Emerging strategies in the sustainable removal of antibiotics using semiconductor-based photocatalysts

• Yunus Ahmed,
• Keya Rani Dutta,
• Parul Akhtar,
• Md. Arif Hossen,
• Md. Jahangir Alam,
• Obaid A. Alharbi,
• Hamad AlMohamadi and
• Abdul Wahab Mohammad

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 264–285, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.21

• enable localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR). The second strategy focuses on the development of heterojunctions between two semiconductors that is activated by visible light [65][66]. These heterojunctions should have bandgaps and energy levels that match the valence and conduction bands

• shown in Figure 5a. In type-II heterojunctions, however, holes move from SC2 to SC 1 (Figure 5b). In the p–n junction system, a type-II mechanism exchanges electrons and holes. Electrons travel from p-type to n-type semiconductors, whereas holes move from n-type to p-type semiconductors (Figure 5c). The

• , they also reduce compound semiconductors’ redox capacity and pose problems to the continuous flow of electrons and holes because of electrostatic repulsion. A Schottky junction is also formed by combining two different semiconductor materials (Figure 5d). The oxidation capability of Schottky

Recent advances in photothermal nanomaterials for ophthalmic applications

• Jiayuan Zhuang,
• Linhui Jia,
• Chenghao Li,
• Rui Yang,
• Jiapeng Wang,
• Wen-an Wang,
• Heng Zhou and
• Xiangxia Luo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 195–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.16

• levels that fall between those of conductors and insulators. Their light absorption characteristics are primarily determined by their bandgap width, ranging from 0 to 3 eV (Figure 2g) [72]. Semiconductors with narrow bandgaps are capable of absorbing incident light energy that is greater than or equal to

• via non-radiative relaxation, resulting in localized lattice heating [76][77]. Therefore, semiconductors with narrow bandgaps typically show broad absorption spectra and high efficiency in photon trapping. In contrast, wide-bandgap semiconductors have a more limited range of light absorption and less

• narrowing of the bandgap, thereby enhancing visible light absorption [83]. For example, pristine TiO2 hardly absorbs visible light with wavelengths greater than 400 nm, while N-doped TiO2 quantum dots exhibit significant visible light absorption between 400 and 1000 nm [84]. Semiconductors that rely on

Clays enhanced with niobium: potential in wastewater treatment and reuse as pigment with antibacterial activity

• Silvia Jaerger,
• Patricia Appelt,
• Mario Antônio Alves da Cunha,
• Fabián Ccahuana Ayma,
• Ricardo Schneider,
• Carla Bittencourt and
• Fauze Jacó Anaissi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 141–154, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.13

• photocatalysis is a cost-effective alternative to biological treatment methods for purifying polluted water [8]. Using semiconductors as heterogeneous catalysts proves to be more efficient than traditional methods, as the photocatalytic process gradually decomposes contaminating molecules without generating

• residues from the original organic matter, thus avoiding the disposal of sludge [8]. This approach allows the removal of various organic pollutants, including textile dyes, using solid semiconductors (e.g., NbOPO4 and Nb2O5) and photons (with energy greater than the bandgap energy of the semiconductor) to

Characterization of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized using probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum GP258

• Prashantkumar Siddappa Chakra,
• Aishwarya Banakar,
• Shriram Narayan Puranik,
• Vishwas Kaveeshwar,
• C. R. Ravikumar and
• Devaraja Gayathri

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 78–89, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.8

• semiconductors. Also, ZnO NPs exhibit antimicrobial activity, targeted drug delivery, catalytic activity, and antidiabetic, larvicidal, acaricidal and anticancer activity in addition to their usage in different medical devices and pharmaceuticals [11][12][13]. We report the ecologically safe production of ZnO

Strain-induced bandgap engineering in 2D ψ-graphene materials: a first-principles study

• Kamal Kumar,
• Nora H. de Leeuw,
• Jost Adam and
• Abhishek Kumar Mishra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1440–1452, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.116

• cannot move from the valence to the conduction band even when strain is applied. This direct bandgap allows the most efficient transport of charge carriers and easy recombination of electrons and holes, indicating its suitability in quantum computing, which requires semiconductors with direct bandgaps. ψ

Various CVD-grown ZnO nanostructures for nanodevices and interdisciplinary applications

• The-Long Phan,
• Le Viet Cuong,
• Vu Dinh Lam and
• Ngoc Toan Dang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1390–1399, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.112

• electronic/optoelectronic devices, energy storage/generation systems, and renewable energy conversion devices with high performance and low-power consumption [1][2][3]. In comparison to semiconductors, ZnO has attracted much more attention. This is due to ZnO having outstanding semiconductor behaviours in

• ordering can also be established in ZnO lattices upon doping with transition-metal and/or rare-earth elements (known as magnetic semiconductors, DMSs). This is expected to enable the development of next-generation spintronic devices [14] applicable to quantum and neuromorphic computing for artificial

Out-of-plane polarization induces a picosecond photoresponse in rhombohedral stacked bilayer WSe₂

• Guixian Liu,
• Yufan Wang,
• Zhoujuan Xu,
• Zhouxiaosong Zeng,
• Lanyu Huang,
• Cuihuan Ge and
• Xiao Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1362–1368, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.109

• lead to a high-efficiency photoelectric conversion that has the potential to surpasses the Shockley–Queisser limit [24][31][32][33][34]. In this regard, constructing 2D vdW semiconductors with OOP polarization and moderate bandgap holds great promise for high-performance self-powered BPVE devices. More

Mn-doped ZnO nanopowders prepared by sol–gel and microwave-assisted sol–gel methods and their photocatalytic properties

• Cristina Maria Vlăduț,
• Crina Anastasescu,
• Silviu Preda,
• Oana Catalina Mocioiu,
• Simona Petrescu,
• Jeanina Pandele-Cusu,
• Dana Culita,
• Veronica Bratan,
• Ioan Balint and
• Maria Zaharescu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1283–1296, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.104

• toxic, and light-responsive. Up to now, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) were used for the cleaning of waste water. Although AOPs based on engineered materials were performed in conjunction with biological treatments, the need for optimization still remains. Many photoactive semiconductors were

• and MW ZnO samples, with larger Eg values than those of the manganese-doped samples. Photoluminescence Photoluminescence (PL) measurements are usually used to describe the radiative recombinations of electron–hole pairs in semiconductors exposed to light irradiation. A high PL signal measured for a

• value 1/2 for direct-bandgap semiconductors and 2 for indirect-bandgap semiconductors or amorphous compounds. Photoluminescence measurements (PL) were carried out using a Carry Eclipse fluorescence spectrometer from Agilent Technologies and the following parameters: scan rate of 120 nm·min−1, spectral

Introducing third-generation periodic table descriptors for nano-qRASTR modeling of zebrafish toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles

• Supratik Kar and
• Siyun Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1142–1152, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.93

• range of substances that can be categorized as carbon-based, metal oxides, semiconductors, polymers, clays, emulsions, or metals [2]. Metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) are metallic oxides that exist within the nanoscale range and can be intentionally created or occur naturally [3]. Under the rapid

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

• recombination of charge carriers in semiconductors is a main drawback for photocatalytic oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) reactions. Herein, we propose a novel catalyst by developing a p–n junction titania–silicon nanowires (TiO2/SiNWs) heterostructure. The structure is fabricated by atomic layer deposition

• recombination of charge carriers is mainly attributed to the anisotropic movement of generated electron–hole pairs in semiconductors. Therefore, the implementation of a driving force could remarkably accelerate the oriented motion of electrons and holes, which could suppress recombination and eventually improve

Recent progress on field-effect transistor-based biosensors: device perspective

• Billel Smaani,
• Fares Nafa,
• Mohamed Salah Benlatrech,
• Ismahan Mahdi,
• Hamza Akroum,
• Mohamed walid Azizi,
• Khaled Harrar and
• Sayan Kanungo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 977–994, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.80

• presents the organization of PKD FET-based biosensor. This structure uses the double-gate architecture with III–V compound semiconductors at the channel and an N+-doped pocket at the junction between the source and channel regions. The drain and source regions are realized with GaSb material. HfO2 was used

• application, as these biosensor topologies exhibit the best current sensitivity and enhanced performances. The PKD TFET-based biosensor uses III–V compound semiconductors in the body channel and N+-doped pockets at the source–channel junction [114], enhancing sensitivity for the detection of biomolecules. The

Simultaneous electrochemical determination of uric acid and hypoxanthine at a TiO₂/graphene quantum dot-modified electrode

• Vu Ngoc Hoang,
• Dang Thi Ngoc Hoa,
• Nguyen Quang Man,
• Le Vu Truong Son,
• Le Van Thanh Son,
• Vo Thang Nguyen,
• Le Thi Hong Phong,
• Ly Hoang Diem,
• Kieu Chan Ly,
• Ho Sy Thang and
• Dinh Quang Khieu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 719–732, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.60

• electrochemistry, combining GQDs with semiconductors, especially TiO2, has been of interest. For example, GQDs have been successfully introduced into TiO2 [17] to enhance its photocatalytic activity. John Peter et al. reported TiO2/GQDs as anodes for enhancing the short-circuit current in solar cells [18]. The

Aero-ZnS prepared by physical vapor transport on three-dimensional networks of sacrificial ZnO microtetrapods

• Veaceslav Ursaki,
• Tudor Braniste,
• Victor Zalamai,
• Emil Rusu,
• Vladimir Ciobanu,
• Vadim Morari,
• Daniel Podgornii,
• Pier Carlo Ricci,
• Rainer Adelung and
• Ion Tiginyanu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 490–499, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.44

• devices, and in other specific applications, such as electromagnetic interference shielding and microwave absorbing materials. Among inorganic porous materials, several groups predominate, such as metal halide perovskites (MHP) [1], Si and III–V semiconductors [2][3][4][5][6], chalcogenides [7][8][9], and

Investigating ripple pattern formation and damage profiles in Si and Ge induced by 100 keV Ar⁺ ion beam: a comparative study

• Indra Sulania,
• Harpreet Sondhi,
• Tanuj Kumar,
• Sunil Ojha,
• G R Umapathy,
• Ambuj Mishra,
• Ambuj Tripathi,
• Richa Krishna,
• Devesh Kumar Avasthi and
• Yogendra Kumar Mishra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 367–375, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.33

• ions (He+ ≈1–2 MeV). It impinges on the target material which provides good mass and depth resolution and also probes smaller radiation damages [35]. The damage produced by ion implantation in semiconductors consists of randomly distributed atoms displaced from their regular lattice sites up to a depth

Multiscale modelling of biomolecular corona formation on metallic surfaces

• Parinaz Mosaddeghi Amini,
• Ian Rouse,
• Julia Subbotina and
• Vladimir Lobaskin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 215–229, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.21

• (TiO2, SiO2, and Fe2O3), carbonaceous NPs (graphene, carbon nanotubes, and carbon black), semiconductors (CdSe) [26], and polymers [27], it lacks the set of short-range potentials required for calculating milk protein-aluminum adsorption energies. Here, we compute potentials of mean force (PMF) for Al

Determination of the radii of coated and uncoated silicon AFM sharp tips using a height calibration standard grating and a nonlinear regression function

• Perawat Boonpuek and
• Jonathan R. Felts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1200–1207, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.99

• nanostructured materials, for example, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanoscale semiconductors, biomaterials, and molecules. Mechanical properties such as surface stiffness, adhesion, friction, electrostatics, and electrowetting can be measured [1][2][3][4]. In contact mode scanning, the contact area between the

A multi-resistance wide-range calibration sample for conductive probe atomic force microscopy measurements

• François Piquemal,
• Khaled Kaja,
• Pascal Chrétien,
• José Morán-Meza,
• Frédéric Houzé,
• Christian Ulysse and
• Abdelmounaim Harouri

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1141–1148, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.94

• versatility and high resolution in probing the local conductivity of materials, C-AFM has been extensively used in studying semiconductors [6][7], two-dimensional materials [8][9][10], memristive devices [11][12][13][14][15], photoelectric systems [16][17][18], dielectric films [19][20][21][22][23], molecular

A visible-light photodetector based on heterojunctions between CuO nanoparticles and ZnO nanorods

• Doan Nhat Giang,
• Nhat Minh Nguyen,
• Duc Anh Ngo,
• Thanh Trang Tran,
• Le Thai Duy,
• Cong Khanh Tran,
• Thi Thanh Van Tran,
• Phan Phuong Ha La and
• Vinh Quang Dang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1018–1027, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.84

• ][18]. Semiconductors are the heart of photodetectors as their bandgap allows for the absorption of photons in the desired wavelength range [19]. There are many semiconductor materials developed for this application. Among them, zinc oxide (ZnO) has been studied extensively over the last decades

• , these methods still face problems, including the requirements of controlling defects, scale-up for mass production, or troubles relating to decoration uniformity [31][32]. Another method is to form heterojunctions of ZnO and other narrow-bandgap semiconductors (NiO [33], PbS [34], CdS [35], and MoS2[36

Ultralow-energy amorphization of contaminated silicon samples investigated by molecular dynamics

• Grégoire R. N. Defoort-Levkov,
• Alan Bahm and
• Patrick Philipp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 834–849, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.68

• years, the need to control what happens at the surface of the sample has risen sharply, specifically for semiconductors [3][4], microelectronics [5], and surface patterning [6][7]. Other applications of low-energy beams include the preparation of nanoholes [8][9]. Furthermore, deposition processes are

Silver-based SERS substrates fabricated using a 3D printed microfluidic device

• Phommachith Sonexai,
• Minh Van Nguyen,
• Bui The Huy and
• Yong-Ill Lee

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 793–803, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.65

• ], porous aluminum oxide [38], and semiconductors [39] have been reported. Dielectric and semiconductor substrates, such as ZnO nanowires, silicon nanowires, and porous silicon (PS), are particularly popular because of their larger contribution to the amplification of the Raman signal and longer shelf life

Cross-sectional Kelvin probe force microscopy on III–V epitaxial multilayer stacks: challenges and perspectives

• Mattia da Lisca,
• José Alvarez,
• James P. Connolly,
• Nicolas Vaissiere,
• Karim Mekhazni,
• Jean Decobert and
• Jean-Paul Kleider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 725–737, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.59

• important to mention that although KPFM is primarily a surface technique, the SPV can be sensitive to the presence of buried interfaces and/or deep charge trap states that may be present far from the surface in the bulk of semiconductors. Therefore, in our study the white light coming from the camera

• values of VCPD/light and VCPD/dark. The SPV along the structure is reported in Figure 5. The SPV progression along the structure shows an overall negative SPV. For highly doped semiconductors in the absence of surface states (or for surface state densities small enough so that they cannot introduce

• experimental surface potential profile of Figure 2c. In conclusion, a quantitative description of the accurate surface defects distributions that characterize the surface of semiconductors materials is a complex task as it is not always certain that surface defects are homogeneously distributed across the

Nanomaterials for photocatalysis and applications in environmental remediation and renewable energy

• Viet Van Pham and
• Wee-Jun Ong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 722–724, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.58

• potential strategy for water treatment via the effectively infinite energy from the sun and the photocatalysts. Photocatalysis based on nanostructured semiconductors can significantly contribute to tackling several environmental pollution problems, sustainable synthesis, and energy production [2][15][16

• development of advanced materials based on semiconductors (i.e., carbon-modified hexagonal boron nitride (MBN), MgO@g-C3N4, and TiO2@MWCNTs) have indicated a highly efficient photocatalytic performance for phenol removal using a low-power visible LED light source. For NO degradation, a visible light source

Metal-organic framework-based nanomaterials as opto-electrochemical sensors for the detection of antibiotics and hormones: A review

• Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo,
• Saba Derakhshan Oskouei and
• Mustafa Gazi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 631–673, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.52

• developing luminescent sensors include their toxicity, ease of aggregation, photobleachability, and low capacity for adsorption of the target analyte. Numerous luminescent materials, including semiconductors, metal complexes, metal-based fluorescent nanoparticles, MOFs, and inorganic phosphors doped with

• simulations based on density functional theory with periodic boundary conditions. In comparison to the building units, they noticed that MOFs have a charge distribution that remains constant, and their electronic properties show a wide range of bandgap energies categorized as insulators or semiconductors. The

Conjugated photothermal materials and structure design for solar steam generation

• Chia-Yang Lin and
• Tsuyoshi Michinobu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 454–466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.36

• . Photothermal materials (PTMs) applied to SSG include metallic materials, semiconductors, carbon-based materials, and conjugated organic materials [1][2][3][4]. Compared to metallic and inorganic PTMs, π-conjugated organic PTMs have advantages, such as a greater light absorption, easier synthesis, and

• nonradiative relaxation of excited electrons to the ground state. Depending on the interaction mechanism, photothermal phenomena are classified into three categories, namely plasmonic local heating of metals, nonradiative relaxation of semiconductors, and thermal vibration relaxation of conjugated molecules

Molecular nanoarchitectonics: unification of nanotechnology and molecular/materials science

• Katsuhiko Ariga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 434–453, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.35

• allows a wide variety of nonplanar aromatic hydrocarbons to be built and highly distorted structures to be synthesized. These nonplanar aromatic hydrocarbons are expected to have a wide range of applications, including semiconductors, light-emitting devices, bioimaging, and pharmaceuticals. As a polymer