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- 2011 (25) (entfernen)
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Eingeladener Vortrag
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A mobile double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy system for industrial environments is presented.
Its capabilities as a process analytical technique for the recovery of metals from molten inorganic wastes are investigated. Using low-melting glass doped with different amounts of additives as a model system for recycling slags, the optimum number of shots, laser inter-pulse and acquisition delay times are optimized for solid and liquid (1200 °C) glass. Limits of detection from 7 ppm (Mn) to 194 ppm (Zn) are achieved working at a distance of 75 cm from the sample. To simplify the quantification of molten samples in an industrial furnace, the possibility is examined of using solid standards for analysis of molten material.
Encapsulation of hydrophobic dyes in polystyrene micro- and nanoparticles via swelling procedures
(2011)
Aiming at the derivation of a generalized
procedure for the straightforward preparation of particles
fluorescing in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectral
region, different swelling procedures for the loading of the
hydrophobic polarity-probe Nile Red into nano- and
micrometer sized polystyrene particles were studied and
compared with respect to the optical properties of the
resulting particles. The effect of the amount of incorporated
dye on the spectroscopic properties of the particles was
investigated for differently sized beads with different
surface chemistries, i.e., non-functionalized, aminomodified
and PEG-grafted surfaces. Moreover, photostability
and leaking studies were performed. The main criterion
for the optimization of the dye loading procedures was a
high and thermally and photochemically stable fluorescence
output of the particles for the future application of these
systems as fluorescent labels.
The accurate knowledge of the properties of polycapillary X-ray semi-lenses has a significant influence on the quantitative results in a widespread field of applications involving microfocus X-ray beams. A routine procedure for the characterisation of a polycapillary X-ray semi-lens with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) having attached an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) is presented in this paper. A key issue of the procedure consists of fitting the semi-lens in front of the EDS for spectra acquisition. Relevant semi-lens parameters such as focal distance, full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the acceptance area, and transmission are determined in parallelising mode of the semi-lens. Special attention has been paid to the calculation of the transmission.
During the mineralisation of metal carbonates MCO3 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba, Mn, Cd, Pb) liquid-like amorphous intermediates emerge. These intermediates that form via a liquid/liquid phase separation behave like a classical emulsion and are stabilized electrostatically. The occurrence of these intermediates is attributed to the formation of highly hydrated networks whose stability is mainly based on weak interactions and the variability of the metal-containing pre-critical clusters. Their existence and compositional freedom are evidenced by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Liquid intermediates in non-classical crystallisation pathways seem to be more common than assumed.
Calibration of two commercially available glow discharge double focusing mass spectrometers, the VG 9000 and Element GD, is described using synthetic pin standards pressed from solution doped copper and zinc matrices. A special pressing die was developed for this purpose and optimal results were obtained with the highest possible pressures, i.e., 95 kN·cm- 2. This calibration approach permits the determination of trace element mass fractions down to µg·kg- 1 with small uncertainties and additionally provides traceability of the GD-MS results in the most direct manner to the SI (International System of Units). Results were validated by concurrent measurements of a number of compact copper and zinc certified reference materials. The impact of the sample pin cross-section (circular or square) was investigated with the use of a new pin-sample holder system for the Element GD. The pin-sample holder was designed by the manufacturer for pin-samples having circular cross-section; however, samples with square pin cross-section were also shown to provide acceptable results. Relative Sensitivity Factors for some 50 analytes in copper (VG 9000, Element GD) and zinc matrices (VG 9000) are presented. The field of applicability of GD-MS may be considerably extended via analysis of pin geometry samples based on their ease of preparation, especially with respect to the accuracy and traceability of the results and the enhanced number of analytes which can be reliably calibrated using such samples.
Abel inversion applied to a transient laser induced plasma: implications from plasma modeling
(2011)
We test the effects of non-uniformity, non-transparency, and non-stationarity of a laser-induced plasma on the results obtained by the Abel inversion method. The method is commonly used for obtaining spatially resolved emissivity of axially symmetric non-homogeneous radiating objects. Besides the axial symmetry, the plasma is assumed to be optically thin. As the method addresses a certain plasma state, the plasma is required to be stationary during measurements. It is difficult to satisfy the aforementioned conditions for transient laser induced plasmas. As such the plasmas are not stationary; they have steep gradients of thermodynamic parameters that rapidly vary during the plasma evolution. Therefore, any conclusion based on time-integrated measurements and the corresponding data processing should account for these effects. In this work, we use the collision-dominated plasma model to generate time- and spatially resolved synthetic spectra. The spectra are processed by executing the Abel inversion using two numerical algorithms. Thus obtained spatially resolved plasma parameters (emissivity, temperature, and number density) are compared with the exact parameters used to set up the model. In doing so, the accuracy of the Abel inversion method is assessed. Special attention is paid to the dynamic aspect of the expanding plasma and possible errors which result from time-integrated measurements.
Determining the influence of impurities on the fixed-point emperatures
of the ITS-90 requires the completion of several tasks. In this paper, the Progress made at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and BAMFederal Institute for Materials Research and Testing is presented and remaining questions are discussed.
The projected characterization procedure at PTB, which is based on the established SIE method (sum of the individual estimates), using a new indium fixed-point cell is described as an example. This procedure includes an SI-traceable chemical Analysis of the material in the fixed-point cell with sufficiently low uncertainties, the individual experimental determination of the influence of the quantified impurities on the fixed-point temperature, and the establishment of direct links to the phase-transition temperatures of the national standard and of an assumed material of ideal purity.
A characteristic difference to the common practice is the chemical analysis of the fixed-point metal being done after determining the cells freezing temperature. This allows for the detection and consideration of contamination and purification effects due to the filling process, or due to the contact with the carbon crucible and other parts of the fixed-point cell. A chemical analysis of an indium fixed-point was carried out by BAM with relative measurement uncertainties below 30 % which have not been previously achieved. The results provide evidence for the precipitation of some impurities,
which is apparently inconsistent with the corresponding binary phase diagrams, but was explained in a recent publication. Implications for the use of the SIE method shall be described briefly at the end.
The potential of a diode pumped solid state (DPSS) laser for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and Raman spectroscopy was investigated. The DPSS laser operating at repetition rates of 1 Hz–200 kHz, pulse energy of ~1 mJ, and pulse duration of ~20 ns was added to a conventional LIBS system equipped with the flashlamp-pumped Nd:YAG laser (10 Hz, 400 mJ, 6 ns) to directly compare the two laser systems. Despite the lower mass ablated per laser pulse (~several nanograms) and a weaker plasma, the total mass ablated per measurement interval (~1 s) and total emission signal were significantly higher than those obtained with the flashlamp pumped Nd:YAG laser. This resulted in the improved signal-to-noise ratio and better limits of detection (LOD). The best LODs were obtained for Cu, Cr and Ni in ultrapure standard iron samples, 0.7 ppm, 1 ppm and 5 ppm, correspondingly. The plasma from the DPSS laser was characterized in terms of its radiative properties, temperature, and shockwave propagation speed. The suitability of this laser for LIBS-Raman was demonstrated by mapping the elemental and molecular composition of a mineral sample. The results strongly imply that DPSS lasers are the promising source for LIBS, Raman, or combined LIBS-Raman spectroscopy.
In this study, an analytical procedure for multi-element screening of 40 elements in milk and feed samples was developed. Three different digestion and two different calibration methods were tested for the best suitability. The analytical procedure for the quantification of minor and trace elements is based on sector field ICP-MS (SF-ICP-MS). The method validation revealed good agreement between the determined elemental mass fractions and the certified values of two milk and three feed reference materials. Milk samples of dairy cows at different feeding regimes were collected from two different farms. The results of our study showed significant differences of nine elemental mass fractions (Li, P, Mn, Co, Cu, Rb, Sr, Br, I) between milk from the two locations. Further, a correlation between the elemental mass fractions of milk and the ingested feed and water was observed.
Silver nanoparticles were generated based on citrate reduction in the ultrastructure of the sporopollenin biopolymer of Ambrosia artemisiifolia (ragweed) and Secale cereale (rye). The nanoparticles enable the acquisition of SERS spectra and thereby a vibrational characterization of the local molecular structure of sporopollenin.
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was hyphenated with a previously reported carbamazepine-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as a screening approach to water analysis in order to identify possible interferences from transformation products. Treated wastewater was analysed and three substances were recognized by the antibody besides carbamazepine: the metabolites 10,11-dihydro-10,11-epoxycarbamazepine and 2-hydroxycarbamazepine plus the structurally not obviously related antihistamine cetirizine. The molar cross-reactivity against cetirizine was found to be pH-dependent and assessed to be 400% at pH 4.5 and 22% at pH 10.5. Performing the ELISA at pH 10.5 greatly improved the accuracy when carbamazepine was determined in surface and wastewater samples.
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-timeof-flight (MALDI-TOF) imaging of polystyrenes with various molecular masses was applied to study spatial molecular mass distribution of polymers in sample spots prepared by the 'dried droplet' method. When different solvents and target surfaces were examined, a segregation of single homologous polymers was observed depending upon the evaporation rate of the solvent. For the observed Patterns left by the evaporating droplet, a hypothesis is offered taking into account different hydrodynamic interactions and diffusion.
The results illustrate that spot preparation using the conventionally 'dried droplet' method is prone to artifacts and should be avoided for reliable and reproducible MALDI mass spectrometry experiments with regards to the Determination of molecular masses and mass distributions.
Triacetone triperoxide (TATP) is a primary explosive, which was used in various terrorist attacks in the past. For the development of biosensors, immunochemical µ-TAS, electronic noses, immunological test kits, or test strips, the availability of antibodies of high quality is crucial. Recently, we presented the successful immunization of mice, based on the design, synthesis, and conjugation of a novel TATP derivative. Here, the long-term immunization of rabbits is shown, which resulted in antibodies of extreme selectivity and more than 1,000 times better affinity in relation to the antibodies from mice. Detection limits below 10 ng L-1 (water) were achieved. The working range covers more than four decades, calculated from a precision profile. The cross-reactivity tests revealed an extraordinary selectivity of the antibodies—not a single compound could be identified as a relevant cross-reactant. The presented immunoreagent might be a major step for the development of highly sensitive and selective TATP detectors particularly for security applications.
A laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS)-based methodology is presented for Pt, Cu, and Zn bioimaging on whole kidney 3 µm sagittal sections from rats treated with pharmacological doses of cisplatin, which were sacrificed once renal damage had taken place. Pt turned out to accumulate in the kidney cortex and corticomedullary junction, corresponding to areas where the proximal tubule S3 segments (the most sensitive cells to cisplatin nephrotoxicity) are located. This demonstrates the connection between platinum accumulation and renal damage proved by histological examination of HE-stained sections and evaluation of serum and urine biochemical parameters. Cu and Zn distribution maps revealed a significant displacement in cells by Pt, as compared to control tissues. A dramatic decrease in the Pt accumulation in the cortex was observed when cilastatin was coadministered with cisplatin, which can be related to its nephroprotective effect. Excellent imaging reproducibility, sensitivity (LOD 50 fg), and resolution (down to 8 µm) were achieved, demonstrating that LA–ICP–MS can be applied as a microscopic metal detector at cellular level in certain tissues. A simple and quick approach for the estimation of Pt tissue levels was proposed, based on tissue spiking.
The Radon transform is tested as a method for reconstruction of the emissivity distribution of asymmetric laser induced plasmas. Two types of experiments were carried out. First, the plasma asymmetry is introduced via focusing the laser by a cylindrical lens to create plasma plumes elongated along the symmetry axis of the lens. Second, an asymmetric power distribution across the laser beam is created by reflecting the latter from a damaged mirror. Various effects on the quality of the plasma emissivity reconstructed by the Radon tomography method are investigated. The understanding of these effects appears to be essential to design a proper experimental setup to study LIBS plasmas by the Radon tomography method. It is demonstrated that the Radon tomography can successfully be used for experimental studies of asymmetric LIBS plasmas.
We optimized multiplexed immunohistochemistry (IHC) on breast cancer tissue. Up to 20 tumor markers are routinely evaluated for one patient, and thus, a common analysis results in a series of time consuming staining procedures. As an alternative, we used lanthanides for labeling of primary antibodies, which are applied in IHC. Laser ablation (LA) ICPMS was elaborated as a detection tool for multiplexed IHC of tissue sections. In this study, we optimized sample preparation steps and LA ICPMS parameters to achieve a sufficient signal-to-background ratio. The results prove the high selectivity of applied antibodies, which was sustained after labeling. Up to three tumor markers (Her 2, CK 7, and MUC 1) were detected simultaneously in a single multiplex analysis of a 5 µm thin breast cancer tissue at a laser spot size of 200 µm. Furthermore, the LA ICPMS results indicate a significantly higher expression level of MUC 1 compared to Her 2 and CK 7, which was not obvious from the conventionally stained tissue sections.
A new laser ablation (LA)-ICP-MS method for single cell and cell nucleus imaging was developed. Therein, iodine was employed as an elemental dye for fibroblast cells and for thin tissue sections. At an incubation time of 60 s, iodine is located mainly within the cell nuclei. This effect was illustrated in fibroblast cells, and iodine signal within the cell nucleus was as high as 5 × 104 cps at 4 µm laser spot size. The surrounding cytoplasm was iodinated as well, but to a lesser extent. The spatial resolution attained was sufficient to detect even smaller cell nuclei within a liver biopsy tissue. Furthermore, iodine was successfully employed for biomolecule labeling and we demonstrated that iodine signal increased with increasing thickness of a palatine tonsil tissue. Thus, the use of iodine as an internal standard to correct for tissue inhomogeneities in LA-ICP-MS was investigated for the simultaneous detection of two tumor markers (Her 2 and CK 7) in breast cancer tissue. Additionally, lanthanide background resulting from glass ablation can be corrected for by Eu standardization.