Filtern
Erscheinungsjahr
Dokumenttyp
- Zeitschriftenartikel (10)
- Beitrag zu einem Tagungsband (4)
- Vortrag (3)
- Posterpräsentation (2)
- Corrigendum (1)
- Forschungsbericht (1)
Schlagworte
- Imaging XPS (4)
- Zentrifugentechnologie (3)
- Centrifuge technology (2)
- Degradation (2)
- Ellipsometry (2)
- Field of View (2)
- Haftfestigkeit (2)
- Härteprüfung (2)
- Impurities (2)
- Lateral resolution (2)
Organisationseinheit der BAM
Eingeladener Vortrag
- nein (3)
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.
Hydrogen economy is a central aspect of future energy supply, as hydrogen can be used as energy storage and fuel. In order tomake water electrolysis efficient, the limiting oxygen evolution reaction (OER) needs to be optimized. Therefore, C-based composite materials containing earth-abundant Fe and Mn were synthesized, characterized and tested in the OER. For pyrolysis temperatures above 700°C N-rich multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) are obtained. Inside the tubes Fe3C particles are formed, Fe and Mn oxides are incorporated in the carbon matrix and metal spinel nanoparticles cover the outer surface. The best catalyst prepared at 800°C achieves a low overpotential of 389 mV (at 10 mA/cm2) and high stability (22.6 h). From electrochemical measurements and characterization it can be concluded that the high activity is mainly provided by MWCNT, Fe3C and the metal oxides in the conductive carbon matrix. The metal spinel nanoparticles in
contrast protect the MWCNT from oxidation and thereby contribute to the high stability.
Low-cost, high-efficient catalysts for water splitting can be potentially fulfilled by developing earthabundant metal oxides. In this work, surface galvanic formation of Co-OH on K0.45MnO2 (KMO) was achieved via the redox reaction of hydrated Co2+ with crystalline Mn4+. The synthesis method takes place at ambient temperature without using any surfactant agent or organic solvent, providing a clean, green route for the design of highly efficient catalysts. The redox reaction resulted in the formation of ultrathin Co-OH nanoflakes with high electrochemical surface area. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the changes in the oxidation state of the bulk and
surface species on the Co-OH nanoflakes supported on the KMO. The effect of the anions, such as chloride, nitrate and sulfate, on the preparation of the catalyst was evaluated by electrochemical and spectrochemical means. XPS and Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) analysis demonstrated that the layer of CoOxHy deposited on the KMO and its electronic structure strongly depend on the anion of the precursor used during the synthesis of the catalyst. In particular, it was found that Cl- favors the formation of Co-OH, changing the rate-determining step of the reaction, which enhances the catalytic activity towards the OER, producing the most active OER catalyst in alkaline media.
Surface self-assembly of spherical nanoparticles of sizes below 10 nm into hierarchical heterostructures is under arising development despite the inherent difficulties of obtaining complex ordering patterns on a larger scale. Due to template-mediated interactions between oil-dispersible superparamagnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and polyethylenimine-stabilized gold nanoparticles (Au(PEI)NPs) at the water–oil interface of microemulsions, complex nanostructured films can be formed. Characterization of the reverse microemulsion phase by UV–vis absorption revealed the formation of heteroclusters from Winsor type II phases (WPII) using Aerosol-OT (AOT) as the surfactant. SAXS measurements verify the mechanism of initial nanoparticle clustering in defined dimensions. XPS suggested an influence of AOT at the MNP surface. Further, cryo-SEM and TEM visualization demonstrated the elongation of the reverse microemulsions into cylindrical, wormlike structures, which subsequently build up larger nanoparticle superstructure arrangements. Such WPII phases are thus proven to be a new form of soft template, mediating the self-assembly of different nanoparticles in hierarchical network-like filaments over a substrate during solvent evaporation.
Small-area/spot photoelectron spectroscopy (SAXPS) is a powerful tool for the investigation of small surface features like microstructures of electronic devices, sensors or other functional surfaces, and so forth. For evaluating the quality of such microstructures, it is often crucial to know whether a small signal in a spectrum is an unwanted contamination of the field of view (FoV), defined by the instrument settings, or it originated from outside. To address this issue, the d80/20 parameter of a line scan across a chemical edge is often used. However, the typical d80/20 parameter does not give information on contributions from the long tails of the X-ray beam intensity distribution or the electron-optical system as defined by apertures. In the VAMAS TWA2 A22 project “Applying planar, patterned, multi-metallic samples to assess the impact of analysis area in surface-chemical analysis,” new test specimen was developed and tested. The here presented testing material consists of a silicon wafer substrate with an Au-film and embedded Cr circular and square spots with decreasing dimensions from 200 μm down to 5 μm. The spot sizes are traceable to the length unit due to size measurements with a metrological SEM. For the evaluation of the FoV, we determined the Au4f intensities measured with the center of the FoV aligned with the center of the spot and normalized to the Au4f intensity determined on the Au-film. With this test specimen, it was possible to characterize, as an example, the FoV of a Kratos AXIS Ultra DLD XPS instrument.
ISO 18516:2019 Surface chemical analysis—Determination of lateral resolution and sharpness in beam-based methods with a range from nanometres to micrometres revises ISO 18516:2006 Surface chemical analysis—Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy—Determination of lateral resolution. It implements three different methods delivering parameters useful to express the lateral resolution: (1) the straight edge method, (2) the narrow line method and (3) the grating method. The theoretical background of these methods is introduced in ISO/TR 19319:2013 Surface chemical analysis—Fundamental approaches to determination of lateral resolution and sharpness in beam-based methods. The revised International Standard ISO 18516 delivers standardized procedures for the determination of the (1) effective lateral resolution by imaging of square-wave gratings, the (2) lateral resolution expressed as the parameter D12–88 characterizing the steepness of the sigmoidal edge spread function (ESF) determined by imaging a straight edge and (3) the lateral resolution expressed as the full width of half maximum of the line spread function (LSF), wLSF, determined by imaging a narrow line. The last method also delivers information on the shape of the LSF, which characterizes an individual imaging instrument. Finally, the implementation of all three standardized methods in the field of imaging laboratory X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is shortly presented. This part of the letter is based on the use of a new test sample developed at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. This test sample displays a micrometre scaled pattern motivated by the resolving power of recent imaging XPS instruments.
In this article, we present a novel one-pot mechanochemical reaction for the surface activation of lignin.
The process involves environmentally friendly oxidation with hydrogen peroxide, depolymerization of fractions with high molecular mass, and introduction of new carbonyl functions into the lignin backbone. Kraft lignin was ground with sodium percarbonate and sodium hydroxide in a ball mill at different time intervals. Analyses by infrared spectroscopy (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), dynamic vapor sorption (DVS), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) showed significant improvements. After only 5 min of reaction, there was a 47% reduction in mass-average molecular weight and an increase in carboxyl functionalities.
Chemical activation resulted in an approximately 2.8-fold increase in water adsorption. Principal component analysis (PCA) provided further insight into the correlations between IR spectra and SAXS parameters
Industrial quality control (QC) nowadays requires the visualization of surface modifications from the macro-scopic to the microscopic or even nanoscopic scale. This is a prerequisite to the evaluation of functionality and reliability, the detection of defects and their separation of artefacts. The diversity of applications ranges from low-E glazings and solar panels, micro- and optoelectronics, micro- and smart devices to sensor-on-chip and lab-on-chip systems [1]. Optical microcopy (light, confocal laser scanning, white light interference) as established QC-tool is operated at normal incidence, i.e. p- and s-polarization are undistinguishable. Either light-intensity in terms of grey scale and colour or intensity-correlated effects of phase shifts are used. In case of ellipsometry, operated at oblique incidence, p- and s-polarization matter, and amplitude ratios and phase shifts upon reflection are measured. Hence, information content must be much higher.
The visualization of surface modifications may be very challenging for coating/substrate systems of either al-most identical optical constants, e.g. transparent films on substrates of the same material, or minor film thick-ness, substance quantity and affected area, e.g. ultra-thin or island films. Ellipsometry gives access to the con-trast of intensity (I), amplitude ratio (Ψ), and phase shift (Δ) with nanometer-scaled vertical and micrometer-scaled lateral sensitivity, one is able to identify tiny changes within an unmodified surface. As both mapping ellipsometry (ME) and imaging ellipsometry (IE) are operated in the optical far-field, surface inspection is also possible on the macroscopic scale. Near the Brewster-angle of the bare, undamaged, clean, and fresh substrate, the contrast to add-on and sub-off features is superior.
Fig. 1 shows three examples of ellipsometric imaging, i.e. a thin SnO:Ni film on SiO2/Si (Fig. 1a), a dried stain of an anti-body solution on cyclo-olefin-polymer (COP) shown in Fig. 1b, and a polyimide film residue on SiO2/Si (Fig. 1c). For all of these examples, ellipsometry provides much better contrast between substrate and surface modification than optical microscopy, sometimes primarily caused by the oblique incidence (Figs. 1a and 1c), in other cases related to the phase sensitivity of ellipsometry (Fig. 1b). Other examples are laser surface modifications and the corrosion of glass. In these cases, optical microscopy and IE yield to similar results, how-ever only ellipsometry gives access to modelling.
Further investigated coating/substrate systems are 100Cr6 steel, native oxide on silicon, borosilicate glass, and the polymer polycarbonate with deposited films of graphene and ta-C:H, printed and dried pattern of liquids such as water, cleaning agents, and dissolved silicone. Besides imaging ellipsometry, referenced spectral ellipsometry (RSE) has been applied, combining the advantages of both optical microscopy (fast measurement) and ellipsometry (high sensitivity to tiny modifications).