Use cases and applications in research

Take a look at how OF2i® and our other BRAVE innovations are in use in research.

Early detection of protein aggregation in biopharmaceuticals e.g. monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)

BRAVE Analytics’ nanoparticle analyzer and online particle sensor provide a way to determine when aggregation starts to occur. It monitors the progression of aggregation as it happens via OF2i® and static light scattering signals[1] and delivers results in real-time, eliminating the delay inherent in waiting for offline measurements. Reference: [1] Imaging the scattered light of a nanoparticle through a cylindrical capillary. Ulrich Hohenester, Christian Neuper, Marko Šimić, and Christian Hill. Nanophotonics, 13(4):457–463, 2024.
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Understanding dynamic liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) processes by observing the changes in size and distribution of proteins over time

These time-resolved measurements on different concentrations of proteins and RNA reveal the kinetics of LLPS processes and allow deeper insights than ever before.
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Determining the particle concentration of PIT nanoemulsions

Phase inversion is an important industrial process to make stable emulsions e.g. for personal care products. After phase inversion, the liquid-in-liquid dispersions have a droplet size in the nano-range. This brings a number of benefits due to e.g. high surface area per volume, high stability and other desirable properties. However, it is not always easy to control and predict the final droplet size during the production process.
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High-throughput detection of low-concentrated nanopollutants in surface water

To enable low-budget detection of car tire nanopollutants in surface water, Assistant Professor Gregor Marolt and his research group at University of Ljubljana are developing an innovative screen-printed sensor technology. He needed a quick and reliable way to verify his measurements.The goal was to quantify the differences between differently filtrated samples. During the measurement over 300 particles were measured with single-particle sensitivity, also capturing unknown bigger particles (probably agglomerates).
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Investigating the aggregation of biomacromolecules (low-density lipoproteins, LDL) by combining OF2i® and SEC

The particle concentration of the fractions passing through the SEC column were continuously measured using the OF2i® static light scattering module. The results give insight into the properties of aggregated LDL versus non-aggregated LDL and also flagged which fractions where the purest and therefore best-suited for e.g. cryo-EM investigations.
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(Based on the above experiments) Identifying and sizing low-density lipoproteins (LDL) with OF2i® and Raman spectroscopy

Building on the above experiments, we used Raman spectroscopy to distinguish between:

single LDL particles
and LDL agglomerates
and give a size range for LDL particles.

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Monitoring the leaching of micro- and nanoplastic particles from bottles into ultrapure water

Researchers at an Austrian university used BRAVE B-Curious to continuously measure plastic particle contamination and the leaching processes of different polypropylene bottles and compared them to glass bottles.One of the takeaways from the experiments is that particles are leaching into the liquid as soon as the liquid is in the plastic bottle.
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Distinguishing between agglomerates and large particles

The Creative Nano team was looking to continuously monitor silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles in an electrolyte solution before using them for coatings within electroplating processes. The challenges are:

The nanoparticles start to agglomerate during the process, which has an impact on the final coating.
Continuous monitoring would lead to a better understanding of the agglomeration and dissociation behavior and help optimize the production process.

Explore the analysis setup used in this use case.

Ideas for research?
Get in touch!

BRAVE Analytics is interested in getting involved in even more exciting research.
We have experience in EU projects (NanoPAT and Mozart, within Horizon 2020). If you have an idea, write us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

BRAVE devices in action

Browse more BRAVE applications

Environmental analysis

from water analysis to research into soil composition and investigating pollutants

Pharmaceuticals

parenteral nutrition, painkillers, water for injections, therapeutic protein injectibles

Biotech

understanding and optimizing protein-protein interactions, lipoproteins, VLPs, EVs, cell cultures

Cosmetics

from suncreen to shampoo, skin creams to mouth wash

Semiconductor wafers

quality monitoring in the wet production of semiconductors

Research

curiosity takes our partners to many places and results in wonderful discoveries