TY - JOUR A1 - Liu, Yuanbin A1 - Morrow, Joe D. A1 - Ertural, Christina A1 - Fragapane, Natascia L. A1 - Gardner, John L. A. A1 - Naik, Aakash A. A1 - Zhou, Yuxing A1 - George, Janine A1 - Deringer, Volker L. T1 - An automated framework for exploring and learning potential-energy surfaces N2 - Machine learning has become ubiquitous in materials modelling and now routinely enables large-scale atomistic simulations with quantum-mechanical accuracy. However, developing machine-learned interatomic potentials requires high-quality training data, and the manual generation and curation of such data can be a major bottleneck. Here, we introduce an automated framework for the exploration and fitting of potential-energy surfaces, implemented in an openly available software package that we call (‘automatic potential-landscape explorer’). We discuss design choices, particularly the interoperability with existing software architectures, and the ability for the end user to easily use the computational workflows provided. We show wide-ranging capability demonstrations: for the titanium–oxygen system, SiO2, crystalline and liquid water, as well as phase-change memory materials. More generally, our study illustrates how automation can speed up atomistic machine learning in computational materials science. KW - Automation KW - Machine Learning KW - Machine learning potentials KW - Amorphous materials KW - High-throughput KW - Ab initio KW - Materials property prediction PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-639882 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62510-6 SN - 2041-1723 VL - 16 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-63988 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bernges, T. A1 - Hanus, R. A1 - Wankmiller, B. A1 - Imasato, K. A1 - Lin, S. A1 - Ghidiu, M. A1 - Gerlitz, M. A1 - Peterlechner, M. A1 - Graham, S. A1 - Hautier, G. A1 - Pei, Y. A1 - Hansen, M. R. A1 - Wilde, G. A1 - Snyder, G. J. A1 - George, Janine A1 - Agne, M T. A1 - Zeier, W. G. T1 - Considering the Role of Ion Transport in Diffuson-Dominated Thermal Conductivity N2 - Next-generation thermal management requires the development of low lattice thermal conductivity materials, as observed in ionic conductors. For example, thermoelectric efficiency is increased when thermal conductivity is decreased. Detrimentally, high ionic conductivity leads to thermoelectric device degradation. Battery safety and design also require an understanding of thermal transport in ionic conductors. Ion mobility, structural complexity, and anharmonicity have been used to explain the thermal transport properties of ionic conductors. However, thermal and ionic transport are rarely discussed in direct comparison. Herein, the ionic conductivity of Ag+ argyrodites is found to change by orders of magnitude without altering the thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity measurements and two-channel lattice dynamics modeling reveal that the majority of Ag+ vibrations have a non-propagating diffuson-like character, similar to amorphous materials. It is found that high ionic mobility is not a requirement for diffuson-mediated transport. Instead, the same bonding and structural traits that can lead to fast ionic conduction also lead to diffuson-mediated transport. Bridging the fields of solid-state ionics and thermal transport, it is proposed that a vibrational perspective can lead to new design strategies for functional ionic conducting materials. As a first step, the authors relate the so-called Meyer-Neldel behavior in ionic conductors to phonon occupations. KW - Diffusons KW - DFT KW - Phonons KW - Thermoelectrics PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-547140 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202200717 SN - 1614-6832 VL - 12 IS - 22 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-54714 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - George, Janine A1 - Petretto, G. A1 - Naik, Aakash A1 - Esters, M. A1 - Jackson, A. J. A1 - Nelson, R. A1 - Dronskowski, R. A1 - Rignanese, G.-M. A1 - Hautier, G. T1 - Automated bonding analysis with crystal orbital Hamilton populuations N2 - Automated bonding analysis software has been developed based on Crystal Orbital Hamilton Populations to facilitate high-throughput bonding analysis and machine-learning of bonding features. This work presents the software and discusses its applications to simple and complex materials such as GaN, NaCl, the oxynitrides XTaO2N (X=Ca, Ba, Sr) and Yb14Mn1Sb11. KW - Chemical bonds KW - Automation KW - High-throughput PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-551641 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/cplu.202200123 SN - 2192-6506 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-55164 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Arnold, M. A1 - Katzmann, J. A1 - Naik, Aakash A1 - Görne, A. L. A1 - Härtling, Thomas A1 - George, Janine A1 - Schuster, C. T1 - Investigations on electron beam irradiated rare-earth doped SrF2 for application as low fading dosimeter material: Evidence for and DFT simulation of a radiation-induced phase N2 - A recent approach to measure electron radiation doses in the kGy range is the use of phosphors with an irradiation dose-dependent luminescence decay time. However, the applicability of the previously investigated material NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ is limited as it shows pronounced fading. Therefore, in this work, a modified SrF2 synthesis is presented that results in SrF2 nanoparticles codoped with Yb and either Er, Hm, or Tm. To assess their suitability as dosimeter material, dose response, as well as its degree of fading over 50 up to 140 days after irradiation were measured. Fading rates as small as 5% in SrF2:Er,Yb and 4% in SrF2:Ho,Yb were derived, which are comparable to established dosimeter materials. A combination of spectroscopy, diffraction and DFT calculations was used to elucidate the effect of irradiation, pointing towards the formation of a secondary phase of Yb2+ that we predict could be Yb2OF2. This irreversible formation of a secondary phase is considered to be the explanation for the low fading behavior in SrF2-based phosphors compared to NaYF4:Yb, Er, a highly attractive feature for electron beam dosimetry. KW - DFT KW - Structure prediction PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-554115 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D2TC01773C SN - 2050-7526 VL - 10 IS - 32 SP - 11579 EP - 11587 PB - RSC CY - London AN - OPUS4-55411 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Amariamir, Sasan A1 - George, Janine A1 - Benner, Philipp T1 - SynCoTrain: a dual classifier PU-learning framework for synthesizability prediction N2 - Material discovery is a cornerstone of modern science, driving advancements in diverse disciplines from biomedical technology to climate solutions. Predicting synthesizability, a critical factor in realizing novel materials, remains a complex challenge due to the limitations of traditional heuristics and thermodynamic proxies. While stability metrics such as formation energy offer partial insights, they fail to account for kinetic factors and technological constraints that influence synthesis outcomes. These challenges are further compounded by the scarcity of negative data, as failed synthesis attempts are often unpublished or context-specific. We present SynCoTrain, a semi-supervised machine learning model designed to predict the synthesizability of materials. SynCoTrain employs a co-training framework leveraging two complementary graph convolutional neural networks: SchNet and ALIGNN. By iteratively exchanging predictions between classifiers, SynCoTrain mitigates model bias and enhances generalizability. Our approach uses Positive and Unlabeled (PU) learning to address the absence of explicit negative data, iteratively refining predictions through collaborative learning. The model demonstrates robust performance, achieving high recall on internal and leave-out test sets. By focusing on oxide crystals, a well-characterized material family with extensive experimental data, we establish SynCoTrain as a reliable tool for predicting synthesizability while balancing dataset variability and computational efficiency. This work highlights the potential of co-training to advance high-throughput materials discovery and generative research, offering a scalable solution to the challenge of synthesizability prediction. KW - Synthesizability KW - Accelerated Materials Design KW - Materials Acceleration Platforms KW - Materials Design KW - Materials Discovery KW - Co-training PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-637907 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D4DD00394B SN - 2635-098X VL - 4 IS - 6 SP - 1437 EP - 1448 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-63790 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rosen, Andrew S. A1 - Gallant, Max A1 - George, Janine A1 - Riebesell, Janosh A1 - Sahasrabuddhe, Hrushikesh A1 - Shen, Jimmy-Xuan A1 - Wen, Mingjian A1 - Evans, Matthew L. A1 - Petretto, Guido A1 - Waroquiers, David A1 - Rignanese, Gian-Marco A1 - Persson, Kristin A. A1 - Jain, Anubhav A1 - Ganose, Alex M. T1 - Jobflow: Computational Workflows Made Simple N2 - We present Jobflow, a domain-agnostic Python package for writing computational workflows tailored for high-throughput computing applications. With its simple decorator-based approach, functions and class methods can be transformed into compute jobs that can be stitched together into complex workflows. Jobflow fully supports dynamic workflows where the full acyclic graph of compute jobs is not known until runtime, such as compute jobs that launch other jobs based on the results of previous steps in the workflow. The results of all Jobflow compute jobs can be easily stored in a variety of filesystem- and cloud-based databases without the data storage process being part of the underlying workflow logic itself. Jobflow has been intentionally designed to be fully independent of the choice of workflow manager used to dispatch the calculations on remote computing resources. At the time of writing, Jobflow workflows can be executed either locally or across distributed compute environments via an adapter to the FireWorks package, and Jobflow fully supports the integration of additional workflow execution adapters in the future. KW - Automation KW - Workflow KW - Computational Materials Science KW - Computations KW - Software PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-593104 DO - https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.05995 VL - 9 IS - 93 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - The Open Journal AN - OPUS4-59310 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ghosh, Sheuly A1 - Ueltzen, Katharina A1 - George, Janine A1 - Neugebauer, Jörg A1 - Körmann, Fritz T1 - Chemical ordering and magnetism in face-centered cubic CrCoNi alloy N2 - AbstractThe impact of magnetism on chemical ordering in face-centered cubic CrCoNi medium entropy alloy is studied by a combination of ab initio simulations, machine learning potentials, and Monte Carlo simulations. Large magnetic energies are revealed for some mixed L12/L10 type ordered configurations, which are rooted in strong nearest-neighbor magnetic exchange interactions and chemical bonding among the constituent elements. There is a delicate interplay between magnetism and stability of MoPt2 and L12/L10 type of order, which may explain opposing experimental and theoretical findings. KW - Chemically complex materials KW - Alloys KW - Magnetism KW - Bonding analysis KW - Machine learning KW - Machine-learned interatomic potentials PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-623114 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-024-01439-8 SN - 2057-3960 VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-62311 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feiler, Torvid A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit T1 - Sustainable mechanochemical approach for the selective synthesis of multicomponent organic solids: real-time in situ insights N2 - Crystalline multicomponent organic solids (MOSs) such as cocrystals and ionic cocrystals hold immense potential in diverse functional applications, ranging from pharmaceuticals to optoelectronics. However, conventional solution-based crystallization methods often result in polymorphic mixtures and lack precise control over product composition. Herein, we report a comparative investigation of solution crystallization versus mechanochemical synthesis for constructing MOSs from 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid (ACA) and 4,4 '-bipyridine (BPY). Solution-based approaches consistently yielded concomitant formation of neutral cocrystal (CC) and ionic cocrystal (ICC) forms, regardless of the solvent used. The resulting multicomponent solids were comprehensively characterized using a combination of single crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. In contrast, mechanochemical methods, including neat grinding (without solvent) and liquid-assisted grinding (with minimum solvent), enabled selective formation of either a phase pure CC or ICC form. Less polar and nonpolar organic solvents favor the kinetic CC, while polar water promotes formation of the thermodynamically stable ICC. Time-resolved in situ powder X-ray diffraction (TRIS-PXRD) captures the dynamic evolution of solid-state phases and reveals the complete transformation of the CC into ICC under neat grinding or water-assisted conditions. This study highlights the powerful role of mechanochemistry and in situ monitoring in steering solid-state reactivity and offers a sustainable pathway for the targeted and scalable synthesis of pure multicomponent organic materials. KW - Cocrystal KW - Synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction KW - Time-resolved in situ investigation PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-641409 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5CE00663E SN - 1466-8033 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-64140 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kjaervik, Marit A1 - Ramstedt, M. A1 - Schwibbert, Karin A1 - Dietrich, P. M A1 - Unger, Wolfgang T1 - Comparative Study of NAP-XPS and Cryo-XPS for the Investigation of Surface Chemistry of the Bacterial Cell-Envelope N2 - Bacteria generally interact with the environment via processes involving their cell-envelope. Thus, techniques that may shed light on their surface chemistry are attractive tools for providing an understanding of bacterial interactions. One of these tools is Al Kα-excited photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with its estimated information depth of <10 nm. XPS-analyses of bacteria have been performed for several decades on freeze-dried specimens in order to be compatible with the vacuum in the analysis chamber of the spectrometer. A limitation of these studies has been that the freeze-drying method may collapse cell structure as well as introduce surface contaminants. However, recent developments in XPS allow for analysis of biological samples at near ambient pressure (NAP-XPS) or as frozen hydrated specimens (cryo-XPS) in vacuum. In this work, we have analyzed bacterial samples from a reference strain of the Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens using both techniques. We compare the results obtained and, in general, observe good agreement between the two techniques. Furthermore, we discuss advantages and disadvantages with the two analysis approaches and the output data they provide. XPS reference data from the bacterial strain are provided, and we propose that planktonic cells of this strain (DSM 50090) are used as a reference material for surface chemical analysis of bacterial systems. KW - P. Fluorescens KW - Cryo XPS KW - NAP-XPS KW - DSM 5009 PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525640 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.666161 VL - 9 SP - Article 666161 PB - Frontiers CY - Switzerland AN - OPUS4-52564 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Richter, Anja A1 - Buchberger, G. A1 - Stifter, D. A1 - Duchoslav, J. A1 - Hertwig, Andreas A1 - Bonse, Jörn A1 - Heitz, J. A1 - Schwibbert, Karin T1 - Spatial Period of Laser-Induced Surface Nanoripples on PET Determines Escherichia coli Repellence N2 - Bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on surfaces are associated with persistent microbial contamination, biofouling, and the emergence of resistance, thus, calling for new strategies to impede bacterial surface colonization. Using ns-UV laser treatment (wavelength 248 nm and a pulse duration of 20 ns), laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) featuring different submicrometric periods ranging from ~210 to ~610 nm were processed on commercial poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) foils. Bacterial adhesion tests revealed that these nanorippled surfaces exhibit a repellence for E. coli that decisively depends on the spatial periods of the LIPSS with the strongest reduction (~91%) in cell adhesion observed for LIPSS periods of 214 nm. Although chemical and structural analyses indicated a moderate laser-induced surface oxidation, a significant influence on the bacterial adhesion was ruled out. Scanning electron microscopy and additional biofilm studies using a pili-deficient E. coli TG1 strain revealed the role of extracellular appendages in the bacterial repellence observed here. KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - Laser processing KW - Polyethylene terephthalate KW - Biofilm formation KW - Cell appendages KW - Biomimetic KW - F pili PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-537431 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11113000 VL - 11 IS - 11 SP - 3000 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-53743 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Foroutan, F. A1 - Kyffin, B. A. A1 - Nikolaou, A. A1 - Merino-Gutierrez, J. A1 - Abrahams, I. A1 - Kanwal, N. A1 - Knowles, J. C. A1 - Smith, A. J. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Carta, D. T1 - Highly porous phosphate-based glasses for controlled delivery of antibacterial Cu ions prepared via sol–gel chemistry N2 - Mesoporous glasses are a promising class of bioresorbable biomaterials characterized by high surface area and extended porosity in the range of 2 to 50 nm. These peculiar properties make them ideal materials for the controlled release of therapeutic ions and molecules. Whilst mesoporous silicate-based glasses (MSG) have been widely investigated, much less work has been done on mesoporous phosphate-based glasses (MPG). In the present study, MPG in the P2O5–CaO–Na2O system, undoped and doped with 1, 3, and 5 mol% of Cu ions were synthesized via a combination of the sol–gel method and supramolecular templating. The non-ionic triblock copolymer Pluronic P123 was used as a templating agent. The porous structure was studied via a combination of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), and N2 adsorption–desorption analysis at 77 K. The structure of the phosphate network was investigated via solid state 31P Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (31P MAS-NMR) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Degradation studies, performed in water via Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), showed that phosphates, Ca2+, Na+ and Cu ions are released in a controlled manner over a 7 days period. The controlled release of Cu, proportional to the copper loading, imbues antibacterial properties to MPG. A significant statistical reduction of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacterial viability was observed over a 3 days period. E. coli appeared to be more resistant than S. aureus to the antibacterial effect of copper. This study shows that copper doped MPG have great potential as bioresorbable materials for controlled delivery of antibacterial ions. KW - Bioresorbable Biomaterials KW - Mesoporous phosphate-based glasses KW - Synthesis KW - Degradation studies KW - X-ray scattering KW - MOUSE KW - Antibacterial properties KW - Aantimicrobial PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-578101 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3RA02958A VL - 13 IS - 29 SP - 19662 EP - 19673 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-57810 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, W. A1 - Schweins, R. A1 - Nöcker, B. A1 - Kohlbrecher, J. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Huber, K. T1 - Comparative study of the co-assembly behaviour of 3-chloro-4-hydroxy-phenylazo dyes with DTAB N2 - The co-assembly of three one-fold negatively charged 3-chloro-4-hydroxy-phenylazo dyes (Yellow, Blue and Red) with the cationic surfactant dodecyltrimethylammoniumbromide (DTAB) was studied to probe dye–DTAB binding stoichiometry and assembly morphology. For each dye, phase separation was observed above a given dye : DTAB ratio with the ratio depending on the dye. While Yellow and DTAB showed liquid/liquid phase separation above Yellow : DTAB = 1 : 1.67, crystalline dye–DTAB complexes were observed for Blue–DTAB and Red–DTAB above Blue : DTAB = 1 : 2.56 and Red : DTAB = 1 : 2.94 respecively. In homogeneous solution, UV/vis spectroscopic investigations suggest stochiometries of Yellow : DTAB = 1 : 2, Blue : DTAB = 1 : 3 and Red : DTAB = 1 : 4. It was concluded, that Yellow exhibits the highest dye : DTAB binding stoichiometry in both, dye–surfactant complexes in the 2-phase region and in solution, whereas the lowest dye : DTAB binding stoichiometry was observed for Red–DTAB in both cases. The observed stoichiometries are inversely correlated to the impact dye addition has on the morphology of DTAB micelles. Generally, addition of dye to DTAB micelles leads to a reduction in spontaneous curvature of these micelles and to the formation of triaxial ellipsoidal or cylindrical micelles from oblate ellipsoidal DTAB micelles. At a DTAB concentration of 30 mM and a dye concentration of 5 mM, this effect was most pronounced for Red and least pronounced for Yellow, whilst Blue showed an intermediate effect. KW - Dye KW - DTAB KW - SAXS KW - Small-angle X-ray scattering KW - X-ray scattering KW - Data analysis KW - Micelle PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-576978 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SM00501A SN - 1744-683X VL - 19 IS - 24 SP - 4588 EP - 4598 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-57697 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wang, Z. A1 - Villa Santos, C. A1 - Legrand, A. A1 - Haase, F. A1 - Hara, Y. A1 - Kanamori, K. A1 - Aoyama, T. A1 - Urayama, K. A1 - Doherty, C. M. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Colon, Y. J. A1 - Furukawa, S. T1 - Multiscale structural control of linked metal–organic polyhedra gel by aging-induced linkage-reorganization N2 - Assembly of permanently porous metal–organic polyhedra/cages (MOPs) with bifunctional linkers leads to soft supramolecular networks featuring both porosity and processability. However, the amorphous nature of such soft materials complicates their characterization and thus limits rational structural control. Here we demonstrate that aging is an effective strategy to control the hierarchical network of supramolecular gels, which are assembled from organic ligands as linkers and MOPs as junctions. Normally, the initial gel formation by rapid gelation leads to a kinetically trapped structure with low controllability. Through a controlled post-synthetic aging process, we show that it is possible to tune the network of the linked MOP gel over multiple length scales. This process allows control on the molecular-scale rearrangement of interlinking MOPs, mesoscale fusion of colloidal particles and macroscale densification of the whole colloidal network. In this work we elucidate the relationships between the gel properties, such as porosity and rheology, and their hierarchical structures, which suggest that porosity measurement of the dried gels can be used as a powerful tool to characterize the microscale structural transition of their corresponding gels. This aging strategy can be applied in other supramolecular polymer systems particularly containing kinetically controlled structures and shows an opportunity to engineer the structure and the permanent porosity of amorphous materials for further applications. KW - SAXS KW - Metal-organic polyhedra KW - Structural control PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-532309 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d1sc02883a SN - 1478-6524 SN - 1742-2183 VL - 12 IS - 38 SP - NIL_1 EP - NIL_9 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-53230 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kool, L. A1 - Dekker, F. A1 - Bunschoten, A. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Velders, A. H. A1 - Saggiomo, V. T1 - Gold and silver dichroic nanocomposite in the quest for 3D printing the Lycurgus cup N2 - The Lycurgus cup is an ancient glass artefact that shows dichroism as it looks green when a white light is reflected on it and a red colouring appears when a white light is transmitted through it. This peculiar dichroic effect is due to silver and gold nanoparticles present in the glass. In this research we show the synthesis of dichroic silver nanoparticles and their embedding in a 3D printable nanocomposite. The addition of gold nanoparticles to the silver nanoparticle composite, gave a 3D printable nanocomposite with the same dichroism effect of the Lycurgus cup. KW - SAXS KW - Au KW - Ag KW - Nanocomposite KW - 3D printing PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-501831 DO - https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.11.2 SP - 16 EP - 23 AN - OPUS4-50183 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Friberg, I. A1 - Clark, A. H. A1 - Ho, P. A1 - Sadokhina, N. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Woo, J. A1 - Auray, X. A1 - Ferri, D. A1 - Nachtegaal, M. A1 - Krocher, O. A1 - Olsson, L. T1 - Structure and performance of zeolite supported Pd for complete methane oxidation N2 - The influence of zeolite support materials and their impact on CH4 oxidation activity was studied utilizing Pd supported on H-beta and H-SSZ-13. A correlation between CH4 oxidation activity, Si/Al ratio (SAR), the type of zeolite framework, reduction-oxidation behaviour, and Pd species present was found by combining catalytic activity measurements with a variety of characterization methods (operando XAS, NH3-TPD, SAXS, STEM and NaCl titration). Operando XAS analysis indicated that catalysts with high CH4 oxidation activity experienced rapid transitions between metallic- and oxidized-Pd states when switching between rich and lean conditions. This behaviour was exhibited by catalysts with dispersed Pd particles. By contrast, the formation of ion-exchanged Pd2+ and large Pd particles appeared to have a detrimental effect on the oxidation-reduction behaviour and the conversion of CH4. The formation of ion-exchanged Pd2+ and large Pd particles was limited by using a highly siliceous beta zeolite support with a low capacity for cation exchange. The same effect was also found using a small-pore SSZ-13 zeolite due to the lower mobility of Pd species. It was found that the zeolite support material should be carefully selected so that the well-dispersed Pd particles remain, and the formation of ion-exchanged Pd2+ is minimized. KW - SAXS KW - Zeolites KW - Methane Oxidation KW - XAS KW - Catalysis PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-529606 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2020.11.026 VL - 382 SP - 3 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-52960 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hunter, R. D. A1 - Rowlandson, J. L. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Ting, V. P. A1 - Kulak, A. A1 - Schnepp, Z. T1 - The effect of precursor structure on porous carbons produced by iron-catalyzed graphitization of biomass N2 - This paper reports a systematic study into the effect of different biomass-derived precursors on the structure and porosity of carbons prepared via catalytic graphitization. Glucose, starch and cellulose are combined with iron nitrate and heated under a nitrogen atmosphere to produce Fe3C nanoparticles, which catalyze the conversion of amorphous carbon to graphitic nanostructures. The choice of organic precursor provides a means of controlling the catalyst particle size, which has a direct effect on the porosity of the material. Cellulose and glucose produce mesoporous carbons, while starch produces a mixture of micro- and mesopores under the same conditions and proceeds via a much slower graphitization step, generating a mixture of graphitic nanostructures and turbostratic carbon. Porous carbons are critical to energy applications such as batteries and electrocatalytic processes. For These applications, a simple and sustainable route to those carbons is essential. Therefore, the ability to control the precise structure of a biomass-derived carbon simply through the choice of precursor will enable the production of a new generation of energy materials. KW - SAXS KW - Porous carbons KW - Graphitization KW - Iron nanoparticles KW - Catalysis KW - Gas sorption PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-515531 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0ma00692k VL - Royal Society of Chemistry SP - 1 EP - 11 AN - OPUS4-51553 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wallau, Wilma A1 - Recknagel, Christoph A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob T1 - Structural silicone sealants after exposure to laboratory test for durability assessment N2 - During the service life of structural sealant glazing (SSG) facades, the loadbearing capacity of the silicone bonds needs to be guaranteed. Laboratory Tests can assess the durability of SSG-systems based on mechanical characteristics of the bond after simultaneous exposure to both climatic and mechanical loads. This article studies how the material characteristics of two common structural sealants are affected by laboratory and field exposure. Dynamic mechanical Analysis (DMA) confirms a reduction in the dynamic modulus of exposed Silicone samples. Results from thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and small-angle X-ray scattering/wide-angle X-ray scattering show differences between the two sealants and indicate no/minor changes in the composition and morphology of the laboratory and field exposed sealants. Mechanical characterization methods, such as DMA, and tensile and shear testing of the structural bond, are shown to be sensitive toward the combined climatic and mechanical loadings, and are hence suitable for studying degradation mechanisms of structural sealants. KW - Aging KW - Analytical methods KW - Fatigue KW - Silicone elastomer KW - Structural sealant glazing PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-527217 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/app.50881 VL - 138 IS - 35 SP - 50881 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-52721 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard T1 - The MOUSE project - A meticulous approach for obtaining traceable, wide-range X-ray scattering information N2 - Herein, we provide a "systems architecture"-like overview and detailed discussions of the methodological and instrumental components that, together, comprise the "MOUSE" project (Methodology Optimization for UltrafineStructure Exploration). The MOUSE project provides scattering information on a wide variety of samples, with traceable dimensions for both the scattering vector (q) and the absolute scattering cross-section (I). The measurable scattering vector-range of 0.012≤ q (nm-1) ≤ 92, allows information across a hierarchy of structures with dimensions ranging from ca. 0.1 to 400 nm. In addition to details that comprise the MOUSE project, such as the organisation and traceable aspects, several representative examples are provided to demonstrate its flexibility. These include measurements on alumina membranes, the tobacco mosaic virus, and dual-source information that overcomes fluorescence limitations on ZIF-8 and iron-oxide-containing carbon catalyst materials. KW - X-ray scattering KW - MOUSE KW - Instrumentation KW - SAXS KW - Methodology KW - Traceability KW - Wide-range KW - Data curation KW - FAIR KW - Uncertainties KW - Nanomaterials KW - Nanometrology PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-528669 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/16/06/P06034 VL - 16 IS - 6 SP - 1 EP - 50 PB - IOP CY - Bristol, UK AN - OPUS4-52866 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Omar, Hassan A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Henning, S. A1 - Li, Z. A1 - Wang, D.-Y. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina T1 - Calorimetric and Dielectric Investigations of Epoxy-Based Nanocomposites with Halloysite Nanotubes as Nanofillers N2 - Epoxy nanocomposites are promising materials for industrial applications (i.e., aerospace, marine and automotive industry) due to their extraordinary mechanical and thermal properties. Here, the effect of hollow halloysite nanotubes (HNT) on an epoxy matrix (Ep) was the focus of the study. The structure and molecular mobility of the nanocomposites were investigated using a combination of X-ray scattering, calorimetry (differential (DSC) and fast scanning calorimetry (FSC)) and dielectric spectroscopy. Additionally, the effect of surface modification of HNT (polydopamine (PDA) and Fe(OH)3 nanodots) was considered. For Ep/HNT, the glass transition temperature (Tg) is was de-creased due to a nanoparticle-related decrease of the crosslinking density. For the modified system, Ep/m-HNT, the surface modification resulted in enhanced filler–matrix interactions leading to higher Tg values than the pure epoxy in some cases. For Ep/m-HNT, the amount of interface formed between the nanoparticles and the matrix ranged from 5% to 15%. Through BDS measurements, localized fluctuations were detected as a β- and γ-relaxation, related to rotational fluctuations of phenyl rings and local reorientations of unreacted components. A combination of calorimetry and BDS dielectric spectroscopy revealed a dynamic and structural heterogeneity of the matrix, as confirmed by two glassy dynamics in both systems, related to regions with different crosslinking densities. KW - Rigid amorphous fraction KW - Epoxy nanocomposites KW - Halloysite nanotubes KW - X-ray scattering KW - Differential scanning calorimetry KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Flash DSC PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-526668 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13101634 VL - 13 IS - 10 SP - 1634 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-52666 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zhuang, Yiling A1 - Haderlein, Stefan B. A1 - Lutze, Holger V. A1 - Sun, Chen A1 - Fink, Friedrich A1 - Paul, Andrea A1 - Spahr, Stephanie T1 - Persulfate activation by biochar for trace organic contaminant removal from urban stormwater N2 - Persistent and mobile trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) in urban stormwater are difficult to remove through sedimentation- or sorption-based treatment and pose a risk to aquatic ecosystems and drinking water supplies. We demonstrate that the chemical oxidant peroxydisulfate (PDS) can be activated by shrimp shell biochar at pH 7 to form reactive species that selectively react with widespread stormwater contaminants. Of 11 TrOCs tested, oxidative transformation was observed for 1,3-diphenylguanidine, 2-hydroxybenzothiazole, 1H-benzotriazole, 5-methyl-benzotriazole, and diuron during water treatment with biochar and PDS. Laboratory batch experiments conducted with street runoff and a synthetic water showed that the water matrix, containing up to 7.5 mg L-1 dissolved organic carbon and 100 mM chloride, had a minor effect on the formation of reactive species and contaminant transformation. Using a set of scavengers and probe compounds, we provide evidence for singlet oxygen (1O2) as the predominant reactive species in the biochar/PDS system, which is in agreement with the selectivity of the process to oxidize electron-rich organic contaminants. The results of our study inform new strategies for stormwater treatment using heterogeneous oxidation processes for the abatement of persistent and mobile organic contaminants. KW - Stormwater treatment KW - Oxidation processes KW - Pyrogenic carbon PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-637952 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.123921 SN - 0043-1354 VL - 284 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-63795 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Go, Eun Sul A1 - Hong, Eun Ji A1 - Lee, Ji Yeong A1 - Stolar, Tomislav A1 - Peterson, Gregory I. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska L. A1 - Kim, Kyoungsoo A1 - Kim, Jeung Gon T1 - Insights into Mechanochemical Solid-State Ball-Milling Reaction: Monitoring Transition from Heterogeneous to Homogeneous Conditions N2 - As mechanochemical synthesis has advanced significantly, there has been intense interest in understanding the underlying mechanisms of these reactions. Given that many mechanochemical processes are conducted in the solid-state without solvation yet sometimes yield faster reactions than those in solution, we sought to address the following question: Are mechanochemical reactions homo- or heterogeneous? To investigate, we employed a model system involving the mixing and copolymerization of l-lactide (LLA) and d-lactide (DLA), monitored through powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), nuclear magnetic resonance, and differential scanning calorimetry. In situ and ex situ PXRD analyses of the mixture of LLA and DLA showed that vibratory ball milling rapidly transformed the initially heterogeneous lactide mixture into a homogeneous phase within one min due to collisions between the balls and the jar. By varying the milling conditions, we were able to regulate the level of mixing, which subsequently influenced the copolymerization outcomes. In the solid-state ball-milling copolymerization of LLA and DLA in the presence of a catalyst and initiator, multiblock copolymers of poly(l-lactic acid) and poly(d-lactic acid) were formed within one min during the early stage of the reaction, when incomplete mixing of the monomers led to a process governed by phase heterogeneity. In contrast, prolonged polymerization promoted conditions approaching homogeneity, ultimately yielding atactic poly(lactic acid). This transition from heterogeneous to homogeneous reactions is a distinctive feature compared to conventional homogeneous reactions, potentially leading to mechano-exclusive reaction designs. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Ball-milling KW - Homogeneous reaction KW - Heterogeneous reaction PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-638008 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.5c00322 SN - 2691-3704 VL - 5 IS - 6 SP - 2720 EP - 2727 PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) AN - OPUS4-63800 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Paul, Sagar A1 - Dolai, Malay A1 - Nanda Goswami, Juli A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Drew, Michael G. B. A1 - Chattopadhyay, Shouvik A1 - Sarkar, Rabi Sankar A1 - Sunil, Appu A1 - Novitchi, Ghenadie A1 - Moreno-Pineda, Eufemio A1 - Wernsdorfer, Wolfgang T1 - From strong to weak interaction: Reconciling SQUID and μSQUID-EPR data in anomalous Co(ii) dimers N2 - Magnetic molecules have been proposed as scaffolds for novel quantum technologies, ranging from quantum sensing and quantum memory to multilevel quantum bits (qudits) and fault-tolerant quantum computation. Integration of magnetic molecules into cutting-edge applications hinges on a deep understanding and tunability of their spin states. To date, the strategic manipulation of the local environment of the ion and careful selection of the magnetic core have enabled the desired tunability and scalability of the spin states. For such goals, however, extracting the anisotropic parameters that dictate the characteristics of the Spin Hamiltonian is challenging, especially for molecules consisting of multiple magnetic cores. We address these challenges by studying two cobalt(II) dinuclear systems, complicated by inherent spin–orbit coupling. We explore the magnetic properties of these systems in two temperature regimes: (i) at sub-Kelvin temperatures employing single crystals at 30 mK using a unique μSQUID-EPR technique that examines the microwave absorption peaks in the magnetisation data and their variation with field angle and frequency; and (ii) in bulk employing convectional SQUID magnetometry above 2 K i.e., χMT(T) and M(H). Unexpectedly, sub-Kelvin temperature investigations reveal a negligible interaction, whereas the SQUID data reveal a much stronger interaction between the Co(II) ions. An understanding of these data is developed based on a strong coupling model and the coupling of two moieties with a spin-effective ground state. KW - cOBALT(II)-complex KW - In situ complex formation KW - Magnetic property KW - Crystal structure PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-641421 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5QI01387A SN - 2052-1553 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-64142 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Das, Prasenjit A1 - Chakraborty, Gouri A1 - Yang, Jin A1 - Roeser, Jérôme A1 - Küçükkeçeci, Hüseyin A1 - Nguyen, Anh Dung A1 - Schwarze, Michael A1 - Gabriel, Jose A1 - Penschke, Christopher A1 - Du, Shengjun A1 - Weigelt, Vincent A1 - Khalil, Islam E. A1 - Schmidt, Johannes A1 - Saalfrank, Peter A1 - Oschatz, Martin A1 - Rabeah, Jabor A1 - Schomäcker, Reinhard A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Thomas, Arne T1 - The Effect of Pore Functionality in Multicomponent Covalent Organic Frameworks on Stable Long‐Term Photocatalytic H2 Production N2 - AbstractIn nature, organic molecules play a vital role in light harvesting and photosynthesis. However, regarding artificial water splitting, the research focus is primarily on inorganic semiconductors. Although organic photocatalysts have high structural variability, they tend to exhibit lower quantum efficiencies for water splitting than their inorganic counterparts. Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) offer an attractive route to introduce different functional units into covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and enable semiconducting properties and high chemical stability, creating promising materials for long‐term photocatalytic applications, such as H2 production. Herein, five highly crystalline donor‐acceptor based, 4‐substituted quinoline‐linked MCR‐COFs are presented that are prepared via the three‐component Povarov reaction. The pore functionality is varied by applying different vinyl derivatives (e.g., styrene, 2‐vinyl pyridine, 4‐vinylpyridine, 4‐vinyl imidazole, 2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluorostyrene), which has a strong influence on the obtained photocatalytic activity. Especially an imidazole‐functionalized COF displays promising photocatalytic performance due to its high surface area, crystallinity, and wettability. These properties enable it to maintain its photocatalytic activity even in a membrane support. Furthermore, such MCR‐COFs display dramatically enhanced (photo)chemical stability even after long‐term solar light irradiation and exhibit a high and steady H2 evolution for at least 15 days. KW - Sstability KW - Covalent organic frameworks KW - Pore functionality KW - Long-term H2 production KW - Multicomponent reactions PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-639787 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202501193 SN - 1614-6832 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-63978 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yildirim, Arda A1 - Haug, T. C. V. A1 - Fröba, M. A1 - Huber, P. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular fluctuations in mixed-metal MOF-74: influence of the metal composition N2 - A selected series of metal–organic frameworks M-MOF-74 (M = Mg, Co, Ni) and mixed metal MM-MOF-74 (Mg/Co or Mg/Ni) with different compositions of metal atoms have been prepared and further investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) in a wide temperature range. The dielectric spectra show at least two relaxation processes. Process-A is observed only for the Ni-containing MOFs and is attributed to localized fluctuations of the metal oxide corners. Relaxation processes-B and -C are observed for all prepared MOFs, except that process-B is not observed for Ni-MOF-74. Large-angle fluctuations such as free rotations of the linkers can be excluded due to the structure of MOF-74, but small-angle fluctuations such as torsions are possible. According to numerical simulations carried out for MOF-74, process-B can be attributed to inward and outward fluctuations of the linkers relative to the pore center. Process-C is related to small-angle rotational fluctuations of the linker together with co-rotations of the metal nodes. The latter interpretation is supported by the dependence of the activation energy of the relaxation rate of process-C on the metal composition of the MOFs, which is discussed in terms of the bond lengths between the metal atoms and the linker which decrease in the sequence Mg, Co and Ni. KW - Metal Organic Frameworks PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-639378 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ra05357a SN - 2046-2069 VL - 15 IS - 35 SP - 29109 EP - 29118 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-63937 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hildebrandt, R. A1 - Seifert, M. A1 - George, Janine A1 - Blaurock, S. A1 - Botti, S. A1 - Krautscheid, H. A1 - Grundmann, M. A1 - Sturm, C. T1 - Determination of acoustic phonon anharmonicities via second-order Raman scattering in CuI N2 - We demonstrate the determination of anharmonic acoustic phonon properties via second-order Raman scattering exemplarily on copper iodide single crystals. The origin of multi-phonon features from the second-order Raman spectra was assigned by the support of the calculated 2-phonon density of states. In this way, the temperature dependence of acoustic phonons was determined down to 10 K. To determine independently the harmonic contributions of respective acoustic phonons, density functional theory in quasi-harmonic approximation was used. Finally, the anharmonic contributions were determined. The results are in agreement with earlier publications and extend CuI’s determined acoustic phonon properties to lower temperatures with higher accuracy. This approach demonstrates that it is possible to characterize the acoustic anharmonicities via Raman scattering down to zero-temperature renormalization constants of at least 0.1 cm⁻¹. KW - Thermoelectrics KW - Thermal transport KW - Phonon interactions KW - Density functional theory KW - Phonons PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-593164 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ad1141 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 25 IS - 12 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - IOP Publishing CY - London AN - OPUS4-59316 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ghata, Anupama A1 - Bernges, Tim A1 - Maus, Oliver A1 - Wankmiller, Björn A1 - Naik, Aakash A1 - Bustamante, Joana A1 - Gaultois, Michael W. A1 - Delaire, Olivier A1 - Hansen, Michael Ryan A1 - George, Janine A1 - Zeier, Wolfgang G. T1 - Exploring the Thermal and Ionic Transport of Cu+ Conducting Argyrodite Cu7PSe6 N2 - AbstractUnderstanding the origin of low thermal conductivities in ionic conductors is essential for improving their thermoelectric efficiency, although accompanying high ionic conduction may present challenges for maintaining thermoelectric device integrity. This study investigates the thermal and ionic transport in Cu7PSe6, aiming to elucidate their fundamental origins and correlation with the structural and dynamic properties. Through a comprehensive approach including various characterization techniques and computational analyses, it is demonstrated that the low thermal conductivity in Cu7PSe6 arises from structural complexity, variations in bond strengths, and high lattice anharmonicity, leading to pronounced diffuson transport of heat and fast ionic conduction. It is found that upon increasing the temperature, the ionic conductivity increases significantly in Cu7PSe6, whereas the thermal conductivity remains nearly constant, revealing no direct correlation between ionic and thermal transport. This absence of direct influence suggests innovative design strategies in thermoelectric applications to enhance stability by diminishing ionic conduction, while maintaining low thermal conductivity, thereby linking the domains of solid‐state ionics and thermoelectrics. Thus, this study attempts to clarify the fundamental principles governing thermal and ionic transport in Cu+‐superionic conductors, similar to recent findings in Ag+ argyrodites. KW - Thermoelectrics KW - Phonons KW - Chemically Complex Materials KW - DFT KW - Bonding Analysis PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-608866 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202402039 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-60886 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Naik, Aakash A1 - Ertural, Christina A1 - Dhamrait, Nidal A1 - Benner, Philipp A1 - George, Janine T1 - A Quantum-Chemical Bonding Database for Solid-State Materials N2 - An in-depth insight into the chemistry and nature of the individual chemical bonds is essential for understanding materials. Bonding analysis is thus expected to provide important features for large-scale data analysis and machine learning of material properties. Such chemical bonding information can be computed using the LOBSTER software package, which post-processes modern density functional theory data by projecting the plane wave-based wave functions onto an atomic orbital basis. With the help of a fully automatic workflow, the VASP and LOBSTER software packages are used to generate the data. We then perform bonding analyses on 1520 compounds (insulators and semiconductors) and provide the results as a database. The projected densities of states and bonding indicators are benchmarked on standard density-functional theory computations and available heuristics, respectively. Lastly, we illustrate the predictive power of bonding descriptors by constructing a machine learning model for phononic properties, which shows an increase in prediction accuracies by 27% (mean absolute errors) compared to a benchmark model differing only by not relying on any quantum-chemical bonding features. KW - Bonding Analysis KW - DFT KW - High-throughput KW - Database KW - Phonons KW - Machine Learning PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-582892 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02477-5 VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 18 AN - OPUS4-58289 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Naik, Aakash A1 - Ueltzen, Katharina A1 - Ertural, Christina A1 - Jackson, Adam J. A1 - George, Janine T1 - LobsterPy: A package to automatically analyze LOBSTERruns N2 - The LOBSTER (Deringer et al., 2011;Maintz et al., 2013 ,2016 ;Nelson et al., 2020 ) software aids in extracting quantum-chemical bonding information from materials by projecting the plane-wave based wave functions from density functional theory (DFT) onto an atomic orbital basis. LobsterEnv, a module implemented in pymatgen (Ong et al., 2013) by some of the authors of this package, facilitates the use of quantum-chemical bonding information obtained from LOBSTER calculations to identify neighbors and coordination environments. LobsterPy is a Python package that offers a set of convenient tools to further analyze and summarize the LobsterEnv outputs in the form of JSONs that are easy to interpret and process. These tools enable the estimation of (anti) bonding contributions, generation of textual descriptions, and visualization of LOBSTER computation results. Since its first release, both LobsterPy and LobsterEnv capabilities have been extended significantly. Unlike earlier versions, which could only automatically analyze Crystal Orbital Hamilton Populations (COHPs) (Dronskowski & Blöchl, 1993), both can now also analyze Crystal Orbital Overlap Populations (COOP) (Hughbanks & Hoffmann, 1983) and Crystal Orbital Bond Index (COBI) (Müller et al., 2021). Extracting the information about the most important orbitals contributing to the bonds is optional, and users can enable it as needed. Additionally, bonding-based features for machinelearning (ML) studies can be engineered via the sub-packages “featurize” and “structuregraphs”. Alongside its Python interface, it also provides an easy-to-use command line interface (CLI) that runs automatic analysis of the computations and generates a summary of results and publication-ready figures. LobsterPy has been used to produce the results in Ngo et al. (2023), Chen et al. (2024), Naik et al. (2023), and it is also part of Atomate2 (2023) bonding analysis workflow for generating bonding analysis data in a format compatible with the Materials Project (Jain et al., 2013) API. KW - Materials Science KW - Automation KW - Bonding Analysis KW - Materials Properties PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-595809 DO - https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.06286 VL - 9 IS - 94 SP - 1 EP - 4 PB - The Open Journal AN - OPUS4-59580 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kolmangadi, Mohamed A. A1 - Raab, A. R. A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Li, Z. A1 - Huber, P. A1 - Laschat, S. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular mobility and electrical conductivity of amino acid-based (DOPA) ionic liquid crystals in the bulk state and nanoconfinement N2 - This study explores the molecular mobility, phase behavior, and electrical conductivity of dihydroxyphenylalanine-based ionic liquid crystals (DOPAn, with alkyl side chains n = 12, 14, 16) featuring cyclic guanidiniumchloride headgroups, in both bulk and nanoconfined states. Using broadband dielectric spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and fast scanning calorimetry, the research uncovers a complex interplay between molecular structure, self-assembly, and molecular mobility. In bulk, DOPAn shows a phase sequence from plastic crystalline to hexagonal columnar and isotropic phases, driven by superdisc formation and columnar organization. Multiple relaxation processes are identified: localized side-chain dynamics (γ-relaxation), ionic headgroup or core motions (α1-relaxation), and cooperative alkyl domain fluctuations (α2-relaxation). Conductivity decreases with increasing side chain length. Under nanoconfinement in anodic aluminum oxide membranes, phase behavior changes: the Colh–Iso transition is suppressed, and a new α3-relaxation appears, linked to dynamics in an adsorbed interfacial layer. DC conductivity drops by up to four orders of magnitude due to confinement effects, altered molecular orientation, and phase transitions—especially the emergence of a nematic-like state in DOPA16. These findings highlight the importance of molecular design, pore geometry, and surface chemistry in tuning ionic liquid crystal properties for advanced applications in nanofluidics, ion transport, and responsive materials. KW - Ionic Liquid Crystals PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-639657 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d5cp02406d SN - 1463-9084 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-63965 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Casali, L. A1 - Broll, V. A1 - Ciurili, S. A1 - Braga, D. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Gepioni, F. T1 - Facilitating Nitrification Inhibition through Green, Mechanochemical Synthesis of a Novel Nitrapyrin Complex N2 - Nitrapyrin (NP) is applied to cultivated soils to inhibit the enzymatic activity of ammonia monooxygenase (AMO), but its poor aqueous solubility and high volatility severely limit its application. β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) is commonly used to form inclusion complexes with hydrophobic molecules, improving water solubility and stability upon complexation. Here we report on the mechanochemical synthesis of the inclusion complex β-CD·NP, characterized via a combination of solid-state techniques, including exsitu and in situ X-ray diffraction, Raman and NMR spectroscopies, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The pure inhibitor NP was also structurally characterized. The β-CD·NP complex presents improved solubility and thermal stability, and still inhibits the enzymatic activity of AMO with high efficacy. All results indicate that the inclusion of NP into β-CD represents a viable route for the preparation of a novel class of inhibitors, with improved properties related to stability, water solubility, and good inhibition activity. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Nitrification PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-537154 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.1c00681 SN - 1528-7505 VL - 21 IS - 10 SP - 5792 EP - 5799 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-53715 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hülagü, Deniz A1 - Ermilova, Elena A1 - Weise, Matthias A1 - de Préville, Sophie A1 - Hoffmann, Johannes A1 - Morán‐Meza, José A1 - Piquemal, François A1 - Hertwig, Andreas T1 - Multimethod Electrical Characterization of Thin Indium Tin Oxide Films: Structuring and Calibration Sample Development for Scanning Probe Microscopy N2 - Indium tin oxide (ITO), a transparent conductive oxide, is widely used in optoelectronic applications due to its electrical conductivity, optical transparency, and chemical stability. This study employs spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) to analyze ITO layers, enabling nondestructive determination of film thickness, dielectric functions, and bulk conductivity. Electrical properties derived from SE are compared with those obtained using the four‐point probe method (4PM) to improve metrological tools for nanotechnology applications and optimize deposition process monitoring for better control of film properties. This work also investigates the chemical stability of ITO layers under etching conditions and explores the development of new sheet resistance standards for scanning microwave microscopy (SMM). The results show that ITO resistivity, calculated from fitted SE data, increases with oxygen flow rate up to 5 cm3(STP) min−1. Good agreement is observed between sheet resistance values obtained by SE and 4PM up to 3 cm3(STP) min−1. Additionally, the sheet resistance values of a distinct set of microstructured ITO samples with different ITO layer thicknesses are determined by SMM, which are highly consistent with those obtained by the 4PM. KW - Ellipsometry KW - Indium tin oxide (ITO) KW - Scanning microwave microscopy (SMM) KW - Sheet resistance calibration standards KW - ITO wet etching PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-626242 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202400871 SN - 1862-6300 VL - 222 IS - 14 SP - 1 EP - 18 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken, New Jersey, USA AN - OPUS4-62624 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Emamverdi, Farnaz A1 - Huang, J. A1 - Mosane Razavi, Negar A1 - Bojdys, M. J. A1 - Forster, A. B. A1 - Budd, P. M. A1 - Böhning, Martin A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular Mobility and Gas Transport Properties of Mixed Matrix Membranes Based on PIM‑1 and a Phosphinine Containing Covalent Organic Framework N2 - Polymers with intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) are gaining attention as gas separation membranes. Nevertheless, they face limitations due to pronounced physical aging. In this study a covalent organic framework containing λ5-phosphinine moieties, CPSF-EtO were incorporated as a nanofiller (concentration range 0-10 wt%) into a PIM-1 matrix forming dense films with a thickness of ca. 100 μm. The aim of the investigation was to investigate possible enhancements of gas transport properties and mitigating effects on physical aging. The incorporation of the nanofiller occurred on aggregate level with domains up to 100 nm as observed by T-SEM and confirmed by X-ray scattering. Moreover, the X-ray data show that the structure of the microporous network of the PIM-1 matrix is changed by the nanofiller. As the molecular mobility is fundamental for gas transport as well as for physical aging, the study includes dielectric investigations of pure PIM-1 and PIM-1/CPSF-EtO mixed matrix membranes to establish a correlation between the molecular mobility and the gas transport properties. Using the time-lag method the gas permeability and the permselectivity were determined for N2, O2, CH4 and CO2 for samples with variation in filler content. A significant increase in the permeability of CH4 and CO2 (50 % increase compared to pure PIM-1) was observed for a concentration of 5 wt% of the nanofiller. Furthermore, the most pronounced change in the permselectivity was found for the gas pair CO2/N2 at a filler concentration of 7 wt%. KW - Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity KW - Nanocomposites PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-595031 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.3c02419 SN - 0024-9297 VL - 57 IS - 4 SP - 1829 EP - 1845 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-59503 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Emamverdi, Farnaz A1 - Huang, J. A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Bojdys, M. J. A1 - Böhning, Martin A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Structure and molecular mobility of phosphinine-based covalent organic frameworks – glass transition of amorphous COFs N2 - Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (COFs) based on phosphinine and thiophene building blocks have been synthesized with two different side groups. The materials are denoted as CPSF-MeO and CPSF-EtO where CxxF correspond to the covalent framework, whereas P and S are related to heteroatoms phosphorous and sulfur. MeO and EtO indicate the substituents, i.e. methoxy and ethoxy. Their morphologies were studied by scanning electron microcopy and X-ray scattering. The absence of crystalline reflexes in the X-ray pattern reveal that both materials are amorphous and can be considered as glasses. Furthermore, N2 adsorption measurements indicate substantial Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area values pointing to the formation of three-dimensional pores by stacking of the aromatic 2D layer. An analysis of the porosity of both COFs showed a mean radius of the pores to be of ca. 4 nm, consistent with their chemical structure. The COFs form nanoparticles with a radius of around 100 nm. The thermal behavior of the COFs was further investigated by fast scanning calorimetry. These investigations showed that both COFs undergo a glass transition. The glass transition temperature of CPSF-EtO is found to be ca. 100 K higher than that for CPSF-MeO. This large difference in the glass transition is discussed to be due to a change in the interaction of the COF sheets induced by the longer ethoxy group. It might be assumed that for CPSF-EtO more individual COF sheets assemble to larger stacks than for CPSF-MeO. This agrees with the much larger surface area value found for CPSF-EtO compared to CPSF-MeO. To corroborate the results obtained be fast scanning calorimetry dielectric measurements were conducted which confirm the occurrence of a dynamic glass transition. The estimated temperature dependence of the relaxation rates of the dielectric relaxation and their absolute values agrees well with the data obtained by fast scanning calorimetry. Considering the fragility approach to the glass transition, it was further found that CPSF-MeO is a fragile glass former whereas CPSF-EtO behaves as a strong glass forming material. This difference in the fragility points also to distinct differences in the interaction between the 2D COF molecules in both materials. KW - Covalent Organic frameworks PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-596770 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ma01123b SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-59677 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Villajos Collado, José Antonio A1 - Bienert, M. A1 - Gugin, Nikita A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Maiwald, Michael T1 - A database to select affordable MOFs for volumetric hydrogen cryoadsorption considering the cost of their linkers N2 - Physical adsorption at cryogenic temperature (cryoadsorption) is a reversible mechanism that can reduce the pressure of conventional compressed gas storage systems. Metal–organic framework (MOF) materials are remarkable candidates due to the combination of high specific surface area and density which, in some cases, provide a high volumetric storage capacity. However, such extensive use of MOFs for this application requires the selection of affordable structures, easy to produce and made from feasible metallic and organic components. Herein, we introduce a MOF database detailing the crystallographic and porous properties of 3600 existing MOFs made from industrially relevant metals and their organic composition. The comparison of the available minimum costs of linkers allowed the creation of a database to select affordable structures with high potential for volumetric hydrogen storage by cryoadsorption, considering their composition based on individual or mixed building blocks. A user inter� face, available online, facilitates the selection of MOFs based on the properties or names of structures and linkers. KW - MOF´s PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-583619 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ma00315a VL - 4 IS - 18 SP - 4226 EP - 4237 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-58361 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Starkholm, A. A1 - Al-Sabbagh, Dominik A1 - Sarisozen, S A1 - von Reppert, A A1 - Rössle, M A1 - Ostermann, Markus A1 - Unger, E A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Kloo, L A1 - Svensson, P A1 - Lang, F A1 - Maslyanchuk, O. T1 - Green Fabrication of Sulfonium-Containing Bismuth Materials for High-Sensitivity X-Ray Detection N2 - Organic–inorganic hybrid materials based on lead and bismuth have recently been proposed as novel X- and gamma-ray detectors for medical imaging, non-destructive testing, and security, due to their high atomic numbers and facile preparation compared to traditional materials like amorphous selenium and Cd(Zn)Te. However, challenges related to device operation, excessively high dark currents, and long-term stability have delayed commercialization. Here, two novel semiconductors incorporating stable sulfonium cations are presented, [(CH3CH2)3S]6Bi8I30 and [(CH3CH2)3S]AgBiI5, synthesized via solvent-free ball milling and fabricated into dense polycrystalline pellets using cold isostatic compression, two techniques that can easily be upscaled, for X-ray detection application. The fabricated detectors exhibit exceptional sensitivities (14 100–15 190 µC Gyair−1 cm−2) and low detection limits (90 nGyair s−1 for [(CH3CH2)3S]6Bi8I30 and 78 nGyair s−1 for [(CH3CH2)3S]AgBiI5), far surpassing current commercial detectors. Notably, they maintain performance after 9 months of ambient storage. The findings highlight [(CH3CH2)3S]6Bi8I30 and [(CH3CH2)3S]AgBiI5 as scalable, cost-effective and highly stable alternatives to traditional semiconductor materials, offering great potential as X-ray detectors in medical and security applications. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - X-ray detectors PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-630306 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202418626 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-63030 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bornemann-Pfeiffer, Martin A1 - Wolf, Jakob A1 - Meyer, Klas A1 - Kern, S. A1 - Angelone, D. A1 - Leonov, A. A1 - Cronin, L. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Standardization and control of Grignard reactions in a universal chemical synthesis machine using online NMR T1 - Standardisierung und Kontrolle von Grignard-Reaktionen mittels Online-NMR in einer universellen chemischen Syntheseplattform N2 - A big problem with the chemistry literature is that it is not standardized with respect to precise operational parameters, and real time corrections are hard to make without expert knowledge. This lack of context means difficult reproducibility because many steps are ambiguous, and hence depend on tacit knowledge. Here we present the integration of online NMR into an automated chemical synthesis machine (CSM aka. “Chemputer” which is capable of small-molecule synthesis using a universal programming language) to allow automated analysis and adjustment of reactions on the fly. The system was validated and benchmarked by using Grignard reactions which were chosen due to their importance in synthesis. The system was monitored in real time using online-NMR, and spectra were measured continuously during the reactions. This shows that the synthesis being done in the Chemputer can be dynamically controlled in response to feedback optimizing the reaction conditions according to the user requirements. N2 - Ein Problem der chemischen Literatur ist die fehlende Standardisierung bezüglich genauer Bedingungen, auch Echtzeit-Korrekturen sind ohne Expertenwissen nur schwer möglich. Dieser Mangel an Details erschwert experimentelle Reproduzierbarkeit, da Schritte oft mehrdeutig sind und daher von implizitem Wissen abhängen. Hier präsentieren wir die Integration von Online-NMR Spektroskopie in eine automatisierte chemische Syntheseplattform (CSM aka. “Chemputer”, unter Verwendung einer universellen Programmiersprache zur Synthese kleiner Moleküle fähig), um eine automatisierte Analyse und Anpassung von Reaktionen im laufenden Betrieb zu ermöglichen. Das System wurde anhand von Grignard-Reaktionen, die aufgrund ihrer Bedeutung für die Synthese ausgewählt wurden, validiert und einem Härtetest unterzogen. Synthesen wurden in Echtzeit mit Online-NMR überwacht, und die Spektren wurden während der Reaktionen kontinuierlich aufgenommen und analysiert. Dies zeigt, dass der Chemputer dynamisch mittels einer Regelung kontrolliert werden kann, um die Reaktionsbedingungen entsprechend den Anforderungen des Benutzers zu optimieren. KW - Grignard reaction KW - NMR spectroscopy KW - Process analytical technology KW - Process control KW - Grignard-Reaktion KW - NMR-Spektroskopie KW - Prozessanalytik KW - Prozesskontrolle PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-531260 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202106323 SN - 1521-3773 SN - 1433-7851 N1 - Bibliografische Angaben für die deutsche Version: Angewandte Chemie 2021, Jg. 133, S. 1–7, ISSN 0044-8249, ISSN 1521-3757, https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202106323 - Bibliographic information for the German version: Angewandte Chemie 2021, vol. 133, p. 1–7, ISSN 0044-8249, ISSN 1521-3757, https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202106323 VL - 60 IS - 43 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-53126 LA - mul AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zänker, Steffen A1 - Scholz, G. A1 - Marquardt, Julien A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Structural changes in Ba-compounds of different hardness induced by high-energy ball milling – evidenced by 137Ba NMR and X-ray powder diffraction N2 - Changes in the global bulk and local structures, of three different barium compounds (BaZrO3, BaF2, and BaFCl),were induced by mechanical milling and followed using X-ray powder diffraction (PXRD), subsequent microstructure analysis, and 137Ba solid state NMR spectroscopy. Harder materials like BaZrO3 experience significantly higher structural changes upon milling than softer materials like BaF2. Moreover, soft materials with layered structures, like BaFCl, show a pronounced structural change during the milling process. By combining PXRD and solid state NMR, detailed information on the changes to the global and local structures were obtained, which are of interest for mechanochemical synthesis, mechanically treated catalysts or ionic conductors. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - X-ray diffraction KW - Solid state NMR PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-547397 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/zaac.202200026 SN - 0044-2313 VL - 648 IS - 10 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-54739 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gugin, Nikita A1 - Yusenko, Kirill A1 - King, Andrew A1 - Meyer, Klas A1 - Al-Sabbagh, Dominik A1 - Villajos Collado, José Antonio A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Lighting up industrial mechanochemistry: Real-time in situ monitoring of reactive extrusion using energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction N2 - Mechanochemistry is an environmentally friendly synthetic approach that enables the sustainable production of a wide range of chemicals while reducing or eliminating the need for solvents. Reactive extrusion aims to move mechanochemistry from its conventional gram-scale batch reactions, typically performed in laboratory ball mills, to a continuous, large-scale process. Meeting this challenge requires in situ monitoring techniques to gain insights into reactive extrusion and its underlying processes. While the effectiveness of in situ Raman spectroscopy in providing molecular-level information has been demonstrated, our study uses energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction to monitor reactive extrusion in real time at the crystalline level. Our results provide previously unavailable control over the reactive extrusion process, promoting its perception as an industrially feasible green alternative to traditional solvent-based syntheses. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Reactive extrusion KW - Green chemistry KW - In situ studies KW - Time-resolved in situ KW - TRIS KW - Synchrotron radiation KW - Scalable synthesis KW - Solid-state reactions KW - Reaction mechanisms PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-613969 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2024.07.033 VL - 10 IS - 11 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-61396 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yesilcicek, Yasemin A1 - Haas, S. A1 - Suárez Ocano, Patricia A1 - Zaiser, E. A1 - Hesse, René A1 - Többens, D. M. A1 - Glatzel, U. A1 - Manzoni, Anna Maria T1 - Controlling Lattice Misfit and Creep Rate Through the γ' Cube Shapes in the Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 Compositionally Complex Alloy with Hf and W Additions N2 - Trace elements play an important role in the fine-tuning of complex material properties. This study focuses on the correlation of microstructure, lattice misfit and creep properties. The compositionally complex alloy Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 (in at. %) was tuned with high melting trace elements Hf and W. The microstructure consists of a γ matrix, γ' precipitates and the Heusler phase and it is accompanied by good mechanical properties for high temperature applications. The addition of 0.5 at.% Hf to the Al10Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6 alloy resulted in more sharp-edged cubic γ′ precipitates and an increase in the Heusler phase amount. The addition of 1 at.% W led to more rounded γ′ precipitates and the dissolution of the Heusler phase. The shapes of the γ' precipitates of the alloys Al9.25Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6Hf0.25W0.5 and Al9.25Co25Cr8Fe15Ni36Ti6Hf0.5W0.25, that are the alloys of interest in this paper, create a transition from the well-rounded precipitates in the alloy with 1% W containing alloy to the sharp angular particles in the alloy with 0.5% Hf. While the lattice misfit has a direct correlation to the γ' precipitates shape, the creep rate is also related to the amount of the Heusler phase. The lattice misfit increases with decreasing corner radius of the γ' precipitates. So does the creep rate, but it also increases with the amount of Heusler phase. The microstructures were investigated by SEM and TEM, the lattice misfit was calculated from the lattice parameters obtained by synchrotron radiation measurements. KW - High entropy alloy KW - Lattice misfit KW - Creep KW - Transmission electron microscopy KW - X-ray diffraction PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-565655 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s44210-022-00009-1 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-56565 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mohring, Wencke A1 - Karafiludis, Stephanos A1 - Manzoni, Anna Maria A1 - Laplanche, G. A1 - Schneider, M. A1 - Stephan-Scherb, Christiane T1 - High-Temperature Corrosion of High- and Medium-Entropy Alloys CrMnFeCoNi and CrCoNi Exposed to a Multi-Oxidant Atmosphere H2O–O2–SO2 N2 - AbstractThe high-temperature corrosion behaviors of the equimolar CrCoNi medium-entropy alloy and CrMnFeCoNi high-entropy alloy were studied in a gas atmosphere consisting of a volumetric mixture of 10% H2O, 2% O2, 0.5% SO2, and 87.5% Ar at 800 °C for up to 96 h. Both alloys were initially single-phase fcc with a mean grain size of ~ 50 μm and a homogeneous chemical composition. The oxide layer thickness of CrMnFeCoNi increased linearly with exposure time while it remained constant at ~ 1 μm for CrCoNi. A Cr2O3 layer and minor amounts of (Co,Ni)Cr2O4 developed on the latter while three oxide layers were detected on the former, i.e., a thin and continuous chromium rich oxide layer at the oxide/alloy interface, a dense (Mn,Cr)3O4 layer in the center and a thick and porous layer of Mn3O4 and MnSO4 at the gas/oxide interface. Additionally, a few metal sulfides were observed in the CrMnFeCoNi matrix. These results were found to be in reasonable agreement with thermodynamic calculations. KW - high entropy alloys KW - corrosion KW - oxidation KW - scanning electron microscopy KW - sulfidation KW - CrMnFeCoNi PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-594189 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s44210-023-00026-8 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-59418 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sun, Yijuan A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia A1 - Valderrey, Virginia A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Rurack, Knut T1 - Ratiometric Molecularly Imprinted Particle Probes for Reliable Fluorescence Signaling of Carboxylate-Containing Molecules N2 - In addition to sensitivity, selectivity, and portability, chemical sensing systems must generate reliable signals and offer modular configurability to address various small molecule targets, particularly in environmental applications. We present a versatile, modular strategy utilizing ratiometric molecularly imprinted particle probes based on BODIPY indicators and dyes for recognition and internal referencing. Our approach employs polystyrene core particles doped with a red fluorescent BODIPY as an internal standard, providing built-in reference for environmental influences. A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) recognition shell, incorporating a green-fluorescent BODIPY indicator monomer with a thiourea binding site for carboxylate containing analytes, is grafted from the core particles in the presence of the analyte as the template. The dual-fluorescent MIP probe detects fexofenadine as the model analyte with a change in green emission signal referenced against a stable red signal, achieving a detection limit of 0.13 μM and a broad dynamic range from 0.16 μM to 1.2 mM, with good discrimination against other antibiotics in acetonitrile. By selecting a versatile dye scaffold and recognition element, this approach can be extended to other carboxylate-containing analytes and/or wavelength combinations, potentially serving as a robust multiplexing platform. KW - Core-shell particles KW - Molecular imprinting KW - Pharmaceutical contaminants KW - Self-referenced measurements KW - Fluorescence PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-609385 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c09990 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) AN - OPUS4-60938 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Boldyreva, E. A1 - Belenguer, A. M. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Boldyrev, V. V. T1 - Tribochemistry, mechanical alloying, mechanochemistry: what is in a name? N2 - Over the decades, the application of mechanical force to influence chemical reactions has been called by various names: mechanochemistry, tribochemistry, mechanical alloying, to name but a few. The evolution of these terms has largely mirrored the understanding of the field. But what is meant by these terms, why have they evolved, and does it really matter how a process is called? Which parameters should be defined to describe unambiguously the experimental conditions such that others can reproduce the results, or to allow a meaningful comparison between processes explored under different conditions? Can the information on the process be encoded in a clear, concise, and self-explanatory way? We address these questions in this Opinion contribution, which we hope will spark timely and constructive discussion across the international mechanochemistry community. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Tribochemistry KW - Mechanical alloying KW - Tribology KW - Mechanical activation KW - Nomenclature KW - Mechanochemical pictographs PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-523291 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.685789 SN - 2296-2646 VL - 9 SP - 1 EP - 29 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne AN - OPUS4-52329 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feiler, Torvid A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Schröder, V. A1 - List-Kratochvil, E. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Mechanochemical Syntheses of Isostructural Luminescent Cocrystals of 9-Anthracenecarboxylic Acid with two Dipyridines Coformers N2 - Tuning and controlling the solid-state photophysical properties of organic luminophore are very important to develop next-generation organic luminescent materials. With the aim of discovering new functional luminescent materials, new cocrystals of 9-anthracene carboxylic acid (ACA) were prepared with two different dipyridine coformers: 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane. The cocrystals were successfully obtained by both mechanochemical approaches and conventional solvent crystallization. The newly obtained crystalline solids were characterized thoroughly using a combination of single crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. Structural analysis revealed that the cocrystals are isostructural, exhibiting two-fold interpenetrated hydrogen bonded networks. While the O–H···N hydrogen bonds adopts a primary role in the stabilization of the cocrystal phases, the C–H···O hydrogen bonding interactions appear to play a significant role in guiding the three-dimensional assembly. Both π···π and C–H···π interactions assist in stabilizing the interpenetrated structure. The photoluminescence properties of both the starting materials and cocrystals were examined in their solid states. All the cocrystals display tunable photophysical properties as compared to pure ACA. Density functional theory simulations suggest that the modified optical properties result from charge transfers between the ACA and coformer molecules in each case. This study demonstrates the potential of crystal engineering to design solid-state luminescence switching materials through cocrystallization. KW - Cocrystal KW - Mechanochemical synthesis KW - Luminescence KW - X-ray diffraction KW - DFT calculation PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-518226 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10100889 VL - 10 IS - 10 SP - 889 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-51822 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kervarec, M.-C. A1 - Kemnitz, E. A1 - Scholz, G. A1 - Rudic, S. A1 - Jäger, Christian A1 - Braun, T. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - A HF Loaded Lewis-Acidic Aluminium Chlorofluoride for Hydrofluorination Reactions N2 - The very strong Lewis acid aluminium chlorofluo-ride (ACF) was loaded with anhydrous HF. The interactionbetween the surface of the catalyst and HF was investigatedusing a variety of characterization methods, which revealed he formation of polyfluorides. Moreover, the reactivity ofthe HF-loaded ACF towards the hydrofluorination of alkyneswas studied. KW - Aluminium KW - HF KW - Hydrofluorination KW - Metal fluorides PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-508360 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202001627 VL - 26 SP - 1 PB - Wiley Online Libary AN - OPUS4-50836 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tantardini, C. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Samtsevich, A. A1 - Rota, C. A1 - Kvashnin, A. G. T1 - The Volumetric Source Function: Looking Inside van der Waals Interactions N2 - The study of van der Waals interactions plays a central role in the understanding of bonding across a range of biological, chemical and physical phenomena. The presence of van der Waals interactions can be identified through analysis of the reduced density gradient, a fundamental parameter at the core of Density Functional Theory. An extension of Bader’s Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules is developed here through combination with the analysis of the reduced density gradient. Through this development, a new quantum chemical topological tool is presented: the volumetric source function. This technique allows insight into the atomic composition of van der Waals interactions, offering the first route towards applying the highly successful source function to these disperse interactions. A new algorithm has been implemented in the open-source code, CRITIC2, and tested on acetone, adipic and maleic acids molecular crystals, each stabilized by van der Waals interactions. This novel technique for studying van der Waals interactions at an atomic level offers unprecedented opportunities in the fundamental study of intermolecular interactions and molecular design for crystal engineering, drug design and bio-macromolecular processes. KW - Noncovalent interactions PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-507911 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-64261-4 VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 7816 AN - OPUS4-50791 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fahmy, A. A1 - Anis, B. A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Graphene Oxide/Polyvinyl Alcohol–Formaldehyde Composite Loaded by Pb Ions: Structure and Electrochemical Performance N2 - An immobilization of graphene oxide (GO) into a matrix of polyvinyl formaldehyde (PVF) foam as an eco-friendly, low cost, superior, and easily recovered sorbent of Pb ions from an aqueous solution is described. The relationships between the structure and electrochemical properties of PVF/GO composite with implanted Pb ions are discussed for the first time. The number of alcohol groups decreased by 41% and 63% for PVF/GO and the PVF/GO/Pb composite, respectively, compared to pure PVF. This means that chemical bonds are formed between the Pb ions and the PVF/GO composite based on the OH groups. This bond formation causes an increase in the Tg values attributed to the formation of a strong surface complexation between adjacent layers of PVF/GO composite. The conductivity increases by about 2.8 orders of magnitude compared to the values of the PVF/GO/Pb composite compared to the PVF. This means the presence of Pb ions is the main factor for enhancing the conductivity where the conduction mechanism is changed from ionic for PVF to electronic conduction for PVF/GO and PVF/GO/Pb. KW - Graphene oxide KW - Polyvinyl formaldehyde KW - Lead ions KW - Conductivity PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-549588 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14112303 SN - 2073-4360 VL - 14 IS - 11 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-54958 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Goedecke, Caroline A1 - Bannick, C.-G. A1 - Abusafia, A. A1 - Scheid, C. A1 - Steinmetz, H. A1 - Paul, Andrea A1 - Beleites, C. A1 - Braun, U. T1 - Identification of microplastic pathways within a typical European urban wastewater system N2 - In recent years, thermoextraction/desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TED-GC/MS) has been developed as a rapid detection method for the determination of microplastics (MP) mass contents in numerous environmentally relevant matrices and, in particular, for the measurement of polymers in water samples without time-consuming sample preparation. The TED-GC/MS method was applied to investigate a typical European municipal wastewater system for possible MP masses. Such investigations are important in view of the recent revision of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. Four different representative sampling sites were selected: greywater (domestic wastewater without toilet), combined sewer, and influent and effluent of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). All samples were collected by fractional filtration. Filtration was carried out over mesh sizes of 500, 100, 50, and in some cases, 5 µm. Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) were detected in all samples, with the PE fraction dominating in all cases. Styrene-butadiene rubber which serves as an indication of tire abrasion, was only found in the influent of the WWTP. The highest MP mass contents were found in the combined sewer, so MP can become a source of pollution during heavy rain events when the capacity limits of the effluent are reached, and the polluted effluent is released uncontrolled into the environment. Based on the studies, MP retention from the WWTP could be estimated to be approximately 96%. Few trends in polymer type or mass contents were detected within the different fractions of the samples or when comparing samples to each other. KW - Microplastics KW - Microplastic analysis KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Microplastic pathways KW - Mass contents PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-568289 DO - https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1002/appl.202200078 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-56828 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Abusafia, A. A1 - Scheid, C. A1 - Meurer, Maren A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Dittmer, U. A1 - Steinmetz, H. T1 - Microplastic sampling strategies in urban drainage systems for quantification of urban emissions based on transport pathways N2 - Tracking waterborne microplastic (MP) in urban areas is a challenging task because of the various sources and transport pathways involved. Since MP occurs in low concentrations in most wastewater and stormwater streams, large sample volumes need to be captured, prepared, and carefully analyzed. The recent research in urban areas focused mainly on MP emissions at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), as obvious entry points into receiving waters. However, important transport pathways under wet-weather conditions are yet not been investigated thoroughly. In addition, the lack of comprehensive and comparable sampling strategies complicated the attempts for a deeper understanding of occurrence and sources. The goal of this paper is to (i) introduce and describe sampling strategies for MP at different locations in a municipal catchment area under dry and wet-weather conditions, (ii) quantify MP emissions from the entire catchment and two other smaller ones within the bigger catchment, and (iii) compare the emissions under dry and wet-weather conditions. WWTP has a high removal rate of MP (>96%), with an estimated emission rate of 189 kg/a or 0.94 g/[population equivalents (PEQ · a)], and polyethylene (PE) as the most abundant MP. The specific dry-weather emissions at a subcatchment were ≈30 g/(PEQ · a) higher than in the influent of WWTP with 23 g/(PEQ · a). Specific wet-weather emissions from large sub-catchment with higher traffic and population densities were 1952 g/(ha · a) higher than the emissions from smaller catchment (796 g/[ha · a]) with less population and traffic. The results suggest that wet-weather transport pathways are likely responsible for 2–4 times more MP emissions into receiving waters compared to dry-weather ones due to tire abrasion entered from streets through gullies. However, more investigations of wet-weather MP need to be carried out considering additional catchment attributes and storm event characteristics. KW - Combined sewer system KW - Large volume samplers KW - Microplastic pollution KW - Separate sewer system KW - Stormwater retention tank PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-568271 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/appl.202200056 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-56827 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Richter, S. A1 - Horstmann, J. A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Braun, U. A1 - Hagendorf, C. T1 - A reference methodology for microplastic particle size distribution analysis: Sampling, filtration, and detection by optical microscopy and image processing N2 - Microplastic (MP) contamination in natural water circulation is a concern for environmental issues and human health. Various types of polymer materials have been identified and were detected in MP analytic test procedures. Beyond MP polymer type, particle size and form play a major role in water analysis due to possible negative toxicologic effects on flora and fauna. However, the correct quantitative measurement of MP size distribution over several orders of magnitude is strongly influenced by sample preparation, filtration materials and processes, and microanalytical techniques, as well as data acquisition and analysis. In this paper, a reference methodology is presented aiming at an improved quantitative analysis of MP particles. An MP analysis workflow is demonstrated including all steps from reference materials to sample preparation, filtration handling, and MP particle size distribution analysis. Background-corrected particle size distributions (1–1000 µm) have been determined for defined polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) reference samples. Microscopically measured particle numbers and errors have been cross-checked with the total initial mass. In particular, defined reference MP samples (PE, PET) are initially characterized and applied to filtration experiments. Optical microscopy imaging on full-area Si filters with subsequent image analysis algorithms is used for statistical particle size distribution analysis. To quantify the effects of handling and filtration, several blind tests with distilled water are carried out to determine the particle background for data evaluation. Particle size distributions of PE and PET reference samples are qualitatively and quantitatively reproduced with respect to symmetry, and maximum and cut-off diameter of the distribution. It is shown that especially MP particles with a radius of >50 µm can be detected and retrieved with high reliability. For particle sizes <50 µm, a significant interference with background contamination is observed. Data from blank samples allows a correction of background contaminations. Furthermore, for enhanced sampling statistics, the recovery of the initial amount of MP will be qualitatively shown. The results are intended as an initial benchmark for MP analytics quality. This quality is based on statistical MP particle distributions and covers the complete analytic workflow starting from sample preparation to filtration and detection. Microscopic particle analysis provides an important supplement for the evaluation of established spectroscopic methods such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy or Raman spectroscopy. KW - Drinking water KW - Filtration KW - Microplastics detection KW - Quality control KW - Statistical particle distribution PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-567625 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/appl.202200055 SN - 2702-4288 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-56762 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wiesner, Yosri A1 - Bednarz, Marius A1 - Braun, Ulrike A1 - Bannick, Claus Gerhard A1 - Ricking, Mathias A1 - Altmann, Korinna T1 - A promising approach to monitor microplastic masses in composts N2 - Inputs of plastic impurities into the environment via the application of fertilizers are regulated in Germany and the EU by means of ordinances. Robust and fast analytical methods are the basis of legal regulations. Currently, only macro- and large microplastic contents (>1 mm) are measured. Microplastics (1–1,000 µm), are not yet monitored. Thermal analytical methods are suitable for this purpose, which can determine the mass content and can also be operated fully automatically in routine mode. Thermal extraction desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TED-GC/MS) allows the identification of polymers and the determination of mass contents in solid samples from natural environments. In accordance with the German or European Commission (EC) Fertiliser Ordinance, composting plants should be monitored for microplastic particles with this method in the future. In this context a compost plant was sampled. At the end of the rotting process, the compost was sieved and separated in a coarse (>1 mm) and a fine fraction (<1 mm). The fine fraction was processed using density separation comparing NaCl and NaI as possible salt alternative and screened for microplastic masses by TED-GC/MS with additional validation and quality assurance experiments. With TED-GC/MS total microplastics mass contents of 1.1–3.0 μg/mg in finished compost could be detected with polyethylene mainly. What differs much to the total mass of plastics in the coarse fraction with up to 60 μg/mg, which were visually searched, identified via ATR-FTIR and gravimetrically weighted. KW - Microplastics KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Compost KW - Monitoring KW - Soil PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-586688 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvc.2023.1281558 SN - 2673-4486 VL - 4 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne AN - OPUS4-58668 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -