Miniaturisierte und markierungsfreie Analyse einzelner Mikrofluidsegmente unter Einsatz der oberflächenverstärkten Raman-Spektroskopie

Die Mikrofluidsegmenttechnik ermöglicht es, Reaktionen unter optimierten Strömungsverhältnissen und mit einer minimalen Substanzmenge durchzuführen. Besonders für mehrdimensionale Reaktionsscreenings, bei denen die Einflüsse mehrerer Effektoren gleichzeitig untersucht werden, eignet sich diese Technik, da die Segmente geordnet durch das System geführt werden, wodurch die Zusammensetzung jedes einzelnen Segments bekannt ist. Deshalb hat bei dieser meist sehr komplexen und technisch aufwendigen Verfahrensweise die Analyse der Segmente bzw. deren Inhaltsstoffe eine große Bedeutung. Neben der optischen Auswertung oder der Fluoreszenzmessung, bei der die Zielsubstanz mit einer fluoreszierenden Gruppe markiert werden muss, werden aktuell markierungsfreie Detektionsmethoden entwickelt. Diese Detektionsmethoden sind aber noch sehr aufwendig und sind ohne tiefgreifende Fachkenntnisse auf dem jeweiligen Gebiet nicht anzuwenden. Der Bedarf nach einer einfachen Analysemethode, mit der auch chemische Veränderungen in den Segmenten markierungsfrei detektiert werden können, ist die Grundlage für die Motivation der hier vorgestellten Arbeit. Diese beschreibt eine neue Methode für die markierungsfreie Analyse einzelner Fluidsegmente, die durch einen kompakten Aufbau und eine einfache Anbindung an beliebige Prozesse einen weitverbreiteten Einsatz der Analysetechnik ermöglicht. Die entwickelte Analysemethode beschreibt die erstmalige Kopplung der oberflächenverstärkten Raman-Spektroskopie (engl. surface enhanced Raman scattering/spectroscopy, SERS) mit einer Umsetzung der seriell erzeugten Segmente auf eine parallele Array-Struktur aus SERS-aktiven Messstellen (SERS-Array). Dieser Umsetzungsschritt entkoppelt die zeitlich kritische Messung von der schnellen Prozessierung der Segmente und ermöglicht zudem einen optimalen optischen Zugang zu den Messstellen, wodurch der Einsatz kompakter Spektrometersysteme ermöglicht wird. Zur Umsetzung des Konzepts wurde ein neuartiger SERS-aktiver Hydrogel-Film sowie ein Verfahren zum Auftragen des Films auf die Messstellen entwickelt. Bei der Entwicklung des Hydrogel-Films wurde eine Methode zur Herstellung quellbarer, SERS-aktiver Komposit-Sensorpartikel weiterentwickelt, indem die Haftung auf einem Glasträger, die Verdunstung des Lösungsmittels während der Applikation und die SERS-Verstärkung untersucht und angepasst wurden. Weiterhin wurde die Leistungsfähigkeit der entwickelten Analysemethode bestimmt, so zeigt das SERS-Array hervorragende Werte in Bezug auf die Langzeitstabilität. Das Gesamtsystem wurde im Vergleich mit anderen SERS-basierten Analysemethoden bewertet. Dabei zeigt sich, dass vergleichsweise hohe Frequenzen an Segmenten analysiert werden können und dass die Quantifizierung von Testsubstanzen in einem breiten Konzentrationsbereich, der etwas oberhalb derer der Vergleichssysteme liegt, möglich ist. Anhand einer Desaminierungsreaktion konnte gezeigt werden, dass in dieser Arbeit eine kompakte und einfach adaptierbare Methode für SERS-Messungen entwickelt wurde, die chemische Veränderungen innerhalb von Mikrofluidsegmenten detektieren kann.Segmented flow techniques enables reactions to be carried out under optimized flow conditions and with a minimal amount of substance. This technique is particularly suitable for multidimensional reaction screenings, as the segments are passed through the system in an orderly manner, and thus the history of each individual segment is known. The analysis of the segments or their composition is of great importance in this usually very complex and technically expensive process. In addition to optical detection or fluorescence measurement, in which the target substance must usually be labeled with a fluorescent group, label-free detection methods are currently being developed. However, these methods are still very complex and cannot be used without specialist knowledge in the respective field. In this work, a new method for label-free analysis of single fluid segments was developed, which allows widespread use of the analytical technique due to a compact design and easy connection to different processes. The developed analytical method includes the first combination of surface enhanced Raman scattering/spectroscopy (SERS) with a transfer of the serially generated fluid segments into a parallel array structure of SERS-active measuring spots (SERS array). This transfer step decouples the time-critical measurement from the fast processing of the fluid segments and allows an optimal optical access to the measuring spots, enabling the use of compact spectrometer systems. To implement the concept, a novel SERS-active hydrogel film was developed, as well as a method for applying the hydrogel film to the measurement spots. In the development of the hydrogel film, a method for producing swellable, SERS active composite sensor particles was developed by studying and adjusting the adhesion to the glass substrate, the evaporation of the solvent during application and the SERS enhancement. Furthermore, the performance of the developed analytical method was determined. For example, the SERS array shows excellent values in terms of storage and application time. The overall system was evaluated in comparison with other SERS-based analytical methods, showing that a comparatively high frequency of fluid segments can be analyzed and that the quantification of test substances is possible in a wide concentration range, which is slightly above the comparison systems. Using a deamination reaction, it was shown that this work has succeeded in developing a compact and easily adaptable analytical method for SERS measurements that can detect chemical changes within microfluidic segments

Novel SERS-based process analysis for label-free segmented flow screenings

In microfluidic segmented flow processes label-free analytical techniques like surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can reveal the chemical composition of the individual droplet contents. The SERS system developed in this work enables a simple connection to micro segmented flow processes through miniaturization. The concept is based on the parallelization of silver/polyacrylamide composite SERS spots on a carrier plate on which the segments are deposited. The transfer of the segments allows an easy connection to existing flow processes and provides optimal conditions for Raman measurements using miniaturized spectrometers. The preparation of the SERS polymer composite was optimized in terms of the silver content in the polymer matrix to obtain a high SERS signal. The performance and long-term stability of the polymer have been successfully demonstrated. The deamination of adenine with sodium nitrite to hypoxanthine was chosen as a case study to demonstrate the capability of the novel SERS-based process analysis. A sequence of approximately one hundred segments in combination with a gradient of the nitrite concentration (0 to 0.4 mol L−1) was generated at two temperatures. The concentration of adenine and hypoxanthine were determined by using a multivariate calibration model, since the Raman spectra of both substances are overlapping. It was shown that the conversion of adenine is increased with higher nitrite concentration and temperature. A conversion of 35% was obtained at 50 °C and a conversion of 60% at 80 °C, respectively

Continuous Synthesis of Diazo Acetonitrile: From Experiments to Physical and Grey-Box Modeling

Diazo compounds are gathering interest for their potential in promoting greener synthesis routes. We investigate, at a lab-scale, the continuous synthesis of diazo acetonitrile (DAN) using a micro-structured flow reactor and a flow reaction calorimeter. Data concerning DAN formation in the former, and relative to reaction heat and gas flow rate in the latter, are collected. We present both a physical and a grey-box simulation model, both of which are calibrated to our measurements. Both models provide valuable insights into the DAN synthesis. The grey-box approach is useful to incorporate the complex chemical reaction pathways for DAN synthesis and decomposition that are currently hard to address with the physical model

Bestial boredom: a biological perspective on animal boredom and suggestions for its scientific investigation

Boredom is likely to have adaptive value in motivating exploration and learning, and many animals may possess the basic neurological mechanisms to support it. Chronic inescapable boredom can be extremely aversive, and understimulation can harm neural, cognitive and behavioural flexibility. Wild and domesticated animals are at particular risk in captivity, which is often spatially and temporally monotonous. Yet biological research into boredom has barely begun, despite having important implications for animal welfare, the evolution of motivation and cognition, and for human dysfunction at individual and societal levels. Here I aim to facilitate hypotheses about how monotony affects behaviour and physiology, so that boredom can be objectively studied by ethologists and other scientists. I cover valence (pleasantness) and arousal (wakefulness) qualities of boredom, because both can be measured, and I suggest boredom includes suboptimal arousal and aversion to monotony. Because the suboptimal arousal during boredom is aversive, individuals will resist low arousal. Thus, behavioural indicators of boredom will, seemingly paradoxically, include signs of increasing drowsiness, alongside bouts of restlessness, avoidance and sensation-seeking behaviour. Valence and arousal are not, however, sufficient to fully describe boredom. For example, human boredom is further characterized by a perception that time ‘drags’, and this effect of monotony on time perception can too be behaviourally assayed in animals. Sleep disruption and some abnormal behaviour may also be caused by boredom. Ethological research into this emotional phenomenon will deepen understanding of its causes, development, function and evolution, and will enable evidence-based interventions to mitigate human and animal boredom

NetKet: A machine learning toolkit for many-body quantum systems

We introduce NetKet, a comprehensive open source framework for the study of many-body quantum systems using machine learning techniques. The framework is built around a general and flexible implementation of neural-network quantum states, which are used as a variational ansatz for quantum wavefunctions. NetKet provides algorithms for several key tasks in quantum many-body physics and quantum technology, namely quantum state tomography, supervised learning from wavefunction data, and ground state searches for a wide range of customizable lattice models. Our aim is to provide a common platform for open research and to stimulate the collaborative development of computational methods at the interface of machine learning and many-body physics