Multisensor hyperspectral imaging approach for the microchemical analysis of ultramarine blue pigments.

This work presents a multisensor hyperspectral approach for the characterization of ultramarine blue, a valuable historical pigment, at the microscopic scale combining the information of four analytical techniques at the elemental and molecular levels. The hyperspectral images collected were combined in a single hypercube, where the pixels of the various spectral components are aligned on top of each other. Selected spectral descriptors have been defined to reduce data dimensionality before applying unsupervised chemometric data analysis approaches.

Toward the Recovery of Platinum Group Metals from a Spent Automotive Catalyst with Supported Ionic Liquid Phases.

We present a novel approach for the separation and recovery of Pt and Pd leached from a spent automotive catalyst relying on conventional and polymerized supported ionic liquid phases (SILPs and polySILPs, respectively). A variety of parameters with possible effects on the separation behavior, namely, acidity and concentration of the platinum group metal (PGM) containing solution, as well as different SILP and polySILP loadings, were evaluated for the separation of PGMs in the presence of high concentrations of Al, Fe, Zn, and Ce. The polySILP material demonstrated the ability to separate the PGMs from major accompanying interferences in a single separation step, while problems arising from ionic liquid leaching in the case of SILPs could be avoided.

CuSO/[Cu(NH)]SO-Composite Thermochemical Energy Storage Materials.

The thermochemical energy-storage material couple CuSO/[Cu(NH)]SO combines full reversibility, application in a medium temperature interval (<350 °C), and fast liberation of stored heat. During reaction with ammonia, a large change in the sulfate solid-state structure occurs, resulting in a 2.6-fold expansion of the bulk material due to NH uptake.

Cycle Stability and Hydration Behavior of Magnesium Oxide and Its Dependence on the Precursor-Related Particle Morphology.

Thermochemical energy storage is considered as an auspicious method for the recycling of medium-temperature waste heat. The reaction couple Mg(OH)₂⁻MgO is intensely investigated for this purpose, suffering so far from limited cycle stability. To overcome this issue, Mg(OH)₂, MgCO₃, and MgC₂O₄·2H₂O were compared as precursor materials for MgO production.

Custom made inclusion bodies: impact of classical process parameters and physiological parameters on inclusion body quality attributes.

Background: The bacterium E. coli is a major host for recombinant protein production of non-glycosylated products. Depending on the expression strategy, the recombinant protein can be located intracellularly.

Image-Based Chemical Structure Determination.

Chemical imaging is a powerful tool for understanding the chemical composition and nature of heterogeneous samples. Recent developments in elemental, vibrational, and mass-spectrometric chemical imaging with high spatial resolution (50-200 nm) and reasonable timescale (a few hours) are capable of providing complementary chemical information about various samples. However, a single technique is insufficient to provide a comprehensive understanding of chemically complex materials.

A novel substrate for multisensor hyperspectral imaging.

The quality of chemical imaging, especially multisensor hyperspectral imaging, strongly depends on sample preparation techniques and instrumental infrastructure but also on the choice of an appropriate imaging substrate. To optimize the combined imaging of Raman microspectroscopy, scanning-electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, a novel substrate was developed based on sputtering of highly purified aluminium onto classical microscope slides. The novel aluminium substrate overcomes several disadvantages of classical substrates like impurities of the substrate material and contamination of the surface as well as surface roughness and homogeneity.

How salt lakes affect atmospheric new particle formation: A case study in Western Australia.

New particle formation was studied above salt lakes in-situ using a mobile aerosol chamber set up above the salt crust and organic-enriched layers of seven different salt lakes in Western Australia. This unique setup made it possible to explore the influence of salt lake emissions on atmospheric new particle formation, and to identify interactions of aqueous-phase and gas-phase chemistry. New particle formation was typically observed at enhanced air temperatures and enhanced solar irradiance.

Chemometric analysis of multisensor hyperspectral images of precipitated atmospheric particulate matter.

The chemometric analysis of multisensor hyperspectral data allows a comprehensive image-based analysis of precipitated atmospheric particles. Atmospheric particulate matter was precipitated on aluminum foils and analyzed by Raman microspectroscopy and subsequently by electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. All obtained images were of the same spot of an area of 100 × 100 μm(2).