TY - JOUR A1 - Aratsu, K. A1 - Takeya, R. A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Hollamby, M.J. A1 - Kitamoto, Y. A1 - Shimizu, N. A1 - Takagi, H. A1 - Haruki, R. A1 - Adachi, S. A1 - Yagai, S. T1 - Supramolecular copolymerization driven by integrative self-sorting of hydrogen-bonded rosettes N2 - Molecular recognition to preorganize noncovalently polymerizable supramolecular complexes is a characteristic process of natural supramolecular polymers, and such recognition processes allow for dynamic self-alteration, yielding complex polymer systems with extraordinarily high efficiency in their targeted function. We herein show an example of such molecular recognition-controlled kinetic assembly/disassembly processes within artificial supramolecular polymer systems using six-membered hydrogen-bonded supramolecular complexes (rosettes). Electron-rich and poor monomers are prepared that kinetically coassemble through a temperature-controlled protocol into amorphous coaggregates comprising a diverse mixture of rosettes. Over days, the electrostatic interaction between two monomers induces an integrative self-sorting of rosettes. While the electron-rich monomer inherently forms toroidal homopolymers, the additional electrostatic interaction that can also guide rosette association allows helicoidal growth of supramolecular copolymers that are comprised of an alternating array of two monomers. Upon heating, the helicoidal copolymers undergo a catastrophic transition into amorphous coaggregates via entropy-driven randomization of the monomers in the rosette. KW - Self-assembly KW - Coaggregation KW - Scattering KW - Simulation KW - AFM PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-506555 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15422-6 VL - 11 IS - 1 SP - Article number: 1623 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-50655 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chambers, M. S. A1 - Hunter, R. D. A1 - Hollamby, M. J. A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Smith, A. J. A1 - Snow, T. A1 - Danks, A. E. A1 - Schnepp, Z. T1 - In Situ and Ex Situ X‑ray Diffraction and Small-Angle X‑ray Scattering Investigations of the Sol−Gel Synthesis of Fe3N and Fe3C N2 - Iron nitride (Fe3N) and iron carbide (Fe3C) nanoparticles can be prepared via sol−gel synthesis. While sol−gel methods are simple, it can be difficult to control the crystalline composition, i.e., to achieve a Rietveld-pure product. In a previous in situ synchrotron study of the sol−gel synthesis of Fe3N/Fe3C, we showed that the reaction proceeds as follows: Fe3O4 → FeOx → Fe3N → Fe3C. There was considerable overlap between the different phases, but we were unable to ascertain whether this was due to the experimental setup (side-on heating of a quartz capillary which could lead to thermal gradients) or whether individual particle reactions proceed at different rates. In this paper, we use in situ wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering (wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)) to demonstrate that the overlapping phases are indeed due to variable reaction rates. While the initial oxide nanoparticles have a small range of diameters, the size range expands considerably and very rapidly during the oxide−nitride transition. This has implications for the isolation of Rietveld-pure Fe3N, and in an extensive laboratory study, we were indeed unable to isolate phasepure Fe3N. However, we made the surprising discovery that Rietveld-pure Fe3C nanoparticles can be produced at 500 °C with a sufficient furnace dwell time. This is considerably lower than the previous reports of the sol−gel synthesis of Fe3C nanoparticles. KW - Small-angle X-ray Scattering KW - SAXS KW - Diffraction KW - XRD KW - Scattering KW - Sol-gel KW - Iron nitride KW - Nanoparticles KW - Iron carbide KW - Catalyst KW - In-situ KW - Ex-situ KW - Synthesis KW - Synchrotron PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-548226 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c03442 VL - 61 IS - 18 SP - 6742 EP - 6749 PB - ACS Publications CY - Washington AN - OPUS4-54822 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard T1 - Glimpses of the future: Systematic investigations of 1200 mofs using a highly automated, full-stack materials research laboratory N2 - By automatically recording as much information as possible in automated laboratory setups, reproducibility and traceability of experiments are vastly improved. This presentation shows what such an approach means for the quality of experiments in an X-ray scattering laboratory and an automated synthesis set-up. T2 - Winter School on Metrology and Nanomaterials for Clean Energy CY - Claviere, Italy DA - 28.01.2024 KW - Digitalization KW - Automation KW - Digital laboratory KW - Scattering KW - Synthesis KW - Nanomaterials KW - Holistic science PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-59621 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard T1 - Small-angle scattering for everyone: How to unlock the power of this ancient technique N2 - The obscure, yet fundamental technique of scattering can unlock essential information on the fine structure of materials. For you, it can help you understand how your batteries charge, how squid backbones work, or how hundreds of small variations in your syntheses affect your samples. As a nondestructive technique, it also measures your materials *in situ* or operando, as you pull it, heat it, electrify it, or align it one way or another. Scattering can be done using light, X-rays, neutrons, and even electrons, giving you the choice on which probe is best for you. The only downside? Scattering will always remain a complicated technique to do right. The technique gives you only one piece of information: the length distribution of density in your sample. How you interpret this (rather abstract) piece of information is up to you and your samples. Unlike microscopy, where the real-space image can be interpreted almost intuitively and artefacts are easier to spot, in scattering you cannot always easily identify artefacts. Therefore, the only way to do scattering experiments correctly is through rigour and care. For those of us with that particular eccentricity, seeing the rigour and care pay off is exhilarating, and opens the door to a life of happiness and excitement. This lecture will introduce scattering (in particular using X-rays and neutrons), what it is, what you can (and cannot) get out of it, and how to approach your scattering experiment. Regarding the experimental section, it will discuss the five parts that make up a successful scattering experiment based on real-life examples: Preparation: which and how you prepare your samples affects what you can get out of the interpretation Measurement: The machine design and your measurement choices dictates the final quality of your data Correction: Obtaining trustworthy scattering curves will greatly improve the speed and quality of your analysis. Analysis: Do you linearize, use generic scattering models, perform classical least-squares fitting, play with Monte-Carlo analysis or transform your data.. Some tips to help you make a choice. Interpretation: what does the analysis of all your samples tell you? Can you fit the puzzle pieces together to form a piece of knowledge? For further information, please feel free to explore the https://lookingatnothing.com/ weblog, the https://youtube.com/drheaddamage video channel, or by asking me in person or by email for specific questions at brian.pauw@bam.de . Some introductory reading can be found in the following papers: Pauw, B. R. (2013): Everything SAXS: small-angle scattering pattern collection and correction. _J. Phys.: Condens. Matter_ 25: 383201. DOI: [10.1088/0953-8984/25/38/383201](http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/25/38/383201) B. R. Pauw, A. J. Smith, T. Snow, N. J. Terrill, A. F. Thünemann, (2017): The modular SAXS data correction sequence for solids and dispersions, _Journal of Applied Crystallography_, 50: 1800–1811, DOI: [10.1107/S1600576717015096](https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576717015096) G. J. Smales, B. R. Pauw (2021): The MOUSE project: a meticulous approach for obtaining traceable, wide-range X-ray scattering information. _Journal of instrumentation_ 16 (6) P06034. DOI: [10.1088/1748-0221/16/06/P06034](https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/16/06/P06034) T2 - SAS School at the XIX International Small Angle Scattering Conference CY - Taipei, Taiwan DA - 02.11.2024 KW - X-ray scattering KW - Neutron scattering KW - Scattering KW - X-ray KW - Neutron KW - Introduction KW - Methodology PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61623 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hunter, R. D. A1 - Hayward, E. C. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Kulak, A. A1 - Guan, S. A1 - Schnepp, Z. T1 - The effect of nitrogen on the synthesis of porous carbons by iron-catalyzed graphitization N2 - This paper reports a systematic study into the effect of nitrogen on iron-catalyzed graphitization of biomass. Chitin, chitosan, N-acetylglucosamine, gelatin and glycine were selected to represent nitrogen-rich saccharides and amino-acid/polypeptide biomass precursors. The materials were pyrolyzed with an iron catalyst to produce carbons with a wide range of chemical and structural features such as mesoporosity and nitrogen-doping. Many authors have reported the synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbons by pyrolysis and these have diverse applications. However, this is the first systematic study of how nitrogen affects pyrolysis of biomass and importantly the catalytic graphitization step. Our data demonstrates that nitrogen inhibits graphitization but that some nitrogen survives the catalytic graphitization process to become incorporated into various chemical environments in the carbon product. KW - Graphitization KW - Nanoparticles KW - Nanocomposite KW - Porous carbon KW - Nitrogen KW - Scattering PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-575351 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ma00039g VL - 4 SP - 2070 EP - 2077 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-57535 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Adamski, Paweł A1 - Zgrzebnicki, Michał A1 - Albrecht, Aleksander A1 - Jurkowski, Artur A1 - Wojciechowska, Agnieszka A1 - Ekiert, Ewa A1 - Sielicki, Krzysztof A1 - Mijowska, Ewa A1 - Smales, Glen J. A1 - Maximenko, Alexey A1 - Moszyński, Dariusz T1 - Ammonia synthesis over γ-Al2O3 supported Co-Mo catalysts N2 - Novel ammonia synthesis catalysts are sought due to energetic transformation and increasing environmental consciousness. Materials containing cobalt and molybdenum are showing state-of-art activities in ammonia synthesis. The application of γ-alumina support was proposed to enhance the properties of Co-Mo nanoparticles. The wet impregnation of the support was conducted under reduced pressure. The active catalysts were obtained by ammonolysis of precursors. The chemical and phase composition, as well as morphology, porosity, and surface composition of precursors and catalysts, were characterized. The Co-Mo nanoparticles phase composition as well as their size and dispersion were determined using X-ray absorption spectroscopy utilizing synchrotron radiation, electron microscopy, and X-ray scattering. The catalytic activity was tested in the ammonia synthesis process under atmospheric pressure. The activity and stability of the supported catalysts were compared with unsupported cobalt molybdenum nitride Co3Mo3N, revealing the superiority of the present approach. KW - Ammonia synthesis KW - Supported catalyst KW - Cobalt molybdenum nitrides KW - Scattering KW - X-ray scattering KW - Gamma-alumina KW - Stability PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcat.2025.114907 SN - 2468-8231 VL - 575 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-64827 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kieserling, Helena A1 - Sieg, Holger A1 - Heilscher, Jasmin A1 - Drusch, Stephan A1 - Braeuning, Albert A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Rohn, Sascha T1 - Towards Understanding Particle-Protein Complexes: Physicochemical, Structural, and Cellbiological Characterization of β-Lactoglobulin Interactions with Silica, Polylactic Acid, and Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoparticles N2 - Nanoplastic particles and their additives are increasingly present in the food chain, interacting with biomacromolecules with not yet known consequences. A protein corona forms around the particles in these usually complex matrices, primarily with a first contact at surface-active proteins. However, systematic studies on the interactions between the particles and proteins –especially regarding protein affinity and structural changes due to surface properties like polarity – are limited. It is also unclear whether the protein corona can "mask" the particles, mimic protein properties, and induce cytotoxic effects when internalized by mammalian cells. This study aimed at investigating the physicochemical properties of model particle-protein complexes, the structural changes of adsorbed proteins, and their effects on Caco-2 cells. Whey protein β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) was used as a well-characterized model protein and studied in a mixture with nanoparticles of varying polarity, specifically silica, polylactic acid (PLA), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The physicochemical analyses included measurements of the hydrodynamic diameter and the zeta potential, while the protein conformational changes were analyzed using Fourier-transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and intrinsic fluorescence. Cellular uptake in Caco-2 cells was assessed through flow cytometry, cell viability was measured using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium-bromide (MTT) assay, and cellular impedance was analyzed with xCELLigence® technology. The results indicated that β-Lg had the highest affinity for hydrophilic silica particles, forming silica-β-Lg complexes and large aggregates through electrostatic interactions. The affinity decreased for PLA and was lowest for hydrophobic PET, which formed smaller complexes. Adsorption onto silica caused partial unfolding and refolding of β-Lg. The silica-β-Lg complexes were internalized by Caco-2 cells, impairing cell proliferation. In contrast, PLA- and PET-protein complexes were not internalized, though PLA complexes slightly reduced cell viability. This study enhances our understanding of protein adsorption on nanoparticles and its potential biological effects. KW - Nanoplastics KW - Microplastics KW - Reference materials KW - Scattering KW - DLS PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-630093 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2025.114702 SN - 1873-4367 VL - 253 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier BV CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-63009 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chen, Z. A1 - Perez, J. P. H. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Blukis, R. A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Stammeier, J. A. A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Smith, A. J. A1 - Benning, L. G. T1 - Impact of organic phosphates on the structure and composition of short-range ordered iron nanophases N2 - Organic phosphates (OP) are important nutrient components for living cells in natural environments, where they readily interact with ubiquitous iron phases such as hydrous ferric oxide, ferrihydrite (FHY). FHY partakes in many key bio(geo)chemical reactions including iron-mediated carbon storage in soils, or iron-storage in living organisms. However, it is still unknown how OP affects the formation, structure and properties of FHY. Here, we document how β-glycerophosphate (GP), a model OP ligand, affects the structure and properties of GP–FHY nanoparticles synthesized by coprecipitation at variable nominal molar P/Fe ratios (0.01 to 0.5). All GP–FHY precipitates were characterized by a maximum solid P/Fe ratio of 0.22, irrespective of the nominal P/Fe ratio. With increasing nominal P/Fe ratio, the specific surface area of the GP–FHY precipitates decreased sharply from 290 to 3 m2 g−1, accompanied by the collapse of their pore structure. The Fe–P local bonding environment gradually transitioned from a bidentate binuclear geometry at low P/Fe ratios to monodentate mononuclear geometry at high P/Fe ratios. This transition was accompanied by a decrease in coordination number of edge-sharing Fe polyhedra, and the loss of the corner-sharing Fe polyhedra. We show that Fe(III) polymerization is impeded by GP, and that the GP–FHY structure is highly dependent on the P/Fe ratio. We discuss the role that natural OP-bearing Fe(III) nanophases have in biogeochemical reactions between Fe–P and C species in aquatic systems. KW - Organic phosphates KW - Iron nanophases KW - Scattering KW - Diffraction KW - Nanomaterials KW - Coprecipitation KW - Carbon storage PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-599399 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d3na01045g SN - 2516-0230 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-59939 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wolf, J. A1 - Stawski, Tomasz A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Towards automation of the polyol process for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles N2 - Metal nanoparticles have a substantial impact across diferent felds of science, such as photochemistry, energy conversion, and medicine. Among the commonly used nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles are of special interest due to their antibacterial properties and applications in sensing and catalysis. However, many of the methods used to synthesize silver nanoparticles often do not result in well-defned products, the main obstacles being high polydispersity or a lack of particle size tunability. We describe an automated approach to on-demand synthesis of adjustable particles with mean radii of 3 and 5 nm using the polyol route. The polyol process is a promising route for silver nanoparticles e.g., to be used as reference materials. We characterised the as-synthesized nanoparticles using small-angle X-ray scattering, dynamic light scattering and further methods, showing that automated synthesis can yield colloids with reproducible and tuneable properties. KW - Sillver KW - Nanoparticles KW - Automated synthesis KW - Chemputer KW - Scattering KW - SAXS PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-546803 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-09774-w VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Nature Springer AN - OPUS4-54680 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard T1 - Digital Everything: X-ray Scattering and Synthesis Laboratories N2 - In our (dramatically understaffed) X-ray scattering laboratory, developing a systematic, holistic methodology let us provide scattering and diffraction information for more than 2100 samples for 200+ projects led by 120+ collaborators. Combined with automated data correction pipelines, and our analysis and simulation software, this led to more than 40 papers in the last 5 years with just over 2 full-time staff members. This year, our new, modular synthesis platform has made more than 1000 additional samples for us to analyse and catalogue. By virtue of the automation, the synthesis of these samples is automatically documented in excruciating detail, preparing them for upload and exploitation in large-scale materials databases. This talk is intended to spark ideas and invite collaborations by providing an overview of: 1) the current improvements in our wide-range X-ray scattering laboratory methodology, and 2) introducing our open, modular robotic platform for systematic sample preparation. T2 - Seminar at KIT CY - Karlsruhe, Germany DA - 17.08.2023 KW - Lab automation KW - Data stewardship KW - Scattering KW - X-ray scattering KW - Automated synthesis KW - Data pipelines PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58234 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -