TY - CONF A1 - Hübner, Oskar T1 - Spectral and Lifetime Encoding of Polymer Particles with Cd-free Ternary Semiconductor Nanocrystals for Flow Cytometry with Time Resolved Fluorescence Detection N2 - Multiplexed encoding schemes of nano- and micrometer sized particles with fluorescent dyes or quantum dots (QDs) and their optical detection, are of increasing interest for applications in the life sciences, for example in flow cytometry. Almost all strategies utilizing fluorescence focus on spectrally distinguishable emission bands or colors and different intensity levels as fluorescence codes. The fluorescence parameter lifetime has been, however, barely exploited. In this work the goal is to perform multiplexing with encoding fluorophores with different fluorescence lifetimes (LTs). In comparison to the spectral multiplexing strategies this has the advantage, that the different fluorescence LT codes can be measured with the excitation and emission wavelength, thus reducing instrument costs. Moreover, LTs should not depend on emitter concentration. Unlike organic dyes, the LTs of which are typically < 10 ns, the fluorescence LTs of ternary semiconductor QDs that represent a “green” alternative to conventional Cd-containing QDs are in the range of several hundred ns, independent of oxygen concentration, and can be tuned to a certain extent by chemical composition and surface chemistry. This present a time region that can be barely covered by other emitters that have either much shorter or longer lifetimes. In this project, different encoding strategies will be assessed and the encoded particles will be then used for fluorescence assays for the analysis of several targets in parallel. Therefor the encoded particles will be functionalized with different target-specific bioligands and read out with a specifically designed flow cytometer enabling time-resolved fluorescence detection. With this instrument, the particles will be discriminated by their fluorescence LTs In one detection channel while the analytes will be quantified by fluorescence labels in a second channel in the intensity domain. T2 - Bad Honnef Physics School Exciting nanostructures: Characterizing advanced confined systems CY - Bad Honnef, Germany DA - 21.07.2019 KW - Multiplexing KW - Lifetime KW - Bead KW - Flow cytometry KW - Fluorescence KW - Quantum dot KW - InP KW - AIS KW - Dye KW - Encoding KW - Barcoding KW - Assay KW - Method PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49723 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hübner, Oskar T1 - Lifetime Barcoding of Polystyrene Beads with Fluorescent Nanocrystals for Fluorescent Lifetime Detection in Flow Cytometry N2 - Multiplexed encoding schemes of nano- and micrometer sized polymer particles with fluorescent dyes or quantum dots (QDs) and their optical detection, are of increasing interest for applications in the life sciences, for example in flow cytometry. Almost all strategies utilizing fluorescence focus on spectrally distinguishable emission bands or colors and different intensity levels as fluorescence codes. In this work the goal is to perform multiplexing with encoding fluorophores with different fluorescence lifetimes (LTs). In comparison to the spectral multiplexing strategies this has the advantage, that the different fluorescence LT codes can be measured with the same excitation and emission wavelength, thus reducing instrumental costs. Moreover, LTs should not depend on emitter concentration. Unlike organic dyes, the LTs of which are typically <10ns, the fluorescence LTs of ternary semiconductor QDs which represent a “green” alternative to conventional Cd-containing QDs are in the range of several hundred ns, independent of oxygen concentration, and can be tuned to a certain extent by chemical composition and surface chemistry. This presents a time region that can barely be covered by other emitters that have either much shorter or longer lifetimes. In this project, different encoding strategies will be assessed, and the encoded particles will then be used for fluorescence assays for the analysis of several targets in parallel. Therefore, the encoded particles will be functionalized with different target-specific bioligands and read out with a specifically designed flow cytometer enabling time-resolved fluorescence detection. With this instrument, the particles will be discriminated by their fluorescence LTs in one detection channel while the analytes will be quantified by fluorescence labels in a second channel in the intensity domain. T2 - Tag der Chemie 2019 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 11.07.2019 KW - Multiplexing KW - Lifetime KW - Bead KW - Flow cytometry KW - Fluorescence KW - Quantum dot KW - InP KW - AIS KW - Dye KW - Encoding KW - Barcoding KW - Assay KW - Method PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49722 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meierhofer, F. T1 - Citric-Acid-Based Carbon Dots with Luminescence Quantum Yields > 50%: spectral tuning of the luminescence by ligand exchange and pH adjustment N2 - We report the synthesis and characterization of carbon nanodots (CDs) with high quantum yield (>50%) and tailored optical absorption as well as emission properties. A well-described protocol with polyethyleneimine (PEI) as amine precursor is used as a reference to a new CD system which is stabilized by aromatic 2,3-diaminopyridine (DAP) molecules instead. The DAP stabilizer is installed in order to red-shift the absorption peak of the n-π* electron transition allowing efficient radiative recombination and light emission. Size, shape, and chemical composition of the samples are determined by (HR)TEM, EDX and FTIR-spectroscopy. Optical parameters are investigated using UV-VIS, PL and QY measurements. Several parameters such as concentration, excitation wavelength and pH are studied. Zeta-potential analysis indicate that pH-induced (de-)protonation processes of functional moieties directly affect the n-π* energy bands. This results in unique pH-dependent absorption and emission characteristics which are discussed on the specific chemical composition of each CD system. T2 - MRS 2019 CY - Boston, MA, USA DA - 03.12.2019 KW - Nanoparticle KW - Carbon dot KW - Surface chemistry KW - Fluorescence KW - PH KW - Ligand KW - FTIR KW - Synthesis KW - Characterization PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49968 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Saleh, Maysoon I. A1 - Rühle, Bastian A1 - Wang, Shu A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - You, Yi A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Assessing the protective effects of different surface coatings on NaYF4:YB3+, Er3+, upconverting nanoparticles in buffer and DMEM N2 - We studied the dissolution behavior of β NaYF4:Yb(20%), Er(2%) UCNP of two different sizes in biologically relevant media i.e., water (neutral pH), phosphate buffered saline (PBS), and Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium (DMEM) at different temperatures and particle concentrations. Special emphasis was dedicated to assess the influence of different surface functionalizations, particularly the potential of mesoporous and microporous silica shells of different thicknesses for UCNP stabilization and protection. Dissolution was quantified electrochemically using a fluoride ion selective electrode (ISE) and by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). In addition, dissolution was monitored fluorometrically. These experiments revealed that a thick microporous silica shell drastically decreased dissolution. Our results also underline the critical influence of the chemical composition of the aqueous environment on UCNP dissolution. In DMEM, we observed the formation of a layer of adsorbed molecules on the UCNP surface that protected the UCNP from dissolution and enhanced their fluorescence. Examination of this layer by X ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and mass spectrometry (MS) suggested that mainly phenylalanine, lysine, and glucose are adsorbed from DMEM. These findings should be considered in the future for cellular toxicity studies with UCNP and other nanoparticles and the design of new biocompatible surface coatings. KW - Fluorescence KW - Lifetime KW - Method KW - Quantification KW - Stability KW - Coating KW - Surface chemistry KW - Lanthanide KW - Fluoride KW - Electrochemistry KW - ICP-OES KW - Upconversion KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Aging KW - Quality assurance KW - Mass spectrometry KW - XPS PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-515984 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76116-z SN - 2045-2322 VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 19318-1 EP - 19318-11 PB - Springer Nature CY - London AN - OPUS4-51598 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Böhmert, L. T1 - Fluorescence labeling study of silver nanoparticles N2 - During the last years, there has been a rapid rise in the use of nanomaterials in consumer products. Especially silver nanoparticles are frequently used because of their well-known optical and antimicrobial properties. However, the toxicological studies focusing on silver nanoparticles are controversial, either claiming or denying a specific nano-efffect. To contribute to localizing nanoparticles in toxicological studies and to investigate the interaction of particles with cells, a fluorescent marker is often used to monitor their transport and possible degradation. A major problem, in this context is the issue of binding stability of a fluorescent marker which is attached to the particle. In order to overcome this problem we provide an investigation of the binding properties of fluorescence-labeled BSA to small silver nanoparticles. Therefore, we synthesized small silver nanoparticles which are stabilized by poly(acrylic acid). The particles are available as reference candidate material and were thoroughly characterized in an earlier study. The ligand was exchanged by fluorescence marked albumin (BSA-FITC). The adsorption of the ligands was monitored by dynamic light scattering (DLS). To verify that the observed effects on the hydrodynamic radius originate from the successful ligand exchange and not from agglomeration or aggregation we used small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The fluorescent particles were characterized by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Afterwards, desorption of the ligand BSA-FITC was monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy and the uptake of particles in different in vitro models was studied. The particles are spherical and show no sign of aggregation after successful ligand exchange. The fluorescence intensity is quenched significantly by the presence of the silver cores as expected, but the remaining fluorescence intensity was high enough to use these particles in biological investigations. Half-life of fluorescence labeling on the particle was 21 d in a highly concentrated solution of non-labeled BSA. Thus, a very high dilution and long incubation times are needed to remove BSA-FITC from the particles. Finally, the fluorescence-labeled silver nanoparticles were used for uptake studies in human liver and intestinal cells, showing a high uptake for HepG2 liver cells and almost no uptake in differentiated intestinal Caco-2 cells. In conclusion, we showed production of fluorescence-marked silver nanoparticles. The fluorescence marker is strongly adsorbed to the silver surface which is crucial for future investigations in biological matrices. This is necessary for a successful investigation of the toxicological potential of silver nanoparticles. T2 - NanoTox 2018 - 9th International Conference on Nanotoxicology CY - Neuss, Germany DA - 18.09.2018 KW - Silver nanoparticles KW - Fluorescence KW - Cell imaging KW - Dynamic light scattering PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-45639 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella A1 - Rajotte, Isabelle A1 - Thibeault, Marie-Pier A1 - Sander, Philipp C. A1 - Kodra, Oltion A1 - Lopinski, Gregory A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Johnston, Linda J. A1 - Brinkmann, Andreas A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Quantifying surface groups on aminated silica nanoparticles of different size, surface chemistry, and porosity with solution NMR, XPS, optical assays, and potentiometric titration N2 - We assessed the quantification of surface amino functional groups (FGs) for a large set of commercial and custom-made aminated silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) with sizes of 20–100 nm, prepared with different sol–gel routes, different amounts of surface amino FGs, and different porosity with four methods providing different, yet connected measurands in a bilateral study of two laboratories, BAM and NRC, with the overall aim to develop standardizable measurements for surface FG quantification. Special emphasis was dedicated to traceable quantitative magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR) performed with dissolved SiO2 NPs. For the cost efficient and automatable screening of the amount of surface amino FGs done in a first step of this study, the optical fluorescamine assay and a potentiometric titration method were utilized by one partner, i.e., BAM, yielding the amount of primary amino FGs accessible for the reaction with a dye precursor and the total amount of (de)protonatable FGs. These measurements, which give estimates of the minimum and maximum number of surface amino FGs, laid the basis for quantifying the amount of amino silane molecules with chemo-selective qNMR with stepwise fine-tuned workflows, involving centrifugation, drying, weighting, dissolution, measurement, and data evaluation steps jointly performed by BAM and NRC. Data comparability and relative standard deviations (RSDs) obtained by both labs were used as quality measures for method optimization and as prerequisites to identify method-inherent limitations to be later considered for standardized measurement protocols. Additionally, the nitrogen (N) to silicon (Si) ratio in the near-surface region of the SiO2 NPs was determined by both labs using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), a well established surface sensitive analytical method increasingly utilized for microparticles and nano-objects which is currently also in the focus of international standardization activities. Overall, our results underline the importance of multi-method characterization studies for quantifying FGs on NMs involving at least two expert laboratories for effectively identifying sources of uncertainty, validating analytical methods, and deriving NM structure–property relationships. KW - Advanced Materials KW - Amino Groups KW - Calibration KW - Characterization KW - Functional groups KW - Method Comparison KW - Nano Particle KW - Validation KW - XPS KW - Optical Assay KW - Quantification KW - Surface Analysis KW - Reference Materials KW - Synthesis KW - Fluorescence PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-649992 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d5na00794a VL - 7 IS - 21 SP - 6888 EP - 6900 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-64999 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - The emp project smurfnano – Standardizing the quantification of surface functionalities, ligands, and coatings on nanomaterials N2 - For industrial applications such as medical diagnostics, drug delivery, sensing, catalysis, energy conversion and storage, opto-electronics, and information storage, meanwhile engineered nanoparticles (NPs) with various chemical compositions and surface functionalities are routinely fabricated. NP function, interaction with biological species, and environmental fate are largely determined by surface functionalities. Reliable, reproducible, and standardized surface characterization methods are therefore vital for quality control of NPs, and mandatory to meet increasing concerns regarding their safety. Also, industry, international standardization organizations, regulatory agencies, and policymakers need validated and standardized measurement methods and reference materials. These needs are addressed by the recently started European metrology project SMURFnano involving 12 partners from different National Metrology Institutes, designated institutes, and research institutes, two university groups as well as one large company and one SME producing NPs. This project as well as first results derived from the development of test and reference materials with a well characterized surface chemistry and ongoing interlaboratory comparisons will be presented. T2 - LNE Workshop CY - Paris, France DA - 04.11.2025 KW - Quality assurance KW - Fluorescence KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Synthesis KW - Characterization KW - Advanced material KW - Surface KW - Standardization KW - Reference material KW - Functional group KW - Quantification KW - Coating KW - Automation KW - Potentiometry KW - Method KW - Validation KW - Optical assay KW - Fluram KW - qNMR KW - Comparison KW - ILC PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64725 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - The SMURFnano project - standardized measurements of surface functionalities on nanoparticles N2 - Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) with various chemical compositions and surface functionalities are routinely fabricated for industrial applications such as medical diagnostics, drug delivery, sensing, catalysis, energy conversion and storage, optoelectronics, and information storage. NP function, interaction with biological species, and environmental fate are largely determined by surface functionalities. Reliable, reproducible, and standardized surface characterization methods are therefore vital for quality control of NPs, and mandatory to meet increasing concerns regarding their safety. Also, industry, international standardization organizations, regulatory agencies, and policymakers need validated and standardized measurement methods and reference materials. However, methodologies for determining NP surface properties, including the amount, chemical composition, and homogeneity of surface functionalities and coatings are largely non-standardized. Suitable methods for determining surface functionalities on ligand-stabilized core and core/shell NPs include advanced techniques such as traceable quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) as well as X-ray electron spectroscopy (XPS) and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), and simpler optical and electrochemical methods. The latter less costly methods are often used by SMEs, e.g., for quality control. To validate methods, establish measurement uncertainties, test reference materials, and produce reference data, international interlaboratory comparisons (ILC) on NP surface functionalization measurements are required and well characterized test and reference nanomaterials providing benchmark values.[1] These needs are addressed by the recently started European metrology project SMURFnano involving 12 partners from different National Metrology Institutes, designated institutes, and research institutes, two university groups as well as one large company and one SME producing NPs. This project as well as first results derived from the development of test and reference materials with a well characterized surface chemistry and ongoing interlaboratory comparisons will be presented. T2 - eMRS CY - Strasbourg, France DA - 27.05.2025 KW - Quality assurance KW - Reference analysis KW - Standardization KW - Metrology KW - Reference products KW - Reference materials KW - Mission KW - Surface chemistry KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - qNMR KW - XPS KW - Fluorescence KW - Optical assays KW - Interlaboratory comparison KW - Uncertainty PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63243 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella A1 - Abram, Sarah-Luise A1 - Homann, Christian A1 - Scholtz, Lena A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Validated and standardized measurements and quantification of surface functionalities on nanoparticles N2 - Surface-functionalized organic and inorganic engineered nanomaterials (NMs) are widely applied in the life and materials sciences. NM performance depends on key factors such as particle size and shape, crystal phase, morphology, chemical composition, and surface chemistry, i.e., surface coatings, functional groups (FGs), and ligands.1 The latter controls their processability and interaction with the environment and largely their possible toxicity. Thus, methods for FG quantification are important tools for quality control of NM production processes and can foster the sustainable development of functional and safe(r) NMs. This underlines the importance of validated and standardized analytical methods for surface analysis and reference materials.2 This encouraged us to explore simple and versatile tools for quantifying common bioanalytically relevant FGs such as optical assays, electrochemical titration methods, quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR), and X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and to perform a first interlaboratory comparison (ILC) on surface FG quantification.3,4 In a follow-up ILC, BAM and NRC explored qNMR sample preparation, measurement, and data evaluation protocols for commercial and custom-made aminated SiO2 NPs with sizes of 20-100 nm, different amounts of surface amino FGs, and different porosity.5,6 First, the number of amino FGs accessible for a dye reporter was determined with a cost-efficient, automated optical fluorescamine assay. Then, qNMR workflows and protocols were stepwise fine-tuned. The qNMR ILC was complemented by joint XPS measurements. BAM also examined the applicability of fast and automatable potentiometric titrations to screen the total amount of (de)protonable FGs on aminated SiO2 NPs. Our results underline the need to evaluate protocols for FG quantification in ILCs and the advantages of multi-method characterization strategies for efficient method cross validation. T2 - Surface and Micro/Nano Analysis Working Group CY - Paris, France DA - 08.04.2025 KW - Quality assurance KW - Reference material KW - Fluorescence KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Surface analysis KW - XPS KW - Traceability KW - Metrology KW - Calibration KW - Reference data KW - Reference product KW - Digital certificate KW - QNMR KW - Potentiometry PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-62969 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Quantifying the total and accessible amount of surface functionalities and ligands on nano-materials: Overview and recommended methods N2 - Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) with various chemical compositions and surface functionalities are routinely fabricated for industrial applications such as medical diagnostics, drug delivery, sensing, catalysis, energy conversion and storage, opto-electronics, and information storage. NP function, interaction with biological species, and environmental fate are largely determined by surface functionalities. This calls for reliable, reproducible, and standardized surface characterization methods, which are vital for quality control of NPs, and mandatory to meet increasing concerns regarding their safety. Validated and standardized workflows for surface analysis are also increasingly requested by industry, international standardization organizations, regulatory agencies, and policymakers. To establish comparable measurements of surface functionalities across different labs and ease instrument performance validation, reference test materials and reference materials of known surface chemistry as well as reference data are needed. In the following, different methods for determining surface functionalities on ligand-stabilized core and core/shell NPs include advanced techniques are presented and discussed regarding method-inherent advantages and limitations. Special emphasis is dedicated to traceable quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR), X-ray electron spectroscopy (XPS) and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), and simpler optical and electrochemical methods. T2 - LNE Workshop CY - Paris, France DA - 04.11.2025 KW - Quality assurance KW - Fluorescence KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Synthesis KW - Characterization KW - Advanced material KW - Surface KW - Standardization KW - Reference material KW - Functional group KW - Quantification KW - Coating KW - Automation KW - Potentiometry KW - Method KW - Validation KW - Optical assay KW - Fluram KW - Fluorescamine KW - qNMR KW - Comparison KW - ILC PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64726 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -