Design of V-shaped cantilevers for enhanced multifrequency AFM measurements

• Mehrnoosh Damircheli and
• Babak Eslami

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1525–1541, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.135

• optimum dimensions, two different commercial V-shaped cantilevers are compared by performing bimodal AFM on a polymer blend of polystyrene and low-density polyethylene (PS-LDPE). Additionally, two V-shaped cantilevers are compared with an optimum rectangular cantilever [42] which is a common choice of

• surface. The second sample is a polymer blend of PS and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) (HarmoniX sample purchased from Bruker) in order to challenge the cantilevers with more similar material properties. Figure 13a–c shows height or topography images of the Au–PS sample imaged in bimodal AFM using a

A review of demodulation techniques for multifrequency atomic force microscopy

• David M. Harcombe,
• Michael G. Ruppert and
• Andrew J. Fleming

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 76–91, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.8

• ) tracking bandwidths. The input signal is described by Equation 2, where A1 = 500 mV, A2 = 100 mV, A3 = 50 mV and f1 = 50 kHz, f2 = 150 kHz and f3 = 300 kHz. Higher-harmonic amplitude AFM imaging performed with the fundamental mode of a TAP190G cantilever on a PS/LPDE polymer blend. Images shown are the (a

A novel method to remove impulse noise from atomic force microscopy images based on Bayesian compressed sensing

• Yingxu Zhang,
• Yingzi Li,
• Zihang Song,
• Zhenyu Wang,
• Jianqiang Qian and
• Junen Yao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2346–2356, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.225

• proposed method, an AFM image with a high density of added impulse noise (Figure 7) and an image of a polymer-blend sample (stiff polystyrene (PS) and soft polybutadiene (PB) polymer, Nanosurf) with noise acquired with a Park Systems XE-100 AFM (Figure 8) are processed by the proposed method. It can be

Design of a nanostructured mucoadhesive system containing curcumin for buccal application: from physicochemical to biological aspects

• Sabrina Barbosa de Souza Ferreira,
• Gustavo Braga,
• Évelin Lemos Oliveira,
• Jéssica Bassi da Silva,
• Hélen Cássia Rosseto,
• Lidiane Vizioli de Castro Hoshino,
• Mauro Luciano Baesso,
• Wilker Caetano,
• Craig Murdoch,
• Helen Elizabeth Colley and
• Marcos Luciano Bruschi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2304–2328, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.222

• located at 427 nm and is due to the aromatic rings of hydroxyl groups and ether [86]. The polymer blend 15/0.25 demonstrated a large band that varies from 250 to 350 nm, with peaks at 250 to 295 nm. On the other hand, the blend 15/0.25/0.08 displays variation from 250 to 500 nm with peaks at 250, 295, 315

Layered calcium phenylphosphonate: a hybrid material for a new generation of nanofillers

• Kateřina Kopecká,
• Ludvík Beneš,
• Klára Melánová,
• Vítězslav Zima,
• Petr Knotek and
• Kateřina Zetková

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2906–2915, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.269

• proper particle distribution within the polymer matrix, and it is therefore also very important that the chemical nature of the particles and their compatibility with the polymer chains are also considered. Interaction with the polymer blend components Such good compatibility could be attributed to the

• hybrid character of the particles when the phenyl groups (as organic moieties) enhance interactions with the polymer chains in the polymer blend. As can be seen from the powder XRD patterns of the unexfoliated CaPhP particles in the free cured epoxy film (see Figure 8, CaPhP_a_5), the main reflection is

• (CHS-EPOX 520) and for free films loaded with 0.5 wt % of unexfoliated (CaPhP_a_0.5) and exfoliated (CaPhP_exf_0.5) filler. Comparison of the basal spacings for calcium phenylphosphonate alone, as a filler in the free film and its mixtures with individual components of the polymer blend. Results of gas

Electrospun one-dimensional nanostructures: a new horizon for gas sensing materials

• Muhammad Imran,
• Nunzio Motta and
• Mahnaz Shafiei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2128–2170, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.202

Lyapunov estimation for high-speed demodulation in multifrequency atomic force microscopy

• David M. Harcombe,
• Michael G. Ruppert,
• Michael R. P. Ragazzon and
• Andrew J. Fleming

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 490–498, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.47

• contact with the sample. MF-AFM higher harmonic images obtained with this deflection signal are shown in Figure 11. Higher-harmonic AFM imaging performed with the fundamental mode of the DMASP cantilever on a PS/LPDE polymer blend with measurement bandwidths of 1 kHz and 200 Hz for the first and higher

A robust AFM-based method for locally measuring the elasticity of samples

• Alexandre Bubendorf,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Thomas Schimmel and
• Ernst Meyer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1–10, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.1

• -density polyethylene) and a self-assembled monolayer of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane (FDTS) on a silicon oxide substrate perforated with circular holes prepared by polymer blend lithography. For all samples the relation was evidenced by recording Δf1, Δf2 and FN as a function of the Z

• ) of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane (FDTS) on a silicon oxide (SiOx) substrate were investigated. The SAM was prepared with circular holes obtained by polymer blend lithography (PBL) [24]. A reference sample consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), commonly called Teflon, with a nominal

Material discrimination and mixture ratio estimation in nanocomposites via harmonic atomic force microscopy

• Weijie Zhang,
• Yuhang Chen,
• Xicheng Xia and
• Jiaru Chu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2771–2780, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.276

• signals were investigated systematically on a polymer blend composed of polystyrene (PS) and low-density polyehtylene (LDPE). We focused on the influence of feedback amplitude set-point, drive frequency and laser spot position along the cantilever beam. Based on these fundamental studies, harmonic AFM

• approximately 10 pm. The lowest harmonic amplitude measured was quite close to this level, but it could still be unambiguously determined. Other harmonic amplitude magnitudes were generally larger than the noise. Three kinds of samples were employed for the harmonic AFM measurements. The first is a polymer

• blend composed of PS and LDPE. This sample is used to study the influencing factors in harmonic imaging. The second is a mixture of PS and SiO2 NPs. The nominal diameters of PS and SiO2 are 300 ± 7.5 nm and 100 ± 2.5 nm, respectively. Two solutions containing the same concentration of these two kinds of

High-stress study of bioinspired multifunctional PEDOT:PSS/nanoclay nanocomposites using AFM, SEM and numerical simulation

• Alfredo J. Diaz,
• Hanaul Noh,
• Tobias Meier and
• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2069–2082, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.207

• . PEDOT:PSS is a polymer blend in which PEDOT is conductive, hydrophobic and positively charged, and PSS is hydrophilic and charged negatively. The post-treatments take advantage of the polymers’ properties to modify the structure. When ions from concentrated sulfuric acid [45] or methanol (hydrophilic [44

Graphene-enhanced plasmonic nanohole arrays for environmental sensing in aqueous samples

• Christa Genslein,
• Peter Hausler,
• Eva-Maria Kirchner,
• Rudolf Bierl,
• Antje J. Baeumner and
• Thomas Hirsch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1564–1573, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.150

• fabrication and low manufacturing cost that can also easily be done in low-class clean room areas, techniques such as polymer blend lithography or a modified nanosphere lithography (NSL) technique were recently developed [31][32]. Using colloidal lithography disordered nanoholes can be obtained. A combination

Novel roles for well-known players: from tobacco mosaic virus pests to enzymatically active assemblies

• Claudia Koch,
• Fabian J. Eber,
• Carlos Azucena,
• Alexander Förste,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Alexander M. Bittner,
• Holger Jeske,
• Hartmut Gliemann,
• Sabine Eiben,
• Fania C. Geiger and
• Christina Wege

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 613–629, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.54

• might enable a fine-tuned adjustment of rod orientations in the desired dimensions (Figure 8B): Substrates coated with DNA anchors were equipped with a nano-perforated metal-organic layer via metal polymer blend lithography [178][179], and its topographical contrast amplified by a metal-organic build-up

• cascade of [SA]-GOx and [SA]-HRP can be established in a PDMS flow cell. B: TMV-like particles mounted in an upright position in a nanowell template fabricated as follows: A flat substrate was equipped with ssDNA and covered with a 60 nm thin, perforated metal-organic film produced by metal polymer blend

High-bandwidth multimode self-sensing in bimodal atomic force microscopy

• Michael G. Ruppert and
• S. O. Reza Moheimani

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 284–295, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.26

• to strain sensitivity. The applicability of the multimodal self-sensing principle is verified by bimodal AFM experiments to obtain qualitative phase contrast on the higher eigenmode when imaging a soft polymer blend. Modeling Piezoelectric constitutive laws By sputtering a piezoelectric layer to the

Template-controlled mineralization: Determining film granularity and structure by surface functionality patterns

• Nina J. Blumenstein,
• Jonathan Berson,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Petia Atanasova,
• Johannes Baier,
• Joachim Bill and
• Thomas Schimmel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1763–1768, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.180

• of the nanoparticles, which nucleate in solution and subsequently deposit on the functionalized substrate. Keywords: bioinspired synthesis; polymer-blend lithography; surface functionality; template-controlled self-assembly; zinc oxide thin film; Introduction Self-organization plays an important

• a templating substrate – properties which, in turn, are key properties for nanodevices. Experimental Template preparation by polymer-blend lithography Polymer solution: Polystyrene (PS, Mw = 96 kg/mol, PDI 1.04) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA, Mw = 9.59 kg/mol, PDI 1.05) were purchased from

• Polymer Standards Service GmbH and dissolved directly in methyl ethyl ketone (MEK, Aldrich). The mass ratio between PS and PMMA was 3:7 and the total concentration of the two polymers was 15 mg/mL. Thin polymer-blend films were spin-coated at 1500 revolutions per minute (rpm) onto silicon substrates that

Polymer blend lithography for metal films: large-area patterning with over 1 billion holes/inch²

• Cheng Huang,
• Alexander Förste,
• Stefan Walheim and
• Thomas Schimmel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1205–1211, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.123

• , Germany 10.3762/bjnano.6.123 Abstract Polymer blend lithography (PBL) is a spin-coating-based technique that makes use of the purely lateral phase separation between two immiscible polymers to fabricate large area nanoscale patterns. In our earlier work (Huang et al. 2012), PBL was demonstrated for the

• fabrication of patterned self-assembled monolayers. Here, we report a new method based on the technique of polymer blend lithography that allows for the fabrication of metal island arrays or perforated metal films on the nanometer scale, the metal PBL. As the polymer blend system in this work, a mixture of

• plasmonic resonance; metal islands; metal nanostructures; metal polymer blend lithography (metal PBL); nano-patterned template; nanoscale discs; optical transmission; perforated metal film; polymer phase separation; poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA); polystyrene (PS); self-assembly; spin-coating; surface

High sensitivity and high resolution element 3D analysis by a combined SIMS–SPM instrument

• Yves Fleming and
• Tom Wirtz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1091–1099, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.110

• spectrometry (SIMS) data was combined with topographical data from the scanning probe microscopy (SPM) module for five test structures in order to obtain accurate chemical 3D maps: a polystyrene/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PS/PVP) polymer blend, a nickel-based super-alloy, a titanium carbonitride-based cermet, a

• of the TiCN cermet. Keywords: alloy; atomic force microscopy (AFM); correlative microscopy; differential sputtering; in situ; multimodal imaging; nano-cluster; polymer blend; secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS); scanning probe microscopy (SPM); SIMS artefacts; sputter-induced effects; sputter

• is widely used in the SIMS field. The 3D SIMS-AFM surface reconstructions are visualised using the SPIP™ software by Image Metrology [15], the ParaView software tool [16] as well as the MayaVI 2 software tool [17]. Results and Discussion PS/PVP polymer blend An annealed polystyrene (PS

A scanning probe microscope for magnetoresistive cantilevers utilizing a nested scanner design for large-area scans

• Tobias Meier,
• Alexander Förste,
• Ali Tavassolizadeh,
• Karsten Rott,
• Dirk Meyners,
• Roland Gröger,
• Günter Reiss,
• Eckhard Quandt,
• Thomas Schimmel and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 451–461, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.46

• sensors, we applied polymer blend lithography to pattern structured self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on hydrophilic SiOx [63]. In order to obtain a high chemical contrast we used 1.3 nm high monolayers of FDTS (1H,1H,2H,2H - perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane), which are well known for their hydrophobicity [64

High-frequency multimodal atomic force microscopy

• Adrian P. Nievergelt,
• Jonathan D. Adams,
• Pascal D. Odermatt and
• Georg E. Fantner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2459–2467, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.255

• multifrequency materials contrast imaging of a polymer blend in both air and fluid, and gentle, high-resolution imaging of an F-actin fibre in fluid. Results and Discussion Instrument design The basis for our optical design is a modular AFM readout head design we have reported earlier [36]. The modular nature of

• contrast for the softer globular areas with no visible effects from the topography feedback. At present, we are uncertain of the source of the apparent contrast inversion at the edges of the globular areas in Figure 4d versus Figure 4a, although it may be due to surface restructuring of the polymer blend

• deflection readout, we have shown bimodal imaging of a polymer blend in both air and liquid, with amplitudes of the second mode well below a nanometre at previously inaccessible cantilever resonance frequencies. We furthermore demonstrated gentle, low-dissipation imaging of F-actin in drive amplitude

Near-field photochemical and radiation-induced chemical fabrication of nanopatterns of a self-assembled silane monolayer

• Ulrich C. Fischer,
• Carsten Hentschel,
• Florian Fontein,
• Linda Stegemann,
• Christiane Hoeppener,
• Harald Fuchs and
• Stefanie Hoeppener

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1441–1449, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.156

• ], self-assembled block-copolymer structures [17], block-copolymer micelle nanolithography [18] as well as polymer blend lithography [19]. Moreover, gold nanoparticles with functional groups have been arranged in many different approaches to form chemical nanopatterns [14]. With parallel lithographic

Multiple regimes of operation in bimodal AFM: understanding the energy of cantilever eigenmodes

• Daniel Kiracofe,
• Arvind Raman and
• Dalia Yablon

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 385–393, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.45

• mechanical property that is responsible for a particular contrast. Further, the contrast is sometimes poor between distinct domains or components within a polymer blend or composite. Finally, artifacts induced by bistable imaging in attractive and repulsive regimes often confuse the interpretation of phase

• this work we show a series of bimodal experiments on a multicomponent polymer blend using different combinations of eigenmodes. Bimodal AFM shows excellent contrast between the different components. We will show that there are several interesting effects that depend on the choice of eigenmodes and

• positioned approximately 100 nm above the surface. A curve fit to the thermal spectum was used to determine the natural frequency [14]. The drive frequency was then set to this frequency, and the phase (lag) offset was set to 90 degrees. The sample used was a ternary polymer blend consisting of isotactic

Polynomial force approximations and multifrequency atomic force microscopy

• Daniel Platz,
• Daniel Forchheimer,
• Erik A. Tholén and
• David B. Haviland

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 352–360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.41

• -resolution surface-property maps of polymer blend samples. The polynomial method is described as a special example of a more general approximative force reconstruction, where the aim is to determine model parameters that best approximate the measured force spectrum. This approximative approach is not limited

Polymer blend lithography: A versatile method to fabricate nanopatterned self-assembled monolayers

• Cheng Huang,
• Markus Moosmann,
• Jiehong Jin,
• Tobias Heiler,
• Stefan Walheim and
• Thomas Schimmel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 620–628, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.71

• (KIT), 76128 Karlsruhe, Germany Joint Research Laboratory Nanomaterials Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)/Darmstadt University of Technology, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.3.71 Abstract A rapid and cost-effective lithographic method, polymer blend lithography (PBL), is reported to

• morphology has a topographic contrast of about 1.3 nm. A demonstration of tuning of the PS island diameter is given by changing the molar mass of PS. Moreover, polymer blend lithography can provide the possibility of fabricating a surface with three different chemical components: This is demonstrated by

• growth of ZnO nanostructures [1]. Keywords: breath figure; nanopatterned template; polymer blend lithography (PBL); self-assembled monolayer (SAM); self assembly; spin coating; vapor phase; Introduction Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are well-known and have been intensively studied for many years