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Optical biosensors often show remarkable performance and can be configured in many ways for sensitive, selective, and rapid measurements. However, the high-quality and advanced optical assemblies required to read out the sensor signals, for example, Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) or Supercritical Angle Fluorescence (SAF) microscopy, which necessitate complex and expensive optical elements. Particularly in optical method development, researchers or developers are often confronted with limitations because conventional manufacturing processes for optical elements can be restrictive in terms of design, material, time, and cost. Modern and high-resolution 3D printing techniques make it possible to overcome these challenges and enable the fabrication of individualized and personalized free-form optical components, which can reduce costs and significantly shorten the prototyping timeline—from months to hours. In this work, we use a modern, high-resolution (< 22 µm) commercial Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)-based 3D printer, for which we spectroscopically and physically characterized commercial photo-resins printable with the LCD technique in the first step (Figure 1). The aim was not only to produce a printed element with a high surface quality that mitigates the inner filter effects caused by attenuation (high optical density (OD) due to reflection and scattering), but also to select a material with a high refractive index (RI>1.5) and high transmission values (>90% transmittance) in the visible to near-infrared spectral range (approx. 450 – 900 nm) that exhibits little or no autofluorescence. Using a selection of suitable resins, lenses and free-form optical elements were manufactured for comparison with standard glass or plastic counterparts.
This contribution reports the development of a polymerizable BODIPY-type fluorescent probe targeting small-molecule carboxylates for incorporation into molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). The design of the probe crosslinker includes a urea recognition site p-conjugated to the 3-position of the BODIPY core and two methacrylate moieties. Titration experiments with a carboxylate-expressing antibiotic, levofloxacin (LEVO), showed a blue shift of the absorption band as well as a broadening and decrease in emission, attributed to hydrogen bonding between the probe’s urea group and the carboxylate group of the antibiotic. Using this probe crosslinker, core–shell particles with a silica core and a thin MIP shell were prepared for the detection of LEVO. The MIP exhibited highly selective recognition of LEVO, with an imprinting factor of 18.1 compared to the non-imprinted polymer. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the core–shell structure and spectroscopic studies revealed that the receptor’s positioning leads to a unique perturbation of the polymethinic character of the BODIPY chromophore, entailing the favourable responses. These features are fully preserved in the MIP, whereas no such response was observed for competitors such as ampicillin. The sensory particles allowed to detect LEVO down to submicromolar concentrations in dioxane. We have developed here for the first time a BODIPY probe for organic carboxylates and incorporated it into polymers using the imprinting technique, paving the way for BODIPY-type fluorescent MIP sensors.
Heterogeneous sandwich immunoassays are widely used for biomarker detection in bioanalysis and medical diagnostics. The high analyte sensitivity of the current “gold standard” enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) originates from the signal-generating enzymatic amplification step, yielding a high number of optically detectable reporter molecules. For future point-of-care testing (POCT) and point-of-need applications, there is an increasing interest in more simple detection strategies that circumvent time-consuming and temperature-dependent enzymatic reactions. A common concept to aim for detection limits comparable to those of enzymatic amplification reactions is the usage of polymer nanoparticles (NP) stained with a large number of chromophores. We explored different simple NP-based signal amplification strategies for heterogeneous sandwich immunoassays
that rely on an extraction-triggered release step of different types of optically detectable reporters. Therefore, streptavidinfunctionalized polystyrene particles (PSP) are utilized as carriers for (i) the fluorescent dye coumarin 153 (C153) and (ii) hemin (hem) molecules catalyzing the luminol reaction enabling chemiluminescence (CL) detection. Additionally, (iii) NP labeling with hemin-based microperoxidase MP11 was assessed. For each amplification approach, the PSP was first systematically optimized regarding size, loading concentration, and surface chemistry. Then, for an immunoassay for the inflammation marker C- eactive protein (CRP), the analyte sensitivity achievable with optimized PSP
ystems was compared with the established ELISA concept for photometric and CL detection. Careful optimization led to a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1 ng/mL for MP11-labeled PSP and CL detection, performing similarly well to a photometric ELISA (0.13 ng/mL), which demonstrates the huge potential of our novel assay concept.
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Aleksey I. Ekimov (prize share 1/3), Louis E. Brus (prize share 1/3), and Moungi G. Bawendi (prize share 1/3) for groundbreaking inventions in the field of nanotechnology, i.e., for the discovery and synthesis of semiconductor nanocrystals, also termed quantum dots, that exhibit size-dependent physicochemical properties enabled by quantum size effects. This feature article summarizes the main milestones of the discoveries and developments of quantum dots that paved the road to their versatile applications in solid-state lighting, display technology, energy conversion, medical diagnostics, bioimaging, and image-guided surgery.
SWIR luminescent nanomaterials – key chemical parameters for bright probes for in vivo bioimaging
(2024)
A current challenge for studying physio-pathological phenomena and diseaserelated processes in living organisms with non-invasive optical bioimaging is the development of bright optical reporters that enable deep tissue penetration, a high detection sensitivity, and a high spatial and temporal resolution. The focus of this project are nanomaterials, which absorb and emit in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) between ~900–2500 nm where scattering, absorption, and autofluorescence of the tissue are strongly reduced compared to the visible and NIR.
The frequency-domain (FD) method provides an alternative to the commonly used time-domain (TD) approach in characterizing the luminescence kinetics of luminophores, with its own strengths, e.g., the capability to decouple multiple lifetime components with higher reliability and accuracy. While extensively explored for characterizing luminophores with down-shifted emission, this method has not been investigated for studying nonlinear luminescent materials such as lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), featuring more complicated kinetics. In this work, employing a simplified rate-equation model representing a standard two-photon energy-transfer upconversion process, we thoroughly analyzed the response of the luminescence of UCNPs in the FD method. We found that the FD method can potentially obtain from a single experiment the effective decay rates of three critical energy states of the sensitizer/activator ions involved in the upconversion process. The validity of the FD method is demonstrated by experimental data, agreeing reasonably well with the results obtained by TD methods.
Antibacterial photodynamic therapy (a‐PDT) has emerged as a promising non‐invasive therapeutic modality that utilizes the combination of a photosensitive agent, molecular oxygen, and excitation light to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), demonstrating remarkable activity against multidrug‐resistant bacterial infections. However, the effective use of conventional photosensitizers is significantly limited by a number of their shortcomings, namely, poor water solubility and low selectivity. Herein, we present a novel biocompatible water‐soluble nanocomposite based on hydrophobic tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) molecules and hydrophilic ternary AgInS2/ZnS quantum dots incorporated into a chitosan matrix as an improved photosensitizer for a‐PDT. We demonstrated that TPP molecules could be successfully transferred into chitosan solution while remaining primarily in the form of monomers, which are capable of singlet oxygen generation. We performed a detailed analysis of the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between quantum dots and TPP molecules within the nanocomposite and proposed the mechanism of the singlet oxygen efficiency enhancement via FRET.
Multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs) are gaining interest in corrosion and electrocatalysis research due to their electrochemical stability across a broad pH range and the design flexibility they offer. Using the equimolar CrCoNi alloy, we observe significant metal dissolution in a corrosive electrolyte (0.1 M NaCl, pH 2) concurrently with the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in the transpassive region despite the absence of hysteresis in polarization curves or other obvious corrosion indicators. We present a characterization scheme to delineate the contribution of OER and alloy dissolution, using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) for OER-onset detection, and quantitative chemical analysis with inductively coupled-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ultraviolet visible light (UV-Vis) spectroscopy to elucidate metal dissolution processes. In-situ electrochemical atomic force microscopy (EC-AFM) revealed that the transpassive metal dissolution on CrCoNi is dominated by intergranular corrosion. These results have significant implications for the stability of MPEAs in corrosion systems, emphasizing the necessity of analytically determining metal ions released from MPEA electrodes into the electrolyte when evaluating Faradaic efficiencies of OER catalysts. The release of transition metal ions not only reduces the Faradaic efficiency of electrolyzers but may also cause poisoning and degradation of membranes in electrochemical reactors.
The development of new fluorescent organic probes effective in the NIR-II region is currently a fast-growing field and represents a challenge in the domain of medical imaging. In this study, we have designed and synthesized an innovative series of aza-boron dipyrromethenes emitting in the NIR-II region. We have investigated the effect of different water-solubilizing groups not only on the photophysical properties of the compounds but also on their in vitro and in vivo performance after bioconjugation to the antibody trastuzumab. Remarkably, we discovered that the most lipophilic compound unexpectedly displayed the most favorable in vivo properties after bioconjugation. This underlines the profound influence that the fluorophore functionalization approach can have on the efficiency of the resulting imaging agent.
The emission of ultrafine particles from small desktop Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printers has been frequently investigated in the past years. However, the vast majority of FFF emission and exposure studies have not considered the possible occurrence of particles below the typical detection limit of Condensation Particle Counters and could have systematically underestimated the total particle emission as well as the related exposure risks. Therefore, we comparatively measured particle number concentrations and size distributions of sub-4 nm particles with two commercially available diethylene glycol-based instruments – the TSI 3757 Nano Enhancer and the Airmodus A10 Particle Size Magnifier. Both instruments were evaluated for their suitability of measuring FFF-3D printing emissions in the sub-4 nm size range while operated as a particle counter or as a particle size spectrometer. For particle counting, both instruments match best when the Airmodus system was adjusted to a cut-off of 1.5 nm. For size spectroscopy, both instruments show limitations due to either the fast dynamics or rather low levels of particle emissions from FFF-3D printing in this range. The effects are discussed in detail in this article. The findings could be used to implement sub-4 nm particle measurement in future emission or exposure studies, but also for the development of standard test protocols for FFF-3D printing emissions.
Luminescence lifetimes are an attractive analytical method for detection due to its high sensitivity and stability. Iridium probes exhibit luminescence with long excited-state lifetimes, which are sensitive to the local environment. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is listed as a chemical of high concern regarding its toxicity and is classified as a “forever chemical”. In addition to strict limits on the presence of PFOA in drinking water, environmental contamination from industrial effluent or chemical spills requires rapid, simple, accurate, and cost-effective analysis in order to aid containment. Herein, we report the fabrication and function of a novel and facile luminescence sensor for PFOA based on iridium modified on gold surfaces. These surfaces were modified with lipophilic iridium complexes bearing alkyl chains, namely, IrC6 and IrC12, and Zonyl-FSA surfactant. Upon addition of PFOA, the modified surfaces IrC6-FSA@Au and IrC12-FSA @Au show the largest change in the red luminescence signal with changes in the luminescence lifetime that allow monitoring of PFOA concentrations in aqueous solutions. The platform was tested for the measurement of PFOA in aqueous samples spiked with known concentrations of PFOA and demonstrated the capacity to determine PFOA at concentrations >100 μg/L (240 nM).
Reliable measurement of the size of polydisperse, complex-shaped commercial nanopowders is a difficult but necessary task, e.g., for regulatory requirements and toxicity risk assessment. Suitable methods exist for the accurate characterization of the size of non-aggregated, stabilized, spherical and monodisperse nanoparticles. In contrast, industrial nanoscale powders usually require dedicated sample preparation procedures developed for the analysis method of choice. These nano-powders tend to agglomerate and/or aggregate, a behavior which in combination with an innate broad particle size distribution and irregular shape often significantly alters the achievable accuracy of the measured size parameters. The present study systematically tests two commercially available nanoscale powders using different sample preparation methods for correlative analysis by scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Brunauer–Emmet–Teller method and differential mobility analysis. One focus was set on the sample preparation by embedding nanoparticles in carbon-based hot-mounting resin. Literature on this topic is scarce and the accuracy of the data extracted from cross sections of these particles is unclearly stated. In this paper systematic simulations on the deviation of the size parameters of well-defined series of nanoparticles with different shapes from the nominal value were carried out and the contributing factors are discussed.
Concrete is the most important human-made material because it serves as the basis of our built environment. Since the properties of concretes are dominated by their key compound, cement, devising a way to determine the cement’s origin, known as provenancing, is of great importance for answering different provenance-related questions. These questions range from liability issues when damage occurs to concrete-made structures, to forensic investigations where cement particles are found at crime scenes. This thesis showcases the use of isotope techniques to answer these provenance-related questions. Conventional 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotope and elemental ratios consisting of Ca, Sr, K, Mn, Mg, and Ti are used as fingerprints for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) provenancing. The first part of this thesis describes research previously conducted in fingerprinting cementitious materials, providing an overview of provenance studies of cement and the main approaches commonly used. In several studies, the origin of clinker for certain locations was determined via different approaches. However, clinker is an intermediate product, which is available only at the production site and therefore, the practical relevance is rather limited. Furthermore, the use of Sr and Nd isotope systems, together with elemental fingerprints are presented as state of the art in the field. Therein, the principal approach for the overall study is sketched. For the second part of the study, a sample preparation technique for Sr isotopes in Portland cement was developed. The aim was to find the most appropriate sample preparation procedure for cement provenancing and selection was realised by comparing the 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios of differently treated OPCs with those of the corresponding clinkers. Based on these findings, the third part of the study focused on the measurements of Sr and Nd isotope ratios, together with elemental ratios, to establish a reliable technique for OPC provenancing. The outcomes of this final stage are then used to establish a procedure for fingerprinting cements. This becomes possible with the use of Sr and Nd isotope ratios and geochemical profiles. To perform isotope ratio measurements and obtain reliable data, it was necessary to establish a quality control procedure. Thus, an interlaboratory comparison (ILC) was organised to characterise 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios in geological and industrial reference materials by applying the conventional method for 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios. As reference material, four cements (VDZ 100a, VDZ 200a, VDZ 300a, IAG OPC-1), one limestone (IAG/CGL ML-3) and one slate (IAG OU-6) were selected, thus covering a wide range of Sr isotope signatures.
Here, we elucidate nonclassical multistep crystallization pathways of transition metal phosphates from aqueous solutions. We followed precipitation processes of M-struvites, NH4MPO4·6H2O, and M-phosphate octahydrates, M3(PO4)2·8H2O, where M = Ni, Co, or NixCo1–x, by using in situ scattering and spectroscopy-based techniques, supported by elemental mass spectrometry analyses and advanced electron microscopy. Ni and Co phosphates crystallize via intermediate colloidal amorphous nanophases, which change their complex structures while agglomerating, condensing, and densifying throughout the extended reaction times. We reconstructed the three-dimensional morphology of these precursors by employing cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). We found that the complex interplay between metastable amorphous colloids and protocrystalline units determines the reaction pathways. Ultimately, the same crystalline structure, such as struvite, is formed. However, the multistep process stages vary in complexity and can last from a few minutes to several hours depending on the selected transition metal(s), their concentration, and the Ni/Co ratio.
Surface functionalized silica nanoparticles (SiO2-NP) gained great interest in the life and material sciences, as they can be used e.g. as drug carriers, fluorescent sensors, and multimodal labels in bioanalytical assays and imaging applications. They are highly stable, are easily produced and modified on a large scale at low cost and can be labeled or stained with a multitude of sensor dyes. These dye modified particle conjugates have several advantages as compared to conventional molecular probes like enhanced brightness, ease of designing ratiometric systems by combining analyte-sensitive and inert reference dyes, and increased photostability. Moreover, stained nanoparticles can enable the use of hydrophobic dyes in aqueous environments.
Here we present our work on multicolored sensors for the measurement of pH, oxygen and saccharides utilizing amorphous SiO2 NPs.
In recent years, chromium (III) complexes have received a lot of attention as novel near-infrared (NIR) emitters triggered by the report on the first molecular ruby Cr(ddpd)2(BF4)3 with a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 13.7% of its near infrared (NIR) emission band and a long luminescence lifetime of 1.122 ms at room temperature.[1] However, in an oxygen-containing environment, the photoluminescence quantum yields and luminescence lifetimes of these chromium(III) complexes show only very small values. This hampers their application as NIR luminescence labels. This application, that cannot be tackled by conventional deoxygenating approaches, requires suitable strategies to protect the luminescence of the chromium(III) complexes from oxygen quenching. An elegant approach to reduce the undesired luminescence quenching by triplet oxygen explored by us presents the incorporation of these chromium(III) complexes into different types of amorphous, non-porous silica nanoparticles, that can be simply surface functionalized, e.g., with targeting ligands and/or other sensor molecules. In this work, as first proof-of-concept experiments, a set of chromium (III) complexes constituting of different ligands and counter anions, were embedded into the core of silica nanoparticles. Subsequently, the optical properties of the resulting luminescent silica nanoparticles were spectroscopically assessed by steady state and time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. First results of time-resolved luminescence measurements confirm our design concept of nanoscale NIR emissive Cr(III) complex-based reporters
Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) with various chemical compositions and surface functionalities are routinely fabricated for industrial applications such as medical diagnostics, drug delivery, sensing, catalysis, energy conversion and storage, opto-electronics, and information storage which improve the quality of life and European prosperity. NP function, performance, interaction with biological species, and environmental fate are largely determined by their surface functionalities. Standardized repeatable surface characterization methods are therefore vital for quality control of NPs, and to meet increasing concerns regarding their safety. Therefore, industry, regulatory agencies, and policymakers need validated traceable measurement methods and reference materials. This calls for fit-for-purpose, validated, and standardized methods, and reference data and materials on the surface chemistry of engineered NPs. Here, we present a concept for the development of such standardized measurement protocols utilizing method cross-validation and interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) with emphasis on both advanced measurement methods such as quantitative Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (qNMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and cost-efficient, non-surface specific methods like optical assays and electrochemical titration methods.
Engineered and tailored nanomaterials (NM) are of great interest in the life and material sciences, as they can be used, e.g., as drug carriers, barcodes, fluorescent sensors, and multimodal labels in bioanalytical assays and imaging applications. Their performance and safety depend not only on their particle size, size distribution, and morphology, but also on their surface chemistry, i.e., the total number of surface functional groups (FG) and the number of FG accessible for subsequent functionalization with ligands or biomolecules, which in turn determines surface charge, colloidal stability, biocompatibility, and toxicity. It also underlines the importance of validated analytical methods that provide accurate information on these application-relevant physicochemical properties with a known uncertainty. In the case of FG quantification, this calls for robust, fast, inexpensive, and reliable methods which allow for the characterization of a broad variety of NM differing in size, chemical composition, and optical properties.
Methods
Aiming at the development of simple, versatile, and multimodal tools for the quantification of bioanalytically relevant FG such as amine, carboxy, thiol, and aldehyde functionalities, we investigated and compared various analytical methods commonly used for FG quantification. This includes electrochemical titration methods, dye-based optical assays, and other instrumental analytical techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry (MS), and thermal analysis methods.
Results
Here, we will present examples for different types of NMs and FGs including results from a currently running interlaboratory comparison (ILC) with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to pave the road for method standardization.
Innovative aspects
• Surface analysis
• Performance and safety of nanomaterials
• Standardization
Engineered nanomaterials (NM) with their large surface-to-volume ratios and their for some materials observed size-dependent functional properties are of increasing relevance for current and future developments in various fields such as medical and pharmaceutical industry, computing and electronics or food and consumer products. The performance and safety of NM are determined by the sum of their intrinsic physicochemical properties. Especially, the particle surface chemistry, which is largely controlled by the chemical nature and density of functional groups (FG) and ligands, is an important key driver for NM performance, stability, and processibility as well as the interaction of NM with the environment. Thus, methods for FG quantification can foster the sustainable development of functional and safe(r) NM.
Aiming at the development of simple, versatile, and multimodal tools for the quantification of many bioanalytically relevant FG and ligands, we investigated and compared various analytical methods commonly used for FG quantification. This includes electrochemical titration methods, dye-based optical assays, and other instrumental analytical techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance and thermal analysis methods.
The potential of our multimodal approach for FG quantification was demonstrated for commercial and custom-made polymeric and silica particles of varying FG, used as optical pH sensors. In the future, our strategy can contribute to establish multi-method characterization strategies to provide a more detailed picture of the structure-properties relationship.
In recent years, the use of functionalized micro- and nanomaterials has increased rapidly for a wide range of applications in the life and material sciences, due to their unique properties in combination with their high surface-to-volume ratio and stability. For instance, functionalized micro- and nanomaterials, that are labeled or stained with a multitude of sensor dyes can be used for monitoring, and quantification of neutral and ionic analytes. These materials have several advantages as compared to conventional molecular probes like enhanced brightness, ease of designing ratiometric systems by combining analyte-sensitive and inert reference dyes, and increased photostability. Moreover, stained nanoparticles can enable the use of hydrophobic dyes in aqueous environments.
Versatile templates and carriers for the fabrication of nanosensors by staining and/or labeling with different fluorophores and sensor molecules are biocompatible silica and polymeric particles, because they can be synthesized in large scales at low costs with different surface chemistries.
Here we present our work on multicolored sensors for the measurement of pH, oxygen and saccharides utilizing commercially available or in-house synthesized silica and polymeric particles.
Nowadays amorphous silica nanoparticles (SiO2-NP) are one of the most abundant engineered nanomaterials, that are highly stable and can be easily produced on a large scale at low cost. Surface functionalized SiO2-NP are of great interest in the life and material sciences, as they can be used e.g. as
drug carriers, fluorescent sensors, and multimodal labels in bioanalytical assays and imaging applications. Their performance in such applications depends not only on particle size, size distribution, and morphology, but also on surface chemistry, i.e. the total number of surface functional groups (FG)
and the number of FG accessible for subsequent functionalization with ligands or biomolecules, which in turn determines surface charge, colloidal stability, biocompatibility, and toxicity. Aiming at the development of simple, versatile, and multimodal tools for the quantification of many bioanalytically relevant FG and ligands, we investigated and compared various analytical methods commonly used for FG quantification. This includes electrochemical titration methods, dye-based optical assays, and other instrumental analytical techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance and thermal analysis methods.
The potential of our multimodal approach for FG quantification was demonstrated for commercial and custom-made silica particles of varying FG, showing not only an influence of the synthesis methods on the number of FG but also on the performance. In the future, our strategy can contribute to establish multi-method characterization strategies to provide a more detailed picture of the structure-properties relationship.
In the focus of division Biophotonics are the design, preparation, analytical and spectroscopic characterization, and application of molecular and nanoscale
functional materials, particularly materials with a photoluminescence in the visible, near infrared (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR). This includes optical reporters for bioimaging and sensing, security and authentication barcodes, and materials for solid state lighting, energy conversion, and photovoltaics. For the identification of optimum particle structures quantitative spectroscopic studies are performed under application-relevant conditions, focusing on the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield. In addition, simple, cost-efficient, and standardizable strategies for quantifying functional groups on the surface of nano- and microparticles are developed, here with a focus on optical assays and electrochemical titration methods, cross-validated by more advanced methods such as quantitative NMR. In addition, reference materials and reference products are developed for optical methods, particularly luminescence techniques, and for analytical methods utilized for the characterization of nanomaterials.
A crucial aspect of ensuring sustainable raw material utilization to meet global demand lies in the efficient recovery and reuse of critical elements and compounds. Phosphate, PO43-, and many transition metals e.g. Ni and Co are listed as critical raw materials (CRMs) due to their indispensable role in numerous industrial processes. However, these elements can also exert harmful environmental impacts, with phosphorus being a major contributor to anthropogenic eutrophication and transition metal ions acting as toxic pollutants, particularly in ground- and wastewaters. Typically, separate pathways have been considered to extract hazardous substances such as transition metals or phosphate, independently from each other. Here, we report the crystallization pathways of transition metal phosphate (TMP) compounds, M-struvite and M-phosphate octahydrate with M = Ni2+, Co2+, NixCo1-x2+, NH4MPO4∙6H2O, M3(PO4)2∙8H2O from aqueous solutions. The co-precipitation of these particular TMP compounds from industrial and agricultural wastewaters has high potential as a P- and 3d metal recovery route.
For efficient extraction and transformation of the TMPs, a comprehensive understanding of their nucleation and crystallization pathways from aqueous solutions is required. While the crystallization mechanisms of magnesium or calcium phosphate-bearing phases have been researched for many decades (e.g. struvite, apatite), investigations into TMP materials are relatively scarce and often focus on the adsorption of transition metals on the surface instead of their actual incorporation in minerals. In our study, we investigated in detail the precipitation process of several Co and Ni phosphates using ex- and in-situ spectroscopic-, spectrometric- and diffraction-/scattering-based techniques. We show that the crystallization behavior of TMPs, indeed deviates from a classical crystallization paradigm and follows a non-classical multi-step pathway. Our work extends the understanding of TMP crystallization by elucidating the formation of amorphous precursors preceding the final crystalline phase This time-dependent transition of the transition metal precursor phases can be observed by electron-imaging/tomography depicting a progressively changing amorphous solids until their ultimate reconfiguration to a crystal (Figure 1). Here, the two-metallic NixCo1-x-mixtures deviated anomalously in their reaction kinetics, crystallization outcome and participation of both metals from their pure endmembers. By measuring the crystallization with in-situ X-ray scattering and pH using a flow-through setup geometry, a complex prolonged interplay among nucleating entities e.g. and amorphous or crystalline solids could be observed in the metal phosphate mixtures reaching equilibrium after almost two and a half hours (Figure 2). Our results provide a holistic perspective on the crystallization behavior of transition metal phosphate phases, shedding light on their unique nucleation and growth kinetics involving structural and chemical transformations of the intermediate phases.
A series of aroyl-S,N-ketene acetal based bichromophores is readily synthesized by Buchwald-Hartwig amination and Ullmann reaction in moderate to good yields. The aminated aroyl-S,N-ketene acetals are emissive in the solid state and in the aggregate, but not in solution, thus, they are AIEgens (aggregation induced emission chromogens). Aggregation is induced by fractional alternation of the solvent mixture, here by increasing the water fraction of ethanol/water mixtures. For most derivatives, the emission upon induced aggregation stems solely from the aroyl-S,N-ketene acetal chromophore, regardless whether excitation occurs at the absorption maximum of the triarylamine or the aroyl-S,N-ketene acetal. Therefore, a pronounced energy transfer from the triarylamine donor to the aroyl-S,N-ketene acetal acceptor can be inferred. The color of the emission can be controlled by choosing the para-aroyl substituent. A partial energy transfer could also be observed for some bichromophores, leading to aggregation-induced dual emission (AIDE). In addition, four examples of aminated diaroyl-S,N-ketene acetals were added to the compound library. The electron-withdrawing properties of the additional aroyl group provide a bathochromic shift of the emission band of the aroyl-S,N-ketene acetal. These bichromophores also show AIDE and in one case even aggregation-induced white light emission as a result of additive color mixing.
Metal-organic framework-based biocomposites (MOF-biocomposites) are promising materials for biosensing, biocatalysis, and delivery of biopharmaceuticals. One of the most studied MOFs for bioapplications is ZIF-8 (zeolitic imidazolate framework 8) due to its high surface area, high thermal and chemical stability, and low cytotoxicity. The conventional synthesis of ZIF-8-biocomposites called biomimetic mineralization includes mixing selected biomolecules 2-methylimidazole, and soluble Zn2+ source in water.[3] Despite the high efficiency of the method, it does not allow for large-scale production and is restricted to hydrophilic biomolecules. Aimed at developing a scalable and versatile approach, we adapted our recently-reported ZIF-8 reactive extrusion for biocomposite production.
We selected bovine serum albumin (BSA) as an inexpensive model biomacromolecule for the preparation of biocomposites. The synthesis of BSA@ZIF-8 was performed using a twin-screw extruder ZE 12 HMI (Three-Tec Gmbh) at a mild temperature of 40 °C. Automatic volumetric feeder ZD 12B (Three-Tec GmbH) was used to supply the reagent mixture consisting of 2-methylimidazole, zinc source, and BSA. To initiate the reaction, a catalytic amount of EtOH was added using a peristaltic pump BT-L (Lead Fluid, China). Powder X-Ray diffraction (PXRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), FTIR, and N2 adsorption were used to characterize the extrudates.
Highly crystalline and pure BSA@ZIF-8 with different BSA loadings was isolated after washing the extrudate with EtOH and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The EtOH feeding rate was optimized by following the protein encapsulation efficiency at a BSA mass fraction of 10%. A continuous extruder operation under optimized conditions showed good reproducibility and capability of producing biocomposites on the kilograms scale. These results provide highly valuable information for cheap and large-scale production of ZIF-8-based biocomposites. Due to the lack of restrictions on molecule size and solubility, our proof-of-concept study may significantly expand the selection of biomolecules for immobilization in ZIF-8, making the method applicable to various functional applications
We report the scale-up of a batch solid synthesis of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) for reactive extrusion. The crystalline product forms in the extruder directly under the mixture of solid 2-methylimidazole and basic zinc carbonate in the presence of a catalytic amount of liquid. The process parameters such as temperature, liquid type, feeding rate, and linker excess were optimized using the setup specifically designed for in situ Raman spectroscopy. Highly crystalline ZIF-8 with a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of 1816 m2 g–1 was quantitatively prepared at mild temperature using a catalytic amount of ethanol and a small excess of the linker. Finally, we developed a simple and comprehensive approach to evaluating the environmental friendliness and scalability of metal–organic framework (MOF) syntheses in view of their large-scale production.
Optimizing the Green Synthesis of ZIF-8 by Reactive Extrusion Using In Situ Raman Spectroscopy
(2023)
ZIF-8 is a prominent member of the zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) subfamily of MOFs which possesses high thermal, chemical, and mechanical stabilities. Different routes have been explored to achieve the large-scale production of ZIF-8. However, these synthetic procedures are often inconsistent with the principles of sustainable chemical manufacturing. Aimed at developing scalable and greener production of ZIF-8, we adapted our previously reported in-batch „mix and wait“ synthesis[2] to continuous extrusion. To optimize the process, in-situ Raman spectroscopy was applied. Finally, we developed a simple and comprehensive approach to evaluating the environmental friendliness and scalability of MOF syntheses in view of their large-scale production.
The synthesis of ZIF-8 was performed using a twin-screw extruder ZE 12 HMI equipped with an automatic volumetric feeder ZD 12B (Three-Tec GmbH, Switzerland) and peristaltic pump BT-L (Lead Fluid, China). The process was monitored in six different zones using a Raman RXN1TM analyzer (Kaiser Optical Systems, France) with a non-contact probe head. PMMA screw-in parts, which are transparent to Raman laser radiation, were specially manufactured to provide the laser focus within the barrel. PXRD, TGA, N2 adsorption measurements, and SEM were used as complementary techniques to characterize the extrudates.
The batch ‘mix and wait’ synthesis of ZIF-8, consisting of bringing solid basic zinc carbonate and 2-methylimidazole in contact in a closed vial, was successfully adapted to reactive extrusion. The crystalline ZIF-8 continuously forms in the extruder under the mixing of solid reagents in the presence of a catalytic amounts of H2O or EtOH. The temperature, type of liquid, feeding rate, and excess of linker were optimized using in situ Raman spectroscopy. Pure and highly crystalline ZIF-8 was isolated at 40 °C by adding a catalytic amount of EtOH and a linker excess of 25%. The resulting material has excellent porosity with the BET surface area slightly exceeding that of the reference Basolite® Z1200 (1816 vs. 1734 m2 g–1). The reaction could yield ~ 3 kg d–1 assuming a continuous operation, with a space-time yield of ca. 67,000 kg m–3 d–1. The present method was compared to the published pathways based on Green Chemistry principles and proved to have the highest potential for large-scale production of ZIF-8.
Metal-organic framework-based biocomposites (MOF-biocomposites) are promising materials for biosensing, biocatalysis, and delivery of biopharmaceuticals. One of the most studied MOFs for bioapplications is ZIF-8 (zeolitic imidazolate framework 8) due to its high surface area, high thermal and chemical stability, and low cytotoxicity. The conventional synthesis of ZIF-8-biocomposites called biomimetic mineralization includes mixing selected biomolecules 2-methylimidazole, and soluble Zn2+ source in water. Despite the high efficiency of the method, it does not allow for large-scale production and is restricted to hydrophilic biomolecules. Aimed at developing a scalable and versatile approach, we adapted our recently-reported ZIF-8 reactive extrusion for biocomposite production.
We selected bovine serum albumin (BSA) as an inexpensive model biomacromolecule for the preparation of biocomposites. The synthesis of BSA@ZIF-8 was performed using a twin-screw extruder ZE 12 HMI (Three-Tec Gmbh) at a mild temperature of 40 °C. Automatic volumetric feeder ZD 12B (Three-Tec GmbH) was used to supply the reagent mixture consisting of 2-methylimidazole, zinc source, and BSA. To initiate the reaction, a catalytic amount of EtOH was added using a peristaltic pump BT-L (Lead Fluid, China). Powder X-Ray diffraction (PXRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), FTIR, and N2 adsorption were used to characterize the extrudates.
Highly crystalline and pure BSA@ZIF-8 with different BSA loadings was isolated after washing the extrudate with EtOH and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The EtOH feeding rate was optimized by following the protein encapsulation efficiency at a BSA mass fraction of 10%. A continuous extruder operation under optimized conditions showed good reproducibility and capability of producing biocomposites on the kilograms scale. These results provide highly valuable information for cheap and large-scale production of ZIF-8-based biocomposites. Due to the lack of restrictions on molecule size and solubility, our proof-of-concept study may significantly expand the selection of biomolecules for immobilization in ZIF-8, making the method applicable to various functional applications
Gold-based nanoparticles below 2 nm in size are promising as luminescent probes for in vivo bioimaging, owing to their brightness and rapid renal clearance. However, their use as contrast agents in the near-infrared II (NIR-II, 1000–1700 nm) range remains challenging due to their low photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield. To address this, PL enhancement can be achieved by either rigidifying the ligand-shell structure or increasing the size of the ligand shell. In this study, we synthesized ultra-small gold nanoparticles stabilized by co-ligands, namely monothiol and short dithiol molecules. By precisely controlling the amount of reducing agent used during particle preparation, we successfully modulated the physicochemical properties of the co-ligand shell, including its size, composition, and structure. Consequently, we achieved a remarkable 60-fold increase in the absorption cross-section at 990 nm while maintaining the small size of the 1.5-nm metal core. The analytical and optical characterization of our thiol-capped gold nanoparticles indicates that the ligand shell size is governed by the quantity of the reducing agent, which, in turn, impacts the balance between radiative and non-radiative processes, thereby influencing the PL quantum yield.
Tailor-made nanoparticles are of increasing interest in e.g. catalysis, as sensor materials, analytical assays, or can have superior photophysical properties. A major issue concerning the preparation of high-quality and functional nanoparticles is a good control of particle size, shape, polydispersity, and composition.
Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) is a non-destructive method for the analysis of nanostructures in a wide variety of materials. This method allows determining averaged structural parameters on a length scale from just above atomic sizes up to several 100 nanometers such as sizes, size distributions, volume fractions, and inner surface sizes. Moreover, anomalous Small Angle X-ray Scattering (ASAXS) exploits the anomalous dispersion of the scattering amplitudes near the X-ray absorption edges of the elements contained in the sample. These element sensitive contrast variations can be used to analyse average composition fluctuations on the nm scale. Two kinds of nanoparticles are chosen here to elaborate the advantages of ASAXS in the analysis of complex materials.
A facile and efficient methodology is developed for the thermal synthesis of size-tunable, stable, and uniform bimetallic NiCu core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) for various application in catalysis. Their diameter can be tuned in a range from 6 nm to 30 nm and the Ni:Cu ratio is adjustable in a wide range from 1:1 to 30:1. The NPs are structurally characterized by a method combination of transmission electron microscopy, anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering (ASAXS), X-ray absorption fine structure, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Here, we focus on the ASAXS method and its ability to analyses nanostructure parts and their compositions at once. As a result, a NiCu alloyed core surrounded by a Ni enriched shell and an outer NiO shell was found.
Semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots, QDs) are well known for their superior photophysical properties and enabled advancements in several key technologies of the 21st century and numerous technological applications like in photovoltaics, LED displays, photocatalysis, and biosensing. To achieve high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQY) and enhanced photostability the QD core needs to be passivated by a second semiconductor, which possess a larger band gap to confine the charges within the QD core. An important parameter is thereby the lattice mismatch between the core and shell. To avoid strong lattice strain, which would alter the photophysical properties, an intermediary shell can be used as a lattice adapter between the core and the outer shell leading to core/shell/shell systems. These systems have shown to possess high PLQYs combined with a strong long-term stability and can be found in modern QLED displays. ASAXS was used here to better understand the core/shell/shell structure of InP/ZnSe/ZnS QDs to enable a correlation between their structural and photophysical properties.
Silica materials are popular in biomedical applications as composites and drug delivery platforms due to their low toxicity and biocompatibility. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles are attractive drug delivery systems based on their porous silica framework with high surface area. In the preparation of mesoporous silica frameworks, most commonly, MCM-41, the efficient removal of the template responsible for introducing porous networks, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), is a critical step due to the template’s high toxicity in the environment and human health. In this work, we present a new one-pot approach of introducing challenging antibiotics within a silica framework without the need of toxic templates, but instead using micelle formation by an antibacterial agent. We demonstrate that micelles formed by cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), a known antibacterial agent, entrap antibiotics such as rifampicin and ciprofloxacin. Extensive NMR studies elucidate the precise localisation of the antibiotic within the CPC micelle. Ciprofloxacin is placed between the outer and palisade region while rifampicin is located further into the hydrophobic CPC micelle core. In both cases, the formation of the silica framework can be built around the CPC-antibiotic loaded micelles. The resulting silica nanoparticles show loading of both CPC and antibiotic agents, porosity and dual antibacterial release upon disruption of the micelle within the silica framework. The design not only provides a strategy of a therapeutic design to form porous frameworks but also highlights the potential of precise antibiotic dose and release in nanoparticle systems.
Physical adsorption at cryogenic temperature (cryoadsorption) is a reversible mechanism that can reduce the pressure of conventional compressed gas storage systems. Metal–organic framework (MOF) materials are remarkable candidates due to the combination of high specific surface area and density which, in some cases, provide a high volumetric storage capacity. However, such extensive use of MOFs for this application requires the selection of affordable structures, easy to produce and made from feasible metallic and organic components. Herein, we introduce a MOF database detailing the crystallographic and porous properties of 3600 existing MOFs made from industrially relevant metals and their organic composition. The comparison of the available minimum costs of linkers allowed the creation of a database to select affordable structures with high potential for volumetric hydrogen storage by cryoadsorption, considering their composition based on individual or mixed building blocks. A user interface, available online, facilitates the selection of MOFs based on the properties or names of structures and linkers.
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) on desktop 3D printers is a material extrusion-based technique often used by educational institutions, small enterprises and private households. Polymeric filaments are melted and extruded through a heated nozzle to form a 3D object in layers. The extrusion temperature is therefore a key parameter for a successful print job, but also one of the main driving factors for the emission of harmful air pollutants, namely ultrafine particles and volatile organic gases, which are formed by thermal stress on the polymeric feedstock. The awareness of potential health risks has increased the number of emission studies in the past years. However, the multiplicity of study designs makes an objective comparison of emission data challenging because printer hardware factors such as the actual extruder temperature (TE) and also feedstockspecific emissions are not considered. We assume that across the market of commercial low- and mid-price FFF printers substantial deviations between actual and set extruder temperatures exist, which have a strong effect on the emissions and hence may bias the findings of exposure studies. In our last publication, we presented a standardized feedstock-specific emission test method and showed that for each investigated feedstock an increase in actual extruder temperature was accompanied by an increase in particle emissions (Tang and Seeger, 2022). Therefore, any systematic discrepancy between set and actual extruder temperature matters. In this study, we used a thermocouple and an infrared camera to measure the actual extruder temperatures at different heights. We found significant under- and overestimation of the actual extruder temperatures by the respective set temperatures in three commercial printers. This caused a broad variation of the measured total numbers of emitted particles (TP), even when the same feedstock was operated. For the determination of TP, we followed the DE-UZ 219 test guideline. In a second round we repeated the tests with all printers adjusted to exactly the same extruder temperatures, i.e., to TE=230°C for ABS and TE=210°C for PLA. All measurements were conducted in a 1 m³ emission test chamber. Particle emissions in the size range between 4 nm and 20 μm were detected. Printing on three different printer models without temperature adjustment resulted for each of the investigated feedstocks in a variation in TP of around two orders of magnitude. After temperature adjustment, this was substantially reduced to approx. one order of magnitude and hence minimizes the bias of printer hardware on the emissions. Our findings suggest that adjustment of the extruder temperature should be mandatory in emission testing standards. It also poses a more accurate benchmark and provides more reliable emission data for evaluation of indoor air quality or for health risk assessments. In addition, a proper temperature setting is in the interest of the user. Some commercial FFF printers may have a higher actual extruder temperature than displayed and unintended overheating may not only impair the print quality but may cause unnecessarily increased exposure to particle emissions.
Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Luminescent Nanocrystals and Particles in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR
(2023)
The rational design of functional luminescent materials such as semiconductor quantum dots and lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles, all photophysical and mechanistic studies, and the comparison of different emitters require accurate and quantitative photoluminescence measurements. Particularly the reliable determination of the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield (f), the number of emitted per absorbed photons, and the brightness are of special importance for luminescence applications in the life and material sciences and nano(bio)photonics.[1] In this context, examples for absolute measurements of the photoluminescence quantum yields of UV/vis/NIR/SWIR emissive semiconductor quantum dots and rods, made from different materials, and spectrally shifting lanthanide upconversion nanocrystals with different surface chemistries in transparent matrices are presented including excitation wavelength and power density dependent studies utilizing integration sphere spectroscopy.[2,3] In addition, procedures for the absolute determination of the photoluminescence quantum yields of scattering dispersions of larger size quantum rods and differently sized inorganic particles have been developed as well as procedures for the characterization of solid luminescent nanomaterials such as different perovskites and YAG:Cer converter materials.[4] Thereby, challenges and pitfalls of f measurements in different wavelength regions including the SWIR and material-specific effects related to certain emitter classes are addressed, achievable uncertainties are quantified, and relative and absolute measurements of photoluminescence quantum yield measurements are compared to underline limitations of the former approach. Finally, a set of novel UV/vis/NIR quantum yield standards is presented including their certification with a complete uncertainty budget.[5]
Iron Oxide Nanocubes as a New Certified Reference Material for Nanoparticle Size Measurements
(2023)
The rational design and increasing industrial use of nanomaterials require a reliable characterization of their physicochemical key properties like size, size distribution, shape, and surface chemistry. This calls for nanoscale reference materials (nanoRMs) for the validation and standardization of commonly used characterization methods closely matching real-world nonspherical nano-objects. This encouraged us to develop a nonspherical nanoRM of very small size consisting of 8 nm iron oxide nanocubes (BAM-N012) to complement spherical gold, silica, and polymer nanoRMs. In the following, the development and production of this nanoRM are highlighted including the characterization by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) as complementary methods for size and shape parameters, homogeneity and stability studies, and calculation of a complete uncertainty budget of the size features. The determination of the nanocubes’ edge length by TEM and SAXS allows a method comparison. In addition, SAXS measurements can also provide the mean particle number density and the mass concentration. The certified size parameters, area equivalent circular diameter and square edge length, determined by TEM with a relative expanded uncertainty below 9%, are metrologically traceable to a natural constant for length, the very precisely known (111) lattice spacing of silicon. Cubic BAM-N012 qualifies as a certified nanoRM for estimating the precision and trueness, validation, and quality assurance of particle size and shape measurements with electron microscopy and SAXS as well as other sizing methods suitable for nanomaterials. The production of this new iron oxide nanocube RM presents an important achievement for the nanomaterial community, nanomaterial manufacturers, and regulators.
Surface-functionalized polymer beads encoded with molecular luminophores and nanocrystalline emitters such as semiconductor nanocrystals, often referred to as quantum dots (QDs), or magnetic nanoparticles are broadly used in the life sciences as reporters and carrier beads. Many of these applications require a profound knowledge of the chemical nature and total number of their surface functional groups (FGs), that control bead charge, colloidal stability, hydrophobicity, and the interaction with the environment and biological systems. For bioanalytical applications, also the
number of groups accessible for the subsequent functionalization with, e.g., biomolecules or targeting ligands is relevant. In this study, we explore the influence of QD encoding on the amount of carboxylic acid (COOH) surface FGs of 2 μm polystyrene microparticles (PSMPs). This is done for frequently employed oleic acid and oleylamine stabilized, luminescent core/shell CdSe QDs and two commonly used encoding procedures. This included QD addition during bead formation by a thermally induced polymerization reaction and a post synthetic swelling procedure. The accessible number of COOH groups on the surface of QD-encoded and pristine beads was quantified by two colorimetric assays, utilizing differently sized reporters and electrostatic and covalent interactions. The results were compared to the total number of FGs obtained by a conductometric titration and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, a comparison of the impact of QD and dye encoding on the bead surface chemistry was performed. Our results demonstrate the influence of QD encoding and the QD-encoding strategy on the number of surface FG that is ascribed to an interaction of the QDs with the carboxylic acid groups on the bead surface. These findings are of considerable relevance for applications of nanoparticle-encoded beads and safe-by-design concepts for nanomaterials.
Current challenges and objectives for non-invasive optical bioimaging are deep tissue penetration, high detection sensitivity, high spatial and temporal resolution, and fast data acquisition. A promising spectral window to tackle these challenges is the short-wave infrared (SWIR) ranging from 900 nm to 1700 nm where scattering, absorption, and autofluorescence of biological components are strongly reduced compared to the visible/NIR. At present, the best performing SWIR contrast agents are based on nanomaterials containing toxic heavy-metal ions like cadmium or lead, which raises great concerns for biological applications. Promising heavy-metal free nanoscale candidates are gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) and Ag2S nanoparticles (NPs). The photoluminescence (PL) of both types of nanomaterials is very sensitive to their size, composition of their surface ligand shell, and element composition, which provides an elegant handle to fine-tune their absorption and emission features and boost thereby the size of the signals recorded in bioimaging studies.
Aiming for the development of SWIR contrast agents with optimum performance, we dived deeper into the photophysical processes occurring in these nanomaterials, thereby exploring in depth how the environment, surface ligand composition, and the incorporation of transition metals influence the optical properties of AuNCs and Ag2S NPs. We observed a strong enhancement of the SWIR emission of AuNCs upon exposure to different local environments (in solution, polymer, and in the solid state). Addition of metal ions such as Zn2+ to Ag2S based NPs led to a strong PL enhancement, yielding PL quantum yields of about 10% and thus making them highly suitable for non-invasive deep imaging of vascular networks and 3D fluid flow mapping.
The rational design of next generation molecular and nanoscale reporters and the comparison of different emitter classes require the determination of the fluorometric key performance parameter fluorescence quantum yield (Φf), i.e., the number of emitted photons per number of absorbed photons. Main prerequisites for reliable Φf measurements, which are for transparent luminophore solutions commonly done relative to a reference, i.e., a fluorescence quantum yield standard of known Φf, are reliable and validated instrument calibration procedures to consider wavelength-, polarization-, and time-dependent instrument specific signal contributions, and sufficiently well characterized fluorescence quantum yield standards. As the standard’s Φf value directly contributes to the calculation of the sample’s Φf, its accuracy presents one of the main sources of uncertainty of relative Φf measurements. To close this gap, we developed a first set of 12 fluorescence quantum yield standards, which absorb and emit in the wavelength region of 330−1000 nm and absolutely determined their Φf values with two independently calibrated integrating sphere setups.
Criteria for standard selection and the configuration of these novel fluorescence reference materials are given, and the certification procedure is presented including homogeneity and stability studies and the calculation of complete uncertainty budgets for the certified Φf values. The ultimate goal is to provide the community of fluorescence users with available reference materials as a basis for an improved comparability and reliability of quantum yield data since the measurement of this spectroscopic key property is an essential part of the characterization of any new emitter.
In recent years, chromium (III) complexes have received a lot of attention as novel near-infrared (NIR) emitters. This interest was triggered by the report on the first molecular ruby Cr(ddpd)2(BF4)3 with a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 13.7% of its near infrared (NIR) emission band and a long luminescence lifetime of 1.122 ms at room temperature. Meanwhile, the influence of triplet oxygen, temperature, and pressure on the optical properties of different molecular rubies have been assessed. These features make these molecular rubies promising candidates for multi-analyte optical sensing applications and the generation of singlet oxygen for photocatalysis and photodynamic therapy. However, in an oxygen-containing environment, the photoluminescence quantum yields and luminescence lifetimes of these chromium(III) complexes show only very small values. This hampers their application as NIR luminescence labels. This application, that cannot be tackled by conventional deoxygenating approaches, requires suitable strategies to protect the luminescence of the chromium(III) complexes from oxygen quenching. Typical approaches to reduce the oxygen sensitivity of long-lived luminophores include the encapsulation into an oxygen-shielding matrix or less commonly employed, by tuning the bulkiness of the ligands for oxygen-sensitive coordination compounds. An elegant approach to reduce the undesired luminescence quenching by triplet oxygen explored by us presents the incorporation of these chromium(III) complexes into amorphous, non-porous silica nanoparticles, that can be simply surface functionalized, e.g., with targeting ligands and/or other sensor molecules. This can enable the use of such chromium(III) complexes as reporters for bioanalytical assays and bioimaging without the need to introduce reactive groups into the ligands and can pave the road to lifetime tuning.
In this work, as first proof-of-concept experiments, a set of chromium (III) complexes constituting of different ligands and counter anions, were embedded into the core of silica nanoparticles. As an alternative synthesis strategy, selected complexes were incorporated into a silica shell formed around the core of self-made silica nanoparticles. Subsequently, the optical properties of the resulting luminescent silica nanoparticles were spectroscopically assessed by steady state and time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. First results of time-resolved luminescence measurements of the Cr(ddpd)2(PF6)3 complex incorporated into 25nm large silica nanoparticles dispersed in aerated water in comparison to the decay kinetics obtained for this complex in acetonitrile in air showed an increase in lifetime from 46 µs to 1147 µs. This confirming our design concept of nanoscale NIR emissive Cr(III) reporters.
At present, the field of research on nanostructures is actively developing, which is due to their unique physico-chemical properties compared to bulk materials. Many research activities are focused on obtaining nanocomposites, which combine various types of nanostructures with different properties and function. For example, the development of magneto-luminescent nanocomposites makes it possible to use their luminescence for optical imaging, and their magnetic properties for magnetic targeted delivery and as agents of hyperthermia and magnetic resonance imaging.
My master studies as part of the project Goszadanie 2019-1080 at ITMO were focused on the investigation of nanocomposites, consisting of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) as luminescent component and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) as magnetic one, in solution and during their incubation with HeLa cells. The spectrally resolved analysis of the QD photoluminescence (PL) kinetics of the free QDs and the QDs incorporated in these nanocomposites undergoing energy transfer processes allowed for (1) understanding the reasons for the quenching of QD luminescence in cells, (2) evaluating the average distance between the QDs and, based on this, concluding the degree of QD aggregation in cells, and (3) drawing conclusions about the QD-quencher composites integrity in cells. Overall, the analysis of the PL kinetics confirmed that QDs and SPIONs remain bound in the obtained nanocomposites during incubation with cells.
To ensure the successful advancement of nanomaterials in biomedicine and the transition from their laboratory preparation and studies to their use in different applications and in industry, it is crucial to develop reliable measurement methods and reference materials candidates for the characterization of functional nanomaterials and assessing the quality of the obtained nanostructures. My recently started project at BAM, which is part of the EU metrology project MeTrINo, will be devoted to this topic. There we will focus on the development of methodologies for the synthesis and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles, already used in biomedicine, and multi-element lanthanide-based nanoparticles with attractive upconversion luminescence, as reference materials with high monodispersity and reproducibility. Also, these nanoparticles will be functionalized with organic dyes for optical imaging and, probably, the study of the energy transfer phenomena.
In recent years, the demand for reliable, versatile, fluorescent pH and oxygen sensors has increased rapidly in many biomedical applications since these analytes are important indicators of cell function or certain diseases. Therefore, sensor particles are needed that are small enough to penetrate cells, non-toxic, and allow for close-up optical monitoring. When developing such sensor systems, one must consider the pH and oxygen range detectable by the sensor dye and the matrix material of the used carrier particles. Here, we present the development of pH- and oxygen-responsive polymeric beads functionalized with fluorescent dyad molecules that consist of an analyte-responsive fluorophore and an analyte-inert dye.
Optical pH sensors utilizing colorimetric or fluorescent indicator dyes are highly promising in many biomedical and life science applications where electrochemical sensors fail. For instance, optical sensors are not prone to electrical interferences, they are noninvasive and enable remote measurements. Moreover, fluorescence detection is very fast, highly sensitive, and provides several readout parameters ideal for multiplexing with nanometer resolution using simple, inexpensive, and miniaturizable instrumentation. Here, we present the design of a dyad sensor molecule, consisting of an analyte-responsive and an analyte inert reference fluorophore.
Outer membrane lipopolysaccharides (LPS) play a crucial role in determining attachment behavior and pathogenicity of bacteria. The aim of this study was to develop a simple procedure for anchoring bacterial lipopolysaccharides to polystyrene (PS) microparticles as a model system for in situ attachment studies. By using a swellcapture methodology, commercially available LPS of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (strain ATCC 27316 serotype 10.22) was anchored onto PS microparticles in a proof-of-concept study. A detailed chemical and morphological characterization has proven the success of LPS incorporation. It was shown that the coverage and structure of the LPS film was concentration dependent. The procedure can easily be adapted to LPS of other bacterial strains to generate a synthetic model toolkit for attachment studies.
This study uses conventional 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotope and interelement ratios of Ca, Sr, K, Mn, Mg and Ti as fingerprints for provenancing ordinary Portland cements (OPC). Herein, the first database of Sr and Nd isotope ratios investigated in OPCs, stemming from 29 cement plants located worldwide, was created. The results show that the Sr isotope ratios of OPCs are higher than those of seawater from the observed geological period. The spread of 143Nd/144Nd in OPCs is not as large as the spread for 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios. However, the combination of both Sr and Nd isotope ratios provides the potential for distinguishing between cements of different production sites. Most of the OPCs investigated have measurable differences in their 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotope ratios, which can be employed as a valuable analytical fingerprinting tool. In the case of equivocal results, divisive hierarchical clustering was employed to help overcome this issue. The construction of geochemical profiles allowed the computing of suitably defined distances between cements and clustering them according to their chemical similarity. By applying this methodology, successful fingerprinting was achieved in 27 out of the 29 ordinary Portland cements that were analysed.
Immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) is a widely used technique for purifying polyhistidine-tagged recombinant proteins. However, it often has practical limitations that require complex optimizations and additional steps for purification. In this study, we introduce functionalized corundum particles as a novel, efficient, and economical method for purifying recombinant proteins in a column-free format. The corundum surface is modified with amino silane APTES, followed by EDTA dianhydride, and then loaded with nickel ions. We used the Kaiser test to monitor the modification process and ICP-MS to quantify the metal-binding capacity. To evaluate the system, we used His-tagged protein A/G (PAG) mixed with bovine serum albumin (BSA). The corundum particles exhibited a binding capacity of approximately 3 mg of protein per gram of corundum or 2.4 mg per 1 mL of corundum suspension. We also examined cytoplasm obtained from different E. coli strains as an example of a complex matrix. Varying the imidazole concentration in the loading and washing buffers showed that higher concentrations during loading improved purity. Even with sample volumes as large as one liter, we successfully isolated recombinant proteins down to a concentration of 1 µg/mL. We found higher purity levels with corundum when comparing the corundum material to standard Ni–NTA agarose beads. We successfully purified His6-MBP-mSA2, a fusion protein comprising monomeric streptavidin and maltose-binding protein, from E. coli cytoplasm, demonstrating the method's applicability. We also purified SARS-CoV-2-S-RBD-His8 expressed in human Expi293F cells, confirming its suitability for mammalian cell culture supernatants. The material cost of the nickel-loaded corundum material (without regeneration) is estimated to be less than 30 cents per gram of functionalized support or 10 cents per milligram of isolated protein. Another advantage of this system is the exceptional physical and chemical stability of corundum particles. Overall, we have demonstrated that this novel material offers an efficient, robust, and cost-effective purification platform for His-tagged proteins, even in challenging, complex matrices and large sample volumes with low product concentrations. This method has potential applications in both small laboratories and large-scale industrial settings.
Optimizing the Green Synthesis of ZIF-8 by Reactive Extrusion Using In Situ Raman Spectroscopy
(2023)
We report the scale-up of a batch solid synthesis of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) for reactive extrusion. The crystalline product forms in the extruder directly under the mixture of solid 2-methylimidazole and basic zinc carbonate in the presence of a catalytic amount of liquid. The process parameters such as temperature, liquid type, feeding rate, and linker excess were optimized using the setup specifically designed for in situ Raman spectroscopy. Highly crystalline ZIF-8 with a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of 1816 m2 g–1 was quantitatively prepared at mild temperature using a catalytic amount of ethanol and a small excess of the linker. Finally, we developed a simple and comprehensive approach to evaluating the environmental friendliness and scalability of metal–organic framework (MOF) syntheses in view of their large-scale production.
Inorganic nanocrystals with linear and nonlinear luminescence in the ultraviolet, visible, near infrared and short-wave infrared like semiconductor quantum dots and spectrally shifting lanthanide-based nanophosphors have meanwhile found many applications in the life and material sciences. This includes optical reporters for bioimaging and sensing, security and authentication barcodes, solid state lighting, converter materials, and photovoltaics. The identification of optimum particle structures requires quantitative spectroscopic studies under application-relevant conditions, focusing on the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield, ideally flanked by single particle studies to assess spectroscopic inhomogeneities on a particle-to-particle level for typical preparation methods. In this context, methods to quantify the photoluminescence of these different nanoscale emitters are shown and utilized as a basis for a profound mechanistic understanding of the nonradiative deactivation pathways in semiconductor and upconversion nanocrystals of different size and particle architecture in different environments. Exemplary for the application potential of such nanomaterials, in addition, the design of optical sensors from different nanomaterials and functional organic dyes is briefly summarized.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) used for treating cancer relies on the generation of highly reactive oxygen species, for example, singlet oxygen 1O2, by light-induced excitation of a photosensitizer (PS) in the presence of molecular oxygen, inducing DNA damage in close proximity of the PS. Although many precious metal complexes have been explored as PS for PDT and received clinical approval, only recently, the potential of photoactive complexes of nonnoble metals as PS has been discovered. Using the DNA origami technology that can absolutely quantify DNA strand break cross sections, we assessed the potential of the luminescent transition metal complex [Cr(ddpd)2]3+ (ddpd=N,N’-dimethyl-N,N’-dipyridine-2-ylpyridine-2,6-diamine) to damage DNA in an air-saturated aqueous environment upon UV/Vis illumination. The quantum yield for strand breakage, that is, the ratio of DNA strand breaks to the number of absorbed photons, was determined to 1–4%, indicating efficient transformation of photons into DNA strand breaks by [Cr(ddpd)2]3+.
Thermo-Desorption Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) was used to investigate the thermal degradation of two different polyurethanes (PU). PU samples were heated at different heating rates and the desorbed products were collected in a cold injection system and thereafter submitted to GC-MS. Prospects and limitations of the detection and quantification of semi-volatile degradation products were investigated. A temperature dependent PU depolymerization was
found at temperatures above 200 °C proved by an increasing release of 1,4-butanediol and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) representing the main building blocks of both polymers. Their release was monitored quantitatively based on external calibration with authentic compounds. Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) of the residues obtained after thermodesorption confirmed the initial competitive degradation mechanism indicating an equilibrium of crosslinking and depolymerization as previously suggested. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry of SEC fractions of thermally degraded PUs provided additional hints on degradation mechanism.
Using fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) to cytoreductive surgery helps achieving complete resection of microscopic ovarian tumors. The use of visible and NIR-I fluorophores has led to beneficial results in clinical trials; however, involving NIR-II dyes seems to outperform those benefits due to the deeper tissue imaging and higher signal/noise ratio attained within the NIR-II optical window. In this context, we developed NIR-II emitting dyes targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive ovarian tumors by coupling water-soluble NIR-II aza-BODIPY dyes to the FDA-approved anti-HER2 antibody, namely, trastuzumab. These bioconjugated NIR-II-emitting dyes displayed a prolonged stability in serum and a maintained affinity toward HER2 in vitro. We obtained selective targeting of HER2 positive tumors (SKOV-3) in vivo, with a favorable tumor accumulation. We demonstrated the fluorescence properties and the specific HER2 binding of the bioconjugated dyes in vivo and thus their potential for NIR-II FGS in the cancer setting.
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a material extrusion-based technique often used in desktop 3D printers. Polymeric filaments are melted and are extruded through a heated nozzle to form a 3D object in layers. The extruder temperature is therefore a key parameter for a successful print job but also one of the main emission driving factors as harmful pollutants (e.g., ultrafine particles) are formed by thermal polymer degradation. The awareness of potential health risks has increased the number of emission studies in the past years. However, studies usually refer their calculated emission data to the printer set extruder temperature for comparison purposes. In this study, we used a thermocouple and an infrared camera to measure the actual extruder temperature and found significant temperature deviations to the displayed set temperature among printer models. Our result shows that printing the same filament feedstocks with three different printer models and with identical printer set temperature resulted in a variation in particle emission of around two orders of magnitude. A temperature adjustment has reduced the variation to approx. one order of magnitude. Thus, it is necessary to refer the measured emission data to the actual extruder temperature as it poses a more accurate comparison parameter for evaluation of the indoor air quality in user scenarios or for health risk assessments.
The cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) is a plant virus explored as a nanotechnological platform. The robust self-assembly mechanism of its capsid protein allows for drug encapsulation and targeted delivery. Additionally, the capsid nanoparticle can be used as a programmable platform to display different molecular moieties. In view of future applications, efficient production and purification of plant viruses are key steps. In established protocols, the need for ultracentrifugation is a significant limitation due to cost, difficult scalability, and safety issues. In addition, the purity of the final virus isolate often remains unclear. Here, an advanced protocol for the purification of the CCMV from infected plant tissue was developed, focusing on efficiency, economy, and final purity. The protocol involves precipitation with PEG 8000, followed by affinity extraction using a novel peptide aptamer. The efficiency of the protocol was validated using size exclusion chromatography, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, reversed-phase HPLC, and sandwich immunoassay. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the final eluate of the affinity column is of exceptional purity (98.4%) determined by HPLC and detection at 220 nm. The scale-up of our proposed method seems to be straightforward, which opens the way to the large-scale production of such nanomaterials. This highly improved protocol may facilitate the use and implementation of plant viruses as nanotechnological platforms for in vitro and in vivo applications.
Optical Thermometry is popular among researchers because of its non-contact, high sensitivity, and fast measurement properties. In the present experiment, Er3+/Yb3+/K+ co-doped NaYF4 nanoparticles with different K+ concentrations were synthesized by solvothermal method, and the samples showed bright upconversion green emission under the excitation of a 980 nm laser. The powder X-ray diffractometer and transmission electron microscope were used to characterize the crystal structure and its surface morphology, respectively. The spectral characteristics of nanoparticles with K+ doping concentration from 10% to 30% (Molar ratio) were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, and it was observed that the fluorescence intensity reached the maximum at the K+ concentration of 20%, after which the intensity weakened when the K+ content continued to increase. According to the dependence between the luminescence intensity of the sample and the laser power density and fluorescence lifetime, the intrinsic mechanism was carefully investigated. Temperature-dependent spectra of the samples were recorded in the temperature range of 315–495 K, and the maximum values of absolute sensitivity (Sa) and relative sensitivity (Sr) were measured at 0.0041 K−1 (455 K) and 0.9220%K−1 (315 K). The experimental results show that K+/Er3+/Yb3+ triple-doped NaYF4 green fluorescent nanoparticles (GFNs) have good prospects for applications in display devices, temperature sensing, and other fields.
The NaYF4: Yb3+/Tm3+@NaYF4@β-CD upconversion nanoparticles were successfully prepared by the solvothermal method, and the samples were pure hexagonal phase with good crystallinity and homogeneous size, asevidenced by XRD and TEM analysis. The FT-IR analysis shows that β-CD is successfully encapsulated on the surface of NaYF4: Yb3+/Tm3+@NaYF4 nanoparticles. The fluorescence intensity 3and lifetime were significantly increased after coating the inert layer on the surface of core nanoparticles. After further surface modification of β-CD, the fluorescence intensity and fluorescence lifetime were reduced, but the overall fluorescence was stronger. Temperature measurements using the fluorescence intensity ratio technique were found to have relatively low reliability and absolute sensitivity for temperature measurements using thermally coupled energy levels. However, the reliability of temperature measurements using non-thermally coupled energy levels is significantly higher and the absolute sensitivity is much higher than for measurements at thermally coupled levels. Since the maximum absolute sensitivity, maximum relative sensitivity and minimum temperature resolution are determined to be 0.1179 K-1, 2.19 %K 1 and 0.00019 K, respectively, NaYF4: Yb3+/Tm3+@NaYF4@β-CD upconversion nanoparticles are expected to be widely used in the biomedical field due to their feasibility, reliability, non-toxicity and harmlessness.
The core−shell NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaYF4:Yb3+ upconversion nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a solvothermal method, and a layer of mesoporous silica (mSiO2) was successfully coated on the periphery of the core−shell nanoparticles to transform their surface from lipophilic to hydrophilic, further expanding their applications in biological tissues. The physical phase, morphology, structure, and fluorescence properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ζ potential analysis, and fluorescence spectroscopy. It was found that the material has a hexagonal structure with good hydrophilicity and emits intense fluorescence under 980 nm pump laser excitation. The non-contact temperature sensing performance of nanoparticles was evaluated by analyzing the upconversion fluorescence of Tm3+ (1G4 → 3F4 and 3F3 → 3H6) in the temperature range of 284−344 K. The absolute and relative sensitivities were found to be 0.0067 K−1 and 1.08 % K−1, respectively, with high-temperature measurement reliability and good temperature cycling performance. More importantly, its temperature measurement in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution is accurate. In addition, the temperature of the cells can be increased by adjusting the laser power density and laser irradiation time. Therefore, an optical temperature sensing platform was built to realize the application of real-time monitoring of cancer cell temperature and the dual function of photothermal therapy.
pH and oxygen are amongst the most important and frequently measured analytes in the life and material sciences, indicating, e.g., diseases and corrosion processes. This includes the optical monitoring of pH in living cells for studying cellular internalization pathways, such as phagocytosis, endocytosis, and receptor ligand internalization with the aid of molecular and nanoscale fluorescent sensors. Nanoparticle (NP)-based sensors, that are labeled or stained with a multitude of sensor dyes, have several advantages as compare to conventional molecular probes like enhanced brightness, i.e., amplified signals, ease of designing ratiometric systems by combining analyte sensitive and inert reference dyes, and increased photostability. Moreover, this can enable the use of hydrophobic dyes in aqueous environments. Versatile templates and carriers for the fabrication of nanosensors by the staining and/or labelling with different fluorophores and sensor molecules or surface functionalized NP like silica (SiO2-NP) and polystyrene (PS-NP) particles provide. Here we present the design of a versatile platform of color emissive nanosensors and stimuli-responsive microparticles for the measurement of pH, oxygen, and other targets utilizing both types of matrices and sets of spectrally distinguishable sensor and reference dyes and their characterization and demonstrate the applicability of representative sensor particle for cellular studies.
The surface chemistry of nanomaterials controls their interaction with the environment and biological species and their fate and is hence also relevant for their potential toxicity. This has meanwhile led to an increasing interest in validated and preferably standardized methods for the determination and quantification of surface functionalities on nanomaterials and initiated different standardization projects within ISO/TC 229 and IEC/TC 113 as well as interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) of different analytical methods for the quantification of surface coatings by OECD. Here we present the results of a first ILC on the quantification of the amount of amino functionalities on differently sized inorganic nanoparticles done by division Biophotonics and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the PWI 19257 on the Characterization and Quantification of Surface Functional Groups and Coatings on Nanoobjects approved by ISO/TC 229 (WG2) in fall 2022 that will result in a VAMAS study on this topic organized by division Biophotonics. Key words: nanoparticles, surface analysis, surface functional groups, quantification, optical assay, qNMR, VAMAS, standardization, ICL, quality assurance, reference material.
Comprehensive evaluation of peptide de novo sequencing tools for monoclonal antibody assembly
(2023)
Monoclonal antibodies are biotechnologically produced proteins with various applications in research, therapeutics and diagnostics. Their ability to recognize and bind to specific molecule structures makes them essential research tools and therapeutic agents. Sequence information of antibodies is helpful for understanding antibody–antigen interactions and ensuring their affinity and specificity. De novo protein sequencing based on mass spectrometry is a valuable method to obtain the amino acid sequence of peptides and proteins without a priori knowledge. In this study, we evaluated six recently developed de novo peptide sequencing algorithms (Novor, pNovo 3, DeepNovo, SMSNet, PointNovo and Casanovo), which were not specifically designed for antibody data. We validated their ability to identify and assemble antibody sequences on three multi-enzymatic data sets. The deep learning-based tools Casanovo and PointNovo showed an increased peptide recall across different enzymes and data sets compared with spectrum-graph-based approaches. We evaluated different error types of de novo peptide sequencing tools and their performance for different numbers of missing cleavage sites, noisy spectra and peptides of various lengths. We achieved a sequence coverage of 97.69–99.53% on the light chains of three different antibody data sets using the de Bruijn assembler ALPS and the predictions from Casanovo. However, low sequence coverage and accuracy on the heavy chains demonstrate that complete de novo protein sequencing remains a challenging issue in proteomics that requires improved de novo error correction, alternative digestion strategies and hybrid approaches such as homology search to achieve high accuracy on long protein sequences.
Lanthanide-based, spectrally shifting, and multi-color luminescent upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) have received much attention in the last decades because of their applicability as reporter for bioimaging, super-resolution microscopy, and sensing as well as barcoding and anti-counterfeiting tags. A prerequisite for the broad application of UCNPs in areas such as sensing and encoding are simple, robust, and easily upscalable synthesis protocols that yield large quantities of UCNPs with sizes of 20 nm or more with precisely controlled and tunable physicochemical properties from lowcost reagents with a high reproducibility. In this context, we studied the reproducibility, robustness, and upscalability of the synthesis of β-NaYF4:Yb, Er UCNPs via thermal decomposition. Reaction parameters included solvent, precursor chemical compositions, ratio, and concentration. The resulting UCNPs were then examined regarding their application-relevant physicochemical properties such as size, size distribution, morphology, crystal phase, chemical composition, and photoluminescence.
Based on these screening studies, we propose a small volume and high-concentration synthesis approach that can provide UCNPs with different, yet controlled size, an excellent phase purity and tunable morphology in batch sizes of up to at least 5 g which are well suited for the fabrication of sensors, printable barcodes or authentication and recycling tags.
Inorganic nanocrystals with linear and nonlinear luminescence in the ultraviolet, visible, near infrared and short-wave infrared like semiconductor quantum dots and spectrally shifting lanthanide-based nanophosphors have meanwhile found applications in the life and material sciences ranging from optical reporters for bioimaging and sensing over security barcodes to solid state lighting and photovoltaics. These nanomaterials commonly have increasingly sophisticated core/shell particle architectures with shells of different chemical composition and thickness to minimize radiationless deactivation at the particle surface that is usually the main energy loss mechanism [1]. For lanthanide-based spectral shifters, particularly for very small nanoparticles, also surface coatings are needed which protect near-surface lanthanide ions from luminescence quenching by high energy vibrators like O-H groups and prevent the disintegration of these nanoparticles under high dilution conditions. [2,3,4]. The identification of optimum particle structures requires quantitative spectroscopic studies focusing on the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield [5,6], ideally flanked by single particle studies to assess spectroscopic inhomogeneities on a particle-to-particle level for typical preparation methods [7,8], Moreover, in the case of upconversion nanoparticles with a multi-photonic and hence, excitation power density (P)-dependent luminescence, quantitative luminescence studies over a broad P range are required to identify particle architectures that are best suited for applications in fluorescence assays up to fluorescence microscopy. Here, we present methods to quantify the photoluminescence of these different types of emitters in the vis/NIR/SWIR and as function of P and demonstrate the importance of such measurements for a profound mechanistic understanding of the nonradiative deactivation pathways in semiconductor and upconversion nanocrystals of different size and particle architecture in different environments.
The optical properties of these materials strongly depend on the excitation power density, i.e., the number of photons absorbed per time interval. The upconversion quantum efficiencies (ΦUC) of these materials, the excitation power dependent population i.e. the emission characteristics, and the deactivation dynamics are influenced by nanoparticle architecture, doping concentration, and the microenvironment. We will discuss how time resolved measurements can help to understand the fundamental photophysical mechanisms and discuss differences to other nanocrystals like quantum dots.
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are one technology to overcome the challenges of climate and energy crisis. They are widely used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, or as storage for renewable energy sources. However, despite innovations in batteries' components like cathode and anode materials, separators, and electrolytes, the aging mechanism related to metallic aluminum current collector degradation causes a significant drop in their performance and prevents the durable use of LIBs.[1] Glow-discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GD-OES) is a powerful method for depth-profiling of batteries' electrode materials. This work investigates aging-induced aluminum deposition on commercial lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteries' cathodes. The results illustrate the depth-resolved elemental distribution from the cathode surface to the current collector. An accumulation of aluminum is found on the cathode surface by GD-OES, consistent with results from energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) combined with focused ion beam (FIB) cutting. In comparison to FIB-EDX, GD-OES allows a fast and manageable depth-profiling. Results from different positions on an aged cathode indicate an inhomogeneous aluminum film growth on the surface. The conclusions from these experiments can lead to a better understanding of the degradation of the aluminum current collector, thus leading to higher lifetimes of LIBs.
A solvothermal method was used to prepare a series of Yb3+/Tm3+/Ca2+ co-doped NaYF4 nanoparticles with different Ca2+ contents. Strong upconversion blue fluorescence could be observed under 980 nm laser excitation of the samples. The effect of different Ca2+ contents on the luminescence intensity was investigated, and it was found that the UV-vis upconversion luminescence increased and then decreased with an increasing Ca2+ concentration during the increase of the Ca2+ content from 0 mol% to 25 mol%, reaching the strongest fluorescence at 15 mol%, which was up to about 28 times stronger than that without Ca2+ doping. Furthermore, the mechanism was investigated, and it was found that the doping of Ca2+ disrupted the symmetry of the crystal field, resulting in a significant enhancement of the overall fluorescence. Applied to fluorescence intensity ratio thermometry, the absolute and relative sensitivities are as high as 0.0418 K−1 and 2.31% K−1, respectively, with a minimum temperature resolution of 0.0129 K.
Cryoadsorption on the inner surface of porous materials is a promising solution for safe, fast, and reversible hydrogen storage. Within the class of highly porous metal−organic frameworks, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) show high thermal, chemical, and mechanical stability. In this study, we selected ZIF-8 synthesized mechanochemically by twin-screw extrusion as powder and pellets. The hydrogen storage capacity at 77 K and up to 100 bar has been analyzed in two laboratories applying three different measurement setups showing a high reproducibility. Pelletizing ZIF-8 increases the packing density close to the corresponding value for a single crystal without loss of porosity, resulting in an improved volumetric hydrogen storage capacity close to the upper limit for a single crystal. The high volumetric uptake combined with a low and constant heat of adsorption provides ca. 31 g of usable hydrogen per liter of pellet assuming a temperature−pressure swing adsorption process between 77 K − 100 bar and 117 K − 5 bar. Cycling experiments do not indicate any degradation in storage capacity. The excellent stability during preparation, handling, and operation of ZIF-8 pellets demonstrates its potential as a robust adsorbent material for technical application in pilot- and full-scale adsorption vessel prototypes.
Ratiometric green–red fluorescent nanosensors for fluorometrically monitoring pH in the acidic range were designed from 80 nm-sized polystyrene (PS) and silica (SiO2) nanoparticles (NPs), red emissive reference dyes, and a green emissive naphthalimide pH probe, analytically and spectroscopically characterized, and compared regarding their sensing performance in aqueous dispersion and in cellular uptake studies. Preparation of these optical probes, which are excitable by 405 nm laser or LED light sources, involved the encapsulation of the pH-inert red-fuorescent dye Nile Red (NR) in the core of self-made carboxylated PSNPs by a simple swelling procedure and the fabrication of rhodamine B (RhB)-stained SiO2-NPs from a silane derivative of pH-insensitive RhB. Subsequently, the custom-made naphthalimide pH probe, that utilizes a protonation-controlled photoinduced electron transfer process, was covalently attached to the carboxylic acid groups at the surface of both types of NPs. Fluorescence microscopy studies with the molecular and nanoscale optical probes and A549 lung cancer cells confirmed the cellular uptake of all probes and their penetration into acidic cell compartments, i.e., the lysosomes, indicated by the switching ON of the green naphthalimide fluorescence. This underlines their suitability for intracellular pH sensing, with the SiO2-based nanosensor revealing the best performance regarding uptake speed and stability.
Analytical methods based on the selectivity of antibodies, often called immunoassays, are a back-bone of clinical laboratory diagnostics. To bring them to the field, i.e., to make immunoanalytical methods portable, hopefully even faster, more sensitive, and robust, advanced materials are re-quired. Materials can be novel labels, e.g., chemical or particle labels, such as fluorophores or na-noparticles. Carrier particles, such as magnetic or polymer beads, make it possible to adopt the as-says to meso- or microfluidic set-ups and encoding them opens the path to multiplex analysis. Spe-cialty electrodes can enable for higher sensitivity in electrochemical detection. Without research into better materials, efforts to bring analysis to the point-of-need will not bear fruit.
Immunoanalytical Techniques, i.e., antibody-based analytical methods, have been used for decades in clinical diagnostics. What makes them attractive for other fields of application is their short time-to-result and high sensitivity. Microplate-based assays such as ELISA have been adopted early in environmental and food analysis. Yet, to make immunoassays even faster, more sensitive, robust, and, most desirable, portable, advanced materials, sometimes developed for other purposes, can be profitably used to achieve these goals. Materials can be novel labels, e.g., chemical or particle labels, such as fluorophores or nanoparticles. Carrier particles, such as magnetic or polymer beads, make it possible to adopt the assays to meso- or microfluidic set-ups and encoding them opens the path to multiplex analysis. Specialty electrodes can enable for higher sensitivity in electrochemical detection. All this broadens the scope of application and lowers effort and cost for analysis at the point-of-need.
Binary photoluminescent semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots, QDs) are one of the best studied fluorescent nanomaterials, and their unique optoelectronic properties paved the road to many applications in (bio)nanophotonics, optoelectronics, and photovoltaics. However, concerns related to their toxic constituents like cadmium or lead and the emerging interest in greener chemistry synthesis approaches hamper their future applicability. Interesting alternatives for some applications like biosensing or bioimaging are heavy-metal-free ternary QDs like AgInS2 (AIS), CuInS2 (CIS), and quaternary QDs such as AIS-ZnS (ZAIS). In this context, we explored the effect of ligand denticity on the organic-to-aqueous phase transfer of oleylamine-stabilized ZAIS QDs with the hydrophilic ligands mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), and 3-mercapto-2,2-bis(mercaptomethyl)propanoic acid (3MPA), bearing mono-, bi-, and trialkyl thiol groups. Spectroscopic studies of the resulting water-dispersible ZAIS QDs revealed a considerable influence of ligand denticity and ligand-to-QD ratio on the spectral position and width (FWHM; full width at half-maximum) of the photoluminescence (PL) bands, the PL quantum yields (PL QY), and the PL decay kinetics. Thiol capping and phase transfer resulted in a loss in PL by at least a factor of 2. The ligand-induced PL quenching observed particularly for ligands bearing two or three thiol groups was attributed to the facilitated formation of surface-bound disulfides. The best colloidal stability under high dilution conditions was observed for 3MPA.
Investigation of degradation of the aluminum current collector in lithium-ion batteries by GD-OES
(2022)
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are one technology to overcome the challenges of climate and energy crisis. They are widely used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, or as storage for renewable energy sources. However, despite innovations in batteries' components like cathode and anode materials, separators, and electrolytes, the aging mechanism related to metallic aluminum current collector degradation causes a significant drop in their performance and prevents the durable use of LIBs. Glow-discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GD-OES) is a powerful method for depth-profiling of batteries' electrode materials. This work investigates aging-induced aluminum deposition on commercial lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteries' cathodes. The results illustrate the depth-resolved elemental distribution from the cathode surface to the current collector. An accumulation of aluminum is found on the cathode surface by GD-OES, consistent with results from energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) combined with focused ion beam (FIB) cutting. In comparison to FIB-EDX, GD-OES allows a fast and manageable depth-profiling. Results from different positions on an aged cathode indicate an inhomogeneous aluminum film growth on the surface. The conclusions from these experiments can lead to a better understanding of the degradation of the aluminum current collector, thus leading to higher lifetimes of LIBs.
•Overview of expertise of division Biophotonics
•Functional molecular and nanoscale luminescent reporters, probes, and
sensors including design principles available from division Biophotonics
•Examples for pH and O2 responsive molecular probes and particle sensors
•Surface group quantification Analytical methods and cleavable probes
•Concepts & standards for the validation and traceability of optical measurements
Industrial and agricultural waste streams (waste waters, sludges, tailings etc.), which contain high concentrations of NH4+, PO43- and transition metals, are environmentally harmful due to their toxic pollutants. At the same time, phosphorus and selective transition metals such as Cobalt could be potentially depleted as a critical raw material due to the high demand and rapidly declining natural ore deposits. Therefore, due to simultaneous scarcity and abundance, the phosphorus and 3d metal recovery from agricultural, industrial, mining, or urban wastewaters have been an important factor in sustaining our global consumption and preservation of the natural environment. Typically, separate pathways have been considered to extract hazardous substances such as transition metals or phosphate, independently from each other. Here, we investigate the crystallization of transition metal phosphate (TMP) compounds (NH4MPO4∙6H2O, M3(PO4)2∙8H2O with M = Ni2+, Co2+, NixCo1-x2+ M-struvite and M-phosphate octahydrate) out of aqueous solutions, which allow for P, ammonia and metal co-precipitation. The precipitation of these compounds from industrial and agricultural waste waters has high potential as a P- and 3d metal recovery route. For this purpose, a detailed understanding of the crystallization process beginning from combination of solved ions and ending in a final crystalline product is required. Through adjusting the reaction conditions, the stability, crystallite size and morphology of the as-obtained TMPs could be controlled. Detailed investigations of the precipitation process in time using ex- and in-situ techniques provided new insights into their non-classical crystallization mechanism/crystal engineering of these materials. These TMPs involve transitional colloidal nanophases during the crystallization process. Over time, their complex amorphous framework changes significantly resulting simultaneously in an agglomeration and densification of the compound. After extended reaction times these colloidal nanophases condensed to a final crystal. However, the reaction kinetics of the formation of a final crystalline product and the lifetime of these intermediate phases vary significantly depending on the metal cation involved in the precipitation process. Ni-struvite is stable in a wide reactant concentration range and at different metal/phosphorus (M/P)-ratios, whereas Co tends to form Co-struvite and/or Co-phosphate octahydrate depending on the (M/P)-ratio. The mixed NixCo1-x system shows a significantly different crystallization behavior and reaction kinetics of the precipitation compared to the pure endmembers. The observed various degree of stability could be linked to the octahedral metal coordination environment in these compounds. The achieved level of control over the precipitates, is highly desirable for 3d- and P-recovery methods. Under this paradigm, the crystals can be potentially upcycled as precursor materials for (electro)catalytical applications.
Sialyl-Tn (STn or sialyl-Thomsen-nouveau) is a carbohydrate antigen expressed by more than 80% of human carcinomas. We here report a strategy for ratiometric STn detection and dual-color cancer cell labeling, particularly, by molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). Imprinting was based on spectroscopic studies of a urea-containing green-fluorescent monomer 1 and STn-Thr-Na (sodium salt of Neu5Acα2-6GalNAcα-O-Thr). A few-nanometer-thin green-fluorescent polymer shell, in which STn-Thr-Na was imprinted with 1, other comonomers, and a cross-linker, was synthesized from the surface of red-emissive carbon nanodot (R-CND)-doped silica nanoparticles, resulting in dual fluorescent STn-MIPs. Dual-color labeling of cancer cells was achieved since both red and green emissions were detected in two separate channels of the microscope and an improved accuracy was obtained in comparison with single-signal MIPs. The flow cytometric cell analysis showed that the binding of STn-MIPs was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than that of non-imprinted polymer (NIP) control particles within the same cell line, allowing to distinguish populations. Based on the modularity of the luminescent core–fluorescent MIP shell architecture, the concept can be transferred in a straightforward manner to other target analytes.
Glyphosate (GPS) is the most widely used pesticide in the world whose use increased dramatically after the introduction of genetically modified crops engineered to resist its herbicidal action during application. In recent years, there have been growing concerns over its toxicity following its classification by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a probable carcinogen as well as reports of its ecotoxicological effects. This resulted in increased efforts to develop quick and sensitive detection methods.
In this work, molecular imprinting was combined with direct fluorescence detection of GPS by improving its solubility in organic solvents using tetrabutylammonium (TBA+) and tetrahexylammonium (THA+) as counterions. To achieve fluorescence detection, a fluorescent crosslinker containing urea binding motifs was used as a probe for GPS-TBA and GPS-THA salts in chloroform, generating stable complexes through hydrogen bond formation. The GPS/fluorescent dye complexes were imprinted into 2–3 nm molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) shells on the surface of sub-micron silica particles. Thus, the MIP binding behavior could be easily evaluated by fluorescence titrations in suspension to monitor the spectral changes upon addition of the GPS analytes. While MIPs prepared with GPS-TBA and GPS-THA both displayed satisfactory imprinting following titration with the corresponding analytes in chloroform, GPS-THA MIPs displayed better selectivity against competing molecules. Moreover, the THA+ counterion was found to be a more powerful phase transfer agent than TBA+, enabling the direct fluorescence detection and quantification of GPS in water in a biphasic assay. A limit of detection of 1.45 µM and a linear range of 5–55 µM, which matches well with WHO guidelines for the acceptable daily intake of GPS in water (5.32 µM), have been obtained. The assay can be further optimized to allow miniaturization into microfluidic devices and shows potential for on-field applications by untrained personnel.
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are one technology to overcome the challenges of climate and energy crisis. They are widely used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, or as storage for renewable energy sources. However, despite innovations in batteries' components like cathode and anode materials, separators, and electrolytes, the aging mechanism related to metallic aluminum current collector degradation causes a significant drop in their performance and prevents the durable use of LIBs. Glow-discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GD-OES) is a powerful method for depth-profiling of batteries' electrode materials. This work investigates aging-induced aluminum deposition on commercial lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) batteries' cathodes. The results illustrate the depth-resolved elemental distribution from the cathode surface to the current collector. An accumulation of aluminum is found on the cathode surface by GD-OES, consistent with results from energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) combined with focused ion beam (FIB) cutting. In comparison to FIB-EDX, GD-OES allows a fast and manageable depth-profiling. Results from different positions on an aged cathode indicate an inhomogeneous aluminum film growth on the surface. The conclusions from these experiments can lead to a better understanding of the degradation of the aluminum current collector, thus leading to higher lifetimes of LIBs.
Aging Mechanisms of Lithium Batteries: How can we make batteries more durable and more sustainable in the future?
Lithium batteries are particularly susceptible to ageing processes. During each charging and discharging process in an electric battery, lithium ions are deposited in the electrodes of the cell like in the pores of a sponge. Over time, however, fractures and cracks occur in the filigree structures. The result: more and more lithium ions no longer fit into the hollow spaces of the „sponge“, instead they accumulate in heaps around the electrodes and hinder the movement of other ions. The performance of the battery decreases.
We present our new project, in which we are developing a fast and cost-effective method with which companies that produce lithium batteries can already assess the ageing behaviour of their batteries in the laboratory.
Lignin is a highly aromatic low value biomass residue, which can be utilized for chemicals, fuels and materials production. In recent years, significant attention has focused on adsorber materials based on lignin. However, only 5% of the available lignin is exploited worldwide, thus significant opportunities for materials development still exist. Lignin has been vastly utilized as a feedstock for the synthesis of adsorbers for the removal of dyes and toxic organic molecules . To improve adsorption capacity, lignin can be chemically modified with oxygen-, nitrogen-, or sulfur-containing functional groups. Most frequently the phenolic groups of lignin were modified. In order to extend the application of lignin as adsorbers, we are especially interested in the chemical modification of this natural resource with a bio-based linear difluoro oligomers LOx (di- or monofunctional) or a heterocyclic monomer (Figure).
NIR-excitable lanthanide nanocrystals (LnNC) show multi-color emission pattern composed of a multitude of narrow bands of varying intensity in the ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, and short-wave infrared detectable with miniaturized optical instruments and simple color (RGB) cameras in complex environments. This makes these chemically inert luminescent materials ideal candidates for anticounterfeiting and authentication applications as well as for modules in optical sensors in which the LnNCs can be used as nanolamps in combination with analyte-sensitive fluorophores or the temperature sensitivity of defined emission bands can be utilized.
Therefore, we are building up and exploring a platform of LnNC with application-specifically tuned size, composition, and surface chemistry.
The unique optoelectronic properties of semiconductor nanocrystals, also termed quantum dots (QDs), have led to many advances in optoelectronic devices, bioimaging, and biosensing. This strong potential in a wide range of applications sparked the interest for a better understanding of the QD formation mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that atomically defined, zero-dimensional magic-size clusters (MSCs) play a crucial role during the nucleation and growth of QDs. Thereby MSCs consist of discrete numbers of ions leading to narrow size distributions and thus narrow absorption peaks, which evolve in discrete steps from one stable size to the next. The formation of MSCs was found in the synthesis of II-VI and III-V QDs but only limited synthesis approaches are available for the synthesis of MSCs in single-ensemble form without coexistence of other-size QDs. These MSCs can further self-assemble into two- and three-dimensional hybrid structures using organic ligands like diamines, leading to enhanced photoluminescence properties and catalytic activities.
In this contribution, we present a synthesis strategy for the preparation of single-sized ZnSe MSCs. With a band gap of 2.7 eV and being an earth-abundant material, ZnSe QDs are interesting for light-emitting devices, blue-green lasers, photocatalysis, and fluorescence probes. In contrast to other studies, our approach is based on a one-pot heat-up synthesis and uses less toxic and dangerous zinc precursors (e.g. zinc stearate). Knowing that thiol-based ligands can alter the formation process of ZnSe QDs, we investigated the influence of 1-dodecanethiol on the ZnSe MSC formation using absorption spectroscopy, TEM, XPS, and XRD. By variation of the thiol ligand concentration and reaction temperature, we were able to synthesize two new ZnSe MSC sizes, the largest so far, by using easy-to-handle precursors.
Fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots (QDs), enabled many advancements in biotechnology, photovoltaics, photocatalysis, quantum computing and display devices. The high versatility of this nanomaterial is based on their unique size-tunable photoluminescence properties, which can be adjusted from the visible to the near-infrared range. In contrast to other nanomaterials, QDs made the transition from a laboratory curiosity to the utilization in commercial products, like the QLED television screen or in smartphone displays. The best investigated QDs are composed of heavy metals like cadmium or lead, which is not the best choice in terms of toxicity and environmental pollution. A more promising material is Indium Phosphide (InP), which is also currently used by Samsung, Sony and co. in the QLED displays.
In this contribution, I would like to give you a sneak peek behind the curtains of nanomaterial synthesis and show how this material is produced, how to stabilize their structural properties, and assess their toxicity in environmentally relevant conditions. Furthermore, I would like to present a synthesis method to accomplish the last open challenge in display technology of a blue luminescent LED based on QDs by introducing a new element to the InP QDs.
Nonporous corundum powder was functionalized covalently with protein binders to isolate and enrich specific proteins from complex matrices.The common crosslinker glutaraldehyde was compared with a hyperbranched polyglycerol (PG) of around 10 kDa. The latter was oxidized with periodate to generate aldehyde groups that can covalently react with the amines of the surface and the amino groups from the protein via a reductive amination process. The amount of bound protein was quantified via aromatic amino acid analysis (AAAA). As a proof of concept, IgG was extracted with protein A from crude human plasma. The advantages of corundum include the very low price, extremely high physical and chemical stability, pressure resistance, favorable binding kinetics, convenient handling, and flexible application.
In the present talk the basics of the Raman spectroscopy and particularly of Raman microscopy are explained. Advantages and disadvantages of the method are highlighted through selected case studies. In the second part of the lecture examples of correlative imaging with electron, X-ray, ion and optical microscopies from micro- to the nanoscale are highlighted.
ADAMTS4-specific MR-probe to assess aortic aneurysms in vivo using synthetic peptide libraries
(2022)
The incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) has substantially increased during the last 20 years and their rupture remains the third most common cause of sudden death in the cardiovascular field after myocardial infarction and stroke. The only established clinical parameter to assess AAAs is based on the aneurysm size. Novel biomarkers are needed to improve the assessment of the risk of rupture. ADAMTS4 (A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase with ThromboSpondin motifs 4) is a strongly upregulated proteoglycan cleaving enzyme in the unstable course of AAAs. In the screening of a one-bead-one-compound library against ADAMTS4, a low-molecular-weight cyclic peptide is discovered with favorable properties for in vivo molecular magnetic resonance imaging applications. After identification and characterization, it’s potential is evaluated in an AAA mouse model. The ADAMTS4-specific probe enables the in vivo imaging-based prediction of aneurysm expansion and rupture.
This work presents the determination of the corrosion characteristics of CrCoNi (medium entropy alloy) and CrMnFeCoNi (high entropy alloy) in 0.1 M NaCl and 0.1 M H2SO4. The morphology and chemical composition of the oxide layers formed on CrCoNi and CrMnFeCoNi were comparatively analyzed by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and supported with chemical analysis by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The analysis of the 3p core level peaks showed that the oxide layer (native and after anodic passivation) on CrCoNi consisted mainly of Cr oxides, while the oxide layer on CrMnFeCoNi was primarily composed of a mixture of Cr and Fe oxides. In addition, XPS was utilized to assess the oxide layer thicknesses. These results were compared to the thicknesses obtained by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), with both approaches yielding values up to about 4 nm depending on the electrolyte and the alloy. Cyclic polarization measurements indicated superior corrosion resistance of CrCoNi in both aqueous environments compared to CrMnFeCoNi, as well as to AISI 304 stainless steel.
Nonporous corundum powder, known as an abrasive material in the industry, was functionalized covalently with protein binders to isolate and enrich specific proteins from complex matrices. The materials based on corundum were characterized by TEM, ESEM, BET, DLS, EDS, and zeta potential measurements. The strong Al-O-P bonds between the corundum surface and amino phosphonic acids were used to introduce functional groups for further conjugations. The common crosslinker glutaraldehyde was compared with a hyperbranched polyglycerol (PG) of around 10 kDa. The latter was oxidized with periodate to generate aldehyde groups that can covalently react with the amines of the surface and the amino groups from the protein via a reductive amination process. The amount of bound protein was quantified via aromatic amino acid analysis (AAAA). This work shows that oxidized polyglycerol can be used as an alternative to glutaraldehyde. With polyglycerol, more of the model protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) could be attached to the surface under the same conditions, and lower non-specific binding (NSB) was observed. As a proof of concept, IgG was extracted with protein A from crude human plasma. The purity of the product was examined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). A binding capacity of 1.8 mg IgG per gram of corundum powder was achieved. The advantages of corundum include the very low price, extremely high physical and chemical stability, pressure resistance, favorable binding kinetics, convenient handling, and flexible application.
Luminescence techniques are amongst the most commonly used analytical methods in the life and material sciences due to their high sensitivity and non-destructive and multiparametric character. Photoluminescence signals are, however, affected by wavelength-, polarization-, and time-dependent instrument specific effect and the compound-specific photoluminescence quantum yield. The former hamper the comparability of fluorescence measurements, while the relative determination of the latter requires suitable quantum yield standards with well-known photoluminescence quantum yields (QY). For the simple correction of instrument specific effects in the wavelength region of 300 nm to 950 nm, the set of the five certified spectral fluorescence standards BAM-F001 – BAM-F005, has been extended to the NIR range by including two new fluorescence standards currently under certification. For the reliable and accurate determination of QY which is the key performance parameter for the comparison of different luminophores, we certified a set of 12 quantum yield standards, which absorb and emit in the wavelength range from 300 nm to 1000 nm.
The climate and energy crisis are extreme challenges. One possible solution could be hydrogen technology. Safety is a big concern. Steel used for pipelines and storage is under permanent stress from low temperatures and high pressures. The content of different alloyed metals determines the performance of the steel. Nitrogen microwave inductively coupled atmosphere pressure plasma mass spectrometry (N2-MICAP-MS) is a promising method for trace metal analysis in steel. Nitrogen is cheap and can be generated on site. It has fewer interferences than argon. Additionally, MICAP-MS is very matrix tolerant, proving the matrix-matched calibration expendable. Safety in technology and chemistry is the mission of BAM. Providing reference methods and materials can create trust in future technologies like hydrogen.
Current trends in materials and life sciences are flanked by the need to push detection limits to single molecules or single cells, enable the characterization of increasingly complex matrices or sophisticated nanostructures, speed up the time of analysis, reduce instrument complexity and costs, and improve the reliability of data. This requires suitable analytical tools such as spectroscopic, separation and imaging techniques, mass spectrometry, and hyphenated techniques as well as sensors and their adaptation to application-specific challenges in the environmental, food, consumer product, health sector, nanotechnology, and bioanalysis. Increasing concerns about health threatening known or emerging pollutants in drinking water, consumer products, and food and about the safety of nanomaterials led to a new awareness of the importance of analytical sciences. Another important driver in this direction is the increasing demand by legislation, particularly in view of the 17 sustainable development goals by the United Nations addressing clean energy, industry, and innovation, sustainable cities, clean water, and responsible consumption and production. In this respect, also the development of analytical methods that enable the characterization of material flows in production processes and support recycling concepts of precious raw materials becomes more and more relevant. In the future, this will provide the basis for greener production in the chemical industry utilizing recycled or sustainable starting materials.
This makes analytical chemistry an essential player in terms of the circular economy helping to increase the sustainability of production processes. In the life sciences sector, products based on proteins, such as therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies, increase in importance. These increasingly biotechnologically produced functional biomolecules pose a high level of complexity of matrix and structural features that can be met only by highly advanced methods for separation, characterization, and detection. In addition, metrological traceability and target definition are still significant challenges for the future, particularly in the life sciences.
However, innovative reference materials as required for the health and food sector and the characterization of advanced materials can only be developed when suitable analytical protocols are available. The so-called reproducibility crisis in sciences underlines the importance of improved measures of quality control for all kinds of measurements and material characterization. This calls for thorough method validation concepts, suitable reference materials, and regular interlaboratory comparisons of measurements as well as better training of scientists in analytical sciences.
The important contribution of analytical sciences to these developments is highlighted by a broad collection of research papers, trend articles, and critical reviews from these different application fields. Special emphasis is dedicated to often-overlooked quality assurance and reference materials.
Current trends in materials and life sciences are flanked by the need to push detection limits to single molecules or single cells, enable the characterization of increasingly complex matrices or sophisticated nanostructures, speed up the time of analysis, reduce instrument complexity and costs, and improve the reliability of data. This requires suitable analytical tools such as spectroscopic, separation and imaging techniques, mass spectrometry, and hyphenated techniques as well as sensors and their adaptation to application-specific challenges in the environmental, food, consumer product, health sector, nanotechnology, and bioanalysis. Increasing concerns about health threatening known or emerging pollutants in drinking water, consumer products, and food and about the safety of nanomaterials led to a new awareness of the importance of analytical sciences. Another important driver in this direction is the increasing demand by legislation, particularly in view of the 17 sustainable development goals by the United Nations addressing clean energy, industry, and innovation, sustainable cities, clean water, and responsible consumption and production. In this respect, also the development of analytical methods that enable the characterization of material flows in production processes and support recycling concepts of precious raw materials becomes more and more relevant. In the future, this will provide the basis for greener production in the chemical industry utilizing recycled or sustainable starting materials.
This makes analytical chemistry an essential player in terms of the circular economy helping to increase the sustainability of production processes. In the life sciences sector, products based on proteins, such as therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies, increase in importance. These increasingly biotechnologically produced functional biomolecules pose a high level of complexity of matrix and structural features that can be met only by highly advanced methods for separation, characterization, and detection. In addition, metrological traceability and target definition are still significant challenges for the future, particularly in the life sciences.
However, innovative reference materials as required for the health and food sector and the characterization of advanced materials can only be developed when suitable analytical protocols are available. The so-called reproducibility crisis in sciences underlines the importance of improved measures of quality control for all kinds of measurements and material characterization. This calls for thorough method validation concepts, suitable reference materials, and regular interlaboratory comparisons of measurements as well as better training of scientists in analytical sciences.
The important contribution of analytical sciences to these developments is highlighted by a broad collection of research papers, trend articles, and critical reviews from these different application fields. Special emphasis is dedicated to often-overlooked quality assurance and reference materials.
BAM is currently building up a platform of novel nanoRMs relying on iron oxide nanoparticles of different shape, size and surface chemistry. Iron oxide was chosen as a core material because of its relevance to the material and life sciences.
As a first candidate of this series, we present cubic iron oxide nanoparticles with a nominal edge length of 8 nm. These particles were synthesized by thermal decomposition of iron oleate in high boiling organic solvents adapting well-known literature procedures. After dilution to a concentration suitable for electron microscopy (TEM and SEM) as well as for small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements, the candidate nanoRM was bottled and assessed for homogeneity and stability by both methods following the guidelines of ISO 17034 and ISO Guide 35.
The particle sizes obtained by both STEM-in-SEM and TEM are in excellent agreement with a minimum Feret of 8.3 nm ± 0.7 nm. The aspect ratio (AR) of the iron oxide cubes were extracted from the images as the ratio of minimum Feret to Feret resulting in an AR of 1.18 for TEM to 1.25 for SEM. Alternatively, a rectangular bounding box was fitted originating from the minimum Feret and the longest distance through the particle in perpendicular direction. This led to AR values of 1.05 for TEM and 1.12 for SEM, respectively. The results confirm the almost ideal cubic shape.
pH presents one of the most important analytes in the life and material sciences, indicating, e.g., diseases and corrosion processes. This includes the optical monitoring of pH in living cells for studying cellular internalization pathways, such as phagocytosis, endocytosis, and receptor mediated internalization with the aid of molecular and nanoscale fluorescent sensors. Nanoparticle (NP)-based sensors, that are labelled or stained with a multitude of sensor dyes, have several advantages as compared to conventional molecular probes like enhanced brightness, i.e., amplified signals, ease of designing ratiometric systems by combining analyte-sensitive and inert reference dyes, and increased photostability. Moreover, this can enable the use of hydrophobic dyes in aqueous environments. Versatile templates and carriers for the fabrication of nanosensors by staining and/or labelling with different fluorophores and sensor molecules are surface-functionalized particles like silica (SiO2) and polystyrene (PS) particles. Here we present a platform of blue-red-green fluorescent pH nanosensors for the measurement of acidic, neutral, and basic pH utilizing both types of matrices and two spectrally distinguishable sensor dyes with an integrated reference dye and demonstrate its applicability for cellular studies.
Engineered nanomaterials (NM) with their unique size-dependent properties are of increasing relevance for current and future developments in various fields such as medical and pharmaceutical industry, computing and electronics or food and consumer products. The performance and safety of NM are determined by the sum of their intrinsic physicochemical properties. Especially, the particle surface chemistry, which is largely controlled by the chemical nature and density of functional groups and ligands, is an important key driver for the performance, stability, and processibility of NM, as well as their interaction with the environment. Thus, methods for functional group quantification can foster the sustainable development of functional and safe(r) NM.
Aiming at the development of simple, versatile and multimodal tools for the quantification of common bioanalytically relevant functional groups, we designed a catch-and-release assay based on cleavable probes that enable the quantification of the cleaved-off reporters in the supernatant after particle separation. Thus, the approach circumvents interferences resulting from particle light scattering and sample-inherent absorption or emission. To study the potential of the assay, commercially available and in-house synthesized aminated and carboxylated polymer and silica nanoparticles of different functional group densities were tested.
Our cleavable probe strategy can be easily adapted to other analytical techniques requiring different reporters, or to different types of linkers that can be cleaved thermally, photochemically, or by variation of pH, utilizing well-established chemistry. In addition, it can contribute to the development of multi-method characterization strategies to provide a more detailed picture of the intrinsic physicochemical property - performance/safety relationships and thus can support the design of tailored nanomaterials with better controlled properties.
This work reports new experimental data on densities and viscosities of (CO2 + n-pentane) and (CO2 + n-hexane) mixtures at high pressures and temperatures. The densities were measured by a vibrating-tube densimeter with an expanded uncertainty (k = 2) smaller than 1.8 kg/m3 at six isotherms (from 273.15 K to 373.15 K), twelve pressures starting at 5 MPa up to 100 MPa, and at six CO2 molar compositions (from 0 to 0.6). The viscosities were measured by a vibrating-wire viscometer with the corresponding relative expanded uncertainty (k = 2) smaller than 0.016 at five isotherms (from 273.15 K to 373.15 K), twelve pressures (from 5 MPa up to 100 MPa), and at two CO2 molar compositions (0.1 and 0.3). The densities were fitted by the semiempirical Tammann-Tait equation for density data and the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) equation for viscosity data, respectively. The Groupe Européen de Recherches Gazières (GERG-2008) equation of state was also applied for modelling the densities. Over-all robustness and reliability of the Perturbed-Chain Statistical Association Fluid Theory (PC-SAFT) and its critical point-based modification (CP-PC-SAFT) were examined. Accuracies of the Modified Yarranton-Satyro (MYS) coupled with CP-PC-SAFT and the NIST Reference Fluid Thermodynamic and Transport Properties Database (REFPROP 10) in predicting the viscosities were evaluated.
Nonporous corundum powder, known as an abrasive material in the industry, was functionalized covalently with protein binders to isolate and enrich specific proteins from complex matrices. The materials based on corundum were characterized by TEM, ESEM, BET, DLS, and zeta potential measurements. The strong Al-O-P bonds between the corundum surface and amino phosphonic acids are used to introduce functional groups for further conjugations. The common cross-linker glutaraldehyde was compared with a hyperbranched polyglycerol (PG) of around 10 kDa. The latter is oxidized with periodate to generate aldehyde groups that can covalently react with the amines of the surface and the amino groups from the protein via a reductive amination process. The amount of bound protein was quantified via aromatic amino acid analysis (AAAA). This work shows that oxidized polyglycerol can be used as an alternative to glutaraldehyde. With polyglycerol, more of the model protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) could be attached to the surface under the same conditions, and lower nonspecific binding (NSB) was observed. As a proof of concept, IgG was extracted with protein A from crude human plasma. The purity of the product was examined by SDS-PAGE. A binding capacity of 1.8 mg IgG per g of corundum powder was achieved. The advantages of corundum are the very low price, extremely high physical and chemical stability, pressure resistance, favorable binding kinetics, and flexible application.
NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaGdF4:Nd3+/Yb3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were prepared using a solvothermal method, and the effects of key factors such as the content of sensitiser Nd 3+ and Yb3+ on their luminescence properties were investigated. The nanoparticles are homogeneous in size and well dispersed. Under 808 nm excitation, it can produce strong upconversion fluorescence. At the same time, the nanoparticles have good temperature-sensing properties at the thermally coupled energy levels of 700 nm and 646 nm for Tm3+. Using its fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR), accurate temperature measurements can be performed, and it has been found that it exhibits different temperature sensing properties in low and high-temperature regions. The maximum relative sensitivity was found to be 0.88% K-1 and 1.89% K-1 for the lowtemperature region of 285 K-345 K and the high-temperature region of 345 K-495 K. The nanoparticles were applied to the internal temperature measurement of lithium batteries and the actual high-temperature environment, respectively, and were found to have good temperature measurementt performance.
A new “green” and mild synthesis of highly stable microcrystalline Cs2AgxNa1-xBiyIn1-yCl6 (CANBIC) perovskites under ambient conditions was developed that is scalable to the multi-gram production. Under UV illumination, the CANBIC perovskites emit intense broadband photoluminescence (PL) with a quantum yield (QY) of 92% observed for x = 0.35 and y = 0.01-0.02. The combination of strong UV absorbance and broadband visible emission, high PL QY, and long PL lifetimes of up to 1.4 μs, along with an outstanding stability makes these CANBICs a promising material class for many optical applications.
Heterogeneous Oxysulfide@Fluoride Core/ Shell Nanocrystals for Upconversion-Based Nanothermometry
(2022)
Lanthanide (Ln3+)-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) often suffer from weak luminescence, especially when their sizes are ultrasmall (less than 10 nm). Enhancing the upconversion luminescence (UCL) efficiency of ultrasmall UCNPs has remained a challenge that must be undertaken if any practical applications are to be envisaged. Herein, we present a Ln3+-doped oxysulfide@fluoride core/shell heterostructure which shows efficient UCL properties under 980nm excitation and good stability in solution. Through epitaxial heterogeneous growth, a ∼4 nm optically inert β-NaYF4 shell was coated onto ∼5 nm ultrasmall Gd2O2S:20%Yb,1%Tm. These Gd2O2S:20%Yb,1%Tm@NaYF4 core/shell UCNPs exhibit a more than 800-fold increase in UCL intensity compared to the unprotected core, a 180-fold increase in luminescence decay time of the 3H4 → 3H6 Tm3+ transition from 5 to 900 μs, and an upconversion quantum yield (UCQY) of 0.76% at an excitation power density of 155 W/cm2. Likewise, Gd2O2S:20%Yb,2%Er@NaYF4 core/shell UCNPs show a nearly 5000-fold
increase of their UCL intensity compared to the Gd2O2S:20%Yb,2%Er core and a maximum UCQY of 0.61%. In the Yb/Er core−shell UCNP system, the observed variation of luminescence intensity ratio seems to originate from a change in lattice strain as the temperature is elevated. For nanothermometry applications, the thermal sensitivities based on thermally coupled levels are estimated for both Yb/Tm and Yb/Er doped Gd2O2S@NaYF4 core/shell UCNPs.
A first tricolor fluorescent pH nanosensor is presented, which was rationally designed from biocompatible carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles and two analyte-responsive molecular fluorophores. Its fabrication involved particle staining with a blue-red-emissive dyad, consisting of a rhodamine moiety responsive to acidic pH values and a pH-inert quinoline fluorophore, followed by the covalent attachment of a fluorescein dye to the particle surface that signals neutral and basic pH values with a green fluorescence. These sensor particles change their fluorescence from blue to red and green, depending on the pH and excitation wavelength, and enable ratiometric pH measurements in the pH range of 3.0−9.0. The localization of the different sensor dyes in the particle core and at the particle surface was confirmed with fluorescence microscopy utilizing analogously prepared polystyrene microparticles. To show the application potential of these polystyrene-based multicolor sensor particles, fluorescence microscopy studies with a human A549 cell line were performed, which revealed the cellular uptake of the pH nanosensor and the differently colored emissions in different cell organelles, that is, compartments of the endosomal-lysosomal pathway. Our results demonstrate the underexplored potential of biocompatible polystyrene particles for multicolor and multianalyte sensing and bioimaging utilizing hydrophobic and/or hydrophilic stimuli-responsive luminophores.