2019, Alhogail, Sahar, Suaifan, Ghadeer A.R.Y, Bikker, Floris J., Kaman, Wendy E., Weber, Karina, Cialla-May, Dana, Popp, Jürgen, Zourob, Mohammed M.

A rapid, sensitive, and specific colorimetric biosensor based on the use of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was designed for the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in clinical samples. The biosensing platform was based on the measurement of P. aeruginosa proteolytic activity using a specific protease substrate. At the N-terminus, this substrate was covalently bound to MNPs and was linked to a gold sensor surface via cystine at the C-terminus of the substrates. The golden sensor appears black to naked eyes because of the coverage of the MNPs. However, upon proteolysis, the cleaved peptide–MNP moieties will be attracted by an external magnet, revealing the golden color of the sensor surface, which can be observed by the naked eye. In vitro, the biosensor was able to detect specifically and quantitatively the presence of P. aeruginosa with a detection limit of 102 cfu/mL in less than 1 min. The colorimetric biosensor was used to test its ability to detect in situ P. aeruginosa in clinical isolates from patients. This biochip is anticipated to be useful as a rapid point-of-care device for the diagnosis of P. aeruginosa-related infections.

2020, Costabel, Daniel, Skabeev, Artem, Nabiyan, Afshin, Luo, Yusen, Max, Johannes B., Rajagopal, Ashwene, Kowalczyk, Daniel, Dietzek, Benjamin, Wächtler, Maria, Görls, Helmar, Ziegenbalg, Dirk, Zagranyarski, Yulian, Streb, Carsten, Schacher, Felix H., Peneva, Kalina

In this work, we present a new synthetic strategy for fourfold-substituted perylene monoimides via tetrabrominated perylene monoanhydrides. X-ray diffraction analysis unveiled the intramolecular stacking orientation between the substituents and semicircular packing behavior. We observed the remarkable influence of the substituent on the longevity and nature of the excited state upon visible light excitation. In the presence of poly(dehydroalanine)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) graft copolymers as solubilizing template, the chromophores are capable of sensitizing [Mo3S13]2− clusters in aqueous solution for stable visible light driven hydrogen evolution over three days. © 2020 The Authors. Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH

2021, George, A., Fistul, M.V., Gruenewald, M., Kaiser, D., Lehnert, T., Mupparapu, R., Neumann, C., Hübner, U., Schaal, M., Masurkar, N., Arava, L.M.R., Staude, I., Kaiser, U., Fritz, T., Turchanin, A.

Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) have numerous potential applications in ultrathin electronics and photonics. The exposure of TMD-based devices to light generates photo-carriers resulting in an enhanced conductivity, which can be effectively used, e.g., in photodetectors. If the photo-enhanced conductivity persists after removal of the irradiation, the effect is known as persistent photoconductivity (PPC). Here we show that ultraviolet light (λ = 365 nm) exposure induces an extremely long-living giant PPC (GPPC) in monolayer MoS2 (ML-MoS2) field-effect transistors (FET) with a time constant of ~30 days. Furthermore, this effect leads to a large enhancement of the conductivity up to a factor of 107. In contrast to previous studies in which the origin of the PPC was attributed to extrinsic reasons such as trapped charges in the substrate or adsorbates, we show that the GPPC arises mainly from the intrinsic properties of ML-MoS2 such as lattice defects that induce a large number of localized states in the forbidden gap. This finding is supported by a detailed experimental and theoretical study of the electric transport in TMD based FETs as well as by characterization of ML-MoS2 with scanning tunneling spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence measurements. The obtained results provide a basis for the defect-based engineering of the electronic and optical properties of TMDs for device applications.

2014, Schwenkbier, Lydia, Pollok, Sibyll, König, Stephan, Urban, Matthias, Werres, Sabine, Cialla-May, Dana, Weber, Karina, Popp, Jürgen

Rapid detection and accurate identification of plant pathogens in the field is an ongoing challenge. In this study, we report for the first time on the development of a helicase-dependent isothermal amplification (HDA) in combination with on-chip hybridization for the detection of selected Phytophthora species. The HDA approach allows efficient amplification of the yeast GTP-binding protein (Ypt1) target gene region at one constant temperature in a miniaturized heating device. The assay's specificity was determined by on-chip DNA hybridization and subsequent silver nanoparticle deposition. The silver deposits serve as stable endpoint signals that enable the visual as well as the electrical readout. Our promising results point to the direction of a near future on-site application of the combined techniques for a reliable detection of Phytophthora species.

2015, Limbach, R., Winterstein-Beckmann, A., Dellith, J., Möncke, D., Wondraczek, L.

We provide a comprehensive description of the defect tolerance of sodium-borosilicate glasses upon sharp contact loading. This is motivated by the key role which is taken by this particular glass system in a wide variety of applications, ranging from electronic substrates, display covers and substrates for biomedical imaging and sensing to, e.g., radioactive waste vitrification. The present report covers the mechanical properties of glasses in the Na2O–B2O3–SiO2 ternary over the broad range of compositions from pure SiO2 to binary sodium-borates, and crossing the regions of various commercially relevant specialty borosilicate glasses, such as the multi-component Duran-, Pyrex- and BK7-type compositions and typical soda-lime silicate glasses, which are also included in this study. In terms of structure, the considered glasses may be separated into two groups, that is, one series which contains only bridging oxygen atoms, and another series which is designed with an increasing number of non-bridging oxygen ions. Elastic moduli, Poisson ratio, hardness as well as creep and crack resistance were evaluated, as well as the contribution of densification to the overall amount of indentation deformation. Correlations between the mechanical properties and structural characteristics of near- and mid-range order are discussed, from which we obtain a mechanistic view at the molecular reactions which govern the overall deformation reaction and, ultimately, contact cracking.

2021, Sittig, Maria, Tom, Jessica C., Elter, Johanna K., Schacher, Felix H., Dietzek, Benjamin

Quinoline photobases exhibit a distinctly higher pKa in their electronically excited state than in the ground state, thereby enabling light-controlled proton transfer reactions, for example, in molecular catalysis. The absorption of UV light translates to a pKa jump of approximately 10 units, as established for small-molecule photobases. This contribution presents the first synthesis of quinoline-based polymeric photobases prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The integration of quinolines as photobase chromophores within copolymers offers new possibilities for light-triggered proton transfer in nanostructured materials, that is, in nanoparticles, at surfaces, membranes and interfaces. To exploit the light-triggered reactivity of photobases within such materials, we first investigated how the ground- and excited-state properties of the quinoline unit changes upon polymer integration. To address this matter, we combined absorption and emission spectroscopy with time-resolved transient-absorption studies to reveal photoinduced proton-transfer dynamics in various solvents. The results yield important insights into the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of these polymeric quinoline photobases. © 2020 The Authors. Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH

2021, Cetindere, Seda, Clausing, Simon T., Anjass, Montaha, Luo, Yusen, Kupfer, Stephan, Dietzek, Benjamin, Streb, Carsten

The covalent attachment of molecular photosensitizers (PS) to polyoxometalates (POMs) opens new pathways to PS-POM dyads for light-driven charge-transfer and charge-storage. Here, we report a synthetic route for the covalent linkage of BODIPY-dyes to Anderson-type polyoxomolybdates by using CLICK chemistry (i. e. copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition, CuAAC). Photophysical properties of the dyad were investigated by combined experimental and theoretical methods and highlight the role of both sub-components for the charge-separation properties. The study demonstrates how CLICK chemistry can be used for the versatile linkage of organic functional units to molecular metal oxide clusters. © 2021 The Authors. Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH