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Organisationseinheit der BAM
The coming years are expected to bring rapid changes in the nanotechnology regulatory landscape, with the establishment of a new framework for nano-risk governance, in silico approaches for characterisation and Risk assessment of nanomaterials, and novel procedures for the early identification and management of nanomaterial risks. In this context, Safe(r)-by-Design (SbD) emerges as a powerful preventive approach to support the development of safe and sustainable (SSbD) nanotechnology-based products and processes throughout the life cycle. This paper summarises the work undertaken to develop a blueprint for the deployment and operation of a permanent European Centre of collaborating laboratories and research organisations supporting safe Innovation in nanotechnologies. The proposed entity, referred to as “the Centre”, will establish a ‘one-stop shop’ for nanosafety-related services and a central contact point for addressing stakeholder questions about nanosafety. Its operation will rely on significant business, legal and market knowledge, as well as other tools developed and acquired through the EU-funded EC4SafeNano project and subsequent ongoing activities. The proposed blueprint adopts a demand-driven service update scheme to allow the necessary vigilance and flexibility to identify opportunities and adjust its activities and services in the rapidly evolving regulatory and nano risk governance landscape.
The proposed Centre will play a major role as a conduit to transfer scientific knowledge between the Research and commercial laboratories or consultants able to provide high quality nanosafety services, and the end-users of such services (e.g., industry, SMEs, consultancy firms, and regulatory authorities). The Centre will harmonise service provision, and bring novel risk assessment and management approaches, e.g. in silico methodologies, closer to practice, notably through SbD/SSbD, and decisively support safe and sustainable innovation of industrial production in the nanotechnology industry according to the European Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.
Introduction
(2020)
The purpose of this book is to provide a comprehensive collection of analytical methods that are commonly used to measure nanoparticles, providing information on one, or more, property of importance. The chapters provide up-to-date information and guidance on the use of these techniques, detailing the manner in which they may be reliably employed. Within this chapter, we detail the rationale and context of the whole book, which is driven by the observation of a low level of reproducibility in nanoparticle research. The aim of the book is to encourage awareness of both the strengths and weaknesses of the various methods used to measure nanoparticles and raise awareness of the range of methods that are available. The editors of the book have, for many years, been engaged in European projects and standardization activities concerned with nanoparticle analysis and have identified authors who are experts in the various methods included within the book. This has produced a book that can be used as a definitive guide to current best practice in nanoparticle measurement.
Conclusions and perspectives
(2020)
This chapter briefly summarizes the methods selected within this book for the characterization of nanoparticles with regard to commonly accessible properties: nanoparticle size and size distribution, shape, surface area, surface charge, aggregation state, structure, chemical composition, surface chemistry, and nanoparticle number concentration. Current progress of measurement and analysis, as far as possible according to standard operation procedures, has been the focus of this work. A number of new and less commonly used methods have not been covered, and we outline some of these in this chapter. Future challenges such as automated measurement and analysis, read-across approaches for the prediction of properties, knowledge of measurement uncertainties, the need for certified reference materials, and the necessity to complement measurements methods to obtain more reliable results are covered, and the unmet measurement requirements for real-world nanoparticles are described.
This chapter provides an overview of what standards are, why they are important, and how they are developed. There is a focus on the work of standards committees relevant to nanotechnology measurement and characterization with tables detailing the standards that are currently available for a large number of different techniques, materials, and applications at the nanoscale.
Auger electron spectroscopy
(2020)
An introduction in the application of Auger Electron Spectroscopy to surface chemical analysis of nanoparticles is given. Auger Electron Spectroscopy is a mature method in the field of surface chemical analysis. The chapter addresses the physical basis of the method, the principal design of recent instruments together with modes of operation and options for the presentation of spectra, as well as different approaches for qualitative (including identification of chemical species) and quantitative surface analysis of elements. An application paragraph on surface chemical analysis of nanoparticles by AES or SAM introduces the different measurement approaches and sample preparation strategies applied by analysts. The analysis of nanoparticle ensembles, the so-called selected point analysis where a narrow primary electron beam is centered on an individual nanoparticle, and chemical mapping of individual nanoparticles (or a line scan across) are addressed. Existing literature is reviewed and informative case studies presented. Limitations and pitfalls in the application of AES in surface chemical analysis of nanoparticles are also addressed.
This is a corrigendum to the original article "Determining the thickness and completeness of the shell of polymer core-shell nanoparticles by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and transmission scanning electron microscopy" that was published in "The journal of physical chemistry C", vol. 123 (2019), no. 49 pp. 29765-29775.
Core–shell nanoparticles (CSNPs) have become indispensable in various industrial applications. However, their real internal structure usually deviates from an ideal core–shell structure. To control how the particles perform with regard to their specific applications, characterization techniques are required that can distinguish an ideal from a nonideal morphology. In this work, we investigated poly(tetrafluoroethylene)–poly(methyl methacrylate) (PTFE–PMMA) and poly(tetrafluoroethylene)–polystyrene (PTFE–PS) polymer CSNPs with a constant core diameter (45 nm) but varying shell thicknesses (4–50 nm). As confirmed by transmission scanning electron microscopy (T-SEM), the shell completely covers the core for the PTFE–PMMA nanoparticles, while the encapsulation of the core by the shell material is incomplete for the PTFE–PS nanoparticles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was applied to determine the shell thickness of the nanoparticles. The software SESSA v2.0 was used to analyze the intensities of the elastic peaks, and the QUASES software package was employed to evaluate the shape of the inelastic background in the XPS survey spectra. For the first time, nanoparticle shell thicknesses are presented, which are exclusively based on the analysis of the XPS inelastic background. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA)-assisted time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) of the PTFE–PS nanoparticle sample set revealed a systematic variation among the samples and, thus, confirmed the incomplete encapsulation of the core by the shell material. As opposed to that, no variation is observed in the PCA score plots of the PTFE–PMMA nanoparticle sample set. Consequently, the complete coverage of the core by the shell material is proved by ToF-SIMS with a certainty that cannot be achieved by XPS and T-SEM.
Analytical routines for a comprehensive in-depth morphological, structural, and chemical characterization of functionalized TiO2 films by using different state-of-the-art analytical techniques are presented and discussed with the main objective to identify potential reference TiO2 coating parameters able to be certified at a later stage. TiO2 films fabricated by two different synthetic procedures as representative for two main large-scale applications were selected: (i) pulsed d.c. magnetron sputtering for photocatalytic applications and (ii) screen printing from preformed anatase nanoparticles. The screen-printed films were further loaded with a sensitizing dye for application as a dye-sensitized solar cell. Film properties such as microstructure and crystallographic texture of pulsed d.c. magnetron sputtering synthesized films were systematically studied by means of scanning nanobeam electron diffraction in a transmission electron microscope and the surface and inner morphology by scanning electron microscopy. The dye distribution over the depth of screen-printed TiO2 layers was analyzed before and after dye-loading by means of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy at scanning electronmicroscope, Auger electron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The long-term goal of the present study is the improvement of quality of the TiO2 film parameters as measured by using different types of reference TiO2 coatings having specific parameters certified.
Ionic liquids (ILs) are proposed as simple and efficient test materials to evaluate the performance of energy dispersive X-ray spectrometers (EDS) in the low energy range below 1 keV. By only one measurement, C Kα, N Kα, O Kα, and F Kα X-ray lines can be excited. Additionally, the S Kα line at 2.3 keV and, particularly, the S L series at 149 eV complete the picture with X-ray lines offered by the selected ILs. The well-known (certifiable) elemental composition of the ILs selected in the present study can be used to check the accuracy of results produced with the available EDS quantification routines in the low energy range, simultaneously, for several low atomic number elements. A comparison with other reference materials in use for testing the performance of EDS in the low energy range is included.
CCQM key comparison K-129 for the quantitative analysis of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) films has been performed by the Surface Analysis Working Group (SAWG) of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance (CCQM). The objective of this key comparison is to compare the equivalency of the National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and Designated Institutes (DIs) for the measurement of mole fractions of Cu, In, Ga and Se in a thin CIGS film. The measurand of this key comparison is the average mole fractions of Cu, In, Ga and Se of a test CIGS alloy film in the unit of mole fraction (mol/mol). Mole fraction with the metrological unit of mol/mol can be practically converted to atomic fraction with the unit of at%.
In this key comparison, a CIGS film with certified mole fractions was supplied as a reference specimen to determine the relative sensitivity factors (RSFs) of Cu, In, Ga and Se. The mole fractions of the reference specimen were certified by isotope dilution - inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ID-ICP/MS) and are traceable to the SI. A total number counting (TNC) method was recommended as a method to determine the signal intensities of the constituent elements acquired in the depth profiles by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES). Seven NMIs and one DI participated in this key comparison. The mole fractions of the CIGS films were measured by depth profiling based-SIMS, AES and XPS. The mole fractions were also measured by non-destructive X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Analysis and Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA) with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDX).
In this key comparison, the average degrees of equivalence uncertainties for Cu, In, Ga and Se are 0.0093 mol/mol, 0.0123 mol/mol, 0.0047 mol/mol and 0.0228 mol/mol, respectively. These values are much smaller than that of Fe in a Fe-Ni alloy film in CCQM K-67 (0.0330 mol/mol). This means that the quantification of multi-element alloy films is possible by depth profiling analysis using the TNC method.
Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) is one of the most applied methods used for the analysis of the chemical composition of solids and thin films. Recent progress in EDS (Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer) technology has increased the general performance also in the energy range < 1 keV addressing low Z elements. Suitable test materials to be employed especially to check the low-energy EDS performance – also in line with ISO 15632 - are rather limited and mainly based on C K and F K lines. In order to obtain valid results in laboratories accredited in compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 it is necessary to periodically check the instrument performance.
The certified reference material BAM-L200, a nanoscale stripe pattern for length calibration and specification of lateral resolution, is described. BAM-L200 is prepared from a cross-sectioned epitaxially grown layer stack of AlxGa1–xAs and InxGa1–xAs on a GaAs substrate. The surface of BAM-L200 provides a flat pattern with stripe widths ranging down to 1 nm. Calibration distances, grating periods and stripe widths have been certified by TEM with traceability to the length unit. The combination of gratings, isolated narrow stripes and sharp edges of wide stripes offers plenty of options for the determination of lateral resolution, sharpness and calibration of length scale at selected settings of imaging surface-analytical instruments. The feasibility of the reference material for an analysis of the lateral resolution is demonstrated in detail by evaluation of ToF-SIMS, AES and EDX images. Other applications developed in the community are summarized, too. BAM-L200 fully supports the implementation of the revised International Standard ISO 18516 (in preparation) which is based on knowledge outlined in the Technical Report ISO/TR 19319:2013.
A pilot study for the quantitative surface analysis of multi-element alloy films has been performed by the Surface Analysis Working Group (SAWG) of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance (CCQM). The aim of this pilot study is to ensure the equivalency in the measurement capability of national metrology institutes for the quantification of multi-element alloy films. A Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) film with non-uniform depth distribution was chosen as a representative multi-element alloy film. The atomic fractions of the reference and the test CIGS films were certified by isotope dilution - inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry. A total number counting (TNC) method was used as a method to determine the signal intensities of the constituent elements, which are compared with their certified atomic fractions. The atomic fractions of the CIGS films were measured by various methods, such as Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis and Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA) with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDX). Fifteen laboratories from eight National Metrology Institutes (NMIs), one Designated Institute (DI) and six non-NMIs participated in this pilot study. Although the average atomic fractions of 18 data sets showed rather poor relative standard deviations of about 5.5 % to 6.8 %, they were greatly improved to about 1.5 % to 2.2 % by excluding 5 strongly deviating data sets from the average atomic fractions. In this pilot study, the average expanded uncertainties of SIMS, XPS, AES, XRF and EPMA were 3.84%, 3.68%, 3.81%, 2.88% and 2.90%, respectively. These values are much better than those in the key comparison K-67 for composition of a Fe-Ni alloy film. As a result, the quantification of CIGS films using the TNC method was found to be a good candidate as a subject for a CCQM key comparison.
An inter-laboratory comparison organized as a pilot study (PS) has been performed under the umbrella of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance – Metrology in Chemistry (CCQM) / Surface Analysis Working Group (SAWG) with the objective to compare k-values measured with Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis (EPMA) for copper-gold alloys. The k-value, defined as the ratio of the Xray photon intensity of an X-ray characteristic line of the unknown sample to the corresponding one in the reference material, is a rough estimate of the mass fraction of the respective element. Basically, the mass fractions can be calculated from the k-values after applying a matrix correction procedure, which includes empirical approaches, so that traceability gets lost. Due to its physical, measurable nature, the k-value has been selected in the present PS as the primary measurand. The mass fraction has been set as the secondary (derived) measurand. Both EDX and WDX have been employed. The WDX results and the overall comparability between the k-values obtained by EDX and WDX are still in progress.
A pilot study (PS) has been performed under the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance (CCQM) / Surface Analysis Working Group (SAWG) with the objective to compare the atomic fractions of Cu, In, Ga and Se in CIGS alloy films. Four polycrystalline CIGS films with different atomic fractions were fabricated by variation of the relative atomic fraction of Ga on 100 mm x 100 mm soda-lime glass (SLG) substrates. Similar to real solar cells the atomic fractions of the four elements (Cu, In, Ga, Se) are not homogeneous with depth. For the analysis of the CIGS layers of about 2 μm thickness depth profiling with surface analysis techniques such as XPS, AES and SIMS was recommended. A CIGS alloy reference sample with atomic fractions certified by isotope dilution ICP-MS at KRISS has been also put at disposal by the coordinator of the comparison. The certified values were close to the atomic fractions of the samples to be analyzed. Hence, the atomic fractions of Cu, In, Ga and Se in the CIGS films could be determined by the relative sensitivity factors (RSF) derived from the reference CIGS film. The total ion intensities of the constituent elements were obtained by the total number counting (TNC) method.
In the frame of the European project NanoValid, potential candidates of reference nanomaterials are manufactured and systematically characterized in particular with respect to their morphology (shape, size and size distribution). In this study, by exploiting the transmission operation mode in a high-resolution SEM, known as transmission SEM, the potential of this methodical approach is demonstrated by means of representative examples of nanoparticles. The method enables quick and accurate morphological inspection and systematic characterization. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy imaging of single nanoparticles by using the transmission mode is demonstrated as feasible, too.
The combination of complementary characterization techniques such as SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), T-SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy in Transmission Mode), EDX (Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy) and SAM (Scanning Auger Microscopy) has been proven to be a powerful and relatively quick characterization strategy for comprehensive morphological and chemical characterization of individual silica and titania nanoparticles. The selected real life test materials, silica and titania, are listed in the OECD guidance manual as representative examples because they are often used as commercial nanomaterials. Imaging by high resolution SEM and in the transmission mode by T-SEM allows almost simultaneous surface and in-depth inspection of the same particle using the same instrument. EDX and SAM enable the chemical characterization of bulk and surface of individual nanoparticles. The core–shell properties of silica based materials are addressed as well. Titania nominally coated by silane purchased from an industrial source has been found to be inhomogeneous in terms of chemical composition.
Potential candidates of reference nano-materials are manufactured and systematically characterized in particular with respect to their morphology (shape, size and size distribution) in the frame of the running large European project NanoValid. By exploiting the transmission operation mode in a SEM, known as T-SEM, it is demonstrated by means of three representative examples of nanoparticles how a quick morphological inspection up to a complete, metrological characterization is feasible.
An international interlaboratory comparison of the measurement capabilities of four National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and one Designated Institute (DI) in the determination of the chemical composition of thin Fe-Ni alloy films was conducted via a key comparison (K-67) of the Surface Analysis Working Group of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance. This comparison was made using XPS (four laboratories) and AES (one laboratory) measurements. The uncertainty budget of the measured chemical composition of a thin alloy film was dominated by the uncertainty of the certified composition of a reference specimen which had been determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry using the isotope dilution method. Pilot study P-98 showed that the quantification using relative sensitivity factors (RSFs) of Fe and Ni derived from an alloy reference sample results in much more accurate result in comparison to an approach using RSFs derived from pure Fe and Ni films. The individual expanded uncertainties of the participants in the K-67 comparison were found to be between 2.88 and 3.40 atomic %. The uncertainty of the key comparison reference value (KCRV) calculated from individual standard deviations and a coverage factor (k) of 2 was 1.23 atomic %.
The elemental composition of thin Fe-Ni alloy films deposited on silicon substrates were determined by electron probe microanalysis with an energy dispersive spectrometer using the STRATAGem software. The work was part of ample inter-laboratory comparisons organized in the frame of CCQM/SAWG (Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance/Surface Analysis Working Group). Therefore, the evaluation of the measurement uncertainties is treated in detail. By having the mass coverage and estimating a layer density, the layer thickness could be derived.
Characterization of Pd-Ni-Co alloy thin films by ED-EPMA with application of the STRATAGEM software
(2012)
Ternary thin film alloys based on Pd, Ni and Co on silicon wafers have been characterized in order to determine elemental composition and thickness. A broad variety of alloy compositions was obtained on one and the same substrate by magnetron dc-co-sputter deposition. Energy-dispersive electron probe X-ray microanalysis of these 'multi' alloy composition samples is performed in a non-destructive, precise and, if optimized, also in a time-saving way. The local thickness of the layers under study was in between 50 nm and 250 nm. Pure element bulk materials have been employed as reference specimens. The results attained in this study are compared to those obtained by other analytical methods as Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray photo electron spectroscopy.
CCQM (Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance - Metrology in Chemistry) is an international body of the Meter Convention (BIPM) established as a framework of National Metrology Institutes running inter-laboratory of comparisons to demonstrate the international comparability of chemical measurements, with traceability to international or national reference standards. In 2003 the surface analysis working group (SAWG) was established at CCQM and since then several inter-laboratory comparisons in the field of EPMA have been carried out. In many cases the EPMA results deviated significantly from each other and the expanded uncertainties were greater than expected. Both methods EDS and WDS were employed. However, light elements such as carbon and nitrogen were the major elements analyzed and it is known that the corresponding lowenergy characteristic X-ray lines are more challenging to quantify by EPMA than the higher energy lines of elements with higher atomic numbers. Moreover, the standards selected and their qualities were variable, the quantification models were different, and the acquisition parameters were not specified sufficiently in the analysis instructions.
Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) mappings provide a visualization of the distribution of chemical elements and phases on polished duplex steel surfaces as element and fragment secondary ion signals. The advantage of TOF-SIMS, compared to optical microscopy, is its potential to analyze the chemical composition with a lateral resolution at a submicrometer scale. TOF-SIMS mappings allow distinguishing between ferritic and austenitic phases because of the phase selective detection method without any requirement of etching or other processing.
The Key Comparison K67 and the parallel Pilot Study P108 on quantitative analysis of thin alloy films have been completed in the Surface Analysis Working Group (SAWG) of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance (CCQM). The aim of these inter-laboratory comparisons is to determine the degree of equivalence in the measurement capability of national metrology institutes (NMIs) and designated institutes (DIs) for the determination of the composition of thin alloy films. The measurand is expressed in atomic percent. A Fe-Ni alloy film with a certified composition was available for the participants of the inter-laboratory comparison. It has been used as a reference specimen to determine the relative sensitivity factors (RSF) of Fe and Ni for the different analytical methods used by the participants to determine the composition of the test sample. As was shown in the preceding Pilot Study P98, the degrees of equivalence in the measurement capabilities of the participants can be improved in that way. The composition of the reference specimen was certified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) using the isotope dilution method. The in-depth and lateral homogeneity, determined in terms of elemental composition, of the certified reference sample and the unknown test sample were confirmed by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) using C60 primary ions by the leading laboratory. Five laboratories participated in the key comparison. Four of them used x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and one Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). One laboratory participated in the parallel P108 pilot study using electron probe micro analysis with an energy-dispersive spectrometer (ED EPMA) and XPS.
Depth profiling of electrically non-conductive layered samples by RF-GDOES and HFM plasma SNMS
(2001)
The work is intended to compare the capabilities of two similar depth profiling techniques to analyse electrically non-conductive samples. In order to get a better evaluation of the depth resolution, various multilayer sandwiches, such as SiO2/TiO2 and Si3N4/SiO2 deposited on glass substrates have been investigated. Optimised depth profiles are presented for both methods, glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GDOES) and radiofrequency mode (known as HFM in the SNMS literature) of plasma secondary neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS). The optimisation procedure, necessary to get the best set of plasma parameters, which result in the optimal depth resolution, is also described for one selected sample. Additionally, sputtering crater profilometry was carried out in order to check out the flatness of the sputtered crater. The influence of the thickness of the sample substrate on the sputtering rate is discussed. Finally, advantages and disadvantages of the use of these two depth profiling methods, especially for the non-conductive samples, are concluded from this comparative study. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) analysis of a cross-sectioned sample was carried out in order to get supplementary information.