs) of L-lactide (LA) were performed in bulk at 140 °C, whereupon 11 different salts or complexes of low-toxic metal ions such as tin (II), Zn(II), Zr(IV), and Bi(III) were used as catalysts. Only four catalysts gave satisfactory results despite a long reaction time (24 h). The influence of the temperature was studied with tin (II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct2), dibutyltin oxide (Bu2SnO), and zinc bis-acetylacetonate (Zn(acac)2) and zirconium acetylacetonate (Zr(acac)4). With SnOct2, Bu2SnO and Zr(acac)4 the time was varied at 140 °C to compare their reactivity. Furthermore, two series of ROPs were carried out with variation of the LA/H2O ratio to verify the control of the molecular weight by the monomer-initiator ratio. Bi- or tri-modal molecular weight distributions (MWD) were found for most of the ROPs and bimodal melting endotherms in the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) heating traces. The thickness and dependence of the 3D packing of the crystallites were monitored by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Polylactide
KW - Ring-opening polymerization
KW - Crystallization
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-628761
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-025-03565-w
SN - 1572-8919
VL - 33
IS - 6
SP - 2843
EP - 2857
PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC
CY - New York, NY
AN - OPUS4-62876
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Becker, Roland
A1 - Scholz, Philipp
A1 - Jung, Christian
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Thermo-Desorption Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for investigating the thermal degradation of polyurethanes
N2 - Thermo-Desorption Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) was used to investigate the thermal degradation of two different polyurethanes (PU). PU samples were heated at different heating rates and the desorbed products were collected in a cold injection system and thereafter submitted to GC-MS. Prospects and limitations of the detection and quantification of semi-volatile degradation products were investigated. A temperature dependent PU depolymerization was
found at temperatures above 200 °C proved by an increasing release of 1,4-butanediol and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) representing the main building blocks of both polymers. Their release was monitored quantitatively based on external calibration with authentic compounds. Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) of the residues obtained after thermodesorption confirmed the initial competitive degradation mechanism indicating an equilibrium of crosslinking and depolymerization as previously suggested. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry of SEC fractions of thermally degraded PUs provided additional hints on degradation mechanism.
KW - Thermo-desorption
KW - Mass spectrometry
KW - Polyurethanes
KW - Thermal degradation
PY - 2023
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3AY00173C
SN - 1759-9660
SP - 1
EP - 6
PB - Royal Society for Chemistry
AN - OPUS4-57307
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Scheliga, Felix
A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R.
T1 - Polycondensation, Cyclization and Disproportionation of Solid Poly(L-lactide) Trifluoroethyl Esters and the Simultaneous Formation of Extended Chain Crystals and Extended Ring Crystals
N2 - Two poly(L-lactide)s (PLAs) with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 20 or 100 were prepared by trifluoroethanol-initiated ring-opening polymerization (ROP) catalyzed by tin(II) 2-ethyl hexanoate (SnOct2). These PLAs were annealed at 140 ◦C or at 160 ◦C in the presence of SnOct2, and the changes in topology and molecular weight distribution (MWD) were monitored by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). For the PLA with a DP 20, the main reaction was polycondensation combined with higher dispersities. In the case of the DP 100, PLA polycondensation was combined with disproportionation and the formation of a new MWD maximum around m/z 3500. In addition, extensive cyclization occurred, and the resulting cyclic PLAs crystallized separately from the linear chains in the form of extended ring crystals. These results also suggest that both extended chain and extended ring crystals posses the same crystal thickness as a result of thermodynamically controlled transesterification in the solid state.
KW - Polycondensation
KW - MALDI
KW - Polylactide
KW - Cyclization
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-616441
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2024.127800
VL - 315
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Elsevier Ltd.
AN - OPUS4-61644
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Scheliga, Felix
T1 - Polycondensation of L-lactic acid: a deeper look into solid state polycondensation
N2 - L-Lactic acid (LA) was condensed in the presence of SnCl2 or 4-toluenesulfonic acid (TSA) at 140 °C, and chain growth without cyclization was observed. In addition, poly(L-lactic acid)s (PLAs) with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 25, 50 or 100 were prepared by water-initiated ring-opening polymerization (ROP). These PLAs were annealed in the solid state at 140 °C and 160 °C in the presence of tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct2, SnCl2 or TSA). The changes in the molar mass distribution and in the topology were characterized by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). With increasing time, fewer side reactions caused higher molar masses and increasing fractions of cyclic polylactides (cPLA) were obtained. Their “saw tooth” pattern in the MALDI-TOF mass spectra indicated the formation of extended ring crystallites in the solid state. TSA was the most active catalyst and caused fewer side reactions than SnCl2, which was the least reactive catalyst. Acetylation of the CH-OH end groups hindered polycondensation and prevented the formation of cPLAs. Reaction mechanisms will be discussed.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Polycondensation
KW - Polylaktide
KW - Solid state
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-625271
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d4py01191k
SN - 1759-9962
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
AN - OPUS4-62527
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Rösler, Alexander
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Klamroth, Tillmann
A1 - Müller, Axel HE
A1 - Schlaad, Helmut
T1 - Kinetics of anionic polymerization of β‐myrcene in hydrocarbon solvents
N2 - AbstractThe kinetics of anionic polymerization of β‐myrcene initiated by sec‐butyllithium were examined in saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbon solvents, i.e. cyclohexane, cyclohexene, 4‐vinylcyclohexene and dl‐limonene. Polymerizations usually proceeded in a living manner, i.e. in the absence of termination and chain transfer reactions, in all solvents, to produce well‐defined polymyrcenes with high content (85%) of cis‐1,4 units. However, polymyrcenyllithium chains exhibited limited long‐term stability in 4‐vinylcyclohexene solution, most probably due to chain transfer to solvent. Reaction orders with respect to the concentration of active chains were found to be one‐quarter in cyclohexane increasing to one‐half in unsaturated solvents, indicating that the polymyrcenyllithium chains are present as tetrameric or dimeric associates, respectively. Apparent activation energies were found to be 81 kJ mol−1 in cyclohexane and 77 kJ mol−1 in dl‐limonene solution, which are close to the values obtained by quantum chemical calculations. © 2025 The Author(s). Polymer International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
KW - Myrcene
KW - Anionic polymerization
KW - Reaction order
KW - Activation energy
KW - Microstructure
KW - Quantum chemical calculation
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-636840
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pi.6772
SN - 0959-8103
SP - 1
EP - 8
PB - Wiley
AN - OPUS4-63684
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Meyer, A.
T1 - About Polycondensation, Disproportionation, and Cyclization of Acetylated Poly(L-Lactide) Esters
N2 - L-lactide (LA) is polymerized with ethyl L-lactate or trifluoroethanol as initiators (LA/In = 30/1), and the resulting poly(L-lactide) esters are acetylated with acetic anhydride. The acetylated PLA esters are mixed with SnOct2, dibutyltin bis(4-chlorophenoxide), or dibutyltin bis(pentafluorophenoxide) in solution and crystallized at 120 °C. The doped crystals are annealed at 140 °C or at 160 °C for 7, 14, and 28 days, and the chemical modifications that occurred in the solid state are monitored by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. All catalysts promoted polycondensation, while no significant formation of cycles is observed. However, in the presence of SnOct2, disproportionation of chains occurred upon annealing at 120 or 140 °C, and crystallites consisting of extended chains with Mn values ≈3500 – 3600 and low dispersities (Ð < 1.5) are formed.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Polycondensation
KW - Polylactides
KW - Transesterifcation
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-630349
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202400175
SN - 1521-3935
VL - 225
IS - 19
PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag
AN - OPUS4-63034
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Syntheses of cyclic polylactides and the problem of catenane formation
N2 - Cyclic poly(L-lactide)s (PLAs) were prepared in bulk either by ring-expansion polymerization (REP) or by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) with simultaneous polycondensation (ROPPOC). In contrast to REP the latter method involves formation of linear chains and thus, may involve formation of polydisperse catenanes that affect crystallization. The reprecipitated PLAs were annealed at 120 °C and compared with regard to melting temperature (Tm) and melting enthalpy (ΔHm). For similar molar masses the PLAs prepared by REP and ROPPOC had almost identical Tm's and crystallinities. Furthermore, the influence of REP and ROPPOC catalysts on the morphology of the virgin reaction products was compared.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Catenane
KW - Polylactide
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-625061
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ra08683j
VL - 15
IS - 5
SP - 3686
EP - 3692
PB - RSC
AN - OPUS4-62506
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 - Grabicki, N.
A1 - Nguyen, K. T. G.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Dumele, O.
T1 - Confined Spaces in [n]Cyclo-2,7-pyrenylenes
N2 - A set of strained aromatic macrocycles based on [n]cyclo2,7-(4,5,9,10-tetrahydro)pyrenylenes is presented with size dependent photophysical properties. The K-region of pyrene was functionalized with ethylene glycol groups to decorate the outer rim and thereby confine the space inside the macrocycle. This confined space is especially pronounced for n = 5, which leads to an internal binding of up to 8.0×104 M–1 between the ether-decorated [5]cyclo-2,7-pyrenylene and shape complementary crown ether–cation complexes.
Both, the ether-decorated [n]cyclo-pyrenylenes as well as one of their host–guest complexes have been structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray analysis. In combination with computational methods the structural and thermodynamic reasons for the exceptionally strong binding have been elucidated. The presented rim confinement strategy makes cycloparaphenylenes an attractive supramolecular host family with a favorable, size-independent read-out signature and binding capabilities extending beyond fullerene guests.
KW - Cycloparaphenylenes
KW - Host–guest systems
KW - Macrocycles
KW - Molecular recognition
KW - Supramolecular chemistry
PY - 2021
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202102809
SN - 1433-7851
VL - 60
IS - 27
SP - 1
EP - 7
PB - Wiley VCH
AN - OPUS4-52517
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Trimpin, Sarah
A1 - Yenchick, Frank S.
A1 - Lee, Chuping
A1 - Hoang, Khoa
A1 - Pophristic, Milan
A1 - Karki, Santosh
A1 - Marshall, Darrell D.
A1 - Lu, I-Chung
A1 - Lutomski, Corinne A.
A1 - El-Baba, Tarick J.
A1 - Wang, Beixi
A1 - Pagnotti, Vincent S.
A1 - Meher, Anil K.
A1 - Chakrabarty, Shubhashis
A1 - Imperial, Lorelei F.
A1 - Madarshahian, Sara
A1 - Richards, Alicia L.
A1 - Lietz, Christopher B.
A1 - Moreno-Pedraza, Abigail
A1 - Leach, Samantha M.
A1 - Gibson, Stephen C.
A1 - Elia, Efstathios A.
A1 - Thawoos, Shameemah M.
A1 - Woodall, Daniel W.
A1 - Jarois, Dean R.
A1 - Davis, Eric T.J.
A1 - Liao, Guochao
A1 - Muthunayake, Nisansala S.
A1 - Redding, McKenna J.
A1 - Reynolds, Christian A.
A1 - Anthony, Thilani M.
A1 - Vithanarachchi, Sashiprabha M.
A1 - DeMent, Paul
A1 - Adewale, Adeleye O.
A1 - Yan, Lu
A1 - Wager-Miller, James
A1 - Ahn, Young-Hoon
A1 - Sanderson, Thomas H.
A1 - Przyklenk, Karin
A1 - Greenberg, Miriam L.
A1 - Suits, Arthur G.
A1 - Allen, Matthew J.
A1 - Narayan, Srinivas B.
A1 - Caruso, Joseph A.
A1 - Stemmer, Paul M.
A1 - Nguyen, Hien M.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Rackers, Kevin J.
A1 - Djuric, Ana
A1 - Shulaev, Vladimir
A1 - Hendrickson, Tamara L.
A1 - Chow, Christine S.
A1 - Pflum, Mary Kay H.
A1 - Grayson, Scott M.
A1 - Lobodin, Vladislav V.
A1 - Guo, Zhongwu
A1 - Ni, Chi-Kung
A1 - Walker, J. Michael
A1 - Mackie, Ken
A1 - Inutan, Ellen D.
A1 - McEwen, Charles N.
T1 - New Processes for Ionizing Nonvolatile Compounds in Mass Spectrometry: The Road of Discovery to Current State-of-the-Art
N2 - This Perspective covers discovery and mechanistic aspects aswell as initial applications of novel ionization processes for use in massspectrometry that guided us in a series of subsequent discoveries, instrumentdevelopments, and commercialization. Vacuum matrix-assisted ionization onan intermediate pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization sourcewithout the use of a laser, high voltages, or any other added energy wassimply unbelievable, at first. Individually and as a whole, the variousdiscoveries and inventions started to paint, inter alia, an exciting new pictureand outlook in mass spectrometry from which key developments grew thatwere at the time unimaginable, and continue to surprise us in its simplisticpreeminence. We, and others, have demonstrated exceptional analyticalutility. Our current research is focused on how best to understand, improve, and use these novel ionization processes throughdedicated platforms and source developments. These ionization processes convert volatile and nonvolatile compounds from solid orliquid matrixes into gas-phase ions for analysis by mass spectrometry using, e.g., mass-selected fragmentation and ion mobilityspectrometry to provide accurate, and sometimes improved, mass and drift time resolution. The combination of research anddiscoveries demonstrated multiple advantages of the new ionization processes and established the basis of the successes that lead tothe Biemann Medal and this Perspective. How the new ionization processes relate to traditional ionization is also presented, as wellas how these technologies can be utilized in tandem through instrument modification and implementation to increase coverage ofcomplex materials through complementary strengths.
KW - Mass spectrometry
PY - 2024
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/jasms.3c00122
SN - 1879-1123
VL - 35
IS - 12
SP - 2753
EP - 2784
PB - American Chemical Society (ACS)
AN - OPUS4-61417
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Rösler, Alexander
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Klamroth, Tillmann
A1 - Müller, Axel H. E.
A1 - Schlaad, Helmut
T1 - Kinetics of anionic polymerization of β‐myrcene in hydrocarbon solvents
N2 - The kinetics of anionic polymerization of β‐myrcene initiated by sec‐butyllithium were examined in saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbon solvents, i.e. cyclohexane, cyclohexene, 4‐vinylcyclohexene and dl‐limonene. Polymerizations usually proceeded in a living manner, i.e. in the absence of termination and chain transfer reactions, in all solvents, to produce well‐defined polymyrcenes with high content (85%) of cis‐1,4 units. However, polymyrcenyllithium chains exhibited limited long‐term stability in 4‐vinylcyclohexene solution, most probably due to chain transfer to solvent. Reaction orders with respect to the concentration of active chains were found to be one‐quarter in cyclohexane increasing to one‐half in unsaturated solvents, indicating that the polymyrcenyllithium chains are present as tetrameric or dimeric associates, respectively. Apparent activation energies were found to be 81 kJ mol−1 in cyclohexane and 77 kJ mol−1 in dl‐limonene solution, which are close to the values obtained by quantum chemical calculations.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Anionic polymerization
KW - β‐myrcene
KW - Kinetics
KW - Reaction order
KW - Activation energy
KW - Microstructure
KW - Quantum chemical calculations
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-630900
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pi.6772
SN - 1097-0126
SP - 1
EP - 8
PB - Wiley
CY - New York, NY
AN - OPUS4-63090
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Zwitterionic polymerization of glycolide catalyzed by pyridine
N2 - The usefulness of various N- and P-based catalysts for syntheses of cyclic polyglycolide via zwitterionic polymerization of glycolide was examined. Most catalysts produced discolored, largely insoluble polyglycolides consisting of cycles and unidentified byproducts. Soluble, cyclic polyglycolides were obtained using neat pyridine as catalyst at 120 °C, 100 °C, 80 °C, and even at 60 °C. The number-average molecular weights were extremely low and depended slightly on the glycolide-to-pyridine ratio. Three different mass distributions of the cycles were detected by mass spectrometry, depending on the reaction conditions. The cyclic polyglycolides were also characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. The SAXS data in combination with the mass spectra indicate that the majority of the cycles form extended-ring crystallites
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Polylactide
KW - Polymerization
KW - Zitterions
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-639748
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d5py00762c
SN - 1759-9954
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
AN - OPUS4-63974
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Dalgic, Mete‐Sungur
A1 - Kumar, Sourabh
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Quantitative Analysis of Polymers by MALDI‐TOF Mass Spectrometry: Correlation Between Signal Intensity and Arm Number
N2 - The signal intensities of linear and star‐shaped poly(L‐lactides) (PLA) and poly (ethylene oxides) (PEO) were compared to determine the influence of the number of arms on the ionization in matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry. In this study, a variety of blends were prepared and investigated, including binary and ternary combinations of linear and star‐shaped polymers with similar molecular masses. The focus was on examining their intensity ratios. In equimolar binary PLA blends, polymer stars were observed to exhibit higher intensities than their linear counterparts. This result was supported by experiments with equimolar ternary PLA blends, which clearly demonstrated an intensity dependence on the number of polymer arms. It was observed that four‐arm PLA exhibited higher intensities than three‐arm PLA. A similar trend was observed in investigations involving acetylated polymer end groups, suggesting that differences in ionization are primarily influenced by polymer architecture rather than end groups. In order to validate this assumption, the binding energies for [polymer‐K] + adduct ions utilizing the most stable geometry obtained from GOAT (Global Optimizer Algorithm) were calculated, revealing that star‐shaped lower mass oligomers have slightly higher binding energies.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Starlike polymers
KW - Quantification
KW - Topology
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-653401
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/jms.70023
SN - 1076-5174
VL - 61
IS - 1
SP - 1
EP - 12
PB - John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
AN - OPUS4-65340
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Rösler, Alexander
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
A1 - Klamroth, Tillmann
A1 - Müller, Axel HE
A1 - Schlaad, Helmut
T1 - Kinetics of anionic polymerization of β‐myrcene in hydrocarbon solvents
N2 - AbstractThe kinetics of anionic polymerization of β‐myrcene initiated by sec‐butyllithium were examined in saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbon solvents, i.e. cyclohexane, cyclohexene, 4‐vinylcyclohexene and dl‐limonene. Polymerizations usually proceeded in a living manner, i.e. in the absence of termination and chain transfer reactions, in all solvents, to produce well‐defined polymyrcenes with high content (85%) of cis‐1,4 units. However, polymyrcenyllithium chains exhibited limited long‐term stability in 4‐vinylcyclohexene solution, most probably due to chain transfer to solvent. Reaction orders with respect to the concentration of active chains were found to be one‐quarter in cyclohexane increasing to one‐half in unsaturated solvents, indicating that the polymyrcenyllithium chains are present as tetrameric or dimeric associates, respectively. Apparent activation energies were found to be 81 kJ mol−1 in cyclohexane and 77 kJ mol−1 in dl‐limonene solution, which are close to the values obtained by quantum chemical calculations. © 2025 The Author(s). Polymer International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
KW - Myrcene
KW - Anionic polymerization
KW - MALDI TOF MS
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-649039
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pi.6772
SN - 0959-8103
SP - 1
EP - 8
PB - Wiley
AN - OPUS4-64903
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kricheldorf, Hans R.
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Polymerization of L‐Lactide Catalyzed by Metal Acetylacetonate Complexes
N2 - ABSTRACTRing‐opening polymerizations (ROPs) of l‐lactide (LA) were performed at 120°C, 140°C, 150°C, and 180°C in bulk catalyzed by acetylacetonate (acac) complexes of manganese(II), nickel(II), copper(II), zirconium(IV), dibutyltin(IV), and vanadyl(V). These experiments revealed that only the acac complexes of Zr and Bu2Sn were reactive enough to enable quantitative polymerization within a few hours. Further ROPs with Bu2Sn(acac)2 and Zr(acac)4 showed that Bu2Sn(acac)2 had a slightly lower reactivity than the Zr complex. The ROPs catalyzed with Zr(acac)4 yielded number average molecular weights (Mn) up to 70,000 g mol−1. The matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectra indicated an exclusive formation of cycles in the mass range of up to m/z 13,000 for Zr(acac)4 and up to m/z 18,000 for Bu2Sn(acac)2. Unusually high melting temperatures (187°C–192°C) were also achieved along with high crystallinities. Furthermore, four lactide/glycolide copolymerizations catalyzed by Zr(acac)4 were performed, and the topology and the extent of transesterification were characterized by MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry and 13C NMR spectroscopy.
KW - MALDI-TOF MS
KW - Polycondensation
KW - Acetylacetonate
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-639754
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20250788
SN - 2642-4150
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Wiley Periodicals LLC.
AN - OPUS4-63975
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Dalgic, Mete-Sungur
A1 - Weidner, Steffen
T1 - Solvent-free sample preparation for matrix-assisted laserdesorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry ofpolymer blends
N2 - Solvent-free sample preparation offers some advantages over solvent-based techniques, such as improved accuracy, reproducibility and sensitivity, for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) analysis. However, little or no information is available on the application of solvent-free techniques for the MALDI analysis of polymer blends. Solvent-free sample preparation by ball milling was applied with varying sample-to-matrix ratios for MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis of various polymers, including polystyrenes, poly(methyl methacrylate)s and poly(ethylene glycol)s. The peak intensity ratios were compared with those obtained after using the conventional dried droplet sample preparation method. In addition, solvent-assisted milling was also applied to improve sample homogeneities.
Depending on the sample preparation method used, different peak intensity ratios were found, showing varying degrees of suppression of the signal intensities of higher mass polymers. Ball milling for up to 30 min was required to achieve constant intensity ratios indicating homogeneous mixtures. The use of wet-assisted grinding to improve the homogeneity of the blends was found to be disadvantageous as it caused partial degradation and mass-dependent segregation of the polymers in the vials.The results clearly show that solvent-free sample preparation must be carefully considered when applied to synthetic polymer blends, as it may cause additional problems with regard to homogeneity and stability of the blends.
KW - MALDI TOF MS
KW - Sample preparation
KW - Polymer blends
KW - Solvent-free
PY - 2024
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-598570
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.9756
SN - 0951-4198
VL - 38
IS - 12
SP - 1
EP - 9
PB - Wiley online library
AN - OPUS4-59857
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -