TY - JOUR A1 - El-Dahshan, O. A1 - Deniaud, A. A1 - Ling, W. L. A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Proux, O. A1 - Veronesi, G. A1 - Reiss, P. T1 - Hydrothermal microwave synthesis of water soluble NIR-II emitting Ag2S quantum dots N2 - Hydrothermal-based synthetic methods of quantum dots allow for the exploration of reaction parameters normally inaccessible to typical aqueous-based batch reactions, such as elevated reaction temperatures (>100 °C) and reaction pressures above atmospheric pressure. Coupled with microwave heating, new instantaneously bio-compatible quantum dots (QDs) with enhanced opitcal properties can be yielded. As of today, aqueous-based synthetic methods often lag behind their organic analogues in terms of the photophysical properties of the QDs obtained and the ease of modulation of both the emission wavelength and crystallite size. Using a novel microwave-assisted hydrothermal approach, the synthesis of silver sulphide (Ag2S) QDs exhibiting NIR emission spanning the biological transparency windows via modulation of the reaction parameters has been developed. The intrinsic link between their optical and structural properties is explored via laboratory and synchrotron-based structural analysis techniques. Their toxicity towards a hepatic cell line was assessed, and related back to their structure and size. Overall this work aims to not only further develop the repertoire of synthetic methods for the synthesis of Ag2S QDs, but also paves the way for the development of safer QDs suitable for future clinical applications. KW - Quantum dots KW - Microwave synthesis KW - Quality assurance KW - NIR-II emission KW - PL quantum yield KW - Ag2S PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-634825 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d5nr00052a SN - 2040-3372 VL - 17 IS - 24 SP - 14637 EP - 14646 PB - RSC AN - OPUS4-63482 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Campbell, C. G. A1 - Jordon Astorga, D. A1 - Dümichen, Erik A1 - Celina, M. T1 - Thermoset materials characterization by thermal desorption or pyrolysis based gas chromatography-mass spectrometry methods N2 - Thermoset materials characterization is often limited to solid state analytical techniques such as IR, NMR, DSC, TGA and mechanical testing. Alternatively, their off-gassing behavior can also be evaluated using GC based techniques such as TD-GC-MS, allowing this method to be applied to thermoset materials analyses such as identification, aging characterization, and formulation optimization. As an overview, common thermoset materials were evaluated by analyzing their gaseous degradation products via TGA-based pyrolysis and subsequent TD-GC-MS for the identification of representative volatile signatures. It is thereby possible to distinguish different classes of phenolic materials or cured epoxy resins, as well as their amine or anhydride curatives. Additionally, this method enabled quantification of a volatile fragment (bisphenol A, BPA) which is associated with oxidation of epoxy/amine thermoset materials. The amount of evolved BPA increased linearly with aging time and this trend exhibits linear Arrhenius behavior over the temperature range (80–125 °C) studied, in agreement with oxidation sensitivies based on oxygen consumption data. Further, TD-GC-MS was used to explore how off-gassing of residual anhydride curative from an epoxy/anhydride material depends on formulation stoichiometry. Even in formulations that theoretically contained enough epoxy to consume all anhydride (1:1 stoichiometry), an imperfect final cure state resulted in residual anhydride which could evolve from the material. For such materials, a slightly epoxy-rich formulation is required to ensure that the material contains no residual unreacted anhydride. Analysis of volatiles generated by thermal exposure is an attractive characterization approach enabling compositional analysis as well as complementary diagnostics for materials degradation. KW - Polymer analysis/characterization KW - Thermal desorption mass spectrometry KW - Thermoset composition KW - Volatiles from thermosets KW - Degradation signatures PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2019.109032 VL - 174 SP - 109032 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-50435 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Cano Murillo, Natalia A1 - Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani, Media A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Cover image for the article "Nanomechanical study of polycarbonate/boehmite nanoparticles/epoxy ternary composite and their interphases" N2 - The image designed by Natalia Cano Murillo and colleagues shows the cross section of a ternary composite (boehmite/polycarbonate/epoxy, 80μm x 80μm). The surface was measured by AFM kelvin probe microscopy, yielding the surface potential which is shown as 3D‐surface and contour lines. The sample was further subjected to AFM force spectroscopy with a lateral resolution of 1μm², yielding the local Young's modulus, projected in false colors on the 3D surface. The ternary system, containing boehmite nanoparticles, shows a broad distribution of modulus, desirable for optimized macroscopic mechanical properties, such as high stiffness as well as toughness. KW - Boehmite KW - Epoxy KW - Polycarbonate KW - AFM KW - BNP PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/app.50400 SN - 0021-8995 SN - 1097-4628 VL - 138 IS - 12 SP - 1 PB - Wiley CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-51831 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Nakadi, Flavio V. T1 - Single-event analysis of discrete entities using microwave-induced nitrogen plasma–mass spectrometry N2 - ICP-MS has become a standard for (ultra)trace elemental analysis due to its excellent sensitivity and multi-element capabilities. However, its widespread use is hampered by spectral interferences—especially in the low mass range (<81 amu)—primarily arising from Ar-based polyatomic ions, such as ArO+ and Ar2+, which compromise the accurate quantification of key elements like Fe and Se.1 Over the years, improvements such as collision/reaction cells and sector-field configurations have helped mitigate these interferences, albeit often at the cost of instrument complexity and increased operational burden.The microwave-induced nitrogen plasma (MINP) source, sustained by microwaves at atmospheric pressure and using nitrogen as the plasma gas, offers a fundamentally different plasma environment. Nitrogen is not only more economical (40-60%) and readily available than Ar, but also avoids the generation of problematic Ar-based interferences. While MINP had been previously applied in optical emission and bulk mass spectrometry,2 its implementation in single-event detection had not yet been demonstrated. This study pioneers the application of MINP-MS in single-event mode for real-time, high-throughput characterization of NPs, cells, and MPs. The evaluation began with Fe2O3 NPs monitoring the 56Fe nuclide, with a limit of detection of 8.6 ag for Fe, equivalent to a particle size threshold of 19 nm—surpassing the detection capabilities of quadrupole-based ICP-MS systems. Size distribution results obtained by SP-MINP-MS for Fe2O3 NPs (20–70 nm) matched closely with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), confirming the method’s accuracy. For Se, despite its high ionization energy, metallic SeNPs (150 and 250 nm) were reliably quantified by monitoring 80Se. A calibration curve constructed using SeNP standards yielded excellent linearity (R2 = 0.9994). This approach was further extended to single-cell analysis, using Se-enriched yeast (SELM-1 CRM) as a model. A transport efficiency-independent calibration strategy was employed, relying on SeNPs to determine Se content per cell. The results showed strong agreement with data from conventional SC-ICP-MS, with average Se masses of ~65 fg per cell, validating the performance of SC-MINP-MS for biological systems. Additionally, the instrument's capability to handle large, low atomic number particles was demonstrated via the analysis of polystyrene (PS) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) MPs. These MPs (2.5–3.0 µm) were quantified by monitoring 12C+ signals and applying a calibration strategy using citric acid as a standard. The resulting size distributions closely matched nominal sizes, reinforcing the system’s robustness for micrometer-sized polymeric materials. Event durations ranging from 470 to over 900 µs were consistent with literature values for single-entity ICP-MS and correlated well with particle size. These findings establish single-event MINP-MS as a promising analytical platform for analyzing discrete entities. It provides significant advantages over conventional Ar-based ICP-MS, including reduced interferences, lower operational cost, and comparable or superior sensitivity for analytes such as Fe and Se. By avoiding the limitations of Ar-based plasmas and enabling accurate quantification across a wide range of particle types and sizes, MINP-MS in single-event mode opens new avenues for high-resolution, interference-free elemental analysis at the individual entity level. T2 - 17th Rio Symposium on Atomic Spectrometry (17th RSAS) CY - São Pedro City, Brazil DA - 09.11.2025 KW - MICAP-MS KW - Nitrogen plasma KW - Nanoparticles KW - Cells KW - Microplastic KW - Single particle KW - Single event KW - ICP-MS PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64954 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Topolniak, Ievgeniia T1 - Micropatterning of mussel-inspired materials - Empower selective functionality N2 - Surface-modification platforms that are universally applicable are vital for the development of new materials, surfaces, and nanoparticles. Mussel-inspired materials (MIMs) are widely used in various fields because of their strong adhesive properties and post-functionalization reactivity. However, conventional MIM coating techniques have limited deposition selectivity and lack structural control, which has limited their use in microdevices that require full control over deposition. To overcome these limitations, we developed a micropatterning technique for MIMs using multiphoton lithography, which does not require photomasks, stamps, or multistep procedures. This method enables the creation of MIM patterns with micrometer resolution and full design freedom and paves the way for innovative applications of MIMs in various multifunctional systems and microdevices, such as microsensors, MEMS, and microfluidics. T2 - BioCHIP Berlin - International Forum on Biochips and Microfabrication CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 28.05.2024 KW - Mussel inspired materials KW - Multiphoton lithography KW - Two photon polymerisation PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60254 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - George, Janine T1 - Robust Data Generation, Heuristics and Machine Learning for Materials Design N2 - My talk covered, among other things, robust data generation for machine learning. It showed how heuristics can be used within machine learning models and how they might also be extracted from machine learning models. Beyond this, I showed an automated pipeline for training machine learning potentials. T2 - Workshop on AI in Sustainable Materials Science CY - Düsseldorf, Germany DA - 27.01.2026 KW - Automation KW - Digitalisation KW - Materials Design KW - Thermal Conductivity KW - Chemical bonding KW - Materials Acceleration Platforms PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65427 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - George, Janine T1 - Robust Data Generation, Heuristics and Machine Learning for Materials Design N2 - My talk covered, among other things, robust data generation for machine learning. It showed how heuristics can be used within machine learning models and how they might also be extracted from machine learning models. Beyond this, I showed an automated pipeline for training machine learning potentials. T2 - Seminar Gruppe Stephan Roche CY - Barcelona, Spain DA - 22.01.2026 KW - Automation KW - Machine Learning KW - Materials Acceleration Platforms KW - Thermal Conductivity KW - Phonons KW - Bonding Analysis PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65428 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rurack, Knut T1 - Functional polymeric coatings for sensory applications N2 - The growing demand for the detection of relevant chemical compounds as close as possible to their point of origin—whether in industrial processes, for (civilian or military) security, or for environmental monitoring—has increased the importance of functional polymers with molecular recognition capabilities. These materials must meet practical requirements arising from very different real-world scenarios in which simple, robust, and field-deployable approaches are needed and in which bioanalytical binders often suffer significant performance losses. Polymer recognition matrices therefore serve as an essential complement to established laboratory-based analytical technologies. The realization of rapid and reliable onsite detection places specific demands on material design: polymeric recognition layers must be produced with minimal thickness, integrated onto suitable carrier media, and designed for both selectivity and operational robustness. This presentation will introduce our work on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) that have been specifically developed for the detection of relevant contaminants such as pesticides and perfluorinated compounds. Beyond these target analytes, the presentation will show how such polymer layers can support robust, sustainable diagnostic concepts, and it will outline generalizable design principles that enable their extension to a broad spectrum of analytical challenges. T2 - Institutskolloquium des Instituts für Chemie, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 28.01.2026 KW - Functional organic materials KW - Responsive polymers KW - Sensing KW - Molecularly imprinted polymers PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65435 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Radnik, Jörg T1 - The role of Critical Raw Materials in Advanced Materials for the Energy Transition N2 - Based on the UBA report “Advanced materials for energy transition” by Xenia Knigge and Jörg Radnik the role of critical raw materials is discussed. Critical raw materials are needed in main fields of the energy transition, like photovoltaic, fuel cells, wind energy, and batteries. For the optimisation of the use of these materials different scenarios are discussed like (i) decreasing the needed amount of raw materials, (ii) searching for alternatives, (iii) using technologies which do not require critical raw materials, (iv) increasing the recycling rates, and (v) expanding the raw material sources. T2 - IRISS policy dialogue CY - Online meeting DA - 12.01.2026 KW - Solar Cells KW - Fuel cells KW - Batteries KW - Multi-use materials PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65451 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rahner, E. A1 - Thiele, T. A1 - Voss, Heike A1 - Müller, F.A. A1 - Bonse, Jörn A1 - Gräf, S. T1 - Objective, high-throughput regularity quantification of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) N2 - The growing demand for precise surface functionalization through laser-generated periodic surface structures highlights the necessity for efficient, reproducible, and objective evaluation methods to evaluate their structural regularity. We introduce ReguΛarity (v.1.2.7), a freely available, Python-based software with a graphical user interface for the automated, quantitative assessment of the regularity of laser-induced periodic surfaces structures (LIPSS), obtained from optical microscopy, SEM, or AFM. The software integrates image segmentation, one- and two-dimensional Fourier analyses, and gradient-based orientation determination to facilitate a comprehensive regularity analysis of grating-like (quasi-)periodic surface patterns with spatial periods Λ. This is achieved through the proposed regularity tuple R, composed of five key parameters: the normalized spread of the spatial period RΛ,2D (from 2D-FT), the normalized variation of the most frequent spatial period RΛ (from 1D-FT), the Gini coefficient G, the Dispersion of the LIPSS Orientation Angle δθ (DLOA), and the mean phase deviation . To demonstrate its applicability, we compare ideal sinusoidal patterns with SEM images obtained from LIPSS on stainless steel (AISI 316L) and aluminum alloy (AlMg5) surfaces, confirming the software’s ability to objectively distinguish between varying levels of structural regularity. ReguΛarity facilitates high-throughput analysis and data-driven process optimization in surface engineering and laser materials processing. KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - Image processing KW - Regularity quantification KW - Fourier analysis KW - Structural homogeneity PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-654070 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2026.165919 SN - 0169-4332 VL - 726 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-65407 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schusterbauer, Robert A1 - Mrkwitschka, Paul A1 - Sahre, Mario A1 - Corrao, Elena A1 - Zurutuza, Amaia A1 - Doolin, Alexander A1 - Pellegrino, Francesco A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Donskyi, Ievgen S. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Correlative Chemical Imaging to Reveal the Nature of Different Commercial Graphene Materials N2 - Proper physicochemical characterization of advanced materials and complex industrial composites remains a significant challenge, particularly for nanomaterials, whose nanoscale dimensions and mostly complex chemistry challenge the analysis. In this work, we employed a correlative analytical approach that integrates atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and Raman spectroscopy. This combination enables detailed chemical and structural characterization with sub‐micrometer spatial resolution. Three commercial graphene‐based materials of varying complexity were selected and investigated to test the analytical performance of this approach. Furthermore, one of the commercial graphene oxide samples was chemically functionalized via amination and fluorination. This allowed us to assess how surface modifications influence both the material properties and the limits of the applied analytical techniques. KW - Analytical methods KW - Commercial products KW - Correlative analysis KW - Graphene KW - Surface imaging PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-654765 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202502344 SN - 2366-9608 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-65476 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -