TY - JOUR
A1 - You, Yi
A1 - Xue, Boyang
A1 - Riedel, Jens
T1 - Enhancement of LIBS plasma in air with organic solvent vapors
N2 - Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) offers versatile, field-deployable elemental analysis; however, compact, high-repetition-rate nanosecond laser systems typically face constraints in power consumption and size, often compromising emission intensity and thus analytical performance. We demonstrate a significant improvement in LIBS signals through the controlled introduction of common organic solvent vapors into a sheath gas, with a diode-pumped solid-state laser (1064 nm, 2–28 kHz repetition rate, 450–600-μJ pulse energy). Optical and acoustic diagnostics reveal up to ca. 40-fold enhancement of the N II emission line at 567 nm when ambient air serves as the analyte. Maximal enhancement occurs at intermediate repetition rates of ca. 15 kHz, particularly at pulse energies approaching the optical breakdown threshold; this observation suggests a viable strategy for operating LIBS at lower pulse energies and higher repetition rates. Enhancement effects scale jointly with both vapor pressure and ionization energy of the organic species, with acetone and toluene markedly outperforming methanol and isopropanol. These findings provide a rational foundation for significantly improving the analytical performance of portable LIBS instruments without exceeding platform-specific constraints.
KW - LIBS
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-653758
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sab.2025.107309
SN - 0584-8547
VL - 236
SP - 1
EP - 6
PB - Elsevier B.V.
AN - OPUS4-65375
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 - JOUR
A1 - Yu, Jialu
A1 - Oelze, Marcus
A1 - Schannor, Mathias
A1 - Nordstad, Simon
A1 - Vogl, Jochen
T1 - New Potential Haematite and Magnetite Reference Materials for Iron Isotope Measurements by Solution Nebulisation MC ‐ ICP ‐ MS and by In Situ ns ‐ LA ‐ MC ‐ ICP ‐ MS
N2 - Iron isotope ratios of haematite (Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4) provide insights into geochemical, environmental and planetary processes. In most studies, Fe isotope measurements are commonly performed using solution nebulisation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SN-MC-ICP-MS). Nanosecond laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ns-LA-MC-ICP-MS) requires minimal sample preparation, and provides spatially resolved variation of iron isotopes at micro-scale. However, homogeneous and matrix-matched haematite/magnetite reference materials are lacking for precise in situ isotopic measurement. The iron isotope ratios of two potential reference materials resembling natural haematite (HMIE-NP-B01) and natural magnetite (MAKP-NP-B01) were characterised. Size fractions between 5–63 μm of the powdered Fe oxides were milled to nanoparticles, freeze-dried, homogenised, and pressed into pellets. The materials were then evaluated using SN-MC-ICP-MS and LA-MC-ICP-MS. Sample powders of the two materials were measured by SN-MC-ICPMS after sample digestion and column separation and pressed pellets were analysed directly via ns-LA-MC-ICP-MS. In both cases iron isotope delta values are reported relative to the certified reference material IRMM-014, used as the bracketing standard (calibrator). The solution measurements yielded δ56Fe values of -0.25 ± 0.08‰ (N = 13, 2s) for HMIE-NP-B01, and -0.05 ± 0.09‰ (N = 12, 2s) for MAKP-NP-B01, considered as the preferred Fe isotope delta values. In situ isotopic analysis via ns-LA-MC-ICP-MS yielded δ56Fe values of -0.28 ± 0.28‰ (N = 19, 2s) for HMIE-NP-B01 and -0.12 ± 0.24‰ (N = 22, 2s) for MAKP-NP-B01, consistent with the solution Fe isotope data. The homogeneity of Fe isotopes of the pellets was evaluated by ns-LA-MC-ICP-MS analyses of three different positions to further confirm that both materials are isotopically homogeneous. Both materials can be considered as potential quality control and bracketing reference materials for Fe isotopic measurements by in situ ns-LA-MC-ICP-MS analysis.
KW - Laser ablation
KW - Fe isotope
KW - Fe-oxides
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-654755
DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/ggr.70037
SN - 1639-4488
SP - 1
EP - 12
PB - John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
AN - OPUS4-65475
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Scholl, Juliane
A1 - Lisec, Jan
A1 - Bagheri, Abbas
A1 - Meiers, Emelie
A1 - Russo, Francesco Friedrich
A1 - Haase, Hajo
A1 - Koch, Matthias
T1 - Unveiling aging mechanisms of electrolytes in commercial end-of-life lithium-ion batteries
N2 - In this study, 77 end-of-life (EOL) commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) of various formats were systematically analyzed to investigate electrolyte degradation and the influence of pristine electrolyte compositions on aging behavior. Comprehensive chemical characterization was conducted using targeted and non-targeted mass spectrometry (MS), employing LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, and high-resolution MS (HRMS). This integrated approach enabled the identification of confirmed pristine components and complex degradation products. The results show that rechargeable pouch and cylindrical cells often deviate from conventional model systems, containing mixed lithium salt anions, ionic liquids (ILs), and high concentrations of triflates, triflimides, and bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (FSI). These function as solvents, salts, or safety-enhancing additives. Specific IL degradation products were identified, and hypotheses formulated on previously unreported pathways. Furthermore, a novel series of oligomerization products of propylene carbonate (PC) was detected. In contrast, non-rechargeable coin cells revealed widespread use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their original electrolytes. Based on ex situ analyses, hypothetical PFAS degradation mechanisms are proposed here for the first time. The absence of carbonate oligomers and lithium salt-derived products, alongside the presence of standard carbonates, indicates lithium counterion coordination as a key factor in Lewis acid-catalyzed degradation. This study offers valuable insights into real-world battery aging.
KW - Transformation products
KW - Lithium-ion batteries
KW - Fluorinated Compounds
KW - Gas chromatography/ QTOF-MS
KW - HILIC-LC-MS/MS
KW - PFAS
KW - Electrochemistry
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-644991
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2025.238613
SN - 0378-7753
VL - 661
SP - 1
EP - 10
PB - Elsevier B.V.
AN - OPUS4-64499
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 -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Gerrits, Ruben
A1 - Stepec, Biwen An
A1 - Bäßler, Ralph
A1 - Becker, Roland
A1 - Dimper, Matthias
A1 - Feldmann, Ines
A1 - Goff, Kira L.
A1 - Günster, Jens
A1 - Hofmann, Andrea
A1 - Hesse, René
A1 - Kirstein, Sarah
A1 - Klein, Ulrich
A1 - Mauch, Tatjana
A1 - Neumann-Schaal, Meina
A1 - Özcan Sandikcioglu, Özlem
A1 - Taylor, Nicole M.
A1 - Schumacher, Julia
A1 - Shen, Yin
A1 - Strehlau, Heike
A1 - Weise, Matthias
A1 - Wolf, Jacqueline
A1 - Yurkov, Andrey
A1 - Gieg, Lisa M.
A1 - Gorbushina, Anna
T1 - A 30-year-old diesel tank: Fungal-dominated biofilms cause local corrosion of galvanised steel
N2 - The increased use of biodiesel is expected to lead to more microbial corrosion, fouling and fuel degradation issues. In this context, we have analysed the metal, fuel and microbiology of a fouled diesel tank which had been in service for over 30 years. The fuel itself, a B7 biodiesel blend, was not degraded, and—although no free water phase was visible—contained a water content of ~60 ppm. The microbial community was dominated by the fungus Amorphotheca resinae, which formed thick, patchy biofilms on the tank bottom and walls. The tank sheets, composed of galvanised carbon steel, were locally corroded underneath the biofilms, up to a depth of a third of the sheet thickness. On the biofilm-free surfaces, Zn coatings could still be observed. Taken together, A. resinae was shown to thrive in these water-poor conditions, likely enhancing corrosion through the removal of the protective Zn coatings.
KW - Fungal biofilms
KW - Biodiesel degradation mechanisms
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-655014
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-025-00731-2
SN - 2397-2106
VL - 10
IS - 1
SP - 1
EP - 14
PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AN - OPUS4-65501
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Cairns, Warren R. L.
A1 - Braysher, Emma C.
A1 - Butler, Owen T.
A1 - Cavoura, Olga
A1 - Davidson, Christine M.
A1 - Todoli Torro, Jose Luis
A1 - von der Au, Marcus
T1 - Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in environmental analysis
N2 - This review covers advances in the analysis of air, water, plants, soils and geological materials by a range of atomic spectrometric techniques including atomic emission, absorption, fluorescence and mass spectrometry.
KW - Environmental analysis
KW - Review
KW - Trend Article
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-653977
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5JA90058A
SN - 0267-9477
VL - 41
IS - 1
SP - 16
EP - 70
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
AN - OPUS4-65397
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Onyenso, Gabriel
A1 - AI-Zawity, Jiwar
A1 - Farahbakhsh, Nastaran
A1 - Schardt, Annika
A1 - Yadigarli, Aydan
A1 - Vakamulla Raghu, Swathi Naidu
A1 - Engelhard, Carsten
A1 - Müller, Mareike
A1 - Schönherr, Holger
A1 - Killian, Manuela S.
T1 - Novel Ag-modified zirconia nanomaterials with antibacterial activity
N2 - The outcome of an implant procedure largely depends on the implant's surface properties. Biomaterials are now designed to have surfaces with multifunctionality, such as favorable tissue integration and the ability to combat bacterial adhesion and colonization. Herein, we report on a simple approach to improve the antibacterial properties of zirconia nanotubes (ZrNTs) coatings by decorating with silver nanoparticles (AgNP), achieved through electrochemical anodization of a zirconium–silver alloy (Zr–Ag). The AgNPs were shown to partially consist of Ag2O, potentially enhancing the availability of Ag+ ions for antibacterial activity. The modified ZrNTs were characterized using SEM, EDS, ToF-SIMS, and XPS to determine their structural morphology and chemical composition, and were further subjected to antibacterial testing. The silver and zirconium ion release behavior was monitored via ICP-MS. ZrNTs decorated with AgNP exhibit strong antimicrobial activity (>99% bacterial killing) against both S. aureus and E. coli. Antimicrobial tests indicate that the antibacterial activity against the Gram-positive pathogen S. aureus was improved by a factor of 100 compared to unmodified ZrNTs, while unmodified ZrNTs already showed a comparable reduction of viable Gram-negative E. coli. This strategy illustrates a straightforward and effective modification that optimizes the interface between the host environment and the biomaterial surface to meet the very important criteria of biocompatibility and active antibacterial response.
KW - Mass Spectrometry
KW - Nanoparticles
KW - Advanced Materials
KW - ICP-MS
KW - Antimicrobial material
KW - ToF-SIMS
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-653990
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ra07099f
SN - 2046-2069
VL - 16
IS - 3
SP - 2286
EP - 2297
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
AN - OPUS4-65399
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Gugin, Nikita
A1 - Schwab, Alexander
A1 - Carraro, Francesco
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana
A1 - Villajos, Jose
A1 - Falcaro, Paolo
A1 - Emmerling, Franziska
T1 - ZIF-8-based biocomposites via reactive extrusion: towards industrial-scale manufacturing
N2 - Mechanochemistry, a sustainable synthetic method that minimizes solvent use, has shown great promise in producing metal–organic framework (MOF)-based biocomposites through ball milling. While ball milling offers fast reaction times, biocompatible conditions, and access to previously unattainable biocomposites, it is a batch-type process typically limited to gram-scale production, which is insufficient to meet commercial capacity. We introduce a scalable approach for the continuous solid-state production of MOF-based biocomposites. Our study commences with model batch reactions to examine the encapsulation of various biomolecules into Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8) via hand mixing, establishing a foundation for upscaling. Subsequently, the process is scaled up using reactive extrusion, enabling continuous and reproducible kilogram-scale production of bovine serum albumin (BSA)@ZIF-8 with tunable protein loading. Furthermore, we achieve the one-step formation of shaped ZIF-8 extrudates encapsulating clinical therapeutic hyaluronic acid (HA). Upon release of HA from the composite, the molecular weight of HA is preserved, highlighting the industrial potential of reactive extrusion for the cost-effective and reliable manufacturing of biocomposites for drug-delivery applications.
KW - Mechanochemistry
KW - Extrusion
KW - Biocompoites
KW - MOFs
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-654777
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5TA08276E
SN - 2050-7496
SP - 1
EP - 14
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry
AN - OPUS4-65477
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Scholl, Juliane
A1 - Scharpmann, Philippa
A1 - Bagheri, Abbas
A1 - Lisec, Jan
A1 - Meiers, Emelie
A1 - Jaeger, Carsten
A1 - Leonhardt, Robert
A1 - Haase, Hajo
A1 - Koch, Matthias
T1 - Beyond the lab: Real-world composition of commercial Li-ion battery electrolytes
N2 - This study presents a systematic, characterization of electrolytes from commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIB), encompassing 90 batteries from leading global manufacturers across diverse formats and application sectors. An integrated, complementary mass spectrometric workflow combining LC–MS/MS, GC–MS, and high-resolution MS was employed. To ensure robust structural annotation, molecular identifications were assigned confidence levels following Schymanski et al. (2014).
Across all formats, PF6− was confirmed as the dominant Li+ counterion, frequently coexisting with BF4−, PO2F2−, and bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (FSI−), forming binary and ternary salt systems optimized for both conductivity and safety. Solvent systems revealed the widespread use of propylene carbonate (PC) combined with diverse carbonate mixtures, demonstrating trends in performance optimization specific to cell format. A variety of additives were identified, reflecting a clear shift towards multifunctional, synergistic additive packages and the gradual replacement of fluorinated species with environmentally safer alternatives. Cycling studies demonstrated that electrolyte degradation mechanisms are strongly influenced by electrode composition and additive chemistry, with oxidative degradation pathways dominating.
Together, these findings provide rare empirical insight into the evolving formulation strategies of electrolytes in commercial LIB, still employing classic carbonates and LiPF6, but highlighting a trend toward safer, more robust, and sustainable electrolyte architectures by using synergistic multifunctional systems.
KW - Mass Spectrometry
KW - Lithium-ion batteries
KW - Electrolyte degradation
PY - 2026
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-656254
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2026.239739
SN - 0378-7753
VL - 673
SP - 1
EP - 13
PB - Elsevier B.V.
AN - OPUS4-65625
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -