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- ItemTowards on-site testing of Phytophthora species(Cambridge : RSC Publ., 2014) Schwenkbier, Lydia; Pollok, Sibyll; König, Stephan; Urban, Matthias; Werres, Sabine; Cialla-May, Dana; Weber, Karina; Popp, JürgenRapid 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.
- ItemCharacterization of the state of dispersion of carbon nanotubes in polymer nanocomposites(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH Verl., 2011) Buschhorn, Samuel T.; Wichmann, Malte H. G.; Sumfleth, Jan; Schulte, Karl; Pegel, Sven; Kasaliwal, Gaurav R.; Villmow, Tobias; Krause, Beate; Göldel, Andreas; Pötschke, PetraA practical overview of possibilities and limits to characterize the state of dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNT) in polymer based nanocomposites is given. The most important and widely available methods are discussed with practical employment in mind. One focus is the quantitative characterization of the state of dispersion in solid samples using microscopy techniques such as optical microscopy or transmission electron microscopy. For dispersions of CNTs in aqueous media, solvents or monomers a sedimentation analysis is presented. This way dispersability and dispersion state of CNTs can be assessed. Indirect methods such as electrical conductivity measurements and rheological tests, dynamic differential scanning calorimetry and mechanical test are discussed. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
- ItemMulti-scale processes of beech wood disintegration and pretreatment with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate/water mixtures(London : BioMed Central, 2016) Viell, Jörn; Inouye, Hideyo; Szekely, Noemi K.; Frielinghaus, Henrich; Marks, Caroline; Wang, Yumei; Anders, Nico; Spiess, Antje C.; Makowski, LeeBackground: The valorization of biomass for chemicals and fuels requires efficient pretreatment. One effective strategy involves the pretreatment with ionic liquids which enables enzymatic saccharification of wood within a few hours under mild conditions. This pretreatment strategy is, however, limited by water and the ionic liquids are rather expensive. The scarce understanding of the involved effects, however, challenges the design of alternative pretreatment concepts. This work investigates the multi length-scale effects of pretreatment of wood in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EMIMAc) in mixtures with water using spectroscopy, X-ray and neutron scattering. Results: The structure of beech wood is disintegrated in EMIMAc/water mixtures with a water content up to 8.6 wt%. Above 10.7 wt%, the pretreated wood is not disintegrated, but still much better digested enzymatically compared to native wood. In both regimes, component analysis of the solid after pretreatment shows an extraction of few percent of lignin and hemicellulose. In concentrated EMIMAc, xylan is extracted more efficiently and lignin is defunctionalized. Corresponding to the disintegration at macroscopic scale, SANS and XRD show isotropy and a loss of crystallinity in the pretreated wood, but without distinct reflections of type II cellulose. Hence, the microfibril assembly is decrystallized into rather amorphous cellulose within the cell wall. Conclusions: The molecular and structural changes elucidate the processes of wood pretreatment in EMIMAc/water mixtures. In the aqueous regime with >10.7 wt% water in EMIMAc, xyloglucan and lignin moieties are extracted, which leads to coalescence of fibrillary cellulose structures. Dilute EMIMAc/water mixtures thus resemble established aqueous pretreatment concepts. In concentrated EMIMAc, the swelling due to decrystallinization of cellulose, dissolution of cross-linking xylan, and defunctionalization of lignin releases the mechanical stress to result in macroscopic disintegration of cells. The remaining cell wall constituents of lignin and hemicellulose, however, limit a recrystallization of the solvated cellulose. These pretreatment mechanisms are beyond common pretreatment concepts and pave the way for a formulation of mechanistic requirements of pretreatment with simpler pretreatment liquors. © 2016 Viell et al.
- ItemMethods to characterize the dispersability of carbon nanotubes and their length distribution(Weinheim : Wiley-VCH Verl., 2012) Krause, Beate; Mende, Mandy; Petzold, Gudrun; Boldt, Regine; Pötschke, PetraTwo main properties of carbon nanotube (CNT) materials are discussed in this contribution. First, a method to characterize the dispersability of CNT materials in aqueous surfactant solutions in presented, which also allows conclusions towards the dispersability in other media, like polymer melts. On the other hand it is shown, how the length of CNTs before and after processing, e.g., after melt mixing with thermoplastics, can be quantified. Both methods are illustrated with examples and the practical relevance is shown. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
- ItemReversible thermosensitive biodegradable polymeric actuators based on confined crystallization(Washington, DC : ACS Publ., 2015) Stroganov, Vladislav; Al-Hussein, Mahmoud; Sommer, Jens-Uwe; Janke, Andreas; Zakharchenko, Svetlana; Ionov, LeonidWe discovered a new and unexpected effect of reversible actuation of ultrathin semicrystalline polymer films. The principle was demonstrated on the example of thin polycaprolactone-gelatin bilayer films. These films are unfolded at room temperature, fold at temperature above polycaprolactone melting point, and unfold again at room temperature. The actuation is based on reversible switching of the structure of the hydrophobic polymer (polycaprolactone) upon melting and crystallization. We hypothesize that the origin of this unexpected behavior is the orientation of polycaprolactone chains parallel to the surface of the film, which is retained even after melting and crystallization of the polymer or the “crystallization memory effect”. In this way, the crystallization generates a directed force, which causes bending of the film. We used this effect for the design of new generation of fully biodegradable thermoresponsive polymeric actuators, which are highly desirable for bionano-technological applications such as reversible encapsulation of cells and design of swimmers.
- ItemEnabling the measurement of particle sizes in stirred colloidal suspensions by embedding dynamic light scattering into an automated probe head(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2016) de Kanter, Martinus; Meyer-Kirschner, Julian; Viell, Jörn; Mitsos, Alexander; Kather, Michael; Pich, Andrij; Janzen, ChristophA novel probe head design is introduced, which enables in-line monitoring of particle sizes in undiluted stirred fluids using dynamic light scattering. The novel probe head separates a small sample volume of 0.65 ml from the bulk liquid by means of an impeller. In this sample volume, particle sizing is performed using a commercially available fiber-optical backscatter probe. While conventional light scattering measurements in stirred media fail due to the superposition of Brownian’ motion and forced convection, undistorted measurements are possible with the proposed probe head. One measurement takes approximately 30 s used for liquid exchange by rotation of the impeller and for collection of scattered light. The probe head is applied for in-line monitoring of the particle growth during microgel synthesis by precipitation polymerization in a one liter laboratory reactor. The in-line measurements are compared to off-line measurements and show a good agreement.
- ItemAspect ratio effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties of polycarbonate/MWCNT composites(Hoboken, NJ [u.a.] : Wiley, 2014) Guo, Jiaxi; Liu, Yanjun; Prada-Silvy, Ricardo; Tan, Yongqiang; Azad, Samina; Krause, Beate; Pötschke, Petra; Grady, Brian P.Two multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) having relatively high aspect ratios of 313 and 474 with approximately the same diameter were melt mixed with polycarbonate (PC) in a twin-screw conical micro compounder. The effects of aspect ratio on the electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the PC/MWCNT composites were investigated. Electrical conductivities and storage moduli of the filled samples are found to be independent of the starting aspect ratio for these high aspect ratio tubes; although the conductivities and storage moduli are still significantly higher than values of composites made with nanotubes having more commercially common aspect ratios of ∼100. Transmission electron microscopy results suggest that melt-mixing reduces these longer nanotubes to the same length, but still approximately two times longer than the length of commercially common aspect ratio tubes after melt-mixing. Molecular weight measurements show that during melt-mixing the longer nanotubes significantly degrade the molecular weight of the polymer as compared to very similar nanotubes with aspect ratio ∼100. Because of the molecular weight reduction glass transition temperatures predictably show a large decrease with increasing nanotube concentration. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
- ItemInfluence of talc with different particle sizes in melt-mixed LLDPE/MWCNT composites(Hoboken, NJ [u.a.] : Wiley, 2013) Müller, Michael Thomas; Dreyße, Janine; Häußler, Liane; Krause, Beate; Pötschke, PetraLinear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) was melt-mixed with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and varying amounts of three different kinds of talc (phyllo silicate), each with a different particle size distribution, to examine the effect of these filler combinations with regards to the electrical percolation behavior. The state of the filler dispersion was assessed using transmission light microscopy and electron microscopy. The use of talc as a second filler during the melt mixing of LLDPE/MWCNT composites resulted in an improvement in the dispersion of the MWCNTs and a decrease of the electrical percolation threshold. Talc with lower particle sizes showed a more pronounced effect than talc with larger particle sizes. However, the improvement in dispersion was not reflected in the mechanical properties. Modulus and stress values increase with both, MWCNT and talc addition, but not in a synergistic manner. The crystallization behavior of the composites was studied by differential scanning calorimetry to determine its potential influence on the electrical percolation threshold. It was found that the crystallinity of the matrix increased slightly with the addition of talc but no further increments were observed with the incorporation of the MWCNTs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
- Itemstress generation modulus as a counterpart of the stress relaxation modulus(Offenbach : Verlag der Deutschen Glastechnischen Gesellschaft, 1995) Brückner, Rolf; Hessenkemper, Heiko; Habeck, Andreas; Yue, YuanzhengIn order to measure the time dependence of the stress relaxation modulus, E, a stress-strain deformation has to precede which induces a stress within the viscoelastic sample from which the sample relaxes. The generation of stress is characterized by a strain rate-dependent and relaxation rate-dependent portion which exhibits a maximum value, E_max, which is called "stress generation modulus". E_max was called the "maximum stress relaxation modulus" in earlier papers. Meanwhile, however, it turned out that a better verbal distinction should be made in future by the new term "stress generation modulus" because E_max is about one order of magnitude larger than E.
- ItemZerstörungskennlinien für Verbundsicherheitsglasscheiben(Offenbach : Verlag der Deutschen Glastechnischen Gesellschaft, 2001) Mayrhofer, Christoph; Kranzer, CarolineFür die Bewertung des Tragverhaltens von Bauteilen bei Explosionsereignissen sind sogenannte „Druck-Impuls-Diagramme" erforderlich. Diese geben in Abhängigkeit vom Druck und dem Impuls der Belastung an, für welche Wertepaare Zerstörung eintritt und welchen Belastungswerten das betrachtete Bauteil standhält. Derartige Zerstörungskennlinien sind am Fraunhofer EMI für eine Vielzahl von Werkstoffen entwickelt worden. Den Zerstörungskennlinien liegt das Rechenmodell des Ein-Massen-Schwingers zugrunde. Voraussetzungen für seine Anwendbarkeit sind Biegetragmechanismen, Bruch- bzw. Zerstörungskriterien (z.B. Grenzdurchbiegung) und die Kenntnis des statischen Last-Verformungsverhaltens. Untersuchungen ergaben, daß Verbundsicherheitsglasscheiben die Voraussetzungen für die Erstellung von Zerstörungskennlinien erfüllen. Es wird eine Näherungsmethode zur Erfassung des statischen Tragverformungsverhaltens unter Berücksichtigung von Membranspannungszuständen dargestellt. Am Beispiel anderer Werkstoffe wird die prinzipielle Vorgehensweise erläutert, da für Verbundsicherheitsscheiben bisher noch keine Bruchkriterien zur Verfügung stehen.