The role of a tantalum interlayer in enhancing the properties of Fe₃O₄ thin films

• Hai Dang Ngo,
• Vo Doan Thanh Truong,
• Van Qui Le,
• Hoai Phuong Pham and
• Thi Kim Hang Pham

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1253–1259, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.101

• ) peak at 43.07° (red line). This indicates the epitaxial growth of the Fe3O4 thin film on MgO(100). To our surprise, the Fe3O4 thin film deposited on the multilayer structure shows the two peaks Fe3O4(311) and Fe3O4(400) at 35.68° and 43.36°, respectively (blue line). This implies that the tantalum

• the Fe3O4 thin films causes a shift in the peak observed in sample 3 [32]. Our results reveal that the growth orientation of the Fe3O4 thin film depends on the lattice mismatch between the Fe3O4 thin film and the substrate or buffer layer. When the Fe3O4 thin film is deposited on the amorphous SiO2

• substrate, the lattice mismatch between the amorphous substrate and the crystalline film is large. In this case, the growth orientation of Fe3O4 thin film is determined by the direction having the least internal energy, which is [111]. The energetically favored [111] direction also has the highest

Photocatalytic methane oxidation over a TiO₂/SiNWs p–n junction catalyst at room temperature

• Qui Thanh Hoai Ta,
• Luan Minh Nguyen,
• Ngoc Hoi Nguyen,
• Phan Khanh Thinh Nguyen and
• Dai Hai Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1132–1141, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.92

• min. The etched p-Si NWs substrate was eventually washed with DI water and dried under N2 flow, as shown in Figure 9. Second, the as-prepared SiNWs sample was transferred to the chamber of an ALD system (R200 Advanced Picosun, 2013) for TiO2 thin film deposition. The TiO2 thin film deposition was

• (HAL-320). First, the reactor containing the photocatalytic thin film samples was evacuated using a vacuum pump for 10 min and filled with a mixture of CH4/air (4.5/0.5 pressure ratio). The pressure ratio of the gas mixture was varied to study gas composition-dependent efficiency. The total pressure of

• spectrometer (DRS-UV, Shimazu UV-2450). The chemical structure of the catalyst surface was analyzed using a Raman spectrometer (excitation of 532 nm, ANDOR Monora 500i). The surface wettability of the thin film sample was measured using a static contact angle system (Biosin Scientific), as shown in Supporting

Direct electron beam writing of silver using a β-diketonate precursor: first insights

• Katja Höflich,
• Krzysztof Maćkosz,
• Chinmai S. Jureddy,
• Aleksei Tsarapkin and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1117–1124, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.90

• cluster by enhanced diffusion. Finally, the second halo region (H2) depicts similar particle sizes around below 20 nm sitting on top of larger bright areas of 50–250 nm. The composition of the different halo regions was studied by EDX. Because of the rich morphology observed in the deposit, no thin-film

Interface properties of nanostructured carbon-coated biological implants: an overview

• Mattia Bartoli,
• Francesca Cardano,
• Erik Piatti,
• Stefania Lettieri,
• Andrea Fin and
• Alberto Tagliaferro

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1041–1053, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.85

• temperature because the higher number of phonons increases the efficiency of thermal transport [75]. NDs show also exceptional mechanical strength and low chemical reactivity, making them sound candidates for thin film coatings [76]. These properties are counterbalanced by a low electrical conductivity due to

• deposition (PVD), and in situ formation through laser treatments. CVD offers several advantageous features such as a high degree of control over the deposition process. CVD involves the deposition of a thin film of material onto a substrate through homogeneous or heterogeneous reactions [79]. Homogeneous

Beyond biomimicry – next generation applications of bioinspired adhesives from microfluidics to composites

• Dan Sameoto

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 965–976, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.79

• ]. Vacuum jamming forces a series of particles, fibers, or sheets together to act as a semi-solid under vacuum. For instance, granular jamming can employ something as simple as coffee grounds in a rubber balloon to function as a shape-morphing actuator. Layer jamming, where different stacks of paper or thin

• film sheets combine under vacuum, offers more resilience and strength. However, vacuum jamming can present problems due to leaks, power consumption, noise from pumps, and the ultimate strength of the parts being limited by coefficients of friction and applied vacuum pressure. My interest in stiffness

Effect of repeating hydrothermal growth processes and rapid thermal annealing on CuO thin film properties

• Monika Ozga,
• Eunika Zielony,
• Aleksandra Wierzbicka,
• Anna Wolska,
• Marcin Klepka,
• Marek Godlewski,
• Bogdan J. Kowalski and
• Bartłomiej S. Witkowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 743–754, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.62

• . Despite the existence of numerous methods for thin film growth based on various physical and chemical phenomena, it remains acknowledged that these techniques do not yield ideal outcomes in terms of applications in any area [16]. Therefore, comprehending the potential and limitations of these different

• . Conversely, direct thin film growth through the hydrothermal approach is outlined in [44][45]. In a different study [46], CuO films were grown on glass substrates coated with CuHNO4 through 4, 8, and 12 h long hydrothermal treatments of copper hydroxide nitrate suspension at 200 °C. Another example is the

Exfoliation of titanium nitride using a non-thermal plasma process

• Priscila Jussiane Zambiazi,
• Dolores Ribeiro Ricci Lazar,
• Larissa Otubo,
• Rodrigo Fernando Brambilla de Souza,
• Almir Oliveira Neto and
• Cecilia Chaves Guedes-Silva

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 631–637, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.53

• -thermal plasma exfoliation process starting from micrometer-sized TiN powder. The resulting product exhibited a plate-like thin film morphology with an enlarged d-spacing of the (200) crystallographic planes and a relaxation of the Raman vibrational modes. While the cubic structure and chemical

AFM-IR investigation of thin PECVD SiO_x films on a polypropylene substrate in the surface-sensitive mode

• Hendrik Müller,
• Hartmut Stadler,
• Teresa de los Arcos,
• Adrian Keller and
• Guido Grundmeier

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 603–611, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.51

• crystal microbalance (QCM) during deposition. Samples were prepared with a SiOx thickness of 5 nm and 50 nm. The PECVD process is described elsewhere [16]. Surface and thin film analysis The infrared spectroscopic studies were performed using an Anasys NanoIR 3s system from Bruker Nano GmbH, Germany

• exemplify the enormous improvements in thin film sensitivity that can be achieved by this mode in comparison to the established contact mode measurements. While the measurements in contact mode were dominated by the signal of the polypropylene substrate, we were able to record clear and well-defined signals

• of the SiOx thin films in surface-sensitive mode. This way, we were able to record AFM-IR spectra of a 5 nm thin PECVD SiOx layer grown on the polypropylene substrate. AFM-IR enabled for the first time the analysis of PECVD SiOx thin film inhomogeneities during the initial layer growth. Overall, this

Potential of a deep eutectic solvent in silver nanoparticle fabrication for antibiotic residue detection

• Le Hong Tho,
• Bui Xuan Khuyen,
• Ngoc Xuan Dat Mai and
• Nhu Hoa Thi Tran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 426–434, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.38

• located at 390 nm, which is suitable for SERS applications with 532 nm laser excitation. Besides, the shape of the UV–vis spectrum is in accordance with Mie scattering theory calculations, as reported in [39], proving the existence of Ag NPs in the solution. Moreover, the XRD pattern of the thin film

• thin film (Figure 3B). The uniform distribution of silver shows the uniformity of Ag NPs-DES thin film on the glass substrate, which is crucial for the applicability of this material. NFT detection The most fundamental component of a SERS-based biosensor is its SERS substrate. It directly affects the

• SERS performance of the biosensor [6]. Herein, the Ag NPs-DES thin film with the superiorly uniform Ag NPs-DES coating can be used as a SERS substrate for the analysis of antibiotics. First, residue tracing of nitrofurantoin (NFT) has been conducted in the range from 10−3 M down to 10−8 M (Figure 4A

Determining by Raman spectroscopy the average thickness and N-layer-specific surface coverages of MoS₂ thin films with domains much smaller than the laser spot size

• Felipe Wasem Klein,
• Jean-Roch Huntzinger,
• Vincent Astié,
• Damien Voiry,
• Romain Parret,
• Houssine Makhlouf,
• Sandrine Juillaguet,
• Jean-Manuel Decams,
• Sylvie Contreras,
• Périne Landois,
• Ahmed-Azmi Zahab,
• Jean-Louis Sauvajol and
• Matthieu Paillet

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 279–296, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.26

• modes is proposed to evaluate the surface coverage for each N (i.e., the ratio between the surface covered by exactly N layers and the total surface) in DLI-PP-CVD MoS2 samples. Keywords: molybdenum disulfide; number of layers; Raman spectroscopy; thin film; transition metal dichalcogenides

• . However, atomic force microscopy revealed that they are constituted of nanoflakes (with a lateral size of typically 50 nm) with possibly a distribution of thicknesses. Furthermore, depending on the synthesis conditions, the MoS2 surface coverage can be incomplete, and the thin film average thickness can

• contaminations or deposition of others species would have a different impact on the Raman intensity coming from MoS2 in the film and on the one coming from the Si substrate underneath the deposited thin film. It is, thus, expected that the measurements on contaminated or highly defective MoS2 thin films will

Ultrasensitive and ultrastretchable metal crack strain sensor based on helical polydimethylsiloxane

• Shangbi Chen,
• Dewen Liu,
• Weiwei Chen,
• Huajiang Chen,
• Jiawei Li and
• Jinfang Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 270–278, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.25

• metal crack sensors that exhibit exceptional performance in terms of ultrahigh sensitivity and ultrahigh stretchability. This is achieved by incorporating a helical structure into the substrate through a modeling process and, subsequently, depositing a thin film of gold onto the polydimethylsiloxane

• substrate via sputter deposition. The metal thin film is then pre-stretched to generate microcracks. The sensor demonstrates a remarkable stretchability of 300%, an exceptional sensitivity with a maximum gauge factor reaching 107, a rapid response time of 158 ms, minimal hysteresis, and outstanding

• sensor that exhibits both high sensitivity and a wide range of strain through the combined integration of a cracked thin metal and a 3D helical substrate. The fabrication process involves depositing a Au thin film onto a PDMS substrate with helical structure, followed by pre-stretching to induce

Design, fabrication, and characterization of kinetic-inductive force sensors for scanning probe applications

• August K. Roos,
• Ermes Scarano,
• Elisabet K. Arvidsson,
• Erik Holmgren and
• David B. Haviland

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 242–255, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.23

• large enough to realize the desired kinetic inductance. To understand this constraint, we turn to electromagnetic simulations. Electromagnetic simulations In this work, we explore thin-film nanowires of width w = 75, 100, and 200 nm, which we can fabricate with a high degree of uniformity using electron

• with 600 nm low-stress (<100 MPa) Si-N films. The sensor chips are 1.6 mm by 3.4 mm, about the size of a standard AFM cantilever chip. The steps are as follows: (a) Superconducting film. We first deposit a 15 nm thick thin film of superconducting Nb60Ti40N by reactive co-sputtering from separate

• direction. (a) Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a fabricated sensor seen from an angled topside view. The cantilever is formed from a Si-N plate protruding from and supported by a Si substrate. A thin film of Nb-Ti-N is deposited on top of the Si-N and patterned to form the microwave resonator. A

Quantitative wear evaluation of tips based on sharp structures

• Ke Xu and
• Houwen Leng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 230–241, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.22

• analyze the shape of the tip, we use a probe to scan a TipCheck calibration sample and characterize its morphology. The TipCheck sample, provided by BudgetSensors, consists of a silicon chip sample with a wear-resistant thin film coating. The thin film coating exhibits granular and sharp nanostructures

CdSe/ZnS quantum dots as a booster in the active layer of distributed ternary organic photovoltaics

• Gabriela Lewińska,
• Piotr Jeleń,
• Zofia Kucia,
• Maciej Sitarz,
• Łukasz Walczak,
• Bartłomiej Szafraniak,
• Jerzy Sanetra and
• Konstanty W. Marszalek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 144–156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.14

• spectra of a solid were studied as a thin film deposited on quartz, and measurements in solution were obtained in chloroform. The wavelength ranged from 250 to 1000 nm. A Woolam M-2000 ellipsometer was used for spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis. The measurement range was 350–1650 nm. The measurement was

• (point by point). The layer under consideration was first pure quantum dots and then a ternary system with PC71BM and P3HT. The refractive index (n) of the quantum dots thin film and the extinction coefficient (k) were estimated using the Lorentz model modified by Tauc. The complex dielectric function is

• observed, thus approaching the maximum of the sunlight spectrum (approximately 550 nm). The refractive index of the thin film for the ternary mixture enriched by QD480 increases slightly compared to the base mixture P3HT+PC71BM. For the other mixtures, there is a decrease in the magnitude of the maximum

Curcumin-loaded nanostructured systems for treatment of leishmaniasis: a review

• Douglas Dourado,
• Thayse Silva Medeiros,
• Éverton do Nascimento Alencar,
• Edijane Matos Sales and
• Fábio Rocha Formiga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 37–50, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.4

• nanoliposomes promoting increased antiparasitic activity. Recently, Bafghi and collaborators produced nanoliposomes for curc delivery as a new alternative for leishmaniasis treatment [89]. Briefly, the nanoliposomes were prepared by thin-film hydration, resulting in spherical vesicles with 176.5 nm of diameter

TEM sample preparation of lithographically patterned permalloy nanostructures on silicon nitride membranes

• Joshua Williams,
• Michael I. Faley,
• Joseph Vimal Vas,
• Peng-Han Lu and
• Rafal E. Dunin-Borkowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1–12, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.1

• implemented back in 1978 to fabricate thin-film Josephson devices [29]. The principle behind stencil lithography is to deposit materials onto the substrate through the aperture of a hard mask. Rather than placing the mask directly on the substrate and then removing it, as in traditional resist-based

Fluorescent bioinspired albumin/polydopamine nanoparticles and their interactions with Escherichia coli cells

• Eloïse Equy,
• Jordana Hirtzel,
• Sophie Hellé,
• Béatrice Heurtault,
• Eric Mathieu,
• Morgane Rabineau,
• Vincent Ball and
• Lydie Ploux

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1208–1224, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.100

• progressive inhibition of the deposition of a PDA film on the wall of the reaction beaker, which was mentioned above and observed above a certain amount of BSA (Figure 3a). This allowed us to assume that BSA molecules below a critical amount cannot surround all DA molecules (some DA molecules thus form a thin

• film of PDA on the beaker’s wall), whereas they stabilize PDA NPs above this amount. The suspension stability was maintained when BSA/PDA NPs were in suspension in H2O or 150 mM NaCl solution. However, the mean hydrodynamic diameter varied with the solvent, with an increase by up to 50% for a BSA/DA

Dual-heterodyne Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Benjamin Grévin,
• Fatima Husainy,
• Dmitry Aldakov and
• Cyril Aumaître

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1068–1084, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.88

• reference substrate, a bulk organic photovoltaic heterojunction thin film, and an optoelectronic interface obtained by depositing caesium lead bromide perovskite nanosheets on a graphite surface. The conclusion provides perspectives for future improvements and applications. Keywords: heterodyne

• characterize the surface photovoltage dynamics are acquired on a photovoltaic organic bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) thin film. The time-constant values are shown to be fully consistent with the results of pump-probe KPFM. Last, the ability of DHe-KPFM to detect weak SPV signals is illustrated by investigating

• images (Figure 3a, and numeric zoom in Supporting Information File 1, Figure S6) indicate that the thin-film processing was performed as expected. They display a uniform contrast at the hundred-nanometre scale, indicating that a fine intermixing of donor and acceptor species has been obtained. On a

Fragmentation of metal(II) bis(acetylacetonate) complexes induced by slow electrons

• Janina Kopyra and
• Hassan Abdoul-Carime

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 980–987, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.81

• . Metal bis(acetylacetonate) complexes are of interest for many thin film fabrication techniques (e.g., chemical vapor deposition [9], atomic layer epitaxy [10], or atomic layer etching [11]) and as precursors for carbon materials, such as carbon nanotubes and carbon onion particles [12], or metal oxide

N-Heterocyclic carbene-based gold etchants

• Robert B. Chevalier,
• Justin Pantano,
• Matthew K. Kiesewetter and
• Jason R. Dwyer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 865–871, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.71

• ) iodide, and 1,3-diisopropyl-5-nitrobenzimidazole-2-ylidene. Contrary to expectation, solutions containing the first two species in tetrahydrofuran and dichloromethane caused visible loss of gold from thin-film-coated glass slides. The use of toluene solutions of all species resulted in no apparent

A wearable nanoscale heart sound sensor based on P(VDF-TrFE)/ZnO/GR and its application in cardiac disease detection

• Yi Luo,
• Jian Liu,
• Jiachang Zhang,
• Yu Xiao,
• Ying Wu and
• Zhidong Zhao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 819–833, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.67

• flexible piezoelectric thin film heart sound sensor was developed, and a heart sound detection and classification system was built based on this sensor. Zinc oxide (ZnO) and graphene (GR) fillers were added to the P(VDF-TrFE) matrix, and P(VDF-TrFE)/ZnO/GR composite piezoelectric nanofilms were prepared

• of heart sound stethoscope. Results and Discussion Characterization of thin film samples In the study by Luo et al. [19], an investigation was carried out to explore the electrospinning of piezoelectric films using different composition ratios of P(VDF-TrFE), ZnO, and GR. The resulting films

• utilized to analyze the composition and β-phase content of the composite piezoelectric nanofilms, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to observe the morphology of the thin film filaments. Figure 6 displays the XRD patterns of the three composite piezoelectric nanofilms. In the P(VDF-TrFE

Nanoarchitectonics to entrap living cells in silica-based systems: encapsulations with yolk–shell and sepiolite nanomaterials

• Celia Martín-Morales,
• Jorge Fernández-Méndez,
• Pilar Aranda and
• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 522–534, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.43

• conformations. (A) Sepiolite–alginate beads, (B) sepiolite–chitosan thin film, and (C) sepiolite–chitosan foams without cells. (D, E) Silica-based nanocomposites. (D) G57-4-type silica gel without cells and (E) the same type of silica gel with entrapped cyanobacteria cells. FE-SEM images of silica gel

The origin of black and white coloration of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

• Manuela Rebora,
• Gianandrea Salerno,
• Silvana Piersanti,
• Alexander Kovalev and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 496–508, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.41

• illumination/observation configuration; (2) light scattering, which might be subdivided in (a) Rayleigh scattering on nanostructures, (b) scattering on partially regular micro- and nanostructures, and (c) thin film interference scales; (3) selective absorption by various molecules present in the cuticle; and

• (and also the black) appearance and demonstrates the importance of multiple reflections for the appearance of the white scales (Figure 6c). Thin film interference In the microscopic areas on the scales with relatively constant cuticle thickness, the effect of interference in thin films can be observed

A novel approach to pulsed laser deposition of platinum catalyst on carbon particles for use in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

• Bogusław Budner,
• Wojciech Tokarz,
• Sławomir Dyjak,
• Andrzej Czerwiński,
• Bartosz Bartosewicz and
• Bartłomiej Jankiewicz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 190–204, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.19

• ) number of electrons per O2 molecule formed during the ORR, (d) %H2O2 formed during the ORR. Curves (c) and (d) were calculated from the data in panels (a) and (b) using Equations 1 and 2, respectively, with η = 0.152 for 900 rpm. The thin film RRDE experiments were done in a four-electrode arrangement in

Structural, optical, and bioimaging characterization of carbon quantum dots solvothermally synthesized from o-phenylenediamine

• Zoran M. Marković,
• Milica D. Budimir,
• Martin Danko,
• Dušan D. Milivojević,
• Pavel Kubat,
• Danica Z. Zmejkoski,
• Vladimir B. Pavlović,
• Marija M. Mojsin,
• Milena J. Stevanović and
• Biljana M. Todorović Marković

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 165–174, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.17

• 2.2 mg/mL. These specimens were designated as CQDs/PU. For bioimaging studies, toluene was evaporated, and a thin film of CQDs was redissolved in water and filtered. The prepared QCD samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier