TY - JOUR A1 - Chemello, Giovanni A1 - Knigge, Xenia A1 - Ciornii, Dmitri A1 - Reed, B.P. A1 - Pollard, A.J. A1 - Clifford, C.A. A1 - Howe, T. A1 - Vyas, N. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Radnik, Jörg T1 - Influence of the Morphology on the Functionalization of Graphene Nanoplatelets Analyzed by Comparative Photoelectron Spectroscopy with Soft and Hard X-Rays N2 - Since its isolation, graphene has received growing attention from academia and industry due to its unique properties. However, the “what is my material” barrier hinders further commercialization. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is considered as a method of choice for the determination of the elemental and chemical composition. In this work the influence of the morphology of graphene particles on the XPS results is studied and investigated as a function of X-ray energy, using conventional XPS with Al K𝜶 radiation and hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES) using Cr K𝜶 radiation. Thereby, the information depth is varied between 10 and 30 nm. For this purpose, two commercial powders containing graphene nanoplatelets with lateral dimensions of either ≈100 nm or in the micrometer range are compared. These larger ones exist as stack of graphene layers which is inspected with scanning electron microscopy. Both kinds of particles are then functionalized with either oxygen or fluorine. The size of the graphene particles is found to influence the degree of functionalization. Only the combination of XPS and HAXPES allows to detect the functionalization at the outermost surface of the particles or even of the stacks and to provide new insights into the functionalization process. KW - Functionalized graphene KW - Hard-energy X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy KW - X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-578860 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202300116 SN - 2196-7350 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley VCH AN - OPUS4-57886 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mielke, Johannes A1 - Dohányosová, P. A1 - Lopez, S. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Electrospray deposition of nanoparticles on TEM grids N2 - The authors have tested the prototype of an electrospray deposition system developed by the company RAMEM under its trademark IONER. To test the prototype and assess its performance, several materials have been sprayed onto TEM grids and the resulting particle distributions were compared to more traditional sample preparation strategies like the “drop on grid” method. Operation parameters such as the sample flow-rate, capillary – substrate distance, electric field strength and sampling period length have been optimized. It was found that the particles deposited by electrospray generally show a much more homogeneous spatial distribution on the substrate and a substantial increase of the number of single particles, which are much better suited to an automatic image evaluation procedure than the agglomerated particles observed otherwise. The applicability of the technique to a broad range of materials is demonstrated by various examples, but also the influence of the substrate, the choice of the particular TEM grid, on the obtained spatial particle distribution is assessed. KW - Electrspray deposition KW - Electron microscopy KW - Nanoparticles KW - Sample preparation PY - 2016 UR - https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/microscopy-and-microanalysis/article/electrospray-deposition-of-nanoparticles-on-tem-grids/459E634B7F74D474A19E15E69DA82E5D DO - https://doi.org/10.1017/S1431927616010072 SN - 1431-9276 SN - 1435-8115 VL - 22 IS - Suppl 3 SP - 1846 EP - 1847 PB - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-38436 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Characterization of Porous, TiO2 Nanoparticle Films Using On-Axis TKD in SEM – a New Nano-Analysis Tool for a Large-Scale Application N2 - A combined methodical approach is tested with respect to the characterization of the inner structure of porous TiO2 layers as typically used in modern dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Their performance is directly linked to the surface area of the pore network. The micrometer thick layer employed was manufactured by screen-printing of a starting TiO2 powder constituted of shape-controlled, bipyramidal anatase nanoparticles on FTO/glass substrates. The analytical methods exploited in our study are Focused Ion Beam (FIB) slicing followed by 3D reconstruction as well as the new approach transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) technology in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Size and shape distribution of the TiO2 NPs within the layer can be extracted. SEM in transmission mode and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used to verify the dimensional data obtained by the new combined methodical approach. Its analytical benefits but also the challenges and limitations are highlighted. T2 - Microscopy & Microanalysis 2017 Meeting CY - St. Louis, MO, USA DA - 06.08.2017 KW - Porous layers KW - TiO2 KW - Nanoparticles KW - Size and shape distribution KW - TKD KW - SEM PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-41660 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - EMPIR nPSize - Improved Traceability Chain of Nanoparticle Size Measurement; What nPSize can offer to CEN/TC 352? N2 - The main outcomes of the EMPIR project nPSize are presented and the suitability of the new capabilities (e.g. reference materials, measurement procedures, inter-laboratory comparisons) as pertinent contributions to normative projects within CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies are discussed. E.g. the first technical report of nPSize on full algorithm sequences for nanoparticle detection and size measurement as developed on both a physical basis (SEM, TSEM, AFM and SAXS) and by machine learning is put at disposal. T2 - 29th Meeting of CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies CY - Online meeting DA - 25.03.2021 KW - Nanoparticles KW - Electron microscopy KW - CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies KW - Particle size distribution KW - Modelling KW - Machine learning PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-52464 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - NanoDefine – a brief overview N2 - The large European nanometrology Project NanoDefine is presented briefly with respect to the challenges of measurement of particle size distribution for complex nanoparticulate materials. The methods chosen for a tiered approach for the classification of a nanomaterial are discussed with regard to their peformance. Representative resuls on real life, complex shaped nanoparticulate materials are shown. The recently initiated VAMAS inter-laboratory comparisons to determine the reproducibility necessary for international standardisation have been also presented. T2 - Metrology Study Group of ISO/TC 229 Nanotechnologies /JWG2 'Measurement and Characterization' CY - Tokyo, Japan DA - 31.05.2017 KW - EU definition of a nanomaterial KW - Nanomaterial classification KW - Nanoparticles KW - Nanoparticle size distribution KW - VAMAS inter-laboratory comparison KW - Particle sizing techniques PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-40475 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Hansen, B. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Analysis of a certified copper alloy with Micro-XRF on SEM N2 - Copper alloys have found widespread application in various fields. The elemental composition determines the properties of the alloys and consequently their application. Therefore, knowing the composition of a copper alloy is very important. Metrological institutes like the BAM (German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing) offer reference materials that can be used to prove the accuracy of the applied analysis method. The aim of this application note is to demonstrate how Micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (Micro-XRF) expediently supplements the analysis of copper alloys by using Bruker’s micro-focus X-ray source XTrace attached to a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and operating with an energy dispersive spectrometer. KW - XRF KW - µ-XRF KW - SEM/EDX KW - Copper alloy PY - 2018 UR - https://www.bruker.com/fileadmin/user_upload/8-PDF-Docs/X-rayDiffraction_ElementalAnalysis/Microanalysis_EBSD/LabReports/App_mxrf_sem_03_analysis_Cu_alloy_lores.pdf SP - 1 EP - 4 PB - Bruker Nano GmbH CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-44677 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Terborg, R. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Analysis of the elemental composition and thickness of a Fe-Ni film on Si using Bruker ESPRIT and SAMx STRATAGem N2 - Quantitative analysis of a bulk sample requires that the composition of the sample is homogeneous over the analyzed volume. For inhomogenous samples the calculation of the matrix effects is not correct and this can lead to wrong results in the element concentrations. For samples containing a layer structure a different quantitative evaluation has to be applied. This can be provided with the standard-based analysis in ESPRIT in combination with the STRATAGem software. KW - Thin film analysis KW - SEM/EDX KW - EPMA KW - k-values PY - 2018 UR - https://www.bruker.com/products/x-ray-diffraction-and-elemental-analysis/eds-wds-ebsd-sem-micro-xrf-and-sem-micro-ct/quantax-eds-for-sem/applications/layer-analysis.html SP - 1 EP - 4 CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-44594 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Controlled electrospray deposition of nanoparticles for improved analysis by electron microscopy N2 - Of many experimental techniques for measuring particle sizes and size distributions, electron microscopy (EM) is considered as the gold standard, especially in the nano range (1–100 nm). Furthermore, high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) in conjunction with EM can be applied to individual NPs. Preparation of an EM sample for generic particulate materials is a difficult task. Usually, the particles in a suspension are deposited on a support. However, this procedure includes the drying of larger solvent amounts on the substrate itself, and this can affect the spatial distribution of the deposited particles. One possibility to overcome this is the use of an electrospray system, where the suspension of particles is sprayed onto the substrate in charged droplets that are so small that they either dry off on the substrate immediately without affecting the position of particles, or even already during their flight time to the substrate. Additionally, the charging of particles minimizes agglomeration and aggregation, maximizing the collection of the EM grids. The prototype of an electrospray deposition system from RAMEM under its trademark IONER (www.ioner.eu) was tested. Electrospray is theoretically described since a long time, but no dedicated commercial instruments are available for the preparation of TEM grids yet, apart from electrostatic deposition of aerosols. Several materials have been sprayed onto TEM grids and the resulting particle distributions were evaluated. Operation parameters such as the sample flow-rate, capillary – substrate distance, electric field strength and sampling period length have been optimized. It was found that the particles deposited by electrospray generally show a much more homogeneous spatial distribution on the substrate and a substantial increase of the number of single particles (suited to automatic analysis). The project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 604347. T2 - NanoWorkshop 2018 (Workshop on reference nanomaterials, current situation and needs: development, measurement, standardization) CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 14.05.2018 KW - Nanoparticles KW - Electrospray KW - Electron microscopy PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-44994 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Thin film analysis by SEM/EDX (EPMA) N2 - A short overview of thin film analysis by SEM/EDX is presented. Relevant steps such as optimization of instrumnetal parameters, extraction of net peak areas, use of standards, calculation of k-values and quantification with the dedicated thin film analysis software (Stratagem) are explained. Examples of different layered aystems are given together with validation of the results. T2 - Seminar Max-Planck-Institut fur Mikrostrukturphysik, Department Nano-Systems from ions, spins and electrons CY - Halle (an der Saale), Germany DA - 23.02.2017 KW - Thin film analysis KW - SEM/EDX KW - EPMA KW - k-values PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-39235 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - Overview on the most advanced and suitable NanoDefine measurement methods N2 - The EC Recommendation on the definition of nanomaterial, based solely on size of the constituent particles, foresees development of harmonised measurement methods ensuring ‘consistent results across materials and over time’. The EU/FP7 research project NanoDefine has been exclusively dedicated to support the implementation of this EC Recommendation for the European Union’s legislation. For the first time, measurement techniques able to determine the size of nanoparticles have been evaluated systematically on a well-defined set of quality control materials (spherical, monodisperse) as well as industrial materials of complex shapes and considerable polydispersity. Particularly based on the analytical performance of the measurement techniques as tested on the challenging real-world particulate materials, it was possible to formulate recommendations for use of a new tiered approach consisting of screening and confirmatory techniques. Thus, a consistent framework of guidance for nanomaterial identification according to the EC Definition has been issued in form of the NanoDefiner e-tool, with a transparent decision flow scheme and an extensive user manual. Selected examples of analysis and classification as nano-/non-nanomaterials will be given, highlighting the limits of applicability of the available measurement techniques in dependence on sample properties. On some recent relevant developments in sample preparation – as a crucial part for an accurate analysis - will be also reported. T2 - VCI-NanoDefine Follow-up Meeting CY - VCI, Frankfurt am Main, Germany DA - 25.09.2018 KW - Nanoparticles KW - Nanomaterial KW - EC definition of nanomaterial KW - Nanoparticle size distribution PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-46251 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -