Universität Stuttgart

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    Correlation between the microstructure of porous materials and the adsorption properties of H2 and D2
    (2011) Krkljus, Ivana; Roduner, Emil (Prof. Dr.)
    One of the most challenging tasks toward the full implementation of the hydrogen based economy is the reversible storage of hydrogen for portable applications. Three main approaches have been investigated to store the hydrogen, storage as a compressed gas or a liquid, or through a direct chemical bond between the hydrogen atom and the material. The alternative approach, the most recently investigated, is the storage of hydrogen at cryogenic conditions. Storage by physisorption within porous adsorbents has particular advantages of complete reversibility, the fast refueling time, the low heat evolution, and above all increased safety. The nature of interaction of hydrogen, deuterium, and gas mixtures with porous adsorbents was exploited by performing thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) measurements. This sensitive experimental technique gives qualitative information about the different adsorption sites, which show different desorption temperatures depending on the interaction energy. After an appropriate calibration the amount of gas desorbed may be quantified. To gain a more fundamental insight into the available adsorption sites multiple TDS spectra were recorded, corresponding to different surface coverages (in the pressure range of 1 to 700 mbar), and different heating regimes. Different kind of porous adsorbents, conventional carbon–based materials and novel Metal Organic Framework Materials (MOFs), were used to investigate the hydrogen/deuterium physisorption mechanism. For carbon materials an increase in the hydrogen interaction potential was observed for adsorbents with narrow pore size. The confined geometry, where hydrogen simultaneously interacts with all the surrounding adsorbent walls, strengthens the interaction potential with the adsorbate molecule, thus, maximizing the total van der Waals force on the adsorbate. Crystalline MOFs are a new class of porous materials assembled from discrete metal centers, which act as framework nodes, and organic ligands, employed as linkers. The material properties can be optimized by changing these two main components. Owing to their high porosity, high storage capacity at low temperature, and excellent reversibility kinetics, MOFs have attracted a considerable attention as potential solid–state hydrogen storage materials. This novel class of porous adsorbents has been extensively investigated within this thesis. The greatest challenge for porous adsorbents is to increase the strength of the H2 binding interaction, and bring adsorption closer to RT conditions. Several strategies, aimed at improving hydrogen adsorption potential in MOFs are closely investigated. These strategies comprise the inclusion of open metal sites and the optimization of the pore size and, thus, the adsorption energy by ligand modification. The influence of the coordinatively unsaturated metal centers, liberated by the removal of metal–bound volatile species, has been particularly investigated. As for carbon materials, the H2–MOF interaction potential is especially enhanced in materials with the pore size comparable to the kinetic diameter of the hydrogen molecule. Such effects may result from the overlap of the potential field due to the proximity of the pore wall, which strengthen the interaction potential with the adsorbate molecule. However, smaller pores prevent hydrogen penetration and induce diffusion limitations. Furthermore, the molecular transport in confined pores at low temperatures may be significantly affected by quantum effects.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Active colloidal propulsion over a crystalline surface
    (2017) Choudhury, Udit; Straube, Arthur V.; Fischer, Peer; Gibbs, John G.; Höfling, Felix
    We study both experimentally and theoretically the dynamics of chemically self-propelled Janus colloids moving atop a two-dimensional crystalline surface. The surface is a hexagonally close-packed monolayer of colloidal particles of the same size as the mobile one. The dynamics of the self-propelled colloid reflects the competition between hindered diffusion due to the periodic surface and enhanced diffusion due to active motion. Which contribution dominates depends on the propulsion strength, which can be systematically tuned by changing the concentration of a chemical fuel. The mean-square displacements (MSDs) obtained from the experiment exhibit enhanced diffusion at long lag times. Our experimental data are consistent with a Langevin model for the effectively two-dimensional translational motion of an active Brownian particle in a periodic potential, combining the confining effects of gravity and the crystalline surface with the free rotational diffusion of the colloid. Approximate analytical predictions are made for the MSD describing the crossover from free Brownian motion at short times to active diffusion at long times. The results are in semi-quantitative agreement with numerical results of a refined Langevin model that treats translational and rotational degrees of freedom on the same footing.
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    Chemically active micromotors
    (2021) Yu, Tingting; Fischer, Peer (Prof. Dr.)
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    Chiroptical spectroscopy of a freely diffusing single nanoparticle
    (2020) Sachs, Johannes; Günther, Jan-Philipp; Mark, Andrew G.; Fischer, Peer
    Chiral plasmonic nanoparticles can exhibit strong chiroptical signals compared to the corresponding molecular response. Observations are, however, generally restricted to measurements on stationary single particles with a fixed orientation, which complicates the spectral analysis. Here, we report the spectroscopic observation of a freely diffusing single chiral nanoparticle in solution. By acquiring time-resolved circular differential scattering signals we show that the spectral interpretation is significantly simplified. We experimentally demonstrate the equivalence between time-averaged chiral spectra observed for an individual nanostructure and the corresponding ensemble spectra, and thereby demonstrate the ergodic principle for chiroptical spectroscopy. We also show how it is possible for an achiral particle to yield an instantaneous chiroptical response, whereas the time-averaged signals are an unequivocal measure of chirality. Time-resolved chiroptical spectroscopy on a freely moving chiral nanoparticle advances the field of single-particle spectroscopy, and is a means to obtain the true signature of the nanoparticle’s chirality.
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    Emergent dynamics of light-induced active colloids probed by XPCS
    (2022) Zinn, Thomas; Narayanan, Theyencheri; Kottapalli, Sai Nikhilesh; Sachs, Johannes; Sottmann, Thomas; Fischer, Peer
    Self-propelled particulate systems manifest certain collective behavior of living matter, which have been the subject of intense research over the past decades. One of the elegant methods for realizing such active motions is by means of custom synthesized Janus particles suspended in a catalytic medium that can be triggered upon illumination by ultraviolet light. In this work, the evolution of the particle dynamics from passive diffusive to active ballistic behavior upon light illumination was probed by multispeckle x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS). This technique enables not only studying the emergence of active motions in three dimensions (3D) but also deciphering different contributions to the overall dynamics. Using a combination of homodyne and heterodyne analysis, the ensemble averaged mean velocity, velocity fluctuations and diffusion coefficient of particles were determined in the thermodynamic limit. Results revealed a gradual transition from diffusive to ballistic dynamics with systematic increase of the catalytic activity. At the intermediate region, the dynamics is dominated by Gaussian velocity fluctuations and an enhanced relaxation rate with a weaker wave vector dependence similar to superdiffusive behavior. For the highest activity, the dynamics became purely ballistic with Lorentzian-like distribution of velocity fluctuations. Presented results demonstrate that different aspects of active dynamics can be investigated in 3D over a broad range of Péclet numbers and other control parameters by means of multispeckle XPCS.
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    Roadmap on soft robotics : multifunctionality, adaptability and growth without borders
    (2022) Mazzolai, Barbara; Mondini, Alessio; Del Dottore, Emanuela; Margheri, Laura; Carpi, Federico; Suzumori, Koichi; Cianchetti, Matteo; Speck, Thomas; Smoukov, Stoyan K.; Burgert, Ingo; Keplinger, Tobias; Siqueira, Gilberto De Freitas; Vanneste, Felix; Goury, Olivier; Duriez, Christian; Nanayakkara, Thrishantha; Vanderborght, Bram; Brancart, Joost; Terryn, Seppe; Rich, Steven I.; Liu, Ruiyuan; Fukuda, Kenjiro; Someya, Takao; Calisti, Marcello; Laschi, Cecilia; Sun, Wenguang; Wang, Gang; Wen, Li; Baines, Robert; Patiballa, Sree Kalyan; Kramer-Bottiglio, Rebecca; Rus, Daniela; Fischer, Peer; Simmel, Friedrich C.; Lendlein, Andreas
    Soft robotics aims at creating systems with improved performance of movement and adaptability in unknown, challenging, environments and with higher level of safety during interactions with humans. This Roadmap on Soft Robotics covers selected aspects for the design of soft robots significantly linked to the area of multifunctional materials, as these are considered a fundamental component in the design of soft robots for an improvement of their peculiar abilities, such as morphing, adaptivity and growth. The roadmap includes different approaches for components and systems design, bioinspired materials, methodologies for building soft robots, strategies for the implementation and control of their functionalities and behavior, and examples of soft-bodied systems showing abilities across different environments. For each covered topic, the author(s) describe the current status and research directions, current and future challenges, and perspective advances in science and technology to meet the challenges.
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    Soft materials for acoustic applications
    (2022) Choi, Eunjin; Fischer, Peer (Prof. Dr.)
    Ultrasound finds wide application in imaging and testing because ultrasound can penetrate tissue and is benign. Gaseous microbubbles strongly scatter ultrasound and are therefore used as contrast agents. Ultrasound responsive materials can be used for many industrial and biomedical applications. Ultrasound can also be used to exert forces and manipulate particles solution and biological cells. In this thesis, material systems are developed for three application areas: 1) models of human organs for the quantitative evaluation of surgical procedures with ultrasound; 2) the fabrication of soft objects by assembling polymeric particles with ultrasound and the acoustic hologram; and 3) the characterization of antibubbles as novel contrast agents that can carry a fluid load. Organ phantoms serve as tools in medical fields to train and plan medical procedures. However, current organ phantoms miss important features or are not realistic. Current models tend to possess a Young’s modulus that is much higher than that of tissue. Furthermore, many of the current models do not show the correct contrast in a medical imaging setting. This thesis presents high fidelity organ phantoms that possess the correct elasticity, compliance, optical appearance, and correct ultrasound contrast. One model is developed for cystoscopy (CY) of the bladder. Another phantom for the transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). The quality of the phantoms is validated by medical practitioners. For CY, the execution time of the medical practitioners is recorded to completely map the inside of the bladder phantom while localizing tumor models that have been embedded in the bladder wall. For TURP, the quality of the resection is compared with ultrasound imaging before and after the surgical simulation. Parameters are defined to quantify the success of the procedure. The phantoms developed as part of this thesis have received high satisfaction scores from medical practitioners. The parameters reflect the experience of the surgeons. In assembling soft matter, one challenge is that existing 3D printing methods are slow. In contrast, the use of ultrasound patterns shaped with a recently invented acoustic hologram allows objects to be built at once. In this thesis, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) particles have been assembled into two-dimensional shapes with ultrasound. To fix the assembly, the PDMS has been physically functionalized with an initiator using swelling. Suitable swelling solutions have been determined based on their solubility. The stability of the physisorbed initiators is evaluated, and the functionalized PDMS particles are fixed via photopolymerization after assembly in aqueous polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate (PEG-DMA) solutions. The fabrication steps can be repeated to increase the thickness of structures that are mechanically stable. The antibubble is an emerging ultrasound contrast agent. It has an inverse form to a conventional bubble in that a substance in the core is surrounded by a gaseous layer. The antibubble is acoustically responsive and, compared to conventional microbubbles, can carry a much greater load. In this thesis, the structure of antibubbles is examined. In particular, the volume of the load is quantified, and the amount of gas per bubble is estimated. The stability of the core substance against diffusion is investigated and shown to be stable for over 11 h.
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    Light- and magnetically actuated FePt microswimmers
    (2021) Kadiri, Vincent Mauricio; Günther, Jan-Philipp; Kottapalli, Sai Nikhilesh; Goyal, Rahul; Peter, Florian; Alarcón-Correa, Mariana; Son, Kwanghyo; Barad, Hannah-Noa; Börsch, Michael; Fischer, Peer
    Externally controlled microswimmers offer prospects for transport in biological research and medical applications. This requires biocompatibility of the swimmers and the possibility to tailor their propulsion mechanisms to the respective low Reynolds number environment. Here, we incorporate low amounts of the biocompatible alloy of iron and platinum (FePt) in its L10 phase in microstructures by a versatile one-step physical vapor deposition process. We show that the hard magnetic properties of L10 FePt are beneficial for the propulsion of helical micropropellers with rotating magnetic fields. Finally, we find that the FePt coatings are catalytically active and also make for Janus microswimmers that can be light-actuated and magnetically guided.
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    Shape control in wafer-based aperiodic 3D nanostructures
    (2014) Jeong, Hyeon-Ho; Mark, Andrew G.; Gibbs, John G.; Reindl, Thomas; Waizmann, Ulrike; Weis, Jürgen; Fischer, Peer
    Controlled local fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures is important to explore and enhance the function of single nanodevices, but is experimentally challenging. We present a scheme based on e-beam lithography (EBL) written seeds, and glancing angle deposition (GLAD) grown structures to create nanoscale objects with defined shapes but in aperiodic arrangements. By using a continuous sacrificial corral surrounding the features of interest we grow isolated 3D nanostructures that have complex cross-sections and sidewall morphology that are surrounded by zones of clean substrate.
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    Plasmonic nanostructure engineering with shadow growth
    (2022) Han, Jang‐Hwan; Kim, Doeun; Kim, Juhwan; Kim, Gyurin; Fischer, Peer; Jeong, Hyeon‐Ho
    Physical shadow growth is a vacuum deposition technique that permits a wide variety of 3D-shaped nanoparticles and structures to be fabricated from a large library of materials. Recent advances in the control of the shadow effect at the nanoscale expand the scope of nanomaterials from spherical nanoparticles to complex 3D shaped hybrid nanoparticles and structures. In particular, plasmonically active nanomaterials can be engineered in their shape and material composition so that they exhibit unique physical and chemical properties. Here, the recent progress in the development of shadow growth techniques to realize hybrid plasmonic nanomaterials is discussed. The review describes how fabrication permits the material response to be engineered and highlights novel functions. Potential fields of application with a focus on photonic devices, biomedical, and chiral spectroscopic applications are discussed.