Newsportal - Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Development of a stable and reproducible protocol for 10x Cryo-ExM on single cells. This will include a stable gel matrix as well as a solid way to measure the expansion factor and spatial distortion in 3D.

We investigate bacterial iron acquisition, the role of siderophores, and the role of ionophores.

We use pulse-labeling to investigate the proteins newly synthesized in response to stress, e.g. antibiotic treatment.

The chemistry of organic, functional coatings will quantitatively be analyzed. This concerns coatings prepared by grafting from as well as by grafting to approaches. Also polymer coatings with different crosslinking mechanisms will be investigated by element sensitive chemical analysis. The coatings are at a later stage tested in our research group regarding their low-fouling properties and the results from surface analysis will be correlated to protein attachment and biofouling assays.

ATPases are integral membrane proteins that play a pivotal role in cell homeostasis by pumping substrates as diverse as ions and lipids. Although several members of this group are well-studied, many molecular details involved in their working mechanism and regulation on the molecular level still remain unsolved. In combination with transporter mutants we expect to gain a molecular understanding of how ATP, pH, the ion concentration, and the lipid environment regulate these transporters.

This project aims at studying the achievable time resolution of plastic scintillator detectors which are readout with Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPMs). These detectors are planned to be used for the photon tagging system in the future “INvestigation of the Strong Interaction in the light flavor sector” (INSIGHT) experiment at the electron accelerator ELSA in Bonn. The photon tagging system will provide a start signal and a Time-of-Flight detector a stop signal. This will allow the identification of different charged particles.

Advanced practical experiments at the accelerators for students from the Ruhr University Bochum and Paderborn University.

This project aims a combining a Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) and a Scanning Ion Conductance Microscope (SICM) to allow simultaneous, correlated recording of the cellular topography and a protein distribution in living cells with diffraction-unlimited resolution.

Fabricating metal oxide based nanostructures for their application in gas phase sensors. The project covers precursor development and its evaluation for thin film deposition via thermal and plasma assisted atomic layer deposition

Detailed knowledge from particle physics experiments will be used to study in-situ the behaviour of particles and gases in bulk reactors. γ rays from a positron annihilation will be used in a PET-like configuration taking advantage of developments of most-modern particle physics detectors. The advantage of PET lies in the fact that it is a non-invasive technology that allows to study the behaviour of systems in a closed containment densely packed with spheres. While PET technology is often used in medical applications, we will use bulk spheres and gases marked with radioactive positron sources and PET to study the transport of those spheres and gases in bulk solids reactors

In the department RUBION ion-beams, in the area of the industrial implantation, ion irradiations in the MeV range are carried out on behalf of customers in cooperation with our partner, the rubitec GmbH. There is a wide range of different ions available. The available energy and dose range depends on the respective species and the wafer size of our customers. The possibilities are determined by us depending on the application for each customer on request. In this field we are certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001: 2015 !

The work includes material development and structural Layering of perovskite for electroluminescence and laser applications. Different layer formation procedures such as pure liquid phase processes, pure vacuum deposition, as well as hybrid deposition processes are demonstrated. The work aims to study and optimize luminescence quantum efficiency and optical amplification and to understand the relationship between composition / structure and optical amplification. And then, selected materials are integrated into electroluminescent devices.

Metallic thin films with film thicknesses of typically less than 50 nm are fabricated by electron beam deposition, either as a planar film or as a patterned film using lithography techniques. Film thicknesses of planar films are typically measured using a quartz microbalance, which requires an independent and absolute calibration for each deposited elemental species. The amount of metal actually deposited through a lithography mask containing nanometric mask openings may depend on the clogging behaviour of the mask employed, which again means that there is a need for an absolute determination of the amount of deposited material. Last but not least deposited thin films and nanoobjects may be subjected to dewetting phenomena, which are often not well studied and require analytical techniques for their quantification. In many cases these goals can be achieved with unrivaled accuracy by RBS with He ion beams at 1.5 - 2.0 MeV. Occasionally, supporting information by XPS may be necessary.

This practical lab course is part of the Master studies of Biochemistry and iSTEM.

In vitro transcription with radioactive labeling

To study the cycling of life supporting elements such as N, C, H, O between the atmosphere and the solid earth, it is essential to know the solubility and partitioning of these elements between different minerals and melts. A barrier to such studies has been the lack of analytical tools to analyze N in minerals, and when such tools are available, the lack of standards that are necessary. The aim of this project is to produce minerals with known concentrations of N by ion implantation. Such crystals will then be developed as standards for measurements in other instruments (e.g. SIMS, Nanosims).

This "project" covers a conglomerate of activities that entail the use of infrastructure of the Bandow lab that is located at RUBION, but does not entail work with unstable isotopes.

This project supports the other ongoing RUBION-projects of RUB's IMC group. Complementary to the RBS/NRA project, selected thin films are subjected to XPS and AES analysis to gain insights into their surface chemical composition.

Using radiolabeled precursors in incorporation experiments, we analyze the antibacterial mechanism of action.

We are investigating the high energy ions (H, C...) implantation into silicate minerals.

The biogenesis of photosynthetic protein complexes of the chloroplast thylakoid membrane requires highly specific protein sorting, integration and assembly mechanisms of nucleus as well as plastid encoded subunits. Central steps in the biogenesis of photosystem II (PS II) are the cotranslational insertion of the plastid encoded D1 protein into the thylakoid membrane and its subsequent assembly into functional PS II. We recently established a technique to partially reconstitute the cotranslational insertion of [35S]-D1 using a homologous in vitro translation system derived from pea chloroplasts. The aims of this proposal are (I) to identify novel components involved in cotranslational protein insertion in thylakoid membranes, (II) to dissect the protein contacts of the nascent D1 chain during translation and insertion and (III) to get insight into the mechanisms underlying targeting and attachment of ribosome-nascent chain complexes to the thylakoid membrane.

This project is dedicated to the thin film analysis of selected materials prepared by using the process integrating cluster tool of the ForLab PICT2DES. Ultrathin dielectric, metallic and semiconducting films prepared via (PE)ALD are investigated, here the focus is on 2D materials. The films are characterized with ion and X-rays to gain insight into the influence of process parameters on the film composition.

Oligodendrocytes are responsible for myelination in the nervous system thereby enabling faster action potential propagation. Their progenitors (OPCs) migrate from the subventricular zone towards their target cells and are able to renew or repair myelin sheets. A disruption may lead to unmyelinated axons in the nervous system, which is a typical symptom of multiple sclerosis. Greater knowledge of the dynamics of the growth-cone-like structures on OPC might shed more light on the migration and movement mechanisms of OPCs. Using super-resolution microscopy techniques, the dynamics of the tips will be further investigated.

This long-term project aims at developing and optimizing our STED and SICM instrument.

This project uses high spatial resolution measurement of concentration gradients in natural and experimentally produced samples of minerals and rocks. The gradients are then modeled to understand the mechanism of material transport in mineralogical systems. The information is used to develop methods to determine the timescales on which various geological (e.g. volcanism, mountain building) and planetary (e.g. cooling rate in meteorite parent bodies such as asteroids) processes operate.