TY - CONF A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana T1 - Error margins in the Determination of Molar Mass and Oligomer Content of Polymers N2 - Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is still the method of choice for determining the molar mass and molar mass distribution of macromolecules. It is a liquid chromatographic technique that separates molecules based on their size, respectively their hydrodynamic volume using a porous stationary phase that allows smaller molecules to pass through the pores while excluding larger molecules. The chromatogram from the size separation can be calibrated using polymers of known molar mass resulting in a relative molar mass distribution curve. From this distribution curve molar mass averages and the oligomer content (percentage of peak area smaller than 1000 g/mol and 500 g/mol) of polymers can be derived. The determination of oligomer content is important, because it is often used in regulatory contexts as a measure of small, mobile and potentially more toxic parts of the polymer. Polymer regulations are of increasing political and social importance. Regulations often set very narrow limits. SEC has rather large error margins of 10-20% for the molar mass determination performed in different laboratories or on different instruments. These variances are well known to all experts and users and have been investigated in several round robin tests in the past. These resulted in DIN and ISO standards which, in our opinion, no longer meet today's requirements. As far as we know, the margins of error in determining oligomer content have not yet been investigated. It is expected that the variation will be rather high. This is because it depends on many factors related to the experimental conditions (column sets used, solvent, temperatures, sample preparation) on the one hand, and the data evaluation mechanisms (choice of baseline and peak limits) on the other. In order to actually measure the error margins and to support this with actual data a round robin test has been performed from June to November 2024 with approx. 40 participating laboratories. Three different solvents were selected, namely THF, DMAc or DMF and water. The samples were selected together with all the experts, taking into account a wide range of practical aspects far from narrowly distributed standards: e.g higher distribution range, reduced solubility, included side components, copolymers and dispersions with gel content. In this contribution we will present the detailed concept of this round robin test and first results. T2 - SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting CY - Vienna, Austria DA - 11.05.2025 KW - Size exclusion chromatography KW - REACH KW - Polymers KW - Round Robin Tests PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63307 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Stolar, Tomislav T1 - Upcycling waste PET bottles to porous UiO-66 by mechanochemistry N2 - Single-use plastics are causing plastic pollution, and less than 10% of plastic waste gets recycled globally. Most of it ends up in landfills or gets incinerated in a highly unsustainable manner. Here, I will present a sustainable mechanochemical protocol for the chemical upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to porous UiO-66 metal-organic framework (MOF). In the first step, PET is ball-milled with sodium hydroxide and undergoes alkaline hydrolysis to disodium terephthalate (Na2TP). Time-resolved in situ monitoring of ball milling reaction by synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction shows the appearance of crystalline Na2TP after 20 min of milling. However, ex-situ analysis at different milling times by gel permeation chromatography reveals that the depolymerisation step needs more milling for completion. After two hours of ball milling, there are only trace amounts of leftover PET. For upcycling to UiO-66, a zirconium acetate cluster is added to Na2TP together with liquid additives and after milling for T2 - International Conference on Resource Chemistry 2024 CY - Alzenau, Germany DA - 13.03.2024 KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Plastic recycling KW - Circular economy PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62105 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tscheuschner, Georg A1 - Ponader, Marco A1 - Raab, Christopher A1 - Weider, Prisca S. A1 - Hartfiel, Reni A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Völzke, Jule L. A1 - Bosc-Bierne, Gaby A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Schwaar, T. A1 - Andrle, Paul A1 - Bäßler, Henriette A1 - Nguyen, Khoa A1 - Zhu, Y. A1 - Mey, A. S. J. S. A1 - Mostafa, A. A1 - Bald, I. A1 - Weller, Michael G. T1 - Efficient Purification of Cowpea Chlorotic Mottle Virus by a Novel Peptide Aptamer N2 - The cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) is a plant virus explored as a nanotechnological platform. The robust self-assembly mechanism of its capsid protein allows for drug encapsulation and targeted delivery. Additionally, the capsid nanoparticle can be used as a programmable platform to display different molecular moieties. In view of future applications, efficient production and purification of plant viruses are key steps. In established protocols, the need for ultracentrifugation is a significant limitation due to cost, difficult scalability, and safety issues. In addition, the purity of the final virus isolate often remains unclear. Here, an advanced protocol for the purification of the CCMV from infected plant tissue was developed, focusing on efficiency, economy, and final purity. The protocol involves precipitation with PEG 8000, followed by affinity extraction using a novel peptide aptamer. The efficiency of the protocol was validated using size exclusion chromatography, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, reversed-phase HPLC, and sandwich immunoassay. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the final eluate of the affinity column is of exceptional purity (98.4%) determined by HPLC and detection at 220 nm. The scale-up of our proposed method seems to be straightforward, which opens the way to the large-scale production of such nanomaterials. This highly improved protocol may facilitate the use and implementation of plant viruses as nanotechnological platforms for in vitro and in vivo applications. N2 - Das Cowpea Chlorotic Mottle Virus (CCMV) ist ein Pflanzenvirus, das als nanotechnologische Plattform erforscht wird. Der robuste Selbstorganisationsmechanismus seines Kapsidproteins ermöglicht die Verkapselung und gezielte Abgabe von Medikamenten. Darüber hinaus kann das Kapsid-Nanopartikel als programmierbare Plattform für die Präsentation verschiedener molekularer Komponenten verwendet werden. Im Hinblick auf künftige Anwendungen ist eine effiziente Produktion und Reinigung von Pflanzenviren von entscheidender Bedeutung. In etablierten Protokollen stellt die notwendige Ultrazentrifugation aufgrund von Kosten, schwieriger Skalierbarkeit und Sicherheitsaspekten eine erhebliche Einschränkung dar. Darüber hinaus bleibt die Reinheit des endgültigen Virusisolats oft unklar. Hier wurde ein fortschrittliches Protokoll für die Reinigung von CCMV aus infiziertem Pflanzengewebe entwickelt, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf Effizienz, Wirtschaftlichkeit und Reinheit lag. Das Protokoll beinhaltet eine Fällung mit Polyethylenglycol (PEG 8000), gefolgt von einer Affinitätsextraktion mit einem neuartigen Peptid-Aptamer. Die Effizienz des Protokolls wurde mithilfe von Größenausschluss-Chromatographie (SEC), MALDI-TOF-Massenspektrometrie, Umkehrphasen-HPLC und Sandwich-Immunoassay validiert. Darüber hinaus wurde nachgewiesen, dass das endgültige Eluat der Affinitätssäule eine außergewöhnliche Reinheit (98,4 %) aufweist, die durch HPLC und Detektion bei 220 nm bestimmt wurde. Die Skalierung der von uns vorgeschlagenen Methode scheint einfach zu sein, was den Weg für eine größer angelegte Produktion solcher Nanomaterialien ebnet. Dieses stark verbesserte Protokoll könnte die Verwendung und Umsetzung von Pflanzenviren als nanotechnologische Plattformen für In-vitro- und In-vivo-Anwendungen erleichtern. KW - Affinity chromatography KW - Nanoparticles KW - Nanoscience KW - Carrier protein KW - Encapsulation KW - Combinatorial peptide library KW - Peptide binder KW - Vigna unguiculata KW - Augenbohne KW - Schlangenbohne KW - Pflanzenvirus KW - Plant virus KW - Upscaling KW - Commercialization KW - Reference material KW - Nanocarrier PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-572645 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/v15030697 VL - 15 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 24 PB - MDPI CY - Basel, Schweiz AN - OPUS4-57264 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Liu, Yanchen A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Montoro, Luciano A. A1 - Liu, Hao A1 - Liu, Ye A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Russo, Patrícia A. A1 - Pinna, Nicola T1 - A partially disordered crystallographic shear block structure as fast-charging negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries N2 - A well-ordered crystalline structure is crucial in battery electrodes, as the dimensionality and connectivity of the interstitial sites inherently influence Li+ ions diffusion kinetics. Niobium tungsten oxides block structures, composed of ReO3-type blocks of specific sizes with well-defined metal sites, are promising fast-charging negative electrode materials. Structural disorder is generally detrimental to conductivity or ion transport. However, here, we report an anomalous partially disordered Nb12WO33 structure that significantly enhances Li-ion storage performance compared to the known monoclinic Nb12WO33 phase. The partially disordered phase consists of corner-shared NbO6 octahedra blocks of varied sizes, including 5×4, 4×4, and 4×3, with a disordered arrangement of distorted WO4 tetrahedra at the corners of the blocks. This structural arrangement is robust during lithiation/delithiation, exhibiting minor local structure changes during cycling. It enables accelerated Li-ion migration, resulting in promising fast-charging performance, namely, 62.5 % and 44.7 % capacity retention at 20 C and 80 C, respectively. This study highlights the benefits of introducing disorder into niobium tungsten oxide shear structures, through the establishment of clear structure-performance correlations, offering guidelines for designing materials with targeted properties. KW - Lithium ion batteries KW - Oxides KW - XANES KW - XRD PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-637994 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61646-9 SN - 2041-1723 VL - 16 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-63799 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinekamp, Christian A1 - Roy, Arkendu A1 - Karafiludis, Stephanos A1 - Kumar, Sourabh A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Stawski, Tomasz M. A1 - Miliūtė, Aistė A1 - von der Au, Marcus A1 - Ahrens, Mike A1 - Braun, Thomas A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Zirconium fluoride-supported high-entropy fluoride: a catalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction N2 - Extended hydrogen initiatives promote the urgency of research on water splitting technologies and, therein, oxygen evolution reaction catalysts being developed. A route to access a ZrF4 supported high-entropy fluoride catalyst using a facile sol–gel route is presented. The high-entropy character of the catalyst was confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDX) as well as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Additional investigations on the local structure were performed using extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis. The catalyst shows significant potential for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media with a current density of 100 mA cm−2 at approximately 1.60 V, thus outperforming benchmark materials such as IrO2, despite a significant reduction in electrochemical mass loading. A potential mechanism is suggested based on free energy calculation using DFT calculations. KW - OER KW - HEA KW - CCMAT PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-637116 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D4TA08664C SN - 2050-7488 VL - 13 IS - 26 SP - 20383 EP - 20393 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-63711 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dittmar, Stefan A1 - Weyrauch, Steffen A1 - Reemtsma, Thorsten A1 - Eisentraut, Paul A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Ruhl, Aki S. A1 - Jekel, Martin T1 - Settling Velocities of Tire and Road Wear Particles: Analyzing Finely Graded Density Fractions of Samples from a Road Simulator and a Highway Tunnel N2 - The terminal settling velocity is considered the most critical parameter determining the transport of tire and road wear particles (TRWP) in aquatic environments. Nonetheless, no respective empirical data has been reported so far. In this study, particle samples from a road simulator and a highway tunnel were investigated with a validated imaging method. Different density and size fractions of both samples were measured separately, acquiring sizes and settling velocities of more than 30,000 individual particles. In addition, tire marker polymers were analyzed for each fraction via thermal extraction desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Finally, the acquired particle data was combined according to the fractions’ estimated tire contents in order to deduce detailed probability distributions of particle size and settling velocity for the actual TRWP from both samples. Weighted by TRWP-incorporated tire mass, median diameters of 54 and 44 μm as well as median settling velocities of 0.65 and 0.22 mm/s were found for TRWP from the road simulator and highway tunnel, respectively. This study thus provides the first ever empirical data on TRWP settling velocities in water, which can be highly valuable input for modeling the environmental transport of TRWP and for dimensioning TRWP retention systems. KW - Microplastics KW - TED-GC/MS KW - Sinking velocities KW - Transport PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-635449 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c04165 SN - 0013-936X VL - 59 IS - 26 SP - 13434 EP - 13446 PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) AN - OPUS4-63544 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Das, Prasenjit A1 - Chakraborty, Gouri A1 - Yang, Jin A1 - Roeser, Jérôme A1 - Küçükkeçeci, Hüseyin A1 - Nguyen, Anh Dung A1 - Schwarze, Michael A1 - Gabriel, Jose A1 - Penschke, Christopher A1 - Du, Shengjun A1 - Weigelt, Vincent A1 - Khalil, Islam E. A1 - Schmidt, Johannes A1 - Saalfrank, Peter A1 - Oschatz, Martin A1 - Rabeah, Jabor A1 - Schomäcker, Reinhard A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Thomas, Arne T1 - The Effect of Pore Functionality in Multicomponent Covalent Organic Frameworks on Stable Long‐Term Photocatalytic H2 Production N2 - AbstractIn nature, organic molecules play a vital role in light harvesting and photosynthesis. However, regarding artificial water splitting, the research focus is primarily on inorganic semiconductors. Although organic photocatalysts have high structural variability, they tend to exhibit lower quantum efficiencies for water splitting than their inorganic counterparts. Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) offer an attractive route to introduce different functional units into covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and enable semiconducting properties and high chemical stability, creating promising materials for long‐term photocatalytic applications, such as H2 production. Herein, five highly crystalline donor‐acceptor based, 4‐substituted quinoline‐linked MCR‐COFs are presented that are prepared via the three‐component Povarov reaction. The pore functionality is varied by applying different vinyl derivatives (e.g., styrene, 2‐vinyl pyridine, 4‐vinylpyridine, 4‐vinyl imidazole, 2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluorostyrene), which has a strong influence on the obtained photocatalytic activity. Especially an imidazole‐functionalized COF displays promising photocatalytic performance due to its high surface area, crystallinity, and wettability. These properties enable it to maintain its photocatalytic activity even in a membrane support. Furthermore, such MCR‐COFs display dramatically enhanced (photo)chemical stability even after long‐term solar light irradiation and exhibit a high and steady H2 evolution for at least 15 days. KW - Sstability KW - Covalent organic frameworks KW - Pore functionality KW - Long-term H2 production KW - Multicomponent reactions PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-639787 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202501193 SN - 1614-6832 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-63978 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Go, Eun Sul A1 - Hong, Eun Ji A1 - Lee, Ji Yeong A1 - Stolar, Tomislav A1 - Peterson, Gregory I. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Kim, Kyoungsoo A1 - Kim, Jeung Gon T1 - Insights into Mechanochemical Solid-State Ball-Milling Reaction: Monitoring Transition from Heterogeneous to Homogeneous Conditions N2 - As mechanochemical synthesis has advanced significantly, there has been intense interest in understanding the underlying mechanisms of these reactions. Given that many mechanochemical processes are conducted in the solid-state without solvation yet sometimes yield faster reactions than those in solution, we sought to address the following question: Are mechanochemical reactions homo- or heterogeneous? To investigate, we employed a model system involving the mixing and copolymerization of l-lactide (LLA) and d-lactide (DLA), monitored through powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), nuclear magnetic resonance, and differential scanning calorimetry. In situ and ex situ PXRD analyses of the mixture of LLA and DLA showed that vibratory ball milling rapidly transformed the initially heterogeneous lactide mixture into a homogeneous phase within one min due to collisions between the balls and the jar. By varying the milling conditions, we were able to regulate the level of mixing, which subsequently influenced the copolymerization outcomes. In the solid-state ball-milling copolymerization of LLA and DLA in the presence of a catalyst and initiator, multiblock copolymers of poly(l-lactic acid) and poly(d-lactic acid) were formed within one min during the early stage of the reaction, when incomplete mixing of the monomers led to a process governed by phase heterogeneity. In contrast, prolonged polymerization promoted conditions approaching homogeneity, ultimately yielding atactic poly(lactic acid). This transition from heterogeneous to homogeneous reactions is a distinctive feature compared to conventional homogeneous reactions, potentially leading to mechano-exclusive reaction designs. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Ball-milling KW - Homogeneous reaction KW - Heterogeneous reaction PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-638008 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.5c00322 SN - 2691-3704 VL - 5 IS - 6 SP - 2720 EP - 2727 PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) AN - OPUS4-63800 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feiler, Torvid A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit T1 - Sustainable mechanochemical approach for the selective synthesis of multicomponent organic solids: real-time in situ insights N2 - Crystalline multicomponent organic solids (MOSs) such as cocrystals and ionic cocrystals hold immense potential in diverse functional applications, ranging from pharmaceuticals to optoelectronics. However, conventional solution-based crystallization methods often result in polymorphic mixtures and lack precise control over product composition. Herein, we report a comparative investigation of solution crystallization versus mechanochemical synthesis for constructing MOSs from 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid (ACA) and 4,4 '-bipyridine (BPY). Solution-based approaches consistently yielded concomitant formation of neutral cocrystal (CC) and ionic cocrystal (ICC) forms, regardless of the solvent used. The resulting multicomponent solids were comprehensively characterized using a combination of single crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. In contrast, mechanochemical methods, including neat grinding (without solvent) and liquid-assisted grinding (with minimum solvent), enabled selective formation of either a phase pure CC or ICC form. Less polar and nonpolar organic solvents favor the kinetic CC, while polar water promotes formation of the thermodynamically stable ICC. Time-resolved in situ powder X-ray diffraction (TRIS-PXRD) captures the dynamic evolution of solid-state phases and reveals the complete transformation of the CC into ICC under neat grinding or water-assisted conditions. This study highlights the powerful role of mechanochemistry and in situ monitoring in steering solid-state reactivity and offers a sustainable pathway for the targeted and scalable synthesis of pure multicomponent organic materials. KW - Cocrystal KW - Synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction KW - Time-resolved in situ investigation PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-641409 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5CE00663E SN - 1466-8033 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-64140 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana T1 - 70 years size exclusion chromatography - An ongoing challenge N2 - The reason for our current activities is that polymers may also be subject to REACh regulations in the future. In this context, the determination of oligomer content is important. SEC is still the method of choice for determining molar mass distribution. The regulations aim for narrow limits and SEC has rather large error margins, which are well known to all experts. Different polymers need different methods. What to do when samples with a wide range of practical aspects, samples with higher distribution range, reduced solubility, including side components, gel content etc. need be analyzed? A concept for round robin tests and first impressions will be presented. T2 - Analytical Solutions 2025 CY - Ede, Netherlands DA - 04.06.2025 KW - Polymers KW - Size exclusion chromatography KW - REACH KW - Round Robin Tests PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63310 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Musl, O. T1 - Mapping the Hydrophobic Composition of Lignosulfonates with 2D HIC-SEC aq. Liquid Chromatography N2 - 2D-LC provides in-depth information on the complex composition of lignosulfonates – information hitherto inaccessible by state-of-the-art lignin analytics. Analysis of 12 industrial lignosulfonates revealed considerable differences in their composition and functional dispersity - properties that are crucial for lignosulfonate usage T2 - Sustainable Materials Research Summit 2022, S.M.A.R.T CY - Vancouver, Canada DA - 07.08.2022 KW - Lignosulfonate KW - Lignin KW - Amphiphilicity KW - Hydrophobic interaction KW - Chromatography (HIC) KW - Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) KW - Functionality type distribution KW - Two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) KW - Molar mass distribution PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55510 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Ruehle, Bastian T1 - A Self-Driving Lab for Nano and Advanced Materials Synthesis in a Self-Driving Lab N2 - In this contribution, we present our Self-Driving Lab (SDL) for Nano and Advanced Materials, that integrates robotics for batched autonomous synthesis – from molecular precursors to fully purified nanomaterials – with automated characterization and data analysis, for a complete and reliable nanomaterial synthesis workflow. By fully automating the processing steps for seven different materials from five representative, completely different classes of nano- and advanced materials (metal, metal oxide, silica, metal organic framework, and core–shell particles) that follow different reaction mechanisms, we demonstrate the great versatility and flexibility of the platform. The system also exhibits high modularity and adaptability in terms of reaction scales and incorporates in-line characterization measurement of hydrodynamic diameter, zeta potential, and optical properties (absorbance, fluorescence). We discuss the excellent reproducibility of the various materials synthesized on the platform in terms of particle size and size distribution, and the adaptability and modularity that allows access to a diverse set of nanomaterial classes. We also present several key aspects of the central backend that orchestrates the (parallelized) syntheses workflows. One key feature is the resource management or “traffic control” for scheduling and executing parallel reactions in a multi-threaded environment. Another is the interface with data analysis algorithms from in-line, at-line, and off-line measurements. Here, we will give examples of how automatic image segmentation of electron microscopy images with the help of AI can be used for reducing the “data analysis bottleneck” from an off-line measurement. We will also discuss various machine learning (ML) algorithms that are currently implemented in the backend and can be used for ML-guided, closed-loop material optimization in our SDL. Lastly, we will show our recent efforts in making the workflow generation on SDLs more user-friendly by using large language models to generate executable workflows automatically from synthesis procedures given in natural language and user-friendly graphical user interfaces based on node editors that also allow for knowledge graph extraction from the workflows. In this context, we are currently also working on a common description or ontology for representing the process steps and parameters of the workflows, which will greatly facilitate the semantic description and interoperability of workflows between different SDL hardware and software platforms. T2 - Series on Digitalisation-Meet the Experts | Special Topic: Automation CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 27.02.2026 KW - Self-Driving Labs KW - Materials Acceleration Platforms KW - Advanced Materials KW - Nanomaterials KW - Automation KW - Digitalization PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65604 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Chatti, Saber T1 - Chemical modification of lignin by functional polymers: towards specific green phases for the adsorption of organic pollutants in water N2 - Lignin is a highly aromatic low value biomass residue, which can be utilized for chemicals, fuels and materials production. In recent years, significant attention has focused on adsorber materials based on lignin. However, only 5% of the available lignin is exploited worldwide, thus significant opportunities for materials development still exist. Lignin has been vastly utilized as a feedstock for the synthesis of adsorbers for the removal of dyes and toxic organic molecules . To improve adsorption capacity, lignin can be chemically modified with oxygen-, nitrogen-, or sulfur-containing functional groups. Most frequently the phenolic groups of lignin were modified. In order to extend the application of lignin as adsorbers, we are especially interested in the chemical modification of this natural resource with a bio-based linear difluoro oligomers LOx (di- or monofunctional) or a heterocyclic monomer (Figure). T2 - 12. Journees maghreb-europe. Matériaux et Applications aux Dispositifs et Capteurs CY - Monastir, Tunisia DA - 08.11.2022 KW - Lignin KW - Biobased polymers KW - Modification PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56238 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Paul, Sagar A1 - Dolai, Malay A1 - Nanda Goswami, Juli A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Drew, Michael G. B. A1 - Chattopadhyay, Shouvik A1 - Sarkar, Rabi Sankar A1 - Sunil, Appu A1 - Novitchi, Ghenadie A1 - Moreno-Pineda, Eufemio A1 - Wernsdorfer, Wolfgang T1 - From strong to weak interaction: Reconciling SQUID and μSQUID-EPR data in anomalous Co(ii) dimers N2 - Magnetic molecules have been proposed as scaffolds for novel quantum technologies, ranging from quantum sensing and quantum memory to multilevel quantum bits (qudits) and fault-tolerant quantum computation. Integration of magnetic molecules into cutting-edge applications hinges on a deep understanding and tunability of their spin states. To date, the strategic manipulation of the local environment of the ion and careful selection of the magnetic core have enabled the desired tunability and scalability of the spin states. For such goals, however, extracting the anisotropic parameters that dictate the characteristics of the Spin Hamiltonian is challenging, especially for molecules consisting of multiple magnetic cores. We address these challenges by studying two cobalt(II) dinuclear systems, complicated by inherent spin–orbit coupling. We explore the magnetic properties of these systems in two temperature regimes: (i) at sub-Kelvin temperatures employing single crystals at 30 mK using a unique μSQUID-EPR technique that examines the microwave absorption peaks in the magnetisation data and their variation with field angle and frequency; and (ii) in bulk employing convectional SQUID magnetometry above 2 K i.e., χMT(T) and M(H). Unexpectedly, sub-Kelvin temperature investigations reveal a negligible interaction, whereas the SQUID data reveal a much stronger interaction between the Co(II) ions. An understanding of these data is developed based on a strong coupling model and the coupling of two moieties with a spin-effective ground state. KW - cOBALT(II)-complex KW - In situ complex formation KW - Magnetic property KW - Crystal structure PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-641421 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5QI01387A SN - 2052-1553 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-64142 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mishra, Rajesh K. A1 - Minussi, F.B. A1 - Kumari, Priyanka A1 - Shahi, Rohit R. A1 - Yadav, R.P. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Araújo, E.B. T1 - Effect of sintering temperature on structural, microstructural, and dielectric properties of (Co0.2Fe0.2Ni0.2Al0.2Ti0.2)3O4 multi-cations high entropy oxides N2 - The study reports the effect of sintering temperature on structural, microstructural, and dielectric properties of (Co0.2Fe0.2Ni0.2Al0.2Ti0.2)3O4 spinel high-entropy oxides (HEOs) synthesized through the solid-state mechanochemistry method. The sintering of the ceramic powders was accomplished at three different temperatures (1000 ◦C, 1100 ◦C, and 1250 ◦C), followed by air quenching. XRD analysis along with Le-Bail refinement confirms that 1100 ◦C and 1250 ◦C sintered oxides comprised of a single cubic spinel phase (Fd3m), while 1000 ◦C sintered oxide contains constituent oxides and a spinel phase. The phase formation of oxides sintered at 1100 ◦C and 1250 ◦C has also been confirmed by Raman spectroscopic analysis. Microstructural analysis revealed that the aggregated particle size increases with the rise in sintering temperature. With the change in sintering temperature, the dielectric behavior of the ceramic changed extensively. The 1100 ◦C sintered ceramic exhibits high frequency-dependent behavior, whereas the 1250 ◦C sintered ceramic yields low frequency-dependent behavior. The 1250 ◦C sintered HEO exhibits low-loss tangent (tan δ = 0.01) with higher dielectric permittivity (εʹ = 44) at high frequency (1 MHz) compared to the 1100 ◦C sintered ceramic and many other conventional dielectrics. Fractal concept and impedance analysis have been employed to correlate the microstructure-dielectric property relation of (Co0.2Fe0.2Ni0.2Al0.2Ti0.2)3O4 spinel HEOs. The found Hurst exponent values for both different temperature-sintered HEOs are less than 0.5, indicating the anti-persistent behavior. This signifies that the height variations at neighboring pixels are negatively correlated. The present work is of fundamental importance in employing fractal analysis for the first time on spinel HEOs and correlating their properties. It also shows that processing conditions can effectively tailor the dielectric properties of the materials. KW - Multi-cations high entropy oxide KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Spinel structure KW - Fractal and impedance spectroscopic analysis PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-647584 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2025.09.256 SN - 0272-8842 VL - 51 IS - 27 SP - 55341 EP - 55354 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-64758 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Karafiludis, Stephanos A1 - Standl, Jacob A1 - Ryll, Tom W. A1 - Schwab, Alexander A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Wolf, Jakob B. A1 - Kruschwitz, Sabine A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Völker, Christoph A1 - Stawski, Tomasz M. T1 - High-Entropy Phosphate Synthesis: Advancements through Automation and Sequential Learning Optimization N2 - Transition metal phosphates (TMPs) are extensively explored for electrochemical and catalytical applications due to their structural versatility and chemical stability. Within this material class, novel high-entropy metal phosphates (HEMPs)─containing multiple transition metals combined into a single-phase structure─are particularly promising, as their compositional complexity can significantly enhance functional properties. However, the discovery of suitable HEMP compositions is hindered by the vast compositional design space and complex or very specific synthesis conditions. Here, we present a data-driven strategy combining automated wet-chemical synthesis with a Sequential Learning App for Materials Discovery (SLAMD) framework (Random Forest regression model) to efficiently explore and optimize HEMP compositions. Using a limited set of initial experiments, we identified multimetal compositions in a single-phase crystalline solid. The model successfully predicted a novel Co0.3Ni0.3Fe0.2Cd0.1Mn0.1 phosphate octahydrate phase, validated experimentally, demonstrating the effectiveness of the machine learning approach. This work highlights the potential of integrating automated synthesis platforms with data-driven algorithms to accelerate the discovery of high-entropy materials, offering an efficient design pathway to advanced functional materials. KW - Metal phosphates KW - High entropy KW - Sequential learning KW - Automated synthesis KW - MAP KW - Random forest KW - Machine learning PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-641554 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.5c00549 SN - 1528-7483 VL - 25 IS - 19 SP - 7989 EP - 8001 PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-64155 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Batteas, James A1 - Blank, Kerstin G. A1 - Colacino, Evelina A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Friščić, Tomislav A1 - Mack, James A1 - Moore, Jeffrey A1 - Rivas, Maria Elena A1 - Tysoe, Wilfred T1 - Moving mechanochemistry forward N2 - Arguably mechanochemistry is one of the oldest, and at the same time one of the newest, areas of chemistry. One of the oldest, because it has been theorized that early hominids were able to develop rapidly due to their ability to heat and mechanically process their food to make it easier to digest. Old, because the ancient Greeks knew that mechanically activating stones (consisting of cinnabar) with vinegar in a copper pestle and mortar caused them to convert into mercury. We might be forgiven for thinking that this could have led our alchemical forbears to wonder if there were other stones that might also be persuaded to convert into gold. Early chemical luminaries such as Michael Faraday and Wilhelm Röntgen dabbled in mechanochemistry. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the field developed separately in many areas. Perhaps most significantly, synthetic chemists realized that reactions could be carried out with surprisingly high yields and selectivities by shaking them in a ball mill, and that they could even make novel compounds that their colleagues just using heat were not able to. Physicists were mechanically rearranging atoms into new configurations (i.e., doing chemistry) using exotic means such as atomic force microscope tips and optical tweezers. Scientists and engineers studying the formation of lubricious and anti-wear films realized that they were mechanochemically formed. Biochemists found molecular motor proteins, such as myosin and kinesin, that were able to convert chemical energy into motion or, vice versa, mechanical energy into the biochemical energy storage molecule adenosine triphosphate. In 2023, this confluence of advances convinced the Royal Society of Chemistry that the time was ripe to establish a new journal dedicated to the field of mechanochemistry. It is rare that a journal has the privilege of helping to create a new sub-branch of chemistry but, having done so, it has the obligation of helping to define the field and, optimistically, suggesting how the field might develop. This editorial has two major goals. The first is to bring to the attention of the scientific community the challenges faced by the field to set people thinking about how they might contribute and, second, to form the basis for more thorough discussions in the future. The sub-topics below outline current thoughts brought forward from members of our editorial board. We lay out areas and topics here with the intent of establishing a new editorial series, which we invite the community to contribute to, and outline topics and hopefully lay out challenges, which will enable us as a community to come together to move mechanochemistry forward. KW - Mechanochemistry PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-646086 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d4mr90021a SN - 2976-8683 VL - 2 IS - 1 SP - 10 EP - 19 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-64608 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ferreira, Daniela R. A1 - Portet, Anaïs A1 - Alves, Paula C. A1 - Rijo, Patrícia A1 - Gomes, Clara S. B. A1 - Duarte, M. Teresa A1 - Halasz, Ivan A1 - Colacino, Evelina A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - André, Vânia T1 - Modulating the crystalline forms of silver–sulfadiazine complexes by mechanochemistry N2 - Mechanochemical synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds has gained significant attention due to its potential to overcome traditional synthetic challenges while offering the possibility of improving the physicochemical properties of drugs. This study delves into the mechanochemical synthesis of silver sulfadiazine (AgSD) coordination compounds, obtained under different mechanochemical stress and processing conditions. The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of mechanochemical conditions on the selectivity in the preparation of AgSD coordination compounds. Through a series of experiments, we demonstrate the successful synthesis of two different AgSD coordination networks, using high-energy ball milling. By strategically manipulating the starting materials and milling parameters — including milling time, milling frequency, type of mechanical stress (as determined by different milling devices), and the presence of co-milling agents — we were able to control the product outcome. As a result, we achieved two different forms of silver-sulfadiazine metal frameworks, one of which was not previously disclosed. The crystal structure of the new form, obtained from high resolution PXRD synchrotron data, was compared with the previously known structure of a silver sulfadiazine compound. The in-depth antimicrobial activity systematic study of these AgSD forms on the generic systems showed increased antibacterial activity when compared to sulfadiazine. This research sheds light on the mechanochemical synthesis of silver sulfadiazine complexes. The obtained knowledge may guide the development of novel synthetic strategies for other drug molecules, leading to improved drug performance, stability, and therapeutic outcomes. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Structure solution PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-646099 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ce00572h SN - 1466-8033 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-64609 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rodríguez-Sánchez, Noelia A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Bienert, Ralf A1 - Ballesteros, Menta A1 - Ruiz Salvador, A. Rabdel A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Mechanochemical ZIF-9 formation: in situ analysis and photocatalytic enhancement evaluation N2 - Efficient treatment of persistent pollutants in wastewater is crucial for sustainable water management and environmental protection. This study addresses this challenge by investigating the mechanochemical synthesis and photocatalytic performance of ZIF-9, a cobalt-based zeolitic imidazolate framework. Using synchrotron-based powder X-ray diffraction, we provide real-time insights into the formation dynamics of ZIF-9 during mechanosynthesis. Our results show that mechanochemically synthesised ZIF-9 exhibits superior photocatalytic activity compared to its solvothermally prepared counterpart, achieving a 2-fold increase in methylene blue degradation rate. This research not only advances our understanding of the synthesis and properties of ZIF-9, but also demonstrates the potential of mechanochemical approaches in the development of high-performance, sustainably produced materials for water treatment and other environmental applications. KW - MOFs KW - ZIF KW - Time-resolved in situ investigation KW - Photocatalysis synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-641416 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D4MR00114A SN - 2976-8683 VL - 2 IS - 1 SP - 116 EP - 126 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-64141 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lopes, Chrystal A1 - Casali, Lucia A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Leyssens, Tom A1 - Dupray, Valérie A1 - Brandel, Clement A1 - Cartigny, Yohann T1 - Efficient racemization of the pharmaceutical compound Levetiracetam using solvent-free mechanochemistry N2 - We present the racemization of an active pharmaceutical ingredient Levetiracetam using a novel approach. We demonstrate the design of a 100% solvent-free process that proceeds by high energy milling inside a regular mixer mill. The kinetics of the racemization process is drastically improved compared to the solution-based approach and illustrates the tremendous potential of mechanochemistry. In this study, we highlight the importance of mixing efficiency regarding data reproducibility, and we show, in particular, that water contamination has a negative impact on the reaction rate. Moreover, in situ X-ray diffraction gives us first insights into the mechanisms involved in the solid state during the mechanochemical racemization process. KW - Mechanochemistry PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-646108 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d4mr00103f SN - 2976-8683 VL - 2 IS - 1 SP - 83 EP - 90 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-64610 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -