Analytische Chemie
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The NWRimage system is the first elemental imaging-specific laser ablation instrument, offering breakthrough sub-micron spatial resolution and ultra-fast signal response for high throughput rates.
Laser ablation (LA) systems are used in conjunction with Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) systems to detect and analyze tiny amounts of material. As ICP-MS systems have become more sensitive, a need has emerged for LA imaging tools with < 1 micron spatial resolution - a capability not previously available on the market. The NWRimage is provided with a carefully designed aerosol path from point of ablation to injection into the ICP itself. This aerosol path combined with a novel Dual Concentric Injector (DCI) ICP torch, yields < 50ms signal response to accelerate the speed of analysis and enabling enhanced sample throughput. The LA system is used for bio imaging of single cells and medical tissue samples.
Recent developments in Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) diagnostics using quantum dots
(2016)
The exceptional photophysical properties and the nanometric dimensions of colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QD) have strongly attracted the bioanalytical community over the last approximately 20 y. In particular, the integration of QDs in the analysis of biological components and interactions, and the related diagnostics using Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), have allowed researchers to significantly improve and diversify fluorescence-based biosensing. In this TRENDS article, we review some recent developments in QD-FRET biosensing that have implemented this technology in electronic consumer products, multiplexed analysis, and detection without light excitation for diagnostic applications. In selected examples of smartphone-based imaging, single- and multistep FRET, steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy, and bio/chemiluminescence detection of QDs used as both FRET donors and acceptors, we highlight the advantages of QD-based FRET biosensing for multiplexed and sensitive diagnostics.
In recent years, elemental imaging of biological samples using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is gaining in importance. Latest improvements regarding spatial resolution (down to 1 µm) and washout time make LA-ICP-MS particularly interesting for single cell analysis.
Many current nanomaterials can serve as contrast agents in cellular or tissue imaging, drug delivery vehicles or therapeutics, whereas others can cause toxic effects. In order to evaluate nano-bio interactions, the number of nanoparticles (NPs) inside cells as well as their localisation within cellular substructures is of particular interest.
LA-ICP-MS was used to study the NP pathway from uptake, via intracellular processing up to cell division. Fibroblast cells were incubated with different metallic NPs under varying experimental conditions. For LA analysis the cells were fixed with formaldehyde and dried.
Our results show that LA-ICP-MS is able to localise NP aggregates within cellular substructures. The NPs accumulate in the perinuclear region in the course of intracellular processing, e.g. multivesicular fusion and endosomal maturation, but do not enter the nucleus [1, 2]. A strong dependence of NP uptake on concentration and incubation time was found. Additionally, the number of NPs internalized by individual cells was determined and variations within the cell population became visible.
A new laser ablation system providing a short washout time (50 ms) together with small spot sizes (< 4 µm) and high repetition rates allows high spatial resolution applications. First results of cell imaging will be shown.
The findings demonstrate the potential of LA-ICP-MS enabling insight into NP uptake and intracellular distribution dependent on experimental parameters.
The laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a fast method to provide multi-elemental analysis of any sample. At the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) the LIBS technique is applied on building materials to measure ingress profiles of harmful species like chloride and alkalis. The ingress depth and the quantitative amount is important for the evaluation of the potential for damage processes like the alkali-silica reaction or chloride-induced corrosion. Concrete as an example is a highly heterogeneous material with 1/7 cement (major component CaO) and 6/7 aggregates (SiO2) with different grain sizes. Due to a scanning procedure a two dimensional element distribution of a concrete surface can be measured. In order to have an automated Separation method to evaluate heterogeneous materials, different cluster algorithm have been tested. Best results have been achieved with the Expectation-Maximization-Algorithm (EM-Algorithm).
Excelling in brevity but lacking in applicability, the 2011 EU nanomaterial definition has become a source of anguish for scientists and industry alike. Repeated pleas and discussions with our own envoy have demonstrated the strength of their resolve: this definition is unlikely to change. Manufacturers of many materials (cosmetics, pigments, foodstuffs, etc.) will have to characterise and label all their products accordingly, a task still impossible for lack of a clear metrological approach towards this goal. Therefore, the onus has fallen on the scientists to come up with a practicable measurement technique allowing inexpensive classification covering large swathes of the material landscape. Small-angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) probes the size range in question, and can - with due care - deliver a bulk-averaged volume-weighted size distribution. Like any other real-world measurement method, however, it is not (and can never be) a universal solution. This presentation will clarify the SAXS technique, provide several application examples for nanomaterial characterisation, and will detail the limitations and pitfalls that accompany its abilities. At the end of this presentation, you will have the information to judge whether the technique is amenable to your materials or not.
Thermoresponsive polymers have shown great potential in applications such as bioseparation, drug delivery and diagnostic. Only few thermoresponsive polymers that present an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) in a relevant temperature range, i.e. phase separate from solution upon cooling, have been reported so far. Moreover, the most studied UCST type polymers namely polybetaines are difficult to use under physiological conditions, which significantly restricts their potential applications. Therefore, UCST polymers with sharp and robust phase transition in physiological conditions (in the presence of salts, ions etc.) are highly needed in order to extend the range of applications of this class of polymers. Herein, a robust UCST-type copolymer of acrylamide (AAm) and acrylonitrile (AN) (poly(AAm-co-AN)) was prepared by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and its thermo-induced aggregation behavior in aqueous media was studied. At temperature below the UCST, the copolymer chains were aggregated together. The aggregate size was found to be larger with increasing AN contents and became smaller upon dilution of the copolymer solutions. While above the UCST, the copolymer chains were expanded and weekly associated in solution. The association between the copolymer chains formed smaller aggregates with increasing the AN contents or the dilution of the solutions. A model is proposed to explain such aggregation-association behavior of the Fig. 1.
Figure 1. Schematic illustration of the proposed thermos-induced aggregation behavior of the poly(AAm-co-AN) in aqueous solution.
Imuno-histochemical staining (IHC) of cancer biomarker on tissue sections is one of the most important analytical techniques for cancer diagnosis although standardization and quality management is tedious and differ significantly from clinic to clinic. Combining established IHC staining strategies with modern quantitative methods would increase it`s potential. We used element mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and a new ink-jet printed internal standardization approach in combination with IHC staining. The printing strategy was utilized to improve elemental image resolution and reproducibility of paraffin embedded breast cancer tissue sections in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) after conventional IHC staining as a model system to investigate the new capabilities of this technique.
Imuno-histochemical staining (IHC) of cancer biomarker on tissue sections is one of the most important analytical techniques for cancer diagnosis although standardization and quality management is tedious and differ significantly from clinic to clinic. Combining established IHC staining strategies with modern quantitative methods would increase it`s potential. We used element mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and a new ink-jet printed internal standardization approach in combination with IHC staining. The printing strategy was utilized to improve elemental image resolution and reproducibility of paraffin embedded breast cancer tissue sections in laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) after conventional IHC staining as a model system to investigate the new capabilities of this technique.
Molecular self-assembly primarily occurs in solution. To better understand this process, techniques capable of probing the solvated state are consequently required. Smallangle scattering (SAS) has a proven ability to detect and characterize solutions, but it is rarely applied to more complex assembly shapes. Here, small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering are applied to observe toroidal assemblies in solution. Combined analysis confirms that the toroids have a core–shell structure, with a p-conjugated core and an alkyl shell into which solvent penetrates. The dimensions determined by SAS agree well with those obtained by (dried-state) atomic force microscopy. Increasing the number of naphthalene units in the molecular building block yields greater rigidity, as evidenced by a larger toroid and a reduction in solvent penetration into the shell. The detailed structural analysis demonstrates the applicability of SAS to monitor complex solution-based selfassembly.
This lecture is an introduction to ICP-MS with a double focusing magnetic sector mass analyzer. It offers fundamental background, a thorough discussion of analytical features, and state of the art information on applications. Different types of double focusing instruments also are considered. Specific topics include fundamental aspects of ICP-MS (physical properties of a double focusing instrument, operational characteristics in comparison with quadrupole instruments); analytical characteristics (spectral and non-spectral interferences, figures of merit in low and high resolution modes, blanks and memory effects, HPLC and GC interfaces), and applications (industrial including ultra-pure reagents and alloys, environmental, geological, and biomedical materials).
In recent years, upconversion nanocrystals (UCNC) have shown great promise for biological and medical applications, mainly because of their excitation in the NIR region, which provides minimum fluorescence background and a rather deep penetration into biological samples, as opposed to excitation in the visible or UV region. Moreover, they show a multitude of characteristic narrow emission bands as basis for ratiometric measurements. Commonly, Yb is the sensitizer of choice, because of a comparatively high absorption cross section, simple energy scheme, and rather efficient energy transfer to the activator, mostly Er, Tm or Ho. A main disadvantage of the use of Yb as sensitizer for biological and medical applications is its absorption band at 976 nm and hence the use of an excitation wavelength at which water has a non-negligible absorption. This can lead to significant sample heating, especially at long illumination times or high excitation power densities, and thus, tissue damage or even cell death. A possible solution is the tri-doping of UCNC with Nd as sensitizer, which can be excited efficiently at around 800 nm, where water absorption is at minimum.
The use of Nd as a sensitizer and Yb as a bridge between Nd and the activator Er in NaYF₄ nanocrystals is a relatively new way to overcome the problems of heating of samples in an aqueous environment. Disadvantages can arise from the tri-doping, which can favor non-radiative relaxation due to the more complicated excitation process compared to e.g., simple Yb,Er-doped UCNC, which might lower the upconversion quantum yields in these tri-doped systems. In order to quantify clear advantages, NaYF₄:Yb,Er,Nd nanoparticles were synthesized and spectroscopically studied using an 8 W 804 nm laser diode and a custom-designed Edinburgh instruments FSP980 spectrometer. Wavelength-dependent studies of the emission intensities and the decay kinetics of these tri-doped UCNC at different excitation power densities and excitation pulse widths revealed the clear advantages of preventing water absorption on measurable luminescence signals.
We were able to show the influence of pulse width and excitation power density on the luminescence intensities and decay kinetics lifetimes at different emission wavelengths. Additionally, we can clearly discern power density-dependent and independent peaks in the emission spectra. In summary, we demonstrate that the tri-doping of NaYF₄:Yb,Er,Nd nanoparticles is a very promising approach to render UCNC more efficient and to make them better suitable for biological and medical applications requiring measurements in aqueous environment.
The presentation gave an overview of the topic, the aims and the task allocation of the M-ERA.NET founded project named “Nanohype”.
In this project four research teams working hand in hand on computational modeling, synthesis and experimental validation to design novel metal-shelled Upconversion-NP combining plasmonic interactions.
As Ph.D. student at the BAM I am responsible for the optical characterization (measurements of lifetimes, Quantum Yields and PL emissions ) of these promising novel systems.
Multifunctional composite nanoprobes consisting of iron oxide nanoparticles linked to silver and gold nanoparticles, Ag–Magnetite and Au–Magnetite, respectively, were introduced by endocytic uptake into cultured fibroblast cells. The cells containing the non-toxic nanoprobes were shown to be displaceable in an external magnetic field and can be manipulated in microfluidic channels. The distribution of the composite nanostructures that are contained in the endosomal system is discussed on the basis of surfaceenhanced Raman scattering (SERS) mapping, quantitative laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) micromapping, and cryo soft X-ray tomography (cryo soft-XRT). Cryo soft-XRT of intact, vitrified cells reveals that the composite nanoprobes form intra-endosomal aggregates. The nanoprobes provide SERS signals from the biomolecular composition of their surface in the endosomal environment. The SERS data indicate the high stability of the nanoprobes and of their plasmonic properties in the harsh environment of endosomes and lysosomes. The spectra point at the molecular composition at the surface of the Ag–Magnetite and Au–Magnetite nanostructures that is very similar to that of other Composite structures, but different from the composition of pure silver and gold SERS nanoprobes used for intracellular investigations. As shown by the LA-ICP-MS data, the uptake efficiency of the magnetite composites is approximately two to three times higher than that of the pure gold and silver nanoparticles.
Analytical methods require efficient and versatile strategies to measure an increasing number of analytes that can be used in conjunction with established platforms like flow cytometry. Spectral multiplexing suffers from problems such as spectral crosstalk and often requires different excitation light sources increasing instrumentation costs. Thus, the number of distinguishable reporters with intensity-based barcodes is limited. An alternative can be lifetime encoding for discrimination of fluorophores based on their fluorescence decay kinetics.
We report on the suitability of µm-sized polymer particles stained with organic dyes for lifetime encoding. These dyes are excitable at a standard laser diode wavelength and detectable within a single spectral window. For lifetime-based discrimination, these dyes display sufficiently different luminescence decay kinetics. We present the spectroscopic properties of these beads and address challenges like the limited number of detectable photons in a flow for the reliable discrimination. These studies are expected to pave the road to new applications of fluorescence lifetime multiplexing for time-domain flow cytometry.
The steadily increasing number of analytes, especially in bioanalytics and environmental contexts, requires the development of efficient and versatile methods for the simultaneous determination of different parameters within a single run. Additionally, these methods should be applicable in conjunction with established platform technologies like flow cytometry.
Fluorescence techniques have proven to fulfill these requirements. Commonly performed spectral multiplexing utilizing a color code suffers from several problems, such as the sensitivity of fluorescence intensity measurements to fluctuations in excitation light intensity and dye concentration and hence, photobleaching and spectral crosstalk limiting the achievable number of detection channels. Moreover, it typically requires different costly excitation light sources.
Real time monitoring of chemical reactions has become a key step in industrial processes due to constantly increasing demands on product performance and environmental compatibility. In contrast to spectroscopic methods that usually require sample pretreatment, mass spectrometry (MS) has been proven as a robust method for multicomponent analysis. As an especially demanding reaction process, we here report successfully on the entirely contactless conduction and interrogation of a chemical reaction inside an acoustically levitated microliter droplet of reaction mixture. The approach represents a proof of concept study for fast reaction optimization approaches with minimal resource consumption. The sampling is done by repeated laser desorption of small fractions of the droplets volume spread over the timescale of the reaction process.
The upscaling from small scale academic reactors to large industrial processes typically suffers from a large change in surface-to-volume ratio. A promising approach is the general avoidance of surfaces as in levitated droplet techniques. However, up to now, no mass spectrometric interface for online reaction monitoring in levitated droplets has been provided.
As model reaction the photoinitiated thiol-ene coupling between N-boc cysteine methyl ester and allyl alcohol was studied. A droplet of 5 µL reactand solution was provisioned into an acoustic trap aligned lateral to the MS inlet. Contactless sampling by laser ablation (LA) is followed by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) postionization. The latter is needed to address non polar reaction partners.
Safety assessment of nanoparticles (NPs) requires techniques that are suitable to quantify tissue and cellular uptake of NPs. The most commonly applied techniques for this purpose are based on inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Here we apply and compare three different ICP-MS methods to investigate the cellular uptake of TiO2 (diameter 7 or 20 nm, respectively) and Ag (diameter 50 or 75 nm, respectively) NPs into differentiated mouse neuroblastoma cells (Neuro-2a cells). Cells were incubated with different amounts of the NPs. Thereafter they were either directly analyzed by laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) or were lysed and lysates were analyzed by ICP-MS and by single particle ICP-MS (SP-ICP-MS).
Elemental imaging of biological samples (bio-imaging) using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) provides spatially resolved information on element distribution (qualitative and quantitative) in thin sections of biological samples. By rastering with a laser across the sample, a two-dimensional image of the elemental distribution can be reconstructed that shows the relative intensities of the respective elements. However the method is hampered by a lack of internal standards and quantification concepts, which will be discussed in this lecture in more detail.
In liquid analysis the internal standard is used for drift correction and calibration and thus it is required that the standard should have similar physical and chemical properties similar to the analyte element during the pneumatic nebulization process, the transport, ionization and transmission into the ICP-MS. In laser ablation it should correct additionally for differences in the ablation process by laser instabilities or changes of sample properties to compensate variations or drift effects during the LA process.
The dynamics at the interface between a close-packed porphyrin monolayer and Au(111) is investigated by time-dependent scanning tunneling microscopy, detecting the motion of single-interface adatoms in real space. Imaging sequences reveal predominant switching of the molecular appearance in adjacent molecules, pointing to a spatial correlation that is consistent with adatom diffusion from one molecule to the next. In some cases, the number of switching molecules is drastically increased, indicating collective switching events. In addition to the thermally induced motion of adatoms at the interface, also voltage pulses from the microscope tip can induce the process—revealing different yields in agreement with the model of adatom hopping.
As groundwork for thickness determination of polymeric surface protection systems for concrete, we present a method for measuring the thickness of isolated semitransparent solids using pulse thermography both in Transmission and reflection geometry. Since standard models do not capture semitransparency, an advanced analytical model by Salazar et al. is applied. Physical material parameters are deduced by fitting experimental data from samples of well-known
thickness. Using those, the thickness of samples of the material can be obtained by fitting, as demonstrated for different semitransparent polymer materials.
Long-term completely embedded sensor systems offer innovative possibilities for structural health monitoring of concrete structures. Measuring of relevant parameters, e.g., temperature, humidity, or indication of corrosion can be performed with low energy sensors. This allows to implement passive RFID sensor systems without cable connection and battery, which are power supplied exclusively by the electromagnetic field from the external reader device. To evaluate characteristics and conditions of this concept, a systematical investigation of the transmission characteristics with variation of relevant parameters, as communication frequency, installation depth, type of concrete, moisture content, etc. is currently carried out in an interdisciplinary research project at BAM. First results are presented in this paper.
Long-term completely embedded sensor systems offer innovative possibilities for structural health Monitoring of concrete structures. Measuring of relevant parameters, e.g., temperature, humidity, or indication of corrosion can be performed with low energy sensors.
This allows to implement passive RFID sensor systems without cable connection and battery, which are power supplied exclusively by the electromagnetic field from the external Reader device. To evaluate characteristics and conditions of this concept, a systematical Investigation of the transmission characteristics with variation of relevant parameters, as communication frequency, installation depth, type of concrete, moisture content, etc. is currently carried out in an interdisciplinary research project at BAM. First results are presented in this paper.
Fiber optic sensors have gained increasing importance in recent years and are well established in many areas of industrial applications. In this paper, we introduce a concept of a self-diagnostic fiber optic sensor. The presented sensor is to resolve the problems of embedded fiber optic sensors in complex structures and to enable the validation under operational conditions. For this purpose, different magnetostrictive coated fiber optic sensors were developed and various experiments were performed to verify their mode of Operation and to determine the respective reproducibility. The measuring principle is illustrated by obtained experimental results, which showed a change in wavelength from 1 pm at a magnetic field strength change of 0.25 mT.
In addition, the temperature characteristics of the implemented magnetostrictive sensor were analyzed and an experimental factor of 1.5 compared to a reference fiber optic sensor was determined.
In respect of modern approaches in material sciences and highly increased requirements on materials on safety relevant components, quality management and non-destructive testing reclaims a steadily increased meaning. The destructive meaning of measuring the degree of purity is defined in DIN EN 10247 through metallurgical investigations, especially microsections. For and comparable, but non-destructive testing due ultrasonic testing, the material the SEP 1927 is a well-defined industry standard. A novel and alternative way of reference block construction was focused by this work. The proposed amendments, regarding the manufactoring and machining, are less time and cost consuming. Verified by measurements the presented reference block fits the same acoustical characteristics and the requirements of the guideline.
In respect of modern approaches in material sciences and highly increased
requirements on materials on safety relevant components, quality management
and non-destructive testing reclaims a steadily increased meaning. The
destructive meaning of measuring the degree of purity is defined in DIN EN 10247
through metallurgical investigations, especially microsections.
For and comparable, but non-destructive testing due ultrasonic testing, the material
the SEP 1927 is a well-defined industry standard. A novel and alternative way
of reference block construction was focused by this work. The proposed amendments,
regarding the manufacturing and machining, are less time and cost consuming.
Verified by measurements the presented reference block fits the same acoustical
characteristics and the requirements of the guideline.
Research on carbohydrate based interactions with proteins, nucleic acids or antibodies has gained increased interest in the last years especially in clinical diagnosis or drug development. The efficiency of diagnostic interfaces depends upon the number of probe molecules, e.g. carbohydrates. The control of surface parameters as density and distribution of immobilized carbohydrates is essential for a reliable interaction with protein analytes. A controlled production of biomolecular interfaces can be reached by a stepwise quality control during buildup of these biointerfaces.
Here, ß-amino-cyclodextrin molecules were attached to amine-reactive silicon oxide surfaces via click chemistry to construct a model biosensor surface. The amount of surface bound carbohydrates was determined indirectly after chemical derivatization with 4-(trifluoromethyl)-benzylamine (TFMBA). Moreover, these surfaces were used to form host-guest complexes of ferrocene (guest) and β-cyclodextrin (host) moieties to mimic the target binding (sensing) of the model biosensor. Surface chemical analysis of all steps during biosensor construction was performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS). Our approach widens the possibilities to generate switchable surfaces based on ß-Cyclodextrin surfaces for biosensor applications.
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).
Photoluminescence techniques are amongst the most widely used tools in the material and life sciences, with new and exciting applications continuously emerging, due to their many advantages like comparative ease of use, unique sensitivity, non-invasive character, and potential for multiplexing, remote sensing, and miniaturization. Drawbacks are , however, signals, that contain unwanted wavelength- and polarization contributions from instrument-dependent effects, which are time-dependent due to the aging of instrument components, and difficulties to measure absolute fluorescence intensities. Thus, there is a considerable need for standards for intensity, spectral, and temporal fluorescence quantities to meet the increasing need for instrument performance validation and global trends to harmonize physicochemical measurements. In this respect, instrument calibration strategies together with different types of fluorescence standards are presented as well as design concepts for robust, easy-to-use, and format-adaptable fluorescence standards useable for the determination of different fluorescence parameters and a broad variety of fluorescence techniques.
Biological systems exhibit a very high complexity, because they consist of various cell populations showing heterogenic characteristics. Therefore the individual analysis of single cells is important to understand cellular processes as well as their function in a cell system. Especially investigation in the question about what is biological variability and what is a substantial difference between two cells of the same type (which might lead to dysfunction or disease) is of high interest. Today improved spatial and temporal resolution enable the use of laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for element microscopy of single cells. Next to the characterization of natural trace elements the introduction of artificial metal labels into cells is of high interest. Element labeling of cell compartments and/or proteins allows its simultaneous analysis and localization within a cell via element microscopy. Two fast and simple metal staining procedures of adherent cells for identification of single cells via LA-ICP-MS at sub micrometer resolution are presented. An Iridium-intercalator is utilized to stain the cell nuclei whereas the whole cell is stained by maleimido-mono-amide-DOTA-complexes (mDOTA) loaded with lanthanide(III) isotope ions. The metal staining procedures allow the visualization of single cells by element microscopy independent of a superposition of analyte’s 2D element intensity profile with a prior taken bright field image of the sample.
Arteriosclerosis with its clinical sequelae (cardiac infarction, stroke, peripheral arterial occlusive disease) and vascular/Alzheimer dementia not only result in far more than half of all deaths but also represent dramatic economic problems. The reason is, among others, that diabetes mellitus is an independent risk factor for both disorders, and the number of diabetics strongly increases worldwide. More than one-half of infants in the first 6 months of life have already small collections of macrophages and macrophages filled with lipid droplets in susceptible segments of the coronary arteries. On the other hand, the authors of the Bogalusa Heart Study found a strong increase in the prevalence of obesity in childhood that is paralleled by an increase in blood pressure, blood lipid concentration, and type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Thus, there is a clear linkage between arteriosclerosis/Alzheimer's disease on the one hand and diabetes mellitus on the other hand. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that distinct apoE isoforms on the blood lipids further both arteriosclerotic and Alzheimer nanoplaque formation and therefore impair flow-mediated vascular reactivity as well. Nanoplaque build-up seems to be the starting point for arteriosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease in their later full clinical manifestation.
In earlier work, we could portray the anionic biopolyelectrolytes syndecan/perlecan as blood flow sensors and lipoprotein receptors in cell membrane and vascular matrix. We described extensively molecular composition, conformation, form and function of the macromolecule heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HS-PG). In two supplementary experimental settings (ellipsometry, myography),we utilized isolated HS-PG for in vitro nanoplaque investigations and isolated human coronary artery segments for in vivo tension measurements.
With the ellipsometry-based approach, we were successful in establishing a direct connection on a molecular level between diabetes mellitus on the one side and arteriosclerosis/Alzheimer's disease on the other side. Application of glucose at a concentration representative for diabetics and leading to glycation of proteins and lipids, entailed a significant increase in arteriosclerotic and Alzheimer nanoplaque formation. IDLapoE4/E4 was by far superior to IDLapoE3/E3 in Plaque build-up, both in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Recording vascular tension of flow-dependent reactivity in blood substitute solution and under application of different IDLapoE isoforms showed an impaired vasorelaxation for pooled IDL and IDLapoE4/E4, thus confirming the ellipsometric investigations. Incubation in IDLapoE0/E0 (apoE “knockout man”), however, resulted in a massive flowmediated contraction, also complemented by strongly aggregated nanoplaques.
In contrast, HDL was shown to present a powerful protection against nanoplaque formation on principle, both in the in vitro model and the in vivo scenario on the endothelial cell membrane. The competitive interplay with LDL is highlighted through the flow experiment, where flow-mediated, HDL-induced vasodilatation remains untouched by additional incubation with LDL. This is due to the four times higher affinity for the proteoglycan receptor of HDL as compared to LDL.
Taken together, the studies demonstrate that while simplistic, the ellipsometry approach and the endothelialmimicking proteoglycan-modified surfaces provide information on the initial steps of lipoprotein-related Plaque formation, which correlates with findings on endothelial cells and blood vessels, and afford insight into the role of lipoprotein deposition and Exchange phenomena at the onset of these pathophysiologies.
Triphenylamines (TPAs), boron dipyrromethenes (BODIPYs) and fullerenes C60 are excellent building blocks for the design of artificial photosynthetic systems. In the present work, we report the synthesis, characterization and detailed photophysical studies of a novel (TPA)2–BODIPY–C60 tetrad in polar and nonpolar solvents. The absorption spectrum of this compound covered virtually the entire visible Region (350–700 nm) and could be interpreted as a superposition of the spectra of individual components.
Upon TPA-part excitation, a fast and very efficient excitation energy transfer (EET) delivers the excitation to the BODIPY moiety resulting in complete quenching of the TPA first excited singlet state as well as the appearance of the BODIPY fluorescence. The efficiency of EET process was estimated to be 1. Direct or indirect (via EET) excitation of the BODIPY-part of the tetrad is followed by photoinduced charge transfer to the charge-separated state BODIPY+–C60- irrespective of the solvent used. In polar N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)charge recombination occurs directly to the ground state with the Charge recombination rate, kCR, slower than 108 s-1, whereas in nonpolar toluene (TOL) a small energy gap between the charge-separated state and first excited singlet state of the BODIPY moiety facilitates the back charge transfer process. The latter results in the appearance of thermally activated delayed fluorescence. The rate of charge separation was found to be ca. 2 times faster in TOL than in DMF.
Die Auswirkung des Prüfrasters nach der DGZfP Richtlinie US 07:2014 auf die Auffindwahrscheinlichkeit von Reflektoren wird untersucht. Hierzu werden Simulationsrechnungen durchgeführt, mit dem Ziel, die Abhängigkeit der Unterbewertung von Größe und Tiefenlage von Reflektoren in Bezug auf das Prüfraster zu ermitteln und experimentell zu überprüfen. In zwei Simulationsreihen wird der Einfluss des Prüfrasters auf die Suche von Anzeigen und auf die Bewertung von Anzeigen ermittelt und bewertet. Auf Basis der Simulationsrechnungen wird eine POD-Analyse mit dem Ziel durchgeführt, die Auffindwahrscheinlichkeit von Reflektoren in Bezug zur Rastergüte Rn zu setzten und die Nachweisgrenze zu ermitteln.
Gas sensors are an important tool in various areas for example in industrial process control as well as Gas sensors are an important tool in various areas for example in industrial process control as well as safety applications or in research. A useful gas detector should be selective, precise, stable and cost-effective. In the present research a surface based gas detection technique is investigated using the SPR effect with ellipsometric readout. This technique is called surface plasmon resonance enhanced ellipsometry (SPREE).
The sensor consists of a gold layer (40 nm) top-coated with a doped metal-oxide (M:SnOₓ,
5 nm). The coating is added by magnetron sputtering with doped targets with different doping concentrations. It could be shown that, without the top-coating, these type of sensors can detect various gases, e.g. CO, H2, O2, O3, He, N2, with sensitivities down to the ppm range (in air).
The goal of the present study is to characterize the additional coating materials in dependence of the coating conditions. With the help of the doped-metal oxide, the sensitivity increases dramatically by a factor of 100. Additionally, a selectivity for specific gases is observed which depends on the doping conditions of the coating. Changing the properties of the plasma coating process and the doping metal gives access to a variety of different layers and enables us to find the best conditions.
Most VVOC were rarely considered in the evaluation of construction products. (Salthammer, 2014) In Germany this will change because the latest version of the German AgBB scheme for health evaluation (2015) now include VVOC, e.g. ethyl acetate and ethanol. In this study selected compounds were tested with the procedure described in ISO 16017 and a method for measuring VVOC with thermal desorption was developed.
Three different adsorbents Tenax TA, Carbograph 5TD and Carbopack X were tested to analyse VVOC according to ISO 16017. For the tested VVOC, Carbograph 5TD showed the best results under the chosen analytical conditions.
A new concept that comprises both time- and lateral-resolved X-ray absorption fine-structure information simultaneously in a single shot is presented. This uncomplicated set-up was tested at the BAMline at BESSY-II (Berlin, Germany). The primary broadband beam was generated by a double multilayer monochromator. The transmitted beam through the sample is diffracted by a convexly bent Si (111) crystal, producing a divergent beam. This, in turn, is collected by either an energy-sensitive area detector, the so-called color X-ray camera, or by an area-sensitive detector based on a CCD camera, in θ-2θ geometry. The first tests were performed with thin metal foils and some iron oxide mixtures. A time resolution of lower than 1 s together with a spatial resolution in one dimension of at least 50 µm is achieved.
The conventional quantitative method for the analysis of inorganic elements in polymer matrices is a complex and time consuming process that presents a significant risk for error. Typically, polymers are digested in a microwave oven or other devices under high temperature and pressure for several hours while employing different mixtures of high purity acids. In many cases, particularly when high concentrations of doped elements are present, the digestion is often incomplete and therefore the reproducibility depends strongly on the type of polymer and additives used. A promising alternative technology that allows for the direct analysis of these polymers without digestion is laser ablation ICP-MS. Due to a lack of available reference materials and the presence of matrix dependent effects, a precise calibration cannot be obtained. In order to compensate for the matrix dependent effects the use of internal standardization is necessary. In this study the correlation between the carbon released during the ablation process and the 13C signal detected by ICP-MS and its use as an internal standard are investigated. For this purpose, twenty-one virgin polymer materials are ablated; the released carbon is determined and correlated with the corresponding integrated 13C signal. The correlation resulted in a direct relationship between the ablated carbon and 13C signal demonstrating the potential ability to neglect at least some of the matrix dependent and transport effects which occur during the laser ablation of virgin polymers.
Permeability estimation from spectral induced polarization (SIP) measurements is based on a fundamental premise that the characteristic relaxation time (t) is related to the effective hydraulic radius (reff) controlling fluid flow. The approach requires a reliable estimate of the diffusion coefficient of the ions in the electrical double layer. Others have assumed a value for the diffusion coefficient, or postulated different values for clay versus clay-free rocks. We examine the link between t and reff for an extensive database of sandstone sampleswhere mercury porosimetry data confirm that reff is reliably determined from a modification of the Hagen-Poiseuille equation assuming that the electrical tortuosity is equal to the hydraulic tortuosity. Our database does not support the existence of 1 or 2 distinct representative diffusion coefficients but instead demonstrates strong evidence for 6 orders of magnitude of variation in an apparent diffusion coefficient that is well correlated with both reff and the specific surface area per unit pore volume (Spor). Two scenarios can explain our findings: (1) the length-scale defined by t is not equal to reff and is likely much longer due to the control of pore surface roughness; (2) the range of diffusion coefficients is large and likely determined by the relative proportions of the different minerals (e.g. silica, clays) making up the rock. In either case, the estimation of reff (and hence permeability) is inherently uncertain from SIP relaxation time.
Zur Bestimmung des Feuchtezustands und insbesondere der Belegereife von Estrichfußböden kommen in Deutschland zerstörende Prüfverfahren zum Einsatz, die eine punktuelle Probenahme erfordern. Hierbei ergeben sich immer wieder Fehlinterpretationen, da zum einen die Probenahme selbst zu einer Veränderung des Feuchtezustands führt und zum anderen, weil die Verfahren an sich mitunter ungenau sind (z.B. abhängig von der Estrichzusammensetzung). Zusammen mit vier Forschungsinstituten und dem Industriepartner Bosch wurden an der BAM zerstörungsfreie Prüfverfahren auf deren Tauglichkeit zur Estrichfeuchtemessung untersucht und mit den herkömmlichen zerstörenden Verfahren verglichen.
Für diesen Versuch kamen verschiedene geophysikalische Verfahren zum Einsatz, darunter Nuklear Magnetische Resonanz (NMR), elektrische Widerstandsmessungen und Impulsradar (GPR). Es wurden neun verschiedene Estrichsorten hergestellt und während der Trocknungsphase bei Konstant-Normklima gelagert. Diese wurden sowohl zerstörend als auch zerstörungsfrei mit den o. g. Verfahren untersucht. Gleichzeitig wurden die Masseänderungen der Proben zur Bestimmung des integralen Feuchtehalts aufgezeichnet.
Die Ergebnisse zeigen zum einen, dass das Abtrocknungsverhalten von zementgebundenen Estrichen grundsätzlich unterschiedlich von dem anhydritgebundener Estriche ist. Während sich bei ersteren zügig ein deutlicher Feuchtegradient über die Höhe der Proben einstellt, verläuft dieser bei der zweiten Probengruppe sehr flach. Dies lässt sich vor allem in den NMR Daten räumlich hochaufgelöst nachvollziehen - die Datenakquise erfolgte mit einer NMR MOUSE PM 25. Ein ähnliches Bild ergibt sich auch aus den elektrischen Widerstandsmessungen, die mittels sog. Multi-Ring-Elektroden (MRE) durchgeführt wurden. MRE bezeichnen als Vertikalprofil angeordnete Ringelektroden mit einem Abstand von ca. 1-2 mm, zwischen denen jeweils Zwei-Punkt Widerstandsmessungen durchgeführt werden. Bei sehr geringen Feuchtegehalten (z.T. auch um die Belegereife) waren mit dieser Methode jedoch wegen der zu hohen Übergangswiderstände nur bedingt Messungen möglich. Im Gegensatz zu NMR und MRE sind mit dem Radarverfahren (2 GHz Antenne) keine tiefenbezogenen Aussagen möglich. Jedoch lässt sich über eine Amplitudenauswertung von direkter und an der Rückwand reflektierter Welle teilweise eine Aussage über Restfeuchtigkeit im Volumen treffen. Ebenso zeigt die Laufzeitdifferenz der beiden Wellen eine starke Abhängigkeit vom Feuchtegehalt.
In Germany there is an existing built infrastructure worth about 50 trillion Euros. The expected lifetimes of individual structures are up to 100 years. Considerable costs (annually about 35 billion Euros, the trend continues upwards) are involved in order to maintain and rehabilitate both residential as well as transportation infrastructure buildings. Most damages we observe on our built infrastructure are moisture-induced processes. Consequently reliable moisture measurement tools a highly needed for meaningful building diagnosis investigations. The optimal moisture measuring technique would be non-destructive, fast, repeatable, reliable, independent of steel in the vicinity, the surface condition or possible salt loads of the material under test. Since this is unfortunately not the case for any non-destructive method, it is often very difficult to decide for users which method to use for the particular testing problem. The only standardized methods in Germany are the “direct” and destructive Darr- and the CM tests. Although they can be highly accurate (when handled with care during the sampling), they deliver only punctual information and cannot be used for monitoring. The other, non-destructive methods are based on the change in humidity-dependent physical material properties. The underlying physics, their particular advantages and disadvantages are discussed in this paper.
Polyesters of bisphenol-A, bisphenol-P, catechol, and sebacic acid are prepared and different synthetic methods are compared. The diphenols are condensed with sebacoyl chloride either in dichloromethane/pyridine or in refl uxing chlorobenzene without HCl-acceptor. Further- more, bisphenol-A acetate is polycondensed with sebacic acid in bulk. All experiments are worked up so that fractionation is avoided. The extent of cyclization is estimated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) and the molar mass distribution by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Polycondensations in solution yield larger fractions of cyclics and higher dispersities (up to 11). Polycondensations in bulk give lower fractions of cycles and dispersities from 4.6 to 6.3 for high molar mass polyesters or 2.8 to 3.5 for low molar mass products. Characteristic curves describing the dependence of the dispersity on the initial monomer concentration are elaborated.
The optical properties of semiconductor nanocrystals (SC NCs) are largely controlled by their size and surface chemistry, i.e., the chemical composition and thickness of inorganic passivation shells and the chemical nature and number of surface ligands as well as the strength of their bonds to surface atoms.
The latter is particularly important for CdTe NCs, which – together with alloyed CdₓHg₁₋ₓTe – are the only SC NCs that can be prepared in water in high quality without the need for an additional inorganic passivation shell. Aiming at a better understanding of the role of stabilizing ligands for the control of the application-relevant fluorescence features of SC NCs, we assessed the influence of two of the most commonly used monodentate thiol ligands, thioglycolic acid (TGA) and mercaptopropionic acid (MPA),
on the colloidal stability, photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY), and PL decay behavior of a set of CdTe NC colloids. As an indirect measure for the strength of the coordinative bond of the ligands to SC NC surface atoms, the influence of the pH (pD) and the concentration on the PL properties of these colloids was examined in water and D₂O and compared to the results from previous dilution studies with a set of thiol-capped Cd₁₋ₓHgₓTe SC NCs in D₂O. As a prerequisite for these studies, the number of surface ligands was determined photometrically at different steps of purification after SC NC synthesis with Ellman’s test.
Our results demonstrate ligand control of the pH-dependent PL of these SC NCs, with MPA-stabilized CdTe NCs being less prone to luminescence quenching than TGA-capped ones. For both types of CdTe colloids, ligand desorption is more pronounced in H₂O compared to D₂O, underlining also the role of hydrogen bonding and solvent molecules.
Three types of hybrid modified magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles, functionalized with either chitosan, chitosan/iron (II) oxalate or chitosan/iron (III) citrate, were synthesized by chemical precipitation method.
The obtained nanomaterials were characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, scanning and Transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry. The prepared composites were further tested as magnetic catalysts for the removal of bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous media. The kinetic Degradation experiments were performed at laboratory scale, while the best operational parameters for all three materials were established: 1.00 g L⁻¹ of catalyst, 10 mmol L⁻¹ H₂O₂, under simulated solar light irradiation.
After 15 min of UVA irradiation under the experimental conditions mentioned above, it was possible to decompose up to 99% of the micropollutant over all catalysts. Fe₃O₄/chitosan/iron oxalate catalyst showed the highest and fastest catalytic activity in BPA removal. Catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of non-biodegradable micropollutants on such iron-based hybrid nanoparticles can be a suitable pre-treatment method for wastewater decontamination, as an environment-friendly simplified Approach for water clean-up.
Fungal secondary metabolites such as phomopsin A (PHO-A) produced by the fungus Diaporthe toxica are referred to as “emerging” mycotoxins. Recently, we developed a biosynthetic approach to gain access to 15N-isotopically labelled PHO-A as internal standard (IS) for PHO-A matrix independent quantification of PHO-A in various commodities. Aim of the present work was to elucidate the applicability of the new IS for accurate quantification and to investigate the phomopsin formation on various legume seeds as well as plant material. In summary, the applicability of the SIDA-HPLC-MS/MS method could be proven and the potential of D. toxica to produce high amounts of phomopsins under unfavorable conditions on lupins and other legume seeds could be shown. Moreover, a novel toxic methylated PHO-A derivative was unveiled in natural samples infested with D. toxica.
Neue Trends & Alte Probleme: Das Leguminosenmykotoxin Phomopsin A in einer "worst case"-Betrachtung
(2016)
Leguminosen wie z.B. Bohnen, Erbsen, Soja und zunehmend auch die Samen der Süßlupine liefern aufgrund ihres hohen Proteingehaltes einen wertvollen Beitrag zu einer veganen oder vegetarischen Ernährung. Jedoch sind Lupinen anfällig für Infektionen mit dem Pilz Diaporthe toxica, der u.a. Phomopsin A als hepatotoxischen Sekundärmetaboliten bildet. Ziel der Arbeiten waren die Gewinnung und Anwendung eines 15N-isotopenmarkierten internen Standards für die HPLC-MS/MS-Analyse dieses Toxins sowie die Quantifizierung der Toxinbildung in einem „worst case“-Szenario.
Leguminosen wie z.B. Bohnen, Erbsen, Soja und zunehmend auch die Samen der Süßlupine liefern aufgrund ihres hohen Proteingehaltes einen wertvollen Beitrag zu einer veganen oder vegetarischen Ernährung. Jedoch sind Lupinen anfällig für Infektionen mit dem Pilz Diaporthe toxica, der u.a. Phomopsin A als hepatotoxischen Sekundärmetaboliten bildet. Ziel der Arbeiten waren die Gewinnung und Anwendung eines 15N-isotopenmarkierten internen Standards für die HPLC-MS/MS-Analyse dieses Toxins sowie die Quantifizierung der Toxinbildung in einem „worst case“-Szenario.
Test strips that in combination with a portable fluorescence reader or digital camera can rapidly and selectively detect chemical warfare agents (CWAs) such as Tabun (GA), Sarin (GB), and Soman (GD) and their simulants in the gas phase have been developed. The strips contain spots of a hybrid indicator material consisting of a fluorescent BODIPY indicator covalently anchored into the channels of mesoporous SBA silica microparticles. The fluorescence quenching response allows the sensitive detection of CWAs in the μg m−3 range in a few seconds.
The surface chemistry / functionalization of nanomaterials and microparticles largely controls the stability of these materials as well as their solubility and subsequent biofunctionalization and their interactions with biological systems. Moreover, in the case of some nanomaterials like semiconductor quantum dots or lanthanide-based upconversion nanocrystals, the ligand shell strongly affects their optical properties, e.g., via passivation of surface states and traps that favor luminescence quenching or the protection of surface atoms from quenching water molecules. This renders analytical methods for the quantification of surface groups like functionalities very important. Targets of broad interest are here amino, carboxyl, alkine and maleimide groups used for common bioconjugation reactions and typical ligands like thiols and polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules of varying length, used for the tuning of material hydrophilicity and biocompatibility, minimization of unspecific interactions, prevention of biofouling, and enhancement of blood circulation times as well as surface-bound biomolecules like streptavidin or other biomolecules relevant e.g., for diagnostic assays. Here, we focus on simple optical methods relying on standard laboratory instrumentation, validated by method comparison and/or mass balances and present examples for their use for the characterization of different types of nanomaterials and microparticles.
Luminescence-based detection methods, ranging from fluorescence spectroscopy for photophysical and mechanistic studies over sensing applications, chromatographic separation techniques and the microarray technology with fluorescence detection to fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, single molecule spectroscopy, and molecular imaging to integrating sphere spectroscopy, are among the most widely used methods in the life and material sciences. This is due to e.g., their unique sensitivity enabling the detection of single molecules, potential for multiplexing, ease of combination with spatial resolution, and suitability for remote sensing. Many of these advantages are closely linked to the choice of suitable molecular and nanoscale fluorescent reporters, typically required for signal generation. This includes organic dyes without and with sensor function, fluorophore-encoded polymeric and silica nanoparticles as well as nanocrystalline systems like semiconductor quantum dots and upconversion phosphors, emitting in the visible (vis), near-infrared (NIR), and IR (infrared). Current challenges present the environment sensitivity of most fluorophores, rendering fluorescence spectra, measured intensities/fluorescence quantum yields, and fluorescence decay kinetics matrix-dependent, and instrument-specific distortions of measured fluorescence signals that need to be considered for quantification and comparability of data, particularly fluorescence spectra.
Here, current applications of luminescence-based methods and different types of reporters will be presented. In this context, suitable spectroscopic tools for the characteri-zation of the optical properties of fluorescent reporters and fluorophore-encoded microparticles, analytical tools for the determination of the surface chemistry of different types of particles, and different multiplexing strategies will be discussed.
The reliability of wheel set axle testing is of high importance because small discontinuities caused during manufacturing or rock fall impacts during operation might cause growing cracks during the operation load cycles. While most of the axles are tested by automated UT-systems today, the basic education of railway NDT operators is still manual testing providing the basic understanding and skills for the operators. In Germany it is a common rule that NDT operators in the railway branch need to refresh their knowledge and skills every five years including a refresh examination. The testing results from these exercises and from a parallel round robin test have been sampled at the DGZfP Railway Education Centre in Wittenberge for a period of about 5 years. The results of the operators written in test record sheets were compared with the “true” test crack or notch position in the axles used for examination. In this way the testing results could be categorized into “hits” and “misses” and the “hits” were further evaluated due to correct position and adequate amplitude height. Considering some thousand indications documented by the operators during the refresh examination and comparing transition bow, shaft and seat it was a highlight to see that the operators reach their best detection rate in the transition bow of the wheel axle set while this is often the most difficult part concerning the UT-echoes. Fortunately this is due to their raised awareness in the transition bow region because this is the most dangerous region with respect to fracture mechanics.
For two selected axles the experimental set up of 45° and 70° inward and outward UT-testing were also simulated showing clearly the difficulties of the UT-echoes detection of some specific test defects.
Amino acid analysis is considered to be the gold standard for quantitative peptide and protein analysis. Here, we would like to propose a simple HPLC/UV method based on a reversed-phase separation of the aromatic amino acids tyrosine (Tyr), phenylalanine (Phe), and optionally tryptophan (Trp) without any derivatization. The hydrolysis of the proteins and peptides was performed by an accelerated microwave technique, which needs only 30 minutes. Two internal standard compounds, homotyrosine (HTyr) and 4-fluorophenylalanine (FPhe) were used for calibration. The limit of detection (LOD) was estimated to be 0.05 µM (~10 µg/L) for tyrosine and phenylalanine at 215 nm. The LOD for a protein determination was calculated to be below 16 mg/L (~300 ng BSA absolute). Aromatic amino acid analysis (AAAA) offers excellent accuracy and a precision of about 5% relative standard deviation, including the hydrolysis step. The method was validated with certified reference materials (CRM) of amino acids and of a pure protein (bovine serum albumin, BSA). AAAA can be used for the quantification of aromatic amino acids, isolated peptides or proteins, complex peptide or protein samples, such as serum or milk powder, and peptides or proteins immobilized on solid supports.
Quantification of rock structures with high resolution X-ray μ-CT for laboratory SIP measurements
(2016)
Spectral Induced Polarization (SIP) measurements are used in many different ways to characterize natural rocks and soils. Main foci of interest are the enhanced characterization of the causes of IP-effects in clastic rocks (especially sandstones), the interactions between the matrix-fluid-system and within the electrical double layers as well as the correlation with “classical” petrophysical parameters, such as specific surface area, permeability, mercury intrusion capillary pressure (MICP) and others. Nevertheless, for all of these investigations, knowledge of the inner structure of the sample material is essential in order to create reliable and validated models as well as to interpret and to assess the data most completely. Unfortunately, many of the methods used, to get access to the inner structure of rocks are destructive (e.g. MICP, thin sectioning, etc.) and the valuable sample is lost. In addition, data is either of volume integrated nature or only available for the 2D case and the usage of sister cores does not necessarily lead to reliable results. In this paper, the authors showcase the possibilities of non-destructive and three dimensional X-ray computed tomography and of enhanced image analysis capabilities for the quantification of rock structures at the pore scale.
Ray tracing boundary value problems: simulation and SAFT reconstruction for ultrasonic testing
(2016)
The application of advanced imaging techniques for the ultrasonic inspection of inhomogeneous anisotropic materials like austenitic and dissimilar welds requires information about acoustic wave Propagation through the material, in particular travel times between two Points in the material. Forward ray tracing is a popular approach to determine traveling paths and arrival times but is ill suited for inverse problems since a large number of rays have to be computed in order to arrive at prescribed end points.
In this contribution we discuss boundary value problems for acoustic rays, where the ray path between two given points is determined by solving the Eikonal equation. The implementation of such a two Point boundary value ray tracer for sound field simulations through an austenitic weld is described and its efficiency as well as the obtained results are compared to those of a forward ray tracer. The results are validated by comparison with experimental results and commercially available UT simulation tools.
As an application, we discuss an implementation of the method for SAFT (Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique) reconstruction. The ray tracer calculates the required travel time through the anisotropic columnar grain structure of the austenitic weld. There, the formulation of ray tracing as a boundary value Problem allows a straightforward derivation of the ray path from a given transducer Position to any pixel in the reconstruction area and reduces the computational cost considerably.
In the last two decades automated ultrasonic inspection devices took over a lot of applications that prior have been carried out using manual inspection with the evaluation of A-scans only. In parallel phased array systems have been developed and brought to the market which offer detailed and fast control over the sound field. When applying automated inspection phased array systems for UT measurements imaging of the recorded data in combination with the probe positioning data is used for the evaluation of inspections. B-Scan, C-Scan and S-Scan images are typically used with this setup.
For more sophisticated applications with linear arrays echo tomography and syntethic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) are well known methods and often applied for high resolution image reconstruction. Since channel count of phased array systems is constantly rising, matrix arrays with up to 256 elements entered the market. Signal processing in the matrix domain became 3D. Since some years the Total Focusing Method (TFM) is an additional imaging tool for these type of application. It is based on the Full Matrix Capture (FMC) using the elements of phased array probes as separate transmitters and receivers.
In this contribution we discuss the common ground of SAFT and TFM as well as the differences between these imaging tools. The combined use of automated inspection, matrix arrays and signal processing for high resolution measurements is a challenging task where a very long parameter list has to be taken into account. Under which conditions which elements of the full matrix should be taken for the reconstruction for best results?
Based on examples taken from measured and simulated echo signals it will be shown how image resolution can be optimized in dependence of different parameters like the distance between transmitters and receivers and their directivity patterns, the depth of echo source and the specimen geometry.
Ray tracing boudary value problems: simulation and SAFT reconstruction for ultrasonic testing
(2016)
The application of advanced imaging techniques for the ultrasonic inspection of inhomogeneous anisotropic materials like austenitic and dissimilar welds requires information about acoustic wave propagation through the material, in particular travel times between two points in the material. Forward ray tracing is a popular approach to determine traveling paths and arrival times but is ill suited for inverse problems since a large number of rays have to be computed in order to arrive at prescribed end points. In this contribution we discuss boundary value problems for acoustic rays, where the ray path between two given points is determined by solving the eikonal equation. The implementation of such a two point boundary value ray tracer for sound field simulations through an austenitic weld is described and its efficiency as well as the obtained results are compared to those of a forward ray tracer. The results are validated by comparison with experimental results and commercially available UT simulation tools. As an application, we discuss an implementation of the method for SAFT (Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique) reconstruction. The ray tracer calculates the required travel time through the anisotropic columnar grain structure of the austenitic weld. There, the formulation of ray tracing as a boundary value problem allows a straightforward derivation of the ray path from a given transducer position to any pixel in the reconstruction area and reduces the computational cost considerably.
Measurement and data recording systems are important parts of a holistic Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system.
New sensor technologies such as fiber-optic sensors are often used; however, standards (or at least guidelines) are not yet available or internationally approved. This lack in standardization makes the acceptance of FOS technologies in complex SHM systems substantially difficult. A standard family for different FOS technologies is therefore being developed that should help to design SHM systems in an optimal way. International standardization activities take place in several standardization bodies such as IEC and ASTM, and within SHM societies such as ISHMII.
The paper reports on activities in standardization of fiber-optic sensors, on results already achieved, and on newly started projects. Combined activities of fiber sensor experts and SHM experts from Civil Engineering are presented. These contributions should help owners of structures as well as developers of sensors and monitoring systems to select effective and validated sensing technologies. Using these standards, both parties find recommendations how to proceed in development of SHM systems to evaluate the structural behavior based on e.g. standardized fiber optic sensors, and to derive necessary measures, e.g. the optimal maintenance strategy.
Der einwandfreie Zustand der Radsätze von Schienenfahrzeugen ist von größter Bedeutung für den sicheren Betrieb. Die Radsatzwellen werden durch eine große Zahl von Lastwechseln individuell unterschiedlich beansprucht. Dabei spielen viele Einflüsse wie äußere statische und dynamische Lasten, innere Lasten aufgrund von Unwuchten und inneren Spannungen und Umweltbedingungen entscheidende Rollen. Eine regelmäßige Prüfung ist daher obligatorisch.
BTD entwickelt im Rahmen eines MNPQ-Projektes in Kooperation mit der BAM eine Phased Array Technik zur automatisierten Prüfung von Radsatzwellen im eingebauten
Zustand. Die schwierigen Ankoppelbedingungen aufgrund der begrenzten Zugänglichkeit, der komplexen Geometrie und möglicherweise vorhandener Farbschichten und Schmutz
auf der Radsatzwelle stellen hierbei große Herausforderungen dar. Um diesen zu begegnen,
werden neben optimierten Prüfköpfen, einer in die Wasservorlaufstrecke integrierten
akustischen Linse und einer speziellen Ankoppeltechnik auch Signalverarbeitungsalgorithmen
eingesetzt.
Die Darstellung der Signalverarbeitung ist der Schwerpunkt dieses Beitrages. Mit Hilfe von Messdatensätzen präparierter Testwellen werden verschiedene Algorithmen
erprobt und hinsichtlich der Stabilität, dem Verhalten bezüglich der
Ankoppelschwankungen und veränderter Wellengeometrien und der Fähigkeit zur
automatischen Unterscheidung von Fehler- und Formanzeigen bewertet. Letztlich wird die
beste Lösung im entwickelten Prüfsystem eingesetzt.
The NWRiMAGE provides unique technologies for high-speed imaging with genuine sub-micron ablation. In March 2015 ESI installed the first NWR iMAGE at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM) in Berlin, and since then it has undergone extensive use in bio-imaging. The Dual Concentric Injector (DCI), a new interface between laser and plasma, has been integrated into ESI´s TwoVol2 ablation cell. This technology was developed in collaboration with the University of Loughborough, and provides single shot transition at the ICP-MS of < 20 ms with high sample transport efficiency, giving superior signals above background and improve spatial resolution capability. Here we describe some data showing ultra-fast transitions of single shot ablation, sub-micron ablation experiments and rapid acquired imaging.
Quantification of rock structures with high resolution X-Ray μ-CT for laboratory SIP measurements
(2016)
Spectral Induced Polarization (SIP) measurements are used in many different ways to characterize natural rocks and soils. Main foci of interest are the enhanced characterization of the causes of IP-effects in clastic rocks (especially sandstones), the interactions between the matrix-fluid-system and within the electrical double layers as well as the correlation with “classical” petrophysical parameters, such as specific surface area, permeability, mercury intrusion capillary pressure (MICP) and others. Nevertheless, for all of these investigations, knowledge of the inner structure of the sample material is essential in order to create reliable and validated models as well as to interpret and to assess the data most completely. Unfortunately, many of the methods used, to get access to the inner structure of rocks are destructive (e.g. MICP, thin sectioning, etc.) and the valuable sample is lost. In addition, data is either of volume integrated nature or only available for the 2D case and the usage of sister cores does not necessarily lead to reliable results. In this paper, the authors showcase the possibilities of non-destructive and three dimensional X-ray computed tomography and of enhanced image analysis capabilities for the quantification of rock structures at the pore scale.
Permeability estimation from spectral induced polarization (SIP) measurements is based on a fundamental premise that the characteristic relaxation time (t) is related to the effective hydraulic radius (reff) controlling fluid flow. The approach requires a reliable estimate of the diffusion coefficient of the ions in the electrical double layer. Others have assumed a value for the diffusion coefficient, or postulated different values for clay versus clay-free rocks. We examine the link between t and reff for an extensive database of sandstone samples where mercury porosimetry data confirm that reff is reliably determined from a modification of the Hagen-Poiseuille equation assuming that the electrical tortuosity is equal to the hydraulic tortuosity. Our database does not support the existence of 1 or 2 distinct representative diffusion coefficients but instead demonstrates strong evidence for 6 orders of magnitude of variation in an apparent diffusion coefficient that is well correlated with both reff and the specific surface area per unit pore volume (Spor). Two scenarios can explain our findings: (1) the length-scale defined by t is not equal to reff and is likely much longer due to the control of pore surface roughness; (2) the range of diffusion coefficients is large and likely determined by the relative proportions of the different minerals (e.g. silica, clays) making up the rock. In either case, the estimation of reff (and hence permeability) is inherently uncertain from SIP relaxation time.
Permeability estimation from spectral induced
polarization (SIP) measurements is based on a
fundamental premise that the characteristic relaxation
time (t) is related to the effective hydraulic radius (reff)
controlling fluid flow. The approach requires a reliable
estimate of the diffusion coefficient of the ions in the
electrical double layer. Others have assumed a value for
the diffusion coefficient, or postulated different values for
clay versus clay-free rocks. We examine the link between
t and reff for an extensive database of sandstone samples
where mercury porosimetry data confirm that reff is
reliably determined from a modification of the Hagen-
Poiseuille equation assuming that the electrical tortuosity
is equal to the hydraulic tortuosity. Our database does not
support the existence of 1 or 2 distinct representative
diffusion coefficients but instead demonstrates strong
evidence for 6 orders of magnitude of variation in an
apparent diffusion coefficient that is well correlated with
both reff and the specific surface area per unit pore
volume (Spor). Two scenarios can explain our findings:
(1) the length-scale defined by t is not equal to reff and is
likely much longer due to the control of pore surface
roughness; (2) the range of diffusion coefficients is large
and likely determined by the relative proportions of the
different minerals (e.g. silica, clays) making up the rock.
In either case, the estimation of reff (and hence
permeability) is inherently uncertain from SIP relaxation
time.
Moisture measurement methods
(2016)
Moisture can cause imperfect sealings, faulty roof constructions, cracks and other kind of damages. For measuring the moisture in construction materials like concrete and screed, there are destructive(direct) and non-destructive(indirect) methods, that can be used. This presentation gives an overview and a comparison of these methods.
Die regelmäßige Überprüfung von Eisenbahnradsatzwellen auf betriebsbedingte Schädigungen ist ein fester Bestandteil des Instandhaltungskonzeptes von Eisenbahnfahrzeugen. Insbesondere bei hohen Achslasten und hohen Rotationsgeschwindigkeiten ist eine detaillierte regelmäßige Prüfung notwendig. In den letzten Jahren wurden für diese Prüfaufgabe mechanisierte Ultraschallprüfsysteme entwickelt, erfolgreich eingeführt und etabliert. Für eine Weiterentwicklung dieser Technologie stehen die Themen Erhöhung der Auflösung, Reduzierung von Oberflächen- und Störeinflüssen, Verkürzung von Prüfzeiten, Verbesserung der POD, Verlängerung von Inspektionsintervallen, Vereinfachung der Auswertung und die Möglichkeit der Durchführung von Analyseprüfungen im Vordergrund. Es werden Ansätze und neue Konzepte zur Lösung dieser Herausforderungen vorgestellt.
Der einwandfreie Zustand der Radsätze von Schienenfahrzeugen ist von größter Bedeutung für den sicheren Betrieb. Die Radsatzwellen werden durch eine große Zahl von Lastwechseln individuell unterschiedlich beansprucht. Dabei spielen viele Einflüsse wie äußere statische und dynamische Lasten, innere Lasten aufgrund von Unwuchten und inneren Spannungen und Umweltbedingungen entscheidende Rollen. Eine regelmäßige Prüfung ist daher obligatorisch. BTD entwickelt im Rahmen eines MNPQ-Projektes in Kooperation mit der BAM eine Phased Array Technik zur automatisierten Prüfung von Radsatzwellen im eingebauten Zustand. Die schwierigen Ankoppelbedingungen aufgrund der begrenzten Zugänglichkeit, der komplexen Geometrie sowie Farbschichten und Schmutz auf der Radsatzwelle stellen hierbei große Herausforderungen dar. Zu deren Bewältigung werden neben optimierten Prüfköpfen, einer in die Wasservorlaufstrecke integrierten akustischen Linse und einer speziellen Ankoppeltechnik auch Signalverarbeitungsalgorithmen eingesetzt. Die Darstellung der Signalverarbeitung ist der Schwerpunkt dieses Beitrages. Mit Hilfe von Messdatensätzen präparierter Testwellen werden verschiedene Algorithmen erprobt und hinsichtlich der Stabilität, dem Verhalten bezüglich der Ankoppelschwankungen und veränderter Wellengeometrien und der Fähigkeit zur automatischen Unterscheidung von Fehler- und Formanzeigen bewertet. Letztlich wird die beste Lösung im entwickelten Prüfsystem eingesetzt.
We have compared the performance of the typical Darr and CM moisture testing techniques, which are destructive with several non-destructive testing techniques on two types of floor screeds. In case of cement based screeds these destructive tests failed to deliver reliable results. Moreover, our measurements indicate significantly different drying and moisture transport behavior for the investigated cement based and calcium-sulphate based screeds. Whereas we have strong with depth decreasing moisture gradients in the CT material, we observe in the penetrated volumes of our ndt methods basically no clear moisture gradient in the CA samples. The findings with ndt methods could be supported by moisture gradient studies with nuclear magnetic resonance measurements.
Sulfamethoxazol (SMX),a sulfonamide, is a widely used bacteriostatic antibiotic and therefore a promising marker for the entry of anthropogenic Pollution in the environment. SMX is frequently found in wastewater and surface water. This study presents the production of high affinity and selective polyclonal antibodies for SMX and the development and Evaluation of a direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)for the quantification of SMX in environmental watersamples. The crystal structures of the cross-reacting compounds sulfamethizole, N4-acetyl-SMX andsuccinimidyl-SMX were determined by x-ray diffraction aiming to explain their high cross-reactivity. These crystal structures are described for the first time. The quantification range of the ELISA is 0.82–63 µg/L. To verify our results, the SMX concentration in 20 environmental samples,including wastewater and surfacewater,was determined by ELISA and tandem mass spectrometry(MS/MS).A good Agreement of the measured SMX concentrations was found with average recoveries of 97–113%for the results of ELISA compared to LC-MS/MS.
Immunoassays are analytical methods used to track both clinical and environmental parameters. Antibodies or other proteins with similar recognizing activity, are employed, often immobilized onto a modified surface. Addressable microarrays are based on single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides which are normally used to detect aptamers or relevant gene sequences. The use of antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates allows non-directed antibody immobilization from an immunoassay to be converted into DNA hybridization events on the array. Consequently, the diagnostics platform is multiplexed and addressable. Figure 1 is a model representation of the whole biosensor construct. In brief, a surface is coated with streptavidin, and decorated with biotin-modified oligonucleotides of a controlled size and known sequence. These oligonucleotides on the surface also contain a furan motif, which upon irradiation and in the presence of a photosensitizer, is oxidized via single oxygen to a reactive intermediate which crosslinks the immediate opposing base when hybridized with its complementary strand [1].
Antibody-oligonucleotides conjugates still display several concerns due to their heterogeneicity, difficulty of characterization and high price [2]. The being the case, we aim at developing stable, robust, reproducible and well characterized quimeras for the application on te above described immunoarray. Mild chemical conditions are crucial for the antibody stability, therefore bivalent crosslinkers have been employed [2]. Even though the use of these bilinkers is standard for other substrate conjugation (i.e., enzymes, drug payloads, etc.), there is no literature available on the conjugation of small oligonucleotides (< 30 mer) to antibodies using this method. Several protein-nucleic acid conjugates have been therefore developed, and successfully characterized using MALDI-ToF and gel electrophoresis techniques.
In this study, a new reliable, economic, and environmentally-friendly one-step synthesis is established to obtain carbon nanodots (CNDs) with well-defined and reproducible photoluminescence (PL) properties via the microwave-assisted hydrothermal treatment of starch and Tris-acetate-EDTA (TAE) buffer as carbon sources. Three kinds of CNDs are prepared using different sets of above mentioned starting materials. The as-synthesized CNDs: C-CND (starch only), N-CND 1 (starch in TAE) and N-CND 2 (TAE only) exhibit highly homogenous PL and are ready to use without need for further purification.
The CNDs are stable over a long period of time (>1 year) either in solution or as freeze-dried powder. Depending on starting material, CNDs with PL quantum yield (PLQY) ranging from less than 1% up to 28% are obtained. The influence of the precursor concentration, reaction time and type of additives on the optical properties (UV-Vis absorption, PL emission spectrum and PLQY) is carefully investigated, providing insight into the chemical processes that occur during CND formation. Remarkably, upon freeze-drying the initially brown CND-solution turns into a non-fluorescent white/slightly Brown powder which recovers PL in aqueous solution and can potentially be applied as fluorescent marker in bio-imaging, as a reduction agent or as a photocatalyst.
In Near Edge X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy X-Ray photons are used to excite tightly bound core electrons to low-lying unoccupied orbitals of the system. This technique offers insight into the electronic structure of the system as well as useful structural information. In this work, we apply NEXAFS to two kinds of imidazolium based ionic liquids ([CnC₁im]⁺[NTf₂]⁻ and [C₄C₁im]⁺[I]⁻). A combination of measurements and quantum chemical calculations of C K and N K NEXAFS resonances is presented. The simulations, based on the transition potential density functional theory method (TP-DFT), reproduce all characteristic features observed by the experiment. Furthermore, a detailed assignment of resonance features to excitation centers (carbon or nitrogen atoms) leads to a consistent interpretation of the spectra.
A comprehensive characterization of plasma modified polymer surfaces or plasma-polymerized thin films needs access to parameters as
- concentration of saturated/unsaturated carbon species (e.g. aromaticity) or other double bonds as C=N or C=O,
- branching, and
- losses of crystallinty or other degrees of structural order.
Furthermore the complex ageing phenomena of plasma modified polymers/plasma-polymers and the measurement of an in-depth distribution of chemical species are challenges for the analyst. The talk will display selected examples where such challenges have been met by using advanced methods of surface chemical analyses as Photoelectron Spectroscopy with variable excitation energy (“SyncXPS”), X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (NEXAFS) at C, N and O K-edges and Time-of-Flight Secondary Mass Spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) combined with Principal Component analysis (PCA).
Paper-based SERS test strips
(2016)
For the non-destructive chemical analysis of organic compounds, several different methods such as NMR, UV-vis absorption, IR, Raman, or fluorescence spectroscopy are available. However, all available methods have some restrictions such as the necessity of a large sample amount, interferences in the presence of water, or overlapping signals from the analytes or matrix. Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) allows to observe analytes directly without labelling in low concentrations in aqueous solutions and to identify them by their spectral fingerprint. Therefore, in this work we use SERS as a detection method for different analytes in low concentrations in combination with paper-based test strips as SERS substrates and for sample preparation.
We present a spray method for the preparation of SERS test stripes.[1] With this spray method, nanoparticle solution was deposited on cellulose and glass fibre paper as SERS substrate. The prepared paper-based test strips were tested with classical SERS reporter molecules, e.g. rhodamine 6G, 4-aminothiophenol, and adenine. For the quantification of analytes, highly reproducible signal intensities are necessary, which can be realized with the test strips in acceptable quality. Moreover, employing intensity vs concentration calibration for the analytes, data analysis revealed a behaviour that was best described by a Langmuir isotherm, stressing the strong distance dependence of the SERS effect.
For an easier identification of analytes in a mixture of compounds, the paper-based test strips were functionalised with hydrophobic barriers by wax printing. With these microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µPAD) the sample mixture can be separated by the chromatographic effects of the paper and the different analytes can be separately detected and identified by SERS.
[1] A. Bolz, U. Panne, K. Rurack, M. Buurman, Glass fibre paper-based test strips for sensitive SERS sensing, Anal. Methods, 2016, 8, 1313-1318.
X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns of the high-temperature (HT) cristobalite form of SiO2 and its isoelectronic AlPO4 analogue are essentially influenced by the dynamic disorder of these crystal structures. The nature of this disorder and of the phase transition between the α- and β-form has been the subject of intensive research during the last four decades [1]. By 1989 it became possible to stabilize the HT-form of cristobalite SiO2 at room temperature in laboratory and engineering ceramic industries by applying solid solution forming techniques [2]. However, for the HT-form of cristobalite AlPO4 nothing similar has been known until 2014 when it was discovered that nanocrystalline and stacking-disordered β-cristobalite AlPO4 is the major component of the fly ash of a large incineration facility operated by the waste water treatment authorities of Frankfurt/M. [3]. Previous comprehensive investigations of this fly ash failed to interpret its complex XRD pattern – presumably mainly due to the lack of a matching experimental digital pattern in the Powder Diffraction Database. The present paper reports on a synthesis route that facilitates the crystallization of nanocrystalline and stacking-disordered β-cristobalite AlPO4 that is free of crystalline impurity phases and long-term stable at ambient. Its room temperature XRD pattern is presented with parameters traced back to certified reference materials.
[1] Yuan F. and Huang L., Phys. Rev, B, 2012, 85, 134114. [2] Perrotta J.A., Grubbs D.K., Martin E.S., Dando N.R., McKinstry H.A. and Huang C.-Y., J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 1989, 72, 441. [3] Peplinski B., Adam C., Adamczyk B., Müller R., Michaelis M., Krahl Th. and Emmerling F., Powder Diffraction Journal, 2015, 30, 2, Supp. 1, S31.
Der Einsatz moderner Prozessanalysentechnik führt zu einer Datenflut, deren Verarbeitung und Nutzung häufig nicht ohne den Einsatz von Chemometrie zu realisieren ist. Dafür stehen zahlreiche multivariate Verfahren, wie z.B. Hauptkomponentenanalyse (PCA) und Regressionsanalyse (PLSR) für die Klassifizierung und für die quantitative Analyse zur Verfügung. Darüber hinaus können in Spezialfällen, insbesondere in der Spektroskopie, Methoden des „Indirect Hard Modeling“ eingesetzt werden. Anhand einer Industrie-relevanten Reaktion, der Hydroformylierungsreaktion zur Bildung langkettiger Aldehyde aus der Reaktion von Alkenen und Synthesegas, die sowohl im Labormaßstab als auch in einer Miniplant in Kooperation mit der TU Berlin untersucht wurde, werden Kalibrationsstrategien (Design of Experiment, DoE) und Auswertungsansätze mittels PLSR prozessbegleitender Raman Spektren dargelegt. Auf Grundlage des chemometrischen Ansatzes ist eine on-line Überwachung der Reaktion hinsichtlich der Hauptreaktanden, 1-Dodecene und 1-Tridecanal, möglich. Weiterhin konnte mittels Raman Spektroskopie die Bildung eines unerwünschten Nebenprodukts nachgewiesen werden.
A portable device for calibration of trace humidity sensors and an adopted calibration procedure have been developed. The calibration device is based on humidity generation by permeating water through polymeric membrane tubes. Water vapour transmission rates for various polymers were experimentally determined in order to select the most suitable polymeric material. The developed trace humidity generator consists of a gas-flow polymeric hose immersed in a water reservoir thermostated by a sensorcontrolled heater. Mole fractions of water vapour between 1 µmol/ molˉ¹ and 350 µmol/molˉ¹ (equivalent to frost-point temperatures from -76 °C to -31 °C) were generated by varying either the operating temperature or gas flow. The operating temperature can be varied from 20 °C to 60 °C and kept stable within 0.1 K. Uncertainty analysis indicated that the trace humidity generator produces gas flows of constant humidity amounts with a relative expanded uncertainty less than 3.4% (k = 2) of the generated value.
In situ investigations using PXRD coupled with Raman spectroscopy permit the evaluation of the formation pathways of milling reactions. The liquid-assisted grinding cocrystallisation of theophylline with benzamide leading to polymorphic compounds was investigated. The dipole moment of the solvent used in the synthesis determines the structure of the polymorphic product. A detailed investigation allows determining the kinetically and thermodynamically favored product. In situ observations of the formation pathway during the grinding process of both polymorphs show that the thermodynamically favored cocrystal is formed in a two-step mechanism with the kinetic cocrystal as intermediate. The evaluation of the mechanochemical formation pathways reveals the importance of in situ investigations for an in depth understanding of mechanochemical synthesis mechanisms. Our study demonstrates that the choice of the solvent in the LAG synthesis is decisive for the controlled formation of a desired polymorphic final product.
Most ambient sample introduction and ionization techniques for native mass spectrometry are highly selective for polar agents. To achieve a more general sensitivity for a wider range of target analytes, a novel laser ablation dielectric barrier discharge (LA DBD) ionization scheme was developed. The Approach employs a two-step mechanism with subsequent sample desorption and post-ionization. Effective Ablation was achieved by the second harmonic output (λ = 532 nm) of a diode pumped Nd:YVO₄ laser operating at a high-repetition rate of several kHz and pulse energies below 100 μJ. The ejected analytecontaining aerosol was consecutively vaporized and ionized in the afterglow of a DBD plasma jet.
Depending on their proton affinity the superexcited Helium species in this afterglow produced analyte ions as protonated and ammoniated species, as well as radical cations. The optimization procedure could corroborate underlying conceptual consideration on the ablation, desorption and ionization mechanisms.
A successful detection of a variety of target molecules could be shown from the pharmaceutical ibuprofen, urea, the amino acids L-arginine, L-lysine, the polymer polyethylene glycol, the organometallic compound ferrocene and the technical mixture wild mint oil. For a reliable evaluation of the introduced detection procedure spectra from the naturally abundant alkaloid capsaicin in dried capsicum fruits were recorded.
A round robin test on flash thermography was organized within the scope of a standardization research project. This test gives information on reliability, comparability and efficiency of different testing situations. Data recorded on metal and CFRP test specimens with flat bottom holes (FBH) were analysed by evaluating the detectability and by calculating the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the defect signatures as a function of defect parameters. For the investigation of the influence of material properties on the spatial resolution as well as on penetration depth, test specimens made of steel and copper with crossed notches and a notch ramp were constructed and investigated. Here, the minimum resolvable notch distance and the maximum detectable depth of the ramp were analysed.
A round robin test on flash thermography was organized within the scope of a standardization research project. This test gives information on reliability, comparability and efficiency of different testing situations. Data recorded on metal and CFRP test specimens with flat bottom holes (FBH) were analysed by evaluating the detectability and by calculating the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the defect signatures as a function of defect parameters. For the investigation of the influence of material properties on the spatial resolution as well as on penetration depth, test specimens made of steel and copper with crossed notches and a notch ramp were constructed and investigated. Here, the minimum resolvable notch distance and the maximum detectable depth of the ramp were analysed.
Novel air-coupled ultrasonic transducer combining the thermoacoustic with the piezoelectric effect
(2016)
In recent years, there has been an increasing industrial demand for one-sided inspection of various structures by means of air-coupled ultrasonic technique. Lightweight structures based on carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers may have very complex shapes, making air-coupled transmission difficult or even impossible. The inspection of concrete structures is another example where one-sided inspection is required.
To address these challenges a new type of transducer for air-coupled pulse-echo inspection was developed, which unites two principles: thermoacoustic emission and piezoelectric reception. The thermoacoustic emitter is a titanium electrode with a thickness of several tens of nanometer. This electrode was deposited onto charged cellular polypropylene, which serves as a piezoelectric receiver. The thermoacoustic transmission is based on a transformation of the thermal energy of an electrically heated electrode into the acoustic energy of an ultrasonic wave. Thermoacoustic emitters provide resonance-free behaviour and thus extremely broadband pulses. Charged cellular polypropylene is piezoelectric due to the polarization of its cells and it is well matched to air, with a Young modulus in the order of magnitude of MPa. In this contribution we present some pulse-echo measurements with the first prototypes of the combined thermoacoustic-piezoelectric transducer.
Novel air-coupled ultrasonic transducer combining the thermoacoustic with the piezoelectric effect
(2016)
In recent years, there has been an increasing industrial demand for one-sided inspection of various structures by means of air-coupled ultrasonic technique. Lightweight structures based on carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers may have very complex shapes, making air-coupled transmission difficult or even impossible. The inspection of concrete structures is another example where one-sided inspection is required.
To address these challenges a new type of transducer for air-coupled pulse-echo inspection was developed, which unites two principles: thermoacoustic emission and piezoelectric reception. The thermoacoustic emitter is a titanium electrode with a thickness of several tens of nanometer. This electrode was deposited onto charged cellular polypropylene, which serves as a piezoelectric receiver. The thermoacoustic transmission is based on a transformation of the thermal energy of an electrically heated electrode into the acoustic energy of an ultrasonic wave. Thermoacoustic emitters provide resonance-free behaviour and thus extremely broadband pulses. Charged cellular polypropylene is piezoelectric due to the polarization of its cells and it is well matched to air, with a Young modulus in the order of magnitude of MPa. In this contribution we present some pulse-echo measurements with the first prototypes of the combined thermoacoustic-piezoelectric transducer.
A high-performance fiber Bragg grating-based (FBG) sensor device for the detection of small magnetic fields has been developed. Based on a smart multilayer coating exposed over the physical length of the FBG, magnetic fields exhibited by rotating machine parts, power generators or current cable can easily be detected, analysed and evaluated. Consequently, this innovative, in-process and non-contact inspection method leads to an increase in quality and reliability of high-performing machine parts, devices and cables. The basic physical concept is based on a magnetostrictive multilayer coating system that strains the high-resolution FBG element. Subsequently, a fixed relationship between induced magnetic field and wavelength change of the FBG element forms the characteristic sensitivity curve. Intensive tests regarding the characterisation of the magnetic field FBG sensor have been carried out and its performance has been evaluated.
Dual orthogonal functionality in a single material is highly desirable in many fields such as bio-imaging, sensing, coating or diagnostic and therapy. However, combining two different functionalities in a precise and controlled way is still a challenging task.
Here we present how simply dual functional hybrid nanoparticles consisting of a silica core with a fluorescent and a thermoresponsive polymeric layers can be prepared. As a first step of this work, silica core particles were coated by a fluorescent layer using surface-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. Afterwards, the fluorescent silica nanoparticles were completely enclosed in a switchable protective coating made of thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). The thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) changes its properties with varying the surroundings temperature and this behavior is reversible and controllable. To the best of our knowledge these types of hybrid dual functional core-shell-shell nanoparticles have not yet been prepared, despite the prospect of many potential applications.
Energiedispersive Röntgenspektroskopie (EDX) ist eine der meist verbreiteten Methoden zur Bestimmung der chemischen Zusammensetzung von Festkörpern und dünnen Schichten. Durch die technologische Weiterentwicklung energiedispersiver Röntgenspektrometer wurde die Leistungsfähigkeit auch im niederenergetischen Bereich unter 1 keV verbessert. Geeignete Testmaterialien zur Überprüfung der Leistungsfähigkeit im niederenergetischen Bereich in Übereinstimmung mit ISO 15632 sind kaum vorhanden und basieren hauptsächlich auf C K und F K Linien. Um gültige Resultate aus akkreditierten und zertifizierten Prüf- und Kalibrierlaboratorien in Übereinstimmung mit ISO/IEC 17025 zu gewährleisten sind regelmäßige Funktionsprüfungen der Spektrometer notwendig.
In einer Machbarkeitsstudie wurde die Eignung einer bestimmten Substanz-klasse, nämlich ionische Flüssigkeiten, als Referenzmaterial zur routinemäßi-gen Überprüfung der Energieskala, der Energieauflösung und der Spektrometer Effizienz untersucht. Es kann gezeigt werden, dass mit einer einzigen Messung an einem einzigen Referenzmaterial mehrere Geräteparameter überprüft werden können. Damit ist es im niederenergetischen Bereich möglich regelmäßige Funktionsprüfungen von Spektrometern durchzuführen, aber auch die Leistungsfähigkeit verschiedener Spektrometer zu vergleichen. Beides kann sehr effizient durch einen einfachen qualitativen Vergleich mehrerer Spektren erreicht werden. Durch die Verwendung von ionischen Flüssigkeiten als Referenzmaterial, deren Stöchiometrie genau bekannt ist bzw. zertifiziert werden kann, können eventuell sogar die gängigen Modelle zur Matrixkorrektur validiert werden. Auch wäre eine Neubewertung von Fundamentalparametern (Fluoreszenzausbeute, Massenschwächungskoeffizienten usw.) von Elementen niedriger Ordnungszahl möglich.
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) represents the mostly widespread method available in analytical laboratories dedicated to the characterization of physical properties such as morphology of various solid materials from ‘micro-’ down to the nanometre scale. The use of secondary electrons excited by a sharply, nm-focussed primary electron beam enables at any modern SEM to image objects with high in-depth and lateral sensitivity, i.e. with high spatial resolution. Hence, e. g. nanoparticles (NPs) are able to be easily characterized with respect to their individual size and shape, but also to the morphology of their surface.
By preparing the nano-objects on thin membranes as electron transparent samples it is possible to perform electron microscopy in the transmission mode (TEM and TSEM). The corresponding transmission (i.e. mass-thickness) contrast reveals in-depth information, but is also well suited for dimensional measurements in the 2D projection image. Both the surface sensitive mode and the transmission one are meanwhile available at any modern SEM. If an X-ray spectrometer is attached to an electron microscope, it is possible to analyse the characteristic X-rays induced by electron bombardment. Most electron microscopes have attached an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) so that EDX elemental maps can be carried out. Recent technological developments of high throughput EDS detectors and their advantages regarding high-resolution X-ray analysis down to the nm range are reviewed.
High-resolution micrographs (SEM, TSEM, TEM) and corresponding X-ray elemental maps on various representative nanoparticles, but also layered samples prepared in cross-section, will be presented and discussed. The importance of selecting the best suited analysis conditions will be highlighted. Also other, often challenging, topics such as sample preparation and image data processing will be critically addressed by practical examples. Further analytical techniques able to be employed at an electron microscope, like cathodoluminescence (CL) or micro-X-ray fluorescence (µXRF) will be briefly surveyed.
Core or coating material – What dictates the uptake and translocation of nanoparticles in vitro?
(2016)
Nanoparticle size and shape are crucial parameters regarding the potential of nanoparticles to penetrate cell membranes and epithelial barriers. Current research in this field additionally focuses on the particle coating material. In order to distinguish between core- and coating-related effects in nanoparticle uptake and translocation behavior, this study investigated two nanoparticles equal in size, coating and charge but different in core material.
Silver and iron oxide coated with poly (acrylic acid) (PAS) were extensively characterized by TEM (transmission electron microscopy), SAXS (Small-Angle X-ray Scattering), ZetasizerTM and NanoSightTM. For uptake and transport studies the widely used human intestinal Caco-2 model in a TranswellTM-system with subsequent elemental analysis (AAS) was used. For evaluation and particle visualization transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Ion Beam Microscopy (IBM) were conducted.
Although similar in size, charge and coating material, the behavior of particles in Caco-2 cells was quite different. The internalized amount was comparable, but PAA-coated iron oxide nanoparticles were additionally transported through the cells. By contrast, PAA-coated silver nanoparticles remained in the cells. Our findings suggest that the coating material influenced only the uptake of the nanoparticles whereas the translocation was determined by the core material.
In summary, a core-dependent effect on nanoparticle translocation was revealed. Both the uptake and transport of nanoparticles in and through cells should be considered when discussing nanoparticle fate and safety.
The use of silver nanoparticles in consumer related products has significantly increased over the last decade, especially due to their antimicrobial properties. Today they are used in a variety of products, which range from textiles over children toys and dietary supplements. Therefore, research on silver in a nanoscale form becomes increasingly important for a high amount of studies. Unfortunately the results of these studies are extremely diverse and do not lead to a consistent evaluation of the toxicity of silver nanoparticles. The central problem lies in the utilization of a wide range of silver nanoparticles, which show a broad size distribution. To overcome this problem we synthesized ultra-small core-shell silver nanoparticles by an up-scaled modification of the polyol process. The particles are highly stable and show no aggregation for more than six months. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis reveal a narrow size distribution of the silver cores with a mean radius of RC = 3.0 nm and a distribution width of 0.6 nm. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) provides a hydrodynamic radius of RH = 10.0 nm and a PDI of 0.09. The surface of the particles is covered with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) forming a shell with a thickness of 7.0 nm, which provides colloidal stability lasting for more than six months at ambient conditions. It is foreseen to use these thoroughly characterized particles as reference material to compare the catalytic and biological properties of functionalized silver nanoparticles. The stabilizing ligand PAA can be easily exchanged by biomolecules to modify the surface functionality. Replacements of PAA with glutathione (GSH) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) have been performed as examples. We demonstrate that the particles effectively catalyze the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol with sodium borohydride. With PAA as stabilizer, the catalytic activity of (436 ± 24) L g-1 s-1 is the highest reported in literature for silver nanoparticles. GSH and BSA passivate the surface substantially resulting in lower catalytic activities of (77.6 ± 0.9) L g-1 s-1 and (3.47 ± 0.50) L g-1 s-1, respectively. The ultra-small particles were already used in the Nano Define project. Due to their small size it is possible to investigate the detection limits of different analytical techniques like electron microcopy, field flow fractionation or single particle tracking. In this project they serve as the calibration standard with the smallest radius.
Biological erosion is a key process for the recycling of carbonate and the formation of calcareous sediments in the oceans. Experimental studies showed that bioerosion is subject to distinct temporal variability, but previous long-term studies were restricted to tropical waters. Here, we present results from a 14-year bioerosion experiment that was carried out along the rocky limestone coast of the island of Rhodes, Greece, in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, in order to monitor the pace at which bioerosion affects carbonate substrate and the sequence of colonisation by bioeroding organisms. Internal macrobioerosion was visualised and quantified by micro-computed tomography and computer-algorithm-based segmentation procedures. Analysis of internal macrobioerosion traces revealed a dominance of bioeroding sponges producing eight types of characteristic Entobia cavity networks, which were matched to five different clionaid sponges by spicule identification in extracted tissue. The morphology of the entobians strongly varied depending on the species of the producing sponge, its ontogenetic stage, available space, and competition by other bioeroders. An early community developed during the first 5 years of exposure with initially very low macrobioerosion rates and was followed by an intermediate stage when sponges formed large and more diverse entobians and bioerosion rates in-creased. After 14 years, 30 % of the block volumes were occupied by boring sponges, yielding maximum bioerosion rates of 900 g m.
A novel direct sampling ionization scheme for ambient mass spectrometry is presented. Desorption and ionization is achieved by a quasi-continuous laser induced plasma in air. Since there are no solid or liquid electrodes involved the ion source does not suffer from chemical interferences or fatigue originating from erosive burning or from electrode consumption. A laser plasma was ignited under ambient conditions in front of a modified TOF MS atmospheric pressure interface, using a high repetition rate DPSS laser operating at 532 nm and 26 kHz and an aspherical lens with a focal length of 8 mm. Emission spectroscopy (40-1100 nm) and time resolved studies on specific plasma parameters revealed insight into the physical and chemical plasma properties. Plasma ignition can be performed in rare gases and under ambient conditions. The hot plasma zone was kept at a certain distance from the sample region. Thus, effective collisional cooling seemed to prevent thermal fragmentation. Every single spark generates a shockwave, providing new reactive species, which expands concentrically from the hot region. Under ambient conditions primary charge carriers (ions and electrons) as well as VUV radiation initialize reaction cascades equivalent to other ambient ionization methods, such as DART or DBD. Mass spectra of polar/nonpolar hydrocarbons, sugars, pharmaceuticals and natural biomolecules in food were observed. Comprehensive emission spectroscopic measurements and time resolved electron current studies revealed insight into some plasma properties, such as the emitted high energetic radiation and the time evolution of the expanding plume.
Lanthanide-doped photon upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) exhibit many advantages compared to Stokes-shifted luminescent probes (organic dyes, quantum dots). Due to the upconversion process, the limitations of photobleaching, autofluorescence and low penetration depths in tissue shown by classical fluorescent probes are avoided. This makes UCNPs particularly useful for applications in complex biological samples. Sensing of intracellular pH is of particular interest in biomedical research since structure and function of biomolecules strongly depend on the concentration of protons in their environment.
Lanthanide-doped photon upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) exhibit many advantages compared to conventional Stokes-shifted luminescent probes such as organic dyes and quantum dots. Due to the upconversion (UC) process, which describes the conversion of NIR light into shorter wavelength radiation, the limitations of photobleaching, autofluorescence and low penetration depths in tissue shown by classical fluorescent probes absorbing in the UV/vis range are avoided. This makes UCNPs particularly useful for applications in complex samples occurring in bioanalysis, biomedicine and imaging.
Sensing of intracellular pH is of particular interest in biomedical research since structure and function of biomolecules strongly depend on the concentration of protons in their environment. We described previously a UCNP nanosensor for pH based on a resonance energy transfer from hexagonal nanocrystals of NaYF4: Yb3+,Er3+ to a pH-sensitive fluorophore (pHrodoTM Red).[1] The nanocrystals were coated with a thin shell of aminosilane with several nanometer layer thickness for coupling of the pH indicator.
In this contribution we present a new generation of UC nanoprobes that are coated with a layer of highly branched polyethylenimine (PEI). The PEI coating enables a higher coupling of indicator molecules on the particle surface, better signal to reference ratios in ratiometric readout and an improved cellular uptake compared to the aminosilane coated particles due to a more positive zeta potential. Again, pHrodoTM Red is used as pH indicator, sensitized by the 550 nm emission of the UCNPs. The nanoprobes are calibrated by ratiometric dual wavelength readout at 550 nm (reference signal) and 590 nm (sensor signal) and visualized using a scanning confocal fluorescence microscope with 980 nm excitation wavelength. We studied the cellular uptake efficacy of the nanoprobes and determined to which type of compartment, lysosomes, endosomes or cytosol, the probes are targeted to by measuring the pH of their microenvironment. An in situ control was performed in live cells by a treatment with nigericin, whereby the pH of all intracellular compartments is set at extracellular level. Our results suggest that the PEI coating facilitated endosomal escape of the nanoprobes.
A novel direct sampling ionisation scheme for ambient mass spectrometry is presented. Desorption and ionisation are achieved by a quasi-continuous laser induced plasma in air. Since there are no solid or liquid electrodes involved the ion source does not suffer from chemical interferences or fatigue originating from erosive burning or from electrode consumption. The overall plasma maintains electro-neutrality, minimising charge effects and accompanying long term drift of the charged particles trajectories. In the airborne plasma approach the ambient air not only serves as the plasma medium but at the same time also slows down the nascent ions via collisional cooling. Ionisation of the analyte molecules does not occur in the plasma itself but is induced by interaction with nascent ionic fragments, electrons and/or far ultraviolet photons in the plasma vicinity. At each individual air-spark an audible shockwave is formed, providing new reactive species, which expands concentrically and, thus, prevents direct contact of the analyte with the hot region inside the plasma itself. As a consequence the interaction volume between plasma and analyte does not exceed the threshold temperature for thermal dissociation or fragmentation. Experimentally this indirect ionisation scheme is demonstrated to be widely unspecific to the chemical nature of the analyte and to hardly result in any fragmentation of the studied molecules. A vast ensemble of different test analytes including polar and non-polar hydrocarbons, sugars, low mass active ingredients of pharmaceuticals as well as natural biomolecules in food samples directly out of their complex matrices could be shown to yield easily accessible yet meaningful spectra. Since the plasma medium is humid air, the chemical reaction mechanism of the ionisation is likely to be similar to other ambient ionisation techniques.
Dual orthogonal functionality in a single material is highly desirable in many fields such as bio-imaging, sensing, coating or diagnostic and therapy. However, combining two different functionalities in a precise and controlled way is still a challenging task.
Here we present how simply dual functional hybrid nanoparticles consisting of a silica core with a fluorescent and a thermoresponsive polymeric layers can be prepared. As a first step of this work, silica core particles were coated by a fluorescent layer using surface-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. Afterwards, the fluorescent silica nanoparticles were completely enclosed in a switchable protective coating made of thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). The thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) changes its properties with varying the surroundings temperature and this behavior is reversible and controllable. To the best of our knowledge these types of hybrid dual functional core-shell-shell nanoparticles have not yet been prepared, despite the prospect of many potential applications.
2-Fluoroadenine (2FA) is a therapeutic agent, which is suggested for application in cancer radiotherapy. The molecular mechanism of DNA radiation damage can be ascribed to a significant extent to the action of low-energy (<20 eV) electrons (LEEs), which damage DNA by dissociative electron attachment. LEE induced reactions in 2FA are characterized both isolated in the gas phase and in the condensed phase when it is incorporated into DNA. Information about negative ion resonances and anion-mediated fragmentation reactions is combined with an absolute quantification of DNA strand breaks in 2FA-containing oligonucleotides upon irradiation with LEEs. The incorporation of 2FA into DNA results in an enhanced strand breakage. The strand-break cross sections are clearly energy dependent, whereas the strand-break enhancements by 2FA at 5.5, 10, and 15 eV are very similar. Thus, 2FA can be considered an effective radiosensitizer operative at a wide range of electron energies.
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)is one of the most appearing
contamination of medical devices.Dedicated analysis of PDMS on surfaces necessary, but the lack of calibration samples provides a bottle neck. There is a demand for metrological tools ensuring traceable and reliable analysis of mass deposition and of the chemical species of
contaminants. Photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and reference-free GIXRF can be used to qualify bench top instrumentation.
Comparison of PES data and GIXRF data enable the establishment of a traceability chain.
In the present work, the influence of deuterium on the microstructure of a duplex stainless steel type EN 1.4462 has been characterized by Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) supported by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB), electron back scattered diffraction(EBSD) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) investigations. Characterization has been carried out before and after electrochemical charging with deuterium which has been used as a tracer, due to its similar behavior to hydrogen in the steel microstructure. In a first approach, the distribution of the deuterium occurring at temperatures above 58 °C has been visualized. Further it turned out that sub-surface micro blisters are formed in the ferrite-austenite interface, followed by the formation of needle shaped plates and subsequent cracking at the ferrite surface. In the austenite phase, parallel cracking alongside twins and hexagonal close packed (martensitic) regions has been observed. In both phases and even in the apparent interface, cracking has been associated with high deuterium concentrations, as compared to the surrounding undamaged microstructure. Sub-surface blistering in the ferrite has to be attributed to the accumulation and recombination of deuterium at the ferrite-austenite interface underneath the respective ferrite grains and after fast diffusing through this phase. Generally, the present application of chemometric imaging and structural analyses allows characterization of hydrogen assisted degradation at a sub-micron lateral resolution.
In the course of miniaturizing modern technology down to the molecular scale, understanding the materials behavior has to be investigated and deviations from the bulk that might arises from confinement effects has to be understood. Here, a combination of nano-sized relaxation spectroscopies (Broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) and Specific heat spectroscopy (SHS); employing AC nanochip calorimetry) were utilized to investigate the glassy dynamics of ultra-thin films of blends of Poly (vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) / Polystyrene (PS) 50:50 wt-%, which are miscible bulk (thicknesses: 8nm - 200nm, film thickness was controlled by ellipsometry, film topography by AFM). Both methods are sensitive to different probes; where SHS senses entropy fluctuations while BDS measures dipole fluctuations. For BDS measurements, a recently developed nano-structured electrode sample arrangement is employed; where ultra-thin films are spin-coated on an ultra-flat highly conductive silicon wafer, sandwiched between a wafer with nanostructured SiO2 nano-spacers with heights between 35 nm and 70 nm. The method was applied for film thicknesses up to 50 nm. For thicker films, the samples were prepared between crossed electrodes. It was proven that, for 50 nm films, both contact methods will lead to identical results. By measuring the dynamic Tg in dependence of the film thickness, SHS showed that the Tg of the whole film was strongly influenced by a nanometer-thick surface layer at the polymer/air interface due to a self-assembling process [1]. The dynamic Tg obtained from the SHS measurements decrease with decreasing film thickness, evidencing the importance of a mobile surface layer at the polymer/air interface for the glass transition of the whole film. Compared to the SHS results, the BDS measurements show a completely different behavior. At high temperatures, the temperature dependence of the relaxation times of the films follows that of bulk-like PS/PVME; obeying the VFT-law. With decreasing temperature, the temperature dependence deviates from the VFT to an Arrhenius law; where the apparent activation energy decreases with decreasing film thickness. This is the first example where confinement induced changes were observed by BDS for ultra-thin films. All results were analyzed in details in a comprehensive discussion.
The validation of the plasma compatibility of particles is a prerequisite for their application in plasma dispersion layers. The goal is the realization of functional add-on features on surfaces, in films and coatings. Although intended applications primarily address nanoparticles, the compatibility tests were carried out at first with particles in the lower micrometer range in order to investigate material-, fluorescent marker- or surface-based degradation effects in a simple manner.
Plasma compatibility implies at least the short-term acceptance of charged species, plasma-UV radiation, vacuum and elevated temperatures. Otherwise, effects on geometrical dimensions, chemical bonds, fluorescence efficiency and plastic-elastic properties are expected.
The plasma compatibility of monodisperse fluorescent-labeled particles to microwave excitation was evaluated by means of microscopic and spectroscopic investigation methods (light, fluorescence, confocal, atomic force microscopy and FTIR). This study comprises particles of different materials (SiO2, PMMA, PS, MF) and sizes (from 50 nm to 10 μm).
A special preparation technique ensures that smallest geometry changes of particles can be measured by atomic force microscopy. For the selected plasma conditions (P = 600 W, f = 2.46 GHz, d = 10 cm) and an exposure time of 10 minutes, the geometry of SiO2 particles (approx. 1.7 μm) remains nearly unchanged, whereas PS particles shrink in diameter by 6% and PMMA particles by 11%. For selected core-particles (SiO2, MF) with fluorescencemarked (rhodamine) shell-polyelectrolytes no remarkable plasma degradation of the fluorescence intensity was observed for the above mentioned plasma conditions, however a doubling of exposure time already results in a significant decrease in intensity. Two different injection systems have been studied for the particle injection into the plasma deposition process.
One of the selected systems also proves process compatibility regarding the expected pressure differences upon injection.