Detection of Germanium Nanocrystals as Tracer Materials in Polypropylene via Raman Spectroscopy.

Monique Greiner, Michael Pohlitz, Philipp Kitschke, Aylin Last, Christian K Müller, Jonathan G C Veinot, Michael Heinrich

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Article in Materials (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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7 authors.

Monique GreinerInstitute for Production Technology, Faculty of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, 08056 Zwickau, Germany.ORCID 0009-0009-2259-9935

Michael PohlitzLeupold Institute of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Physical Engineering/Computer Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, 08056 Zwickau, Germany.

Philipp KitschkeLeupold Institute of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Physical Engineering/Computer Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, 08056 Zwickau, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2943-2889

Aylin LastLeupold Institute of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Physical Engineering/Computer Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, 08056 Zwickau, Germany.

Christian K MüllerLeupold Institute of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Physical Engineering/Computer Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, 08056 Zwickau, Germany.

Jonathan G C VeinotDepartment of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G2, Canada.

Michael HeinrichInstitute for Production Technology, Faculty of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, 08056 Zwickau, Germany.

Funding

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6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Increasing regulatory demands for high-quality plastic recycling create a strong need for novel tracer systems that enable reliable polymer identification and sorting. This feasibility study evaluates germanium nanocrystals (GeNCs) as Raman-detectable tracer materials in polypropylene (PP). The synthesis of GeNC/PP composite materials possessing various GeNC contents via a solvent-based intercalation process followed by compounding and injection molding is reported. Hydride-terminated GeNCs were synthesized and subsequently functionalized with dodecyl ligands to ensure chemical stability, compatibility with the polymer matrix, and processability under conventional melt-processing conditions. The dodecyl-functionalized GeNCs were successfully stabilized and homogeneously integrated into the PP matrix. Raman spectroscopy demonstrates the clear detection of GeNCs within the composites through a characteristic Ge-Ge optical phonon mode at 296 cm

Indexed as

compositesdigital material passportgermanium nanocrystalspolypropyleneRaman spectroscopytracer technology

Identifiers

PMID42279838

DOI10.3390/ma19112185

PMCPMC13257731

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LicenceCC BY

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