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The rational synthesis and use of nanomaterials require the characterization of many different properties, ranging from particle size and size distribution over surface chemistry to more applicationrelevant features like optical, electrochemical, and magnetic properties. In the following, several methods for the characterization of functional groups on nanomaterials, like polymer and silica nanoparticles, semiconductor quantum dots, and lanthanide-based upconversion nanocrystals are presented. Additionally, procedures for the measurement of the key spectroscopic performance parameters of nanomaterials with linear and nonlinear photoluminescence, such as the photoluminescence quantum yield, are presented for the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR.
The overall interest in nanotoxicity, triggered by the increasing use of nanomaterials in the material and life sciences, and the synthesis of an ever increasing number of new functional nanoparticles calls for standardized test procedures1,2 and for efficient approaches to screen the potential genotoxicity of these materials. Aiming at the development of fast and easy to use, automated microscopic methods for the determination of the genotoxicity of different types of nanoparticles, we assess the potential of the fluorometric γH2AX assay for this purpose. This assay, which can be run on an automated microscopic detection system, relies on the detection of DNA double strand breaks as a sign for genotoxicity3. Here, we provide first results obtained with broadly used nanomaterials like CdSe/CdS and InP/ZnS quantum dots as well as iron oxide, gold, and polymer particles of different surface chemistry with previously tested colloidal stability and different cell lines like Hep-2 and 8E11 cells, which reveal a dependence of the genotoxicity on the chemical composition as well as the surface chemistry of these nanomaterials. These studies will be also used to establish nanomaterials as positive and negative genotoxicity controls or standards for assay performance validation for users of this fluorometric genotoxicity assay. In the future, after proper validation, this microscopic platform technology will be expanded to other typical toxicity assays.
We report the synthesis and characterization of carbon nanodots (CDs) with high quantum yield (>50%) and tailored optical absorption as well as emission properties. A well-described protocol with polyethyleneimine (PEI) as amine precursor is used as a reference to a new CD system which is stabilized by aromatic 2,3-diaminopyridine (DAP) molecules instead. The DAP stabilizer is installed in order to red-shift the absorption peak of the n-π* electron transition allowing efficient radiative recombination and light emission. Size, shape, and chemical composition of the samples are determined by (HR)TEM, EDX and FTIR-spectroscopy. Optical parameters are investigated using UV-VIS, PL and QY measurements. Several parameters such as concentration, excitation wavelength and pH are studied. Zeta-potential analysis indicate that pH-induced (de-)protonation processes of functional moieties directly affect the n-π* energy bands. This results in unique pH-dependent absorption and emission characteristics which are discussed on the specific chemical composition of each CD system.
Surface functionalization of 2D- and 3D-supports and nanomaterials are nowadays at the core of many applications of functional materials in the life and material sciences. Examples range from membranes and microarrays over bead-based assays, immunoseparation, and next generation sequencing to nanometer-sized optical reporters, nanosensors, and magnetic and optical contrast agents. Typically performed functionalization procedures include silanization and grafting reactions with reactive monomers to introduce functional groups like amino or carboxylic acid groups and the attachment of ligands like polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules and biomolecules such as peptides, proteins, and DNA.[1-3]
We present here a versatile concept to quantify the number of bioanalytically relevant functional groups like carboxyl, amino, and aldehyde moieties through the specific binding and subsequent release of small reporter molecules such as fluorescent dyes and non-fluorescent chromophores utilizing cleavable linkers or the formation of cleavable bonds as a reversible covalent labeling strategy. This is representatively demonstrated for different types of nano- and microparticles with different labeling densities of carboxyl, amino, and aldehyde groups. This strategy enables to separate the signal-generating molecule from the bead surface, thereby circumventing uncertainties associated with light scattering, binding-induced changes in reporter fluorescence, and fluorescence quenching dye-dye interactions on crowded material surfaces.[1-3] Moreover, the reporters are chosen to be detectable with different analytical methods as prerequisite for straightforward validation via method compari-sons and mass balances. Applications of these assays and multimodal cleavable probes range from a quantitative comparison of bead batches and process control to a qualitative prediction of the coupling efficiencies in bioconjugation reactions.
Functionalized 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, electronics or food and consumer products. The performance and safety of NM are determined by the sum of their intrinsic physicochemical properties.1 Besides other key parameters, the particle surface chemistry, which is largely controlled by the chemical nature and density of functional groups and ligands, must be considered for a better performance, stability, and processibility of NM, as well as their interaction with the environment. Thus, particle standards with well-designed surfaces and methods for functional group quantification can foster the sustainable development of functional and safe(r) NM.2 Here we provide a brief overview of the ongoing research in division Biophotonics to design tailored amorphous silica reference particles with bioanalytically relevant functional groups and ligands, for the development of standardized and validated surface functional group quantification methods.
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.
Lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) offer new strategies for luminescence-based sensing and imaging. One of the best studied materials are hexagonal ß-NaYF4 UCNPs doped with 20% Yb3+ and 2% Er3+, which efficiently convert 976 nm light to photons emitted at 540 nm, 655 nm, and 845 nm, respectively, reveal Long luminescence lifetimes (> 100 µs), and are very photostable and chemically inters.[1,2] The properties of their upconversion (UC) luminescence (UCL) are, however, strongly influenced by particle size, concentration and spatial arrangement of dopant Ions, surface chemistry, and microenvironment.[3,4] In addition, the multiphotonic absorption processes responsible for UCL render UCL dependent on excitation power density (P).
The rational design of brighter UCNPs particle architectures encouraged us to assess systematically the influence of these parameters on UCL for differently doped UCNPs relying on the commonly used ß-NaYf4 matrix using steady state and time resolved fluorometry as well as integrating sphere spectroscopy for P varied over almost three orders of magnitude. This includes comprehensive studies of the influence of size and shell, Yb3+ and Er3+ dopand concentrations, and energy Transfer processes from UCNPs to surface-bound organic dyes or vice versa [5]. Our results underline the need for really quantitative luminescence studies for mechanistic insights, the potential of high p to compensate for UCL surface quenching, and the matrix- and P-dependence of the optimum dopand concentration.
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.
We synthesized a generation of water-soluble, atomically precise gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) with anisotropic Surface containing a short dithiol pegylated chain (AuMHA/TDT). The AuMHA/TDT exhibit a high brightness (QY ∼ 6%) in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectrum with a detection above 1250 nm.
Furthermore, they show an extended half-life in blood (t1/2ß = 19.54 ± 0.05 h) and a very weak accumulation in organs. We also developed a non-invasive, whole-body vascular imaging system in the SWIR window with high-resolution, benefiting from a series of Monte Carlo image processing. The imaging process enabled to improve contrast by 1 order of magnitude and enhance the spatial Resolution by 59%. After systemic administration of these nanoprobes in mice, we can quantify vessel complexity in depth (>4 mm), allowing to detect very subtle vascular disorders non-invasively in bone morphogenetic protein 9 (Bmp9)-deficient mice. The combination of these anisotropic surface charged Au NCs plus an improved SWIR imaging device allows a precise mapping at high-resolution and an in depth understanding of the organization of the vascular network in live animals.
Different types of optical spectroscopies are introduced with special emphasis on method-inherent limitations and reliable instrument calibration and performance validation. In addition, procedures for the determination of spectroscopic key parameters like the photoluminescence quantum yield are presented including required instrument calibrations and material-specific effects related to certain emitters.