TY - JOUR A1 - Arinchtein, A. A1 - Ye, M.-Y. A1 - Yang, Q. A1 - Kreyenschulte, C. A1 - Wagner, Andreas A1 - Frisch, M. A1 - Brückner, A. A1 - Kondratenko, E. A1 - Kraehnert, R. T1 - Dynamics of Reaction-Induced Changes of Model-Type Iron Oxide Phases in the CO2-Fischer-Tropsch-Synthesis JF - ChemCatChem N2 - Iron-based catalysts are employed in CO2-FTS due to their ability to convert CO2 into CO in a first step and their selectivity towards higher hydrocarbons in a second CO hydrogenation step. According to the literature, iron carbides represent the active phase for hydrocarbon formation and are claimed to emerge in the presence of CO. We propose nanostructured FeOx films as model systems to assess information about the complex phase transformations during CO2-FTS. Mesoporous hematite, ferrihydrite, maghemite, maghemite/magnetite films were exposed to CO2-FTS atmospheres at 20 bar and 300°C. Up to three distinct phases were observed depending on the timeon-stream (TOS): a sintered maghemite/magnetite phase, a carbidic core-shell structure, and a low-crystalline, needle-type oxide phase. Our findings indicate that the formation of an intermediary maghemite/magnetite phase, predominant after short TOS (30 h), precedes the evolution of the carbide phase. Yet, even after prolonged TOS (185 h), no full conversion into a bulk carbide is observed. KW - Nanostructured FeOx films KW - CO2 KW - Scanning Auger Spectroscopy PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-549709 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.202200240 SN - 1867-3880 VL - 14 IS - 14 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Wiley-VCH AN - OPUS4-54970 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Geburtig, Anja A1 - Wachtendorf, Volker A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana T1 - Combined impact of UV radiation and nitric acid on high‐density polyethylene containers as a laboratory test JF - Packaging Technology and Science N2 - In a laboratory test, transparent high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) jerrycans have been exposed to both UV radiation and 55 wt‐% nitric acid solution at (41 ± 2)°C, for up to 20 days. For comparison, UV radiant exposure (21 days) and nitric acid exposure (up to 6 weeks) were performed separately, at nearly equal temperatures. The damages are compared with FTIR spectroscopy in ATR and HT‐gel permeation chromatography(GPC) on a molecular level and with hydraulic internal pressure testing as a component test. For the used jerrycans, relevant oxidation can only be found after the combined exposure. This is caused by the decomposition of nitric acid into nitrous gases by UV radiation, which is also observed at lower concentrations (28 wt‐%). After 6 days of laboratory exposure, this is rated as critical, which corresponds to about 1/10 year in Central Europe, according to the UV radiant exposure. The gradual increase in oxidative damage shows the reproducibility of the test. KW - Molecular mass distribution KW - High-density polyethylene KW - Nitric acid KW - UV radiation PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-550141 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pts.2673 SN - 0894-3214 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - John Wiley & Sons Ltd AN - OPUS4-55014 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chinnasamy, R. A1 - Ravi, J. A1 - Pradeep, V.V. A1 - Manoharan, D. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Ghosh, S. T1 - Adaptable Optical Microwaveguides From Mechanically Flexible Crystalline Materials JF - Chemistry-A European Journal N2 - Flexible organic crystals (elastic and plastic) are important materials for optical waveguides, tunable optoelectronic devices, and photonic integrated circuits. Here, we present highly elastic organic crystals of a Schiff base, 1-((E)-(2,5-dichlorophenylimino)methyl)naphthalen-2-ol (1), and an azine molecule, 2,4-dibromo-6-((E)-((E)-(2,6-dichlorobenzylidene)hydrazono)methyl)phenol (2). These microcrystals are highly flexible under external mechanical force, both in the macroscopic and the microscopic regimes. The mechanical flexibility of these crystals arises as a result of weak and dispersive C−H⋅⋅⋅Cl, Cl⋅⋅⋅Cl, Br⋅⋅⋅Br, and π⋅⋅⋅π stacking interactions. Singly and doubly-bent geometries were achieved from their straight shape by a micromechanical approach using the AFM cantilever tip. Crystals of molecules 1 and 2 display a bright-green and red fluorescence (FL), respectively, and selective reabsorption of a part of their FL band. Crystals 1 and 2 exhibit optical-path-dependent low loss emissions at the termini of crystal in their straight and even in extremely bent geometries. Interestingly, the excitation position-dependent optical modes appear in both linear and bent waveguides of crystals 1 and 2, confirming their light-trapping ability. KW - Crystal growth KW - Fluorescence KW - Mechanophotonics KW - Micromanipulation KW - Optical waveguides PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202200905 SN - 0947-6539 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-55018 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - THES A1 - Müller, Anja T1 - Determination of the actual morphology of core-shell nanoparticles by advanced X-ray analytical techniques: A necessity for targeted and safe nanotechnology N2 - Even though we often do not knowingly recognize them, nanoparticles are present these days in most areas of our daily life, including food and its packaging, medicine, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, pigments as well as electronic products, such as computer screens. The majority of these particles exhibits a core-shell morphology either intendedly or unintendedly. For the purpose of practicability, this core-shell nanoparticle (CSNP) morphology is often assumed to be ideal, namely a spherical core fully encapsulated by a shell of homogeneous thickness with a sharp interface between core and shell material. It is furthermore widely presumed that all nanoparticles in the sample possess the same shell thickness. As a matter of fact, most real CSNPs deviate in several ways from this ideal model with quite often severe impact on how efficiently they perform in a specific application. The topic of this cumulative PhD thesis is the accurate characterization of the actual morphology of CSNPs by advanced X-ray analytical techniques, namely X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM). A special focus is on CSNPs which deviate from an ideal core-shell morphology. In the paper from 2019 nanoparticle shell thicknesses are extracted from the elastic-peak intensities in an XPS spectrum based on an ideal particle morphology. This happens for a series of CSNP samples comprising a poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) core and either a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) or polystyrene (PS) shell. The same paper as well as the paper from 2020 demonstrate for the first time, that the analysis of the inelastic background in an XPS spectrum of CSNPs can identify and quantify the heterogeneity of the shell and the incomplete encapsulation of the core. The result from an XPS experiment is always an average across a large nanoparticle ensemble. Deviations from an ideal morphology within a single particle of the sample cannot be assessed separately. As opposed to that, a spatial resolution of 35 nm enables STXM to visualize the interior of single CSNPs which exhibit a sufficient X-ray absorption contrast between core and shell material. In the paper from 2018 a STXM analysis is demonstrated based on the example of the PTFE-PS CSNP samples already mentioned in the previous paragraph. In the publication from 2021 (Ca/Sr)F₂ core-shell like nanoparticle ensembles for the practical use in, among others, antireflective coatings are investigated. These nanoparticles do not possess a sharp interface between core and shell material, which is why a shell thickness determination as described in the second paragraph is inappropriate. Instead, in-depth profiles of the chemical composition are obtained by XPS experiments based on synchrotron radiation with variable X-ray photon energy to elucidate the internal morphology of the particles. Additionally, theoretical in-depth profiles of Ca and Sr XPS peak intensities are simulated, in order to facilitate the interpretation of the experiments. Thus, an enrichment of CaF₂ at the particle surface was determined, which could hardly have been assessed by any other analytical technique. Because this kind of non-destructive depth profiling by XPS is very demanding, more than usual effort is spent on gapless documentation of the experiments to ensure full reproducibility. Due to the vast diversity of nanoparticles differing in material, composition and shape, a measurement procedure cannot unalteredly be transferred from one sample to another. Nevertheless, because the papers in this thesis present a greater depth of reporting on the experiments than comparable publications, they constitute an important guidance for other scientists on how to obtain meaningful information about CSNPs from surface analysis. N2 - Obwohl wir sie oft nicht bewusst wahrnehmen, sind Nanopartikel heutzutage in den meisten Bereichen unseres Alltags präsent, unter anderem in Lebensmitteln und ihren Verpackungen, Medizin, Medikamenten, Kosmetik, Pigmenten und in elektronischen Geräten wie Computermonitoren. Ein Großteil dieser Partikel weist, beabsichtigt oder unbeabsichtigt, eine Kern-Schale Morphologie auf. Einfachheitshalber wird diese Morphologie eines Kern-Schale-Nanopartikels (CSNP) oft als ideal angenommen, d.h. als ein sphärischer Kern, der komplett von einer Schale homogener Dicke bedeckt ist, mit einer scharfen Grenzfläche zwischen Kern- und Schalenmaterial. Außerdem wird vielfach auch davon ausgegangen, alle Partikel der Probe hätten gleiche Schalendicken. Tatsächlich weichen die meisten realen CSNPs in verschiedenster Weise von diesem Idealmodell ab, mit oft drastischen Auswirkungen darauf, wie gut sie ihre Aufgabe in einer bestimmten Anwendung erfüllen. Das Thema dieser kumulativen Doktorarbeit ist die exakte Charakterisierung der wirklichen Morphologie von CSNPs mit modernen Röntgen-basierten Methoden, konkret Röntgen-Photoelektronen-Spektroskopie (XPS) und Raster-Transmissions-Röntgen-Mikroskopie (STXM). Der Fokus liegt insbesondere auf CSNPs, die von einer idealen Kern-Schale-Morphologie abweichen. Im Artikel von 2019 werden Schalendicken von Nanopartikeln aus den elastischen Peakintensitäten im XPS-Spektrum unter Annahme einer idealen Partikelmorphologie abgeleitet. Dies geschieht für eine Reihe von CSNP-Proben, welche aus einem Polytetrafluoroethylen- (PTFE) Kern und entweder einer Polymethylmethacrylat- (PMMA) oder Polystyrol- (PS) Schale bestehen. Sowohl dieser Artikel als auch der von 2020 zeigen erstmals, dass die Auswertung des inelastischen Untergrunds eines CSNP-XPS-Spektrums in der Lage ist, die Heterogenität der Schale und die unvollständige Ummantelung des Kerns zu identifizieren und zu quantifizieren. Das Ergebnis eines XPS-Experiments ist immer ein Mittelwert über ein großes Nanopartikelensemble. Inwiefern ein einzelner Partikel innerhalb der Probe von einer idealen Morphologie abweicht, kann nicht gesondert erfasst werden. Im Gegensatz dazu kann STXM mit einer räumlichen Auflösung von 35 nm das Innere einzelner CSNPs visualisieren, sofern sie genügend Röntgenabsorptionskontrast zwischen Kern- und Schalenmaterial aufweisen. Im Artikel von 2018 wird am Beispiel der bereits im vorherigen Abschnitt genannt PTFE-PS-CSNPProben eine solche STXM-Untersuchung demonstriert. In der Veröffentlichung von 2021 werden Kern-Schale-artige (Ca/Sr)F₂-Nanopartikel für den praktischen Einsatz in unter anderem entspiegelnden Beschichtungen untersucht. Da hier keine scharfe Grenzfläche zwischen Kern- und Schalenmaterial vorliegt, ist eine Schalendickenbestimmung, wie sie im zweiten Abschnitt diskutiert wird, nicht sinnvoll. Stattdessen werden mit Hilfe von XPS, angeregt mit Synchrotronstrahlung bei variabler Röntgenphotonenenergie, Tiefenprofile der chemischen Zusammensetzung generiert, um die innere Morphologie der Partikel aufzuklären. Zusätzlich werden theoretische Tiefenprofile der Ca- und Sr-XPS-Peakintensitäten simuliert, um die Interpretation der Experimente zu erleichtern. So wurde eine CaF₂-Anreicherung an der Oberfläche der Partikel festgestellt, die kaum mit einer anderen analytischen Methode hätte entdeckt werden können. Da diese zerstörungsfreie Bestimmung von XPS-Tiefenprofilen sehr anspruchsvoll ist, wird noch mehr als üblich auf die lückenlose Dokumentation des Experiments geachtet, um vollständige Reproduzierbarkeit zu gewährleisten. Aufgrund der enormen Vielfalt an CSNPs, die sich in Material, Zusammensetzung und Form unterscheiden, kann eine Messmethode nicht völlig unverändert von einer Probe auf eine andere übertragen werden. Nichtsdestotrotz, da die als Teil dieser Doktorarbeit präsentierten Artikel eine deutlich ausführlichere Beschreibung der Experimente enthalten als vergleichbare Publikationen, stellen sie eine wichtige Anleitung für andere Wissenschaftler dafür dar, wie aussagekräftige Informationen über CSNPs durch Oberflächenanalytik erhalten werden können. KW - Core-shell nanoparticle (CSNP) KW - X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) KW - Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.18452/24312 SP - i EP - 243 PB - Humboldt-Universität CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-54991 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Müller, Kai A1 - Mirabella, Francesca A1 - Mezra, Marek A1 - Weise, Matthias A1 - Wasmuth, Karsten A1 - Hertwig, Andreas A1 - Krüger, Jörg A1 - Bonse, Jörn A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan T1 - ToF-SIMS as a new tool for nano-scale investigation of ps-laser generated surface structures on Titanium substrates N2 - The fabrication of laser-generated surface structures on titanium and titanium alloys has recently gained remarkable interests, being technologically relevant for applications in optics, medicine, fluid transport, tribology, and wetting of surfaces. The morphology of these structures, and so their chemistry, is influenced by the different laser processing parameters such as the laser fluence, wavelength, pulse repetition rate, the effective number of laser pulses per beam spot area, etc. A simple way to characterize laser-generated surface structures is by means of optical microscopy (OM) or white light interference microscopy (WLIM). The latter can address the surface topography, while having a lateral resolution limit of ~(lambda)/2 (lambda = illumination wavelength). To resolve morphologies with spatial periods significantly smaller than (lambda)/2, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is often used, taking benefit of the reduced de Broglie wavelength associated to the electrons of several keV energy. However, all the above-mentioned techniques lack the necessary depth-resolution to reveal and quantify sub-surface material modifications of these laser-generated structures. Time-of-Flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) represents a promising surface analytical technique for studying laser-induced chemical surface alterations since the method combines a high surface sensitivity with the capability to perform a depth-profiling of the laser-affected surface zone. In this study we combine WLIM and high-resolution SEM with ToF-SIMS to fully characterize the evolution of various types of laser-generated micro- and nanostructures formed on Ti-6Al-4V alloys upon irradiation by near infrared ultrashort laser pulses (1030 nm, 925 fs) at different laser fluence levels, effective number of pulses, and at different pulse repetition rates (1 – 400 kHz). We show how this combined surface analytical approach allows to evaluate alterations in the surface chemistry and topography of the laser-generated surface structures depending on the laser processing parameters T2 - ECASIA 2022 CY - Limerick, Ireland DA - 29.05.2022 KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures KW - Time of Flight - Secondary ion mass spectrometry KW - White light interferometric microscopy KW - Titanium alloy PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-54992 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Belenguer, A. A1 - Lampronti, G. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Sanders, J. T1 - Quantitative reversible one pot interconversion of three crystalline polymorphs by ball mill grinding JF - Crystengcomm N2 - We demonstrate here using a disulfide system the first example of reversible, selective, and quantitative transformation between three crystalline polymorphs by ball mill grinding. This includes the discovery of a previously unknown polymorph. Each polymorph is reproducibly obtained under well-defined neat or liquid-assisted grinding conditions, revealing subtle control over the apparent thermodynamic stability. We discovered that the presence of a contaminant as low as 1.5% mol mol−1 acting as a template is required to enable all these three polymorph transformations. The relative stabilities of the polymorphs are determined by the sizes of the nanocrystals produced under different conditions and by surface interactions with small amounts of added solvent. For the first time, we show evidence that each of the three polymorphs is obtained with a unique and reproducible crystalline size. This mechanochemical approach gives access to bulk quantities of metastable polymorphs that are inaccessible through recrystallisation. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Polymorph KW - XRD PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-549934 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CE00393G SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-54993 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weidner, Steffen A1 - Meyer, A. A1 - Kricheldorf, H. R. T1 - Sn(II)2-ethylhexanoate-catalyzed polymerizations of L-lactide in solution – Solution grown crystals of cyclic Poly(L-Lactide)s JF - Polymer N2 - L-lactide (LA) was polymerized in toluene by means of neat tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (SnOct2). Concentration, time and temperature were varied. The isothermally crystallized polyLAs (PLA) were characterized in the virgin state with regard to topology, molar mass, melting temperature (Tm), crystal modification, high or low Tm morphology, crystallinity and crystal thickness. Even a small amount of solvent favored cyclization relative to polymerization in bulk, so that cyclic polylactides were obtained at 115 ◦C and even at 95 ◦C. At all temperatures the α-modification of PLA was obtained along with crystallinities up to 90%. With 6 M solution the high Tm morphology with Tm’s > 190 ◦C was obtained at 115 ◦C. The crystal thickness of crystallites grown from solution at 115 ◦C was on the average 10–20% higher than that of PLA polymerized in bulk. At a polymerization temperature of 75 ◦C cyclization was incomplete and fewer perfect crystallites were formed. A new hypothesis for the crystal growth of cyclic polyLAs is proposed. KW - Polylactide KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Crystalinity KW - Polymerization PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2022.125142 SN - 0032-3861 VL - 255 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford AN - OPUS4-55283 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Karafiludis, Stephanos A1 - Stawski, Tomasz T1 - Trash to treasure: recovery of transition metal phosphates for (electro-)catalytical applications N2 - Wastewaters containing high concentrations of NH4+, PO43- and transition metals are environmentally harmful and toxic pollutants. At the same time phosphorous and transition metals constitute valuable resources. Here, we report the synthesis routes for Co- and Ni-struvites (NH4MPO4∙6H2O, M = Ni2+, Co2+) out of aqueous solutions resembling synthetic/industrial waste water compositions, and allowing for P, ammonia and metal co-precipitation. Furthermore, the as-obtained struvites were further up-cycled. When heated, these transition metal phosphates (TMPs) demonstrate significant changes in the degree of crystallinity/coordination environment involving a high amount of amorphous phases and importantly develop mesoporosity (Figure 1). In this regard, amorphous and mesoporous TMPs are known to be highly promising (electro-)catalysts. Amorphous phases do not represent a simple “disordered” crystal but more a complex system with a broad range of compositions and physicochemical properties, which remain mostly unknown. Consequently, we investigated the recrystallization and amorphization process during thermal treatment and a resolved the complex amorphous/crystalline structures (Figure 2). As a proof-of-principle for their applicational use, the as-obtained TMPs demonstrate significant proton conductivity properties similar to apatite-like structures from room to high temperatures (>800°C). Hence, we have developed a promising recycling route in which environmental harmful contaminants like PO43-, NH4+ and 3d metals would be extracted out of waste waters in the form of precursor raw materials. These raw materials can be then further up-cycled through a simple thermal treatment for their specific application in electrocatalysis. T2 - Goldschmidt Conference 2022 CY - Hawai'i, USA DA - 10.07.2022 KW - Mesoporosity KW - Amorphous phases KW - Transition metals KW - Struvite KW - Phosphates PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-552852 UR - https://conf.goldschmidt.info/goldschmidt/2022/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/9501 AN - OPUS4-55285 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Karafiludis, Stephanos A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Kochovski, Z. A1 - Feldmann, Ines A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Stawski, Tomasz T1 - Ni- and Co-Struvites: Revealing Crystallization Mechanisms and Crystal Engineering toward Applicational Use of Transition Metal Phosphates JF - Crystal Growth & Design N2 - Industrial and agricultural waste streams (waste water, sludges, tailings, etc.) which contain high concentrations of NH4+, PO43–, and transition metals are environmentally harmful and toxic pollutants. At the same time, phosphorous and transition metals constitute highly valuable resources. Typically, separate pathways have been considered to extract hazardous transition metals or phosphate independently from each other. Investigations on the simultaneous removal of multiple components have been carried out only to a limited extent. Here, we report the synthesis routes for Ni- and Co-struvites (NH4MPO4·6H2O, M = Ni2+ and Co2+), which allow for P, ammonia, and metal co-precipitation. By evaluating different reaction parameters, the phase and stability of transition metal struvites as well as their crystal morphologies and sizes could be optimized. Ni-struvite is stable in a wide reactant concentration range and at different metal/phosphorus (M/P) ratios, whereas Co-struvite only forms at low M/P ratios. Detailed investigations of the precipitation process using ex situ and in situ techniques provided insights into the crystallization mechanisms/crystal engineering of these materials. M-struvites crystallize via intermediate colloidal amorphous nanophases, which subsequently aggregate and condense to final crystals after extended reaction times. However, the exact reaction kinetics of the formation of a final crystalline product varies significantly depending on the involved metal cation in the precipitation process: several seconds (Mg) to minutes (Ni) to hours (Co). The achieved level of control over the morphology and size makes precipitation of transition metal struvites a promising method for direct metal recovery and binding them in the form of valuable phosphate raw materials. Under this paradigm, the crystals can be potentially up-cycled as precursor powders for electrochemical or (electro)catalytic applications, which require transition metal phosphates. KW - Crystallization KW - Struvite KW - Nickel KW - Cobalt KW - Phosphorous recovery KW - Up-cycling KW - Aqueous synthesis PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.2c00284 VL - 22 IS - 7 SP - 4305 EP - 4315 PB - ACS Publications CY - Washington D.C. AN - OPUS4-55286 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dietrich, P. M. A1 - Kjærvik, Marit A1 - Willneff, E. A. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang T1 - In-depth analysis of iodine in artificial biofilm model layers by variable excitation energy XPS and argon gas cluster ion sputtering XPS JF - Biointerphases N2 - Here, we present a study on agarose thin-film samples that represent a model system for the exopolysaccharide matrix of biofilms. Povidone-iodide (PVP-I) was selected as an antibacterial agent to evaluate our x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)-based methodology to trace specific marker elements, here iodine, commonly found in organic matrices of antibiotics. The in-depth distribution of iodine was determined by XPS analyses with variable excitation energies and in combination with argon gas cluster ion beam sputter cycles. On mixed agarose/PVP-I nanometer-thin films, both methods were found to solve the analytical task and deliver independently comparable results. In the mixed agarose/PVP-I thin film, we found the outermost surface layer depleted in iodine, whereas the iodine is homogeneously distributed in the depth region between this outermost surface layer and the interface between the thin film and the substrate. Depletion of iodine from the uppermost surface in the thin-film samples is assumed to be caused by ultrahigh vacuum exposure resulting in a loss of molecular iodine (I2) as reported earlier for other iodine-doped polymers. KW - Biofilm KW - XPS KW - Argon gas cluster ion sputtering KW - Variable excitation KW - Iodine PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0001812 SN - 1934-8630 VL - 17 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - AVS AN - OPUS4-54973 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -