Scientific background: The global flux of most elements has been severely changed by anthropogenic activities. As a consequence, determining the composition of various anthropogenic materials such as nano-particles, micro-plastic, different components of an electric motor etc. becomes more and more important. In the context of “urban mining” and recycling, the element concentration of metalliferous and the mineralogical composition of other waste material is of special interest. We developed and applied specially adapted sample preparation and analytical protocols for determining element concentrations in different sample matrices.
Our strength and some analytical challenges
- Full digestion of complex anthropogenic materials without loss through volatilization.
- Determination of minor components in a complicated matrix e.g. various metals apart from Fe in steel.
- Development of analytical procedures to determine element concentrations without digestion and crushing/shredding using XRF.
Analytical possibilities
Current research topics and projects
- Analysis of element concentrations in various nano-particles (SiO2, ZnO, Fe2O3 etc.)
- Determination of element concentrations in different parts of an electric motor
- Determination of Cu and Ag in organic complexes for application in OLEDS
Selected publications
- Majewsky, M., Bitter, H., Eiche, E., Horn, H., 2016. Determination of microplastic polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) in environmental samples using thermal analysis (TGA-DSC). Science of the Total Environment 568, 507–511.
- Pasin, L., Meyer, J., Eiche, E., Kasper, G., 2018. On the Activity Enhancing Role of Iron Oxide for Noble Metal Oxidation Catalysts: A CVD-Based Study with Differently Structured Combinations of Pt and FeOx Coatings on Al2O3. Coatings 8, 217. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings8060217
- Pasin, L., Meyer, J., Eiche, E., Weis, F., Kasper, G., 2018. Efficient aerosol assisted delivery of low-volatility precursor for CVD applications. Journal of Aerosol Science 126, 180-190.