TY - JOUR
A1 - Rietsch, P.
A1 - Zeyat, M.
A1 - Hübner, Oskar
A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Kutter, M.
A1 - Paskin, A.
A1 - Uhlig, J.
A1 - Lentz, D.
A1 - Eigler, S.
T1 - Substitution Pattern-Controlled Fluorescence Lifetimes of Fluoranthene Dyes
N2 - The absorption and emission properties of organic dyes are generally tuned by altering the substitution pattern. However, tuning the fluorescence lifetimes over a range of several 10 ns while barely affecting the spectral features and maintaining a moderate fluorescence quantum yield is challenging. Such properties are required for lifetime multiplexing and barcoding applications. Here, we show how this can be achieved for the class of fluoranthene dyes, which have substitution-dependent lifetimes between 6 and 33 ns for single wavelength excitation and emission. We explore the substitution-dependent emissive properties in the crystalline solid state that would prevent applications.
Furthermore, by analyzing dye mixtures and embedding the dyes in carboxyfunctionalized 8 μm-sized polystyrene particles, the unprecedented potential of these dyes as labels and encoding fluorophores for time-resolved fluorescence detection techniques is demonstrated.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Label
KW - Fluoranthene
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Reporter
KW - Crystal
KW - Encoding
KW - Multiplexing
KW - Particle
KW - Bead
KW - Lifetime
KW - Dye
KW - Barcoding
PY - 2021
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c08851
SN - 1520-5207
VL - 125
IS - 4
SP - 1207
EP - 1213
PB - American Chemical Society
AN - OPUS4-52087
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
A1 - Sander, P.
A1 - Andresen, Elina
A1 - Schedler, U.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Potentiometric and Optical Titration for Cost- Efficient Quantification of Surface Functional Groups on Silica Nanoparticles
N2 - Surface chemistry of engineered nanomaterials (NMs) plays a critical role not only in determining their interactions with the environment but also in their stability, safety, and functionality across diverse applications ranging from catalysis to biomedicine. Accurate quantification of surface functional groups (FGs) is therefore essential for quality control, risk assessment, and performance optimization.[1] However, many existing analytical techniques are either cost-intensive, require specialized instrumentation, or lack scalability for routine use.
In this study, we present a comparative evaluation of potentiometric and optical titration as two simple, cost-efficient, and automatable methods for quantifying surface functional groups on a variety of surface-modified silica nanoparticles (SiO₂ NPs). These NPs were chosen as they are among the most frequently utilized engineered NMs in the life and material sciences.
Potentiometric titration, based on pH monitoring during acid-base neutralization, offers a direct and label-free approach to determine the total amount of FGs. Optical titration provides a complementary method with potential for high-throughput screening. To examine the accuracy and robustness of our stepwise-optimized workflows and the achievable relative standard deviations (RSDs), measurements were performed by multiple operators in two laboratories. Method validation was conducted through cross-comparison with traceable, chemo-selective quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). A comparison with optical assays highlights the importance of measuring both quantities for comprehensive characterization of surface-modified NMs.[2]
A combined NM surface analysis using optical assays and pH titration will simplify quality control of NM production processes and stability studies, and can yield large datasets for NM grouping in sustainable and safe(r)-by-design studies.
T2 - eMRS Fall Meeting 2025
CY - Warsaw, Poland
DA - 15.09.2025
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Advanced material
KW - Synthesis
KW - Characterization
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Silica
KW - Surface analysis
KW - Validation
KW - qNMR
KW - Fluram assay
KW - Functional group
KW - Quantification
KW - Potentiometry
KW - Amino groups
KW - Fluorescamine
KW - Calibration
KW - Method comparison
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64205
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Quantifying functional groups and coatings on nanoobjects
N2 - Engineered nanomaterials (NM) of different size, shape, chemical composition, and surface chemistry are increasingly used for many key technologies of the 21st century and consumer products. This includes polymer and silica or silica-coated nanoparticles (NP) with covalently bound surface groups, semiconductor quantum dots (QD), metal and metal oxide NP, and lanthanide NP with coordinatively or electrostatically bound ligands, as well as surface-coated nanostructures like micellar encapsulated NP. Decisive for most applications of NMs are their specific surface properties, which are largely determined by the chemical nature and amounts of ligands and functional groups (FGs) on the NM surface. The surface chemistry can strongly affect the physicochemical properties of NM, their charge, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, reactivity, function, stability, and processability and thereby their impact on human health and environment. Knowledge of NM surface chemistry plays an important role for NM functionality and performance in (bio)applications and the fate, exposure, dissolution, transformation, and accumulation of NM, and thus, the potential risks for human health and the environment. This highlights the importance of reliable, validated, and eventually standardized analytical methods for analyzing and quantifying NM surface chemistry for process and quality control of NM production, safe use of NMs, design of novel NM, and sustainable concepts for NM fabrication.[1-3] In this context, interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) are needed to assess method reliability and reference materials with known surface chemistries for establishing surface analytical methods and their performance validation.[2,4] Also, to respond to the increasing number of samples to be analyzed, cost-efficient automation concepts for surface analysis are needed that can be realized with affordable and preferably commercial instrumentation.[5] Here, we provide an overview of analytical methods for FG analysis and quantification used by us for quantifying broadly utilized FGs and ligands on different types of NMs with electrochemical titration methods, optical assays, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and vibrational (IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray based and thermal analysis methods.[1,2] Thereby, method- and material-related challenges are addressed, and the importance of multi-method characterization approaches easing method validation by method cross-validation. Special emphasis is dedicated to simple, versatile, and cost-efficient methods such as optical assays and electrochemical titration methods.
T2 - eMRS Fall Meeting 2025
CY - Warsaw, Poland
DA - 15.09.2025
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 - Interlaboratory comparison
KW - Uncertainty
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64183
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Godard, A.
A1 - Kalot, G.
A1 - Pliquett, J.
A1 - Busser, B.
A1 - Le Guével, X.
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Russelin, Y.
A1 - Coll, J.-L.
A1 - Denat, F.
A1 - Bodio, E.
A1 - Goze, C.
A1 - Sancey, L.
T1 - Water-Soluble Aza-BODIPYs: Biocompatible Organic Dyes for High Contrast In Vivo NIR-II Imaging
N2 - A simple NIR-II emitting water-soluble system has been developed and
applied in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, the fluorophore quickly accumulated in 2D and 3D cell cultures and rapidly reached the tumor in rodents, showing high NIR-II contrast for up to 1 week. This very efficient probe possesses all the qualities necessary for translation to the clinic as well as for the development of NIR-II emitting materials.
KW - Aza-BODIPY
KW - NIR-II Imaging
KW - In vivo imaging
KW - organic dyes
KW - SWIR
KW - Cancer
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2020
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00175
VL - 31
IS - 4
SP - 1088
EP - 1092
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-50695
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Assessing different types of silica networks for the complete protection of nir luminescent molecular rubies from oxygen quenching in air
N2 - The application of emerging luminophores such as near-infrared (NIR) emissive earth-abundant chromium(III) (CrIII) complexes and triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) systems in air as optical reporters for bioimaging or photonic materials for energy conversion requires simple and efficient strategies for their complete protection from luminescence quenching by oxygen. Therefore, we explored the influence of sol-gel synthesis routes on the oxygen protection efficiency of the resulting core and core/shell silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs), utilizing the molecular ruby-type luminophores CrPF6 ([Cr(ddpd)2](PF6)3; ddpd = N,N’-dimethyl- N,N’-dipyridin-2-ylpyridin-2,6-diamine) and CrBF4 ([Cr(ddpd)2](BF4)3) with their oxygen-dependent, but polarity-, proticity-, viscosity-, and concentration-independent luminescence as optical probes for oxygen permeability. The sol-gel chemistry routes we assessed include the classical Stöber method and the underexplored larginine approach, which relies on the controlled hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in a biphasic cyclohexane/water system with the catalyst l-arginine. As demonstrated by luminescence measurements of air- and argon-saturated dispersions of CrPF6- and CrBF4-stained SiO2 NPs of different size and particle architecture, utilizing the luminescence decay kinetics of argon-saturated solutions of CrPF6 and CrBF4 in acetonitrile (ACN) as benchmarks, only SiO2 NPs or shells synthesized by the l-arginine approach provided complete oxygen protection of the CrIII complexes under ambient conditions. We ascribe the different oxygen shielding efficiencies of the silica networks explored to differences in density and surface chemistry of the resulting nanomaterials and coatings, leading to different oxygen permeabilities. Our l-arginine based silica encapsulation strategy can open the door for the efficient usage of oxygen-sensitive luminophores and TTA-UC systems as optical reporters and spectral shifters in air in the future.
T2 - eMRS Strasbourg
CY - Strasbourg, France
DA - 26.05.2025
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Synthesis
KW - Quantum yield
KW - NIR
KW - Mechanism
KW - Characterization
KW - Electron microscopy
KW - Silica
KW - Oxygen sensing
KW - Surface
KW - Doping
KW - Lifetime
KW - Cr(III) complex
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-63300
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Richter, Maria
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - New Reference Materials for the Quantification and Standardization of Fluorescence-based Measurements
N2 - Luminescence techniques are amongst the most commonly used analytical methods in the life and material sciences due to their high sensitivity and non-destructive and multiparametric character. Photoluminescence signals are, however, affected by wavelength-, polarization-, and time-dependent instrument specific effect and the compound-specific photoluminescence quantum yield. The former hamper the comparability of fluorescence measurements, while the relative determination of the latter requires suitable quantum yield standards with well-known photoluminescence quantum yields (QY). For the simple correction of instrument specific effects in the wavelength region of 300 nm to 950 nm, the set of the five certified spectral fluorescence standards BAM-F001 – BAM-F005, has been extended to the NIR range by including two new fluorescence standards currently under certification. For the reliable and accurate determination of QY which is the key performance parameter for the comparison of different luminophores, we certified a set of 12 quantum yield standards, which absorb and emit in the wavelength range from 300 nm to 1000 nm.
T2 - Methods and Applications in Fluorescence
CY - Gothenburg, Sweden
DA - 11.09.2022
KW - Luminescence
KW - Photoluminescence
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Certified reference material
KW - Standard
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-55914
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Getting it right with photoluminescence quantum yields of molecular and nanoscale luminophores and luminescent particles
N2 - Photophysical and mechanistic studies, the comparison of different emitter classes, and the rational design of the next generation of molecular and nanoscale reporters require quantitative photoluminescence measurements and the reliable determination of the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield (QY), i.e., the number of emitted per absorbed photons. This is of special importance for all photoluminescence applications in the life and material sciences in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR. To improve the reliability and comparability of photoluminescence and QY measurements across laboratories, pitfalls, achievable uncertainties, and material-specific effects related to certain emitter classes must be explored. Also, suitable protocols and reference materials are needed which have been validated in interlaboratory comparisons for different wavelength regions and transparent and scattering luminophores.[1] Based on absolute and relative photoluminescence measurements of functional dyes and nanomaterials like semiconductor quantum dots and rods, spectrally shifting lanthanide upconversion nanocrystals, perovskites, and YAG:Cer converter materials, reliable methods for determining QY of transparent and scattering luminophores, nonlinear emitters, and solid luminescent nanomaterials have been developed.[2,3] Thereby, material- and method-related uncertainties of relative and absolute QY measurements and achievable uncertainties could be quantified for linear and nonlinear UV/vis/NIR/SWIR emitters and lately for also luminescent and scattering materials and solid phoshors, here in an interlaboratory comparison of three labs utilizing integrating sphere spectroscopy.[4,5] In addition, to provide simple tools for a better comparability of QY measurements, recently, a first set of UV/vis/NIR quantum yield standards has been developed and certified with complete uncertainty budgets.[6] In the following, the outcome of these studies will be presented, thereby addressing common pitfalls and providing recommendations on the performance of reliable QY measurements of linear and non-linear emitters in transparent, scattering, and solid samples.
T2 - 29th Lecture Conference on Photochemistry (LCP 2024) GDCh
CY - Mainz, Germany
DA - 16.09.2024
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Nano
KW - Luminescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Synthesis
KW - Standardization
KW - Reference material
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Reference data
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - ILC
KW - Converter material
KW - YAG:Ce
KW - Optoceramic
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-61075
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Krappe, Alexander R.
A1 - Mayer, Jacob C.
A1 - Zhang, Wuai
A1 - Filla, Lina M.
A1 - Ligorio, Giovanni
A1 - Hermerschmidt, Felix
A1 - Eitelhuber, Larissa S.
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Weber, Manuela
A1 - Paulus, Beate
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - List-Kratochvil, Emil J.W.
A1 - Eigler, Siegfried
T1 - Highly Emissive Hexa-peri-benzocoronene-fluoranthene Hybrid as Easily Processable and Stable OLED Material
N2 - We report the synthesis of a fluorescent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon dye with a “symmetry-broken” core, derived from the related hexa-peri-benzocoronene (HBC) core with fluoranthene subunit. The fluorophore is composed of a pure Carbon skeleton without heteroatoms and exhibits remarkable photo luminescence properties with a photoluminescence Quantum yield (PLQY) of up to 67% in toluene, exceeding that of theparent HBC by a factor of 30. The single crystal X-ray structure reveals the distorted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon structure, which is responsible for the optoelectronic properties, as supported by density functional theory calculations. We show that the new fluorescent dye can be readily used for the fabrication of organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) without extensive optimization, whereby solubility in a variety of solvents and successful film formation are decisive.
KW - Quantum Yield
KW - OLED
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Synthesis
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-631298
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202500742
SN - 1521-3765
SP - 1
EP - 7
PB - John Wiley & Sons, Inc
AN - OPUS4-63129
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Biesen, L.
A1 - Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya
A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Müller, T. J. J.
T1 - Solid-State Emissive Aroyl-S,N-Ketene Acetals with Tunable
N2 - N-Benzyl aroyl-S,N-ketene acetals can be readily synthesized by condensation of aroyl chlorides and N-Benzyl 2-methyl benzothiazolium salts in good to excellent yields, yielding a library of 35 chromophores with bright solid-state emission and aggregation-induced emission characteristics.
Varying the substituent from electron-donating to electronwithdrawing enables the tuning of the solid-state emission Color from deep blue to red.
KW - Nano
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Photoluminescence
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Photophysics
KW - Lifetime
KW - Sensor
KW - dye
KW - Enhancement
KW - Particle
KW - Polarity
KW - AIE
KW - Aggregation
KW - Aggregation-induced emission
KW - Solid state emission
PY - 2020
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-509072
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201916396
VL - 59
IS - 25
SP - 10037
EP - 10041
PB - Wiley Online Libary
AN - OPUS4-50907
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Denißen, M.
A1 - Hannen, R.
A1 - Itskalov, D.
A1 - Biesen, L.
A1 - Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya
A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin
A1 - Reiss, G. J.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Müller, T. J. J.
T1 - One-pot synthesis of a white-light emissive bichromophore operated by aggregation-induced dual emission (AIDE) and partial energy transfer
N2 - Merocyanine–triarylamine bichromophores are readily synthesized by sequentially Pd-catalyzed insertion alkynylation–Michael–Suzuki four-component reactions. White-light emissive systems form upon aggregation in 1 : 99 and 0.1 : 99.9 vol% CH2Cl2–cyclohexane mixtures, ascribed to aggregation-induced dual emission (AIDE) in combination with partial energy transfer between both chromophore units as supported by spectroscopic studies.
KW - Energy transfer
KW - Nano
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Photoluminescence
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Photophysics
KW - Lifetime
KW - Sensor
KW - Dye
KW - Enhancement
KW - Particle
KW - Polarity
KW - AIE
KW - Aggregation
KW - Aggregation-induced emission
KW - Solid state emission
KW - Merocyanine
PY - 2020
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0cc03451g
VL - 56
IS - 54
SP - 7407
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry
AN - OPUS4-50936
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Biesen, L.
A1 - May, L.
A1 - Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya
A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Müller, T. J. J.
T1 - Communication of Bichromophore Emission upon Aggregation – Aroyl-S,N-ketene Acetals as Multifunctional Sensor Merocyanines
N2 - Aroyl-S,N-ketene acetal-based bichromophores can be readily synthesized in a consecutive three-component synthesis in good to excellent yields by condensation of aroyl chlorides and an N-(p-bromobenzyl) 2-methyl benzothiazolium salt followed by a Suzuki coupling, yielding a library of 31 bichromophoric fluorophores with substitution patterntunable emission properties. Varying both chromophores enables different communication pathways between the chromophores, exploiting aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and energy transfer (ET) properties, and thus, furnishing aggregation-based fluorescence switches. Possible applications range from fluorometric analysis of alcoholic beverages to pH sensors.
KW - Dye
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Aggregation induced emission
KW - Signal enhancement
KW - Energy transfer
KW - Switch
KW - Sensor
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Lifetime
KW - Photophysics
KW - Synthesis
PY - 2021
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-531123
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202102052
VL - 27
IS - 53
SP - 13426
EP - 13434
PB - Wiley-VCH
AN - OPUS4-53112
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Frenzel, F.
A1 - Fiedler, S.
A1 - Bardan, A.
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Influence of Measurement Geometry and Blank on Absolute Measurements of Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Scattering Luminescent Films
N2 - For a series of 500 μm-thick polyurethane films containing different concentrations of luminescent and scattering YAG:Ce microparticles, we systematically explored and quantified pitfalls of absolute measurements of photoluminescence quantum yields (Φf) for often employed integrating sphere (IS) geometries, where the sample is placed either on a sample holder at the bottom of the IS surface or mounted in the IS center. Thereby, the influence of detection and illumination geometry and sample position was examined using blanks with various scattering properties for measuring the number of photons absorbed by the sample. Our results reveal that (i) setup configurations where the scattering sample is mounted in the IS center and (ii) transparent blanks can introduce systematic errors in absolute Φf measurements.
For strongly scattering, luminescent samples, this can result in either an under- or overestimation of the absorbed photon flux and hence an under- or overestimation of Φf. The size of these uncertainties depends on the scattering properties of the sample and instrument parameters, such as sample position, IS size, wavelength-dependent reflectivity of the IS surface coating, and port configuration. For accurate and reliable absolute Φf measurements, we recommend (i) a blank with scattering properties closely matching those of the sample to realize similar distributions of the diffusely scattered excitation photons within the IS, and (ii) a sufficiently high sample absorption at the excitation wavelength. For IS setups with center-mounted samples, measurement geometries should be utilized that prevent the loss of excitation photons by reflections from the sample out of the IS.
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Characterization
KW - Silica
KW - Scattering
KW - Uncertainty
KW - Film
KW - Pphosphor
KW - YAG:Ce
KW - LED
KW - Converter material
KW - Solid material
KW - Polymer
KW - Composite material
KW - Advanced material
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-638304
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c06726
SN - 1520-6882
SP - 1
EP - 8
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-63830
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Radunz, Sebastian
A1 - Tschiche, Harald Rune
A1 - Moldenhauer, Daniel
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Broad range ON/OFF pH sensors based on pKa tunable fluorescent BODIPYs
N2 - A set of highly fluorescent, pH-responsive boron dipyrromethene dyes covering the pH range of 5-12 is presented for broad range pH measurements in mixed aqueous-organic median and polymer matrices. Readout in the intensity Domain with low cost and miniaturized Instrumentation utilizes reversible protonation induced switching ON of their initially completely quenched flourescence mediated by photoinduced electron Transfer. All dyes, rationally designed to reveal closely matching Absorption and Emission properties, are accessible via facile two-step reactions in Overall yields of up to 20%. By modifying the Substitution pattern of the meso-Aryl substiuent, the pKa values could be fine-tuned from 6 to 11. Integration of these molecules into polymeric films by a simple mixing procedure yielded reversible and longterm stable pH sensors for naked eye detection.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Sensor
KW - PH
KW - Dye
KW - BODIPY
KW - Synthesis
KW - Quantification
KW - Film
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Lifetime
KW - PET
PY - 2017
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2017.05.080
SN - 0925-4005
VL - 251
SP - 490
EP - 494
PB - Elsevier
AN - OPUS4-41782
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Güttler, Arne
T1 - Certified Reference Materials for the Quantification and Standardization of Fluorescence-based Measurements
N2 - The size and shape of photoluminescence signals is affected by wavelength-, polarization-, and time-dependent instrumentspecific contributions and the compound- and environment-specific photoluminescence quantum yield. The former hamper the comparability of fluorescence measurements performed on different measuring devices. The commonly relatively done determination of the performance parameter requires suitable quantum yield standards with well-known. The performance of such measurements is, e.g., described in the written standard IEC 62607 currently revised.
T2 - Colloquium für Optische Spektrometrie 2025
CY - Jena, Germany
DA - 24.09.2025
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Advanced material
KW - Calibration
KW - Characterization
KW - Fluorescence quantum yield
KW - Phosphor
KW - Absolute
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Dye
KW - Standardization
KW - Reference material
KW - Interlaboratory comparison
KW - Uncertainty
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64213
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Meyerhofer, F.
A1 - Dissinger, F.
A1 - Weigert, Florian
A1 - Jungclaus, J.
A1 - Müller-Caspary, K.
A1 - Waldvogel, S. R.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Voss, T.
T1 - Citric Acid Based Carbon Dots with Amine Type Stabilizers: pHSpecific
N2 - We report the synthesis and spectroscopic characteristics of two different sets of carbon dots (CDs) formed by hydrothermal reaction between citric acid and polyethylenimine (PEI) or 2,3-diaminopyridine (DAP). Although the formation of amide-based species and the presence of citrazinic acid type derivates assumed to be responsible for a blue emission is confirmed for both CDs by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry, a higher abundance of sp2-hybridized nitrogen is observed for DAP-based CDs, which causes a red-shift of the n-π* absorption band relative to the one of PEI-based CDs. These CD Systems possess high photoluminescence quantum yields (QY) of ∼40% and ∼48% at neutral pH, demonstrating a possible tuning of the optical properties by the amine precursor. pH-Dependent spectroscopic studies revealed a drop in QY to < 9% (pH ∼ 1) and < 21% (pH ∼ 12) for both types of CDs under acidic and basic conditions. In contrast, significant differences in the pHdependency of the n-π* transitions are found for both CD types which are ascribed to different (de)protonation sequences of the CD-specific fluorophores and functional groups using Zeta potential analysis.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Particle
KW - Nano
KW - Surface group analysis
KW - Carbon dot
KW - C-dot
KW - Fluorescent probe
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Synthesis
KW - IR
KW - MS
KW - Polymer
KW - Ligand
PY - 2020
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b11732
VL - 124
IS - 16
SP - 8894
EP - 8904
PB - American Chemical Society
AN - OPUS4-50813
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Pilch, A.
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Kaiser, Martin
A1 - Wawrzynczyk, D.
A1 - Kurnatowska, M.
A1 - Arabasz, S.
A1 - Prorok, K.
A1 - Samoc, M.
A1 - Strek, W.
A1 - Bednarkiewicz, A.
T1 - Shaping luminescent properties of Yb3+ and Ho3+ co-doped upconverting core-shell ß-NaYF4 nanoparticles by dopant distribution and spacing
N2 - At the core of luminescence color and lifetime Tuning of rare earth doped upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs), is the understanding of the Impact of the particle architecture for commonly used sensitizer (S) and activator (A) Ions. In this respect, a series of core@Shell NaYF4 UCNPs doped with Yb3+ and Ho3+ ions are presented here, where the same dopant concentrations are distributed in different particle architectures following the scheme: YbHo core and YbHo@..., ...@YbHo, Yb@Ho, Ho@Yb, YbHo@Yb, and Yb@YbHo core-Shell NPs. As refealed by quantitative steady-state and time-resolved luminescence studies, the relative spatial Distribution of the A and S ions in the UCNPs and their protection from surface quenching has a critical Impact on ther luminescence characteristics. Although the increased amount of Yb3+ Ions boosts UCNP Performance by amplifying the Absorption, the Yb3+ ions can also efficiently dissipate the energy stored in the material through energy Migration to the surface, thereby reducing the Overall energy Transfer Efficiency to the activator ions. The results provide yet another proof that UC Phosphor chemistry combined with materials Engineering through intentional core@shell structures may help to fine-tune the luminescence Features of UCNPs for their specific future applications in biosensing, bioimaging, photovoltaics, and Display technologies.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Upconversion
KW - NIR
KW - Nonlinear
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Liftetime
KW - Nanocrystal
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Ho(III)
KW - Yb(III)
KW - Mechanism
KW - Absolute flourescence
KW - Excitation power density dependence
PY - 2017
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201701635
SN - 1613-6810
VL - 13
IS - 47
SP - 1701635, 1
EP - 13
PB - WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & co. KGaA
CY - Weinheim
AN - OPUS4-43629
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Meng, M.
A1 - Zhang, T.
A1 - Wang, J.
A1 - Cheng, Z.
A1 - Yang, J.
A1 - Qiao, X.
A1 - Wen, J.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Ou, J.
T1 - Fluorescence temperature sensing of NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaGdF4:Nd3+/Yb3+ nanoparticles at low and high temperatures
N2 - NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaGdF4:Nd3+/Yb3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were prepared using a solvothermal method, and the effects of key factors such as the content of sensitiser Nd 3+ and Yb3+ on their luminescence properties were investigated. The nanoparticles are homogeneous in size and well dispersed. Under 808 nm excitation, it can produce strong upconversion fluorescence. At the same time, the nanoparticles have good temperature-sensing properties at the thermally coupled energy levels of 700 nm and 646 nm for Tm3+. Using its fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR), accurate temperature measurements can be performed, and it has been found that it exhibits different temperature sensing properties in low and high-temperature regions. The maximum relative sensitivity was found to be 0.88% K-1 and 1.89% K-1 for the lowtemperature region of 285 K-345 K and the high-temperature region of 345 K-495 K. The nanoparticles were applied to the internal temperature measurement of lithium batteries and the actual high-temperature environment, respectively, and were found to have good temperature measurementt performance.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Sensor
KW - Temperature
KW - Ratiometric
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Absolute fluorescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Application
KW - Upconversion nanoparticle
PY - 2022
DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/ac84e4
SN - 1361-6528
VL - 33
IS - 34
SP - 1
EP - 15
PB - IOP Publishing
CY - Bristol
AN - OPUS4-55454
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 nanomaterials
N2 - Engineered nanomaterials (NMs) of various chemical composition and surface functionalization are routinely fabricated for industrial applications such as medical diagnostics, drug delivery, sensing, catalysis, energy conversion and storage, opto-electronics, and information storage. NM dispersibility, stability, processability, and function as well as the interaction with biological species and environmental fate are largely determined by NM surface functionalities, i.e., functional groups (FGs) and ligands. Therefore, reliable, reproducible, and eventually standardized surface characterization methods are vital for quality control of NMs, and mandatory to meet increasing concerns regarding their safety.
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.[1] The latter less costly and fast methods, which can be automated, are often used by NM producers for process and quality control.[1,2] To validate methods, establish measurement uncertain-ties, test reference materials, and produce reference data, multi-method characterization studies are needed.[3,4] as well as interlaboratory comparisons (ILC) on determining NM surface chemistry and well characterized test and reference NMs providing benchmark values.[5,6] Here, we present examples for quantifying common surface FGs such as amino and carboxyl groups on functional NMs of different chemical composition such as silica, polymer, iron oxide, and lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles with optical assays, electrochemical titration methods, qNMR, and chromatographic separation techniques. In addition, ongoing interlaboratory comparisons will be presented.
T2 - Yucomat 2025
CY - Herec Novi, Montenegro
DA - 01.09.2025
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 - Interlaboratory comparison
KW - Uncertainty
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-64182
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Measurements of Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Scattering LED Converter Materials
N2 - How to Get it Right with the Absolute Measurement of Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Scattering LED Converter Materials Saskia Fiedler+,a, Florian Frenzel+,a, Christian Würth a, Isabella Tavernaro a, Michelle Grüne c, Stefan Schweizer c,d, Axel Engel e, and Ute Resch-Genger a* a Division Biophotonics, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Richard-Willstaetter-Strasse 11, D-12489 Berlin, Germany; email: ute.resch@bam.de b Present address: Photonic Materials, NWO-Institute AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands c Faculty of Electrical Engineering, South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences, Lübecker Ring 2, 59494, Soest, Germany d Fraunhofer Application Center for Inorganic Phosphors, Branch Lab of Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS, Lübecker Ring 2, 59494, Soest, Germany e Schott AG Technical Services, Hattenbergstrasse 10, D-55122 Mainz, Germany Optical measurements of scattering materials such as luminescent nano- and microparticles and phosphors dispersed in liquid and solid matrices play an important role in energy conversion, solid-state lighting, medical diagnostics, and security barcoding. A key performance parameter is the photoluminescence quantum yield QY, i.e., the number of emitted per number of absorbed photons. QY of transparent luminophore solutions can be obtained relative to a fluorescence QY standard of known QY, meanwhile available as certified reference materials.[1] The determination of QY of scattering liquid and solid samples like nanoparticle dispersions, phosphors, and optoceramics requires, however, absolute measurements with an integrating sphere setup. Despite the need for reliable absolute QY measurements, no interlaboratory comparison (ILCs) on measurement uncertainties has been performed and scattering standards with known QY are not available. We present the results of an ILC of 3 labs from academia and industry on measurements of transparent and scattering dye solutions and solid phosphors and converter materials like YAG:Ce optoceramics with commercial stand-alone integrating sphere setups of different illumination and detection geometries. Special emphasis was dedicated to the influence of measurement geometry, optical properties of the blank for determining the number of incident photons absorbed by the sample, and sample-specific surface roughness. Matching QY values could be obtained for transparent dye solutions and scattering dispersions with a blank with scattering properties closely matching those of the sample, QY measurements of optoceramic samples with different blanks revealed substantial differences of more than 20 %. Based on our data, we recommend non-absorbing blank materials with a high reflectivity (>95 %) such as a 2 mm-thick PTFE target placed on the sample holder as blanks.
T2 - eMRS
CY - Strasbourg, France
DA - 26.05.2025
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Quantum yield
KW - NIR
KW - Characterization
KW - Electron microscopy
KW - Film
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Calibration
KW - Lifetime
KW - Advanced materials
KW - LED converter
KW - YAG:Ce
KW - ILC
KW - Measurement uncertainty
KW - Absolute quantum yield
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-63327
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Rezvani, A.
A1 - Wang, Z.
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
A1 - Soltanmoradi, H.
A1 - Kichigin, A.
A1 - Zhou, X.
A1 - Gantenberg, T.
A1 - Schram, J.
A1 - Zubiri, B. A.
A1 - Spiecker, E.
A1 - Walter, J.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Segets, D.
T1 - Separation of Indium Phosphide/Zinc Sulfide Core−Shell Quantum Dots from Shelling Byproducts through Multistep Agglomeration
N2 - Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) possess unique electronic and optical properties, making them promising candidates for applications in lightemitting diodes, solar cells, bioimaging, and photocatalysis. Precise control over their size, shape, and chemical and electronic structure is crucial to ensure the desired functional properties and optimize device performance. However, challenges in QD synthesis and post-synthesis modification persist, especially in large-scale production. This study addresses the classification of QDs synthesized in a tubular flow reactor consisting of a mixture of the desired InP/ZnS core−shell QDs and QDs made from the shell material, i.e., here ZnS QDs formed as a byproduct during the formation step of the ZnS shell. The homogeneous nucleation of ZnS nanoparticles from the shelling material introduces a heterogeneity in size and composition and affects the optical properties of the resulting QDs. To address this issue, we developed a size-selective agglomeration (SSA) technique by incrementally introducing ethanol as a poor solvent and classified the synthesized QDs into 13 distinct fractions. These 13 fractions are sorted into three distinct groups: (i) larger InP/ZnS QDs, (ii) a combination of smaller InP/ZnS QDs and larger ZnS QDs, and (iii) predominant ZnS QDs with some very tiny InP/ZnS QDs. The comprehensive characterization of the fractions was conducted using UV−visible absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, total reflection X-ray fluorescence, and analytical ultracentrifugation. We could demonstrate that our method effectively separated unwanted ZnS QDs from the target InP/ZnS QDs. In addition, the fractions enriched in smaller InP/ZnS QDs exhibited a higher photoluminescence quantum yield compared to the fractions with larger QDs. This demonstrates the efficacy of SSA in finetuning the composition of QD mixtures produced on a larger scale to improve their functional properties. This approach provides fundamental understanding toward the development of a scalable two-dimensional classification process for such ultrasmall nanoparticles by particle size and composition.
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Reference material
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Quantum dot
KW - Synthesis
KW - Flow reactor
KW - InP
KW - Shell
KW - ZnS
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Method
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - TEM
PY - 2025
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c18530
SN - 1936-086X
VL - 19
IS - 20
SP - 19080
EP - 19094
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-63215
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
T1 - pH- and O2-Responsive Nanoparticles – The MiGraGen Project
N2 - In recent years, the demand for reliable, versatile, fluorescent pH and oxygen sensors has increased rapidly in many biomedical applications since these analytes are important indicators of cell function or certain diseases. Therefore, sensor particles are needed that are small enough to penetrate cells, non-toxic, and allow for close-up optical monitoring. When developing such sensor systems, one must consider the pH and oxygen range detectable by the sensor dye and the matrix material of the used carrier particles. Here, we present the development of pH- and oxygen-responsive polymeric beads functionalized with fluorescent dyad molecules that consist of an analyte-responsive fluorophore and an analyte-inert dye.
T2 - MiGraGen Project Meeting 09.08.2023
CY - Online Meeting
DA - 09.08.2023
KW - Nano- and microsensors
KW - Functionalized silica and polymeric particles
KW - pH sensing
KW - Oxygen sensing
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-58071
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kage, Daniel
A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin
A1 - Borcherding, H.
A1 - Schedler, U.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Lifetime encoding in flow cytometry for bead‑based sensing of biomolecular interaction
N2 - To demonstrate the potential of time-resolved flow cytometry (FCM) for bioanalysis, clinical diagnostics, and optically encoded bead-based assays, we performed a proof-of-principle study to detect biomolecular interactions utilizing fluorescence lifetime (LT)-encoded micron-sized polymer beads bearing target-specific bioligands and a recently developed prototype lifetime flow cytometer (LT-FCM setup). This instrument is equipped with a single excitation light source and different fluorescence detectors, one operated in the photon-counting mode for time-resolved measurements of fluorescence decays and three detectors for conventional intensity measurements in different spectral windows. First, discrimination of bead-bound biomolecules was demonstrated in the time domain exemplarily for two targets, Streptavidin (SAv) and the tumor marker human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). In a second step, the determination of biomolecule concentration levels was addressed representatively for the inflammation-related biomarker tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) utilizing fluorescence intensity measurements in a second channel of the LT-FCM instrument. Our results underline the applicability of LT-FCM in the time domain for measurements of biomolecular interactions in suspension assays. In the future, the combination of spectral and LT encoding and multiplexing and the expansion of the time scale from the lower nanosecond range to the longer nanosecond and the microsecond region is expected to provide many distinguishable codes. This enables an increasing degree of multiplexing which could be attractive for high throughput screening applications.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Sensor
KW - Assay
KW - Protein
KW - Multiplexing
KW - Flow cytometry
KW - Barcoding
KW - Lifetime
KW - Dye
KW - Bead
KW - Bead-based assay
KW - Method
KW - Quantification
PY - 2020
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-516007
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76150-x
VL - 10
IS - 1
SP - 19477
PB - Nature
AN - OPUS4-51600
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin
A1 - Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Fluorescence calibration standards made from broadband emitters encapsulated in polymer beads for fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry
N2 - We present here the design and characterization of a set of spectral calibration beads. These calibration beads are intended for the determination and regular control of the spectral characteristics of fluorescence microscopes and other fluorescence measuring devices for the readout of bead-based assays. This set consists of micrometer-sized polymer beads loaded with dyes from the liquid Calibration Kit Spectral Fluorescence Standards developed and certified by BAM for the wavelength-dependent Determination of the spectral responsivity of fluorescencemeasuring devices like spectrofluorometers. To cover the wavelength Region from 400 to 800 nm, two new near-infrared emissive dyes were included, which were spectroscopically characterized in solution and encapsulated in the beads. The resulting set of beads presents the first step towards a new platform of spectral calibration beads for the determination of the spectral characteristics of fluorescence instruments like fluorescence microscopes, FCM setups, and microtiter plate readers, thereby meeting the increasing demand for reliable and comparable fluorescence data especially in strongly regulated areas, e.g., medical diagnostics. This will eventually provide the basis for standardized calibration procedures for imaging systems as an alternative to microchannel slides containing dye solutions previously reported by us.
KW - Fluorescence standard
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Dye
KW - Microscopy
KW - Bead
KW - Particle
KW - NIR
KW - calibration
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Traceability
PY - 2020
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-508117
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-020-02664-y
SN - 1618-2642
VL - 412
IS - 24
SP - 6499
EP - 6507
PB - Springer
AN - OPUS4-50811
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Methods for the determination of the optical properties and the surface chemistry of fluorescent particles
N2 - Fluorescent particles like nm- and m-sized polymeric beads doped or labeled with different types of fluorophores and nanocrystalline systems like quantum dots and upconversion phosphors emitting in the visible (vis), near-infrared (NIR), and IR (infrared) region are of increasing importance as fluorescent reporters for bioanalysis and medical diagnostics. The assessment and comparison of material performance and the development of rational design strategies for improved systems requires suitable spectroscopic tools for the determination of signal-relevant optical properties and analytical tools for the determination of the number of surface groups, ligands, biomolecules and /or fluorophores per bead. In this respect, suitable spectroscopic tools for the characterization of the optical properties of such materials like photoluminescence quantum yields and brightness values and the determination of their surface chemistry are introduced. This includes integrating sphere setups for absolute measurements of fluorescence quantum yields of liquid and solid, transparent and scattering materials in the wavelength region of 350 nm to 1600 nm at varying excitation power densities for the study of multi-photon processes and simple optical assays, validated by comparison with established analytical techniques relying on different detection principles. Here, different examples for the optical and analytical characterization of different types of nanoscale reporters are presented.
T2 - MoLife Research Seminar
CY - Bremen, Germany
DA - 26.04.2016
KW - Optical assay
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Quantum yield
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Nanomaterials
KW - Semiconducor nanocrystals
KW - Upconversion nanocrystals
KW - Surface analysis
KW - Ligand analysis
PY - 2016
AN - OPUS4-35954
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Pauli, Jutta
A1 - Hoffmann, Katrin
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Behnke, Thomas
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Standardization of fluorescence measurements in the UV/vis/NIR/IR
N2 - Photoluminescence techniques are amongst the most widely used Tools in the life sciences, with new and exciting applications in medical diagnostics and molecular Imaging continuously emerging. Advantages include their comparative ease of use, unique sensitivity, non-invasive character, and potential for Multiplexing, remote sensing, and miniaturization. General drawbacks are, however, signals, that contain unwanted wavelength- and polarization contributions from Instrument-dependent effects, which are also time-dependent due to aging of Instrument-components, and difficulties to measure absolute flourescence entensities. Moreover, scattering Systems require Special measurement geometries and the interest in new optical Reporters with Emission > 1000 nm strategies for reliable measurements in the second diagnostic for the comparison of material Performance and the rational designg of new flourophores with improved properties.
Here, we present strategies to versatile method-adaptable liquid and solid flourescence Standards for different flourescence paramters including traceable Instrument calibration procedures and the design of integrating spere setups for the absolute measurements of emission spectra and Quantum yields in the wavelength Region of 350 to 1600 nm. Examples are multi-Emitter glasses, spectral flourescence Standards, and quantum yield Standards for the UV/vis/NIR.
T2 - Conference on Molecular-Guided Surgery - Molecules, Devices, and Applications III
CY - San Francisco, CA, USA
DA - 28.01.2017
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Reference material
KW - Standard
KW - Calibration
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Absolute flourometry
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Quantum yield standard
KW - Emission standards
PY - 2017
SN - 978-1-5106-0539-8
DO - https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2255728
SN - 0277-786X
VL - 10049
SP - 1
PB - Proceedings of SPIE
AN - OPUS4-41783
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Richter, Maria
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Pauli, Jutta
A1 - Vogel, K.
A1 - Homann, Christian
A1 - Würth, Christian
T1 - Extending Certified Spectral Fluorescence Standards for the Calibration and Performance Validation of Fluorescence Instruments to the NIR – Closing the Gap from 750 nm to 940 nm with Two Novel NIR Dyes
N2 - Fluorescence methods provide spectral, intensity, polarization, and lifetime information, which contain sample- and instrument-specific contributions. Fluorescence data, comparable across instruments and laboratories, require validated calibration procedures and certified fluorescence standards.
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Reference material
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Dye
KW - Traceability
KW - Metrology
KW - Calibration
KW - Reference data
KW - Reference product
KW - Digital certificate
KW - NIR
KW - Instrument performance validation
PY - 2025
SP - 1
EP - 4
PB - Springer Nature
CY - London
AN - OPUS4-62739
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Andreato, E.
A1 - Panov, N.
A1 - Artiga, A.
A1 - Osipova, Viktoriia
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Ximendes, E.
A1 - Molina, P.
A1 - Canton, P.
A1 - Marin, R.
T1 - Indium-Based Fluoride Nanoparticles Doped with Chromium for Near-Infrared Luminescence
N2 - Transition metal (TM) and rare earth (RE) ion-doped nanoparticles (NPs) are photoluminescent materials of technological relevance in bioimaging, sensing, and light conversion. Fluoride NPs are particularly attractive in this context, since they combine low-energy phonons, high chemical stability, optical transparency, size, and architecture tunability. Yet, nearly all reported colloidal fluoride NPs (e.g., NaYF4 and LiYF4) can only be efficiently doped with RE3+ and not with luminescent TM ions. Herein, we contribute to filling this gap in materials science by reporting Na3InF6 NPs doped with Cr3+ as a model luminescent TM ion. We unveil the heat-driven NP formation mechanism, which involves a cubic-to-monoclinic phase conversion, similarly to the cubic-tohexagonal phase conversion in NaYF4. Reaction temperatures above 225 °C and reaction time have a limited impact on the NP morphology, while the amount of fluoride precursor and oleylamine grants control over the NP size. After verifying that Na3InF6 NPs show negligible cytotoxicity toward U-87 cell line, we study the optical properties of these NPs upon Cr3+ doping.
Temperature-dependent photoluminescence measurements indicate that Cr3+ ions experience a weak crystal field in the Na3InF6 host lattice, while their photoluminescence lifetime varies linearly in the 20−50 °C range. These results set the ground for further studies of photoluminescent TM-doped fluoride NPs, toward their applications in bioimaging, sensing, and light-converting devices.
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Traceability
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Synthesis
KW - Quantum yield
KW - NIR
KW - Mechanism
KW - Characterization
KW - XRD
KW - Phase transition
KW - Ligand
KW - Surface
KW - Doping
KW - Lifetime
PY - 2025
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.4c03335
SN - 1520-5002
SP - 1
EP - 14
PB - American Chemical Society
AN - OPUS4-63073
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia
T1 - Using Dual Fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Particles Coupled with a Miniaturized Opto-Microfluidic Platform for On-Site Detection of Perfluoroalkyl Carboxylic Acids
N2 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic organofluorine chemicals widely used in the production of various materials, including firefighting foams, adhesives, and coatings that resist stains and oil. In recent years, PFAS have gained attention as emerging environmental contaminants, with particular emphasis on perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), the most common type of PFAS. PFCAs are defined by a fully fluorinated carbon chain and a charged carboxylic acid group. They have been classified as Substances of Very High Concern and included in the REACH Candidate List due to their persistence, resistance to biodegradation, and toxicological impacts.
Traditional methods for analyzing PFCAs, like GC-MS, HRMS, and HPLC-based techniques, are time-consuming, non-portable, expensive, and require specialized expertise. On the other hand, fluorescence assays offer a user-friendly, portable, and cost-effective alternative with high sensitivity and quick results, particularly when the binding of the analyte causes a specific increase in the probe’s fluorescence. Combining these probes with a carrier platform and a miniaturized optofluidic device presents a promising approach for PFCA monitoring.
In this study, a new guanidine BODIPY fluorescent indicator monomer was synthesized, characterized, and incorporated into a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) designed for the specific detection of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The MIP layer was formed on silica core nanoparticles doped with tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) chloride, serving as an optical internal reference for calibration-free assays. In combination with an extraction step prior to sample analysis, this system enables selective and reliable detection of PFCAs in surface water samples, minimizing interference from competing substances, matrix effects, and other factors. When integrated into an opto-microfluidic setup, the assay provided a compact, user-friendly detection system capable of detecting micromolar levels of PFOA in under 15 minutes from surface water samples.
T2 - ANAKON2025
CY - Leipzig, Germany
DA - 10.03.2025
KW - Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
KW - On-site detection
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Microfluidics
KW - Molecularly Imprinted Polymers
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-62712
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Wagner, Sabine
T1 - Integration of microspheres coated with fluorescent molecularly imprinted polymers with a fiber optic array for the detection of antibiotics
N2 - The widespread use of antibiotics in livestock farming leads to trace residues in food products and wastewater, potentially entailing antimicrobial resistance in food-borne pathogens. The determination of antibiotics in aqueous environments and foodstuff is thus of major concern.
Analytical assays based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have emerged as a valuable tool in this field due to the low production costs, stability, format adaptability and the possibility to imprint and thus their ability to recognize a wide variety of target analytes. With regard to optical sensing technologies, however, MIPs have only been used in considerably few applications, especially in fluorescence sensors. This limitation is basically due to the fact that the incorporation of a fluorescently responding moiety into a polymer matrix is challenging. One way to overcome this limitation is to use tailor-made fluorescent indicator monomers for direct transfer of the binding event into an optical signal. If such a monomer is integrated into a thin MIP-shell on microspheres such core/shell particles can be readily used in advanced multiplexing sensory fiber-optic microarrays.
Here, we propose such a fiber-optic microarray based on fluorescent MIP microspheres for antibiotics. The binding behavior and the selectivity of a microarray using these MIP were examined and compared with a non-imprinted polymer (NIP) control, employing the target molecules and other structurally closely related antibiotics.
T2 - Europt(r)ode XIII
CY - Graz, Austria
DA - 20.03.2016
KW - Molecularly imprinted polymers
KW - Fiber-optic microarray
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2016
AN - OPUS4-37294
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Homann, Christian
A1 - Peeters, Régis
A1 - Mirmajidi, Hana
A1 - Berg, Jessica
A1 - Fay, Michael
A1 - Rodrigues, Lucas Carvalho Veloso
A1 - Radicchi, Eros
A1 - Jain, Akhil
A1 - Speghini, Adolfo
A1 - Hemmer, Eva
T1 - Rapid microwave-assisted synthesis of morphology-controlled luminescent lanthanide-doped Gd2O2S nanostructures
N2 - Gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd2O2S) is an attractive material of demonstrated suitability for a variety of imaging applications, leveraging its magnetic, scintillating, and luminescent properties, particularly when doped with optically active lanthanide ions (Ln3+). For many of these applications, control over size and morphology at the nanoscale is crucial. This study demonstrates the rapid microwave-assisted Synthesis of colloidal Ln2O2S (Ln = Gd and dopants Yb, Er, Tb) nanostructures in as little as 20 min. Structural characterization using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, as well as Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), including elemental mapping via energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), unveiled the key role of elemental sulphur (S8) in the reaction mixtures for materials growth. By systematically varying the Ln-to-S ratio from 1 : 0.5 to 1 : 15, controlled morphologies ranging from triangular nanoplatelets to berry- and flower-like shapes were achieved. Doping with Er3+/Yb3+ endowed the nano-triangles with upconverting and near-infrared emitting properties. Tb3+-doped Gd2O2S exhibited the characteristic green Tb3+ emission under UV excitation, while also showing X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL), rendering the material interesting as a potential nano-scintillator.
KW - Upconversion
KW - Microwave-assisted synthesis
KW - Synthesis
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - NIR
KW - XRD
KW - X-ray fluoressence
KW - Morphology control
KW - Raman
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-647907
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5TC01646K
SN - 2050-7526
VL - 13
IS - 35
SP - 18492
EP - 18507
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
AN - OPUS4-64790
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Fidan, Z.
A1 - Wende, A.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Visible and red emissive molecular beacons for optical temperature measurements and quality control in diagnostic assays utilizing temperature-dependent amplification reactions
N2 - Quality control requirements imposed on assays used in clinical diagnostics and point-of-care-diagnostic testing (POCT), utilizing amplification reactions performed at elevated temperatures of 35 to 95 °C are very stringent. As the temperature of a reaction vessel has a large impact on the specificity and sensitivity of the amplification reaction, simple tools for local in situ temperature sensing and monitoring are required for reaction and assay control. We describe here a platform of stem-and-loop structured DNA hairpins (molecular beacons, MBs), absorbing and emitting in the visible and red spectral region, rationally designed for precise temperature measurements in microfluidic assays for POCT, and their ap-plication for temperature measurements in a common DNA-based molecular biological assay utilizing thermophilic helicase-dependent amplification (tHDA). Spectroscopic studies of these MBs, rationally designed from DNA se-quences of different thermal stabilities, chosen not to interact with the DNA probes applied in the nucleic acid amplification assay, and temperature-dependent fluorescence measurements of MB-assay mixtures revealed the suitability of these MBs for temperature measurements directly in such an assay with a temperature resolution of about 0.5 °C without interferences from assay components. Combining two spectrally distinguishable MBs provides a broader response range and an increase in temperature sensitivity up to 0.1 °C. This approach will find future application for temperature monitoring and quality control in commercialized diagnostics assays using dried reagents and microfluidic chips as well as assays read out with tube and microplate readers and PCR detection systems for temperature measurements in the range of 35 to 95 °C.
KW - Miniaturization
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Temperature
KW - Sensor
KW - Assay
KW - Microfluidics
KW - DNA
KW - Dye
KW - Molecular beacon
KW - Molecular diagnostics
PY - 2016
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-016-0088-6
SN - 1618-2642
VL - 409
IS - 6
SP - 1519
EP - 1529
PB - Springer
CY - Heidelberg
AN - OPUS4-39589
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Srivastava, Priyanka
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
A1 - Genger, C.
A1 - Welker, P.
A1 - Huebner, Oskar
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Multicolor Polystyrene Nanosensors for the Monitoring of Acidic, Neutral, and Basic pH Values and Cellular Uptake Studies
N2 - A first tricolor fluorescent pH nanosensor is presented, which was rationally designed from biocompatible carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles and two analyte-responsive molecular fluorophores. Its fabrication involved particle staining with a blue-red-emissive dyad, consisting of a rhodamine moiety responsive to acidic pH values and a pH-inert quinoline fluorophore, followed by the covalent attachment of a fluorescein dye to the particle surface that signals neutral and basic pH values with a green fluorescence. These sensor particles change their fluorescence from blue to red and green, depending on the pH and excitation wavelength, and enable ratiometric pH measurements in the pH range of 3.0−9.0. The localization of the different sensor dyes in the particle core and at the particle surface was confirmed with fluorescence microscopy utilizing analogously prepared polystyrene microparticles. To show the application potential of these polystyrene-based multicolor sensor particles, fluorescence microscopy studies with a human A549 cell line were performed, which revealed the cellular uptake of the pH nanosensor and the differently colored emissions in different cell organelles, that is, compartments of the endosomal-lysosomal pathway. Our results demonstrate the underexplored potential of biocompatible polystyrene particles for multicolor and multianalyte sensing and bioimaging utilizing hydrophobic and/or hydrophilic stimuli-responsive luminophores.
KW - Microparticle
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Sensor
KW - pH
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Multiplexing
KW - Imaging
KW - Cell
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Nano
KW - Polymer
KW - Bioimaging
KW - Particle
KW - Application
PY - 2022
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.2c00944
VL - 94
IS - 27
SP - 9656
EP - 9664
PB - ACS
AN - OPUS4-55365
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Pauli, Jutta
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Reliable Determination of the Signal-Relevant Spectroscopic Key Characteristics of Luminescent Reporters and Optical Probes for Imaging in the vis/NIR/SWIR
N2 - Introduction. Comparing different emitter classes and rationally designing the next generation of molecular and nanoscale probes for bioimaging applications require accurate and quantitative methods for the measurement of the key parameter photoluminescence quantum yield f.1 f equals the number of emitted per number of absorbed photons. This is particularly relevant for increasingly used fluorescence imaging in the short wave-infrared region (SWIR) ≥ 900 nm providing deeper penetration depths, a better image resolution, and an improved signal-to-noise or tumor-to-background ratio.2, 3 However, spectroscopic measurements in the SWIR are more challenging and require specific calibrations and standards.
T2 - EMIM 2021
CY - Göttingen, Germany
DA - 24.08.2021
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Optical probe
KW - Dye
KW - Photophysics
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Mechanism
KW - NIR
KW - SWIR
KW - Imaging
KW - Reference material
KW - Reliability
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Method
KW - Quality assurance
PY - 2021
AN - OPUS4-53233
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Design and Quantitative Characterization of Functional Molecular Chromophores and Nanomaterials with UV/vis/NIR/IR Emission – An Overview of Research Activities in Division Biophotonics
N2 - In the focus of division Biophotonics are the design, preparation, analytical and spectroscopic characterization, and application of molecular and nanoscale
functional materials, particularly materials with a photoluminescence in the visible, near infrared (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR). This includes optical reporters for bioimaging and sensing, security and authentication barcodes, and materials for solid state lighting, energy conversion, and photovoltaics. For the identification of optimum particle structures quantitative spectroscopic studies are performed under application-relevant conditions, focusing on the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield. In addition, simple, cost-efficient, and standardizable strategies for quantifying functional groups on the surface of nano- and microparticles are developed, here with a focus on optical assays and electrochemical titration methods, cross-validated by more advanced methods such as quantitative NMR. In addition, reference materials and reference products are developed for optical methods, particularly luminescence techniques, and for analytical methods utilized for the characterization of nanomaterials.
T2 - Projekttreffen Nile-Chrome 2.0
CY - Mainz, Germany
DA - 11.12.2023
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Reference material
KW - Reference data
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Dye
KW - Reference product
KW - NIR
KW - SWIR
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Silica
KW - Polymer
KW - Surface group analysis
KW - Sensor molecules
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-59123
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
ED - Otto, S.
ED - Scholz, Norman
ED - Behnke, Thomas
ED - Heinze, K.
T1 - Thermo-Chromium: A Contactless Optical Molecular Thermometer
N2 - The unparalleled excited-state potential-energy landscape of the chromium(III)-based dye [1]3+ ([Cr(ddpd)2]3+; ddpd=N,N’-dimethyl-N,N’-dipyridin-2-ylpyridin-2,6-diamine) enables a strong dual emission in the near infrared region. The temperature dependence of this dual emission allows the use of [1]3+ as an unprecedented molecular ratiometric thermometer in the 210–373 K temperature range in organic and in aqueous media. Incorporation of [1]3+ in biocompatible nanocarriers, such as 100 nm-sized polystyrene nanoparticles and solutol micelles, provides nanodimensional thermometers operating under physiological conditions.
KW - Temperature
KW - Sensor
KW - Dual emission
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Cr complex
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Micelle
KW - Probe
KW - Environment
PY - 2017
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201701726
SN - 0947-6539
VL - 23
IS - 50
SP - 12131
EP - 12135
PB - Wiley-VCH
AN - OPUS4-42539
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Quantification of Parameters Affecting the Upconversion Luminescence of Lanthanide-Based Upconversion Nanocrystals
N2 - Lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) like hexagonal Beta-NaYF4 UCNPs doped with Yb3+ and Er3+, which efficiently convert 976 nm light to ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared photons, offer new strategies for luminescence-based sensing, barcoding, and imaging. The properties of their upconversion (UC) luminescence (UCL) are, however, strongly influenced by particle size, the concentration and spatial arrangement of the dopant ions, surface chemistry including presence and thickness of surface passivation and shielding shells, microenvironment/presence of quenchers with high energy vibrations, and excitation power density (P). We present here a comprehensive study of the influence of UCNP size and particle architecture for Yb3+ and Er3+ co-doped NaYF4 core-only and core-shell nanostructures in the size range of about 5 nm to 50 nm, which underlines the importance of particle synthesis, surface chemistry, and quantitative luminescence measurements for mechanistic insights and the determination of application-relevant matrix- and P-dependent optimum dopand concentrations.
T2 - Materials Challenges in Alternative and Renewable Energy (MCARE) 2018
CY - Vancouver, BC, Canada
DA - 20.08.2018
KW - Upconverting nanoparticles
KW - Size
KW - Energy transfer
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Absolute fluorescence quantum yield
KW - Fluorescence decay kinetics
KW - Power density dependence
PY - 2018
AN - OPUS4-46393
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
T1 - Design of Fluorescent, Amorphous Silica-NPs and their Versatile Use in Sensing Applications
N2 - Surface functionalized silica nanoparticles (SiO2-NP) gained great interest in the life and material sciences, as they can be used e.g. as drug carriers, fluorescent sensors, and multimodal labels in bioanalytical assays and imaging applications. They are highly stable, are easily produced and modified on a large scale at low cost and can be labeled or stained with a multitude of sensor dyes. These dye modified particle conjugates have several advantages as compared to conventional molecular probes like enhanced brightness, ease of designing ratiometric systems by combining analyte-sensitive and inert reference dyes, and increased photostability. Moreover, stained nanoparticles can enable the use of hydrophobic dyes in aqueous environments.
Here we present our work on multicolored sensors for the measurement of pH, oxygen and saccharides utilizing amorphous SiO2 NPs.
T2 - Focus Area Day Analytical Sciences 2023
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 20.04.2023
KW - Amorphous silica particles
KW - Particle Synthesis
KW - Nano
KW - Ratiometric Sensors
KW - Fluorescence
KW - pH probe
KW - Dye
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-59151
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Measuring the Upconversion Luminescence of Ensemble and Single Particle Lanthanide-Based Upconversion Nanocrystals
N2 - Lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) like hexagonal 𝛽-NaYF4 UCNPs doped with Yb3+ and Er3+, which efficiently convert 976 nm light to ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared photons, offer new strategies for luminescence-based sensing, barcoding, and Imaging. Their upconversion (UC) luminescence (UCL) features like UCL intensity, quantum yield, relative spectral distribution / UCL luminescence color, and luminescence decay kinetics are, however, strongly influenced by particle size, dopant ion concentration, particle architecture, surface chemistry including presence and thickness of surface passivation and shielding shells, microenvironment/presence of quenchers with high energy vibrations, and excitation power density (P).
We present here a comprehensive study of the influence of excitation power density on the UCL features of different types of UCNPs, focusing on Yb3+ and Er3+ co-doped NaYF4 core-only and core-shell nanostructures with different sizes and doping ion concentration, which underlines the importance of P-dependent optimum dopant concentrations for UCNP performance and the potential of P-tuning of UCL.
T2 - Materials Challenges in Alternative & Renewable Energy 2021 (MCARE 2021)
CY - Online meeting
DA - 19.07.2021
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Lifetime
KW - Method
KW - Stability
KW - Coating
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Upconversion
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Single particle spectroscopy
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Microscopy
KW - Photophysics
PY - 2021
AN - OPUS4-53111
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
T1 - Advancing Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) Emission
N2 - There is a growing interest in the exploitation of the short-wave infrared (SWIR), which refers to the wavelength band of light between 900 nm and 2500 nm. Luminophores that emit in the SWIR are used in various areas of telecommunications, photovoltaics, security systems (night vision), and in biomedicine. In particular for biomedical applications, the SWIR range is highly promising because light scattering, absorption, and autofluorescence of tissue and biological compounds are strongly reduced compared to the visible (400–700 nm) and NIR (~700–900 nm). The benefits of SWIR-emissive QDs have been demonstrated for a variety of applications, such as in thermal sensing, as photoelectrochemical biosensor, in in vivo vascular imaging, and for fluorescence-guided surgery.[1]
Full exploitation of SWIR photoluminescence (PL) imaging and sensing is currently hampered by i.) a lack of suitable advanced nanomaterials with a high PL quantum yield (PL QY) and a high brightness, that can be used safely in vivo and ii.) a lack of quantitative and reliable data on the optical properties of many SWIR emitters. Promising nanomaterials for the SWIR are heavy metal-free Ag2S quantum dots (QDs).
Aiming for the development of SWIR advanced nanomaterials with optimum performance, we have dived deeper into the photophysical processes occurring in these nanomaterials, thereby exploring in depth how the environment such as temperature, surface ligand composition, and the incorporation of transition metals influence the optical properties Ag2S QDs. We observed a strong enhancement of the SWIR emission of upon addition of metal ions such as Zn2+, yielding PL quantum yields of about 10% and thus making them highly suitable for non-invasive deep imaging of vascular networks and 3D fluid flow mapping.
T2 - Anakon 2025
CY - Leipzig, Germany
DA - 10.03.2025
KW - Quantum dots
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - SWIR
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Temperature
KW - Ag2S
KW - Quality assuarance
KW - Ligand
KW - Sensor
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-62769
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Sloniec-Myszk, Jagoda
ED - Hennig, Andreas
T1 - Chiral, J-aggregate-forming dyes for alternative signal modulation mechanisms in self-immolative enzyme-activatable optical probes
N2 - Enzyme-activatable optical probes are important for future advances in cancer imaging, but may easily suffer from low signal-to-background ratios unless not optimized. To address this shortcoming, numerous mechanisms to modulate the fluorescence signal have been explored.
We report herein newly synthesized probes based on selfimmolative linkers containing chiral J-aggregate-forming dyes.
Signal modulation by formation of chiral J-aggregates is yet unexplored in optical enzyme probe design. The comprehensive characterization of the probes by absorption, CD, fluorescence, and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy revealed dye−dye interactions not observed for the free dyes in solution as well as dye−protein interactions with the enzyme. This suggested
that J-aggregate formation is challenging to achieve with current probe design and that interactions of the dyes with the Enzyme may interfere with achieving high signal-to-background ratios. The detailed understanding of the interactions provided herein provides valuable guidelines for the future design of similar probes.
KW - Signal amplification
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Dye
KW - Cyanine
KW - Characterization
KW - Assay
KW - Chiral
KW - Aggregation
KW - Activatable probe
PY - 2016
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b10526
SN - 1520-5207
SN - 1520-6106
VL - 120
IS - 5
SP - 877
EP - 885
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-35949
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Absolute spectroscopic characterization of the optical properties of semiconductor and upconversion nanocrystals in the vis and IR
N2 - Nanocrystalline fluorophores like semiconductor quantum dots and rods and recently also lanthanide-based upconversion phosphors with emission in the visible (vis), near-infrared (NIR), and IR (infrared) region are increasingly being used in bioimaging studies and fluorescence assays as well as in photovoltaics and solid state lighting. The assessment and comparison of material performance as well as the development of rational design strategies for improved systems require spectroscopic tools, which enable the determination of the signal-relevant optical properties like photoluminescence quantum yields and brightness values. In the case of nonlinear fluorescence as shown by upconversion materials, such measurements must be also performed as function of excitation power density. In this work, we report on methods for the absolute determination of the photoluminescence quantum yield and brightness of fluorescent particles in dispersion and as powders based on integrating sphere spectroscopy and underline the importance of such measurements for the understanding of the photophysics of such nanocrystals.
T2 - International Conference on Fundamental Processes in Semiconductor Nanocrystals (FQDots16)
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 05.09.2016
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Semiconductor quantum dot
KW - Upconversion nanocrystal
KW - NIR
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Fluorescence quantum yield
KW - Method
PY - 2016
AN - OPUS4-38695
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Effect of Particle Size and Excitation Power Density on the Luminescence Efficiency of Upconversion Nanocrystals in Different Dispersion Media
N2 - Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) offer new strategies for luminescence-based sensing and imaging. One of the best studied materials are ..-NaYF4 UCNPs doped with 20 % Yb3+ and 2 % Er3+, which efficiently convert 976 nm light to photons emitted at 540 nm, 655 nm, and 845 nm, respectively, reveal long luminescence lifetimes (> 100 µs), are photostable and chemically inert. Their upconversion (UC) luminescence (UCL) properties are, however, strongly influenced by particle size, surface chemistry, and microenvironment. In addition, the multiphotonic absorption processes responsible for UCL render UCL excitation power density (..) dependent. This makes quantitative UCL measurements as well as the determination of UC quantum yields (.UC) very challenging.
The rational design of brighter UCNPs particle architectures and the interest in identifying optimum particle architectures for FRET-based sensing and imaging schemes, which often rely on core-only UCNPs to minimize donor-acceptor distances, encouraged us to assess the influence of particle size and P on UCL. Here, we present the photophysical properties of a series of hexagonal NaYF4 UCNPs with sizes from 10 to 43 nm with different surface ligands dispersed in organic solvents and water studied by steady state and time-resolved fluorometry as well as quantitatively by integrating sphere spectrometry with P varied over about three orders of magnitude. Our results underline the need for really quantitative luminescence studies for mechanistic insights and the potential of high P to compensate for UCL quenching due to high energy phonons and surface effects.
T2 - 15th Conference on Methods and Applications in Fluorescence
CY - Bruges, Belgium
DA - 10.09.2017
KW - Upconversion
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Absolute fluorometry
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Deactivation pathways
KW - Photophysics
KW - Quantum yield
PY - 2017
AN - OPUS4-43181
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
ED - Scholz, Norman
ED - Behnke, Thomas
T1 - Determination of the critical micelle concentration of neutral and ionic surfactants with fluorometry, conductometry, and surface tension - a method comparison
N2 - Micelles are of increasing importance as versatile carriers for hydrophobic substances and nanoprobes for a wide range of pharmaceutical, diagnostic, medical, and therapeutic applications. A key Parameter indicating the Formation and stability of micelles is the critical micelle concentration (CMC). In this respect, we determined the CMC of common anionic, cationic, and non-ionic surfactants fluorometrically using different fluorescent probes and fluorescence Parameters for Signal detection and ompared the results with conductometric and surface Tension measurements. Based upon These results, requirements, Advantages, and pitfalls of each methods are discussed. Our study underlines the versatility of fluorometric methods that do not impose specific requirements on surfactants and are especially suited for the quantification of very low CMC values. Conductivity and surface Tension measurements yield smaller uncertainties particularly for high CMC values, yet are more time- and substance consuming and not suitable for every surfactant.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Methods
KW - Critical micelle concentration (CMC)
KW - Conductometry
KW - Fluorescence probe
KW - Dye
KW - Nile Red
KW - Pitfalls
KW - Method evaluation
KW - Uncertainty
PY - 2017
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-018-2209-4
SN - 1053-0509
SN - 1573-4994
VL - 28
IS - 1
SP - 465
EP - 476
AN - OPUS4-43905
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Gorris, H.H.
T1 - Perspectives and challenges of photon-upconversion nanoparticles - Part I: routes to brighter particles and quantitative spectroscopic studies
N2 - Lanthanide-doped photon-upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been the Focus of many Research activities in materials and life sciences in the last 15 years because of their potential to convert light between different spectral regions and their unique photophysical properties. To fully exploit the application potential of These facinating nanomaterials, a number of challenges have to be overcome, such as the low brightness, particularly of small UCNPs, and the reliable quantification of the excitation-power-density-dependent upconversion luminescence. In this series of critical Reviews, recent developments in the design, Synthesis, optical-spectroscopic characterization, and application of UCNPs are presented with Special Focus on bioanalysis and the life sciences. Here we guide the reader from the Synthesis of UCNPs to different concepts to enhance their luminescence, including the required optical-spectroscopic assessment to quantify material Performance; surface modification strategies and bioanalytical applications as well as selected examples of the use of UCNPs as reporters in different Assay formats are addressed in part II. Future Trends and challenges in the field of upconversion are discussed with Special emphasis on UCNP Synthesis and material characterization, particularly quantitative luminescence studies.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Upconversion
KW - Brightness
KW - Quantification
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Absolute fluorometry
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Quantum yield
PY - 2017
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-017-0499-z
SN - 1618-2650
SN - 1618-2642
VL - 409
IS - 25
SP - 5855
EP - 5874
PB - Springer
AN - OPUS4-41665
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Witte, F.
A1 - Rietsch, P.
A1 - Sinha, S.
A1 - Krappe, A.
A1 - Joswig, J.-O.
A1 - Götze, J. P.
A1 - Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Eigler, S.
A1 - Paulus, B.
T1 - Fluorescence Quenching in J‑Aggregates through the Formation of Unusual Metastable Dimers
N2 - Molecular aggregation alters the optical properties of a system as fluorescence may be activated or quenched. This is usually described within the well-established framework of H- and J-aggregates. While H-aggregates show nonfluorescent blueshifted absorption bands with respect to the isolated monomer, Jaggregates are fluorescent displaying a redshifted peak. In this publication, we employ a combined approach of experiment and theory to study the complex aggregation features and photophysical properties of diaminodicyanoquinone derivatives, which show unusual and puzzling nonfluorescent redshifted Absorption bands upon aggregation. Our theoretical analysis demonstrates that stable aggregates do not account for the experimental observations.
Instead, we propose an unprecedented mechanism involving metastable dimeric species formed from stable dimers to generate nonfluorescent J-aggregates. These results represent a novel kind of aggregation-induced optical effect and may have Broad implications for the photophysics of dye aggregates.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Llifetime
KW - Dye
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Label
KW - Reporter
KW - Aggregation
KW - Monomer
KW - Heory
KW - Mechanism
KW - photophysics
PY - 2021
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c01600
SN - 1520-5207
VL - 125
IS - 17
SP - 4438
EP - 4446
PB - ACS Publikations
AN - OPUS4-52619
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Introduction to Fluorescence Spectroscopy
N2 - A brief introduction to fluorescence spectroscopy will be provided, ranging from typically measured fluorescence quantities over instrument-specific contributions to measured fluorescence signals to selected applications. In this context, an overview of the photoluminescence properties of molecular and nanoscale luminescence reporters will be given including a brief insight into their photophysics and fluorescence standards designed by division Biophotonics for the calibration and instrument performance validation of fluorescence measuring devices will be presented.
T2 - Analytical Academy BAM
CY - Online meeting
DA - 17.11.2020
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Quantification
KW - Linearity
KW - Measurement uncertainty
KW - Method
KW - Nano particle
KW - Dye
PY - 2020
AN - OPUS4-51619
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Design and Quantitative Characterization of Functional Molecular Chromophores and Nanomaterials with UV/vis/NIR/IR Emission and Traceable Optical Measurements
N2 - Research of division Biophotonics at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) covers several topics including photophysics of molecular and nanocrystalline emitters, the development of signal enhancement, multiplexing, and barcoding strategies, surface group quantification, the rational design of different types of stimuli-responsive optical probes, and concepts and reference materials for the validation of optical-spectroscopic measurements. In the following representative examples for each of these topics are given. Also, current developments like single particle spectroscopy and flow cytometry with lifetime detection and newly certified fluorescence quantum yield standards are presented.
T2 - Kolloquium BfR
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 12.10.2020
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantitative spectroscopy
KW - Single particle spectroscopy
KW - Multiplexing
KW - Reference materials
KW - Optical probes
KW - Sensor molecules
KW - Assay
KW - Dye
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Method development
KW - surface group analysis
KW - synthesis
KW - fluorescence standards
PY - 2020
AN - OPUS4-51449
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Scholtz, Lena
T1 - Luminescent, Semiconductor Nanoparticle-loaded Polymer Microbeads - Comparing Particle Architectures
N2 - The synthesis of luminescent polymer microparticles stained with different, including non-spherical, semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) was developed and optimized while ensuring a good preservation of the particle photoluminescence. The aplicability of the different semiconductor NPs was determined to depend on their surface chemistry and shape. Thus, a first correlation of semiconductor NP architecture and applicability could be deduced, which has not been reported before.
T2 - 821. WE-Heraeus-Seminar
CY - Bad Honnef, Germany
DA - 12.11.2024
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Synthesis
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Luminescence
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-61732
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CHAP
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
ED - Schäferling, Michael
T1 - Luminescent nanoparticles for chemical sensing and imaging
N2 - The implementation of fluorescent methods is of outstanding importance in the field of optical chemical sensor Technology and biosciences. Their bioanalytical applications are manifold including fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence in situ hybridization, DNA sequencing, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, immunoassays, analysis of DNA and Protein microarrays, and quantitative PCR, just to name a few examples. Particularly, fluorescence microscopy is a valuable method in the versatile field of biomedical imaging methods which nowadays utilizes different fluorescence Parameters like emission wavelength/Color and lifetime for the discrimination between different targets. Sectional Images are available with confocal microscopes. Tissue, cells or single cellular compartments can be stained and visualized with fluorescent dyes and biomolecules can be selectively labeled with fluorescent dyes to Monitor biomolecular interactions inside cells or at Membrane bound receptors.
On the other hand , fluorophores can act as indicator (or "molecular probe") to visualize intrinsically colorless and non-fluorescent ionic and neutral analytes such as pH, Oxygen (pO2), metal ions, anions, hydrogen peroxide or bioactive small organic molecules such as Sugars or nucleotides. Thereby, their photoluminescent properties (fluorescence or phoporescence intensity, exitation and/or Emission wavelength, emission lifetime or anisotropy) respond to the presence of these species in their immediate Environment. In general, the use of luminescent probes has the advantage that they can be delivered directly into the sample, and detected in a contactless remote mode. By now, these probes are often encapsulated in different types of nanoparticles (NPs) made from (biodegradable) organic polymers, biopolymers or inorganic materials like silica or bound to their surface.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Upconversion
KW - NIR
KW - Sensor
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Liftetime
KW - Nanocrystal
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Semiconductor
KW - Polymer
KW - Silica
KW - Imaging
KW - Application
KW - Dye
KW - Quantum dot
PY - 2017
SN - 978-3-319-48260-6
SN - 978-3-319-48259-0
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48260-6_5
SN - 1573-8086
SP - 71
EP - 109
PB - SPRINGER INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING AG
CY - Cham, Schweiz
AN - OPUS4-44011
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Spectroscopic properties of upconversion nanoparticles
N2 - Lanthanide-doped up-converting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are promising reporters for medical diagnostics and bioimaging. Current limitations present their relative low absorption cross sections and low fluorescence efficiencies, with the latter being affected by particle size, surface chemistry, and microenvironment, particularly water.
Here, we present results from systematic studies of the excitation power density dependent upconversion luminescence spectra, intensities/intensity ratios of the individual emission bands, slope factors, and quantum yields of UCNPs of varying size, dopant concentration, and surface chemistry in different microenvironments as well as the up- and downconversion luminescence decay kinetics of the different emission bands. Moreover, first studies of the energy transfer from UCNPs to surface-bound organic dyes acting as fluorescence acceptors are shown. Based upon these measurements, fluorescence deactivation channels are identified and spectroscopic parameters for the screening of material performance are derived.
T2 - Projekttreffen COST
CY - Straßbourg, France
DA - 09.01.2017
KW - Upconverting nanoparticles
KW - Size
KW - FRET
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Absolute fluorescence quantum yield
KW - Fluorescence decay kinetics
KW - Power density dependence
PY - 2017
AN - OPUS4-39076
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Characterization of nanocrystalline particles with NIR emission - Spectroscopic properties and surface group analysis
N2 - There is an increasing interest in optical reporters like semiconductor quantum dots and upconversion nanocrystals with emission > 800 nm for bioanalysis, medical diagnostics, and safety barcodes. Prerequisites for the comparison of material performance, the mechanistic understanding of nonradiative decay channels, and the rational design of new nanomaterials with improved properties are reliable fluorescence measurements and validated methods for the assessment of their surface chemistry. The latter is of special relevance for nanocrystalline emitters, where surface states and the accessibility of emissive states by quenchers largely control accomplishable photoluminescence quantum yields and hence, signal sizes and detection sensitivities from the reporter side. Here, we present the design of integrating sphere setups for the excitation power density-dependent absolute measurement of emission spectra and photoluminescence quantum yields in the wavelength region of 350 to 1600 nm and results from spectroscopic studies of semiconductor quantum dots and upconversion nanocrystals of different size and surface chemistries in various environments. Subsequently, examples for simple approaches to surface group and ligand analysis are presented.
T2 - 1st International Biophotonics Conference
CY - Singapure
DA - 25.07.2016
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Quantum yield
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Nanomaterials
KW - Semiconducor nanocrystals
KW - Surface analysis
KW - Ligand analysis
KW - Optical assay
PY - 2016
AN - OPUS4-36998
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Recent insights in the spectroscopic properties of upconversion nanoparticles
N2 - Lanthanide-doped up-converting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are promising reporters for medical diagnostics and bioimaging, which are excited in the near infrared (NIR) by multiphoton absorption processes, and show multiple narrow emission bands in the visible (vis) and NIR, long luminescence lifetimes in the μs range, and excellent photostability. Current limitations present their relative low absorption cross sections and low fluorescence efficiencies, with the latter being affected by particle size, surface chemistry, and microenvironment, particularly water.
Here, we present results from systematic studies of the excitation power density dependent upconversion luminescence spectra, intensities/intensity ratios of the individual emission bands, slope factors, and quantum yields of UCNPs of varying size, dopant concentration, and surface chemistry in different microenvironments as well as the up- and downconversion luminescence decay kinetics of the different emission bands. Moreover, first studies of the energy transfer from UCNPs to surface-bound organic dyes acting as fluorescence acceptors are shown. Based upon these measurements, fluorescence deactivation channels are identified and spectroscopic parameters for the screening of material performance are derived.
T2 - Spie Photonics west 2017
CY - San Francisco, USA
DA - 28.01.2017
KW - Upconverting nanoparticles
KW - Size
KW - FRET
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Absolute fluorescence quantum yield
KW - Fluorescence decay kinetics
KW - Power density dependence
PY - 2017
AN - OPUS4-39075
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Choi, Youungeun
A1 - Kotthoff, Lisa
A1 - Olejko, L.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Bald, Ilko
T1 - DNA origami-based Förster resonance energy-transfer nanoarrays and their application as ratiometric sensors
N2 - DNA origami nanostructures provide a platform where dye molecules can be arranged with nanoscale accuracy allowing to assemble multiple fluorophores without dye–dye aggregation. Aiming to develop a bright and sensitive ratiometric sensor system, we systematically studied the optical properties of nanoarrays of dyes built on DNA origami platforms using a DNA template that provides a high versatility of label choice at minimum cost. The dyes are arranged at distances, at which they efficiently interact by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). To optimize array brightness, the FRET efficiencies between the donor fluorescein (FAM) and the acceptor cyanine 3 were determined for different sizes of the array and for different arrangements of the dye molecules within the array. By utilizing nanoarrays providing optimum FRET efficiency and brightness, we subsequently designed a ratiometric pH nanosensor using coumarin 343 as a pH-inert FRET donor and FAM as a pH-responsive acceptor. Our results indicate that the sensitivity of a ratiometric sensor can be improved simply by arranging the dyes into a well-defined array. The dyes used here can be easily replaced by other analyte-responsive dyes, demonstrating the huge potential of DNA nanotechnology for light harvesting, signal enhancement, and sensing schemes in life sciences.
KW - DNA origami
KW - FRET
KW - Sensing
KW - Ratiometric sensing
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2018
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b03585
SN - 1944-8244
SN - 1944-8252
VL - 10
IS - 27
SP - 23295
EP - 23302
PB - ACS
AN - OPUS4-46002
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Suitable geometries for the measurement of photoluminescence quantum yields of luminescent and scattering samples – The DIN TNS project
N2 - The characterization of the optical properties of photoluminescent systems, that scatter, like dispersions of nanoparticles with sizes exceeding about 25 nm or solid nanophosphors is of increasing importance for many applications in the life and material sciences. Examples present nanoscale optical reporters and dye-doped microparticles for bioimaging, fluorescence assays or DNA sequencing as well as nanocrystalline emitters like semiconductor quantum dots and rods or lanthanide-based nanophosphors embedded into solid matrices for solid state lighting, display technologies, or barcoding/security applications. The assessment and comparison of material performance as well as the development of rational design strategies for improved systems require spectroscopic tools, which enable the determination of the signal-relevant optical properties like photoluminescence quantum yields and brightness values.
This encouraged us to built up an integrating sphere setup enabling absolute measurements of photoluminescence spectra and quantum yields of transparent and scattering photoluminescent dispersions and solid samples in different measurement geometries, i.e., direct and indirect illumination and the combination of both geometries and perform first measurements with selected emitters. Here, the design of this setup is presented and first recommendations concerning suitable measurement geometries are given.
T2 - DKE-Sitzung
CY - Frankfurt am Main, Germany
DA - 31.08.2016
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Integrating sphere
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Method
KW - Standardization
KW - Calibration
KW - Reference material
PY - 2016
AN - OPUS4-38643
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
ED - Mousavi, M.
ED - Thomasson, B.
ED - Li, M.
ED - Kraft, Marco
ED - Würth, Christian
ED - Andersson-Engels, S.
T1 - Beam-profile-compensated quantum yield measurements of upconverting nanoparticles
N2 - The quantum yield is a critically important parameter in the development of lanthanide-based upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) for use as novel contrast agents in biological imaging and optical reporters in assays. The present work focuses on the influence of the beam Profile in measuring the quantum yield (f) of nonscattering dispersions of nonlinear upconverting probes, by establishing a relation between f and excitation light power density from a rate equation analysis. A resulting 60% correction in the measured f due to the beam profile utilized for excitation underlines the significance of the beam profile in such measurements, and its impact when comparing results from different Setups and groups across the world.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Upconversion
KW - Brithtness
KW - Quantification
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Absolute fluoreometry
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Method
PY - 2017
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c7cp03785f
SN - 1463-9076
SN - 1463-9084
VL - 19
IS - 33
SP - 22016
EP - 22022
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry
AN - OPUS4-42583
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Simple methods, validation concepts, and reference materials for the characterization of functional nanomaterials and microparticles
N2 - The surface chemistry / functionalization of nanomaterials and microparticles largely controls the stability of these materials as well as their solubility and subsequent biofunctionalization and their interactions with biological systems. Moreover, in the case of some nanomaterials like semiconductor quantum dots or lanthanide-based upconversion nanocrystals, the ligand shell strongly affects their optical properties, e.g., via passivation of surface states and traps that favor luminescence quenching or the protection of surface atoms from quenching water molecules. This renders analytical methods for the quantification of surface groups like functionalities very important. Targets of broad interest are here amino, carboxyl, alkine and maleimide groups used for common bioconjugation reactions and typical ligands like thiols and polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules of varying length, used for the tuning of material hydrophilicity and biocompatibility, minimization of unspecific interactions, prevention of biofouling, and enhancement of blood circulation times as well as surface-bound biomolecules like streptavidin or other biomolecules relevant e.g., for diagnostic assays. Here, we focus on simple optical methods relying on standard laboratory instrumentation, validated by method comparison and/or mass balances and present examples for their use for the characterization of different types of nanomaterials and microparticles.
T2 - Innovationsforum Senftenberg
CY - Senftenberg, Germany
DA - 01.06.2016
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Functional group analysis
KW - Thiol assay
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nanomaterial
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - PEG
KW - Ligand
KW - Semiconductor quantum dot
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Quantification
KW - Method validation
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Fluorescence standard
PY - 2016
N1 - Geburtsname von Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya: Nirmalananthan, N. - Birth name of Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya: Nirmalananthan, N.
AN - OPUS4-37111
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
T1 - Luminescent Quantum dots – the next-generation nano light bulbs
N2 - Fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots (QDs), enabled many advancements in biotechnology, photovoltaics, photocatalysis, quantum computing and display devices. The high versatility of this nanomaterial is based on their unique size-tunable photoluminescence properties, which can be adjusted from the visible to the near-infrared range. In contrast to other nanomaterials, QDs made the transition from a laboratory curiosity to the utilization in commercial products, like the QLED television screen or in smartphone displays. The best investigated QDs are composed of heavy metals like cadmium or lead, which is not the best choice in terms of toxicity and environmental pollution. A more promising material is Indium Phosphide (InP), which is also currently used by Samsung, Sony and co. in the QLED displays.
In this contribution, I would like to give you a sneak peek behind the curtains of nanomaterial synthesis and show how this material is produced, how to stabilize their structural properties, and assess their toxicity in environmentally relevant conditions. Furthermore, I would like to present a synthesis method to accomplish the last open challenge in display technology of a blue luminescent LED based on QDs by introducing a new element to the InP QDs.
T2 - The Berlin Postdoc Day
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 03.11.2022
KW - InP
KW - Quantum dots
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Aging
KW - Doping
KW - Nanomaterial
KW - Cytotoxicity
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-56194
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Semiconductor nanocrystals with VIS and NIR/IR emission - spectroscopy properties and surface chemistry
N2 - Semiconductor nanocrystals with a spherical (QDs) core and a spherical or a rod-shaped Shell, u.a., so-called Quantum dot-Quantum rods (QDQRs) are increasingly used as fluorescent Reporters or optically active components in the life and material science, e.g., in solid state lightening including Plasma Displays. (1,2) Morever, there is an increasing interest in materials with emission >800 nm for bioanalysis, medical diagnostics, and safety barcodes. Prerequisites for the mechanistic understanding of nonradiativ decay channels needed for the rational design of improved nanomaterials and the comparison of material Performance are reliable fluorescence measurements and validated methods for the assessment of their surface chemistry. (3,4) The latter is of particular importance for nanocrystalline Emitters, where surface states and the accessibility of emissive states by quenchers largely control photoluminescence properties. (5) Here, we present results from systematic spectroscopic studies including absolutely measured photolumunescence Quantum yields of different vissible and NIR emisisve QD and QDQRs Systems of varying particle architecture size and surface chemistries in Dispersion and embedded in salt crystals. (6,7)
T2 - MCare 2017
CY - Jeju, South Korea
DA - 20.02.2017
KW - Semiconductor quantum dot
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Absolute fluorometry
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Photophysics
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Single particle
PY - 2017
AN - OPUS4-43133
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
T1 - Exploring the photoluminescence of gold NCs and Ag2S NPs to boost their SWIR emission
N2 - Current challenges and objectives for non-invasive optical bioimaging are deep tissue penetration, high detection sensitivity, high spatial and temporal resolution, and fast data acquisition. A promising spectral window to tackle these challenges is the short-wave infrared (SWIR) ranging from 900 nm to 1700 nm where scattering, absorption, and autofluorescence of biological components are strongly reduced compared to the visible/NIR. At present, the best performing SWIR contrast agents are based on nanomaterials containing toxic heavy-metal ions like cadmium or lead, which raises great concerns for biological applications. Promising heavy-metal free nanoscale candidates are gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) and Ag2S nanoparticles (NPs). The photoluminescence (PL) of both types of nanomaterials is very sensitive to their size, composition of their surface ligand shell, and element composition, which provides an elegant handle to fine-tune their absorption and emission features and boost thereby the size of the signals recorded in bioimaging studies.
Aiming for the development of SWIR contrast agents with optimum performance, we dived deeper into the photophysical processes occurring in these nanomaterials, thereby exploring in depth how the environment, surface ligand composition, and the incorporation of transition metals influence the optical properties of AuNCs and Ag2S NPs. We observed a strong enhancement of the SWIR emission of AuNCs upon exposure to different local environments (in solution, polymer, and in the solid state). Addition of metal ions such as Zn2+ to Ag2S based NPs led to a strong PL enhancement, yielding PL quantum yields of about 10% and thus making them highly suitable for non-invasive deep imaging of vascular networks and 3D fluid flow mapping.
T2 - NaNaX 10 - Nanoscience with Nanocrystals
CY - Klosterneuburg, Austria
DA - 03.07.2023
KW - Quantum dots
KW - Ag2S
KW - Fluorescence
KW - SWIR
KW - Gold nanocluster
KW - Nanomaterial
KW - bioimaging
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-58104
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Huang, K.
A1 - Liu, H.
A1 - Kraft, Marco
A1 - Shikha, S.
A1 - Zheng, X.
A1 - Agren, H.
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Zhang, Y.
T1 - A protected excitation-energy reservoir for efficient upconversion luminescence
N2 - Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are of great interest for biomedical applications. Currently, the applicability of UCNP bionanotechnology is hampered by the generally low luminescence intensity of UCNPs and inefficient energy Transfer from UCNPs to surface-bound chromophores used e.g. for photodynamic therapy or analyte sensing. In this work, we address the low-Efficiency issue by developing versatile core-Shell nanostructures, where high-concentration sensitizers and activators are confined in the core and Shell Region of representative hexagonal NaYF2:Yb,Er UCNPs. After Doping concentration optimization, the sensitizer-rich core is able to harvest/accumulate more excitation energy and generate almost one order of Magnitude higher luminescence intesity than conventional homogeneously doped nanostructures. At the same time, the activator Ions located in the Shell enable a ~6 times more efficient resonant energy Transfer from UCNPs to surface-bound acceptor dye molecules due to the short distance between donor-acceptor pairs. Our work provides new insights into the rational design of UCNPs and will greatly encrease the General applicability of upconversion nanotechnologies.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Lanthanide
KW - Upconversion
KW - Brightness
KW - Quantification
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Absolute fluorometry
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Method
KW - Energy transfer
KW - Shell
KW - Particle architecture
PY - 2017
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c7nr06900f
SN - 2040-3372
SN - 2040-3364
VL - 10
IS - 1
SP - 250
EP - 259
PB - The Royal Society of Chemistry
AN - OPUS4-43893
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Standardization of fluorescence measurements: Design, development, validation, and fabrication of format-adaptable fluorescence standards for intensity, spectral, and temporal quantities
N2 - Photoluminescence techniques are amongst the most widely used tools in the material and life sciences, with new and exciting applications continuously emerging, due to their many advantages like comparative ease of use, unique sensitivity, non-invasive character, and potential for multiplexing, remote sensing, and miniaturization. Drawbacks are , however, signals, that contain unwanted wavelength- and polarization contributions from instrument-dependent effects, which are time-dependent due to the aging of instrument components, and difficulties to measure absolute fluorescence intensities. Thus, there is a considerable need for standards for intensity, spectral, and temporal fluorescence quantities to meet the increasing need for instrument performance validation and global trends to harmonize physicochemical measurements. In this respect, instrument calibration strategies together with different types of fluorescence standards are presented as well as design concepts for robust, easy-to-use, and format-adaptable fluorescence standards useable for the determination of different fluorescence parameters and a broad variety of fluorescence techniques.
T2 - SALSA-Kolloquien
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 07.06.2016
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Standard
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Spectral correction
KW - Quantum yield
PY - 2016
AN - OPUS4-37070
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Quantitative Characterization of Functional Nanomaterials with vis/NIR Emission
N2 - The rational design of functional nanomaterials for optical applications in the material and life sciences requires optical-spectroscopic methods for the quantitative characterization of their signal-relevant optical properties. Additionally, methods for the simple and quantitative analysis of the surface chemistry are desired as the chemical nature and number of the surface groups and ligands can affect the optical features and controls the interaction of these nanomaterials with their environment. Here, we present quantitative photoluminescenvce studies of different types of vis/NIR-emissive nanomaterials like semiconductor quantum dots and upconversion nanocrystals will be presented and their relevance for the mechanistic understanding of nonradiative decay channels and the rational design of new nanomaterials will be underpinned. In this respect, also validation concepts for such measurements and absolute fluorometry will be introduced. In addition, the potential of optical spectroscopy for surface group and ligand analysis surface chemistry will be demonstrated exemplarily for semiconductor quantum dots
T2 - AK Prof. Voss
CY - Uni Brunswick, Germany
DA - 03.08.2017
KW - Semiconductor
KW - Upconversion
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Surface group analysis
KW - NIR
KW - Absolute fluoreometry
KW - Integrating sphare spectroscopy
KW - Optical probe
KW - Assay
KW - Thiol ligand
PY - 2017
N1 - Geburtsname von Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya: Nirmalananthan, N. - Birth name of Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya: Nirmalananthan, N.
AN - OPUS4-41366
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Photoluminescence quantum yields of molecular & nanoscale luminophores in the UV/VIS/NIR/SWIR in dispersion and in the solid state
N2 - Photophysical and mechanistic studies, the comparison of different emitter classes, and the rational design of the next generation of molecular and nanoscale reporters require quantitative photoluminescence measurements and the reliable determination of the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield (QY), i.e., the number of emitted per absorbed photons. This is of special importance for all photoluminescence applications in the life and material sciences in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR.
T2 - MAF 2024 Conference
CY - Valencia, Spain
DA - 08.09.2024
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Nano
KW - Luminescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Synthesis
KW - Standardization
KW - Reference material
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Reference data
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - ILC
KW - Converter material
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-61072
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Pauli, J.
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Schneider, T.
A1 - Würth, Christian
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Fluorescence Quantum Yield Standards for the UV/Visible/NIR: Development, Traceable Characterization, and Certification
N2 - The rational design of next generation molecular and nanoscale reporters and the comparison of different emitter classes require the determination of the fluorometric key performance parameter fluorescence quantum yield (Φf), i.e., the number of emitted photons per number of absorbed photons. Main prerequisites for reliable Φf measurements, which are for transparent luminophore solutions commonly done relative to a reference, i.e., a fluorescence quantum yield standard of known Φf, are reliable and validated instrument calibration procedures to consider wavelength-, polarization-, and time-dependent instrument specific signal contributions, and sufficiently well characterized fluorescence quantum yield standards. As the standard’s Φf value directly contributes to the calculation of the sample’s Φf, its accuracy presents one of the main sources of uncertainty of relative Φf measurements. To close this gap, we developed a first set of 12 fluorescence quantum yield standards, which absorb and emit in the wavelength region of 330−1000 nm and absolutely determined their Φf values with two independently calibrated integrating sphere setups.
Criteria for standard selection and the configuration of these novel fluorescence reference materials are given, and the certification procedure is presented including homogeneity and stability studies and the calculation of complete uncertainty budgets for the certified Φf values. The ultimate goal is to provide the community of fluorescence users with available reference materials as a basis for an improved comparability and reliability of quantum yield data since the measurement of this spectroscopic key property is an essential part of the characterization of any new emitter.
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Traceability
KW - Reference product
KW - Dye
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Reference material
KW - Reference data
KW - Certification
KW - Quality assurance
PY - 2023
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.2c05530
VL - 95
SP - 5671
EP - 5677
PB - American Chemical Society
AN - OPUS4-58151
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
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 - Tavernaro, Isabella
T1 - Development of amorphous silica particle based reference materials for surface functional group quantification
N2 - Functionalized nanomaterials (NM) with their unique size-dependent properties are of increasing relevance for current and future developments in various fields such as medical and pharmaceutical industry, computing, electronics or food and consumer products. The performance and safety of NM are determined by the sum of their intrinsic physicochemical properties.1 Besides other key parameters, the particle surface chemistry, which is largely controlled by the chemical nature and density of functional groups and ligands, must be considered for a better performance, stability, and processibility of NM, as well as their interaction with the environment. Thus, particle standards with well-designed surfaces and methods for functional group quantification can foster the sustainable development of functional and safe(r) NM.2 Here we provide a brief overview of the ongoing research in division Biophotonics to design tailored amorphous silica reference particles with bioanalytically relevant functional groups and ligands, for the development of standardized and validated surface functional group quantification methods.
T2 - Workshop NanoRiskSD project
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 09.06.2022
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Surface analysis
KW - Silica
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Assay
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-55004
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Challenges and examples for quantitative fluorescence measurements > 800 nm with semiconductor and lanthanide-doped nanocrystals
N2 - There is an increasing interest in molecular and nanoscale with emission > 800 nm and recently also > 1000 nm for bioanalysis, medical diagnostics, bioimaging, and safety barcodes. Mandatory for the comparison of different emitter classes and the rational design of the next generation of reporters for the short wavelength infrared (SWIR) Region are reliable and quantitative photoluminescence measurements in this challenging wavelength region. This is of special relevance for nanocrystalline emitters like semiconductor quantum dots and rods as well as lanthanide-based upconversion and downconversion nanocrystals, where surface states and the accessibility of emissive states by quenchers largely control accomplishable photoluminescence quantum yields and hence, signal sizes and detection sensitivities from the reporter side. Such measurements are currently hampered by the lack of suitable methods and standards for instrument calibration and validation and quantum yield standards with emission > 800 nm and especially > 1000 nm.
In this respect, we present the design of integrating sphere setups for absolute and excitation power density-dependent measurements of emission spectra and photoluminescence quantum yields in the wavelength Region of 650 to 1650 nm including calibration strategies and first candidates for potential fluorescence standards.
Subsequently, the photoluminescence properties of different types of nanocrystals are presented including the upconversion and downconversion emission of differently sized and surface functionalized lanthanide-doped nanoparticles and photoluminescence quenching effects are quantified.
T2 - SHIFT 2017
CY - Teneriffa, Spain
DA - 13.11.2017
KW - Upconversion
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Absolute fluorometry
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Deactivation pathways
KW - Semiconductor quantum dot
KW - SWIR
KW - Quantum yield
PY - 2017
AN - OPUS4-43203
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Spectroscopic characterization of semiconductor and lanthanide-based nanocrystals with vis and NIR emission
N2 - The increasing interest in molecular and nanoscale emitters with photoluminescence > 800 nm and recently also > 1000 nm for bioanalysis, medical diagnostics, bioimaging, and safety Barcodes requires quantitative spectroscopic studies, which are, however still challenging in this long wavelength region. This is of special relevance for nanocrystalline emitters like semiconductor quantum dots and rods as well as lanthanide-based upconversion and downconversion nanocrystals, where surface states and the accessibility of emissive states by quenchers largely control accomplishable photoluminescence quantum yields and hence, signal sizes and detection sensitivities from the reporter side. Moreover, nonlinear emitters like lanthanide-based upconversion nanocrystals require also power density-dependent studies of their luminescence spectra, quantum yields, and decay kinetics. Here, we present suitable absolute methods and underline the impact of such measurements on a profound mechanistic understanding of the nonradiative deactivation pathways in semiconductor and upconversion nanocrystals of different chemical composition and particle architecture.
T2 - PCNSPA 2018 - Photonic Colloidal Nanostructures: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications
CY - St. Petersburg, Russia
DA - 04.06.2018
KW - Semiconductor
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Quantum dot
KW - Absolute fluorometry
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Deactivation pathways
KW - Photophysics
KW - Modeling
PY - 2018
AN - OPUS4-45796
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - The European Upconversion Network: From the Design of Photon-upconverting Nanomaterials to (Biomedical) Applications (CM1403) WG1 Materials Research & Photophysical Characterization
N2 - Lanthanide-doped photon-upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been in the focus of many research activities in the material and life sciences over the last 15 years because of their potential to convert light between different spectral regions and their unique photophysical properties. In order to fully exploit the application potential of these fascinating nanomaterials, a number of challenges has to be overcome such as the low brightness particularly of small UCNPs and the reliable quantification of the excitation power density (P)-dependent upconversion luminescence (UCL). Here, the need and requirements on the characterization of the optical properties of UCNPs are discussed with special focus on the reliabiliy and comparability of relative and quantitative luminescence measurements and prerequisites for their standardization.
T2 - COST Treffen
CY - Aveiro, Portugal
DA - 26.06.2017
KW - Upconversion
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Fluorescence
KW - NIR
KW - Absolute fluorometry
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Reference maerial
KW - Standardization
KW - Quantum yield
PY - 2017
AN - OPUS4-41367
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella
T1 - Rational Design of Analyte-responsive Fluorescent Particle Sensors for Life Sciences Applications
N2 - Engineered and tailor-made nanomaterials (NM) are of increasing relevance for current and future developments in the life and material sciences for applications, e.g., as drug carriers, fluorescent sensors, and multimodal labels in bioanalytical assays, and reporters for imaging applications. For instance, NM-based reporters and sensors, that are labelled or stained with a multitude of conventional or sensor dyes, have several advantages as compared to molecular probes like enhanced brightness, i.e., amplified signals, ease of designing ratiometric systems by combining analyte-sensitive and inert reference dyes, and increased photostability. Moreover, this can enable the use of hydrophobic dyes in aqueous environments. For rational NM design, choosing and tailoring the intrinsic physicochemical properties, such as particle size, size distribution, morphology, and surface chemistry of the NM application-specific considerations like biocompatibility, ease and low cost of preparation, and colloidal stability and performance in the targeted environment must be considered. In this lecture, different design concepts of inorganic, organic, and hybrid NM and microparticles with hydrophilic surface chemistries and different functionalities are presented that can be used for the targeting of lysosomes; and to monitor functional parameters of endo-lysosomal compartments, like pH or enable oxygen sensing.
T2 - Chemical Probes for Lysosomal Biology
CY - York, United Kingdom
DA - 09.09.2024
KW - Luminescence
KW - Quantification
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Method
KW - Uncertainty
KW - Reference material
KW - Sensor
KW - Synthesis
KW - Dye
KW - pH
KW - Silica
KW - Polystyrene
KW - Surface analysis
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-62173
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - GEN
A1 - Scholtz, Lena
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Behind the Paper - Dual color pH probes made from silica and polystyrene nanoparticles and their performance in cell studies
N2 - In this contribution we highlight the importance of comparison for scientific research while developing a new, functional pH sensor system, and the valuable insights this can provide.
KW - Dye
KW - Optical Spectroscopy
KW - pH probe
KW - Silica and Polystyrene Particles
KW - Nano
KW - Surface groups
KW - Safe-by-Design
KW - Cell studies
KW - Sensors
KW - Particle Synthesis
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2023
UR - https://communities.springernature.com/posts/dual-color-ph-probes-made-from-silica-and-polystyrene-nanoparticles-and-their-performance-in-cell-studies
SP - 1
EP - 2
PB - Springer Nature
CY - London
AN - OPUS4-59150
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Pauli, J.
A1 - Güttler, Arne
A1 - Richter, Maria
A1 - Fiedler, Saskia
A1 - Frenzel, Florian
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
A1 - Würth, Christian
T1 - Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Luminescent Nanocrystals and Particles in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR
N2 - The rational design of functional luminescent materials such as semiconductor quantum dots and lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles, all photophysical and mechanistic studies, and the comparison of different emitters require accurate and quantitative photoluminescence measurements. Particularly the reliable determination of the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield (f), the number of emitted per absorbed photons, and the brightness are of special importance for luminescence applications in the life and material sciences and nano(bio)photonics.[1] In this context, examples for absolute measurements of the photoluminescence quantum yields of UV/vis/NIR/SWIR emissive semiconductor quantum dots and rods, made from different materials, and spectrally shifting lanthanide upconversion nanocrystals with different surface chemistries in transparent matrices are presented including excitation wavelength and power density dependent studies utilizing integration sphere spectroscopy.[2,3] In addition, procedures for the absolute determination of the photoluminescence quantum yields of scattering dispersions of larger size quantum rods and differently sized inorganic particles have been developed as well as procedures for the characterization of solid luminescent nanomaterials such as different perovskites and YAG:Cer converter materials.[4] Thereby, challenges and pitfalls of f measurements in different wavelength regions including the SWIR and material-specific effects related to certain emitter classes are addressed, achievable uncertainties are quantified, and relative and absolute measurements of photoluminescence quantum yield measurements are compared to underline limitations of the former approach. Finally, a set of novel UV/vis/NIR quantum yield standards is presented including their certification with a complete uncertainty budget.[5]
T2 - NANAX 10
CY - Klosterneuburg, Austria
DA - 03.07.2023
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Optical spectroscopy
KW - Reference data
KW - Traceability
KW - NIR
KW - Scattering
KW - Reference material
KW - Certification
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Dye
KW - Reference product
KW - SWIR
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Perovskite
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Quantum yield
PY - 2023
AN - OPUS4-58238
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
ED - Resch-Genger, Ute
ED - Koch, Matthias
ED - Meermann, Björn
ED - Weller, Michael G.
T1 - Topical collection: Analytical methods and applications in the materials and life sciences
N2 - Current trends in materials and life sciences are flanked by the need to push detection limits to single molecules or single cells, enable the characterization of increasingly complex matrices or sophisticated nanostructures, speed up the time of analysis, reduce instrument complexity and costs, and improve the reliability of data. This requires suitable analytical tools such as spectroscopic, separation and imaging techniques, mass spectrometry, and hyphenated techniques as well as sensors and their adaptation to application-specific challenges in the environmental, food, consumer product, health sector, nanotechnology, and bioanalysis. Increasing concerns about health threatening known or emerging pollutants in drinking water, consumer products, and food and about the safety of nanomaterials led to a new awareness of the importance of analytical sciences. Another important driver in this direction is the increasing demand by legislation, particularly in view of the 17 sustainable development goals by the United Nations addressing clean energy, industry, and innovation, sustainable cities, clean water, and responsible consumption and production. In this respect, also the development of analytical methods that enable the characterization of material flows in production processes and support recycling concepts of precious raw materials becomes more and more relevant. In the future, this will provide the basis for greener production in the chemical industry utilizing recycled or sustainable starting materials.
This makes analytical chemistry an essential player in terms of the circular economy helping to increase the sustainability of production processes. In the life sciences sector, products based on proteins, such as therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies, increase in importance. These increasingly biotechnologically produced functional biomolecules pose a high level of complexity of matrix and structural features that can be met only by highly advanced methods for separation, characterization, and detection. In addition, metrological traceability and target definition are still significant challenges for the future, particularly in the life sciences.
However, innovative reference materials as required for the health and food sector and the characterization of advanced materials can only be developed when suitable analytical protocols are available. The so-called reproducibility crisis in sciences underlines the importance of improved measures of quality control for all kinds of measurements and material characterization. This calls for thorough method validation concepts, suitable reference materials, and regular interlaboratory comparisons of measurements as well as better training of scientists in analytical sciences.
The important contribution of analytical sciences to these developments is highlighted by a broad collection of research papers, trend articles, and critical reviews from these different application fields. Special emphasis is dedicated to often-overlooked quality assurance and reference materials.
T2 - 150 years BAM: Science with impact
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 01.01.2021
KW - 150th anniversary
KW - ABC
KW - Analysis
KW - Analytical sciences
KW - BAM
KW - Collection
KW - Environment
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Life sciences
KW - Limit of detection
KW - Material sciences
KW - Method
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Pollutant
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Reference material
KW - Sensor
KW - Special issue
KW - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung
KW - Jahrestag
PY - 2022
UR - https://link.springer.com/journal/216/topicalCollection/AC_16a2ef9b81853377e321ef84d9c4a431
SN - 1618-2642
SN - 1618-2650
VL - 414
SP - 4267
EP - 4529
PB - Springer
CY - Berlin
AN - OPUS4-55670
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Instrument Calibration and Standardization of Fluorescence Measurements in the UV/vis/NIR/IR
N2 - Comparison of fluorescence measurements performed on different fluorescence instruments, analyte quantification from fluorescence intensities as well as the determination of fluorescence quantum yields require instrument calibration and consideration of the wavelength-dependent instrument-specific quantities spectral photon flux reaching the sample and spectral responsivity. Here, we present guidelines and recommendations for the qualification of fluorescence instruments and introduce suitable chromophore-based reference materials. Moreover, the design concepts of the different BAM fluorescence standards are discussed.
T2 - COST 2017
CY - Turku, Finland
DA - 03.04.2017
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Dye
KW - Glass
KW - Calibration
KW - Fluorescence standard
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Fluorescence quantum yield
KW - Instrument qualification
KW - Quality assurance
KW - NIR
KW - IR
PY - 2017
AN - OPUS4-43174
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Automated determination of genotoxicity of nanoparticles with DNA-based optical assays - The NANOGENOTOX project
N2 - The overall interest in nanotoxicity, triggered by the increasing use of nanomaterials in the material and life sciences, and the synthesis of an ever increasing number of new functional nanoparticles calls for standardized test procedures1,2 and for efficient approaches to screen the potential genotoxicity of these materials. Aiming at the development of fast and easy to use, automated microscopic methods for the determination of the genotoxicity of different types of nanoparticles, we assess the potential of the fluorometric γH2AX assay for this purpose. This assay, which can be run on an automated microscopic detection system, relies on the detection of DNA double strand breaks as a sign for genotoxicity3. Here, we provide first results obtained with broadly used nanomaterials like CdSe/CdS and InP/ZnS quantum dots as well as iron oxide, gold, and polymer particles of different surface chemistry with previously tested colloidal stability and different cell lines like Hep-2 and 8E11 cells, which reveal a dependence of the genotoxicity on the chemical composition as well as the surface chemistry of these nanomaterials. These studies will be also used to establish nanomaterials as positive and negative genotoxicity controls or standards for assay performance validation for users of this fluorometric genotoxicity assay. In the future, after proper validation, this microscopic platform technology will be expanded to other typical toxicity assays.
T2 - SPIE 2018
CY - San Francisco, USA
DA - 27.01.2018
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Size
KW - Assay
KW - Microscopy
KW - Nanotoxicity
KW - Toxicity
KW - Automation
KW - Calibration
KW - Standard
PY - 2018
AN - OPUS4-44186
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Geißler, Daniel
T1 - NanoGenotox - Automatable Determination of the Genotoxicity of Nanoparticles with DNA-based Optical Assays
N2 - Nanomaterials are used in many different applications in the material and life sciences. Examples are optical reporters, barcodes, and nanosensors, magnetic and optical contrast agents, and catalysts. Due to their small size and large surface area, there are also concerns about their interaction with and uptake by biological systems. This has initiated an ever increasing number of cyctoxicity studies of nanomaterials of different chemical composition and surface chemistry, but until now, the toxicological results presented by different research groups often do not address or differ regarding a potential genotoxicity of these nanomaterials. This underlines the need for a standardized test procedure to detect genotoxicity.1,2
Aiming at the development of fast, easy to use, and automatable microscopic methods for the determination of the genotoxicity of different types of nanoparticles, we assess the potential of the fluorometric γH2AX assay for this purpose. This assay, which can be run on an automated microscopic detection system, relies on the determination of DNA double strand breaks as a sign for genotoxicity.3 Here, we present first results obtained with broadly used nanomaterials like CdSe/CdS and InP/ZnS quantum dots as well as iron oxide, gold, and polymer particles of different surface chemistry with previously tested colloidal stability. These studies will be also used to establish nanomaterials as positive and negative genotoxicity controls or standards for assay performance validation for users of this fluorometric genotoxicity assay. In the future, after proper validation, this microscopic platform technology will be expanded to other typical toxicity assays.
References. (1) Landsiedel, R.; Kapp, M. D.; Schulz, M.; Wiench, K.; Oesch, F., Reviews in Mutation Research 2009, 681, 241-258. (2) Henriksen-Lacey, M.; Carregal-Romero, S.; Liz-Marzán, L. M., Bioconjugate Chem. 2016, 28, 212-221. (3) Willitzki, A.; Lorenz, S.; Hiemann, R.; Guttek, K.; Goihl, A.; Hartig, R.; Conrad, K.; Feist, E.; Sack, U.; Schierack, P., Cytometry Part A 2013, 83, 1017-1026.
T2 - 9th International Conference on Nanotoxicology - New tools in risk assessment of nanomaterials
CY - Dusseldorf/Neuss, Germany
DA - 18.09.2018
KW - Nano
KW - Nanotoxicity
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum dot
KW - Surface
KW - Passivation shell
KW - Automated assay
KW - Nanoparticle
PY - 2018
AN - OPUS4-47540
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Radunz, Sebastian
A1 - Kraus, Werner
A1 - Bischoff, F. A.
A1 - Emmerling, Franziska
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Tschiche, Harald
T1 - Temperature- and Structure-Dependent Optical Properties and Photophysics of BODIPY Dyes
N2 - We report on the temperature- and structural-dependent optical properties and photophysics of a set of boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dyes with different substitution patterns of their meso-aryl subunit. Single-crystal Xray diffraction analysis of the compounds enabled a classification of the dyes into a sterically hindered and a unhindered group. The steric hindrance refers to a blocked rotational motion of the aryl subunit around the bond connecting this moiety to the meso-position of the BODIPY core. The energy barriers related to this rotation were simulated by DFT calculations. As follows from the relatively low rotational barrier calculated to about 17 kcal/mol, a free rotation is only possible for sterically unhindered compounds. Rotational barriers of more than 40 kcal/mol determined for the sterically hindered compounds suggest an effective freezing of the rotational motion in These molecules. With the aid of temperature-dependent spectroscopic measurements, we could show that the ability to rotate directly affects the optical properties of our set of BODIPY dyes. This accounts for the strong temperature dependence of the fluorescence of the sterically unhindered compounds which show a drastic decrease in fluorescence quantum yield and a significant shortening in fluorescence lifetime upon heating. The optical properties of the sterically hindered compounds, however, are barely affected by temperature. Our results suggest a nonradiative deactivation of the first excited singlet state of the sterically unhindered compounds caused by a conical intersection of the potential energy surfaces of the Ground and first excited state which is accessible by rotation of the meso-subunit. This is in good agreement with previously reported deactivation mechanisms. In addition, our results suggest the presence of a second nonradiative depopulation pathway of the first excited singlet state which is particularly relevant for the sterically hindered compounds.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Sensor
KW - Switch
KW - pH
KW - BODIPY
KW - Dye
KW - Probe
KW - Synthesis
KW - Photophysics
KW - Mechanism
PY - 2020
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.9b11859
SN - 1089-5639
VL - 124
IS - 9
SP - 1787
EP - 1797
PB - American Chemical Society
AN - OPUS4-50639
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
ED - Martynenko, Irina
ED - Baimuratov, A. S.
ED - Osipova, V. A.
ED - Kuznetsova, V. A.
ED - Purcell-Milton, F.
ED - Rukhlenko, I. D.
ED - Fedorov, A. V.
ED - Gun'ko, Y. K.
ED - Baranov, A. V.
T1 - Excitation energy dependence of the photoluminescence quantum yield of core/shell CdSe/CdS quantum dots and correlation with circular dichroism
N2 - Quantum dot (QD) based nanomaterials are very promising materials for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices like solar cells, light emitting diodes (LEDs), and photodetectors as well as as reporters for chemo- and biosensing and bioimaging. Many of These applications involve the monitoring of changes in photoluminescence intensity and energy transfer processes which can strongly depend on excitation wavelength or energy. In this work, we analyzed the excitation energy dependence (EED) of the photoluminescence quantum yields (PL QYs) and decay kinetics and the circular dichroism (CD) spectra of CdSe/CdS core/shell QDs with different thicknesses of the surface passivation shell. Our results demonstrate a strong correlation between the spectral position of local maxima observed in the EED of PL QY and the zero-crossing points of the CD profiles. Theoretical analysis of the energy band structure of the QDs with effective mass approximation suggests that these structures could correspond to exciton energy levels. This underlines the potential of CD spectroscopy for the study of electronic energy structure of chiroptically active nanocrystals which reveal quantum confinement effects.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Semiconductor
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Lifetime
KW - Nanocrystal
KW - Cysteine
KW - Thiol
KW - Ligand
KW - Quantum dot
KW - CdSe
KW - Exciton
KW - Circular dichroism
KW - Theory
KW - Excitation spectra
KW - Excitation energy dependence
PY - 2017
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b04478
SN - 0897-4756
SN - 1520-5002
VL - 30
IS - 2
SP - 465
EP - 471
PB - ACS Publications
AN - OPUS4-44034
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Wegner, Karl David
T1 - SWIR luminescent nanomaterials – key chemical parameters for bright probes for in vivo bioimaging
N2 - A current challenge for studying physio-pathological phenomena and diseaserelated processes in living organisms with non-invasive optical bioimaging is the development of bright optical reporters that enable deep tissue penetration, a high detection sensitivity, and a high spatial and temporal resolution. The focus of this project are nanomaterials, which absorb and emit in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) between ~900–2500 nm where scattering, absorption, and autofluorescence of the tissue are strongly reduced compared to the visible and NIR.
T2 - QD2024 - 12th International Conference on Quantum Dots
CY - Munich, Germany
DA - 18.03.2024
KW - Quantum dots
KW - Advanced nanomaterials
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Gold nanocluster
KW - Shortwave infrared
KW - Spectroscopy
KW - Bioimaging
PY - 2024
AN - OPUS4-59783
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Effect of surface chemistry on optical, chemical and electronic properties of blue luminescent graphene quantum dots
N2 - Due to their unique physical properties, particularly their electronic and luminescent properties, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are expected to be suitable for a wide range of applications in bioimaging, electro-optical and photonic materials or energy harvesting among others.1 Tuning the surface chemistry provides an efficient approach to modulate the fluorescence and distinct electronic properties of GQDs.2 Nevertheless, the role of surface chemistry on the electronic structure of GQDs remains poorly understood. In this presentation, we will compare systematically the electronic and chemical structures of GQDs functionalized with carboxylic and aminated groups to those of non-functionalized GQDs, combining theoretical and experimental approaches, here various photon-based spectroscopies. First, the electronic structure of GQDs was characterized by soft X-ray absorption (XA) and X-ray emission (XE) spectroscopies, probing unoccupied and occupied electronic states, respectively, at the carbon K edge for the first time. The interpretation of the XA/XE spectra was done based on theoretical calculations. Then, the chemical structure of the GQDs was characterized in situ by ATR-FTIR in water, thereby accounting for the importance of the interface between GQDs and water believed to play a central role in the chemical reactivity and the optical properties. We previously demonstrated that monitoring the OH vibrations of water molecules during exposure to humid air was a powerful method to probe H-bonding environment around carbon nanomaterials.3 For GQDs, clear surface-dependent water adsorption profiles are observed and discussed. Finally, UV/Vis absorption and photoluminescence measurements were done to characterize the optical properties of these GQDs. Our results suggest that the surface chemistry of the GQDs affects significantly their electronic structure and optical properties. These findings will contribute to an improved understanding of the structure–activity relationship of GQDs and other carbon nanomaterials with surface modifications.
T2 - MRS Fall Meeting 2017
CY - Boston, USA
DA - 26.11.2017
KW - Carbon
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Fluorescence
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Surface chemistry
KW - Deactivation pathways
KW - Lifetime
KW - Size
KW - Giant carbon dot
KW - Quantum yield
PY - 2017
AN - OPUS4-43494
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Applications and challenges of luminescence-based detection methods in the life and material sciences
N2 - Luminescence-based detection methods, ranging from fluorescence spectroscopy for photophysical and mechanistic studies over sensing applications, chromatographic separation techniques and the microarray technology with fluorescence detection to fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, single molecule spectroscopy, and molecular imaging to integrating sphere spectroscopy, are among the most widely used methods in the life and material sciences. This is due to e.g., their unique sensitivity enabling the detection of single molecules, potential for multiplexing, ease of combination with spatial resolution, and suitability for remote sensing. Many of these advantages are closely linked to the choice of suitable molecular and nanoscale fluorescent reporters, typically required for signal generation. This includes organic dyes without and with sensor function, fluorophore-encoded polymeric and silica nanoparticles as well as nanocrystalline systems like semiconductor quantum dots and upconversion phosphors, emitting in the visible (vis), near-infrared (NIR), and IR (infrared). Current challenges present the environment sensitivity of most fluorophores, rendering fluorescence spectra, measured intensities/fluorescence quantum yields, and fluorescence decay kinetics matrix-dependent, and instrument-specific distortions of measured fluorescence signals that need to be considered for quantification and comparability of data, particularly fluorescence spectra.
Here, current applications of luminescence-based methods and different types of reporters will be presented. In this context, suitable spectroscopic tools for the characteri-zation of the optical properties of fluorescent reporters and fluorophore-encoded microparticles, analytical tools for the determination of the surface chemistry of different types of particles, and different multiplexing strategies will be discussed.
T2 - 9th Meeting of Engineering of Functional Interfaces
CY - Wildau,Germany
DA - 03.07.2016
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Multiplexing
KW - Lifetime
KW - Nanomaterial
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - PEG
KW - Ligand
KW - Semiconductor quantum dot
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Quantification
KW - Upconversion nanoparticle
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Fluorescence standard
KW - Calibration
PY - 2016
AN - OPUS4-37112
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Srivastava, Priyanka
T1 - Multi-color nanosensors for ratiometric measurements of acidic, neutral, and basic pH based on silica and polystyrene particles
N2 - pH presents one of the most important analytes in the life and material sciences, indicating, e.g., diseases and corrosion processes. This includes the optical monitoring of pH in living cells for studying cellular internalization pathways, such as phagocytosis, endocytosis, and receptor mediated internalization with the aid of molecular and nanoscale fluorescent sensors. Nanoparticle (NP)-based sensors, that are labelled or stained with a multitude of sensor dyes, have several advantages as compared to conventional molecular probes like enhanced brightness, i.e., amplified signals, ease of designing ratiometric systems by combining analyte-sensitive and inert reference dyes, and increased photostability. Moreover, this can enable the use of hydrophobic dyes in aqueous environments. Versatile templates and carriers for the fabrication of nanosensors by staining and/or labelling with different fluorophores and sensor molecules are surface-functionalized particles like silica (SiO2) and polystyrene (PS) particles. Here we present a platform of blue-red-green fluorescent pH nanosensors for the measurement of acidic, neutral, and basic pH utilizing both types of matrices and two spectrally distinguishable sensor dyes with an integrated reference dye and demonstrate its applicability for cellular studies.
T2 - E-MRS Spring Meeting 2022
CY - Online meeting
DA - 30.05.2022
KW - Nanosensors
KW - pH sensing
KW - Silica- and polystyrene particles
KW - Ratiometric sensors
KW - Fluorescence
PY - 2022
AN - OPUS4-55597
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Sun, Yijuan
A1 - Pérez-Padilla, Víctor
A1 - Valderrey, Virginia
A1 - Bell, Jérémy
A1 - Gawlitza, Kornelia
A1 - Rurack, Knut
T1 - Ratiometric detection of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids using dual fluorescent nanoparticles and a miniaturised microfluidic platform
N2 - The widespread contamination of soil and water with perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has caused considerable societal and scientific concern. Legislative measures and an increased need for remediation require effective on-site analytical methods for PFAS management. Here we report on the development of a green-fluorescent guanidine-BODIPY indicator monomer incorporated into a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the selective detection of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Complexation of PFOA by the indicator, which is mediated by concerted protonation-induced ion pairing-assisted hydrogen bonding, significantly enhances fluorescence in polar organic solvents. The MIP forms as a thin layer on silica nanoparticles doped with tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) chloride, which provides an orange emission signal as internal reference, resulting in low measurement uncertainties. Using a liquid-liquid extraction protocol, this assay enables the direct detection of PFOA in environmental water samples and achieves a detection limit of 0.11 µM. Integration into an opto-microfluidic system enables a compact and user-friendly system for detecting PFOA in less than 15 minutes.
KW - PFAS
KW - Molecular imprinting
KW - Microfluidics
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Onsite assay
PY - 2025
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-650270
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66872-9
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 16
IS - 1
SP - 1
EP - 16
PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AN - OPUS4-65027
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Andresen, Elina
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Michaelis, Matthias
A1 - Prinz, Carsten
A1 - Würth, Christian
T1 - Time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy for monitoring the stability and dissolution behaviour of upconverting nanocrystals with different surface coatings†
N2 - We demonstrate the potential of time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy for the straightforward assessment and in situ monitoring of the stability of upconversion nanocrystals (UCNPs). Therefore, we prepared hexagonal NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ UCNPs with various coatings with a focus on phosphonate ligands of different valency, using different ligand exchange procedures, and studied their dissolution behaviour in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) dispersions at 20 °C and 37 °C with various analytical methods. The amount of the released UCNPs constituting fluoride ions was quantified by potentiometry using a Fluoride ion-sensitive electrode and particle disintegration was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy studies of the differently aged UCNPs. In parallel, the luminescence features of the UCNPs were measured with special emphasis on the lifetime of the sensitizer emission to demonstrate its suitability as Screening parameter for UCNP stability and changes in particle composition. The excellent correlation between the changes in luminescence lifetime and fluoride concentration highlights the potential of our luminescence lifetime method for UCNP stability screening and thereby indirect monitoring of the release of potentially hazardous fluoride ions during uptake and dissolution in biological systems. Additionally, the developed in situ optical method was used to distinguish the dissolution dynamics of differently sized and differently coated UCNPs.
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 - TEM
PY - 2020
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0nr02931a
VL - 12
IS - 23
SP - 12589
EP - 12601
PB - Royal Society od Chemistry
AN - OPUS4-52088
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 - 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 - 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 -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - 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 - Fluorescence
KW - Nano
KW - Particle
KW - Synthesis
KW - Silica
KW - Upconversion nanoparticles
KW - Optical assay
KW - qNMR
KW - Surface analysis
KW - Ligand
KW - Quantification
KW - Functional group
KW - XPS
KW - ToF-SIMS
KW - Polymer particle
KW - Surface modification
KW - Potentiometry
KW - Metrology
KW - Method
KW - Validation
KW - ILC
PY - 2025
AN - OPUS4-63339
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Ren, J.
A1 - Weigert, Florian
A1 - Weber, F.
A1 - Wang, Y.
A1 - Choudhury, S.
A1 - Xiao, J.
A1 - Lauermann, I.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Bande, A.
A1 - Petit, T.
ED - Petit, Tristan
T1 - Influence of surface chemistry on optical, chemical and electronic properties of blue luminescent carbon dots
N2 - Carbon dots have attracted much attention due to their unique optical, chemical and electronic properties enabling a wide range of applications. The properties of carbon dots can be effectively adjusted through modifying their chemical composition. However, a major challenge remains in understanding the core and surface contributions to optical and electronic transitions. Here, three blue luminescent carbon dots with carboxyl, amino and hydroxyl groups were comprehensively characterized by UV-vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The influence of the surface functionality on their fluorescence was probed by pH-dependent photoluminescence measurements. Moreover, the hydrogen bonding interactions between water and the surface groups of carbon dots were characterized by infrared spectroscopy. Our results show that both core and surface electronic states of blue luminescent carbon dots contribute to electronic acceptor levels while the chemical nature of the surface groups determines the hydrogen bonding behavior of the carbon dots. This comprehensive spectroscopic study demonstrates that the surface chemistry has a profound influence on the electronic configuration and surface–water interaction of carbon dots, thus affecting their photoluminescence properties.
KW - Quantum dots
KW - Spectroscopy
KW - UV Vis
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Surface chemistry
PY - 2019
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-472325
DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c8nr08595a
SN - 2040-3372
VL - 11
IS - 4
SP - 2056
EP - 2064
PB - RSC
AN - OPUS4-47232
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Photoluminescence Properties of Different Types of Nanocrystals at the Ensemble and Single Emitter Level
N2 - Correlating the photoluminescence (PL) properties of nanomaterials like semiconductor nanocrystals (QDs) and upconversion nanocrystals (UCNPs) assessed in ensemble studies and at the single particle level is increasingly relevant for applications of these nanomaterials in the life sciences like bioimaging studies or their use as reporters in microfluidic assays. Here we present a comparison of the spectroscopic properties of ensembles and single emitters for QDs like II/VI QDs and cadmium-free AIS/ZnS QDs as well as different UCNPs. The overall goal of this study was to derive particle architectures well suited for spectroscopic and microscopic applications.
T2 - BIOSSPIE
CY - San Francisco, CA, USA
DA - 02.02.2019
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Nanomaterial
KW - Photoluminescence
KW - Absolute fluorometry
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy,
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Semiconductor
KW - Quantum dot
KW - Single particle spectroscopy
KW - Surface chemistry
PY - 2019
AN - OPUS4-47358
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Relative and Absolute Methods for Measuring Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of UV/vis/NIR Emitters
N2 - One of the key spectroscopic performance parameters of molecular and particulate emitters is the photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) that provides a direct measure for the number of emitted per absorbed photons. This triggered the interest in methods suitable for measuring this property for emitters in various environments in the UV/vis/NIR and above 1000 nm as well as on the ensemble and single emitter level. Moreover, for nonlinear emitters like lanthanide-based upconversion nanocrystals methods including instrumentation for power density-dependent PL QY studies are required.
An overview of the research activities in Division Biophotonics of BAM is given and suitable relative and absolute methods for the deter-mination of PL QY of organic dyes and different types of application-relevant nanomaterials in dispersion and in the solid state are presen-ted. This covers also the design and calibration of integrating sphere setups, achievable uncertainties, and candidates for PL QY reference materials.
T2 - OSRAM Veranstaltung
CY - Regensburg, Germany
DA - 09.01.2019
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Calibration
KW - Reference material
KW - Uncertainty
KW - Absolute fluorometry
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - NIR
KW - IR
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Dye
PY - 2019
AN - OPUS4-47263
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Martynenko, Irina V.
A1 - Kusic, Dragana
A1 - Weigert, Florian
A1 - Stafford, S.
A1 - Donnelly, F. C.
A1 - Evstigneev, R.
A1 - Gromova, Y.
A1 - Baranov, A. V.
A1 - Rühl, Bastian
A1 - Kunte, Hans-Jörg
A1 - Gun'ko, Y. K.
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Magneto-fluorescent microbeads for bacteria detection constructed from superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles and AIS/ZnS quantum dots
N2 - The efficient and sensitive detection of pathogenic microorganisms in aqueous environments, such as water used in medical applications, drinking water, and cooling water of industrial plants, requires simple and fast methods suitable for multiplexed detection such as flow cytometry (FCM) with optically encoded carrier beads. For this purpose, we combine fluorescent Cd-free Ag−In−S ternary quantum dots (t-QDs) with fluorescence Lifetimes (LTs) of several hundred nanoseconds and superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (SPIONs) with mesoporous CaCO3 microbeads to a magneto-fluorescent bead platform that can be surface-functionalized with bioligands, such as antibodies. This inorganic bead platform enables immuno-magnetic separation, target enrichment, and target quantification with optical readout. The beads can be detected with steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry (FCM). Moreover, they are suited for readout by time gated emission. In the following, the preparation of these magneto-fluorescent CaCO3 beads, their spectroscopic and analytic characterization, and their conjugation with bacteria-specific antibodies are presented as well as proof-of-concept measurements with Legionella pneumophila including cell cultivation and plating experiments for bacteria quantification. Additionally, the possibility to discriminate between the long-lived emission of the LT-encoded capture and carrier CaCO3 beads and the short-lived Emission of the dye-stained bacteria with time-resolved fluorescence techniques and single wavelength excitation is demonstrated.
KW - Fluorescence
KW - method
KW - lifetime
KW - quantum yield
KW - particle
KW - magnetic nanoparticle
KW - immunoseparation
KW - flow cytometry
KW - fluorescence microscopy
KW - nanoparticle
KW - quantum dot
KW - AIS QD
KW - fluorescence
KW - bacteria detection
KW - bacteria
KW - antibody
KW - Legionella
KW - screening tes
KW - FLIM
PY - 2019
DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.9b01812
SN - 0003-2700
SN - 1520-6882
VL - 91
SP - 12661
EP - 12669
PB - American Chemical Society
CY - Washington, DC
AN - OPUS4-50117
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Gharaati, S.
A1 - Wang, Cui
A1 - Förster, C.
A1 - Weigert, Florian
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
A1 - Heinze, K.
T1 - Triplet–Triplet Annihilation Upconversion in a MOF with AcceptorFilled Channels
N2 - In summary, we report a highly modular solid TTA-UC system comprising of a crystalline, thermally stable PCN222(Pd) MOF with CA-coated MOF channels and with a DPA annihilator embedded in a solution-like environment in the MOF channels. This solid material displays blue upconverted delayed emission with a luminescence lifetime of 373 us, a threshold value of 329 mW*cm-2 and a triplet–triplet energy transfer efficiency of 82%. This optical application adds another facet to the versatile chemistry of PCN-222 MOFs. The design concept is also applicable to other TTA-UC pairs and enables tuning of the UCL color, for example, by replacing DPA with other dyes as exemplarily shown for 2,5,8,11-tetra-tert-butyl-perylene, that yields UCL at 450 nm. Current work aims to reduce the oxygen sensitivity and to increase the retention of the trapped annihilators in organic environments, for example, by tuning the chain length of the carboxylic acid and by coating the MOF surface. In addition, the TTA-UC efficiency will be further enhanced by reducing the reabsorption of the UC emission caused by Pd(TCPP) and by optimizing the sensitizer/annihilator interface.
KW - Porphyrin
KW - Method
KW - MOF
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Dye
KW - Sensor
KW - Oxygen sensitive
KW - Single molecule
KW - DPA
KW - Lifetime
KW - Upconverstion
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Triplet-triplet annihilation
KW - Sensitization
KW - Energy transfer
KW - NMR
PY - 2019
UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-500580
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201904945
VL - 26
IS - 5
SP - 1003
EP - 1007
PB - Wiley-VCH Verlag
CY - Weinheim
AN - OPUS4-50058
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Advanced characterization of nanomaterials
N2 - The rational synthesis and use of nanomaterials require the characterization of many different properties, ranging from particle size and size distribution over surface chemistry to more applicationrelevant features like optical, electrochemical, and magnetic properties. In the following, several methods for the characterization of functional groups on nanomaterials, like polymer and silica nanoparticles, semiconductor quantum dots, and lanthanide-based upconversion nanocrystals are presented. Additionally, procedures for the measurement of the key spectroscopic performance parameters of nanomaterials with linear and nonlinear photoluminescence, such as the photoluminescence quantum yield, are presented for the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR.
T2 - Summerschool
CY - Bad Honnef, Germany
DA - 22.07.2019
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Nanoparticle
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum dot
KW - NIR
KW - SWIR
KW - Quality assurance
KW - Calibration
PY - 2019
AN - OPUS4-48630
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute
T1 - Determining Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Molecular and Nanocrystal Emitters in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR
N2 - The comparison of different emitter classes and the rational design of the next generation of molecular and nanoscale reporters require accurate and quantitative photo-luminescence measurements. This is of special importance for all photoluminescence applications in the life and material sciences and nanobiophotonics. In the following, procedures for the determination of the spectroscopic key parameter photoluminescence quantum yield, i.e., the number of emitted per absorbed photons, in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR are presented including pitfalls and achievable uncertainties and material-specific effects related to certain emitter classes are addressed.
T2 - Kolloqium National Center for Nanoscience and Technology
CY - Peking, People's Republic of China
DA - 18.10.2019
KW - Fluorescence
KW - Quantum yield
KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy
KW - Dye
KW - Nanocrystal
KW - NIR
KW - SWIR
KW - Quantum dot
KW - Fluorescence standard
KW - Uncertainty
KW - Calibration
PY - 2019
AN - OPUS4-49362
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -
TY - CONF
A1 - Hübner, Oskar
T1 - Luminescence lifetime encoding for flow cytometry with quantum-dot-encoded beads
N2 - Spectral encoding of cells or particles and the discrimination of multiple spectral codes are a critical process in flow cytometry (FCM). Typical issues in spectral encoding are, e.g., the spectral overlap of codes, or the increasing complexity of instruments . The exploitation of the photoluminescence lifetime (LT) as an encoding parameter could be used to circumvent both of these issues, as it adds another dimension to the parameter space, or, when used as a stand-alone parameter, requiring only one excitation light source and one detector. While LT encoding was considered already decades ago it is still not implemented as a routine technique in FCM yet, mainly due to the challenge of very few photons being available within the limited transition time of a cell or particle through the laser spot.
Recently, we demonstrated LT-FCM based on luminophores with ns LTs in a compact and low-cost flow cytometer. Measurements on polymer microbeads containing luminophores with distinctly different excited state LTs enabled the complete discrimination of three LT codes and five codes in total could be identified.
Now, we have extended our approach towards considerably longer LTs by custom-made polymer microbeads loaded with different ratios of InP/ZnS and AgInS2 quantum dots. The use of these materials significantly expands the usable time range for LT encoding to up to several hundred ns. Our studies demonstrate the possibility to further increase the number of viable LT codes for multiplexing in LT-FCM without the need for extensive hardware modifications.
T2 - Visions in Cytometry - 29th Annual Conference of the German Society for Cytometry
CY - Berlin, Germany
DA - 25.07.2019
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 - OPUS4-49390
LA - eng
AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
ER -