TY - CONF A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Saleh, Maysoon I. A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Rühle, Bastian A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Prinz, Carsten T1 - Influence of Surface Chemistry and Size on the Stability of β-NaYF4:Yb,Er Nanocrystals in Various Environments N2 - The use of inorganic lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) in bioimaging and cellular studies requires biocompatible particles. One possible cause of UCNP toxicity is the release of potentially harmful fluoride and lanthanide ions as revealed by dilution studies in aqueous environments, particularly under high dilution conditions. To address this issue, suitable surface coatings preventing such effects in combination with fast screening methods suited for online monitoring and in situ analyses are desired. Here we present systematic studies of differently sized β-NaYF4:Yb,Er UCNP stabilized with different surface coatings and hydrophilic ligands varying in binding strength to the particle surface in various aqueous environments at different temperatures and UCNP concentrations. The concentration of the fluoride and lanthanide ions released upon particle dissolution was quantified electrochemically with a fluoride ion-sensitive electrode and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and monitored fluorometrically, thereby exploiting the sensitivity of the upconversion luminescence to changes in size and surface chemistry. Moreover, changes in surface chemistry were determined with X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Based upon our results, we could derive optimum screening parameters for UCNP stability studies and determine conditions and coating procedures and ligands for enhancing UCNP stability in aqueous environments. T2 - UPCON2021 CY - Online meeting DA - 06.04.2021 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 - 2021 AN - OPUS4-52411 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reiber, T. A1 - Hübner, Oskar A1 - Dose, C. A1 - Yushchenko, D. A. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Fluorophore multimerization on a PEG backbone as a concept for signal amplification and lifetime modulation N2 - Fluorescent labels have strongly contributed to many advancements in bioanalysis, molecular biology, molecular imaging, and medical diagnostics. Despite a large toolbox of molecular and nanoscale fluorophores to choose from, there is still a need for brighter labels, e.g., for flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy, that are preferably of molecular nature. This requires versatile concepts for fluorophore multimerization, which involves the shielding of dyes from other chromophores and possible quenchers in their neighborhood. In addition, to increase the number of readout parameters for fluorescence microscopy and eventually also flow cytometry, control and tuning of the labels’ fluorescence lifetimes is desired. Searching for bright multi-chromophoric or multimeric labels, we developed PEGylated dyes bearing functional groups for their bioconjugation and explored their spectroscopic properties and photostability in comparison to those of the respective monomeric dyes for two exemplarily chosen fluorophores excitable at 488 nm. Subsequently, these dyes were conjugated with anti-CD4 and anti-CD8 immunoglobulins to obtain fluorescent conjugates suitable for the labeling of cells and beads. Finally, the suitability of these novel labels for fluorescence lifetime imaging and target discrimination based upon lifetime measurements was assessed. Based upon the results of our spectroscopic studies including measurements of fluorescence quantum yields (QY) and fluorescence decay kinetics we could demonstrate the absence of significant dye-dye interactions and self-quenching in these multimeric labels. Moreover, in a first fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) study, we could show the future potential of this multimerization concept for lifetime discrimination and multiplexing. KW - Imaging KW - Quantum yield KW - Quality assurance KW - Antibody KW - Conjugate KW - Cell KW - FLIM KW - PEG KW - Flow cytometry KW - Lifetime KW - Energy transfer KW - Quantitative spectroscopy KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Fluorescence KW - Dye KW - Amplification KW - Microscopy PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-602197 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62548-4 VL - 14 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 11 AN - OPUS4-60219 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 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Fiedler, Saskia A1 - Frenzel, Florian A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Grüne, M. A1 - Schweizer, S. A1 - Engel, A. T1 - Absolute Determination of Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Scattering LED Converter Materials – How to Get it Right N2 - Optical measurements of scattering luminescent materials dispersed in liquid and solid matrices and luminescent powders play an important role in fundamental research and industry. Typical examples are luminescent nano- and microparticles and phosphors of different composition in different matrices or incorporated into ceramics with applications in energy conversion, solid-state lighting, medical diagnostics, and security barcoding. The key parameter for the performance of these materials is the photoluminescence quantum yield QY, i.e., the number of emitted photons per number of absorbed photons. QY of transparent luminophore solutions can be determined relatively to a fluorescence quantum yield standard of known QY. Such standards are meanwhile available as certified reference materials.[1] The determination of QY of scattering liquid and solid samples like dispersions of luminescent nanoparticles, solid phosphors, and optoceramics requires, however, absolute measurements with an integrating sphere setup. Although the importance of reliable absolute QY measurements has been recognized, no interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) on measurement uncertainties and the identification of typical sources of uncertainty have been yet reported. Also, no scattering reference materials with known QY are available. We present here the results of a first ILC of 3 laboratories from academia and industry performed to identify and quantify sources of uncertainty of absolute QY measurements of scattering samples. Thereby, two types of commercial stand-alone integrating sphere setups with different illumination and detection geometries were utilized for measuring QY of transparent and scattering dye solutions and solid phosphors. As representative and industrially relevant solid and scattering samples, YAG:Ce optoceramics of varying surface roughness were chosen, applied, e.g., as converter materials for blue light emitting diodes. Special emphasis was dedicated to the influence of the measurement geometry, the optical properties of the blank, utilized to determine the number of photons of the incident excitation light absorbed by the sample, and the sample-specific surface roughness. While matching QY values could be obtained for transparent dye solutions and scattering dispersions, here using a blank with scattering properties closely matching those of the sample, QY measurements of optoceramic samples with different blanks revealed substantial differences, with the blank's optical properties accounting for measurement uncertainties of more than 20 %. Based upon the ILC results, we recommend non-absorbing blank materials with a high reflectivity (>95 %) such as a 2 mm-thick PTFE target placed on the sample holder which reveals a near-Lambertian light scattering behavior, yielding a homogeneous light distribution within the integrating sphere. T2 - e-MRS 2024 CY - Strasbourg, France DA - 27.05.2024 KW - Luminescence KW - Quantitative spectroscopy KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Quantum yield KW - Lifetime KW - Quality assurance KW - Phosphor KW - Converter marterial KW - Fluorescence KW - Interlaboratory KW - Comparison KW - Method KW - Uncertainty KW - Reference material PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60490 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Buchholz, Michelle A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia A1 - Gersdorf, Anna A1 - Gradzielksi, Michael A1 - Rurack, Knut T1 - Dual Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) for Detection of the Prevalent Anti-Inflammatory Drug Diclofenac N2 - Ensuring the purity of air and water is essential for the overall well-being of life on earth and the sustainability of the planet's diverse ecosystems. To achieve the goal of zero pollution, as outlined in the 2020 European Green Deal by the European Commission,[1] significant efforts are in progress. A key aspect of this commitment involves advancing more efficient and economically viable methods for treating wastewater. This includes the systematic monitoring of harmful pollutants such as heavy metals, microplastics, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. One example is the presence of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac in water systems, primarily originating from its use as a gel or lotion for joint pain treatment. Diclofenac contamination in surface waters has been detected at approximately 10 μg L-1 (0.03 μM)[2] which is not solely due to widespread usage but also because of the drug's resistance to microbial degradation. Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which rely on biodegradation, sludge sorption, ozone oxidation, and powdered activated carbon treatment, struggle to efficiently remove diclofenac from wastewater.[3],[4] For instance, to enable WWTPs to efficiently monitor and optimize their processes, it would be advantageous to develop on-site detection and extraction methods for persistent pharmaceutical residues in aqueous samples. In this work, a sol-gel process was used to prepare Nile blue-doped silica nanoparticles (dSiO2-NPs) with a diameter of ca. 30 nm that were further functionalized to enable reversible-addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. To achieve fluorescence detection, a fluorescent monomer was used as a probe for diclofenac in ethyl acetate, generating stable complexes through hydrogen bond formation. The diclofenac/fluorescent monomer complexes were imprinted into thin molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) shells on the surface of the dSiO2-NPs. Thus, the MIP binding behaviour could be easily evaluated by fluorescence titrations to monitor the spectral changes upon addition of the analyte. Doping the core substrate with Nile blue generates effective dual fluorescent signal transduction. This approach does not solely depend on a single fluorescence emission band in response to analyte recognition. Instead, it enables the fluorescent core to function as an internal reference, minimizing analyte-independent factors such as background fluorescence, instrumental fluctuation, and operational parameters.[5] Rebinding studies showed that the MIP particles have excellent selectivity towards the imprinted template and good discrimination against the competitor ibuprofen, with a discrimination factor of 2.5. Additionally, the limit of detection was determined to be 0.6 μM. Thus, with further optimization of the MIP, there is potential for the development of a MIP-based biphasic extract-&-detect fluorescence assay for simple, sensitive and specific sensing of diclofenac in aqueous samples down to the required concentrations of 0.03 μM. T2 - MIP2024: The 12th International Conference on Molecular Imprinting CY - Verona, Italy DA - 18.06.2024 KW - Sensor KW - Diclofenac KW - Molecularly Imprinted Polymers KW - Fluorescence KW - Pollutant PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60439 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -