We counted bacterial cells of E. coli strain K12 in several-microliter DI water or in several-microliter PBS in the low optical density (OD) range (OD = 0.05–1.08) in contact with the surface of Si-based impedance biochips with ring electrodes by impedance measurements. The multiparameter fit of the impedance data allowed calibration of the impedance data with the concentration cb of the E. coli cells in the range of cb = 0.06 to 1.26 × 109 cells/mL. The results showed that for E. coli in DI water and in PBS, the modelled impedance parameters depend linearly on the concentration of cells in the range of cb = 0.06 to 1.26 × 109 cells/mL, whereas the OD, which was independently measured with a spectrophotometer, was only linearly dependent on the concentration of the E. coli cells in the range of cb = 0.06 to 0.50 × 109 cells/mL.

An O-2-electrode was fabricated using a metal ion implanted SrTiO3 single crystal. The time resolved oxygen exchange rate of ion implanted strontium titanate (SrTiO3) single crystals was studied by means of oxygen solid electrolyte coulometry (OSEC). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed in order to determine structural changes after ion implantation. Moreover, theoretical modelling based on defect chemistry under equilibrium conditions was applied for determining of effective rate constants. OSEC measurements turn out to be a damage and calibration free method, which was used for the first time in order to characterize kinetic parameters of oxygen exchange on single crystalline surfaces.

The time-resolved oxygen exchange rate of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) single crystals is studied by means of oxygen solid electrolyte coulometry (OSEC) and compared to model calculations. Experiments are performed on pure, ion implanted (Ni, Ag, O and N ions) and partially covered crystals with silver layer. In this work, a theoretical model is used, which is based on defect chemistry under equilibrium conditions. It is applied as a fit in order to determine the effective rate constants and activation energy of the oxygen exchange reaction on the crystal surface. OSEC is used for the first time to characterize kinetic parameters of oxygen exchange on single crystalline surfaces. Transmission electron microscopy and sputter X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are performed to determine structural and chemical changes after ion implantation.

The following compendium reviews the development and establishment of optical spectroscopy as an analytical method for battery material components and electrochemical reactions. The interaction of light with matter is a sensitive and nondestructive way to characterize any sample state, i.e. solids, liquids or gases. Special attention is devoted to infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopy, covering a wavelength range from 12 μm to 200 nm, as well as Raman scattering spectroscopy, in order to excite different vibrational/rotational lattice modes and transitions of valence electrons. This allows an insight into structural properties, chemical composition, oxidation states or kinetic processes. The development of spectroelectrochemical in situ cells allows the investigation of various battery components, e.g. working and counter electrode, separator, electrolyte as well as interfaces between these components. These powerful tools allow the evaluation of the functionality, stability and safety aspects of an electrochemical storage cell.

The formation of crystals and symmetry on the atomic scale has persistently attracted scientists through the ages. The structure itself and its subtle dependence on boundary conditions is a reflection of three principles: atomic attraction, repulsion, and the limitations in 3D space. This involves a competition between simplicity and high symmetry on the one hand and necessary structural complexity on the other. This work presents a simple atomistic crystal growth model derived for equivalent atoms and a pair potential. It highlights fundamental concepts, most prominently provided by a maximum number of equilibrium distances in the atom's local vicinity, to obtain high symmetric structural motifs, among them the Platonic Solids. In this respect, the harmonically balanced interaction during the atomistic nucleation process may be regarded as origin of symmetry. The minimization of total energy is generalized for 3D periodic structures constituting these motifs. In dependence on the pair potential's short- and long-range characteristics the, by symmetry, rigid lattices relax isotropically within the potential well. The first few coordination shells with lattice-specific fixed distances do not necessarily determine which equilibrium symmetry prevails. A phase diagram calculated on the basis of these few assumptions summarizes stable regions of close-packed fcc and hcp, next to bcc symmetry for predominantly soft short-range and hard long-range interaction. This lattice symmetry, which is evident for alkali metals as well as transition metals of the vanadium and chromium group, cannot be obtained from classical Morse or Lennard-Jones type potentials, but needs the range flexibility within the pair potential.

Gold surfaces functionalized with nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni2+-NTA) as self-assembled monolayers (SAM) to immobilize histidine (His)-tagged biomolecules are broadly reported in the literature. However, the increasing demand of using microfluidic systems and biosensors takes more and more advantage on silicon technology which provides dedicated glass surfaces and substantially allows cost and resource savings. Here we present a novel method for the controlled oriented immobilization of His-tagged proteins on glass surfaces functionalized with a Ni2+-NTA layer. Exemplarily, the protein pattern morphology after immobilization on the Ni2+-NTA layer of His(6)-tagged soluble receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (sRAGE) was investigated and compared to non-oriented immobilization of sRAGE on amino SAM by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, we demonstrated interaction of immobilized sRAGE with three structurally different ligands, S100A12, S100A4, and glycated low density lipoproteins (glycLDL), by means of peak-force tapping atomic force microscopy (PF-AFM). We showed a clear discrimination of different protein-ligand orientations by differential height measurements.

Lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) was already used in the first commercialized Li-ion battery by SONY in 1990. Still, it is the most frequently used cathode material nowadays. However, LiCoO2 is intrinsically unstable in the charged state, especially at elevated temperatures, and in the overcharged state causing volume changes and transport limitation for high power batteries. In this paper, some technological aspects with large impact on cell performance from the cathode material point of view will be reviewed. At first, it will be focused on the degradation processes and life-time mechanisms of the cathode material LiCoO2. Electrochemical and structural results on commercial Li-ion batteries recorded during the cycling will be discussed. Thereafter, advanced nanomaterials for new cathode materials will be presented.

The invention relates to a device (20, 29, 36, 38, 40) and a method for converting thermal energy into chemical energy and from chemical energy to electrical energy with chemical intermediate storage, wherein the device (20, 29, 36, 38, 40) consists of at least - a fuel cell unit (19), which includes at least - an anode (21) of a first gas-permeable current collector (2) and an anode-side catalyst (1), - a cathode (22) of a second gas-permeable current collector (4) and a cathode-side catalyst (5), - a between the anode (21) and cathode (22) befindlicher electrolyte (3), wherein at least the anode (21), the cathode (22) and the electrolyte (3) in a chamber (47) are located, and - an oxygen access (23) to the chamber (47) for a supply of oxygen to the cathode-side catalyst (5), - a fluid reservoir (17), which includes at least - a pyrokatalytisch active material (13) having at least one polar axis, - a first thermal energy carrier (24) at a high temperature T - a second thermal energy source (25) of low temperature T and - a gas diffusion channel (18), wherein the chamber (47) of the fuel cell unit (19) to the fluid reservoir (17) via the gas diffusion channel (18) is in communication, wherein the fluid reservoir (17) contains at least the pyrokatalytisch active material (13), the / is temporal changes in temperature .DELTA.T .DELTA.t exposed, wherein the change in temperature .DELTA.T / .DELTA.t by an alternate heat transfer through a first thermal energy source (24) at a high temperature T

Because of their broad range of applications, electrochemical energy storage devices are the subject of a growing field of science and technology. Their unique features of high practical energy and power densities and low prices allow mobile and stationary applications. A large variety of electrochemical systems has been tailored for specific applications: Lithium-ion batteries for example have been optimized for mobile applications ranging from mobile phones to electric vehicles. On the other hand, sodium-sulphur accumulators – among others – have been developed for stationary applications to account for the capricious nature of renewable energies. Chemistry, physics and materials science have led to the optimization of existing cell-chemistries and the development of new concepts such as all-liquid or all-solid state batteries as well as high-energy density metal-air batteries. The aim of the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany)-financed project "CryPhysConcept" is to develop new concepts for electrochemical energy storage applying a crystallographic approach. First, a categorization of the main solid components of batteries based on their underlying working principles is suggested. Second, an algorithm for the identification of suitable new materials and material combinations, based on economical, ecological and material properties as well as crystallographic parameters, is presented. Based on these results, new concepts using multi-valent metal ions are proposed. Theoretical as well as experimental results including an iron-ion approach are presented.

Energy conversion and storage has become the main challenge to satisfy the growing demand for renewable energy solutions as well as mobile applications. Nowadays, several technologies exist for the conversion of electric energy into e. g. heat, light and motion or vice versa. Among a large variety of storage concepts, the conversion of electrical in chemical energy is of great relevance in particular for location-independent use. Main factors that still limit the use of electrochemical cells are the volumetric and gravimetric energy density, cyclability as well as safety. The concept for a new thin-film rechargeable battery that possibly improves these properties is presented. In contrast to the widespread lithium-ion technology, the discussed battery is based on the redox reaction of multivalent Al-ions and their migration through solid electrolytes. The ion conduction and insertion processes in the crystalline materials of the suggested cell are discussed under a crystallographic point of view to identify suitable electrode and separator materials. A multilayer-stack of all-solid-state batteries is synthesized by pulsed laser deposition and investigated in situ, i. e. during charge and discharge, by X-ray reflection and diffraction methods. The correlation between crystal structure, morphology and electrical performance is investigated in order to characterize the ion diffusion and insertion process.

As defined by the IUCr, a material is a crystal if it has essentially a sharp diffraction pattern. Crystalline materials are wide spread in our today's life. More than 98 % of the solid fraction of the earth comprises crystalline matter, most of which are oxides. Single-crystals in particular are the basis for many applications – lasers, LEDs, sensors, etc. – and play an important role in fundamental research – for instance in materials science. The discipline that elucidates the impact of the crystal structure on the physical properties of particularly crystalline materials – crystallography – is of specific importance for the design of new materials. Moreover, crystallography can be utilized to establish new concepts and thus may contribute solving today's challenges in science and technology. Several technologies exist for the conversion of electric energy into, e. g. heat, light and motion or vice versa. In this context, this work highlights an approach based on the crystal coupling phenomenon pyroelectricity that can be adopted for energy conversion concepts. By means of pyroelectric crystals, waste heat can be converted into surface charges, which provide a manifold of applications. First, a comprehensive overview of more than 3000 known pyroelectric materials is given, including a categorization in terms of properties and crystallographic characteristics. In order to provide a high pyroelectric coefficient at certain temperatures, taking economic, ecologic and further material properties into account, promising materials are suggested and verified by a computer controlled thermal/electrical stimulation set-up. Several possible applications as, for instance, disinfection [1], and anti-icing are presented. Finally, an approach to convert waste heat into chemical energy, i. e. the generation of hydrogen, is introduced.

The motivation for integrated Silicon-based optoelectronics is the creation of low-cost photonics for mass-market applications. Especially, the growing demand for sensitive biochemical sensors in the environmental control or medicine leads to the development of integrated high resolution sensors. Here we present initial results in the integration and butt-coupling of a Si-based light emitting device (LED) [1-3] to a waveguide into a photonic circuit. Our first approach deals with the design, fabrication and characterization of the dielectric high contrast waveguide as an important component, beside the LED, for the development of a Si-based biodetection system. In this work we demonstrate design examples of Si3N4/SiO2-waveguides, which were calculated using MATLAB, the effective index method (EIM) and the finite element method (FEM), with a 0.45μm thick and 0.7μm wide core which shows a high confinement factor of ~74% and coupling efficiency of ~66% at 1.55μm, respectively. The fabrication was done by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD), optical lithography and reactive ion etching (RIE). Additionally, we characterized the deposited layers via ellipsometry and the etched structures by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained results establish principles for Si-based LED butt-coupling to a powerful optical waveguide-based interconnect with effective light absorption and an adequate coupling efficiency.

The breadth of opportunities for applied technologies for optical sensors ranges from environmental and biochemical control, medical diagnostics to process regulation. Thus the specified usage of the optical sensor system requires a particular design and functionalization. Especially biochemical sensors incorporate electronic and photonic devices for the detection of harmful substances e.g. in drinking water. Here we present recent developments in the integration of a Si-based light emitting device (LED) [1-3, 8] into a photonic circuit for an optical waveguide-based biodetection system. This concept includes the design, fabrication and characterization of the dielectric high contrast waveguide as an important component, beside the LED, in the photonic system circuit. First approaches involve simulations of Si3N4/SiO2-waveguides with the finite element method (FEM) and their fabrication by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD), optical lithography and reactive ion etching (RIE). In addition, we characterized the deposited layers via ellipsometry and the etched structures by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained results establish a basis for optimized Si-based LED waveguide butt-coupling with adequate coupling efficiency, low attenuation loss and a high optical power throughput.

The invention relates to an arrangement (2) for storage of energy for an apparatus (1) for providing electrical energy, at least comprising - a first current collector (17), - a first electrolyte (21), - a separator (18), - a second electrolyte (22), - a second oxygen-permeable current collector (19), wherein the first current collector (17) and the second current collector (19) respectively at opposite faces (3, 4) of the array (2) are provided for storing energy. In this case, a layer (20) of a material (9) being loaded in the energy state of the assembly is mounted with ionic or at least covalent bond character in the arrangement for storing energy to the outer surface (8) of the second oxygen-permeable current collector (19), (2) for storing energy to form a catalytic property of the material (9) with ionic or covalent bonding character at least sufficient for catalysis defect concentration is present.

We investigated the adsorption of the l-lysine (200mmol) molecule to a silanized SiO2 surface as a function of the pH value. The SSC (Spraying Spin Coating) method [Cherkouk et al., J. Colloid Interf. Sci. 337 (2009) 375–380] was applied to functionalize the SiO2 surface by using the (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APMS) as coupling agent with a NH2 functional group. We adsorbed lysine molecules to the silane film for pH-values of 2.5, 7.5, 8.7, 9.5 and 13, which correspond to the di-cationic, cationic, zwitterinonic (pH 8.7 and 9.5) and the anionic charge state of lysine, respectively. The infrared spectroscopy is not suitable to investigate the system because the NH3+ signal at 1600cm−1 originating from the silane film overlaps with the infrared signal of the deprotonated carboxyl group of the lysine molecule. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to measure the binding energies C 1s and N 1s as function of the pH value. This pH change affects the charge state which was fitted in the XPS spectra to obtain the optimal adsorption conditions at pH 7.5 of the lysine to the functionalized SiO2 surface.

We present a microfluidic cell plate for endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) detection, like estrogenic activity, in waterish solution. This platform technology consists of four independent micro flow units made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and glass, which enables a selective detection of up to four species of the EDCs per one-way chip containing the corresponding immobilized receptor. The concept of the detection is based on direct fluorescence analysis. In order to found out the electrical parameters of the microfluidic system electroluminescence (EL) measurements as a function of the concentration of the QD800 dye were investigated. Finally, the microfluidic device was attached to the flow control system. Different edge filters were tested in order to attenuate the MOSLED light signal and to maximize the QD800 dye signal at 800nm which works best for a 780nm edge filter. Measurements using an integrated photo diode as detector were performed to point out the relationship between the dark and photo current.