Publications Repository - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

Magnetic garnets such as yttrium iron garnet (Y3 Fe 5 O12 , YIG) are widely used in spintronic and magnonic
devices. Their magnetic and magneto-optical properties can be modified over a wide range by tailoring their
chemical composition. Here, we report the successful growth of Al-substituted yttrium iron garnet (YAlIG) thin
films via radio frequency sputtering in combination with an ex situ annealing step. Upon selecting appropriate
process parameters, we obtain highly crystalline YAlIG films with different Al 3+ substitution levels on both
single crystalline Y 3 Al 5 O12 (YAG) and Gd 3 Ga 5 O12 (GGG) substrates. With increasing Al 3+ substitution levels,
we observe a reduction of the saturation magnetization as well as a systematic decrease of the magnetic ordering
temperature to values well below room temperature. YAlIG thin films thus provide an interesting material
platform for spintronic and magnonic experiments in different magnetic phases.

Recently, two methods of habitat selection have gained more relevance in the scientific literature: step selection functions (SSF) and MaxEnt. Despite their similarity these models are hardly ever used in the same context. The former is usually associated with studies based in movement ecology, and the latter is connected to species distribution modeling. Motivated by the difficulty in estimating habitat preferences using SSF, I compared the accuracy of predictions from both models based on movement data. As a case study, I utilized jaguar movement data from 5 countries in Latin American and created SSF and MaxEnt models based on climatic data and land use available from WorldClim and satellite imagery. I compared the accuracy of both types of models using the “Area Under Curve” (AUC) metric, on a separate subset of data. SSF models presented an average AUC of 0.5510 ± 0.0147 in comparison with 0.7544 ± 0.0185 of their MaxEnt equivalents. I believe those differences are partially caused by the convergence difficulties of SSF and conditional logistic regression. Consequently, I recommend the use of MaxEnt in predictive modelling, such as the ones needed in reserve and corridor design.

Soft magnetic dots in the form of thin rings have unique topological properties. They can be in a vortex state with no vortex core. Here, we study the magnon modes of such systems both analytically and numerically. In an external magnetic field, magnetic rings are characterized by easy-cone magnetization and shows a giant splitting of doublets for modes with the opposite value of the azimuthal mode quantum number. The effect of the splitting can be refereed as a magnon analog of the topology-induced Aharonov-Bohm effect. For this we develop an analytical theory to describe the non-monotonic dependence of the mode frequencies on the azimuthal mode number, influenced by the balance between the local exchange and non-local dipole interactions.

Monte Carlo event generation is essential for analysis in high energy physics and fast implementations are required to keep up with the large amounts of data measured by experiments. Therefore, these methods need to reflect the theoretical predictions accurately to enable efficient data generation, e.g. by rejection sampling. However, traditional importance sampling algorithms, such as the commonly used VEGAS algorithm, often struggle with adapting targets with multiple or non-coordinate aligned features, as is common in high energy physics. Especially in strong-field QED, processes dynamically depend on field parameters, which means the use of established codes for these problems needs to be questioned. An importance sampling approach using neural networks applied to strong-field processes is presented within the framework QED.jl. The quality of the generated proposals, e.g. the unweighting efficiency, is compared to VEGAS, providing insights beneficial to applications beyond strong-field QED.

Fine-grained solid particles from various industrial sources, which would otherwise be discarded, should ideally be processed to valuable products or inert residues. Among others, a) shredder fines from electronics and end-of-life vehicles, and b) flue dusts from non-ferrous metallurgical processes are of timely interest. They contain valuable residuals, such as metals, that can be returned to the industrial cycle instead of being landfilled. This is one aim of the Helmholtz project FINEST in which this work is embedded. In this work, mixing and agglomeration of such particles with a size below 1 mm are investigated for further use in the metallurgical industry. Different particle sizes and densities are considered. The process is observed experimentally using camera imaging technique and µCT. From the µCT images a mixing index is acquired. We present an experimental setup and methods for the aforementioned investigations.

Efficient Monte Carlo integreation is crucial for modeling processes at the European XFEL. However, traditional approaches to importance sampling like VEGAS do not perform well when integrands display multiple features or non-coordinate aligned features. In this work, we present an implementation of neural importance sampling (NIS) in the Julia programming language to address this challenge. We demonstrate the effectiveness of NIS by applying it to processes in strong-field QED at high energies, showing superior adaption of the integrand and thus enabling efficient event generation.

Dynamic compression of iron to Earth-core conditions is one of the few ways to gather important elastic and transport properties needed to uncover key mechanisms surrounding the geodynamo effect. Herein a new machine-learned ab-initio derived molecular-spin dynamics (MSD) methodology with explicit treatment for longitudinal spin-fluctuations is utilized to probe the dynamic phase-diagram of iron. This framework uniquely enables an accurate resolution of the phase-transition kinetics and Earth-core elastic properties, as highlighted by compressional wave velocity and adiabatic bulk moduli measurements. In addition, a unique coupling of MSD with time-dependent density functional theory enables gauging electronic transport properties, critically important for resolving geodynamo dynamics.

Exploitation of microalgal biomass as a valuable resource is hindered by the challenges associated with high downstream
processing costs, including biomass harvesting, drying, and product extraction. Direct utilization of microalgae as a solid fuel
source, soil conditioner, capacitor or adsorbent material raises environmental concerns. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC)
is a highly efficient and promising technology for microalgal biomass conversion. This comprehensive review provides an indepth
understanding of the HTC reaction mechanisms involved in microalgal hydrochar production, shedding light on the
underlying processes and factors affecting the quality of hydrochar. HTC has the potential to improve fixed carbon content,
thermal stability and nutrient availability in the resulting hydrochar. Furthermore, this review explores the integration of HTC
with anaerobic digestion (AD) to establish a circular bioeconomy, thereby promoting sustainability in energy generation. The
synergistic combination offers a promising approach for the efficient utilization of microalgal biomass, where hydrochar can
serve as a renewable energy source while the aqueous fraction can be utilized as a nutrient-rich feedstock for biogas
production. By highlighting the potential benefits and futuristic directives associated with microalgal biomass valorisation
through HTC, this review aims to contribute to the development of sustainable waste management strategies for recovery of
value-added compounds from microalgae. Ultimately, this review strives to foster the transition towards a more
environmentally friendly and resource-efficient bioeconomy.

Im Vortrag geht es um Resourcen und Rohstoffe, Einteilung, Kritikalität, circular economy, Recycling und Alternativen, sowie als Beispiel um Seltene Erden

The present study aimed to investigate the genesis and characteristics of some of the world-famous agate deposits in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico (Rancho Coyamito, Ojo Laguna, Moctezuma, Huevos del Diablo, Agua Nueva). Geochemical and textural studies of host rocks showed that all the studied deposits are related to the same rock type within the geological unit of Rancho el Agate andesite, a quartz-free latite that shows clear indications of magma mixing. As a result of their large-scale distribution and various differentiation processes, as well as transport separation, different textures and local chemical differences between rocks of different localities can be observed. These differences have also influenced the properties of SiO2 mineralization in the rocks. The mixing of near-surface fluids from rock alterations with magmatic hydrothermal solutions led to the accumulation of various elements in the SiO2 matrix of the agates, which were, on the one hand, mobilized during secondary rock alteration (Fe, U, Ca, K, Al, Si) and, on the other hand, transported with magmatic fluids (Zn, Sb, Si, Zr, Cr). Different generations of chalcedony indicate a multi-stage formation as well as multiple cycles of filling the cavities with fluids. The hydrothermal fluids are presumably related to the residual solutions of a rhyolitic volcanism, which followed the latitic extrusions in the area and probably caused the formation of polymetallic ore deposits in the Chihuahua area. The enrichment of highly immobile elements indicates the involvement of volatile fluids in the agate formation. The vivid colors of the agates are almost exclusively due to various mineral inclusions, which consist mainly of iron compounds.

Slags from the metallurgical recycling process are an important source of resources classified as critical elements by the EU. One example is Lithium from Li-ion battery recycling. In this context, the thermodynamic properties of the recycled component system play a significant role in the formation of the Li-bearing phases in the slag, in this case, LiAlO2. The LiAlO2 crystal formation could be engineered and result in varying sizes and occurrences by different metallurgical processing conditions. This study uses pure ingredients to provide synthetic model material used to generate the valuable phase in the slag, or so-called engineered artificial minerals (EnAMs). The goal is to study the crystallisation of the LiAlO2 as EnAM by controlling cooling conditions of the 23
model slag to optimise the EnAM formed during crystallisation. Characterisation of the EnAMs is an important step before further mechanically processing the material to recover the valuable element Li, the Li bearing species respectively. Investigations with powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (μXRF), and X-ray Computer Tomography (XCT) of two different artificial lithium slags from MnO-Al2O3-SiO2-CaO systems with different cooling temperature gradients show the different EnAM morphology along the height of the slag that is formed with different slag production condition in a semi-pilot scale experiment of 5 kg. Three defined qualities of the EnAM are identified based on the different EnAM morphologies, which show granular shape, dendritic shape, or by imaging techniques hardly visible EnAM structures.

Sandwich packings represent new separation column internals, with a potential to intensify mass
transfer. They comprise two conventional structured packings with different specific geometrical surface areas.
In this work, the complex fluid dynamics in sandwich packings is modeled using a novel approach based on a onedimensional,
steady momentum balance of the liquid and gas phases. The interactions between the three present
phases (gas, liquid, and solid) are considered by closures incorporated into the momentum balance. The
formulation of these closures is derived from two fluid-dynamic analogies for the film and froth flow patterns.
The adjustable parameters in the closures are regressed for the film flow using dry pressure drop measurements
and liquid hold-up data in trickle flow conditions. For the froth flow, the tuning parameters are fitted to overall
pressure drop measurements and local liquid hold-up data acquired from ultra-fast X-ray tomography (UFXCT).
The model predicts liquid hold-up and pressure drop data with an average relative deviation of 16.4 % and 19 %,
respectively. Compared to previous fluid dynamic models for sandwich packings, the number of adjustable
parameters could be reduced while maintaining comparable accuracy.

In recent years, hierarchical nanostructures have found applications in fields like diagnostics, medicine, nano-optics, and nanoelectronics, especially in challenging applications like the creation of metasurfaces with unique optical properties. One of the promising materials to fabricate such nanostructures has been DNA due to its robust self-assembly properties and plethora of different functionalization schemes. Here, we demonstrate the assembly of a two-dimensional fishnet-type lattice on a silicon substrate using cross-shaped DNA origami as the building block, i.e., tile. The effects of different environmental and structural factors are investigated under liquid atomic force microscopy (AFM) to optimize the lattice assembly. Furthermore, the arm-to-arm binding affinity of the tiles is analyzed, revealing preferential orientations. From the liquid AFM results, we develop a methodology to produce closely-spaced DNA origami lattices on silicon substrate, which allows further nanofabrication process steps, such as metallization. This formed polycrystalline lattice has high surface coverage and is extendable to the wafer scale with an average domain size of about a micrometer. Further studies are needed to increase the domain size toward a single-crystalline large-scale lattice.

The emergence of a spatially-organized population distribution depends on the dynamics of the population and mediators of interaction (activators and inhibitors). Two broad classes of models have been used to investigate when and how self-organization is triggered, namely, reaction-diffusion and spatially nonlocal models. Nevertheless, these models implicitly assume smooth propagation scenarios, neglecting that individuals many times interact by exchanging short and abrupt pulses of the mediating substance. A recently proposed framework advances in the direction of properly accounting for these short-scale fluctuations by applying a coarse-graining procedure on the pulse dynamics. In this paper, we generalize the coarse-graining procedure and apply the extended formalism to new scenarios in which mediators influence individuals' reproductive success or their motility. We show that, in the slow- and fast-mediator limits, pulsed interactions recover, respectively, the reaction-diffusion and nonlocal models, providing a mechanistic connection between them. Furthermore, at each limit, the spatial stability condition is qualitatively different, leading to a timescale-induced transition where spatial patterns emerge as mediator dynamics becomes sufficiently fast.

The optimal placement of healthcare facilities, including the placement of diagnostic test centers, plays a pivotal role in ensuring efficient and equitable access to healthcare services. However, the emergence of unique complexities in the context of a pandemic, exemplified by the COVID-19 crisis, has necessitated the development of customized solutions. This paper introduces a bi-objective integer linear programming model designed to achieve two key objectives: minimizing average travel time for individuals visiting testing centers and maximizing an equitable workload distribution among testing centers. To address this problem, we propose a customized local search algorithm based on the Voronoi diagram. Additionally, we employ an $\epsilon$-constraint approach, which leverages the Gurobi solver. We rigorously examine the effectiveness of the model and the algorithms through numerical experiments and demonstrate their capability to identify Pareto-optimal solutions. We show that while the Gurobi performs efficiently in small-size instances, our proposed algorithm outperforms it in large-size instances of the problem.

In this work, the extraction of vanadium (V) ions from an alkaline solution using a commercial quaternary ammonium salt and the production of metal vanadates through precipitation stripping were carried out. The crystallization of copper vanadates from the extracts was performed using a solution containing a copper(II) source in concentrated chloride media as a stripping agent. In an attempt to control growth, a stabilizing polymer (polyvinylpyrrolidone, PVP) was added to the stripping solution. The structural characteristics of the crystallized products, mainly copper pyrovanadate (volborthite, Cu3V2O7(OH)2·(H2O)2) nanoflakes and nanoflowers and the experimental parameter influencing the efficiency of the stripping process were studied. From the results, the synthesis of nanostructured vanadates is a simple and versatile method for the fabrication of valuable three-dimensional structures providing abundant active zones for energy and catalytic applications.

Geochemical and mineralogical investigations of the Lower Permian Kemmlitz rhyolite within the NW-Saxonian Basin
(Germany) and associated lithophysae (high-temperature crystallization domains) as well as agates were carried out to
constrain the genesis and characteristics of these volcanic rocks and the origin of the agate-bearing lithophysae. The
volcanic rocks of rhyolitic composition are dominated by quartz, sanidine, and orthoclase and most likely derive from lava
flows. Agate-bearing lithophysae were exclusively formed in a glassy facies (pitchstone) of the rhyolites, which was
afterwards altered to illite-smectite mixed-layer clays. The results of this study show that agate formation can be related to
the alteration of the volcanic rocks accompanied by the infill of mobilized silica into cavities of lithophysae. Fluid inclusion
studies point to temperatures of agate formation above 150 °C, indicating that the mobilization and accumulation of silica
started already during a late phase of or soon after the volcanic activities. Remarkable high concentrations of B (29 ppm),
Ge (> 18 ppm), and U (> 19 ppm) as well as chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) distribution patterns of the
agates with pronounced negative Eu-anomalies, slightly positive Ce-anomalies and enriched heavy rare earth elements
(HREE) indicate interactions of the host rocks and transport of SiO2 with magmatic volatiles (F/Cl, CO2) and heated
meteoric water. Characteristic yellow cathodoluminescence (CL), heterogeneous internal textures as well as high defect
density of micro- and macrocrystalline quartz detected by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy point to
crystallization processes via an amorphous silica precursor under non-equilibrium conditions.

At a solid boundary, the structural formation of bubbles is different from that in the bulk of a liquid foam. The presence of a solid boundary imposes additional constraints, resulting in a crystalline arrangement of the bubbles. For dry and monodisperse foam, the Kelvin and Fejes-T ́ oth structure is expected in the vicinity of the wall, while a random ordering should occur in the bulk. In this study, we investigate the transition from a crystalline to a random structure near a vertical wall located in the middle of a flat foam cell. The corresponding layering of the liquid was quantified by measuring the distribution of liquid fraction within the cell using neutron radiography. The amplitude of the liquid fraction distribution and its decay with distance from the solid boundary were correlated with the foam bubble size and polydispersity. Furthermore, by applying forced drainage, we measured the corresponding permeability and wetting front velocity near the vertical wall. We found that the crystalline sorting reduces the permeability and wetting front velocity compared to a randomly packed foam.

The measurement of bubble sizes in aqueous foams based on images of the surface is a typical method used in laboratory and industrial scales. In this article the relationship between the size distribution of the facet areas and the bubble size of wall-touching bubbles is investigated. To achieve this an invasive sampling approach is used for in-situ collection of wall-touching bubbles in dry foams, while the surface is imaged in parallel. Bubble and facet
size distributions are obtained using automated image processing. It is shown that sharp peaks in the bubble size distribution will appear smoother in the facet size distribution. This results in an overestimation of polydispersity by the surface measurements. Furthermore, it is observed that the mean equivalent diameter of the facets is on average 6% smaller than the bubble diameter obtained using the sampling method. An approach proposed by
Wang and Neethling (Colloids Surf. A: Physicochem. Eng. Asp. 33, 73-81 (2009)) gives a good approximation of the relation between facet and bubble size and can be used to reduce potential uncertainties in surface based bubble size measurements.

Although, the wettability is the most prominent separation feature in froth flotation, other particle properties, such as size or morphology also affect the separation process since it includes a number of complex micro processes with specific particle-bubble interactions that occur in the pulp and in the froth phase. A novel separation apparatus is used that combines the advantages of a mechanical flotation cell (high particle-bubble collision rate) with those from a flotation column (fractionating effect of the deep froth). A well-characterised model system of ultrafine particles (< 10 µm), consisting of glass spheres and glass fragments as the floatable fraction and magnetite as the non-floatable fraction is used for the separation tests. Based on image analysis bivariate tromp maps are computed which reveal the combined effect of the particle properties of size and shape on the separation behaviour of ultrafine particles.

In high-energy physics, we want to simulate complex physical processes that require computational resources of the fastest HPC systems in the world. In order to fully use the computational resources, software that is maintainable, performant and extensible is required. To achieve these goals, automated testing is essential.
Modern Julia HEP software is modularized into sub-packages to improve maintainability and extensibility. This creates new challenges for automated testing. Unit tests and integration tests are required. If the code of one package is changed, unit tests ensure that the package is still working, whereas integration tests ensure that in dependent packages no functionality break is caused by the change.
Using the QED.jl [1] project as an example, I will demonstrate how we implemented unit and integration tests for the main QED.jl package and its sub-packages.

[1] https://github.com/QEDjl-project/QED.jl

We report on an experiment performed at the FLASH2 free-electron laser (FEL) aimed at producing warm dense matter via soft x-ray isochoric heating. In the experiment, we focus on study of the ions emitted during the soft x-ray ablation process using time-of-flight electron multipliers and a shifted Maxwell–Boltzmann velocity distribution model. We find that most emitted ions are thermal, but that some impurities chemisorbed on the target surface, such as protons, are accelerated by the electrostatic field created in the plasma by escaped electrons. The morphology of the complex crater structure indicates the presence of several ion groups with varying temperatures. We find that the ion sound velocity is controlled by the ion temperature and show how the ion yield depends on the FEL radiation attenuation length in different materials.

Since 1954, over 390,000 metric tons of nuclear waste have been produced by
commercial nuclear power stations worldwide. Spent nuclear fuel does not only contain
uranium, but also various fission and neutron activation products such as plutonium, americium,
and curium. If they were released into the biosphere, they could present a health hazard for
humans and animals. Therefore, the isolation of nuclear waste from the environment over
long periods of time becomes necessary. Many countries favor deep geological repositories
with a multi-barrier system. The immobilized radioactive material will be stored in dry, corrosion
resistant metal or concrete containers which are surrounded by various buffer and back-fill
materials as well as the host rock itself. Hereby, the waste matrix presents the first barrier
preventing the release of radionuclides into the environment.

Zirconium dioxide is a corrosion product of the Zircaloy cladding, which houses the nuclear fuel pellets. It can form solid solutions with uranium as well as fission and activation products. Moreover, ZrO2 and other zirconium bearing crystalline solid phases, such as pyrochlores, are being investigated as potential host matrices for the immobilization of radionuclides present in high-level waste streams. Zirconate pyrochlores are characterized by high chemical durability and radiation resistance. However, upon irradiation, some zirconate pyrochlores undergo a phase transition to the defect fluorite crystal structure, or become amorphous, which could hamper a continued immobilization of radionuclides in the solid matrix. In the current study, the influence of different synthesis methods on the phase purity of Ce/Nd-co-doped zirconates was investigated. Furthermore, phase transformations occurring in zirconate phases as a result of different U/Y-dopant concentrations were studied.
Ce/Nd-co-doped zirconates and U/Y-co-doped zirconates were obtained via coprecipitation. In addition, identical zirconate compositions were synthesized using three different solid-state methods involving manual mixing with a mortar and pestle, mechanical mixing with a ball mill or magnetic mixing in a slurry. PXRD measurements of all solids were done for crystal structure analysis.
For the Ce/Nd-co-doped zirconates synthesized via coprecipitation, rather phase-pure monoclinic, cubic defect fluorite and cubic pyrochlore structures could be obtained. The samples synthesized via solid-state methods were found to contain multiple phases due to insufficient mixing of the educts. Manual mixing led to the most phase-pure ceramics and was therefore chosen for further investigation. It was shown that re-sintering the ceramics as well as longer grinding time resulted in enhanced phase purity. Furthermore, an increase of the Nd-content also correlates with an improved phase purity.
PXRD data of the U-doped zirconates showed a peak-shift towards lower two theta values with increasing U-concentration. At the same dopant concentrations, U/Y-co-doped zirconates showed higher symmetry crystal structures than Ce/Nd-co-doped zirconates. This is caused by the larger ionic radius of U4+ compared to Ce4+ allowing for the stabilization of higher symmetry crystal structures at equal dopant concentrations.

Iron-reducing bacteria perform anaerobic respiration by coupling the oxidation of organic molecules to the reduction of Fe(III)-species via dissimilatory iron reduction. This leads to the formation of ferrous minerals, such as vivianite [Fe(II)₃(PO₄)₂], pyrite (Fe(II)S₂), siderite (Fe(II)CO₃) and jahnsite [(CaMn(II))Fe(II)₂Fe(III)₂(PO₄)₄(OH)₂·(H₂O)₈], which, depending on oxygen exposure and the cultivation nutrients, may oxidize and generate magnetite (Fe(II)Fe(III)₂O₄) and/or hematite (Fe(III)₂O₃). The aforementioned secondary Fe(II)-minerals may promote the reduction of radionuclides such as the β-emitter technetium-99 (⁹⁹Tc).
⁹⁹Tc is a long lived fission product (t(1/2) = 2.13 × 10⁵ years) of ²³⁵U and ²³⁹Pu. It can also originate from the decay chain of ⁹⁹₄₂Mo, (Mo-99 → ₄₃Tc-99m + e⁻, 66 h; ₄₃Tc-99m → ₄₃Tc-99 + γ, 6.02 h). In the environment, Tc is prevalent as Tc(VII) or Tc(IV). Due to the common use of Tc-99m in radiodiagnostics, water contamination through the highly hydrosoluble pertechnetate Tc(VII)O₄⁻ must be considered. Nevertheless, Tc can be immobilized by reducing it to the low-soluble oxide Tc(IV)O₂.
This work aims at unravelling the interactions between pivotal anaerobic bacteria (e.g. the iron reducer Desulfitobacterium sp. G1-2) that can be found in bentonite (a clay potentially used as a barrier material for deep geological repositories) and Tc(VII), to achieve its reduction to Tc(IV) and preserve the environmental safeguard.
The authors acknowledge the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for the financial support of NukSiFutur TecRad young investigator group (02NUK072).

Bacterial colonization and biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces are initiated by the adhesion of peptides and proteins. Understanding the adhesion of such peptides and proteins at a molecular level thus represents an important step toward controlling and suppressing biofilm formation on technological and medical materials. This study investigates the molecular adhesion of a pilus-derived peptide that facilitates biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a multidrug-resistant opportunistic pathogen frequently encountered in healthcare settings. Single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) was performed on chemically etched ZnO(112̅0)surfaces to gather insights about peptide adsorption force and its kinetics. Metal-free click chemistry for the fabrication of peptide-terminated SMFS cantilevers was performed on amine-terminated gold cantilevers and verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and polarization-modulated infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and XPS analyses reveal stable topographies and surface chemistries of the substrates that are not affected by SMFS. Rupture events described by the worm-like chain model (WLC) up to 600 pN were detected for the non-polar ZnOsurfaces. The dissociation barrier energy at zero force ΔG(0), the transition state distance xband bound-unbound dissociation rate at zero force koff(0) for the single crystalline substrate indicate that coordination and hydrogen bonds dominate thepeptide/surfaceinteraction.

Technetium (Tc, Ordnungszahl 43) ist das leichteste Element, welches keine stabilen Isotope besitzt. Das Hauptvorkommen von Tc stammt aus anthropogen Quellen, wie abgebrannten Brennstoffen aus Kernkraftwerken, Atomwaffentests, sowie nuklearen Unfällen. Das Radionuklid Tc-99 entsteht hierbei als ein Spaltprodukt mit rund 6% Ausbeute und ist somit im nuklearen Abfall vorhanden, welcher im geologischen Tiefenendlager für 1Mio Jahre gelagert werden soll. Zusätzlich wird Tc-99m als Kontrastmittel in der Medizindiagnostik angewendet, welches zu Tc-99 zerfällt und in das Abwasser gelangt. Aus diesen Gründen besteht die Notwendigkeit, die Interaktion von Tc mit Mineralen zu untersuchen, um Möglichkeiten zur immobilisierung zu finden. Das in Wasser mobile Pertechnetat (Tc(VII)O₄⁻) kann durch Sorption und Reduktion zu schwerlöslichem TcO₂ an Fe(II)-haltigen Mineralen zurückgehalten werden.
In dieser Arbeit wurde die Retention an Vivianit (Fe₃(PO₄)₂·8 H₂O) untersucht. Das türkisfarbene Mineral wurde erfolgreich über eine Präzipitation unter Inertgas synthetisch hergestellt. Mittels XRD und Raman konnte die Übereinstimmung mit Referenzspektren für Vivianit bei dem Gleichwichts-pH-Wert pH 6,7 festgestellt werden. Bei einer Verringerung des pH-Wertes auf pH 5 ist Vivianit weiterhin stabil, während bei einem pH-Wert von pH 12 eine Phasenänderung zu Amakinit (Fe(II)(OH)₂) stattfindet. TcO₄− kann durch suspendiertes Vivianit aus der Lösung bei pH 8 im Verlauf von 20 d entfernt werden, während bei pH 6,5 die Immobilisierung nicht stattfindet. Mit steigender Konzentration an Vivianit in der Lösung steigt auch die Entfernung von TcO₄− bei pH 6,5. Bei pH 8 hingegen sinkt die Entfernung mit größerer Mineralkonzentration bei 3 d Sorptionszeit, wobei nach 10 d Tc in der Lösung nicht mehr detektierbar ist. Vermutet wird die Bildung löslicher Tc-phosphate. Mit steigendem pH-Wert steigt die Immobilisierung von Tc aus der Lösung. Bei niedrigen pH-Werten ist die geringe Sorption auf die hohe Löslichkeit des Minerals und damit auf die kinetisch gehinderte Homoreduktion von Tc(VII) durch gelöstes Fe(II) zurückzuführen. Die Untersuchung der Oberfläche mit XPS deutet auf eine vollständige Reduktion von Tc(VII) zu Tc(IV) hin. Die weiterhin hohe Löslichkeit des Tc untermauert die Theorie der Tc-phosphatverbindungen.
Ein Anstieg an oxidischen Verbindungen, welche auf TcO₂ hindeuten, wurden einzig bei pH 12 detektiert. Die Reoxidationsexperimente in dieser Arbeit haben eine geringe Remobilisierung von Technetium unter oxidierenden Bedingungen nach 30 d gezeigt. Im Gegenteil konnte sogar eine Steigerung der Immobilisierung bei niedrigen pH-Werten festgestellt werden.

Dissimilatory iron reduction is an anaerobic respiratory pathway, wherein ferric (Fe³) reducers couple the oxidation of organic acids, sugars and aromatic hydrocarbons to the reduction of Fe³-species [1]. This may lead to the formation of minerals such as magnetite (Fe²Fe³₂O₄) and siderite (Fe²CO₃) [2], which, in turn, can mediate the reduction of soluble pollutants as pertechnetate (Tc⁷O₄⁻) to insoluble oxides (Tc⁴O₂) [3].
The genus Desulfitobacterium contains obligate anaerobic bacteria that are capable of utilizing a wide range of electron acceptors, including nitrite, sulfite, metals, humic acids and halogenated organic compounds [4].
In this work, the Fe³ reduction of a Desulfitobacterium species was examined. The microorganism has been isolated from bentonite, which is potentially used as geotechnical barrier in deep geological repositories for radioactive waste [5].
The cultivation conditions included DSMZ 579 medium with Na-acetate as electron donor to reduce Fe³ citrate [6]. During cultivation, the formation of white precipitates was observed. The phases were collected both under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and repeatedly investigated by using Raman microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD). It was noticed that the phases turned immediately to blue-greenish overnight under oxic conditions. Both Raman spectra and pXRD diffractograms can be attributed to vivianite (Fe²₃(PO₄)₂). Moreover, Raman spectra revealed the possible presence of pyrite (Fe²S₂), siderite, magnetite and hematite (Fe³₂O₃). These results suggest the ability of the bacterium of forming different Fe²-minerals. Notwithstanding, both methods indicate the change of the chemistry of the precipitates according to environmental factors. The Fe²-minerals formation by this microorganism depending on Fe³-compounds and background electrolytes is currently ongoing. The biogenic ferrous minerals will be studied regarding the reduction of Tc⁷O₄⁻.
The authors acknowledge the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for the financial support of NukSiFutur TecRad young investigator group (02NUK072).

Tc-99 is a fission product of U-235 and Pu-239 with a long half-live (2.14∙10⁵ years). Under oxidizing conditions, Tc main species (Tc(VII)O₄⁻) exhibits a high solubility and hardly interacts with minerals. In contrast, under reducing conditions, Tc(IV) presents a more limited mobility, either because Tc(IV) interacts with minerals or Tc(IV)O₂ is formed [1]. However, the formation of Tc(IV)O₂ is not sufficient to ensure the immobilization of Tc, since when it is in contact with O₂, the reoxidation of Tc(IV) to Tc(VII) would be thermodynamically favorable. In contrast, the formation of Tc(IV) polysulfide species (such as TcSx or Tc₂S7) could inhibit Tc oxidation under oxidizing conditions [2]. Therefore, S(-II) seems a promising candidate to immobilize Tc. Sulfide would be present in the nuclear waste repository due to the addition of fly ash in the concrete, as well as the presence of minerals such as pyrite (FeS₂). It has been proven for Fe(II) that Tc(VII) reduction is more favorable when Fe(II) takes part in the mineral structure or it is sorbed on a surface than when Tc(VII) reduction is carried by dissolved Fe(II) homoreduction) [3]. We have recently showed that Tc(VII) heteroreduction (reduction occurring at the mineral-water interface) by Fe(II) pre-sorbed on alumina nanoparticles is highly efficient [4].
Thus, in this work, we have studied kinetically as a function of pH: i) S(-II) sorption on alumina, and ii) subsequent Tc uptake promoted by S(-II) pre-sorbed on alumina. We have also focused on the effect of different sulfide sources on Tc(VII) reduction. All the experiments were performed in a N₂ glove box free of CO₂ and O₂ (< 2 ppm). The alumina
nanoparticles used in the experiments has been previously characterized with 127 m² /g N₂ BET and pH 9 as isoelectric point pH [5]. For the batch sorption experiments, suspensions of alumina (0.5 g/L) containing 50 μM of NaHS at pH 5.3, 6.7 and 7.7 were prepared and shaken for two days. Then, KTcO₄ was added to the suspensions to obtain 5 μM of KTcO₄. Subsequently, the suspensions were placed in a horizontal shaker. The suspension pH was monitored frequently and readjusted when needed. Samples were taken periodically and centrifuged at 14,000 rpm for 45 min. The Tc concentration in the supernatant solution was measured by liquid scintillation counter to determine the percentage of Tc removed.
Figure 1 shows the uptake of Tc in % as a function of time and pH. Tc removal increases with decreasing pH. This is in agreement with the highest anion sorption on alumina nanoparticles at lower pH, when alumina surface is positive charged [5]. The maximum Tc retention is 70% at pH 5.3, being complete after one day of contact. Whereas at higher pH values, Tc removal is significantly lower, i.e., 10% at pH 6.7 and 5% at pH 7.7. It is noteworthy to mention that the NaHS reactant used for the experiments in Figure 1. was partially oxidized. Despite of its oxidation, reduction of Tc(VII) yield at pH 5.3 was above 70% after one day of contact.

Further contact experiments have been performed to isolate the contribution of S(-II) in Tc(VII) heteroreduction, and the effect of the sulfide source on Tc removal. Raman microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy have been used to determine the changes occurring at a molecular level when Tc(VII) is heteroreduced by S(-II).

Acknowledgements: The authors acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Research and Universities for the abroad internship fellowship (PRE2018-085618) and the project (ENE2017-83048-R). Part of this work was financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) NukSiFutur TecRad young investigator group (02NUK072).

This contribution provides an overview of a current research network funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), entitled “Fundamental investigations of actinide immobilization by incorporation into solid phases relevant for final disposal” – AcE. The AcE project aims at understanding the incorporation and immobilization of actinides (An) in crystalline, repository-relevant solid phases, such as zirconia (ZrO2) and UO2, but also in zircon (ZrSiO4), pyrochlores (Ln2Zr2O7) and orthophosphates of the monazite type (LnPO4), which may find use as host matrices for the immobilization and safe disposal of high-level waste streams.
Recent studies by the AcE-project consortium, addressing the structure, properties, and the radiation tolerance of monazites and Zr(IV)-based solid phases containing actinides or their surrogates from the lanthanide series will be presented. Material synthesis strategies in the AcE project have aimed at generating single-phase solid solutions in the form of polycrystalline powders, dense ceramics, and single crystals. Structural studies using powder X-ray diffraction at ambient conditions, but also at high temperatures and pressures have been complemented with a wide range of microscopic and spectroscopic techniques to address differences between the host- and dopant environments in the solid matrices at ambient and extreme conditions. The radiation tolerance of the synthetic solid phases have been investigated by combining external heavy-ion irradiation of inactive Ln-doped materials and in situ self-irradiation of 241Am-doped Zr(IV)-phases with monoclinic, cubic defect fluorite and pyrochlore structures. The latter experiments have been conducted in joint efforts with the Joint Research Center in Karlsruhe within the ActUsLab programme.

Complex flow patterns frequently emerge when a surface active substance undergoes mass transfer between an organic and an aqueous phase. At the same time, density effects can play a major role, e.g. during the partial dissolution of floating organic droplets \cite{cejkova2019dancing}. The resulting droplet ensemble dynamics can be understood by highly resolved measurements of the transient velocity field via particle image velocimetry (PIV). At bubbles in a shear flow, the interaction of the Marangoni effect with the surrounding bulk flow leads to the formation of a circulating flow at the bubble surface \cite{eftekhari2021interfacial}. Bubbles or droplets which are placed in a vertical concentration gradient of a surface-active solute show an intriguing interaction of solutal Rayleigh and Marangoni convection in the form of relaxation oscillations \cite{mokbel2018information}. Depending on the distance between multiple droplets, convective interaction can lead to collective relaxation oscillations over the whole ensemble.

A repeated coupling of Rayleigh and Marangoni effects likewise can occur during mass transfer of a solute at a planar interface between two liquid layers. Solutal Rayleigh instability is able to provoke intense Marangoni-driven spreading motions at the interface, even if the mass transfer system is primarily stable towards stationary Marangoni convection \cite{koellner2016eruptive}. A more detailed study \cite{koellner2023eruptive} unravels the underlying mechanisms by a defined variation of key parameters: the layer height and the initial concentration of the solute. The flow structures are analyzed in detail by experiments and elaborate three-dimensional simulations of the two liquid layers. The flow in the interfacial region decouples from the bulk volume flow since for deep layers, the interfacial velocity gets invariant under a change of the nondimensional layer height. Due to the additional convection, mass transfer is strongly enhanced in comparison to the purely diffusive process. This can significantly increase the efficiency of liquid-liquid extraction processes.

\bibitem{cejkova2019dancing} J.~{\v{C}}ejkov{\'a}, K.~Schwarzenberger, K.~Eckert, S.~Tanaka, Colloids and Surfaces A, 566, 141 (2019)
\bibitem{mokbel2018information} M.~Mokbel, K.~Schwarzenberger, S.~Aland, K.~Eckert, Soft Matter, 14, 9250 (2018)
\bibitem{eftekhari2021interfacial} M.~Eftekhari, K.~Schwarzenberger, S.~Heitkam, K.~Eckert, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 599, 837 (2021)
\bibitem{koellner2016eruptive} T.~K{\"o}llner, K.~Schwarzenberger, K.~Eckert, T.~Boeck, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 791, R4 (2016)
\bibitem{koellner2023eruptive} T.~K{\"o}llner, K.~Schwarzenberger, K.~Eckert, T.~Boeck, in progress (2023)

The shear stress of an axisymmetric flow field triggers a nonuniform distribution of adsorbed
surfactants at the surface of a rising bubble. This creates a surface tension gradient that
counteracts the viscous shear stress of the flow and thus reduces the mobility of the interface.
However, in technological processes the flow field often is asymmetric, e.g. due to the
vorticity in the flow. Under such conditions, the interface experiences an unbalanced shear
stress that is not free of curl, i.e. it cannot be compensated by the redistribution of the surfactants
at the interface (Vlahovska et al., 2009). Here, we conduct model experiments with
a bubble at the tip of a capillary placed in a defined asymmetric flow field, in the presence of
surfactants and nanoparticles. Unlike classical surfactants, nanoparticles adsorb irreversibly
at the bubble surface. Thus, a different interaction between the bulk flow and the interface
is expected. In this study, we show a direct experimental observation of the circulating flow
at the interface under asymmetric shear stress (Eftekhari et al., 2021a,b). The results indicate
that the interface remains mobile regardless of the surfactant concentration. Additionally, we
show that the nanoparticle-laden interface adopts a solid-like state and resists the interfacial
flow upon surface compression. Our results imply that the immobilization of the interface
can be described by the ratio of the interfacial elasticity to the bulk viscous forces.
Vlahovska, P. M., Bławzdziewicz, J., & Loewenberg, M. (2009). Small-deformation theory for a
surfactant-covered drop in linear flows. J.Fluid Mech., 624, 293.
Eftekhari, M., Schwarzenberger, K., Heitkam, S., & Eckert, K. (2021). Interfacial flow of a surfactant-
laden interface under asymmetric shear flow. J. Colloid Interface Sci., 599, 837.
Eftekhari, M., Schwarzenberger, K., Heitkam, S., Javadi, A., Bashkatov, A., Ata, S., & Eckert, K.
(2021). Interfacial behavior of particle-laden bubbles under asymmetric shear flow. Langmuir,
37, 13244.

Die Grenzflächenkonvektion (Marangoni-Effekt) ist eine kleinskalige Strömung, die
durch Gradienten der Grenzflächenspannung verursacht wird. Sie beeinflusst den
Stofftransport und die Strömungsbedingungen in einer Vielzahl von natürlichen und
technologischen Prozessen. Grenzflächenkonvektion kann an Tropfen oder Blasen
beobachtet werden, die in einem vertikalen Konzentrationsgradienten einer gelösten
grenzflächenaktiven Substanz platziert werden [1,2]. Die Frequenz der
Strömungswirbel wird direkt vom anliegenden Konzentrationsgradienten des
gelösten Stoffs bestimmt. Mehrere benachbarte Tropfen oder Blasen (Abb. 1, links)
synchronisieren sich durch konvektive Interaktion zu Oszillationen über das gesamte
Ensemble. Die genannten Erkenntnisse werden durch numerische Simulationen
bestätigt.
Abbildung 1: Wechselwirkung von Grenzflächenkonvektion an benachbarten Tropfen (links [2]),
Geschwindigkeitsfeld um zwei schwimmende Decanoltropfen (mittig [4]), asymmetrische
Bulkströmung um partikelbeladene Blasenoberfläche (rechts)
Grenzflächenkonvektion beeinflusst zudem die Dynamik von schwimmenden
Dichlormethan- und Decanoltropfen [3,4]. Durch zeitlich und örtlich hochaufgelöste
Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV)-Messungen kann der Einfluss der
Grenzflächenkonvektion auf die Deformation und Interaktion der schwimmenden
Tropfen verstanden werden (Abb. 1, mittig).
1 mm
Mit dieser Technik konnte auch zum ersten Mal eine kontinuierliche
Grenzflächenkonvektion auf der Blasenoberfläche aufgrund einer asymmetrischen
Scherkraft durch die anliegende Bulkströmung visualisiert werden [5]. In diesem
Prozess bleibt die Grenzfläche unabhängig von der Konzentration eines klassischen
Tensids mobil. Bei Adsorption von Partikeln auf der Blasenoberfläche nimmt die
Mobilität der Grenzfläche jedoch ab (Abb. 1, rechts). Durch eine Kompression der
Oberfläche bildet sich weiterhin ein zusammenhängendes Netzwerk aus Partikeln,
das die Grenzflächenkonvektion schließlich zum Erliegen bringt [6].
Dies zeigt, dass in Abhängigkeit von der Art des adsorbierten Stoffs deutlich
unterschiedliche Randbedingungen für die Strömung an der Grenzfläche von Tropfen
und Blasen vorherrschen können [7]. Die kleine Längenskala der
Grenzflächenkonvektion eröffnet zudem die Möglichkeit, diesen Effekt zur passiven
Durchmischung [8] oder zur Informationsübertragung in mikrofluidischen Prozessen
zu nutzen [2].
Publikationen:
[1] Schwarzenberger, K., Aland, S., Domnick, H., Odenbach, S., & Eckert, K. (2015). Relaxation
oscillations of solutal Marangoni convection at curved interfaces. Colloids and Surfaces A, 481, 633.
[2] Mokbel, M., Schwarzenberger, K., Aland, S., & Eckert, K. (2018). Information transmission by
Marangoni-driven relaxation oscillations at droplets. Soft Matter, 14(45), 9250.
[3] Antoine, C., Irvoas, J., Schwarzenberger, K., Eckert, K., Wodlei, F., & Pimienta, V. (2016). Selfpinning
on a liquid surface. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 7(3), 520.
[4] Čejková, J., Schwarzenberger, K., Eckert, K., & Tanaka, S. (2019). Dancing performance of
organic droplets in aqueous surfactant solutions. Colloids and Surfaces A, 566, 141.
[5] Eftekhari, M., Schwarzenberger, K., Heitkam, S., & Eckert, K. (2021). Interfacial flow of a
surfactant-laden interface under asymmetric shear flow. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 599,
837.
[6] Eftekhari, M., Schwarzenberger, K., Heitkam, S., Javadi, A., Bashkatov, A., Ata, S., & Eckert, K.
(2021). Interfacial Behavior of Particle-Laden Bubbles under Asymmetric Shear Flow. Langmuir,
37(45), 13244.
[7] Keshavarzi, B., Krause, T., Sikandar, S., Schwarzenberger, K., Eckert, K., Ansorge-Schumacher,
M. B., & Heitkam, S. (2022). Protein enrichment by foam Fractionation: Experiment and modeling.
Chemical Engineering Science, 256, 117715.
[8] Bratsun, D., Kostarev, K., Mizev, A., Aland, S., Mokbel, M., Schwarzenberger, K., & Eckert, K.
(2018). Adaptive micromixer based on the solutocapillary Marangoni effect in a continuous-flow
microreactor. Micromachines, 9(11), 600.

We created a computational workflow to analyze the potential energy surface (PES) of materials using machine-learned interatomic potentials in conjunction with the minima hopping algorithm. We demonstrate this method by producing a versatile machine-learned interatomic potential for iron hydride via a neural network using an iterative training process to explore its energy landscape under different pressures. To evaluate the accuracy and comprehend the intricacies of the PES, we conducted comprehensive crystal structure predictions using our neural network-based potential paired with the minima hopping approach. The predictions spanned pressures ranging from ambient to 100 GPa. Our results reproduce the experimentally verified global minimum structures such as \textit{dhcp}, \textit{hcp}, and \textit{fcc}, corroborating previous findings. Furthermore, our in-depth exploration of the iron hydride PES at different pressures has revealed complex alterations and stacking faults in these phases, leading to the identification of several new low-enthalpy structures. This investigation has not only confirmed the presence of regions of established FeH configurations but has also highlighted the efficacy of using data-driven, extensive structure prediction methods to uncover the multifaceted PES of materials.

The flux-weighted cross-sections of the ^natYb(γ,xn)^175,169,167Yb reactions were measured at the bremsstrahlung end-point energies of 12, 14, 16, 60, 65, and 70 MeV by the activation and off-line γ-ray spectrometric technique using the 20 MeV electron linac (ELBE) at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany, and 100 MeV electron linac at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL), Korea. The
^natYb(γ,xn)^175,169,167Yb reaction cross-sections as a function of photon energy were also calculated theoretically using the TALYS 1.9 code. The flux-weighted average values at different end-point energies were obtained from the literature as well as from the theoretical values reported in
the TALYS library based on mono-energetic photons. They were compared with the flux-weighted values based on the present experimental data and were found to be in general agreement. It was also found that the experimental and theoretical cross-section data increased from the threshold values to a certain energy, where other reaction channels opened, which highlights the role of excitation energy. After a certain value, the individual reaction cross-sections
decrease with an increase in bremsstrahlung energy owing to the opening of other reaction channels, which indicates the partitioning of energy in different reaction channels.

Solvation water is integral in influencing in the structure, dynamics, and function of proteins. Coupling of water molecules to the protein surface results in an interfacial region in which water molecules within this region have distinctly different properties than bulk water. Using Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy, we are able to gain insight into protein hydration water by monitoring changes in the water hydrogen-bonding network.

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered proteins results in the formation of biomolecular condensates, which are membrane-less liquid-like protein enriched droplets. Here we investigate how protein solvation water contributes to condensate formation. Characterization of the hydrogen bonding network reveals that water solvating hydrophobic groups is stripped away in the membrane-less biomolecular condensates. Additionally, water left inside of the biomolecular condensates is highly constrained, indicative of a population of bound hydration water. These results uncover the vital role of hydration water in LLPS: the entropically favorable release of unfavorable hydration water serves as a driving force for LLPS.

Active systems – including sperm cells, living organisms like bacteria, fish, birds, or active soft matter systems like synthetic “microswimmers” – are characterized by motility, i.e., the ability to propel using their own “engine”. Motility is the key feature that distinguishes active systems from passive or externally driven systems. In a large ensemble, motility of individual species can vary in a wide range. Selecting active species according to their motility represents an exciting and challenging problem. We propose a new method for selecting active species based on their motility using an acoustofluidic setup where highly motile species escape from the acoustic trap. This is demonstrated in simulations and in experiments with self-propelled Janus particles and human sperm. The immediate application of this method is selecting highly motile sperm for medically assisted reproduction (MAR). Due to the tunable acoustic trap, the proposed method is more flexible than the existing passive microfluidic methods. The proposed selection method based on motility can also be applied to other active systems that require selecting highly motile species or removing immotile species.

The solid-state synthesis of transition metal oxides (TMO’s) is a challenging task. Slow diffusion and mass transfer of reagents are characteristic of such solid-state reactions (SSR’s). In this context, spark plasma sintering (SPS) seems to emerge a promising and technologically applicable synthetic route to obtain TMO’s. We successfully conducted SSR of Ti2O3 synthesis using SPS with dc-current acting as an accelerator of the diffusion-controlled processes between TiO2 and Ti [1]. Further, this approach was applied to directly synthesize different TMO’s (titanium oxides [2], molybdenum oxides [3], tungsten oxides [4], and chromium oxides [5]). Among the advantages of such synthetic routes, we would like to stress: i) simple pre-experiment preparation (i.e., mixing of the initial powders); ii) simultaneous compaction and shaping of products; iii) short synthesis time (i.e., from minutes to about the few hours), iv) enormous accuracy (i.e., ≅ 0.1 at % of oxygen) as well as v) high degree of reproducibility.
New types of electrochemical using SPS SSR was recently performed in our laboratories using SPS. By sintering TiO2 (insulator) with WO2 (metal) mixed in different proportions, we obtained solid solution based on rutile (i.e., TiO2) structure. However, an appearance of elemental tungsten cannot be avoided while performing the synthesis with graphite foils as separators between the reacting mixture and the punches. To shed light on the mechanism of such an electrochemical process we performed two reactions, applying the opposite polarity of dc-current pulses, to the placed in graphite die layers of unmixed TiO2 and WO2. The further combined metallographic-EDX investigation of the polished cuts of the reacted specimens revealed that in the case when WO2 was under positive pole (i.e., being an anode) free W is forming at “+”-electrode, whereas the switch of the polarity results in the formation of tungsten inclusion on the phases border between reactants. Thus, elemental tungsten seems to be the product of electrochemical reduction of WO2. Avoiding this reaction, a single phase Ti1-xWxO2 is obtained replacing the graphite foils by tungsten ones.

[1] Veremchuk I., Antonyshyn I., Candolfi C., et al. Inorg. Chem. (2013) 52, 4458.
[2] Feng B., Martin H.‐P., Börner F.‐D., Veremchuk I., et al. Adv. Eng. Mat. (2014) 16, 1252.
[3] Kaiser F., Schmidt M., Grin Yu., Veremchuk I., Chem. of Mater. (2020) 32, 2025.
[4] Kaiser F., Simon P., Burkhardt U., Kieback B., Grin Yu., Veremchuk I. Crystals (2017)7, 271.
[5] Veremchuk I., et al. ACS Appl. Electron. Mater. (2022) 4, 2943.

Magnetoelectric antiferromagnets like α-Cr2O3 are attractive for the realization of energy-efficient and high-speed spin−orbitronic-based memory devices controlled by electric fields [1-3]. In contrast to single crystals, the quality of Cr2O3 thin films and bulk polycrystalline samples is usually compromised by the presence of point defects and their agglomerations at grain boundaries, putting into question their application potential. Here, we experimentally investigated the defect nanostructure of magneton-sputtered 250-nm-thick Cr2O3 thin films prepared under different conditions on single crystals of Al2O3 (0001) and correlate it with the integral and local magnetic properties of the samples [4]. Also, we fabricated of polycrystalline bulk α-Cr2O3 sample in conditions far out of equilibrium relying on spark plasma sintering (SPS) allows high quality material with a density close to that of a single crystal [5]. The sintered sample possesses a preferential [0001] texture at the surface, which can be attributed to uniaxial strain applied to the sample during the sintering process [5]. We evaluated the type and relative concentration of defects. For this purpose, positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) was used as a unique probe for open-volume defects in the samples. Our analysis reveals that the Cr2O3 samples are characterized by the presence of complex defects at grain boundaries, formed by groups of single monovacancies, coexisting with complex defects and dislocations. The concentration of complex defects for the thin films can be controlled by the sample fabrication conditions including the deposition temperature as well as the post-annealing in vacuum or in air [4]. The antiferromagnetic state of the sample and linear magnetoelectric effect are accessed all electrically relying on the spin Hall magnetoresistance effect in the Pt electrode interfaced with Cr2O3 [6]. In line with the integral magnetometry measurements, the magnetotransport characterization reveals that the samples possesses the magnetic phase transition temperature of about 308 K, which is hardly affected by the formed defects. The antiferromagnetic domain patterns consist of small domains with size equals the grain size, which is formed due to the granular structure of the samples. Furthermore, the presence of larger defects like grain boundaries has a strong influence on the pinning of magnetic domain walls in studied samples. The possibility to access the magnetoelectric properties of the samples relying on magnetotransport measurements indicates the potential of the thin films and polycrystalline bulk Cr2O3 samples for prospective research in antiferromagnetic spintronics.
[1] X. He, Y. Wang, N. Wu, A. N. Caruso, E. Vescovo, K. D. Belashchenko, P. A. Dowben, C. Binek, Nature Mater., 9, 579 (2010).
[2] T. Kosub, M. Kopte, R. Hühne, P. Appel, B. Shields, P. Maletinsky, R. Hübner, M. O. Liedke, J. Fassbender, O. G. Schmidt, D. Makarov, Nature Commun., 8, 13985 (2017).
[3] N. Hedrich, K. Wagner, O. V. Pylypovskyi, B. J. Shields, T. Kosub, D. D. Sheka, D. Makarov, P. Maletinsky, Nature Phys., 17, 574 (2021).
[4] I. Veremchuk, M. O. Liedke, P. Makushko, T. Kosub, N. Hedrich, O. V. Pylypovskyi, F. Ganss, M. Butterling, R. Hübner, E. Hirschmann, A. G. Attallah, A. Wagner, K. Wagner, B. Shields, P. Maletinsky, J. Fassbender, D. Makarov, Small, 18, 2201228 (2022).
[5] I. Veremchuk, P. Makushko, N. Hedrich, Y. Zabila, T. Kosub, M. O. Liedke, M. Butterling, A. G. Attallah, A. Wagner, U. Burkhardt, O. V. Pylypovskyi, R. Hübner, J. Fassbender, P. Maletinsky, and D. Makarov, ACS Appl. Electron. Mater., 4, 2943 (2022).
[6] R. Schlitz, T. Kosub, A. Thomas, S. Fabretti, K. Nielsch, D. Makarov, S. T. B. Goennenwein, Appl. Phys. Lett., 112, 132401 (2018).

Thin films of the magnetoelectric insulator Cr$_{2}$O$_{3}$ are technologically relevant for energy-efficient magnetic memory devices controlled by electric fields. We experimentally investigated the defect nanostructure of 250-nm-thick Cr$_{2}$O$_{3}$ thin films prepared under different conditions on single crystals of Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ (0001) and correlate it with the integral and local magnetic properties of the samples. Positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) was used as a unique probe for open-volume defects in thin films. Analysis reveals that the Cr$_{2}$O$_{3}$ thin films are characterized by the presence of complex defects at grain boundaries, formed by groups of monovacancies, coexisting with monovacancies and dislocations. The concentration of complex defects can be controlled by the sample fabrication conditions. The defect nanostructure strongly affects the magnitude of the electrical readout, which is measured of the Cr$_{2}$O$_{3}$ samples capped with a thin layer of Pt relying on spin Hall effect. Furthermore, the presence of larger defects like grain boundaries has a strong influence on the pinning of magnetic domain walls in thin films. Independent of these findings, we showed that the N\'{e}el temperature, which is one of the important technological metrics, is hardly affected by the formed defects in a broad range of deposition parameters.

Formation of functional thin films for nanoelectronics and magnetic data storage via thermally induced diffusion-driven structural phase transformations in multilayer stacks is a promising technology-relevant approach. Ferromagnetic thin films based on Co Pt alloys are considered as a material science platform for the development of various applications such as spin valves, spin orbit torque devices, and high-density data storage media. Here, we study diffusion processes in Pt-Co-based stacks with the focus on the effect of layers inversion (Pt/Co/substrate vs. Co/Pt/substrate) and insertion of an intermediate Au layer on the structural transitions and magnetic properties. We demonstrate that layer stacking has a pronounced effect on the diffusion rate at temperatures, where the diffusion is dominated by grain boundaries. We quantify effective diffusion coefficients, which characterize the diffusion rate of Co and Pt through the interface and grain boundaries, providing the possibility to control the homogenization rate of Pt-Co-based heterostructures. The obtained values are in the range of 10-16 – 10-13 cm2/s for temperatures of 150 °C – 350 °C. Heat treatment of thin-film samples results in the coercivity enhancement, which is attributed to short-range chemical ordering effects. We show that introducing an additional Au intermediate layer leads to an increase of the coercive field of the annealed samples due to a modification of exchange coupling between the magnetic grains at the grain boundaries.

The nonlinear Hall effect (NLHE) with time-reversal symmetry constitutes the appearance of a transverse voltage quadratic in the applied electric field. It is a secondorder electronic transport phenomenon that induces frequency doubling and occurs in non-centrosymmetric crystals with large Berry curvature – an emergent magnetic field encoding the geometric properties of electronic wavefunctions. The design of (opto)electronic devices based on the NLHE is however hindered by the fact that this nonlinear effect typically appears at low temperatures and in complex compounds characterized by Dirac or Weyl electrons Here, we show a strong room temperature NLHE in the centrosymmetric elemental material bismuth synthesized in the form of technologically relevant polycrystalline thin films. The (111) surface electrons of this material are equipped with a Berry curvature triple that activates side jumps and skew scatterings generating nonlinear transverse currents. We also report a boost of the zero field nonlinear transverse voltage in arc-shaped bismuth stripes due to a extrinsic geometric classical counterpart of the NLHE This electrical frequency doubling in curved geometries is then extended to optical second harmonic generation in the terahertz (THz) spectral range. The strong nonlinear electrodynamical responses of the surface states are further demonstrated by a concomitant highly efficient THz third harmonic generation which we achieve in a broad range of frequencies in Bi and Bi-based heterostructures. Combined with the possibility of growth on CMOS-compatible and mechanically flexible substrates, these results highlight the potential of Bi thin films for THz (opto)electronic applications.

Thin films of antiferromagnetic insulators (Cr2O3, Fe2O3, NiO etc.) are a prospective material platform for magnonics, spin superfluidity, THz spintronics, and non-volatile data storage. A standard micromagnetic approach for the description of thin film system commonly relies on the effective parameters, assumed to be homogeneously distributed within a material. The family of magnetomechanical effects includes piezo- and flexomagnetic responses, which determine the modification of the magnetic order parameters due to homogeneous or inhomogeneous strain, respectively. Accounting for the strain-gradient-driven magnetomechanical coupling promises technological advantages: the cross-coupling between elastic, magnetic and electric subsystems opens additional degrees of freedom in the control of the respective order parameters [1]-[3].
In this work, we discover the presence of flexomagnetic effects in epitaxial antiferromagnetic Cr2O3 thin films [4]. We demonstrate that a gradient of mechanical strain affect the order-disorder magnetic phase transition resulting in the distribution of the Néel temperature along the thickness of Cr2O3 thin film. The inhomogeneous reduction of the antiferromagnetic order parameter induces a flexomagnetic coefficient of about 15 µB nm-2. The antiferromagnetic ordering in the strained films can persist up to 100 °C, rendering Cr2O3 as a prospective material for industrial spintronic applications. Strain gradient in Cr2O3 thin films enables fundamental research on magnetomechanics and thermodynamics of antiferromagnetic solitons, spin waves and artificial spin ice systems in magnetic materials with continuously graded parameters.

Thin films of magnetoelectric antiferromagnetic insulators (Cr2O3, BiFeO3 etc.) have emerged as a prospective material platform for magnonics, spin superfluidity, THz spintronics, and energy efficient spin-orbitronics. Understanding the magnetomechanical coupling in antiferromagnets offers vast advantages in the control of the primary order parameters. A standard micromagnetic approach for the description of a material relies on the effective parameters being homogeneously distributed throughout the system. Such an approach is commonly sufficient, but does not provide full characterization of the system. The family of magnetomechanical effects includes piezo- and flexomagnetic responses, which determine the modification of the magnetic order parameters due to homogeneous or inhomogeneous strain, respectively. Accounting for the flexomagnetic effects promises technological advantages for multiferroic and antiferromagnetic materials, where cross-coupling between elastic, magnetic and electric subsystems open additional degrees of freedom in the control of the respective order parameters [1, 2].
In this work, we discover the effect of strain gradient onto the magnetic behaviour of epitaxial Cr2O3 thin films [3, 4]. We demonstrate that by tuning the parameters of Cr2O3 epitaxial growth a fine control of the crystallographic and defect structure can be realized. A persistent strain gradient was obtained in Cr2O3 affecting its magnetic order parameters rendering a distribution of the Néel temperature along the thickness of the thin film. The antiferromagnetic ordering in the strained films can persist up to 100°C, rendering Cr2O3 as a prospective material for industrial electronics applications. The inhomogeneous enhancement of the antiferromagnetic order parameter induced by the strain gradient renders a flexomagnetic response of about 15 µB nm-2.
Strain gradient in Cr2O3 thin films enables fundamental research on magnetomechanics and thermodynamics of antiferromagnetic solitons, spin waves and artificial spin ice systems in magnetic materials with graded parameters. Distribution of the Neel temperature along the thin film thickness introduces temperature as a took for realization of reconfigurable spintronic and magnonic devices.

Thin films of antiferromagnetic insulators are a prospective material platform for magnonics, spin superfluidity, THz spintronics, and nonvolatile data storage. Here, we explore the presence of flexomagnetic effects in epitaxial Cr2O3 [1]. We demonstrate that a gradient of mechanical strain effect the order-disorder magnetic phase transition, resulting in the distribution of the Néel temperature along the thickness of a Cr2O3 film. The inhomogeneous reduction of the antiferromagnetic order parameter induces a flexomagnetic coefficient of about 15µB nm−2. The
antiferromagnetic ordering in the strained films can persist up to 100∘C, rendering Cr2O3 as a prospective material for industrial electronics applications.

Im Zeitalter der datengestützten Entscheidungsfindung hat sich der Bereich Datenwissenschaft (Data Science) zu einem wichtigen Katalysator für Innovation und Fortschritt sowohl in der Industrie als auch in der Wissenschaft entwickelt. Die Rollen und Aufgaben von Data Scientists haben sich jedoch erheblich weiterentwickelt und umfassen ein breites Spektrum an Fähigkeiten, Fachwissen und Anwendungen. Um die Vielschichtigkeit dieser Rollen zu erfassen und unser kollektives Verständnis zu vermitteln, traf sich eine Gruppe von sechs Fachleuten bei Silicon Saxony und nutzte "Personas" als Methode, um unsere derzeitigen Ansichten über die Rolle von Datenwissenschaftler:innen zu formulieren. Dieses Papier fasst die Erkenntnisse dieser Aktivität zusammen.

Atomic scale reordering of lattices can induce local modulations of functional material properties, such as reflectance and ferromagnetism. Pulsed femtosecond laser irradiation enables lattice reordering in the picosecond range. However, the dependence of the phase transitions on the initial lattice order as well as the temporal dynamics of these transitions remain to be understood. This study investigates the laser-induced atomic reordering and the concomitant onset of ferromagnetism in thin Fe-based alloy films with vastly differing initial atomic orders. The optical response to single fs laser pulses on selected prototype systems, one that initially possesses positional disorder, Fe60V40, and a second system initially in a chemically ordered state, Fe60Al40, has been tracked with time. Despite the vastly different initial atomic orders the structure in both systems converges to a positionally ordered but chemically disordered state, accompanied by the onset of ferromagnetism. Time-resolved measurements of the transient reflectance combined with simulations of the electron and phonon temperature reveal that the reordering processes occur via the formation of a transient molten state with an approximate lifetime of 200 ps. These findings provide insights into fundamental processes involved in laser-induced atomic reordering, paving the way for controlling material properties in the picosecond range.

The properties of plasmas in the low-density limit are described by virial expansions. Analytical expressions are known from Green's function approaches only for the first three virial coefficients. Accurate path integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) simulations have recently been performed for the uniform electron gas, allowing the virial expansions to be analyzed and interpolation formulas to be derived. The exact expression for the second virial coefficient is used to test the accuracy of the PIMC simulations and the range of validity of the interpolation formula of Groth {\it et al.}~[Phys.~Rev.~Lett.~\textbf{119}, 135001 (2017)]. We discuss the fourth virial coefficient, which is of interest, e.g., for properties of solar plasmas, but has not yet been precisely known. Combining PIMC simulations with benchmarks from exact results of the virial expansion would allow us to obtain precise results for the equation of state (EoS) in a wide range of parameters.

The main quantity of interest in radiotherapy dosimetry is absorbed dose to water, i.e. the energy that is deposited by the radiotherapy beam in water per unit mass. The most common method to measure dose in radiotherapy is by using air-filled ionization chambers via the charge released in their active volume by ionizations. These ionization chambers are typically absolute calibrated in 60Co beams in terms of absorbed dose to water. If a measurement is carried out in another radiation quality (e.g. proton beams), the different response of the chamber in that radiation quality compared to 60Co photons due to a different water-to-air stopping power ratio and chamber-specific geometry effects is taken into account by applying a beam quality correction factor kQ. Because kQ might be sensitive to several factors, it is recommended that absolute absorbed dose to water measurements should be performed within defined reference conditions (e.g. field size and water depth), and therefore such measurements are referred to as reference dosimetry [1]. In addition to kQ, also several other corrections may be necessary (e.g., recombination or air density correction).
Compared to ionization chamber dosimetry, a more direct way to measure dose is calorimetry where the deposited energy in the detector is measured via its temperature increase. Calorimetry is considered as the most accurate method of dose determination but requires a large logistic effort, stable thermal conditions in the room plus a good isolation and those devices are usually very sensitive and complicated to operate. Therefore calorimetry is at present mostly applied as primary standard for absorbed dose in permanently installed setups at national metrology institutes [2], to which the calibration of ionization chambers used in radiotherapy clinics can be traced back to.
The natural choice of the calorimeter medium is water because absorbed dose to water is the quantity of interest in radiotherapy dosimetry. Due to some practical limitations of water calorimeters, there are also calorimeter designs based on solid materials, typically graphite. Graphite calorimeters can be a lot more compact than water calorimeters and due to the smaller specific heat capacity of graphite, the temperature increase (i.e., the measurement signal) is about a factor 5 higher than for water at the same dose. However, the higher thermal conductivity of graphite requires additional insulation of the calorimeter core. Another characteristic of graphite calorimetry is that it requires a conversion from absorbed dose to graphite to absorbed dose to water and therefore the stopping power ratio in the radiation field of interest must be calculated.
Besides applications as primary standard for absorbed dose to water, calorimetric measurements can also be helpful to guarantee the dosimetric accuracy when novel radiotherapy modalities, for which standard dosimetry protocols are not suitable, are introduced. Recent examples are magnetic resonance guided radiotherapy [3], where the response of ionization chambers is modified by the magnetic field, or FLASH radiotherapy at ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) [4,5] where recombination effects in ionization chambers become more pronounced than in conventional radiotherapy. For calorimetric measurements, the UHDR delivery can even be considered an advantage because the quasi-instantaneous dose application makes the heat drift become less relevant. For instance at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Germany, efforts were made to establish a water calorimeter as primary standard in the UHDR beam of their 20 MeV electron accelerator [4]. Another example is the first proton FLASH patient trial at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in the USA where a group from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) of the United Kingdom supported the dosimetric characterization of UHDR beams with their graphite calorimeter [5]. Recently, water calorimeters have been used to determine ionization chamber specific beam quality correction factors in clinical proton (6) and carbon ion beams [7,8].
Generally, for protons and heavy ions no actual primary standards have been established up to now [9], because the national metrology institutes do not have suitable accelerators and beam qualities on-site but would have to travel to clinical facilities with their calorimetry equipment. For this purpose, since several years many metrology groups work on the development of portable calorimeters (see for example ref. [10] for an early work).
At NPL a portable graphite calorimeter was developed [11]. This device is now intended to be applied for secondary standard measurements in UHDR proton beams in order to improve the dosimetric accuracy for this novel radiotherapy modality. Like ionization chamber dosimetry, also calorimetry requires a number of correction factors to be applied to the measured signal. Cotterill and colleagues present in their paper [12], published in this ESTRO 2023 Physics Highlights special issue of phiRO, detailed Monte Carlo simulations on their so-called Small-body Portable Graphite Calorimeter. They derived correction factors for 250 MeV protons correcting for the graphite impurity and the air gap between the graphite core and its jacket. They show that the dominating perturbation (almost 0.5%) is due to missing scatter contributions from the styrofoam insulation around the device, for which they introduce a new correction factor. By applying the obtained correction factors, the dosimetric accuracy of the calorimeter can be improved considerably. The in- and out-scattering of protons from the different components of the device was studied in detail and the dose conversion factor from absorbed dose in the graphite core to absorbed dose to water at the reference point was calculated.
Even though portable calorimeters like the one presented by Cotterill et al. are still more complicated to operate than ionization chambers, they are much more convenient to transport and set up than classic calorimetry setups.
It will be very interesting to see if these developments will contribute to a wider spread of calorimetric measurements in radiotherapy, or even a routine use in radiotherapy clinics as envisioned by Cotterill et al., and if the establishment of a primary standard for absorbed dose to water in proton (and heavy ion) beams will finally succeed.

Given the criticality of indium (In), spent LCD screens can represent a viable secondary resource of In. In this work, an innovative and alternative technology to selectively leach In from spent LCD screens using a microbial chelating agent, desferrioxamine E (DFOE), was developed. Indium was concentrated from spent LCD screens by implementing an adapted pre-treatment procedure, allowing the isolation of an indium-rich glassy fraction. During leaching, the competition between Aluminum (Al) and In for complexation with DFOE leads to the precipitation of In(OH)3 at low DFOE concentration (12-240 µM). After adjusting the optimal conditions (fraction size: 0-36 μM, pH 5.5, S/L ratio: 1 g/L, room temperature), the In leaching yield reached 32%, ten times higher than Al over 90 days with 5 mM DFOE. Thus, selective leaching of In, while mitigating the influence of competing element Al, makes it possible to achieve a high In recovery by extending leaching time. This is the first attempt to selectively leach In by a selected siderophore from end-of-life (EoL) products with high concentrations of non-targeted elements (i.e. Al, Si, and Ca). This work shows good potential to generate indium-rich leachates that can be further processed by the GaLIophore technology for indium refinery.

Soft actuators have been developed to mimic the biomechanics of living organisms, enabling complex movements such as crawling, flapping, and twisting upon the application of physical and chemical stimuli [1]. Magnetic membrane soft polymers have been used for controlled, programmable, and fast actuation in uniform and gradient magnetic fields [2,3]. This allows for multipurpose biomimetic systems that can move untethered using permanent magnets and electromagnets for use in remote surgery, cargo transport, and artificial muscles [4]. To achieve the full potential of these types of soft actuators, it is needed a suitable system that mimics the sensory and proprioception capabilities of living beings.
Here, we show the integration of highly flexible electronic skins that are laminated to the body of magnetic flexible membranes to supervise their actuation mechanisms [5]. The electronic skins contain flexible magnetic field sensors based on thin films fabricated on ultrathin (2.5-µm-thick) polymeric foils. This highly compliant e-skin acts as an onboard sensory system of magnetic cues, such as the own magnetization state of the soft actuator and the magnetic fields employed for deforming the membranes. This allows the system to orient itself with respect to a reference magnetic source and be aware of its folding state. We demonstrate the signal readout and supervision of magnetic soft membrane actuators during their assembly into box and boat-like layouts [5].
[1] D. Rus, et al. Nature. 521, 467 (2015).
[2] X. Wang, et al. Commun. Mater. 67, 1 (2020)
[3] H. Chung, et al. Adv. Intell. Syst. 3, 2000186 (2021).
[4] S. Wu, et al. Multifunct. Mater. 3, 042003. (2020).
[5] M. Ha, E.S. Oliveros Mata, et al. Adv. Mater. 33, 2008751 (2021)

Printed and flexible electronics have gained significant attention in recent years for their potential in various applications including medical, wearable, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices [1]. In this work, we focus on the development and characterization of printed magnetic field sensors for use in human-machine interfaces enabling the control and monitoring of various systems and devices. We developed a set of printable magnetically sensitive pastes based on microflakes and microparticles showing anisotropic [2,3], giant [4], and large magnetoresistance [5] effects. Our sensors are fabricated using cost-effective, scalable, and large-area automatized printing techniques, making them prospectively suitable for large-scale
production.
The design and production of the printed sensors are based on the properties of the paste fillers, binder, substrate, and techniques used in the fabrication process. By adjusting the mechanical properties of the binder, we were able to give the printed sensors the capability to conform to various shapes and surfaces. The use of polymeric binders in the printing process on flexible foils allowed us to laminate the sensors onto objects with complex geometries, including human skin. For example, we were able to create stretchable magnetic field sensors that can undergo 100% strain by using a styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer as a binder. We have also demonstrated that these sensors remain functional even when folded to a
radius of 16 µm. [4]
We have also shown that it is possible to produce large quantities of magnetic field sensors using automatized dispenser printing and laser sintering Bi pastes [5]. This method allows large-area, cost-effective, and customizable fabrication of flexible, fully printed magnetic field sensors using minimal materials. This manufacturing capability has the potential to pave the way for more extensive interactive smart surfaces and touchless control boards. Our research represents a significant advancement in the integration of printed and flexible electronics into human machine interfaces, and it opens the door for further research for creating customized solutions to user-specific needs.
[1] Y. Khan, et al. Adv. Mater. 32, 1905279 (2020)
[2] E.S. Oliveros Mata, et al. Appl. Phys. A 127, 280 (2021)
[3] R. Xu, et al. Nat. Commun. 13, 6587 (2022)
[4] M. Ha, et al. Adv. Mater. 33, 2005521 (2021)
[5] E.S. Oliveros‐Mata, E. S., C. Voigt, et al. Adv. Mater. Technol. 2200227 (2022)

The ²⁰Ne(p,γ)²¹Na reaction is the slowest in the NeNa cycle and directly affects the abundances of the Ne and Na isotopes in a variety of astrophysical sites. Here we report the measurement of its direct capture contribution, for the first time below E(c.m.) = 352 keV, and of the contribution from the E(c.m.) = 368 keV resonance, which dominates the reaction rate at T = 0.03–1.00 GK. The experiment was performed deep underground at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics, using a high-intensity proton beam and a windowless neon gas target. Prompt γ rays from the reaction were detected with two high-purity germanium detectors. We obtain a resonance strength ωγ = (0.112 ± 0.002(stat) ± 0.005(sys)) meV, with an uncertainty a factor of 3 smaller than previous values. Our revised reaction rate is 20% lower than previously adopted at T < 0.1 GK and agrees with previous estimates at temperatures T ≤ 0.1 GK. Initial astrophysical implications are presented.

We have developed an experimental platform for x-ray Thomson scattering (XRTS) at NIF to characterize plasma conditions in ICF indirectly-driven capsule implosions near stagnation [1,2]. This enabled us to investigate up to 30 times compressed ablator materials reaching pressures above 3 Gigabars, at conditions where the distance between the nuclei becomes comparable to the extent of the core shell bound states, which will eventually lead to their pressure ionization. In this talk we will present results from experiments with beryllium shells. We observe reduced elastic scattering for the most extreme conditions [2]. We interpret this reduction as the precursor of pressure ionization of the remaining K-shell electrons, that is, a strongly modified bound state. The beryllium charge state inferred from the data is considerable higher than standard models predict but agrees well with results from DFT simulations [2,3]. Accurate modelling of the K-shell occupation of light elements is imperative for creating predictive capabilities for ICF implosions. Our experiments yield valuable benchmarks for this process and demonstrating a complex pathway of pressure ionization.

Matter under extreme densities and temperatures is ubiquitous throughout our universe and naturally occurs in a plethora of astrophysical objects such as giant planet interiors and brown dwarfs. In addition, such warm dense matter (WDM) is of key importance for a number of technological applications, most notably inertial confinement fusion. Yet, the accurate diagnostics of experiments with WDM is rendered challenging by the extreme conditions. Indeed, even basic parameters such as the temperature often cannot be measured directly and have to be inferred from other observations. In this context, X-ray Thomson scattering (XRTS) [1] has emerged as a key diagnostic, but the interpretation of an XRTS signal is often based on de-facto uncontrolled approximations such as the decomposition into bound and free electrons within the popular Chihara model.

In this contribution, I outline how one can get direct access to the physical properties of interest by analyzing the measured signal in the imaginary-time domain [2]. No simulations/models and, therefore, no approximations are required. First and foremost, this allows us to infer the temperature of a given system with high accuracy [3]. Moreover, we can use XRTS to probe electron—electron correlations by utilizing the f-sum rule in the imaginary-time domain [4]. Finally, we show how the idea of imaginary-time correlation functions can be generalized to characterize the degree of nonequilibrium in the probed system [5], with important implications for equation-of-state measurements and the understanding of relaxation times.

[1] S. Glenzer and R. Redmer, Reviews of Modern Physics 81, 1625 (2009)

[2] T. Dornheim et al, arXiv:2209.02254 (submitted)

[3] T. Dornheim et al, Nature Communications 13, 7911 (2022)

[4] T. Dornheim et al, arXiv:2305.15305 (submitted)

[5] J. Vorberger et al, arXiv:2302.11309 (submitted)

Purpose: A better knowledge of the dependence of the tissue sparing effect at ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) on physical beam parameters (dose, dose rate, radiation quality) would be helpful towards a mechanistic understanding of the FLASH effect and for its broader clinical translation.
To address this, a comprehensive study on the normal tissue sparing at UHDR using the zebrafish embryo (ZFE) model irradiated with protons and electrons was conducted.

Methods: 1 day old ZFE were irradiated over a wide dose range (15-95 Gy) in three different beams (proton entrance channel, proton spread out Bragg peak and 30 MeV electrons) at UHDR and reference dose rate. After irradiation the ZFE were incubated for 4 days and then analyzed
for their development and morphological characteristics.

Results: Dose-effect curves for four different biological endpoints of ZFE (pericardial edema, curved spine, embryo length and eye diameter) were obtained and a sparing effect was observed for all three beams. It was demonstrated that proton relative biological effectiveness and UHDR sparing are both relevant to consider in order to predict the resulting dose response. Dose dependent FLASH modifying factors (FMF) for ZFE, calculated based on the obtained dose-effect curves, were found to be compatible with rodent data from the literature. It was found that the UHDR sparing effect saturates at doses above ~50 Gy with an FMF of ~0.7-0.8. Only a moderate dependence of the tissue sparing effect in ZFE on the biological endpoint, but a strong dose rate
dependence were observed.

Conclusion: The ZFE model was shown to be a suitable high-throughput pre-clinical model for radiobiological studies on FLASH radiotherapy, providing results comparable to rodent models. The obtained results emphasize to further clarify the nature of the observed dose rate dependence.

We report the formation of a Np(IV) complex from the complexation of Np(VI)O22+ with the redox-active ligand tBu-pdiop2-=2,6-bis[N-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)iminomethyl]pyridine. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of the direct complexation-induced chemical reduction of Np(VI)O22+ to Np(IV). In contrast, the complexation of U(VI)O22+ with tBu-pdiop2- did not induce the reduction of U(VI)O22+, not even after the two-electron electrochemical reduction of [U(VI)O2(tBu-pdiop)]. This contrast between the Np and U systems may be ascribed to the decrease of the energy of the 5f orbitals in Np compared to those in U. The present findings indicate that the redox chemistry between U(VI)O22+ and Np(VI)O22+ should be clearly differentiated in redox-active ligand systems.

Extended-gate field-effect transistor (EG-FET) chemo- and biosensors are emerging tools for a wide range of biomedical applications. Significant efforts have been made to make them ultrasensitive to biomolecules via the development of miniaturized sensing transistors, design and optimization of extended gate sensing layer, exploration of the multiplexing ability of EG-FET configuration, and advanced data analysis. Here, we specifically focus on several important aspects related to the construction and current applications of EG-FET sensors. Namely, we review the materials, fabrication, properties of the transducer, specificities of the conditioning electronics, and signal analysis. At the same time, we discuss the current drawbacks of these sensors preventing their straightforward commercialization, such as output signal variation and non-linearities of the response. We also review the recent key applications of EG-FET sensors in the areas of early medical diagnostics, ecology, food and chemical industries, and others. Finally, we briefly discuss the future perspectives in the development of this class of sensors.

We study THz-driven condensate dynamics in epitaxial thin films of MgB2, a prototype two-band superconductor (SC) with weak interband coupling. The temperature and excitation density dependent dynamics follow the behavior predicted by the phenomenological bottleneck model for the single-gap SC, implying adiabatic coupling between the two condensates on the ps timescale. The amplitude of the THz-driven suppression of condensate density reveals an unexpected decrease in pair-breaking efficiency with increasing temperature—unlike in the case of optical excitation. The reduced pair-breaking efficiency of narrow-band THz pulses, displaying minimum near ≈0.7  Tc, is attributed to THz-driven, long-lived, nonthermal quasiparticle distribution, resulting in Eliashberg-type enhancement of superconductivity, competing with pair breaking.

Microalgae are becoming increasingly important for numerous applications such as food or pharmaceutical products. Flotation is an effective and comparatively inexpensive process for dewatering of the algal biomass after cultivation. In electroflotation, the hydrophobic algal cells attach to the surface of rising gas bubbles generated by water electrolysis and can be removed as a concentrated froth. For enhanced floatability, the size of microalgae can be increased by flocculation, e.g., with chitosan. Chitosan is a non-toxic, non-contaminating biopolymer that has proven to be a practical flocculant for microalgae. The effectiveness of the flotation process is influenced by numerous variables. At the same time, the mechanisms of the attachment of the algae to the bubbles are not fully understood. Hence, the aim of the presented work is to gain a deeper insight into the processes involved in the electroflotation of microalgae, like the algae-bubble-interaction, using optical measurement methods and machine learning (ML) based image processing.
A main focus is on the number and size of bubbles generated by electrolysis, as well as the size of Chlorella vulgaris agglomerates created by flocculation with chitosan. The properties of the bubbles were influenced by changing the electrolysis voltage and evaluated by image processing methods on microscopic images. Using laser diffraction spectroscopy, the influence of different chitosan dosages and flocculation times on the agglomerate size were analyzed. The size distribution is found to depend strongly on the varying biological properties of the microalgal suspension. Nevertheless, some general recommendations for an optimal chitosan concentration range could be deduced. In order to identify conditions promoting a successful attachment of algae to bubbles, an ML based method using series of microscopic images for visualization of the rising bubble and agglomerate paths during bubble-algal interaction was developed. The results show that a similar size of bubble and microalgal agglomerate is beneficial for enhanced bubble-algae interaction. For the analyzed voltage range, the mean bubble size was approximately 20 μm. The flocculation experiments showed that agglomerate sizes of 20 μm or higher are also achievable and thus, the microalgae flocs can be tuned to a well-floatable size range. Summing up, it was possible to derive first conclusions on how to promote effective electroflotation of microalgae. The developed visualization method contributes to a better understanding of flotation mechanisms and can be used as a basis for further research.

Conveyor belts are the most effective way to transport ore in a mining complex. The ore that comes from the mining areas can be heterogeneous in size and type. As the ore needs to pass through several processing steps, online information about the ore’s type and degree of fragmentation can help improve mineral processing for both safety and efficiency. Current instrumentation systems are expensive and require frequent calibration and maintenance. This paper presents a novel intelligent instrument for online recognition of type and degree of fragmentation. A 2D LiDAR sensor and machine learning techniques were used to estimate the characteristics of iron ore particles on conveyor belts. An experiment was conducted using several types of ore and granulometry. Five machine learning models were compared using statistical methods, including analysis of average accuracy and normality and hypotheses tests. Among them, the Random Forest models achieved the highest average accuracy, 93.81% for ore type and 85.52% for the degree of fragmentation. These models were improved by a voting mechanism, resulting in a reduction of classification errors of 93.3% for ore type and 99.2% for the degree of fragmentation. These findings demonstrate potential for improving mineral processing controls and elevating operational safety within the mining sector.

Understanding the formation of the embrittling Mn-Ni-Si (MNS)-rich clusters in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels is of economic, environmental, and safety importance. Hence we investigated the influence of phosphorous (P) on the formation of MNS-rich clusters in RPV model steels employing atom probe tomography and nanoindentation tests. The atom probe tomography results show that the average number density and volume fraction of clusters decrease slightly with an increase in the bulk P content; however, higher bulk P led to a slight increase in the average diameter of the clusters. A higher amount of bulk P led to higher Cu in the clusters; suggesting synergy between Cu and P. An increase in the irradiation hardening values was observed due to higher bulk P content. This is attributed to the stabilisation of the self-interstitial atoms (SIA) clusters by P. A higher recovery for the sample containing higher bulk P indicated that the SIA clusters dissolved after post-irradiation annealing.

The goal is to develop a model based on a photonic approach that allows us to track each of the flowing airborne microorganisms and predict, by using a kinetic Monte Carlo algorithm, whether it is active or not

The use of focused ion beams for sensitively controlling the intrinsic magnetic as well as transport properties at the nanoscale requires materials, wherein small atomic displacements results in large property changes. Typical examples are binary alloys consisting of a 3d metal such as Fe and elements such as Al [1], Rh [2] and most recently, V [3]. These materials act as non-ferromagnetic templates onto which atomic reordering within confined regions can be used to realize the direct writing of ferromagnetism. These alloys are deployed as prototypes for exploring nanoscale ion-induced property modulation.

The type of phase transition may vary, for instance, a transition in the chemical order of Fe60Al40 in contrast with the emergence of a crystalline lattice from a short-range ordered structure in Fe60V40. Due to chemical disordering, the localized ferromagnetic in the former alloy imparts spin scattering that can be observed in the anomalous Hall effect, whereas in the latter, the lattice reordering propagates in a layer like fashion providing homogenous ferromagnetic layers. The phase transition characteristics influence their potential applications, such as in ferromagnetic resonance and transport.

Observations of the evolving nearest-neighbour environment of atoms as a function of the atomic displacements helps unravel some of the microscopic processes leading to the large intrinsic property changes. This current research is being performed with the help of large-scale facilities, such as the Ion-Beam-Centre as well as the ELBE at HZDR.

References:

1. S. Sorokin et al., New J. Phys. (2023).
2. W. Griggs et al., APL Materials (2020) 8, 121103.
3. Md. S. Anwar et al., ACS Appl. Elec. Mater. (2022) 4, 8, 3860.

The Pygmy Dipole Resonance is part of the electric dipole response of an atomic nucleus. There are still several open questions concerning, e.g., its structure. Systematic studies are crucial to improve the knowledge of this excitation mode. Such systematic studies have already been performed along the magic N = 82
isotonic chain using the Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence (NRF) technique, hinting to a trend of increasing strength with increasing N/Z ratio. Comparing these results to those from further NRF experiments on neighbouring non-magic isotopes and on 142Ce, a more fragmented strength distribution seems to occur.

The dipole response of the open-shell nuclide 70Ge has been investigated in high-resolution (g,g') experiments using bremsstrahlung produced with electron beams of energies of 8.5 and 14.7 MeV at the linear accelerator ELBE. A resonance-like structure of levels mostly with spin J = 1 has been identified, distributed between 5 MeV up to neutron separation energy Sn as in the case of 76Ge and in contast to 74Ge where the level density is lower and ceases abruptly at about 1 MeV below Sn . The distibution strength was complemented by the unresolved levels using simulations of statistical gamma-ray cascades, corrected by estimations of branching transitions. The summed strength in 70 Ge, completed by the data from 74,76Ge do not fit with a linear trend as function
of the neutron excess. Such unexpected behaviour might be related to the nuclear deformation which seems to play the major role in the moderately deformed germanium isotopic chain.

Researchers are continuously developing novel methods and algorithms in the field of applied uncertainty quantification (UQ).
During the development phase of a novel method or algorithm, researchers and developers often rely on test functions taken from the literature for validation purposes.
Afterward, they employ these test functions as a fair means to compare the performance of the novel method against that of the state-of-the-art methods in terms of accuracy and efficiency measures.

UQTestFuns is an open-source Python3 library of test functions commonly used within the applied UQ community.
Specifically, the package provides:

• an implementation with minimal dependencies (i.e., NumPy and SciPy) and a common interface of many test functions available in the UQ literature
• a single entry point collecting test functions and their probabilistic input specifications in a single Python package
• an opportunity for an open-source contribution, supporting the implementation of new test functions and posting reference results.

UQTestFuns aims to save the researchers' and developers' time from having to reimplement many of the commonly used test functions themselves.

The description of scattering processes in high-energy physics is usually done with Feynman Diagrams. The number of Feynman Diagrams that can be generated for a given process explodes factorially with the number of particles. We discuss a possible approach enabling the calculation of higher-multiplicity scattering processes. We propose representing the calculation for a process as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) of small computation tasks. Using Julia, we can optimize this graph using subgraph replacement strategies together with an optimization algorithm. Finally, efficient code targeting arbitrary heterogeneous HPC systems can be generated from the optimized DAG.

In this presentation I will describe our recent experiments with polycrystalline Bi thin films, where we observed non-linear Hall effect.

In this lecture for magnetism students, I will cover the following topics: magnetic composites (i.e., mixtures of polymers and magnetic particles); flexible magnetoelectronics; printed magnetoelectronics; eco-sustainable magnetics; magnetic actuation (including locomotion). The aim is to provide an overview of new application scenarios of magnetic materials prepared in the form of composites for hingeless ultrafast actuators and printed magnetic field sensors. The lecture should stimulate activities on the realization of eco-sustainable magnetics including biodegradable and biocompatible magnetic field sensors.

We investigate superradiant enhancements in the refrigeration performance in a set of N three-level systems that are collectively coupled to a hot and a cold thermal reservoir and are additionally subject to collective periodic (circular) driving. Assuming the system-reservoir coupling to be weak, we explore the regime of stronger periodic driving strengths by comparing collective weak-driving, Floquet-Lindblad, and Floquet-Redfield master equations. We identify regimes where the power injected by the periodic driving is used to pump heat from the cold to the hot reservoir and derive analytic sufficient conditions for them based on a cycle analysis of the Floquet-Lindblad master equation. In those regimes, we also argue for which parameters collective enhancements like a quadratic scaling of the cooling current with N can be expected and support our arguments by numerical simulations.

As a simplified description of the non-equilibrium dynamics of buckled dimers on the Si(001) surface, we consider the anisotropic 2D Ising model and study the freezing of spatial correlations during a cooling quench across the critical point. The dependence of the frozen correlation lengths ξ‖ and ξ⊥ on the cooling rate obtained numerically matches the Kibble-Zurek scaling quite well. However, we also find that the ratio ξ‖/ξ⊥ of their frozen values deviates significantly from the ratio in equilibrium. Supported by analytical arguments, we explain this difference by the fact that the deviation from equilibrium in the weakly coupled direction occurs earlier than in the strongly coupled direction.

External piecewise-constant feedback control can modify energetic and entropic balances, allowing in extreme scenarios for Maxwell demon operational modes. Without specifying the actual implementation of external feedback loops, one can only partially quantify the additional contributions to entropy production. This is different in autonomously operating systems with internal feedback. Traditional (bipartite) autonomous systems can be divided into controller and a controlled subsystem, but also non-bipartite systems can accomplish the same task. We consider examples of autonomous three-terminal models that transfer heat mainly from a cold to a hot reservoir by dumping a small fraction of it to an ultra-cold (demon) reservoir, such that their coarse-grained dynamics resembles an external feedback loop. We find that the minimal three-level implementation is most efficient in utilizing heat dissipation to change the entropy balance of the effective controlled system.

For the improvement of surface roughness, titanium joint arthroplasty (TJA) components are grit-blasted with Al2O3 (corundum) particles during manufacturing. There is an acute concern, particularly with uncemented implants, about polymeric, metallic, and corundum debris generation and accumulation in TJA, and its association with osteolysis and implant loosening. The surface morphology, chemistry, phase analysis, and surface chemistry of retrieved and new Al2O3 grit-blasted titanium alloy were determined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and confocal laser fluorescence microscopy, respectively. Peri-prosthetic soft tissue was studied with histopathology. Blasted retrieved and new stems were exposed to human mesenchymal stromal stem cells (BMSCs) for 7 days to test biocompatibility and cytotoxicity. We found metallic particles in the peri-prosthetic soft tissue. Ti6Al7Nb with the residual Al2O3 particles exhibited a low cytotoxic effect while polished titanium and ceramic disks exhibited no cytotoxic effect. None of the tested materials caused cell death or even a zone of inhibition. Our results indicate a possible biological effect of the blasting debris; however, we found no significant toxicity with these materials. Further studies on the optimal size and properties of the blasting particles are indicated for minimizing their adverse biological effects.

Ziel: Copper-mediated radiofluorination (CMRF) was a breakthrough of the last decade in the development of non-activated 18F-aryl-bearing radiopharmaceuticals.1 Despite extensive studies and improvements of the radiolabelling conditions, the formation of H-side product 3 and OH-side product 4 still possess a challenge in these Suzuki/Stille type reactions. In our work, we faced similar problems and additionally, the continuous hydrolysis of the boronic ester precursor 1 during the semi-preparative HPLC purification resulted in another impurity 5. In this study, we tried to address and overcome these challenges.

Methoden: The CMRF of 1 bearing a non-activating aromatic substituent at para position was optimized by varying the following parameters: solvent (DMA and DMI), reaction time (5 - 20 min), temperature (110 - 130 °C) and molar ratio of precursor 1 to Cu-complex (1:3, 1:4. 2:3, 1:8). Compounds 3 and 4 were synthesized as references for identification of the side-products in the final radiotracer formulation. Various stationary phases (pentafluorophenyl, cyano, phenyl, C18) and mobile phases were tested to separate unwanted side products 3 and 4 by HPLC. Solid phase extraction (SPE) was performed with the C18 plus cartridge before the semi-preparative HPLC purification of [18F]2.

Ergebnisse: [18F]2 was achieved with a high radiochemical conversion of 85 % using 2 mg of 1, 10 mg of [Cu(OTf)2(py)4] (molar ratio of 1:4) in n-BuOH/DMI (1:2, v/v) at 110 °C for 5 min. SPE under acidic conditions (pH 2) resulted in around 90 % recovery of [18F]2 compared to only 20 % under neutral conditions. Due to hydrolysis of residual precursor 1 with TFA prior to semi-preparative HPLC purification, the content of 5 in the formulated final product could be reduced from 25 % (without TFA hydrolysis) to 0.5-1 %. The side-products 3 and 4 were successfully separated using a ReproSil C18AQ column (250 x 20 mm) and 48 % THF/ACN (1:1, v/v) buffered with 20 mM ammonium acetate. Compound [18F]2 was isolated with a radiochemical purity of >95 % and molar activities in the range of 60 GBq/µmol were achieved.

Schlussfolgerungen: Despite a number of hurdles, the CMRF reactions are currently being widely employed for the production of radiopharmaceuticals embodying non-activated 18F-aryl scaffolds. To overcome the occasional purification difficulties of the resulting radioligands, further improvements and mechanistic studies need to be undertaken.

Referenzen:

[1] Preshlock, S., et al. Chemical Reviews 2016, 116(2), 719-766.

Ensuring the biocompatibility of hip implants is essential for the safety, effectiveness, and longevity of these medical devices [1]. The material-induced tissue inflammation and immune reaction must be negligible while promoting tissue integration. However, the major unresolved issue in joint replacement is the occurrence of adverse biological reactions to wear debris, leading to severe inflammation [2] which has been observed at the subcellular level [3]. To gain a deeper understanding of the biocompatibility related to material chemistry and surface topography and to better predict the material functionality and clinical use, it is crucial to investigate the properties of cell adhesion, proliferation, and migration on the implant's surface. In this study, we demonstrate how Al2O3-coated titanium alloys with varying surface topographies and roughness affect the growth and morphology of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs). This subcellular-level investigation was conducted on live cells using novel high-resolution 3D confocal fluorescence and backscatter microscopy.

1. Hu CY, Yoon TR. Biomaterials Research, 2018, 22, 33.
2. Cobelli N, Scharf B, Crisi GM, Hardin J, Santambrogio L. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2011, 7, 600–608.
3. Podlipec R, Punzón-Quijorna E, Pirker L, Kelemen M, Vavpetič P, Kavalar R, Hlawacek G, Štrancar J, Pelicon P, Fokter SK, Materials, 2021, 14, 3048.

Warm dense matter (WDM)---an extreme state that is characterized by extreme densities and
temperatures---has emerged as one of the most active frontiers in plasma physics and material
science. In nature, WDM occurs in astrophysical objects such as giant planet interiors and brown
dwarfs. In addition, WDM is highly important for cutting-edge technological applications such as
inertial confinement fusion and the discovery of novel materials. In the laboratory, WDM is studied
experimentally in large facilities around the globe, and new techniques have facilitated
unprecedented insights. Yet, the interpretation of these experiments requires a reliable diagnostics
based on accurate theoretical modeling, which is a notoriously difficult task [1].
In this work, I will give an overview of how we can use exact ab-initio path integral Monte Carlo
(PIMC) simulations [2] together with thermal density functional theory (DFT) calculations to get
new insights into the behavior of WDM. Moreover, I will show how switching to the imaginary-
time representation allows us to significantly improve the interpretation of X-ray Thomson
scattering (XRTS) experiments, which are a key diagnostic for WDM [3]. Specifically, I will
present a model-free temperature diagnostic [4] based on the well-known principle of detailed
balance, but available for all wave numbers, and a new idea to directly extract the electron—
electron static structure factor from an XRTS measurement [5]. As an outlook, I will show how new
PIMC capabilities will allow to give us novel insights into electronic correlations in warm dense
quantum plasmas, leading to unprecedented agreement between experiments [6] and theory.
[1] M. Bonitz et al., Physics of Plasmas 27, 042710 (2020)
[2] M. Böhme et al., Physical Review Letters 129, 066402 (2022)
[3] S. Glenzer and R. Redmer, Reviews of Modern Physics 81, 1625 (2009)
[4] T. Dornheim et al., Nature Communications 13, 7911 (2022)
[5] T. Dornheim et al., arXiv:2305.15305 (submitted)
[6] T. Döppner et al., Nature 618, 270-275 (2023)

Renewable energy sources are the key for long-term decarbonisation of the energy system. However, the intermittent nature of renewables, such as solar energy or wind energy, does not always meet the energy demand in the electrical grid. Considering the fact that both electricity production and consumption vary independently, balancing the grid is a major challenge for the development of an energy system based on renewable energies. Within this framework, Thermal Energy Storage systems (TES) coupled with a power cycle have gained popularity since they can store energy from renewable sources during the periods of high production and release it when necessary.
To convert thermal energy into electricity, a power cycle is required. Given the relative high temperature range (600 - 1000 °C), supercritical CO2 (sCO2) is the most promising material as working fluid for the power cycle, from efficiency and safety considerations. Thus, the Primary Heat Exchanger (PHX) must be carefully designed as the fluid pressures in the TES and the power cycle are namely 1 - 10 bar and 200 - 250 bar.
The present work consists of two parts, one elaborates a 1D model in order to design the PCHE regarding a certain set of boundary conditions. The model requires heat transfer and pressure loss correlations from the literature to estimate the Nusselt number and friction factor, which strongly depends on the geometry. It was found that the zigzag channel design intensifies both heat transfer and pressure drop phenomena, which is not suitable for the hot fluid from an economic prospective. Furthermore, 3D simulations by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) were done and compared to the results from the 1D model to ensure the validity of the correlations. It was also found that the results match those from the literature, thus validating the 1D model.

Ce-doped yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and pure YSZ phases were subjected to irradiation with 14 MeV Au ions. The irradiation studies were performed to simulate long-term structural and microstructural damage due to self-irradiation in YSZ phases hosting alpha-active radioactive species. It was found that both the Ce-doped YSZ and YSZ phases were rather tolerant to irradiation at high ion fluences and the bulk crystallinity was well preserved. Nevertheless, local microstrain increased in all the studied compounds after the irradiation, with the Ce-doped phases being less affected than pure YSZ. Doping with cerium ions increased the microstructural stability of YSZ phases through a possible reduction in the mobility of oxygen atoms, which limits the formation of structural defects. Doping of YSZ with tetravalent actinide elements is expected to have a similar effect. Thus, YSZ phases are promising for the safe long-term storage of radioactive elements. Using synchrotron radiation diffraction, measurements of the thin irradiated layers of the Ce-YSZ and YSZ samples were performed in grazing incidence (GI) mode. A corresponding module for measurements in GI mode was developed at ROBL and relevant technical details of sample alignment and data collection are also presented.

Presentation for PhD seminar

Für die Untersuchung des Radionuklidpaares 197(m)Hg in der Theranostik, ist die Entwicklung eines Radiopharmakons erforderlich, bei dem unter In-vivo-Bedingungen keine Dissoziation und somit keine Freisetzung von zytotoxischem Quecksilber stattfindet. Das potenzielle metallorganische Radiopharmakon soll dabei auf einem in vivo stabilen Bispidin-Grundgerüst basieren. Dieses bietet die Möglichkeit das Radionuklid durch einfache Substitution über eine benzylische Struktureinheit kovalent an das Grundgerüst zu binden. Durch die dreidimensionale Struktur erfährt das Radionuklid dabei eine sterische Abschirmung. Zusätzlich fungiert das Grundgerüst als bifunktioneller Ligand, der durch eine weitere Substitution in der C9-Position das PSMA-Bindungsmotiv binden kann.
Auf Grundlage der bisherigen Forschungsergebnisse soll das potenzielle Radiopharmakon auf einem Bispidin-Grundgerüst basieren. Hierfür müssen die pharmakologischen Eigenschaften wie die Lipophilie angepasst werden, was durch die Verwendung von Methylgruppen in den Positionen C1 und C5 erreicht werden soll. Weiterhin soll durch die gezielte Funktionalisierung der C9-Position des Bispidin-Grundgerüsts eine Bindung des PSMA-Bindungsmotivs an das Grundgerüst ermöglicht werden, wofür verschiedene Ansätze untersucht werden sollen. Das vorrangige Ziel besteht dabei in der Einführung und Funktionalisierung eines primären Amins und deren Substitution, um die Bindung des Vektormoleküls zu erreichen.
Nach Entfernung des C1-Bausteines aus dem Aminal soll durch nukleophile Substitution jeweils eine Trialkylstannyl-funktionalisierte Struktureinheit an den sekundären Aminen gebunden werden, um eine Fluchtgruppe für die folgende, kovalente Bindung des Quecksilbers zu ermöglichen. Hierfür soll einem vorangehenden Schritt das Trialkylstannyl-funktionalisierte Molekül synthetisiert werden. Basierend auf der Arbeit von I. M. GIPLIN und Kollegen soll statt der Trimethylstannyl- eine Triethylstannyl-Verbindung genutzt werden, um die beobachtete Instabilität zu umgehen.
Nachfolgend soll das PSMA-Bindungsmotiv über eine Peptidbindung an die funktionalisierte C9-Position des Grundgerüsts gebunden werden, wodurch sich das Radiopharmakon später selektiv an maligne Zellen anlagern kann. Darüber hinaus soll die anschließende Radiomarkierung mit dem Nuklidpaar 197(m)Hg ermöglicht werden.

We measured the magneto-reflectivity spectra (4 – 90 meV, 0 – 16 T) of the triple-point semimetal GdPtBi and found them to demonstrate two unusual broad features emerging in field. The electronic bands of GdPtBi are expected to experience large exchange-mediated shifts, which lends itself to a description via effective Zeeman splittings with a large g-factor. Based on this approach, along with an ab-initio band structure analysis, we propose a model Hamiltonian that describes our observations well and allows us to estimate the effective g-factor, g∗ = 95. We conclude that we directly observe the exchange-induced Γ8 band inversion in GdPtBi by the means of infrared spectroscopy.

Biomolecular and physical stimuli, such as stiffness and stress, of the extracellular environment, regulate collective cell dynamics and tissue patterning. The viscosity in the tumor microenvironment can increase due to the accumulation of macromolecules over time. Islands of rigid tumors are surrounded by soft cells that are more deformable than their healthy counterparts. Nonetheless, how the viscosities of the tumor microenvironment regulate collective cell spatial and temporal organization is not fully understood. Here, we used the human hepatoma (HepG2) cancer cells, the basic structural component of the liver, as an example to study the influence of viscosity (range from 0.8 cP to 15 cP) on cancer cell collective behavior in 3D microcapsules reactors. Alginate/Alginate-carboxymethylcellulose microcapsules (AL/AL-CMC MCs) with HepG2 cells were generated using a home-made high-throughput droplet-based microfluidic platform. Cell distribution, cell proliferation, spheroids growth, morphology change, and cytoskeleton difference were observed and quantified, showing a significant effect on viscosity change. Importantly, F-actin and keratin 8 intensity and distribution results can be a cue that viscosity increases enhancing the ability of cancer cells to squeeze through dense tissue. The results thus demonstrate that extracellular viscosity as an important physical cue regulates tumor development relevance to cancer biology.

In the first part, we present our recent result on mask-free nanofabrication involving a quasi-deterministic creation of single G- and W-centers in silicon wafers using focused-ion beam (FIB) writing. Using these centers, we implement a scalable, broad-beam implantation protocol compatible with the complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology to fabricate telecom single photon emitters at desired positions on the nanoscale In the second part, we present a concept of ultralong, high-density data archiving based on optically active atomic-size defects in silicon carbide (SiC). The information is written in these defects by FIB and read using photoluminescence (PL) or cathodoluminescence (CL). With near-infrared laser excitation, grayscale encoding and multi-layer data storage, the areal density corresponds to that of Blu-ray discs.

Methanol is a crucial commodity in the chemical industry and is employed as precursor for many products. It can be used to store fluctuating renewable energy, specifically benefiting from its liquid state at ambient temperatures. As the demand for green, renewable methanol is projected to soar in the next decades, environmentally friendly and sustainable pathways for its production have to be provided. Through the combination of proton-conducting high temperature electrolysis for the provision of dry H2 with a heterogeneously catalyzed hydrogenation of CO2, efficient and simple power-to-methanol production processes can be established. Here, a novel power-to-methanol system model capable of real-time transient simulation is presented and viable operating windows are determined for different key operating parameters of the respective main process stages. A techno-economic assessment is carried out to determine the specific production costs of renewable methanol. Specific methanol production costs of 2419 €∙t-1MeOH for small-scale applications (1.12 MW) were retrieved, which corresponds to a more than fourfold increase over the current market price of conventionally produced methanol. Increases in system scale are found to decrease the methanol production costs due to economy-of-scale effects. The sensitivity of the process economics is assessed with regards to crucial operational and capital characteristics.