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Eingeladener Vortrag
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Chemical admixtures like superplasticisers or stabilising agents are of ever increasing importance for modern concrete technology. They liberate the workability of concrete from its dependency on water content, and thus, open the gate towards innovative and future oriented concrete technologies. Meanwhile admixtures have become common practice in concrete technology, but the understanding of these highly complex polymers in the entire concrete system lags far behind their application. Due to its complex time-dependent, multi-phase and multi-scale behaviour, flowable concrete systems are highly complicated and cannot be described comprehensively by simple models. It is therefore extremely challenging to identify the relevant parameters that predominantly control flow phenomena on different size scales, since these may occur on any scale between the nano scale (e.g. superplasticizer adsorption) and macro scale (e.g. grading of the aggregates). The present study discusses fundamental mechanisms at the interface between particle or hydrate surfaces and the fluid phase at a very early stage of concrete formation, and links these effects to macroscopic flow phenomena.
Based on the observations of the nano scale effects, it seems that higher sensitivity against variations in the constituents, the handling, or the boundary condition are the inevitable price for higher performances. However, eventually a very effective method is introduced that helps to maintain stable processes regardless of the root cause for performance changes based on an efficient in-situ process control scheme and superplasticizer and stabilising agents as counter actions.
Metallic organic frameworks are the materials stirring great interest by their large variety of structure types and chemical composition as well as low density and very high surface area, which are desirable properties for gas storage such as for hydrogen, methane or carbon dioxide. Using different so called secondary building units offer an opportunity to form tunable structures with channels of various geometry and allow in this way to study the absorption of the molecular hydrogen, methane or carbon dioxid in the systematic way.
The VSSA approach has the important advantage over classifying, imaging and counting techniques that it does not involve dispersion protocols. Further, the BET technique as the basis for VSSA determination it is in widespread use, generates low costs and is specified for many commercial materials. Finally, the same equipment allows for a deeper analysis by full isotherm evaluation.
The present deliverable assesses all NanoDefine powders, supplemented by further real-world materials (in total 26 powders), and quantitatively compares the relationship between the median size (by Electron Microscopy – considered as benchmark for the EC nanomaterial definition) vs. the size derived from VSSA. The VSSA method mitigates the challenges of EM to assess the thickness of platelets, but worked as well on fibbers and particles of irregular shapes. A screening strategy is proposed. If applied to the further data from real-world materials as validation set, this screening does achieve a correct classification, leaving only borderline materials for tier 2 assessment.
Die Präsentation gibt einen Überblick über die verschiedenen Aktivitäten der BAM im Bereich der Nanotechnologie mit den Schwerpunkten Nanopartikel und Nanosicherheit. Es wird sowohl die Transportsicherheit, als auch die Sicherheit von Batterien mit Nanopartikeln angesprochen. Verschiedene BAM-Projekte zum Thema Nano werden vorgestellt, beginnend mit relevanten REFOPlanprojekten über die Erstellung der OECD nanoTG110 bis hin zu EU-Projekten zur Standardisierung von Messungen an Nanomaterialien, hier insbesondere AEROMET, NanoDefine, NanoValid und EC4SafeNano.
In this lecture the VSSA concept is explained, and VSSA as measured by BET. Results of the NanoDefine evaluation based on selected examples on real-world materials are presented. Recommendations for consideration of the VSSA concept for the implementation of the EC definition of nanomaterial for powder materials are given.
In October 2011 the European Commission (EC) published a "Recommendation on the definition of na-nomaterial" (2011/696/EU), to promote consistency in the interpretation of the term "nanomaterial" for legislative and policy purposes in the EU. The EC NM Definition includes a commitment to its review in the light of experience and of scientific and technological developments. This review is ongoing in 2017 and as a contribution to the review the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) has already developed a series of three scientific-technical reports with the title: “Towards a review of the EC Recommendation for a definition of the term nanomaterial” which provides to the EC policy services sci-ence-based options on how the definition could be revised or supported with additional guidance.
The overarching nature and wide scope of the EC NM Definition, as it does not exclude a priori any particulate material regardless the state, form and size, creates many analytical challenges in its imple-mentation for all stakeholders, including enterprises and regulators.
The NanoDefine project has as core objective to support the implementation of the EC NM Definition. In an earlier report1 key aspects of the EC NM Definition were addressed, with the goal to improve the implementability of the EC NM Definition. Based on further developments and results obtained in NanoDefine project that first report was updated and is presented here. The key aspects are discussed based on the results of four years of research performed within the framework of the project. As a result this report assesses how well the requirements of the EC NM Definition can be fulfilled with currently available analytical possibilities. It presents recommendations and options on a revision of the EC NM Definition to improve the implementability of the definition based on currently available analytical possi-bilities, according to the state of the art in 2017. Of the technical issues considered in this report, the following seem to deserve the most attention in terms of clarification of the definition and/or provision of additional implementation guidance: 'external dimension', ‘number based particle size distribution‘, ‘polydispersity‘ and ‘upper size limit‘, the term ‘particle’, the ‘means to prove that a material is not a nanomaterial‘ and ‘the role of the volume specific sur-face area (VSSA)‘, and "particulate materials'.
Near-field optical techniques such as nano-FTIR spectroscopy enable spectroscopic characterization of samples with a high sensitivity and a spatial resolution at the nanoscale. In this work we realized nano-FTIR spectroscopy by elastic scattering of infrared light from a probe tip of an atomic force microscope operated in tapping mode, with broadband infrared synchrotron radiation provided by the Metrology Light Source (MLS). We apply this technique to characterize the protective oxidation layers of different Silicon Carbides (SiCs) treated by chlorine gas. The process using chlorine-donors has been developed to separate toxic heavy metals from sewage sludge ash (SSA) and to increase the plant-availability of phosphors in the SSA in order to produce P-fertilizers. Nitrified SiC showed the highest resistant strength against chlorine corrosion at 1000 °C compared to the other SiCs. In order to discuss this behavior high resolution imaging has been performed on the interfacial layer between bulk-SiC and the protective oxidation layer on sub-micrometer scale. The formation of a SixNiyO protective layer, which might be the reason for the higher corrosion resistance, was observed using nano-FTIR spectroscopy.
The presentation goes into the characterization of TiO2 engineered nanoparticles within EU/FP7 SETNanoMetro Project and the nanomaterial classification according to the EC definition tested within EU/FP7 NanoDefine Project. Further, ISO/TC 229/JWG 2 activities related on ISO standards in development and inter-laboratory comparisons on measurement of nanoparticle size and shape distribution by SEM and TEM are discussed.
At the Final Outreach Event of the European FP7 NanoDefine project the results achieved during 4 years of intensive research and development work (2013-2017) with relevant stakeholders and wider community, and their practical implications and impact are presented and discussed. The newly developed particle-size related measurement tools and their practical suitability and applicability to classify materials, formulations and products according to the EC recommendation on the definition of a nanomaterial (2011/696/EU) are demonstrated.
The EC recommendation for the definition of nanomaterial [2011/696/EU] requires the quantitative size determination of constituent particles in samples down to 1 nm. Accordingly, a material is a nanomaterial if 50 % or more of the particles are in the size range 1-100 nm. The fact that engineered nanomaterials already exist in many industrial and consumer products challenges the development of measurement methods to reliably identify, characterize and quantify their occurrence as substance and in various matrices.
The EU FP7 NanoDefine project [www.nanodefine.eu] has addressed this challenge by developing a robust, readily implementable and cost-effective measurement strategy to obtain quantitative particle size distributions and to distinguish between nano and non-nano materials according to the EU definition. Based on a comprehensive evaluation of existing methodologies and intra- and inter-lab comparisons, validated measurement methods and instrument calibration procedures have been established to reliably measure the size of particles within 1-100 nm, and beyond, including different shapes, coatings and chemical compositions in industrial materials and consumer products. Case studies prove their applicability for various sectors, including food, pigments and cosmetics.
Main outcome is the establishment of an integrated tiered approach including rapid screening (tier 1) and confirmatory methods (tier 2), and a user manual to guide end-users, such as manufacturers, in selecting appropriate methods. Another main product is the “NanoDefiner” e-Tool allowing the standardised / semi-automated selection of appropriate methods for material classification according to the EU definition. Results also contribute to standardization efforts, such as CEN TC 352 or ISO TC 229.
The capability of currently available particle sizing techniques for reliable classification of materials that potentially fall under the EU Definition of a nanomaterial is discussed. A systematic quantitative evaluation of the sizing techniques is presented together with representative case studies of analysis of industrially relevant materials.
Recommendations on the most appropriate and efficient use of techniques for different types of material are given.
The large European nanometrology Project NanoDefine is presented briefly with respect to the challenges of measurement of particle size distribution for complex nanoparticulate materials.
The methods chosen for a tiered approach for the classification of a nanomaterial are discussed with regard to their peformance. Representative resuls on real life, complex shaped nanoparticulate materials are shown.
The recently initiated VAMAS inter-laboratory comparisons to determine the reproducibility necessary for international standardisation have been also presented.
Projekt Nano-TG110
(2017)
Die OECD-TG110 mit dem Titel "Particle Size Distribution Fibre Length and Diameter Distribution" wurde 1981 erstellt und seither nicht überarbeitet. Nanomaterialien, wie Nanopartikel oder Nanofasern werden nicht adressiert, genausowenig wie moderne Messverfahren. Das hier vorgestellte Projekt hat zur Aufgabe, die Größenmessung von Nanopartikeln und Nanofasern in einer neuen Technical Guideline der OECD zu standardisieren. Es wird die Projekthistorie dargestellt, die Anforderungen, der aktuelle Projekt-Bearbeitungsstand wird beleuchtet und die weiteren Arbeiten werden kurz skizziert.
Water and aqueous reagents are essential in any biological process or system. But apart from a few special low vapor-pressure cases, liquids have not been accessible to any technique requiring UHV conditions. EnviroESCA opens up this exciting field of applications.
In this paper first results from water based samples are presented as a proof of concept to demonstrate the special capabilities of EnviroESCA analyzing liquid samples. The following solutions were investigated under near ambient pressure conditions: i.) water, ii.) brine, iii.) an oil in water dispersion, iv.) aqueous iron(II) sulfate heptahydrate, and v.) a suspension of nano silver particles in water.
Niobium-titanium carbide cermets with nickel binder have been prepared by colloidal processing in water without a milling step by using Poly-diallyl-dimethyl-ammonium chloride (Poly-DADMAC) as a dispersant. Homogeneous microstructures with relative densities larger than 99% of the theoretical density have been achieved by gas pressure sintering in argon atmosphere. However, mechanical properties like hardness and strength were slightly decreased due to precipitation of free carbon.
Improved wear resistant ceramics of metal incorporated NbC processed with gas pressure sintering
(2017)
Tungsten carbide (WC) dominates wear protection and machining since more than 90 years due to its hardness with an associated good toughness and high melting point.
It was recently demonstrated that Niobium Carbides are wear resistant and show a better performing under cutting than WC grades. In order to profit of the good properties of Niobium Carbide, specific processing techniques need to be developed. The density of NbC is half of WC and offers colloidal processing for perfectly mixing NbC with metallic binder (up to 15 vol.-% Ni) and secondary carbide-particles. The used NbC-powder has an average particle size d50 of 3 micron measured by laser granulometry analysis. The true density was 7.68 g/cm3. An Oxygen content of the used NbC of 0.4 % is caused by residual slag content.
It is possible to increase the stability of the NbC-suspensions and to reduce their viscosity by adding a specific dispersing agent.
This surface-modified NbC powders (containing Ni)were uniaxially pressed and then gas pressure sintered in vacuum or Argon atmosphere. All samples reached more then 98 % of there theoretical density. The micrographs showed a homogenius distribution of the Ni-binder in the product. The tribological behaviour under dry sliding and oscillating up to 600 °C and the mechanical properties were studied.
Nanotechnology has been identified as a Key Enabling Technology for the European Union (Horizon 2020) and already has a wide field of applications. However, hazardous properties of nanomaterials such as their flammability and explosivity, have to be determined to ensure their sustainable development. This poster gives an overview of the current status in nanodust explosion research, standardization and european collaboration as well as highlighting current and future perspectives.
The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) set up the Technical Committee 352 (CEN/TC 352) in 2006 to develop and maintain up to date standards in the field of nanotechnologies. Part of the work group (WG 3) dedicated to Health, Safety and Environment, the CEN/TC 352/WG 3/PG 3 led by INERIS was constituted to develop a Technical Specification (TS) for the determination of explosivity and flammability properties of manufactured nano-objects in powder form (2013-2018).
Evaluation of particle sizing techniques for implementation of the EC Definition of a nanomaterial
(2017)
Many techniques are available for measuring particle size distribution. For ideal materials (spherical particles, well dispersed) it is possible to evaluate the Performance of these methods. The performance of the analytical instrumentation for the purpose of classifying materials according to EC Definition is unknown. In this work the performance of commercially available particle sizing techniques on representative NanoDefine set of real-world testing materials (RTM) and quality control materials (QCM) for the implementation of the Definition is evaluated.
Reliable nanomaterial classification of powders using the volume-specific surface area method
(2017)
The volume-specific surface area (VSSA) of a particulate material is one of two apparently very different metrics recommended by the European Commission for a definition of "nanomaterial" for regulatory purposes: specifically, the VSSA metric may classify nanomaterials and non-nanomaterials differently than the median size in number metrics, depending on the chemical composition, size, polydispersity, shape, porosity, and aggregation of the particles in the powder.
Here we evaluate the extent of agreement between classification by electron microscopy (EM) and classification by VSSA on a large set of diverse particulate substances that represent all the anticipated challenges except mixtures of different substances. EM and VSSA are determined in multiple labs to assess also the level of reproducibility. Based on the results obtained on highly characterized benchmark materials from the
NanoDefine EU FP7 project, we derive a tiered screening strategy for the purpose of implementing the definition of nanomaterials. We finally apply the Screening strategy to further industrial materials, which were classified correctly and left only borderline cases for EM.
On platelet-shaped nanomaterials, VSSA is essential to prevent false-negative classification by EM. On porous materials, approaches involving extended Adsorption isotherms prevent false positive classification by VSSA. We find no false negatives by VSSA, neither in Tier 1 nor in Tier 2, despite real-world industrial polydispersity and diverse composition, shape, and coatings. The VSSA screening strategy is recommended for inclusion in a technical guidance for the implementation of the definition.
Atomic force microscopy based Infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR) is a quickly evolving technique that provides chemical analysis and compositional mapping with spatial resolution far below conventional optical diffraction limits. This is possible since the detection method is based on a very sharp AFM tip which starts to oscillate when the sample starts to thermally expand (the changed is caused by the absorption of IR wavelength) where the thermal expansion is related to the IR absorption. This presentation briefly described the application of that new technique from polymer characterization and utilization of AFM-IR in material research, up to life science applications.
Volume specific surface area (VSSA) by BET: concept and demonstration on industrial materials
(2017)
Volume specific surface area (VSSA) as measured by BET constituites a simple and reliable solution to (most) powders. Porous, coated, polydisperse/multimodal materials are to be treated with care, i.e. doubled by analysis with electron microscopy or more advanced BET analysis (e.g. t-plot)for each material in part.
Nanotechnology at BAM
(2017)
Electrospray ionization constitutes a promising deposition technique for high-resolution imaging. Particle distribution on TEM grids takes place homogeneously and no losses occur. Suspension must be appropriate (stabilizer may induce artefacts). ESI parameters need to be optimized for each material.
A combined methodical approach is tested with respect to the characterization of the inner structure of porous TiO2 layers as typically used in modern dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Their performance is directly linked to the surface area of the pore network. The micrometer thick layer employed was manufactured by screen-printing of a starting TiO2 powder constituted of shape-controlled, bipyramidal anatase nanoparticles on FTO/glass substrates. The analytical methods exploited in our study are Focused Ion Beam (FIB) slicing followed by 3D reconstruction as well as the new approach transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) technology in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Size and shape distribution of the TiO2 NPs within the layer can be extracted. SEM in transmission mode and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used to verify the dimensional data obtained by the new combined methodical approach. Its analytical benefits but also the challenges and limitations are highlighted.
The potential of electrospray deposition, for the controlled preparation of particles for imaging in electron microscopes, is evaluated on various materials: from mono-modal suspensions of spherical particles to multimodal suspensions and to real-world industrial materials. It is shown that agglomeration is reduced substantially on the sample carrier, compared with conventional sample preparation techniques. For the first time, it is possible to assess the number concentration of a tri-modal polystyrene suspension by electron microscopy, due to the high Deposition efficiency of the electrospray. We discovered that some suspension stabilizing surfactants form artifact particles during electrospraying. These can be avoided by optimizing the sprayed suspension.
In the recent years great effort has been made to find materials and technologies for removing and recycling phosphate from waste water. We herein present the detailed study on a nanostructured multicomponent material, which turned out to be a very efficient phosphate adsorber. The role of each constituent is carefully examined to understand the collaborative interaction of the components of the nanostructured adsorber. We found evidence that it is particularly the nanostructure of this material, which has a crucial influence on the phosphate Adsorption performance, indicating a synergetic effect of the different components. Moreover, the adsorption mechanism was studied dependent on the concentration of phosphate, changing from a Freundlich/Langmuir-like behaviour to a BET-like multilayer adsorption of phosphate on the material. Our work demonstrates that there is high potential for discovering new adsorber materials for environmental applications through careful engineering of the chemical composition in close connection with the materials (nano) structure.
An extraction of silica from natural sands of Bancar has been conducted by means of alkali fusion route using NaOH and mechanical alloying using planetary ball milling. The PANI/SiO2 Composite system has been coated in steel surfaces using spraying method. This study was designed to obtain PANI/SiO2 as an anti-corrosion coating material. The filler materials in the composite System consist of micro- and nano-SiO2. The structure of synthesized SiO2 be characterized using XRD and TEM. Corrosion of PANI/SiO2 composite has been tested using immersion method in synthetic geothermal atmosphere (Nord Deutsche Becken/NDB solution). The surface morphology after corrosion was observed by using SEM/EDX. XRD-Patterns and TEM show that the size of produced SiO2 is micro and nano. The size and composition of filler have influenced to surface degradation in geothermal atmosphere significantly. The addition of nano-SiO2 in the PANI matrix influenced corrosion resistance better than micro-SiO2 filler qualitatively. The nano-SiO2 has a high potential as an anti-corrosion material in geothermal atmosphere. The product of corrosion is mainly Fe2O3 and the corrosion process is identified as a pitting corrosion.
Most microorganisms live in environments where nutrients are limited and fluctuate over time. Cells respond to nutrient fluctuations by sensing and adapting their physiological state. Recent studies suggest phenotypic heterogeneity in isogenic populations as an alternative strategy in fluctuating environments, where a subpopulation of cells express a function that allows growth under conditions that might arise in the future. It is unknown how environmental factors such as nutrient limitation shape phenotypic heterogeneity in metabolism and whether this allows cells to respond to nutrient fluctuations. Here, we show that substrate limitation increases phenotypic heterogeneity in metabolism, and this heterogeneity allows cells to cope with substrate fluctuations. We subjected the N2-fixing bacterium Klebsiella oxytoca to different levels of substrate limitation and substrate shifts, and obtained time-resolved single-cell measurements of metabolic activities using nanometre-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS). We found that the level of NH4+ limitation shapes phenotypic heterogeneity in N2 fixation. In turn, the N2 fixation rate of single cells during NH4+ limitation correlates positively with their growth rate after a shift to NH4+ depletion, experimentally demonstrating the benefit of heterogeneity. The results indicate that phenotypic heterogeneity is a general solution to two important ecological challenges - nutrient limitation and fluctuations - that many microorganisms face. Currently, we use NanoSIMS to develop a new approach that defines functionally-relevant, phenotypic biodiversity in microbial systems. In the last part of my presentation, I will highlight why the concept of phenotypic diversity is relevant for the understanding of antimicrobial resistance.
Characterization of bio-molecular nano-layers by means of reference-free X-ray Spectrometry
An increasing field of application, e.g. in biotechnology is the dedicated adjustment of surface properties by functionalization with organic molecules. For a detailed understanding and further development of such nano-layers, a quantitative determination of the surface density of molecular species is required.
By means of reference-free X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry such surfaces can be analyzed quantitatively by detecting specific marker elements. Using calibrated instrumentation and a quantification approach based on atomic fundamental parameters a SI-traceable quantitative analysis without any calibration sample or reference material is possible. A chemical analysis of molecular bonds can be accomplished by X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy in the Near-Edge region (NEXAFS). Especially in the soft X-ray range an access to relevant light elements like Carbon C, Nitrogen N and Oxygen is possible.
Here, aminated surfaces with varying densities of amino groups prepared from binary mixtures of silanes were investigated. In a complementary analysis by X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Fluorescence measurements based on laser-excitation in the optical light spectrum the functional-group density of silane monolayers were determined. The nitrogen atom in the head-group of the silane-molecule could be used as specific marker for the reference-free quantitative XRF analysis and were used for traceable calibration of XPS and Fluorescence Spectroscopy.
A central challenge to ensure the sustainable production and use of nanotechnologies is to understand the risks for environment, health and safety associated with this technology and resulting materials and products, and to identify and implement practical strategies to minimize these risks. Knowledge about nanotechnology-enabled processes and products and related environment, health and safety issues is growing rapidly, achieved through numerous European or national R&D programs over the last decade, but effective use of this knowledge for risk management by market actors is lagging behind.
The EC4SafeNano initiative (www.EC4SafeNano.eu) is an ongoing effort to build a European Centre for Risk Management and Safe Innovation in Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies. EC4SafeNano aims to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge on hazard and risk, and ‘fit-for-purpose’ risk management tools and strategies supported by measurement and control methods. The consortium comprises 15 partners (INERIS (coordinator), EU-VRi, TNO, BAM, FIOH, VITO, SP, DEMOKRITOS, TECNALIA, Health and Safety Executive, NRCWE, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Université Libre de Bruxelles, University of Birmingham and ENEA) from 11 European Member States with significant expertise on risk assessment and management, who already provide knowledge and technical services to public and private organizations, to industry and to public authorities and regulatory bodies.
The overall objective of the EC4SafeNano project is to develop a distributed Centre of European Organisations offering services for Risk Management and Safe Innovation for Nanomaterials & Nanotechnologies. The Centre will be structured as a hub-based network of organizations managed by a core group of public-oriented bodies providing risk management and safe innovation support to all stakeholders. It will be operated with the support of Associated Partners so as to expand its capabilities, resources and services. It will interact with existing platforms and centres of excellence in nanosafety and foster the organization or development of national hubs mirroring the European hub. The Centre will seek financial support from stakeholders and service users to sustain the services in the longer term.
The operational objectives of the project involve understanding and mapping the needs of the various stakeholders (private and public). It will identify the resources and capabilities and develop a range of harmonized services required to meet these needs. The construction of the centre will include putting in place and implementing processes to deliver and update services, to test and benchmark services, to evaluate the governance of the Centre, and developing a business plan to ensure self-sufficiency of the Centre beyond the project lifetime.
A cornerstone of the project is to build a community for risk management and safe innovation for nanotechnology. Interested persons or organisations are invited to join this initiative as registered stakeholders or Associated Partners, to engage in focus networks and to help shape the future Centre. The poster will present the EC4SafeNano initiative and will detail the role of registered stakeholders and Associated Partners.
The potential of electrospray deposition, for the controlled preparation of particles for imaging in electron microscopes, is evaluated on various materials: from mono-modal suspensions of spherical particles to multimodal suspensions and to real-world industrial materials. It is shown that agglomeration is reduced substantially on the sample carrier, compared with conventional sample preparation techniques. For the first time, it is possible to assess the number concentration of a tri-modal polystyrene suspension by electron microscopy, due to the high Deposition efficiency of the electrospray. We discovered that some suspension stabilizing surfactants form artifact particles during electrospraying. These can be avoided by optimizing the sprayed suspension.
The application of inorganic nanoparticles as reinforcement agent for polymer composites is constantly growing. Improving the performance of the material with desirable properties requires understanding of the interaction between polymer chains and nanoparticles and the properties of the interphase as well. Boehmite, a mineral of aluminum with basic unit of AlO(OH), is a novel and promising nanofiller which leads to enhanced performance of polymer composites. It has been recently reported that boehmite nanoparticles have reinforcing effect on epoxy matrix in carbon-fiber composites. It was primarily assumed that these improvements are due to very high Young’s modulus of boehmite particles. However, in our latest study we presented new values for the Young’s modulus of boehmite much lower than those reported earlier. This brings up the importance of interphase properties, e.g. the crosslink density, which can have the dominant role in the overall material property. Nevertheless, due to resolution limitations of conventional nanoprobing approaches, characterization of the interphase between individual particles and matrix is a challenge.
In this study, the main goal is to investigate the interphase of the epoxy/boehmite nanocomposites using AFM-based methods. We simplify the three-dimensional nanocomposite system to a two-dimensional horizontally layered sample with a large and easy to access interphase area. For this purpose, 1µm coatings of hydrothermally synthesized boehmite are prepared as the substrate on which the epoxy is later molded and cured. AFM surface potential and force maps were obtained on the cross-sectional cut of epoxy/ boehmite sample. The results show unexpectedly a large interphase area (approx. 1 µm) with different electrical and mechanical properties comparing to bulk epoxy. The average force-distance curves from this region showed more elastic behavior compared to bulk. The underlying mechanism of this influence is not fully understood yet. Thus, further investigation on the interphase region using the novel Nano-IR approach provides more information about the chemical characteristics. Numerical simulation will give complementary information to understand the effect of nanoparticles on the crosslinking density of the interphase. This can be different to bulk epoxy due to either different local temperature gradients or due to a surface selectivity of boehmite towards the monomer molecules.
Although there are many experimental techniques for measuring particle sizes and size distributions, electron microscopy (EM) is still considered as the gold standard in this field, especially when it comes to particle sizes in the nanorange (1 nm – 100 nm). Furthermore, high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) can be applied to individual nanoparticles. To be able to extract accurate information from the EM micrographs and EDS elemental maps that are representative for the material under investigation, one needs to assure the representativity of the particles as sampled on the substrate and their homogeneous spatial distribution, to avoid operator bias when selecting the imaged area. Furthermore, agglomeration should be avoided as far as possible. Several sample preparation techniques exist since a long time, the most common way being suspending the particles in a liquid and depositing them on the grid. However, this procedure includes the drying of larger solvent amounts on the substrate itself, which can affect the spatial distribution of the deposited particles. One possibility to overcome this problem is the use of an electrospray system, where the suspension of particles is sprayed onto the substrate in charged droplets that are so small that they either dry off on the substrate immediately without affecting the position of particles, or even already during their flight time to the substrate. No dedicated commercial instruments are available for the preparation of TEM grids yet, only electrostatic deposition of aerosols on TEM grids has been reported so far. To test the prototype and assess its performance, several materials have been sprayed onto TEM grids and the resulting particle distributions were compared to more traditional sample preparation strategies like the “drop on grid” method. Operation parameters such as the sample flow-rate, capillary – substrate distance, electric field strength and sampling period length have been optimised. It was found that the particles deposited by electrospray generally show a much more homogeneous spatial distribution on the substrate and a substantial increase of the number of single particles, which are much better suited to an automatic image evaluation procedure than the agglomerated particles observed otherwise. The applicability of the technique to a broad range of materials is demonstrated by various examples, but also the influence of the substrate, the choice of the particular TEM grid, on the obtained spatial particle distribution is assessed.
Aluminum has gathered toxicological Attention based on relevant human exposure and its suspected hazardous potential. Nanoparticles from food supplements or Food contact materials may reach the human gastrointestinal tract.
Here, we monitored the physicochemical fate of aluminum containing nanoparticles and aluminum ions when passaging an in vitro model of the human gastrointestinal tract. Smallangle X-ray scattering (SAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ion beam microscopy (IBM), secondary ion beam mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in the singleparticle mode were employed to characterize two aluminumcontaining nanomaterials with different particle core materials (Al0, γAl2O3) and soluble AlCl3. Particle size and shape remained unchanged in saliva, whereas strong Agglomeration of both aluminum nanoparticle species was observed at low pH in gastric fluid together with an increased ion release. The levels of free aluminum ions decreased in intestinal fluid and the particles deagglomerated, thus liberating primary particles again. Dissolution of nanoparticles was limited and substantial changes of their shape and size were not detected. The amounts of particle-associated phosphorus, chlorine, potassium, and calcium increased in intestinal fluid, as compared to nanoparticles in standard dispersion.
Interestingly, nanoparticles were found in the intestinal fluid after addition of ionic aluminum. We provide a comprehensive characterization of the fate of aluminum nanoparticles in simulated gastrointestinal fluids, demonstrating that orally ingested nanoparticles probably reach the intestinal epithelium. The balance between dissolution and de novo complex formation should be considered when evaluating nanotoxicological experiments.
CCQM has established a framework of comparisons to demonstrate the international comparability of chemical measurements. The key point is the establishment of comparable measurements, with traceability to internationally or nationally stated references.
Originally initiated by Dr Martin P Seah, NPL, the Surface Analysis Working Group (SAWG) has been formally founded in 2003. The following terms of reference were presented to CCQM in April 2002. CCQM ratified the group as a full working group of CCQM in April 2003 with these terms of reference:
- to develop pilot studies and carry out key comparisons of national measurement standards for surface and micro/nano-analysis;
- to assist in identifying and establishing inter-laboratory work to improve the traceability of surface and micro/nano-analysis;
- to establish and update a work plan to be adopted by CCQM;
- to discuss and review the scope of the working group and to liase with other working groups related to nanotechnology.
Following the 2016 meeting, the Key Comparison K-129 "Measurement of atomic fractions in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Films" lead by KRISS and the Key Comparison K-136 on "BET specific surface area of nanoporous Al2O3" lead by UNIIM&BAM have been finished in 2016.
The 15th meeting of SAWG will focus on
- survey on CMC claim submitted with reference to K-129 and K-136.
- the overall and SAWG specific aspects of the CCQM Strategy process,
- a joint meeting with the Inorganic Working Group addressing number concentrations of nano particles,
- discussion of future comparisons.
Cell-to-cell variation and specialization in sugar metabolism in clonal bacterial populations
(2017)
While we have good understanding of bacterial metabolism at the population level, we know little about the metabolic behavior of individual cells: do single cells in clonal populations sometimes specialize on different metabolic pathways? Such metabolic specialization could be driven by stochastic gene expression and could provide individual cells with growth benefits of specialization. We measured the degree of phenotypic specialization in two parallel metabolic pathways, the assimilation of glucose and arabinose. We grew Escherichia coli in chemostats, and used isotope-labeled sugars in combination with nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry and mathematical modeling to quantify sugar assimilation at the single-cell level. We found large variation in metabolic activities between single cells, both in absolute assimilation and in the degree to which individual cells specialize in the assimilation of different sugars. Analysis of transcriptional reporters indicated that this variation was at least partially based on cell-to-cell variation in gene expression. Metabolic differences between cells in clonal populations could potentially reduce metabolic incompatibilities between different pathways, and increase the rate at which parallel reactions can be performed.
Nanoscale building blocks impart added functionalities to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The integration of silicon nanowires with MEMS-based sensors leading to miniaturization with improved sensitivity and higher noise immunity is one example highlighting the advantages of this multiscale approach. The accelerated pace of research in this area gives rise to an urgent need for batch-compatible solutions for scaling to nano. To address this challenge, a monolithic fabrication approach of silicon nanowires with 10-lm-thick silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MEMS is developed in this work. A two-step Si etching approach is adopted, where the first step creates a shallow surface protrusion and the second step releases it in the form of a nanowire. It is during this second deep etching step that MEMS—with at least a 2-order-of-magnitude scale difference - is formed as well. The technique provides a pathway for preserving the lithographic resolution and transforming it into a very high mechanical precision in the assembly of micro- and nanoscales with an extreme topography. Validation of the success of integration is carried out via in situ actuation of MEMS inside an electron microscope loading the nanowire up to its fracture. The technique yields nanowires on the top surface of MEMS, thereby providing ease of access for the purposes of carrying out surface processes such as doping and contact formation as well as in situ observation. As the first study demonstrating such monolithic integration in thick SOI, the work presents a pathway for scaling down to nano for future MEMS combining multiple scales.
Question: Most microorganisms live in environments where nutrients are limited and fluctuate over time. Cells respond to nutrient fluctuations by sensing and adapting their physiological state. Recent studies suggest phenotypic heterogeneity in isogenic populations as an alternative strategy in fluctuating environments, where a subpopulation of cells express a function that allows growth under conditions that might arise in the future. It is unknown how environmental factors such as nutrient limitation shape phenotypic heterogeneity in metabolism and whether this allows cells to respond to nutrient fluctuations.
Methods: We subjected the N2-fixing bacterium Klebsiella oxytoca to different levels of substrate limitation and substrate shifts, and obtained time-resolved single-cell measurements of metabolic activities using nanometre-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS).
Results: We show that substrate limitation increases phenotypic heterogeneity in metabolism, and this
heterogeneity allows cells to cope with substrate fluctuations [1]. We found that the level of NH4+ limitation shapes phenotypic heterogeneity in N2 fixation. In turn, the N2 fixation rate of single cells during NH4+ limitation correlates positively with their growth rate after a shift to NH4+ depletion, experimentally demonstrating the benefit of heterogeneity.
Conclusion: The results indicate that phenotypic heterogeneity is a general solution to two important ecological challenges—nutrient limitation and fluctuations—that many microorganisms face. Currently, we use NanoSIMS to develop a new approach that defines functionally-relevant, phenotypic biodiversity in microbial systems.
Mn0.75Ga0.25As crystallites, partially embedded on and fully embedded within a single crystalline matrix of GaAs formed during metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) of Mn-rich (Mn,Ga)As on (001) oriented GaAs wafers. Phase and orientation analysis of these crystallites were performed with scanning nano beam electron diffraction (SNBED). The investigation of plan-view specimens using a liquid nitrogen cooling stage enabled the phase and orientation analysis of partially embedded ferromagnetic a-phase particles. In all specimens the following two orientation relationships (O) between the a-phase particles and the GaAs matrix were determined:
O1:
[1-2.0] Mn0.75Ga0.25As || [110] GaAs and
[10.2] Mn0.75Ga0.25As || [-110] GaAs
O2:
[10.2] Mn0.75Ga0.25As || [110] GaAs and
[1-2.0] Mn0.75Ga0.25As || [-110] GaAs.
The study of cross-sectional specimens enabled the analysis of fully embedded crystallites. It could be unambiguously detected that a fully embedded crystallite has the structure of the atomically ordered monoclinic β' phase. The β' phase crystallite consists of two domains which are related in twin positions to each other. The orientation relations of the different particles are illustrated by color coded stereographic projections.
The traceability and availability of nanoparticles enables their use to enhance a variety of nano-biological and nano-medicinal applications. The particular size and shape of nanoparticles determine the uptake rate and pathway into the cell, and therefore impact specific cell components and processes. Selecting specific particle types allows researchers to target the process or structure of interest, with minimal additional impact. This can be used for drug or DNA delivery, and is being explored for use in oncology. Understanding the different uptake mechanisms and impacted processes requires sub-cellular Imaging resolution to determine, for example, whether or not the nanoparticles are reaching the nucleus.
Sub-cellular imaging has traditionally been challenging to achieve with laser ablation ICP-MS due to a lack of sensitivity at small spots. Bioimaging using LA-ICP-MS is a well-established technique, but usually applied on the tissue scale, which depends on larger spot areas where sensitivity is less problematic. The improved sensitivity and washout from the NWRimage has allowed faster imaging of smaller spots. The NWRimage also provides the possibility of true sub-micron spot sizes. This work compares the capabilities of standard laser Ablation (NWR213 system) with results from the NWRimage platform, which has been optimized for imaging applications.
The synthesis of TiO2 nanoplatelets with fluorine-containing reactants is carried out using Ti (IV) butoxide as precursor and concentrated HF as shape controller, the final product requires a working up in order to eliminate or at least to reduce the amount of residual fluorides, which is realized here by well-defined thermal treatment.
Qualitative investigation of the bulk elemental composition by means of EDX of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) has identified fluorine in case of the as-synthesized samples. EDX spectra of thermally treated products exhibit either a fluorine content close to the limit of detection. The latter holds also true for the reference sample, TiO2 NPs of bipyramidal shape and prepared by a different synthesis route. For differentiation whether fluorine is present in the bulk or at the surface of the TiO2 nanoplatelets, top-surface sensitive AES and ToF-SIMS has been applied. Secondary ions of fluorine are detected in ToF-SIMS spectra of all samples, but could be roughly quantified by measurement of same reference sample as for EDX, namely TiO2 nano-bipyramids. This revealed that the amount of fluorine within1 nm depth beneath the surface is reduced in the thermally treated specimen compared to the raw product down to a content about as low as in the reference sample. AES allows analyzing analysis of the first few nanometers from the top-surface of individual NPs by point analysis. An F KLL peak has been detected at the surface of samples of as-prepared TiO2 nanoplatelets under optimized measurement conditions, but was not detectable after their calcination, which is in agreement with ToF-SIMS results. Moreover, high resolution AES on single TiO2 nanoplatelets elucidated that the surface atomic layers surrounding the TiO2 nanopaltelet contain fluorides before thermal treatment of the NPs.
In den letzten Jahren werden zunehmend Nanopartikel als Füllstoff für Polymere vorgeschlagen und auch erfolgreich in Elastomer-Nanocomposites eingesetzt. In dieser Arbeit wird Multilayergraphen (MLG) als Nanofüllstoff näher untersucht, der sich bereits bei geringen Konzentrationen als effizient erweist. MLG besteht aus nur etwa zehn Graphenlagen.
Chlorbutylkautschuk (CIIR)/MLG-Nanocomposites mit verschiedenen MLG-Gehalten wurden mit Hilfe eines ultraschallunterstützen Mischverfahrens in Lösung hergestellt und auf einem Walzwerk weiterverarbeitet. Das Einmischen von MLG führt zu einer deutlichen Verbesserung der rheologischen und mechanischen Eigenschaften, des Vernetzungsverhaltens sowie der Barrierewirkung gegenüber Gasen. Bereits der Zusatz von 3 phr MLG zu CIIR führt zu einem mehr als zweifach höheren E-Modul und zu einer Reduktion der Permeabilität von O2 und CO2 um 30 %. Höhere Konzentrationen an Nanofüllstoff resultieren in einer weiteren Verbesserung der Eigenschaften der Nanocomposites. Weiterhin zeigten die CIIR/MLG-Nanocomposites auch eine geringere Entflammbarkeit.
Over the last decade nanoparticles are progressively included in products of our daily life. Due to their antimicrobial properties, silver nanoparticles are used in a high variety of consumer products ranging from food containers over medicine and textiles. Therefore, research on the toxicological potential of nanosilver becomes increasingly important. This includes investigations concerning uptake, distribution and excretion of the particles. However, little attention was paid to changes of physical and chemical properties of the particles in the human body. One of the most important questions is if the particles can pass the digestion process without altering their shape and size. In this study we report on a versatile system of ultra-small silver nanoparticles with a mean volume weighted radius of 3.1 nm and a narrow size distribution width of 20%. The nanoparticles’ coating of poly (acrylic acid) can easily be exchanged by biocompatible ligands like albumin or glutathione. The particles are thoroughly characterized by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), DLS, IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy. We used the particles in an artificial digestion procedure which mimics the gastro-intestinal passage (Figure 1). Thereby the changes in the size distribution during the digestion process were analytically monitored by SAXS. Additionally, we used as food components oil, starch, skimmed milk powder and mixture thereof to provide a preferably realistic environment. Large aggregates of up to 56 nm were formed in the absence of food additives. In contrast, the presence of oil and starch limit the radii of aggregates to about 10 nm. Milk powder shows strong protective properties resulting in only small aggregates of 6 nm radii. Our results indicate that silver can indeed pass the digestion process in a nanoscale form depending on the nanoparticle coating and additional ingredients. These results have an impact on future toxicological considerations regarding silver nanoparticle-containing consumer products.
Urbanisation, habitat, environment, infrastructure and sustainability are major global challenges of the 21st century. By planning, exploiting of resources, building, and maintaining, civil engineers and relevant adjacent disciplines have been carrying a large responsibility for the existing environmental problems. Civil engineers are responsible for 70% of all material uses in the world, and civil construction has been dominating the growth of the developing world for the next decades, with enormous impact on the global climate as well as the distribution of wealth and quality of living in the world.
Today a variety of sustainable construction concepts have been developed and discussed. Recently a UNEP report was published, which provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges and potentials in the future from a scientific and industrial point of view. Sustainable solutions based on abundantly available resources (pozzolana and clay) or on renewable instead of limited industrial by-products (e.g. agricultural waste ashes) and new construction echnologies do exist. By applying, promoting and developing the implementation of the existing knowledge into real life constructions, civil engineers also hold the key for the mitigation of the global challenges. Using best practice sustainable construction solutions is particularly of highest importance in the developing world, since the implementation at an early stage creates the highest leverage for positive effects.
Gold nanostructures that serve as probes for nanospectroscopic analysis of eukaryotic cell cultures can be obtained by the in situ reduction of tetrachloroauric acid (HAuCl4). To understand the formation process of such intracellularly grown particles depending on the incubation medium, the reaction was carried out with 3T3 fibroblast cells in three different incubation media, phosphate buffer, Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM), and standard cell culture medium (DMEM with fetal calf serum). The size, the optical properties, the biomolecular corona, and the localization of the gold nanoparticles formed in situ vary for the different conditions. The combination of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) microscopic mapping and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) provides complementary perspectives on plasmonic nanoparticles and non-plasmonic gold compounds inside the cells. While for the incubation with HAuCl4 in PBS, gold particles provide optical signals from the nucleus, the incubation in standard cell culture medium leads to scavenging of the toxic molecules and the formation of spots of high gold concentration in the cytoplasm without formation of SERS-active particles inside the cells. The biomolecular corona of nanoparticles formed in situ after incubation in buffer and DMEM differs, suggesting that different intracellular molecular species serve for reduction and stabilization. Comparison with data obtained from ready-made gold nanoparticles suggests complementary application of in situ and ex situ generated nanostructures for optical probing.
The excitation wavelength (lexc) dependence of the photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (FPL) and decay behavior (tPL) of a series of CdSe/CdS quantum dot/Quantum rods (QDQRs), consisting of the same spherical CdSe core and rod-shaped CdS shells, with aspect ratios ranging from 2 to 20 was characterized. lexc between 400–565 nm were chosen to cover the first excitonic absorption band of the CdSe core material, the onset of absorption of the CDs shell, and the region of predominant shell absorption. A strong lexc dependence of relative and absolutely measured FPL and tPL was found particularly for the longer QDQRs with higher aspect ratios. This is attributed to combined contributions from a length-dependent shell-to-core exciton localization efficiency, an increasing number of defect states within the shell for the longest QDQRs, and probably also the presence of absorbing, yet non-emitting shell material. Although the FPL values of the QDQRs decrease at shorter wavelength, the extremely high extinction coefficients introduced by the shell outweigh this effect, leading to significantly higher brightness values at wavelengths below the absorption onset of the CdS Shell compared with direct excitation of the CdSe cores. Moreover, our results present also an interesting example for the comparability of absolutely measured FPL using an integrating sphere setup and FPL values measured relative to common FPL standards, and underline the Need for a correction for particle scattering for QDQRs with high aspect ratios.
A combined methodical approach is tested for the first time with respect to the characterization of the inner structure of porous TiO2 layers infiltrated with ruthenium molecular sensitizer as typically used in modern dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Their performance is directly linked to the surface area ‘offered’ by the pore Network to the dye. The micrometer thick layer employed was manufactured by screen-printing of a starting TiO2 powder constituted of shape-controlled, bipyramidal anatase nanoparticles (NPs) on FTO/glass substrates. The
analytical methods exploited in our study are Focused Ion Beam (FIB) slicing followed by 3D reconstruction as well as the new approach transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) technology in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). While the first method results in the visualization of the 3D pore network within the TiO2 layer, the second one can be successfully applied to analyze the crystal orientation of grains (i.e. NPs in our case) in nanometer resolution. Moreover, size and shape distribution of the TiO2 NPs within the layer can be extracted.
SEM in transmission mode and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used to verify the dimensional data obtained by the new combined methodical approach. Its analytical benefits but also the challenges and limitations
are highlighted.
SAXS for the determination of the size distribution of nanoparticles: Application in catalysis
(2017)
The open source software packages SASfit1 and McSAS2 are widely used to determine the size distribution of nanoparticles. SASfit is based on classical curve fitting. The type of size distribution needs to be provided as constraint for analysis. Very often the lognormal size distribution is useful as shown for the characterization of single- and multimodal magnetic iron oxide particles. The use of SASfit is part of efforts to standardize analyzing methods for magnetic nanoparticles within the EU project NanoMag (www.nanomag-project.eu). In contrast to SASfit, it is not necessary to provide the type of size distribution when using the program McSAS. Both programs provide tools that allow the user to estimate uncertainties of the derived size distributions. Such is helpful in the development of nanoscale reference materials for environmental, health and safety measurements. As an example, a detailed study on using SAXS in the characterization of ultra-small-silver nanoparticles is presented. These particles are useful in the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol and display an adjustable activity (see Figure).
Figure. Core-shell silver nanoparticles catalyze the reduction of 4-nitrophenol and display an increasing catalytic activity when stabilized with different ligands in the line bovine serum albumin (BSA), glutathione (GSH) and polyacrylic acid (PAA).5
Hydrothermal synthesis of anatase TiO2 nanosheets with a high fraction of exposed {001} facets and related high photocatalytic activity - as an alternative to bipyramidal anatase TiO2 nanoparticles mainly exposing the {101} facets. The scope of the material preparation work is the thermal reduction of residual fluorides from HF (capping agent) induced during the synthesis of TiO2 nanosheets by calcination at 873K. The analytical task consists of detection and localization of fluorine present at the surface and/or in the bulk of TiO2 nanosheets before and after calcination by SEM/EDX, Auger electron spectroscopy and ToF-SIMS.
In this review we present new concepts and recent progress in the application of semiconductur quantum dots (QD) as labels in two important areas of biology, bioimaging and biosensing. We analyze the biologically relevant properties of QDs focusing on the following topics: QD surface treatment and stability labeling of cellular structures and receptors with QDs, incorporation of QDs in living cells, cytotoxicity of QDs and influence of the biolocical environment on the biological and optical properties of QDs. Initially, we consider utilization of QDs as agants in high-resolution bioimaging techniques that can provide information at the molecular levels. The deverse range of modern live-cell QD-based imaging techniques with resolution far beyond the diffraction limit of light is examined. In each technique, we discuss the pros and cons of QD use and deliberate how QDs can be further engineered to facilitate their application in the respective imaging techniques and to produce significant improvements in resolution. Then we review QD-based point-of-care bioassays, bioprobes, and biosensors designed in different formats ranging from analytic biochemistry assays and ELISA, to novel point-of-care smartphone integrated QD-based biotests. Here, a wide range of QD-based fluorescence bioassays with optical transduction, electrochemiluminescence and photoelectrochemical assays are discussedc. Finally, this review provides an analysis of the prospects of application of QDs in selected important Areas of biology.
Das Projekt KONTRAST adressiert die Qualitätskontrolle (QC) zur Erfassung nano- und mikroskaliger Belegung/Degradation mittels abbildender Ellipsometrie (IE). Das BAM-Teilvorhaben beinhaltet das Screening von Benchmark-Materialsystemen und die Validierung von Messstrategien. Im Ergebnis erfolgte eine Fokussierung auf das im Vergleich zur off Null Ellipsometrie (ONE) aussichtereichere Verfahren der referenzkompensierten Ellipsometrie(RKE), das marktstrategisch in RSE (referenced spectral ellipsometry) umbenannt wurde. Alle Materialsysteme der BAM-Unterauftragnehmer konnten mit IE visualisiert werden, mit dem RSE-System in wesentlich kürzeren Zeiten, auf größeren Flächen, bei vergleichbarer Empfindlichkeit und Auflösung, Komplementärverfahren waren für den schnellen Nachweis nano- und mikroskaliger Belegung nicht konkurrenzfähig, wobei zusätzliche Materialsysteme mit niedrigem Kontrast (SnO:Ni auf Glas bzw. Cr auf Chromstahl) in der BAM hergestellt wurden. Die öffentliche Präsentation des RSE-Prototyps erfolgte auf der ICSE-7 2016 mit der Publikation 2017 in Applied Surface Science.
Photophysical studies of nonlinear lanthanide-doped photon upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) increasingly used in biophotonics and photovoltaics require absolute measurements of the excitation power density (P)-dependent upconversion luminescence (UCL) and luminescence quantum yields (ΦUC) for quantifying the material performance, UCL deactivation pathways, and possible enhancement factors. We present here the P-dependence of the UCL spectra, ΦUC, and slope factors of the different emission bands of representative 25 nm-sized oleate-capped β-NaYF4:17% Yb3+, 3% Er3+ UCNPs dispersed in toluene and as powder as well as ΦUC of 3 μm-sized upconversion particles (UCμP), all measured with a newly designed integrating sphere setup, enabling controlled variation of P over four orders of magnitude. This includes quantifying the influence of the beam shape on the measured ΦUC and comparison of experimental ΦUC with simulations utilizing the balancing power density model of the Andersson-Engels group and the simulated ΦUC of UCμP from the Berry group, underpinned by closely matching decay kinetics of our UC material. We obtained a maximum ΦUC of 10.5% for UCμP and a ΦUC of 0.6% and 2.1% for solid and dispersed UCNPs, respectively. Our results suggest an overestimation of the contribution of the purple and an underestimation of that of the red emission of β-NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+: microparticles by the simulations of the Berry group. Moreover, our measurements can be used as a guideline to the absolute determination of UCL and ΦUC
We report on a novel and simple approach to surface ligand design of CdSe-based nanocrystals (NCs) with biocompatible, heterobifunctional polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules. This method provides high transfer yields of the NCs into aqueous media with preservation of the narrow and symmetric emission bands of the initial organic-capped NCs regardless of their interior crystal structure and surface chemistry. The PEG-functionalized NCs show small sizes, high photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 75%, as well as impressive optical and colloidal stability. This universal approach is applied to different fluorescent nanomaterials (CdSe/CdS, CdSe/CdSCdxZn1-xS, and CdSe/CdS/ZnS), extending the great potential of organic-capped NCs for biological applications.
At the core of luminescence color and lifetime Tuning of rare earth doped upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs), is the understanding of the Impact of the particle architecture for commonly used sensitizer (S) and activator (A) Ions. In this respect, a series of core@Shell NaYF4 UCNPs doped with Yb3+ and Ho3+ ions are presented here, where the same dopant concentrations are distributed in different particle architectures following the scheme: YbHo core and YbHo@..., ...@YbHo, Yb@Ho, Ho@Yb, YbHo@Yb, and Yb@YbHo core-Shell NPs. As refealed by quantitative steady-state and time-resolved luminescence studies, the relative spatial Distribution of the A and S ions in the UCNPs and their protection from surface quenching has a critical Impact on ther luminescence characteristics. Although the increased amount of Yb3+ Ions boosts UCNP Performance by amplifying the Absorption, the Yb3+ ions can also efficiently dissipate the energy stored in the material through energy Migration to the surface, thereby reducing the Overall energy Transfer Efficiency to the activator ions. The results provide yet another proof that UC Phosphor chemistry combined with materials Engineering through intentional core@shell structures may help to fine-tune the luminescence Features of UCNPs for their specific future applications in biosensing, bioimaging, photovoltaics, and Display technologies.
Lanthanide-doped photon-upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been the Focus of many Research activities in materials and life sciences in the last 15 years because of their potential to convert light between different spectral regions and their unique photophysical properties. To fully exploit the application potential of These facinating nanomaterials, a number of challenges have to be overcome, such as the low brightness, particularly of small UCNPs, and the reliable quantification of the excitation-power-density-dependent upconversion luminescence. In this series of critical Reviews, recent developments in the design, Synthesis, optical-spectroscopic characterization, and application of UCNPs are presented with Special Focus on bioanalysis and the life sciences. Here we guide the reader from the Synthesis of UCNPs to different concepts to enhance their luminescence, including the required optical-spectroscopic assessment to quantify material Performance; surface modification strategies and bioanalytical applications as well as selected examples of the use of UCNPs as reporters in different Assay formats are addressed in part II. Future Trends and challenges in the field of upconversion are discussed with Special emphasis on UCNP Synthesis and material characterization, particularly quantitative luminescence studies.
The aims of the Research Unit „Acting Principles of Nano-Scaled Matrix Additives for Composite Structures“ (DFG FOR 2021) are based on different synergetic pathways. Challenges are to achieve an improved damage tolerance combined with unchanged processability and a proof of the nano-based effect from molecular scale up to structural level. First of all, a comprehensive understanding of the acting mechanisms of nano-scaled ceramic additives onto polymer matrices of continuous fibre reinforced polymer composites with respect to improved matrix dominated properties is in focus. To proof of the nanoscopic and microscopic effects up to structural level; experimental investigations start on the functional correlation between the particle properties and the resulting properties of the epoxy as suspension and in the solid state. This includes tests for the resulting composite structures as well. Along the entire process chain different multi-scale simulations are performed from molecular modelling up to the macroscopic, structural level. The combination of experimental investigations and simulation methods enables a holistic understanding of the acting principles and basic mechanisms.
Specialized techniques based on Scanning Force Microscopy are the basis of our analysis of physicochemical properties of the boehmite nanoparticles and their polymer environment. A surface map of mechanical properties as an input for simulations facilitate a deeper understanding of such composites across all scales. This enables us to understand the macroscopic structure-property relationship and to predict failure mechanisms as well as routes for optimization.
A drawback for X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is that the measurements must be performed under ultra-high vacuum, which limits the type of samples which can be studied. However, by applying a differentially pumped aperture positioned close to the surface, even wet samples can be measured at near ambient pressure while the energy analyser is still under ultra-high vacuum, as illustrated below. Successful XPS-measurements with pressure up to 30 mbar have been reported using this approach, which opens up a new world of possibilities for ambient pressure measurements with XPS.
While there are examples where NAP-XPS has been used to study electrochemical processes and heterogeneous catalysis, little attention has been paid to its potential use in biological materials. Until now, bacteria have only been characterised with conventional XPS, which requires tedious sample preparation usually involving freeze drying, a treatment that may degrade biological sample constituents. By studying biological samples in their native wet states, new insight about composition, absorption and transport of drugs through cell membranes and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) layers can be obtained.
Both artificial model-films of exopolysaccharides and biofilms of Escherichia Coli have been characterised at pressures ranging from ultra-high vacuum to 15 mbar by using SPECS’ EnviroESCA NAP-XPS instrument and conventional XPS. By applying antimicrobials to model biofilms, some of which are known to be resistant towards the antimicrobial in question, the distribution of antimicrobials in biofilms has been studied. Measurement capabilities and limitations of the approach will be discussed.
Of many experimental techniques for measuring particle sizes and size distributions, electron microscopy (EM) is still considered as the gold standard, especially in the nano range (1–100 nm). Furthermore, high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) in conjunction with EM can be applied to individul NPs.
Preparation of an EM sample for generic particulate materials is a difficult task. Usually, the particles in a suspension are deposited on a support. However, this procedure includes the drying of larger solvent amounts on the substrate itself, and this can affect the spatial distribution of the deposited particles. One possibility to overcome this is the use of an electrospray system, where the suspension of particles is sprayed onto the substrate in charged droplets that are so small that they either dry off on the substrate immediately without affecting the position of particles, or even already during their flight time to the substrate. Additionally, the charging of particles minimizes agglomeration and aggregation, maximizing the collection of the EM grids.
The prototype of an electrospray deposition System was tested. Electrospray is theoretically described since a long time, but no dedicated commercial instruments are available for the preparation of TEM grids yet, apart from electrostatic deposition of aerosols.
Several materials have been sprayed onto TEM grids and the resulting particle distributions were evaluated. Operation parameters such as the sample flow-rate, capillary – substrate distance, electric field strength and sampling period length have been optimized. It was found that the particles deposited by electrospray generally show a much more homogeneous spatial distribution on the substrate and a substantial increase of the number of single particles (suited to automatic analysis).
Polycrystalline Ni materials with grain sizes less than 100 nm (nano crystalline NC) and with grain sizes in the micrometer range (micro crystalline MC) in form of thin films have become important in many technologies due to their improved physical, chemical and mechanical properties. Usual the mechanical properties of such coatings are described by a Hardness value and a Young´s modulus measured by Instrumented Indentation Testing (IIT).The behavior of such coatings during indentation test is influenced by different size effects having their representative length scale – grain size, coating thickness, length that characterizes the depth dependence of the hardness (Indentation Size Effect ISE). To estimate realistic values for the intrinsic coating Hardness and Young´s modulus all size effects have to be considered.
For this work thin nano crystalline Ni – coatings (average grain size 30 nm) with thickness from 1 μm to 5 μm were electrodeposited on brass substrates. Indentation tests in the continuous stiffness measurement (CSM) mode were provided on as prepared Ni – coatings using a G200 Nanoindentation system (Fa. Keysight). For estimation of the intrinsic hardness of the coatings from composite hardness values calculated from the measured force –displacement curve using the Oliver & Pharr method, the model described by Z.S. Ma [1] was used.
It was found that the experimental data can be well described by the model. The fitted values for the intrinsic hardness and the fitting parameters will be given. The different values of intrinsic hardness and of length characterizing depth dependence of the hardness for different coating thickness are discussed as results of changes in the coating structure because of changes in deposition parameters.
[1] Z.S. Ma, Y.C. Zhou, S.G. Long, C. Lu: On the intrinsic hardness of a metallic film/substrate system: Indentation size and substrate effects. International Journal of Plasticity 34 (2012) 1-11.
This work is supported by European Metrology Program for Innovation and Research (EMPIR)
(JRP 14IND03 Strength – ABLE)
Unilamellar vesicles self-assembled in water from natural and synthetic phospholipids (liposomes), amphiphilic block copolymers (polymersomes), and more recently amphiphilic Janus dendrimers (dendrimersomes) as hollow soft structures in the nano size regime have attracted increasing interest as they can mimic primitive and contemporary biological membranes, and can be configured into biomimetic nanocapsules with application in nanomedicine such as gene, proteins and drug carriers or theranostics. Compared to other amphiphilic structures, the molecular structure of Janus dendrimers can be precisely controlled: by using the vast range of tools from organic chemistry their size, architecture, density, generation as well as the number of endgroups of the individual dendrons can be modified as desired. Unfortunately, the controlled production of the supramolecular aggregates made thereof is still a challenging task. Conventional batch-based techniques such as the solvent injection method or the film hydration method typically go along with a lack of control over mixing and thus over size, morphology and size distribution. The micromixer technology is a promising method for the controlled preparation of supramolecular assemblies as it allows control of mixing at microscale level. In addition, such microfluidic systems benefit from a high mixing efficiency, a low mixing time as well as from a reproducible and continuous synthesis.
Herein, we report on the microfluidic-controlled self-assembly of Janus dendrimers as dendrimersomes and the impact of the mixing parameters on the self-assembly process.
The presentation focuses on the current state of the optical spectroscopic studies on plasmon enhanced upconversion luminescent processes of silica-metal core-shell nanocomposites. A general introduction of the upconversion process, the theoretical basis of plasmonic enhancement, the theoretical requirements in regard to NP architecture for plasmon enhanced UC will be outlined. The first proof-of-concept measurements show the difficulty in realization the theoretical measurement parameters in laboratory conditions and underline the need for shifting the experiments to single particle level.“
A controlled, reproducible, gram-scale method is reported for the covalent functionalization of graphene Sheets by a one-pot nitrene [2+1] cycloaddition reaction under mild conditions. The reaction between commercially available 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine and sodium azide with thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRGO) results in defined dichlorotriazine-functionalized sheets. The different reactivities of the chlorine substituents on the functionalized graphene allow stepwise post-modification by manipulating the temperature.
This new method provides unique access to defined bifunctional 2D nanomaterials, as exemplified by chiral surfaces and multifunctional hybrid architectures.
Quantum dot (QD) based nanomaterials are very promising materials for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices like solar cells, light emitting diodes (LEDs), and photodetectors as well as as reporters for chemo- and biosensing and bioimaging. Many of These applications involve the monitoring of changes in photoluminescence intensity and energy transfer processes which can strongly depend on excitation wavelength or energy. In this work, we analyzed the excitation energy dependence (EED) of the photoluminescence quantum yields (PL QYs) and decay kinetics and the circular dichroism (CD) spectra of CdSe/CdS core/shell QDs with different thicknesses of the surface passivation shell. Our results demonstrate a strong correlation between the spectral position of local maxima observed in the EED of PL QY and the zero-crossing points of the CD profiles. Theoretical analysis of the energy band structure of the QDs with effective mass approximation suggests that these structures could correspond to exciton energy levels. This underlines the potential of CD spectroscopy for the study of electronic energy structure of chiroptically active nanocrystals which reveal quantum confinement effects.
In the last decade the utilization of silver nanoparticles in consumer related products is strongly enhanced. Therefore, many studies focus on investigations regarding their toxicological potential. This includes investigations concerning uptake, distribution and excretion of the particles. However, little attention was paid to changes of physical and chemical properties of the particles in the human body. A major question is if the particles are size and shape persistent and can survive the digestion process. In this study we analytically monitored the changes in the size distribution of colloidal silver during an artificial digestion process with the help of small angle X-ray scattering. We synthesized poly(acrylic acid) stabilized ultra-small silver nanoparticles with a radius of 3.1 nm and a size distribution width of 20%. The artificial digestion process mimics the gastro-intestinal passage and simulates the oral, gastric and small intestinal conditions. Additionally, we used as food components oil, starch, skimmed milk powder and mixture thereof to provide a preferably realistic environment. Large aggregates of up to 56 nm were determined in the absence of food additives. In contrast, the presence of oil and starch limit the radii of aggregates to about 10 nm. Only small aggregates of 6 nm radii were found in the presence of milk powder. It prevents primary particles from etching in the intestinal juice. Our results indicate that the silver nanoparticles can pass the digestion process in a nanoscale form but undergo a strong and food-dependent transformation in their state of aggregation.
Creating the Silver Standard: Development of a Silver Nanoparticle Reference Material using SAXS
(2017)
The utilization of silver nanoparticles in consumer related products has significantly increased over the last decade, especially due to their antimicrobial properties. Today they are used in a high variety of products, which ranges from food containers over children toys and textiles. Therefore, research on the toxicological potential of silver in a nanoscale form becomes increasingly important for a high amount of studies. Unfortunately the results of these studies are extremely diverse and do not lead to a consistent evaluation of the toxicity of silver nanoparticles. The central problem lies in the use of a wide range of silver nanoparticles, which show a broad size distribution. To overcome this problem we report on the synthesis of ultra-small silver nanoparticles and their quantitative characterization by small-angle X-ray scattering. The particles are highly stable and show no aggregation for more than six months. SAXS analysis via a Monte Carlo data evaluation procedure reveal a narrow size distribution of the silver cores with a mean volume weighted radius of 3.0 nm and a distribution width of 0.6 nm. Dynamic light scattering provides a hydrodynamic radius of 10.0 nm and a PDI of 0.09. The particles are stabilized with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) forming a shell with a thickness of 7.0 nm. It is foreseen to use these thoroughly characterized particles as reference material to compare the catalytic and biological properties of functionalized silver nanoparticles. As a first step the particles are used in the first world-wide inter-laboratory comparison of SAXS. This study reveals that SAXS shows highly reproducible results for particles in the sub-20 nm region independently on the type of instrument used. Furthermore, the stabilizing ligand PAA can be easily exchanged by biomolecules to modify the surface functionality. Replacements of PAA with glutathione (GSH) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) have been performed as examples. With this flexible system first applications regarding biological application in an artificial digestion procedure have been performed. Thereby the changes in size distribution and aggregation state were monitored by SAXS.
A combined methodical approach is tested with respect to the characterization of the inner structure of porous TiO2 layers as typically used in modern dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Their performance is directly linked to the surface area of the pore network. The micrometer thick layer employed was manufactured by screen-printing of a starting TiO2 powder constituted of shape-controlled, bipyramidal anatase nanoparticles on FTO/glass substrates. The analytical methods exploited in our study are Focused Ion Beam (FIB) slicing followed by 3D reconstruction as well as the new approach transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) technology in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Size and shape distribution of the TiO2 NPs within the layer can be extracted. SEM in transmission mode and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used to verify the dimensional data obtained by the new combined methodical approach. Its analytical benefits but also the challenges and limitations are highlighted.
Nowadays the Instrumented Indentation Testing (IIT), in the nano range often named as nano indention, is one of the most commonly used methods to determine the mechanical properties of materials in the micro and nano range. This method is already extensive standardized in DIN EN ISO 14577 part 1-4. In the past, the application of this standard in testing praxis shows that the established values have an excellent precision. On the other side, the trueness as comparability of obtained results with reference values is not so good. To improve accuracy of IIT the use of a variable ε and the consideration of the lateral displacement during indentation became normative requirements during the last revision of ISO 14577.
Starting with the beginning of instrumented indentation testing in 1898 the historical background and the main assumption of the Oliver and Pharr method will be explained and critical discussed. It will be shown how to apply the use of a variable ε and the consideration of the lateral displacement during indentation in the daily testing work to improve accuracy of IIT.
Finally, ongoing standardization projects in the field of IIT will be briefly presented.
Size and shape are crucial parameters which have impact on the potential of nanoparticles to penetrate cell membranes and epithelial barriers. Current research in nanotoxicology additionally focuses on particle coating. To distinguish between core- and coating-related effects in nanoparticle uptake and translocation, two nanoparticles equal in size, coating and charge but different in core material were investigated.
Silver and iron oxide nanoparticles coated with poly(acrylic acid) were chosen and extensively characterized by small-angle x-ray scattering, nanoparticle tracing analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Uptake and transport were studied in the intestinal Caco-2 model in a Transwell System with subsequent elemental analysis. TEM and ion beam microscopy were conducted for particle visualization.
Although equal in size, charge and coating, the behavior of the two particles in Caco-2 cells was different: while the internalized amount was comparable, only iron oxide nanoparticles additionally passed the epithelium. Our findings suggest that the coating material influenced only the uptake of the nanoparticles whereas the translocation was determined by the core material.
Knowledge about the different roles of the particle coating and core materials in crossing biological barriers will facilitate toxicological risk assessment of nanoparticles and contribute to the optimization of pharmacokinetic properties of nano-scaled pharmaceuticals.
The presentation deals with the progess, the use of beads brings with it when developing and using immunoanalytical methods. While with conventional assays (e.g. ELISA) fill/empty/wash steps have to be performed within the same microplate well, antibodies on beads bring the possibility of incubating the sample with the capture antibodies in one compartment and then transport it, e.g. in microfluidic channels, to the site of detection. Especially magnetic nanoparticles, that can be captured and released easily, have a wide field of application.
Microbially induced corrosion (MIC) is a severe cost and risk factor for the oil and gas industry, water heat- and cooling systems, waste water management, and infrastructural constructions. The industrial preventions management of MIC focuses on eliminating present microorganisms, which leads to the repeated and time-consuming application of biocides. However, biocides are often only minor effective for microorganisms that live protected from these agents in a biofilm matrix formed on material surfaces. In recent years, microbiologist have renewed our vision on the electrochemical processes underlying material corrosion induced by sulfate reducing bacteria, but the knowledge at the level of multispecies biofilm formation and the effects of material’s properties are still rather scarce.
Therefore, an interdisciplinary team of material scientists, chemists and microbiologists, established a MIC-research platform at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) to study the effects of material’s properties and biofilm formation on MIC. Using femtosecond laser pulse technology steel surfaces with defined nanostructures were manufactured. The test pieces were incubated using a flow-through chambers setup with different organisms relevant for biofilm studies. Our studies showed, that nanoscale structures severely affect the biofilm thickness and, hence, growth for health threatening organisms like E. coli and S. aureus, but also for MIC-relevant bacteria such as Fe(III)-reducing Shewanella spec.
Another aspect of the biofilm matrix is the establishment of microscale environments with conditions, such as anaerobic or acidic microenvironments, which promotes a diverse multispecies community. However, the detection and visualization of such small-scale microenvironments is rather challenging. Further, it could directly indicate the activity of microorganism influencing or inducing corrosion processes. Therefore, dye-stained nanoscale particles, bearing pH-responsive fluorophores at the surface, were developed to measure the pH at the biofilm’s surface and within the matrix using confocal laser scanning microcopy. The particles will be further advanced to measure other environmentally relevant parameters, including oxygen concentration, and concentrations of selected metal ions indicative of corrosion of e.g., materials used for water pipelines. In the future, our platform and its analytical tools will be employed to study the formation of biofilms in dependency of the respective support material, its surface properties like roughness, and the microbial community.
At the core of luminescence color and lifetime tuning of rare earth doped upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) is the understanding of the impact of the particle architecture for commonly used sensitizer (S) and activator (A) ions. In this respect, we present here a series of core@shell NaYF4 UCNPs doped with Yb3+ and Ho3+ ions, where the same dopant concentrations were distributed in different particle architectures following the scheme: YbHo core and YbHo@..., …@YbHo, Yb@Ho, Ho@Yb, YbHo@Yb, and Yb@YbHo core-shell NPs. As revealed by quantitative steady state and time-resolved luminescence studies, the relative spatial distribution of the A and S ions in the UCNPs and their protection from surface quenching has critical impact on their luminescent characteristics. Interestingly, although the increased amount of Yb3+ ions boosts UCNP performance by increasing the absorption, the Yb3+ ions can also dissipate the energy stored in the material through energy migration to surface, thereby reducing the overall energy transfer efficiency to the activator ions.
Despite their immense and rapidly increasing
importance as analytical tools or therapeutic drugs, the detailed
structural features of particular monoclonal antibodies are
widely unknown. Here, an antibody already in use for diagnostic
purposes and for molecular dosimetry studies in cancer therapy
with very high affinity and specificity for cisplatin-induced DNA
modifications was studied extensively. The molecular structure
and modifications as well as the antigen specificity were
investigated mainly by mass spectrometry. Using nano electrospray
ionization mass spectrometry, it was possible to characterize the antibody in its native state. Tandem-MS experiments not
only revealed specific fragments but also gave information on the molecular structure. The detailed primary structure was further
elucidated by proteolytic treatment with a selection of enzymes and high resolution tandem-MS. The data were validated by
comparison with known antibody sequences. Then, the complex glycan structures bound to the antibody were characterized in
all detail. The Fc-bound oligosaccharides were released enzymatically and studied by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization
mass spectrometry. Overall 16 different major glycan structures were identified. The binding specificity of the antibody was
investigated by applying synthetic single and double stranded DNA oligomers harboring distinct Pt adducts. The antibody−
antigen complexes were analyzed by mass spectrometry under native conditions. The stability of the complex with double
stranded DNA was also investigated.
Semicrystalline polymers have to be described by a three phase model consisting of a mobile amorphous (MAF), a crystalline (CF), and a rigid amorphous fraction (RAF). For nanocomposites based on a semicrystalline polymer the RAF is due to both the crystallites (RAFcrystal) and the filler (RAFfiller). Polymer nanocomposite based on poly(L-lactide) and MgAl layered double hydroxide nanofiller were prepared.
Due to the low crystallization rate of PLA ist crystallization can be suppressed by a high enough cooling rate, and the RAF is due only to the nanofiller. The MAF, CF, and RAF were estimated by Temperature Modulated DSC. For the first time CF, MAF, RAFcrystal, and RAFfiller could be estimated. It was found, that RAFfiller increases linearly with the concentration of the nanofiller for this system. Furthermore, RAFcrystal is only slightly influenced by the presence of the nanofiller.
Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are of great interest for biomedical applications. Currently, the applicability of UCNP bionanotechnology is hampered by the generally low luminescence intensity of UCNPs and inefficient energy Transfer from UCNPs to surface-bound chromophores used e.g. for photodynamic therapy or analyte sensing. In this work, we address the low-Efficiency issue by developing versatile core-Shell nanostructures, where high-concentration sensitizers and activators are confined in the core and Shell Region of representative hexagonal NaYF2:Yb,Er UCNPs. After Doping concentration optimization, the sensitizer-rich core is able to harvest/accumulate more excitation energy and generate almost one order of Magnitude higher luminescence intesity than conventional homogeneously doped nanostructures. At the same time, the activator Ions located in the Shell enable a ~6 times more efficient resonant energy Transfer from UCNPs to surface-bound acceptor dye molecules due to the short distance between donor-acceptor pairs. Our work provides new insights into the rational design of UCNPs and will greatly encrease the General applicability of upconversion nanotechnologies.
We are using laser ablation (LA)-ICP-MS to image the local distribution of elements (metals and hetero-elements) directly or (metallo-)proteins by metal-tagged antibodies in cells and tissue indirectly. Different applications will be discussed to demonstrate the state of the art and to visualize the elemental distribution pattern in soft bio-materials (tissue, single cells). In the first application Pt-containing drugs for cancer treatment are investigated and elemental distribution pattern are shown for tissue samples from animal experiments. Different standardization and quantification schemes including isotope dilution analysis will be discussed. In the second application, which is dedicated to toxicological research, the up-take of nano-particles by single cells are discussed and metal containing stains are used to visualize the distribution of nano-particles, proteins and DNA in a single cell simultaneously. This information is correlated with the distribution of the nanoparticles to identify the cell compartments where nano-particles are enriched. Quantification schemes have been developed to transform the measured intensities into number of particles up taken by the cells. In the third and last application LA-ICP-MS is applied to visualize the local distribution of proteins, which are used as bio-markers for prostate cancer. For this purpose, biopsy samples from patients have been simultaneously stained by eight differently metal-tagged antibodies in a multiplex approach. Detection of house-keeping proteins serves as internal standards to overcome differences in protein expression. Additionally ink-jet printing of metal doped inks onto the surface of these tissue samples has been applied for internal standardization and drift corrections.
Finally future trends to develop an “elemental microscope” will be discussed.
The manufacturing of NbC with Ni binder with addition of titanium carbide by using a colloidal process for blending the different powders without a milling step were investigated. The the sintering process and formation of the resulting microstructures, the phase relations and the hardness of the produced cermet materials are characterized.
Nanoscience, SAXS and you
(2017)
In a proof-of-concept study, we assessed different analytical and spectroscopic parameters for stability screening of differently sized β-NaYF4:20 mol % Yb3+, 2 mol % Tm3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) exemplarily in the bioanalytically relevant buffer phosphate buffered saline (PBS; pH 7.4) at 37 and 50 °C. This included the potentiometric determination of the amount of released fluoride ions, surface analysis with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements.
Based on these results, the luminescence lifetime of the 800 nm upconversion emission was identified as an Optimum parameter for stability screening of UCNPs and changes in particle surface chemistry.
The overall objective of project Improved traceability chain of nanoparticle size measurements is to improve the traceability chain for nanoparticle size measurements. The main impact will be achieved by manifold contributions to standard documents for CEN/TC 352 “Nanotechnologies”, which directly addresses the research needs of CEN, CENELEC and ETSI mandated by EC to develop standards for methods and reference materials to accurately measure the size and size distribution of nanoparticles. This will take place in collaboration with ISO/TC229 ‘Nanotechnologies’, ISO/TC24/SC4 ‘Particle characterization’ and ISO/TC201 ‘Surface analysis’/ SC9 ‘Scanning probe microscopy’.
In micro or nano particles development it is important to understand and control the particle structure, as it affects among other things the potential further surface functionalisation/modification possible.
This work shows the capability of resonant mass measurements (RMM) to measure the mass and density of micron sized particles. The technology utilizes a suspended MEMS microchannel resonator, through which individual particles transit across the resonator altering the resonant frequency, which is then detected using an optical-based method. Changes in frequency observed when a particle enters the microchannel resonator are proportional to the buoyant mass of the particle, and can be translated into mass, size or surface area. RMM therefore allows particle concentration to be determined as well as particle mass in a single measurement.
Furthermore, a method for estimating the density distribution of particles from RMM measurements has been developed. This uses the convolution of the buoyant mass distribution of the particles obtained when suspended in different fluids.
By combining the data from the density and mass determinations, small mass shifts arising from applying a coating to a particle can be estimated, and the resulting shell thicknesses calculated. These methods have been applied to silica coated and uncoated polystyrene latex particles.
RMM shows that it can be used to measure, and distinguish between, silica shell thicknesses that are in the order of 10 to 55 nanometres on hybrid micron-sized particles. RMM can also determine the shell density.
Aus Schmierstoffen gebildete Tribofilme bestimmen das Reibungs- und Verschleißverhalten von Tribosystemen neben der Fresslasttragefähgikeit. Die Kaltverfestigung stellt einen weiteren Mechanismus insbesondere zum Verschleißschutz dar. Unter Wälzreibung wird das funktionale Profil organischer und metallorganischer Tribofilme sowie von Kaltverfestigung verglichen, die auf verschiedenen Stahlmetallurgien innerhalb von 10.000 Überrollungen in einem 2Disk-Prüfstand erzeugt wurden. Dabei wurden Hertzsche Kontaktspannungen ober von P0max=2,14 GPa (FZG14) eingesetzt.
An overview about different analytical approaches will be presented of how to detect metals in individual biological cells by use of ICP-MS. For this purpose, we are using different sample introduction systems for ICP-MS for detection, imaging and quantification of metals at cellular levels.
By use of laser ablation, we have studied the up-take by and distribution of metallic nanoparticles (Ag, Au) in single adherent cells (fibroblast cell line). Recently, we have developed staining techniques to image the protein (by a lanthanide containing chelate) and DNA (by an Ir-containing intercalator) distribution in single cells which can be combined with the nanoparticle studies. Additionally, we have developed an immunoassay by use of metal-tagged antibodies to identify the cell status of individual cells.
Using pneumatic nebulization or microdroplet generation, we have also studied the up-take of nanoparticles and toxic metals as well as essential elements in single suspension cells using different ICP-MS mass spectrometric concepts (sector field instrument, triple-quad instrument, time of flight (CyTOF) instrument). For this purpose, the ICP-MS was operated in the single particle mode. First results of single cell ICP-MS (scICP-MS) will be presented for up-take of metallic (Ag) nanoparticles by THP 1 and macrophage cells and the strength of the different instruments will be discussed.
Presentation of the MIC-project (Microbially Induced Corrosion) within the focus area Materials of the BAM. Strategies, developments and innovations in the area of analytical tools, surface modifications, polymer stability and biofilm-enhanced deteriorations of materials in the context of microbially induced corrosion processes.
We report on the design, preparation and application of immobilized Oligonucleotides as biological sensors for dosimetry and protein activity. Oligonucleotides can be custom tailored in terms of sequence and length to the needs of the specific application. The preparation can be scaled from small lab-scales to higher output via spotting technology on various surfaces such as glass, silicon-dioxide or gold. They can be applied for the sensing of DNA-protein interaction and surface-plasmon resonance to detect the influence of cosolutes on the protein activity. This can be applied in the testing of pharmaceutical or cosmsetic applications and incorporated in microfluidic devices. Other important use cases are the usage in dosimetric application where the oligonucleotides are subjected to ionizing radiation. They can directly act as a sensor for biological damage which is detected and quantified by the subsequent hybridization of complementary strands who carry a fluorescence dye. The quantification can be performed by an array scanner or fluorescence microscope. Investigation on a molecular level can be performed with the AFM-IR technique. Applications are calibration of radiation sources and the investigation of interaction of ionizing radiation with biomolecules.
A bottom-up approach to study metal sulphides in brake friction materials at higher temperatures
(2017)
The impact of metal sulphides in brake friction materials on the friction behaviour of disc brakes was studied at two different temperatures and in two different atmospheres using a pin-on-disc device with powder supply. Powder mixtures were prepared by using a bottom-up approach, where magnetite is the main component, in which different metal sulphides are mixed in. At 400 °C, the resulting coefficients of friction are higher in air than in nitrogen atmosphere, which can be attributed to the generation of metal oxides and were confirmed by doing thermal analysis.
Innovative material with outstanding physical and chemical properties are produced upon the deposition of thin and ultrathin coatings on different substrates. For instance, hard disks able to store Tera-bytes of information are based on the deposition of multiple nano-layers, which include magnetic and non-magnetic layers. Many other analogous examples, including photovoltaic cells, coated Al substrates, oxidized thin film composite membranes, coated glasses, coated polymers, etc. could be cited. The physical performance of these emerging materials is directly related to their chemical properties, including the elemental distribution within the different layers and at the layer-interfaces, or the presence of critical non-desired trace elements. Therefore, quality control and R+D advances require the development of direct solid analytical techniques able to provide fast multi-elemental chemical analysis of these materials, with high depth resolution (to monitor the different layers) and high sensitivity (to detect major, minor and trace elements).
Atomic spectrometry techniques have long been used for direct elemental chemical characterization. Techniques, such as Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry or Auger Electron Spectroscopy provide very valuable information about the chemical composition of the surfaces/coatings; however, they also have some major drawbacks, such as high operating costs, complex sample pre-treatment and handling, low sample throughput and/or severe matrix effects that result in difficult quantification procedures. To overcome some of these drawbacks Glow Discharge Mass Spectroscopy is proposed as a complementary methodology that provides an ideal solution for fast and accurate bulk and layer analyses. In this work, we evaluate the advantages and limitations of this technique and we discuss about recent progresses and new applications.
Chemical and electrochemical interaction mechanisms of metal-reducing bacteria with gold surfaces
(2017)
The ubiquity of biofilms is accompanied by significant health and safety risks. Clarifying the interaction mechanisms of sessile bacteria with metal and metal oxide surfaces is of great interest to advance the development of new control strategies and novel anti-fouling surfaces which mitigate the detrimental effects of bio-fouling.
The Shewanella genus is a faculatively aerobic, Gram-negative, exoelectrogenic bacterium known to demonstrate exceptional adaptability in respiratory capacities. Shewanella is often found in microbial communities within aquatic and sedimentary settings. During aerobic conditions, Shewanella utilizes oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor. During anaerobic conditions, respiration occurs via reduction of alternative terminal electron acceptors such as oxidized metals via extracellular electron transfer mechanisms involving electron shuttle molecules released by the bacteria.
The purpose of this work is to investigate the mechanisms of bacterial attachment and subsequent biofilm formation on metallic surfaces. Using Shewanella sp. model biofilms, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) complemented with electrochemical techniques have been utilized to study this dynamic interaction. Additionally, to study the process of diffusion of extracellular electron shuttles, a model system comprised of calcium cross-linked alginate to mimic the architecture of bacterial extracellular polymeric substances has been used. Inert model substrates with consistent uniformity and high surface enhancement factor have been fabricated via the deposition of gold nano-islands on thin glass slides. Moreover, it has permitted modification of the surface chemistry and surface energy via surface functionalization using organothiol self-assembled monolayers. The presentation will summarize our results on the interplay between the initial settlement rate and biofilm formation kinetics of bacteria on metallic substrates with variable environmental conditions such as electrolyte composition, pH, in addition to surface characteristics such as hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity and external polarization.
Graphene is a two-dimensional carbon network with unique properties, including high mechanical stiffness, strength, and elasticity, outstanding electrical and thermal conductivity, and many others. Despite these advantages, its low solubility, poor reactivity and the limited accessibility of a well-defined basal plane are major challenges for applications. An ideal method to overcome these problems is the covalent attachment of functional molecules to its surface which enables further reactive modifications for specific applications. There is a number of different technologies for surface functionalization of graphene and related CNT materials. However, to get control on the functionalization process and to optimize the performance of the modified surfaces analytical tools for surface chemical characterization are required. X-ray absorption (NEXAFS) and photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have been identified to be rather powerful here. Specifically NEXAFS spectroscopy underpinned by quantum chemical spectrum simulations is unique in a way to address changes of aromaticity and defect formation at the graphene surface during functionalization.
For relevant surface modification technologies, we present examples on how NEXAFS and XPS can perform well. All presented modifications aim on the production of platforms for defined functional 2D nanomaterials, as for example multifunctional hybrid architectures. In detail, we investigated:
• Graphene and carbon nanotube functionalized by a Vacuum-Ultraviolet (VUV) induced photochemical process in NH3 or O2 atmospheres in order to introduce amino or hydroxy functionalities, respectively.
• Br bonding on r.f. cw low pressure plasma brominated graphite surfaces by using Br2 and bromoform as plasma gases.
• A wet chemical method for covalent functionalization of graphene sheets by a one-pot nitrene [2+1] cycloaddition reaction under mild conditions. Here a reaction between 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine and sodium azide with thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRGO) results in defined dichlorotriazine-functionalized graphene sheets.
Loss in efficiency of perovskite solar cells may be caused by structural and/or chemical alterations of the complex layered system. As these changes might take place either in the bulk and/or on the surface of the stratified material, analytical tools addressing both key issues are selected and combined. SEM/EDX combined with XPS were chosen as appropriate methodical approach to characterise perovskite laboratory cells in depth and complementary on top, before and after light exposure. The layered perovskite system investigated here is based on glass covered with fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), followed by three porous thin films of TiO2, ZrO2 and a thick monolithic carbon. The TiO2 film is subdivided into a dense layer covered by a porous one constituted of nanoparticles with a truncated bipyramidal shape. This layered system serves as the matrix for the perovskite. After infiltration of perovskite solution and annealing, EDX
spectral maps on cross-sections of the specimen have been measured. The distribution of relevant
elements – Si, Sn, Ti, Zr and C – correlates conclusively with layers visible in the acquired SEM images. Lead and iodine are distributed throughout the porous layers C, ZrO2 and TiO2. In a SEM micrograph taken of the cross-section of a sample after illumination, the glass substrate and all layers FTO, TiO2, ZrO2 as well as C are clearly identified. By EDX it was found that several weeks of ambient daylight did not change significantly the qualitative elemental composition of lead and iodine throughout the solar cell system. It was confirmed with EDX that nanoparticles identified in high-resolution SEM micrographs contain mainly Pb and I, indicating these to be the perovskite
crystals. However, a time-dependent compositional and chemical altering was observed with XPS for the near-surface region of the outermost ~10 nm after two months of illumination.
In Part II of this Review series on lanthanide-doped photon-upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), we present and critically discuss the Performance and suitability of UCNPs as background-free luminescent Reporters in bioimaging and bioanalytical applications. The preparation of a biocompatible nanoparticle surface is an integral step for all life - science-related applications. UCNPs have found their way into a large number of diagnostic platforms, homogeneous and heterogeneous assay formats, and sensor applications. Many bioanalytical detection schemes involve Förster resonance energy transfert (FRET), which is still debated for UCNPs and Needs to be much improved. The Need for dedicated and standardized instruments as well as recent studies on the Dissolution and potential toxicity of UCNPs are addressed. Finally we outline future Trends and challenges in the field of upconversion.
Nanolenses are self-similar chains of metal nanoparticles, which can theoretically provide extremely high field enhancements. Yet, the complex structure renders their synthesis challenging and has hampered closer analyses so far. Here, DNA origami is used to self-assemble 10, 20, and 60 nm gold nanoparticles as plasmonic gold nanolenses (AuNLs) in solution and in billions of copies. Three different geometrical arrangements are assembled, and for each of the three designs, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) capabilities of single AuNLs are assessed. For the design which shows the best properties, SERS signals from the two different internal gaps are compared by selectively placing probe dyes. The highest Raman enhancement is found for the gap between the small and medium nanoparticle, which is indicative of a cascaded field enhancement.
The synthesis of TiO2 nanoplatelets with fluorine-containing reactants is carried out using titanium (IV) butoxide as precursor and concentrated HF as shape controller, the final product requires a working up in order to eliminate or at least to reduce the amount of residual fluorides, which is realized here by well-defined thermal treatment of the samples. Bulk and surface sensitive methods namely scanning electron microscopy with energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) have been applied to trace the presence of any fluorides in dependence on different information depths and measurement sensitivities of these methods.
Laser-induced Nanostructures as Biomimetic Model of Fluid Transport in the Integument of Animals”, aims on laser-fabrication of biomimetic surfaces with unique wetting properties, which are inspired by the hierarchical micro- and/or nano- structures of animal body surfaces. LiNaBioFluid is a Research and Innovation Action funded by the European Commissions’ Horizon 2020 - FET Open Programme, which supports early-stage research on any idea for a new technology (Grant Agreement no: 665337). It brings together 7 partners from 4 different countries and is strongly interdisciplinary combining renowned experts from the fields of zoology, physics, mechatronics, life sciences, materials sciences, laser-matter interaction, production technology, tribology, and biomimetics. www.laserbiofluid.eu/
Inhibition of Herpes Virus by Specific and Non-specific Interactions With Graphene Conjugates
(2017)
Herpes viruses (HSV) are global, host-adapted pathogens that cause a widespread diversity of diseases. The frequency of HSV infections all over the world has amplified over the last years, making it a major concern in the area of public health. Therefore, synthesis of systems that can inhibit development of these viruses is required. Various compounds already have shown inhibition of HSV, but concentration of these inhibitors is relatively high and resistance against those drugs is challenging.
Combination of biological knowledge, about structure of the active site on the surface of HSV that is responsible for inhibition of the pathogen, with the chemistry of graphene results in 2D systems with the ability of specific and nonspecific interactions with HSV. In this work, 2D nanomaterials with picomolar IC50 against HSV are synthesized by conjugation of peptides to the surface of graphene.
2D nanomaterials are characterized by various methods, including XPS, AFM and IR. Biological evaluation showed high potency of synthesized nanomaterials to inhibit HSV and therefore underlined possibility to use such materials in future biomedical applications.
The draft of part 5 of ISO 14577 specifies verification and calibration of testing machines for carrying out the measurement of the dynamic material response when an oscillatory force or displacement, with amplitudes small in comparison to the prescribed target values, is imparted to the indenter while the indenter is continuously loaded to a prescribed target load or target depth or while the load or displacement is held constant at a prescribed target value. In case of a material showing plastic-elastic behavior, the measured dynamic response is used for continuous evaluation of the dynamic stiffness of the contact as a function of depth and frequency. Using the dynamic stiffness of the contact a reduced dynamic modulus will be calculated. In case of a material showing visco-elastic behavior from the measured dynamic response also the dynamic contact damping coefficient as function of depth and frequency is evaluated continuously. Using dynamic contact stiffness and dynamic contact damping coefficient reduced lost and storage modulus for visco-elastic materials will be calculated. The main normative requirements of the draft are discussed and their applications are illustrated by examples from daily experimental praxis.