TY - JOUR A1 - Grauel, Bettina A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Homann, C. A1 - Krukewitt, Lisa A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Roik, Janina A1 - Recknagel, Sebastian A1 - Haase, M. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Volume and surface effects on two-photonic and three-photonic processes in dry co-doped upconversion nanocrystals N2 - Despite considerable advances in synthesizing high-quality core/shell upconversion (UC) nanocrystals (NC; UCNC) and UCNC photophysics, the application of near-infrared (NIR)-excitable lanthanide-doped UCNC in the life and material sciences is still hampered by the relatively low upconversion luminescence (UCL) of UCNC of small size or thin protecting shell. To obtain deeper insights into energy transfer and surface quenching processes involving Yb3+ and Er3+ ions, we examined energy loss processes in differently sized solid core NaYF4 nanocrystals doped with either Yb3+ (YbNC; 20% Yb3+) or Er3+ (ErNC; 2% Er3+) and co-doped with Yb3+ and Er3+ (YbErNC; 20% Yb3+ and 2% Er3+) without a surface protection shell and coated with a thin and a thick NaYF4 shell in comparison to single and co-doped bulk materials. Luminescence studies at 375 nm excitation demonstrate backenergy transfer (BET) from the 4G11/2 state of Er3+ to the 2F5/2 state of Yb3+, through which the red Er3+ 4F9/2 state is efficiently populated. Excitation power density (P)-dependent steady state and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements at different excitation and emission wavelengths enable to separate surface-related and volume-related effects for two-photonic and threephotonic processes involved in UCL and indicate a different influence of surface passivation on the green and red Er3+ emission. The intensity and lifetime of the latter respond particularly to an increase in volume of the active UCNC core. We provide a threedimensional random walk model to describe these effects that can be used in the future to predict the UCL behavior of UCNC. KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Upconversion KW - Nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Pphotophysics KW - Lifetime KW - Sensor KW - Excitation KW - Power density KW - Single particle KW - Brightness KW - NIR KW - Mechanism KW - Modeling KW - Simulation KW - Energy transfer PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-535317 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3727-y SN - 1998-0124 VL - 15 IS - 3 SP - 2362 EP - 2373 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-53531 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Ahiboz, D. A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Manley, P. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Becker, C. T1 - Enhanced photon upconversion using erbium-doped nanoparticles interacting with silicon metasurfaces N2 - Photon upconversion (UC) using trivalent erbium (Er+3) doped crystals is a promising concept to harness near infrared photons of the solar spectrum which cannot be directly absorbed by silicon solar cells. However, their UC efficiency at low-intensity 1 sun illumination is not relevant on device level so far. Exploiting giant near-field enhancement effects on metasurfaces is an appealing approach to enable efficient UC at low irradiance conditions. Here, we report on more than 1000-fold enhanced photon UC of NaYF4:Er+3 nanoparticles interacting with the near-fields supported by a silicon metasurface under 1550 nm excitation. T2 - 48th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC) CY - Online meeting DA - 20.06.2021 KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Lifetime KW - Sensor KW - Excitation power density KW - Brightness KW - NIR KW - Mechanism KW - Modeling KW - Simulation KW - Energy transfer KW - Photonic crystal KW - Enhancement strategy PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1109/pvsc43889.2021.9518495 SP - 1 EP - 3 PB - IEEE CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-53786 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oskoei, P. A1 - Nogueira, J. A1 - Keller, Lisa-Marie A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Maturi, F. E. A1 - Rühle, Bastian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Daniel-da-Silva, A. L. A1 - Carlos, L. D. A1 - Oliviera, H. T1 - Effects of doxorubicin-loaded UCNP@MSN core-shell particles with a thermoresponsive nanovalve in melanoma cells N2 - Melanoma, one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer, has an increasingly higher incidence. When detected in advanced stages, tumour eradication is often incomplete, contributing to poor prognosis with conventional treatments. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) haveunique optical properties that allow their effective use in several biomedical applications. This includes the excitability under near-infrared (NIR) excitation light, which has a relatively high penetration depth in tissue, a multitude of characteristic emission bands in the ultraviolet (UV), visible (Vis), NIR, and short-wave infrared (SWIR), along with long luminescence lifetimes, and high photostability. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) with nanovalves or derived coatings have widely been used for triggered and targeted drug delivery in the past. Anticancer drugs can be loaded into the pores of MSN, enabling spatiotemporally controlled drug release. KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Silica KW - Upconversation KW - Lanthanide KW - Triggered release KW - Temperature KW - Cell studies KW - Drug KW - Toxicity studies PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxlet.2024.07.237 SN - 0378-4274 VL - 399 IS - Supplement 2 SP - S89 EP - S90 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-62571 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bastos, V. A1 - Oskoei, P. A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Saleh, Maysoon I. A1 - Rühle, Bastian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Oliveira, H. T1 - Stability, dissolution, and cytotoxicity of NaYF4‑upconversion nanoparticles with different coatings N2 - Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their unique photophysical properties. Their utilization in biomedical applications depends on the understanding of their transformations under physiological conditions and their potential toxicity. In this study, NaYF4: Yb,Er UCNPs, widely used for luminescence and photophysical studies, were modified with a set of four different coordinatively bound surface ligands, i.e., citrate, alendronate (AA), ethylendiamine tetra(methylene phosphonate) (EDTMP), and poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene) (PMAO), as well as silica coatings with two different thicknesses. Subsequently, the aging-induced release of fluoride ions in water and cell culture media and their cytotoxic profile to human keratinocytes were assessed in parallel to the cytotoxic evaluation of the ligands, sodium fluoride and the lanthanide ions. The cytotoxicity studies of UCNPs with different surface modifications demonstrated the good biocompatibility of EDTMP-UCNPs and PMAO-UCNPs, which is in line with the low amount of fluoride ions released from these samples. An efficient prevention of UCNP dissolution and release of cytotoxic ions, as well as low cytotoxicity was also observed for UCNPs with a sufficiently thick silica shell. Overall, our results provide new insights into the understanding of the contribution of surface chemistry to the stability, dissolution behavior, and cytotoxicity of UCNPs. Altogether, the results obtained are highly important for future applications of UCNPs in the life sciences and bioimaging studies. KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Excitation power density KW - Surface chemistry KW - Coating PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-544681 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07630-5 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 12 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Springer Nature CY - London AN - OPUS4-54468 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Labrador-Paez, Lucia, L. A1 - Kankare, J. A1 - Hyppanen, I. A1 - Soukka, T. A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Widengren, J A1 - Liu, H. T1 - Frequency-Domain Method for Characterization of Upconversion Luminescence Kinetics N2 - The frequency-domain (FD) method provides an alternative to the commonly used time-domain (TD) approach in characterizing the luminescence kinetics of luminophores, with its own strengths, e.g., the capability to decouple multiple lifetime components with higher reliability and accuracy. While extensively explored for characterizing luminophores with down-shifted emission, this method has not been investigated for studying nonlinear luminescent materials such as lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), featuring more complicated kinetics. In this work, employing a simplified rate-equation model representing a standard two-photon energy-transfer upconversion process, we thoroughly analyzed the response of the luminescence of UCNPs in the FD method. We found that the FD method can potentially obtain from a single experiment the effective decay rates of three critical energy states of the sensitizer/activator ions involved in the upconversion process. The validity of the FD method is demonstrated by experimental data, agreeing reasonably well with the results obtained by TD methods. KW - Quality assurance KW - Luminescence KW - Method KW - Quantitative spectroscopy KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Lifetime KW - Method development PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-597435 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00269 SP - 3436 EP - 3444 AN - OPUS4-59743 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella A1 - Sander, P. C. A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Schedler, U. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Expanding the Toolbox of Simple, Cost-Efficient, and Automatable Methods for Quantifying Surface Functional Groups on Nanoparticles� Potentiometric Titration N2 - Measuring surface functional groups (FGs) on nanomaterials (NMs) is essential for designing dispersible and stable NMs with tailored and predictable functionality. FG screening and quantification also plays a critical role for subsequent processing steps, NM long-term stability, quality control of NM production, and risk assessment studies and enables the implementation of sustainable and safe(r)-by-design concepts. This calls for simple and cost-efficient methods for broadly utilized FGs that can be ideally automated to speed up FG screening, monitoring, and quantification. To expand our NM surface analysis toolbox, focusing on simple methods and broadly available, cost-efficient instrumentation, we explored a NM-adapted pH titration method with potentiometric and optical readout for measuring the total number of (de)protonable FGs on representatively chosen commercial and custom-made aminated silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs). The accuracy and robustness of our stepwise optimized workflows was assessed by several operators in two laboratories and method validation was done by cross-comparison with two analytical methods relying on different signal generation principles. This included traceable, chemo-selective quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), providing the amounts of amino silanes released by particle dissolution and the total mass of the surface coatings. A comparison of the potentiometric titration results with the reporter-specific amounts of surface amino FGs determined with the previously automated fluorescamine (Fluram) assay highlights the importance of determining both quantities for surface-functionalized NMs. In the future, combined NM surface analysis with optical assays and pH titration will simplify quality control of NM production processes and stability studies and can yield large data sets for NM grouping that facilitates further developments in regulation and standardization. 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 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-642371 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmeasuresciau.5c00062 SN - 2694-250X SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-64237 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Deumer, J. A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Gollwitzer, C. A1 - Schürmann, R. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Adding More Shape to Nanoscale Reference Materials-LiYF4:Yb,Tm Bipyramids as Standards for Sizing Methods and Particle Number Concentration N2 - The increasing industrial use of nanomaterials calls for the reliable characterization of their physicochemical key properties like size, size distribution, shape, and surface chemistry, and test and reference materials (RMs) with sizes and shapes, closely matching real-world nonspheric nano-objects. An efficient strategy to minimize efforts in producing nanoscale RMs (nanoRMs) for establishing, validating, and standardizing methods for characterizing nanomaterials are multimethod nanoRMs. Ideal candidates are lanthanide-based, multicolor luminescent, and chemically inert nanoparticles (NPs) like upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), which can be prepared in different sizes, shapes, and chemical composition with various surface coatings. This makes UCNPs interesting candidates as standards not only for sizing methods, but also for element-analytical methods like laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), quantitative bioimaging methods like X-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XFCT), and luminescence methods and correlative measurements. Here, we explore the potential of two monodisperse LiYF4:Yb,Tm bipyramids with peak-to-peak distances of (43 ± 2) nm and (29 ± 2) nm as size standards for small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and tools for establishing and validating the sophisticated simulations required for the analysis of SAXS data derived from dispersions of nonspheric nano-objects. These SAXS studies are supplemented by two-dimensional (2D)-transmission electron microscopy measurements of the UCNP bipyramids. Additionally, the particle number concentration of cyclohexane dispersions of these UCNP bipyramids is determined by absolute SAXS measurements, complemented by gravimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). This approach enables traceable particle number concentration measurements of ligand-capped nonspheric particles with unknown chemical composition. KW - Fluorescence KW - Upconversion nanoparticles KW - SAXS KW - Particle number concentration KW - Reference material KW - Traceability KW - Quality assurance KW - Quantum yield KW - Spectroscopy KW - Synthesis KW - Quantification KW - NanoRM KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Bipyramid KW - Reference data KW - Simulation PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-617940 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c03641 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-61794 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ahiboz, D. A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Manley, P. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Becker, C. T1 - Metasurface-Enhanced Photon Upconversion upon 1550 nm Excitation N2 - Photon upconversion upon 1550 nm excitation is of high relevance for applications in the third biological excitation window, for photovoltaics beyond current limitations, and enables appealing options in the field of glass Fiber telecommunications. Trivalent doped erbium ions (Er3+) are the material of choice for 1550 nm excited upconversion, however, they suffer from a low absorption cross-section and a low brightness. Therefore, the ability of Silicon metasurfaces to provide greatly enhanced electrical near-fields is employed to enable efficient photon upconversion even at low external Illumination conditions. Hexagonally shaped β-NaYF4:Er3+ nanoparticles are placed on large-area silicon metasurfaces designed to convert near-infrared (1550 nm) to visible light. More than 2400-fold enhanced photon upconversion luminescence is achieved by using this metasurface instead of a planar substrate. With the aid of optical simulations based on the finite-element method, this result is attributed to the coupling of the excitation source with metasurface resonances at appropriate incident angles. Analysis of the excitation power density dependence of upconversion luminescence and red-to-green-emission ratios enables the estimation of nanoscale near-field enhancement on the metasurface. The findings permit the significant reduction of required external excitation intensities for photon upconversion of 1550 nm light, opening perspectives in biophotonics, telecommunication, and photovoltaics. KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Lifetime KW - Sensor KW - Excitation power density KW - Single particle KW - Brightness KW - NIR KW - Mechanism KW - Single enhancement KW - SWIR KW - Method PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-537193 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202101285. SN - 2195-1071 VL - 9 IS - 24 SP - 2101285 PB - Wiley-VCH-GmbH AN - OPUS4-53719 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Matiushkina, Anna A1 - Abram, Sarah-Luise A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella A1 - Richstein, R. A1 - Reithofer, M. R. A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Michaelis, Matthias A1 - Koch, Matthias A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Quantifying Citrate Surface Ligands on Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with TGA, CHN Analysis, NMR, and RP-HPLC with UV Detection N2 - Although citrate is frequently used as a surface ligand for nanomaterials (NMs) such as metal, metal oxide, and lanthanide-based NMs in hydrophilic environments due to its biocompatibility and simple replacement by other more strongly binding ligands in postsynthetic surface modification reactions, its quantification on NM surfaces has rarely been addressed. Here, we present a multimethod approach for citrate quantification on iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) broadly applied in the life and material sciences. Methods explored include thermogravimetric (TGA) and elemental (CHN) analysis, providing citrate-nonspecific information on the IONP coating, simple photometry, and citrate-selective reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with absorption (UV) detection and quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR). Challenges originating from the strongly absorbing magnetic NM and paramagnetic iron species interfering with optical and NMR Methods were overcome by suitable sample preparation workflows. Our multimethod approach to citrate quantification highlights the advantages of combining specific and unspecific methods for characterizing NM Surface chemistry and method cross-validation. It also demonstrates that chemically nonselective measurements can favor an overestimation of the amount of a specific surface ligand by signal contributions from molecules remaining on the NM surface, e.g., from particle synthesis, such as initially employed ligands and/or surfactants. Our results emphasize the potential of underexplored selective RPHPLC for quantifying ligands on NMs, which does not require a multistep sample preparation workflow such as qNMR for many NMs and provides a higher sensitivity. These findings can pave the road to future applications of versatile HPLC methods in NM characterization. KW - Advanced material KW - Functional group KW - Iron oxide KW - Ligand KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Quantification KW - Surface analysis PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-648632 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.5c03024 SN - 0003-2700 VL - 97 IS - 36 SP - 19627 EP - 19634 PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-64863 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Billimoria, K. A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Goenaga-Infante, H. T1 - A Strategy for Quantitative Imaging of Lanthanide Tags in A549 Cells Using the Ratio of Internal Standard Elements N2 - One remaining handicap for spatially resolved elemental quantification in biological samples is the lack of a suitable internal standard (IS) that can be reliably measured across both calibration standards and samples. In this work, multielement quantitative intracellular imaging of cells tagged with lanthanide nanoparticles containing key lanthanides, e.g., Eu and Ho, is described using a novel strategy that uses the ratio of IS elements and LA-ICP-TOFMS analysis. To achieve this, an internal standard layer is deposited onto microscope slides containing either gelatin calibration standards or Euand Ho-tagged cell samples. This IS layer contains both gallium (Ga) and indium (In). Monitoring either element as an IS individually showed significant variability in intensity signal between sample or standards prepared across multiple microscope slides, which is indicative of the difficulties in producing a homogeneous film at intracellular resolution. However, normalization of the lanthanide signal to the ratio of the IS elements improved the calibration correlation coefficients from 0.9885 to 0.9971 and 0.9805 to 0.9980 for Eu and Ho, respectively, while providing a consistent signal to monitor the ablation behavior between standards and samples. By analyzing an independent quality control (QC) gelatin sample spiked with Eu and Ho, it was observed that without normalization to the IS ratio the concentrations of Eu and Ho were highly biased by approximately 20% in comparison to the expected values. Similarly, this overestimation was also observed in the lanthanide concentration distribution of the cell samples in comparison with the normalized data. KW - Nanoparticle KW - Nano KW - Luminescence KW - Quality assurance KW - Synthesis KW - Standardization KW - Reference material KW - ICP-MS KW - LA-ICP-MS KW - Quantification KW - Bioimaging PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c02763 SN - 0003-2700 VL - 96 IS - 30 SP - 12570 EP - 12576 AN - OPUS4-60768 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -