@article{EngelmannPourshahidiShalabyetal.2022, author = {Engelmann, Ulrich M. and Pourshahidi, Mohammad Ali and Shalaby, Ahmed and Krause, Hans-Joachim}, title = {Probing particle size dependency of frequency mixing magnetic detection with dynamic relaxation simulation}, series = {Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials}, volume = {563}, journal = {Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials}, number = {In progress, Art. No. 169965}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0304-8853}, doi = {10.1016/j.jmmm.2022.169965}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Biomedical applications of magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) fundamentally rely on the particles' magnetic relaxation as a response to an alternating magnetic field. The magnetic relaxation complexly depends on the interplay of MNP magnetic and physical properties with the applied field parameters. It is commonly accepted that particle core size is a major contributor to signal generation in all the above applications, however, most MNP samples comprise broad distribution spanning nm and more. Therefore, precise knowledge of the exact contribution of individual core sizes to signal generation is desired for optimal MNP design generally for each application. Specifically, we present a magnetic relaxation simulation-driven analysis of experimental frequency mixing magnetic detection (FMMD) for biosensing to quantify the contributions of individual core size fractions towards signal generation. Applying our method to two different experimental MNP systems, we found the most dominant contributions from approx. 20 nm sized particles in the two independent MNP systems. Additional comparison between freely suspended and immobilized MNP also reveals insight in the MNP microstructure, allowing to use FMMD for MNP characterization, as well as to further fine-tune its applicability in biosensing.}, language = {en} } @article{PourshahidiEngelmannOffenhaeusseretal.2022, author = {Pourshahidi, Ali Mohammad and Engelmann, Ulrich M. and Offenh{\"a}usser, Andreas and Krause, Hans-Joachim}, title = {Resolving ambiguities in core size determination of magnetic nanoparticles from magnetic frequency mixing data}, series = {Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials}, volume = {563}, journal = {Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials}, number = {In progress, Art. No. 169969}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0304-8853}, doi = {10.1016/j.jmmm.2022.169969}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Frequency mixing magnetic detection (FMMD) has been widely utilized as a measurement technique in magnetic immunoassays. It can also be used for the characterization and distinction (also known as "colourization") of different types of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) based on their core sizes. In a previous work, it was shown that the large particles contribute most of the FMMD signal. This leads to ambiguities in core size determination from fitting since the contribution of the small-sized particles is almost undetectable among the strong responses from the large ones. In this work, we report on how this ambiguity can be overcome by modelling the signal intensity using the Langevin model in thermodynamic equilibrium including a lognormal core size distribution fL(dc,d0,σ) fitted to experimentally measured FMMD data of immobilized MNPs. For each given median diameter d0, an ambiguous amount of best-fitting pairs of parameters distribution width σ and number of particles Np with R2 > 0.99 are extracted. By determining the samples' total iron mass, mFe, with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), we are then able to identify the one specific best-fitting pair (σ, Np) one uniquely. With this additional externally measured parameter, we resolved the ambiguity in core size distribution and determined the parameters (d0, σ, Np) directly from FMMD measurements, allowing precise MNPs sample characterization.}, language = {en} } @article{FalkenbergRahbaFischeretal.2022, author = {Falkenberg, Fabian and Rahba, Jade and Fischer, David and Bott, Michael and Bongaerts, Johannes and Siegert, Petra}, title = {Biochemical characterization of a novel oxidatively stable, halotolerant, and high-alkaline subtilisin from Alkalihalobacillus okhensis Kh10-101T}, series = {FEBS Open Bio}, volume = {12}, journal = {FEBS Open Bio}, number = {10}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken, NJ}, issn = {2211-5463}, doi = {10.1002/2211-5463.13457}, pages = {1729 -- 1746}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms represent a promising source of salt-tolerant enzymes suitable for various biotechnological applications where high salt concentrations would otherwise limit enzymatic activity. Considering the current growing enzyme market and the need for more efficient and new biocatalysts, the present study aimed at the characterization of a high-alkaline subtilisin from Alkalihalobacillus okhensis Kh10-101T. The protease gene was cloned and expressed in Bacillus subtilis DB104. The recombinant protease SPAO with 269 amino acids belongs to the subfamily of high-alkaline subtilisins. The biochemical characteristics of purified SPAO were analyzed in comparison with subtilisin Carlsberg, Savinase, and BPN'. SPAO, a monomer with a molecular mass of 27.1 kDa, was active over a wide range of pH 6.0-12.0 and temperature 20-80 °C, optimally at pH 9.0-9.5 and 55 °C. The protease is highly oxidatively stable to hydrogen peroxide and retained 58\% of residual activity when incubated at 10 °C with 5\% (v/v) H2O2 for 1 h while stimulated at 1\% (v/v) H2O2. Furthermore, SPAO was very stable and active at NaCl concentrations up to 5.0 m. This study demonstrates the potential of SPAO for biotechnological applications in the future.}, language = {en} } @article{MolinnusIkenJohnenetal.2022, author = {Molinnus, Denise and Iken, Heiko and Johnen, Anna Lynn and Richstein, Benjamin and Hellmich, Lena and Poghossian, Arshak and Knoch, Joachim and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Miniaturized pH-Sensitive Field-Effect Capacitors with Ultrathin Ta₂O₅ Films Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition}, series = {physica status solidi (a) applications and materials science}, volume = {219}, journal = {physica status solidi (a) applications and materials science}, number = {8}, publisher = {Wiley-VCH}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1862-6319}, doi = {10.1002/pssa.202100660}, pages = {7 Seiten}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Miniaturized electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitors (EISCAPs) with ultrathin gate insulators have been studied in terms of their pH-sensitive sensor characteristics: three different EISCAP systems consisting of Al-p-Si-Ta2O5(5 nm), Al-p-Si-Si3N4(1 or 2 nm)-Ta2O5 (5 nm), and Al-p-Si-SiO2(3.6 nm)-Ta2O5(5 nm) layer structures are characterized in buffer solution with different pH values by means of capacitance-voltage and constant capacitance method. The SiO2 and Si3N4 gate insulators are deposited by rapid thermal oxidation and rapid thermal nitridation, respectively, whereas the Ta2O5 film is prepared by atomic layer deposition. All EISCAP systems have a clear pH response, favoring the stacked gate insulators SiO2-Ta2O5 when considering the overall sensor characteristics, while the Si3N4(1 nm)-Ta2O5 stack delivers the largest accumulation capacitance (due to the lower equivalent oxide thickness) and a higher steepness in the slope of the capacitance-voltage curve among the studied stacked gate insulator systems.}, language = {en} }