TY - JOUR A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Grauel, Bettina A1 - Pons, Monika A1 - Frenzel, Florian A1 - Rissiek, P. A1 - Rücker, Kerstin A1 - Haase, Markus A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Yb- and Er concentration dependence of the upconversion luminescence of highly doped NaYF4:Yb,Er/NaYF4:Lu core/shell nanocrystals prepared by a water-free synthesis N2 - High sensitizer and activator concentrations have been increasingly examined to improve the performance of multi-color emissive upconversion (UC) nanocrystals (UCNC) like NaYF4:Yb,Er and first strategies were reported to reduce concentration quenching in highly doped UCNC. UC luminescence (UCL) is, however, controlled not only by dopant concentration, yet by an interplay of different parameters including size, crystal and shell quality, and excitation power density (P). Thus, identifying optimum dopant concentrations requires systematic studies of UCNC designed to minimize additional quenching pathways and quantitative spectroscopy. Here, we quantify the dopant concentration dependence of the UCL quantum yield (ΦUC) of solid NaYF4:Yb,Er/NaYF4:Lu upconversion core/shell nanocrystals of varying Yb3+ and Er3+ concentrations (Yb3+ series: 20%‒98% Yb3+; 2% Er3+; Er3+ series: 60% Yb3+; 2%‒40% Er3+). To circumvent other luminescence quenching processes, an elaborate synthesis yielding OH-free UCNC with record ΦUC of ~9% and ~25 nm core particles with a thick surface shell were used. High Yb3+ concentrations barely reduce ΦUC from ~9% (20% Yb3+) to ~7% (98% Yb3+) for an Er3+ concentration of 2%, thereby allowing to strongly increase the particle absorption cross section and UCNC brightness. Although an increased Er3+ concentration reduces ΦUC from ~7% (2% Er3+) to 1% (40%) for 60% Yb3+. Nevertheless, at very high P (> 1 MW/cm2) used for microscopic studies, highly Er3+-doped UCNC display a high brightness because of reduced saturation. These findings underline the importance of synthesis control and will pave the road to many fundamental studies of UC materials. KW - Upconverion KW - Nanoparticle KW - Lanthanides KW - Quantum yield PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-551346 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4570-5 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-55134 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella A1 - Chaudhary, A. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute 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 - JOUR A1 - Kromer, Ch. A1 - Schwibbert, K. A1 - Gadicherla, A. K. A1 - Thiele, D. A1 - Nirmalananthan-Budau, Nithiya A1 - Laux, P. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Luch, A. A1 - Tschiche, H. R. T1 - Monitoring and imaging pH in biofilms utilizing a fluorescent polymeric nanosensor N2 - Biofilms are ubiquitous in nature and in the man-made environment. Given their harmful effects on human health, an in-depth understanding of biofilms and the monitoring of their formation and growth are important. Particularly relevant for many metabolic processes and survival strategies of biofilms is their extracellular pH. However, most conventional techniques are not suited for minimally invasive pH measurements of living biofilms. Here, a fluorescent nanosensor is presented for ratiometric measurements of pH in biofilms in the range of pH 4.5–9.5 using confocal laser scanning microscopy. The nanosensor consists of biocompatible polystyrene nanoparticles loaded with pH-inert dye Nile Red and is surface functionalized with a pH-responsive fluorescein dye. Its performance was validated by fluorometrically monitoring the time-dependent changes in pH in E. coli biofilms after glucose inoculation at 37 °C and 4 °C. This revealed a temperature-dependent decrease in pH over a 4-h period caused by the acidifying glucose metabolism of E. coli. These studies demonstrate the applicability of this nanosensor to characterize the chemical microenvironment in biofilms with fluorescence methods. KW - Dye KW - Fluorescence KW - Signal enhancement KW - Sensor KW - Quantum yield KW - Synthesis KW - Nanoparticle KW - Nano KW - Polymer KW - Ph KW - Biofilm KW - MIC KW - Corrosion KW - Microorganism KW - Bacteria PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-550751 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-13518-1 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London AN - OPUS4-55075 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Böhning, Martin A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina ED - Schönhals, Andreas ED - Szymoniak, Paulina T1 - (Nano)Composite Materials—An Introduction N2 - The chapter gives a brief introduction to (nano)compositecomposite materials having the focus on polymer-based nanocomposites. The different dimensionalities of nanoparticles are introduced, along with their distribution in the matrix. Different application fields of polymer-based nanocomposites, like flame retardancy, filled rubbers, nanofilled thermosets and thermoplastics, separation membranes and nanodielectrics, are considered in greater detail. KW - Polymer-based nanocomposites KW - Nanoparticle KW - Distribution of nanoparticles KW - Filled rubbers KW - Filled thermosets and plastics KW - Separation membranes KW - Nanodielectrics PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89723-9_1 SP - 1 EP - 31 PB - Springer CY - Cham, Switzerland AN - OPUS4-54565 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - 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 - JOUR A1 - Navarro, L. A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Klinger, D. T1 - Solvent Annealing of Striped Ellipsoidal Block Copolymer Particles: Reversible Control over Lamellae Asymmetry, Aspect Ratio, and Particle Surface N2 - Solvent annealing is a versatile tool to adjust the shape and morphology of block copolymer (BCP) particles. During this process, polar solvents are often used for block-selective swelling. However, such water-miscible solvents can induce (partial) solubilization of one block in the surrounding aqueous medium, thus, causing complex structural variations and even particle disassembly. To reduce the complexity in morphology control, we focused on toluene as a nonpolar polystyrene-selective solvent for the annealing of striped polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) ellipsoids. The selective stretching of PS chains produces unique asymmetric lamellae structures, which translate to an increase in the particle aspect ratio after toluene evaporation. Complete reversibility is achieved by changing to chloroform as a nonselective solvent. Moreover, surfactants can be used to tune block-selective wetting of the particle surface during the annealing; for example, a PS shell can protect the internal lamellae structure from disassembly. Overall, this versatile postassembly process enables the tailoring of the structural features of striped colloidal ellipsoids by only using commercial BCPs and solvents. KW - Small-angle X-ray scattering KW - SAXS KW - Nanoparticle KW - Polymer PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-543731 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.1c00665 VL - 11 IS - 3 SP - 319 EP - 335 PB - American Chemical Society AN - OPUS4-54373 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Navarro, L. A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Yokosawa, T. A1 - Spiecker, E. A1 - Klinger, D. T1 - Regioselective Seeded Polymerization in Block Copolymer Nanoparticles: Post-Assembly Control of Colloidal Features N2 - Post-assembly modifications are efficient tools to adjust colloidal features of block copolymer (BCP) particles. However, existing methods often address particle shape, morphology, and chemical functionality individually. For simultaneous control, we transferred the concept of seeded polymerization to phase separated BCP particles. Key to our approach is the regioselective polymerization of (functional) monomers inside specific BCP domains. This was demonstrated in striped PS-b-P2VP ellipsoids. Here, polymerization of styrene preferably occurs in PS domains and increases PS lamellar thickness up to 5-fold. The resulting asymmetric lamellar morphology also changes the particle shape, i.e., increases the aspect ratio. Using 4-vinylbenzyl azide as co-monomer, azides as chemical functionalities can be added selectively to the PS domains. Overall, our simple and versatile method gives access to various multifunctional BCP colloids from a single batch of pre-formed particles. KW - Small-angle X-ray scattering KW - SAXS KW - Nanostructure KW - Polymer KW - Nanoparticle PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-557246 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202208084 SN - 1433-7851 VL - 61 IS - 35 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-55724 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sieg, H. A1 - Klusmann, L. A1 - Ellermann, A. L. A1 - Böhmert, L. A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Braeuning, A. T1 - Counterions determine uptake and effects of aluminum in human intestinal and liver cells N2 - Aluminum (Al) is highly abundant in the biosphere and can occur in different physico-chemical states. It is present in human food and undergoes transitions between dissolved and particulate species during the passage of the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, in a complex matrix such as food different inorganic and organic counterions can affect the chemical behavior of Al following oral uptake. In this work, the effects of different counterions, namely chloride, citrate, sulfate, lactate and acetylacetonate, on Al uptake and toxicity in the human intestine are studied. The respective Al salts showed different dissolution behavior in biological media and formed nanoscaled particles correlating in reverse with the amount of their dissolved fraction. The passage through the intestinal barrier was studied using a Caco-2 Transwell® system, showing counterion-dependent variance in cellular uptake and transport. In addition, Al toxicity was investigated using Al species (Al3+, metallic Al0 and oxidic γAl2O3 nanoparticles) and counterions individually or in mixtures on Caco-2 and HepG2 cells. The strongest toxicity was observed using a combination of Al species, depending on solubility, and the lipophilic counterion acetylacetonate. Notably, only the combination of both led to toxicity, while both substances individually did not show toxic effects. A toxification of previously non-toxic Al-species by the presence of acetylacetonate is shown here for the first time. The dependency on the concentration of free Al ions was demonstrated using sodium hydrogen phosphate, which was able to counteract the toxic effects by complexing free Al ions. These findings, using Al salts as an example for a common food contaminant, underline the importance of a consideration of the chemical properties of human nutrition, especially dissolution and hydrophobicity, which can significantly influence the cellular uptake and effects of xenobiotic substances. KW - SAXS KW - Small-angle X-ray scattering KW - Nanoparticle PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tiv.2021.105295 VL - 79 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-54110 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Würth, Christian T1 - Time resolved spectroscopy of upconverting lanthanide based upconversion nanocrystals N2 - The optical properties of these materials strongly depend on the excitation power density, i.e., the number of photons absorbed per time interval. The upconversion quantum efficiencies (ΦUC) of these materials, the excitation power dependent population i.e. the emission characteristics, and the deactivation dynamics are influenced by nanoparticle architecture, doping concentration, and the microenvironment. We will discuss how time resolved measurements can help to understand the fundamental photophysical mechanisms and discuss differences to other nanocrystals like quantum dots. T2 - 19th International Course on “Principles and Applications of Time-resolved Fluorescence Spectroscopy” CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 16.11.2022 KW - Nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Upconversion KW - Energy transfer PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-57000 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Meermann, Björn A1 - Koch, Matthias A1 - Weller, Michael G. T1 - Editorial: Analytical methods and applications in 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 - Analysis KW - Life sciences KW - Analytical sciences KW - Quality assurance KW - Reference material KW - Fluorescence KW - Nanoparticle KW - Sensor KW - Material sciences KW - Pollutant KW - Environment KW - Method KW - Limit of detection KW - 150th anniversary KW - ABC KW - BAM KW - Collection KW - Editorial KW - Special issue KW - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung KW - Jahrestag PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-550720 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-022-04082-8 SN - 1618-2642 SN - 1618-2650 VL - 414 IS - Topical collection: Analytical methods and applications in the materials and life sciences SP - 4267 EP - 4268 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-55072 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 - JOUR A1 - Zutta Villate, J. M. A1 - Viviana Rojas, J. A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Anselmo Puerta, J. T1 - Synthesis of 198Au nanoparticles sub 10 nm due optimization on local dose by Monte Carlo simulations for cancer treatment N2 - To enhance the biological effects of radiation damage in cancerous cells, we present an alternative approach to the use of gold nanoparticles (AuNP), focusing on the synthesis and characterization of highly monodisperse, spherical radioactive gold nanoparticles 198AuNP. The size of the AuNP size was optimized with the help of Geant4/TOPAS particle scattering simulations, and energy deposition per nm3 per decay for varying radii (2–10 nm) was evaluated. This work is the foundation for ongoing experimental work to evaluate cell death induced by 198AuNP which aims for the use of radioactive gold nanoparticles in cancer treatment. KW - AuNP KW - Beta decay KW - Beta particle KW - Brachytherapy KW - Cancer treatment KW - Nanoparticles KW - Nanoparticle KW - DNA KW - DNA damage KW - Dosimetry KW - Energy deposit KW - Gamma ray KW - Geant4 KW - Geant4-DNA KW - Gold Nanoparticles KW - LEE KW - Low energy electrons KW - MCS KW - Microdosimetry KW - Monte-Carlo simulation KW - NP KW - Synthesis KW - TEM KW - OH radicals KW - Particle scattering KW - Radiation damage KW - Radiationtherapy KW - Radioactive decay KW - Radiolysis KW - Simulation KW - TOPAS KW - TOPAS-nbio PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08355-5 SN - 1588-2780 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-55132 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Häusler, I. A1 - Knigge, Xenia A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Reiss, P. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - One-Pot Heat-Up Synthesis of ZnSe Magic-Sized Clusters Using Thiol Ligands N2 - The unique optoelectronic properties of semiconductor nanocrystals, also termed quantum dots (QDs), have led to many advances in optoelectronic devices, bioimaging, and biosensing. This strong potential in a wide range of applications sparked the interest for a better understanding of the QD formation mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that atomically defined, zero-dimensional magic-size clusters (MSCs) play a crucial role during the nucleation and growth of QDs. Thereby MSCs consist of discrete numbers of ions leading to narrow size distributions and thus narrow absorption peaks, which evolve in discrete steps from one stable size to the next. The formation of MSCs was found in the synthesis of II-VI and III-V QDs but only limited synthesis approaches are available for the synthesis of MSCs in single-ensemble form without coexistence of other-size QDs. These MSCs can further self-assemble into two- and three-dimensional hybrid structures using organic ligands like diamines, leading to enhanced photoluminescence properties and catalytic activities. In this contribution, we present a synthesis strategy for the preparation of single-sized ZnSe MSCs. With a band gap of 2.7 eV and being an earth-abundant material, ZnSe QDs are interesting for light-emitting devices, blue-green lasers, photocatalysis, and fluorescence probes. In contrast to other studies, our approach is based on a one-pot heat-up synthesis and uses less toxic and dangerous zinc precursors (e.g. zinc stearate). Knowing that thiol-based ligands can alter the formation process of ZnSe QDs, we investigated the influence of 1-dodecanethiol on the ZnSe MSC formation using absorption spectroscopy, TEM, XPS, and XRD. By variation of the thiol ligand concentration and reaction temperature, we were able to synthesize two new ZnSe MSC sizes, the largest so far, by using easy-to-handle precursors. T2 - NANOHYBRID - Hamburg Conference on Complex Nanostructures CY - Hamburg, Germany DA - 04.10.2022 KW - ZnSe KW - Magic-sized cluster KW - Nanoparticle KW - Synthesis KW - Nanomaterial PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56193 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hildebrandt, Jana A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Thünemann, Andreas T1 - Synthesis and Characterization of Ultra‐Small Gold Nanoparticles in the Ionic Liquid 1‐Ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium Dicyanamide, [Emim][DCA] N2 - AbstractWe report on gold clusters with around 62 gold atoms and a diameter of 1.15±0.10 nm. Dispersions of the clusters are long‐term stable for two years at ambient conditions. The synthesis was performed by mixing tetrachloroauric acid (HAuCl4 ⋅ 3 H2O) with the ionic liquid 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([Emim][DCA]) at temperatures of 20 to 80 °C. Characterization was performed with small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), UV‐Vis spectroscopy, and MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry. A three‐stage model is proposed for the formation of the clusters, in which cluster growth from gold nuclei takes place according to the Lifshitz‐Slyozov‐Wagner (LSW) model followed by oriented attachment to form colloidal stable clusters. KW - Reference materials KW - SAXS KW - Gold KW - Nanoparticle KW - Small-angle X-ray scattering KW - Ionic liquid PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-588203 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/open.202300106 SN - 2191-1363 VL - 44 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-58820 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Somasundaram, S. K. A1 - Buzanich, Ana A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Krishnan, S. A1 - Senthilkumar, K. A1 - Joseyphus, R.J. T1 - New insights into pertinent Fe-complexes for the synthesis of iron via the instant polyol process N2 - Chemically synthesized iron is in demand for biomedical applications due to its large saturation magnetization compared to iron oxides. The polyol process, suitable for obtaining Co and Ni particles and their alloys, is laborious in synthesizing Fe. The reaction yields iron oxides, and the reaction pathway remains unexplored. This study shows that a vicinal polyol, such as 1,2-propanediol, is suitable for obtaining Fe rather than 1,3-propanediol owing to the formation of a reducible Fe intermediate complex. X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis reveals the ferric octahedral geometry and tetrahedral geometry in the ferrous state of the reaction intermediates in 1,2-propanediol and 1,3-propanediol, respectively. The final product obtained using a vicinal polyol is Fe with a γ-Fe2O3 shell, while the terminal polyol is favourable for Fe3O4. The distinct Fe–Fe and Fe–O bond lengths suggest the presence of a carboxylate group and a terminal alkoxide ligand in the intermediate of 1,2-propanediol. A large Fe–Fe bond distance suggests diiron complexes with bidentate carboxylate bridges. Prominent high-spin and low-spin states indicate the possibility of transition, which favors the reduction of iron ions in the reaction using 1,2-propanediol. KW - XAS KW - Nanoparticle PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3CP01969A SN - 1463-9076 VL - 25 IS - 33 SP - 21970 EP - 21980 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-58073 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Paul, Maxi B. A1 - Böhmert, Linda A1 - Thünemann, Andreas A1 - Loeschner, Katrin A1 - Givelet, Lucas A1 - Fahrenson, Christoph A1 - Braeuning, Albert A1 - Sieg, Holger T1 - Influence of artificial digestion on characteristics and intestinal cellular effects of micro-, submicro- and nanoplastics N2 - The production of plastics is rising since they have been invented. Micro, submicro- and nanoplastics are produced intentionally or generated by environmental processes, and constitute ubiquitous contaminants which are ingested orally by consumers. Reported health concerns include intestinal translocation, inflammatory response, oxidative stress and cytotoxicity. Every digestive milieu in the gastrointestinal tract does have an influence on the properties of particles and can cause changes in their effect on biological systems. In this study, we subjected plastic particles of different materials (polylactic acid, polymethylmethacrylate, melamine formaldehyde) and sizes (micro- to nano-range) to a complex artificial digestion model consisting of three intestinal fluid simulants (saliva, gastric and intestinal juice). We monitored the impact of the digestion process on the particles by performing Dynamic Light Scattering, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Asymmetric Flow Field-Flow Fractionation. An in vitro model of the intestinal epithelial barrier was used to monitor cellular effects and translocation behavior of (un)digested particles. In conclusion, artificial digestion decreased cellular interaction and slightly increased transport of all particles across the intestinal barrier. The interaction with organic matter resulted in clear differences in the agglomeration behavior. Moreover, we provide evidence for polymer-, size- and surface-dependent cellular effects of the test particles. KW - Toxicology KW - General Medicine KW - Food Science KW - Nanoplastics KW - Nanoparticle KW - Dynamic Light Scattering KW - DLS PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2023.114423 VL - 184 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-59298 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Geißler, Daniel A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Fischer, C. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Exploring Simple Particle-Based Signal Amplification Strategies in a Heterogeneous Sandwich Immunoassay with Optical Detection N2 - Heterogeneous sandwich immunoassays are widely used for biomarker detection in bioanalysis and medical diagnostics. The high analyte sensitivity of the current “gold standard” enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) originates from the signal-generating enzymatic amplification step, yielding a high number of optically detectable reporter molecules. For future point-of-care testing (POCT) and point-of-need applications, there is an increasing interest in more simple detection strategies that circumvent time-consuming and temperature-dependent enzymatic reactions. A common concept to aim for detection limits comparable to those of enzymatic amplification reactions is the usage of polymer nanoparticles (NP) stained with a large number of chromophores. We explored different simple NP-based signal amplification strategies for heterogeneous sandwich immunoassays that rely on an extraction-triggered release step of different types of optically detectable reporters. Therefore, streptavidinfunctionalized polystyrene particles (PSP) are utilized as carriers for (i) the fluorescent dye coumarin 153 (C153) and (ii) hemin (hem) molecules catalyzing the luminol reaction enabling chemiluminescence (CL) detection. Additionally, (iii) NP labeling with hemin-based microperoxidase MP11 was assessed. For each amplification approach, the PSP was first systematically optimized regarding size, loading concentration, and surface chemistry. Then, for an immunoassay for the inflammation marker C- eactive protein (CRP), the analyte sensitivity achievable with optimized PSP ystems was compared with the established ELISA concept for photometric and CL detection. Careful optimization led to a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1 ng/mL for MP11-labeled PSP and CL detection, performing similarly well to a photometric ELISA (0.13 ng/mL), which demonstrates the huge potential of our novel assay concept. KW - Nanoparticle KW - Fluorescence KW - Immunoassay KW - Quality assurance KW - Antibody KW - Polymer KW - Dye KW - Signal enhancement KW - CRP KW - Biosensing PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-597853 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03691 SN - 1520-6882 VL - 96 IS - 13 SP - 5078 EP - 5085 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Columbus, Ohio AN - OPUS4-59785 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -