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

• substrates (referred to as samples 1, 2, and 3, recpectively). Topography images, with dimensions of 1 × 1 μm2, are shown in Figure 1. They show spherical particles with rather consistent grain sizes. In particular, samples 1 and 2 present grain size values of 7.6 ± 0.5 nm and 9.9 ± 0.6 nm, respectively

Local work function on graphene nanoribbons

• Daniel Rothhardt,
• Amina Kimouche,
• Tillmann Klamroth and
• Regina Hoffmann-Vogel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1125–1131, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.91

• difference of graphene nanoribbons fabricated by on-surface synthesis on Au(111). The GNRs can be clearly discerned from the substrate through their topography, but also through their contact potential difference. GNRs have a measured contact potential that is about 100 meV smaller than that of a Au

• irregularities such as kinks or defects at the edge are observed in the topography measurement. For example for the GNR where the cross section has been taken, marked by a black line, there is a kink associated with a darker region in the local work function, and in the topography image there are some small

• properties in nanoelectronics. (a) Topography image of GNRs on Au, measured with a Si tip, f0 = 170.91 kHz, cL = 40 N/m, A = 1 nm, Q = 20,000, and Δf = −21 Hz. (b) In KPFM, local variations in contact potential (CPD) can be measured by applying a voltage between the sample and the AFM tip so that the

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

• fluorine in the halo region but showed a significant amount of both in the carbon-rich deposit (cf. Supporting Information File 1 for more details). Of note is that the surrounding of the deposit as well as the surface topography changed after deposition. Tiny particles of few nanometers in size appeared

The effect of age on the attachment ability of stick insects (Phasmatodea)

• Marie Grote,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Thies H. Büscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 867–883, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.72

• different attachment mechanisms evolved in insects, namely, hairy pads consisting of flexible setae, which adapt to the surface topography, and smooth pads possessing a soft and deformable cuticle to comply with the substrate profile [9]. Both pad types, hairy and smooth, aim to maximize contact area with

• could also be due to contamination. SEM revealed most of such cases as not being caused by contaminations. They rather arose from a strong alteration of the cuticle (Figure 8E), also including changes of the surface topography of the terminal layer of the attachment pad cuticle. Profound hardening of

• . (A, G) Stereomicroscopy images showing the appearance of the attachment pads. (B, C, H, K, M) WMF images showing native bluish regions and those stiffened due to the ageing. (D–F, I, J, K) SEM images showing the topography of the surface. Scale bars: (A) 1 mm, (B–M) 500 µm. Supporting Information

Exploring surface charge dynamics: implications for AFM height measurements in 2D materials

• Mario Navarro-Rodriguez,
• Andres M. Somoza and
• Elisa Palacios-Lidon

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 767–780, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.64

• monolayer flakes of 2D materials is the inaccurate height derived from topography images, often attributed to capillary or electrostatic forces. Here, we show the existence of a Joule dissipative mechanism related to charge dynamics and supplementing the dissipation due to capillary forces. This particular

• addition, it can be integrated with classical optical spectroscopy methods such as Raman and fluorescence [20][28][29], enabling a multidimensional characterization approach. A well-recognized issue within the AFM community is the inaccurate height determination derived from topography images on

• [30]. This issue can be addressed with Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Under ambient conditions, the most common mode is amplitude modulation (AM-AFM), which uses the oscillation amplitude reduction as the input for the topography feedback. Its main aspects are summarized in [31]. At large free

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

• , which allowed for the investigation of both topography and electrical properties of the films. Surface topography analysis was performed by utilizing an atomic force microscopy (AFM) operating in Peak Force Tapping mode. The surface was scanned at a resolution of 1024 × 1024 measurement points using a

• as-grown films, the distribution of carriers is homogeneous and does not show any correlation with the surface topography. The results obtained for the sequenced samples are different. With each successive cycle there is an increasing differentiation of the values of capacitance changes. In the case

• × samples, as well as topography profiles along the marked lines (every 500 nm) presented at the same scale. (A) Diffractograms and (B) variations in crystallite sizes and dislocation density determined for as-grown and HT+RTA films. Raman spectra of as-grown (B), 2× (C), and 3× (D) CuO/Si structures along

Level set simulation of focused ion beam sputtering of a multilayer substrate

• Alexander V. Rumyantsev,
• Nikolai I. Borgardt,
• Roman L. Volkov and
• Yuri A. Chaplygin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 733–742, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.61

• possible to deterministically produce a nanoscale topography on the surface of almost any substrate [1]. FIB milling was originally established in semiconductor technology [2] and materials science applications [3]. Now it is increasingly used for fabrication of complex micro- and nanoscale structures and

• application of the FIB method requires the creation and optimization of scanning patterns [16][17] as well as the quantitative prediction of ion-induced surface topography [18], which is a challenging task even for single-component substrates. A straightforward analytical description of surface topography is

Elastic modulus of β-Ga₂O₃ nanowires measured by resonance and three-point bending techniques

• Annamarija Trausa,
• Sven Oras,
• Sergei Vlassov,
• Mikk Antsov,
• Tauno Tiirats,
• Andreas Kyritsakis,
• Boris Polyakov and
• Edgars Butanovs

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 704–712, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.58

• the length and width of NWs for three-point bending were measured in SEM, the heights were taken from the topography data obtained by AFM in the adhered parts of the NW at each end. In Figure 5a, an SEM image captures the morphology of a Ga2O3 NW positioned over an inverted pyramid structure. Notably

• , both ends of the NW are fixed, laying the foundation for a controlled three-point bending experiment. Figure 5b presents the AFM topography of the Ga2O3 NW. The loading and unloading spectra, illustrating one instance of the three-point bending test, is shown in Figure 5c. Since the elastic modulus

• (resonance). Elastic modulus plotted with respect to the width of Ga2O3 NWs: a) obtained via SEM resonance tests; b) obtained via AFM three-point bending tests. a) SEM image of Ga2O3 NW suspended over the inverted pyramid with both ends fixed. b) AFM topography image of Ga2O3 NW suspended over the inverted

Enhancing higher-order modal response in multifrequency atomic force microscopy with a coupled cantilever system

• Wendong Sun,
• Jianqiang Qian,
• Yingzi Li,
• Yanan Chen,
• Zhipeng Dou,
• Rui Lin,
• Peng Cheng,
• Xiaodong Gao,
• Quan Yuan and
• Yifan Hu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 694–703, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.57

• resonant mode tracking the sample topography and the higher-order resonant mode providing information about mechanical properties [5][6]. Bimodal AFM is relatively simple to operate and offers improved imaging quality. Hence, it is widely applicable in diverse fields such as physics, chemistry, and biology

Gold nanomakura: nanoarchitectonics and their photothermal response in association with carrageenan hydrogels

• Nabojit Das,
• Vikas,
• Akash Kumar,
• Sanjeev Soni and
• Raja Gopal Rayavarapu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 678–693, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.56

• their 3D topography, which were performed to confirm the nanomakura shape from a three-dimensional view. Table 2 represents average length, width, and aspect ratio of the nanoparticles where DTAB-AuNM showed the lowest aspect ratio of 1.73. CTAB-AuNM and MTAB-AuNM showed aspect ratios of 2.34 and 1.98

• images were captured using AFM as shown in Figure 4d–f confirming the topography of AuNMs. Therefore, it was clearly observed from the complementing results obtained through TEM and AFM that the shape of the nanoparticles is makura. It can be assumed that the breaking of nanorod-shape symmetry into a

• , and (c) DTAB-AuNM, respectively; (d), (e), and (f) showed AFM images of CTAB-AuNM, MTAB-AuNM, and DTAB-AuNM, respectively, along with their 3D topography. (a) FTIR spectra of CTAB-AuNM, MTAB-AuNM, and DTAB-AuNM, respectively. (b) XRD diffractogram showing diffraction peaks of CTAB-AuNM, MTAB-AuNM, and

Comparative analysis of the ultrastructure and adhesive secretion pathways of different smooth attachment pads of the stick insect Medauroidea extradentata (Phasmatodea)

• Julian Thomas,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Thies H. Büscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 612–630, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.52

• the ventral side of the euplantulae revealed a dense hull (lighter grey) and a more X-ray transparent body (darker grey) (Figure 4A). Toluidine blue staining detected a darker blue stained hull and a lighter blue body (Figure 4B). The SEM images unveiled a rather smooth surface topography (Figure 4C

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

• image of the sample with the 50 nm SiOx layer (Figure 4a), a column-like grown SiOx film is visible. The surface became rougher. In addition to that, small cracks in the SiOx layer are recognizable. These cracks were induced by uniaxial stretching of about 10%. The topography of the 5 nm sample (Figure

• topography image in Figure 7a shows a surface with elevations and valleys. The hyperspectral measurement of this area indicates an overall signal of the Si–O–Si stretching band at 1080 cm−1 with some islands with a higher intensity. These can originate from small differences in the film thickness. The

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

• samples were studied via AFM for the surface topography and change in root-mean-square (RMS) surface roughness. Figure 1 shows AFM images of pristine and 100 keV Ar+ ion-irradiated Si samples. Pristine samples show a smooth surface with a surface roughness of ≈0.5 nm as observed in Figure 1A (a). Figure

•  1A (b–e) shows the surface topography of the irradiated samples at respective ion fluences of (b) 3 × 1017, (c) 5 × 1017, (d) 7 × 1017, and (e) 9 × 1017 ions/cm2. The surface roughness (Rq) is found to be increased with ion fluence from ≈1.0 nm to 1.6 nm due to ion-induced sputtering at a 60

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

• nanotechnology [1][2][3][4][5]. Compared to optical and electron microscopy, AFM enables three-dimensional (3D) measurements of nanostructures in air and liquid environments [6]. The interaction between the tip and sample influences the measurement results of AFM by convoluting the tip topography with the sample

• surface topography [7]. A sharper needle tip leads to more accurate measurements [8]. During the scanning process, tip and sample come into mutual contact, causing wear on the tip [9]. Tip wear or damage in practical applications can have severe consequences, including reduced image quality and erroneous

• topography images of standard nanoscale spherical particles and rectangular parallelepiped nanostructures of known shapes and to quantitatively estimate the shape of the tip by measuring the known nanostructures in advance. However, tip characterizers with fixed bodies present significant cost and

Graphene removal by water-assisted focused electron-beam-induced etching – unveiling the dose and dwell time impact on the etch profile and topographical changes in SiO₂ substrates

• Aleksandra Szkudlarek,
• Jan M. Michalik,
• Inés Serrano-Esparza,
• Zdeněk Nováček,
• Veronika Novotná,
• Piotr Ozga,
• Czesław Kapusta and
• José María De Teresa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 190–198, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.18

• of concept of water-assisted graphene etching. Moreover, the effects of changes in the topography of Si/SiO2 substrate during this process have not been addressed so far, as they may be observed only under certain experimental conditions. In a standard scanning electron microscope, the morphological

• . Complementary studies performed using both in situ and ex situ AFM reveal the modification in SiO2/Si substrate topography. Our results are important not only for applications of water-assisted FEBIE to etching carbon allotropes and SiO2 materials but also in other fields. For example, where electron-driven

Enhanced feedback performance in off-resonance AFM modes through pulse train sampling

• Mustafa Kangül,
• Navid Asmari,
• Santiago H. Andany,
• Marcos Penedo and
• Georg E. Fantner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 134–143, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.13

• limits the topography tracking quality and hence the imaging speed. The closed-loop controller in conventional ORT restricts the sampling rate to the ORT rate and introduces a large closed-loop delay. We present an alternative ORT control method in which the closed-loop controller samples and tracks the

• vertical force changes during a defined time window of the tip–sample interaction. Through this, we use multiple samples in the proximity of the maximum force for the feedback loop, rather than only one sample at the maximum force instant. This method leads to improved topography tracking at a given ORT

• the mechanical bandwidth of scanner and cantilever. In most ORT applications, the piezo that tracks the topography changes is also used to generate a periodic Z axis motion. However, the resonance frequency of the piezo sets a limit on the actuation frequency. To overcome this problem, one approach is

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

• and the reduced modulus [14]. Real-time measurements of tip radii based on analysis of the power spectral density (PSD) of the topography of a surface of an ultrananocrystalline diamond were carried out to detect changes in tip radius during tapping mode scanning. For each scan, the frequency data in

Spatial variations of conductivity of self-assembled monolayers of dodecanethiol on Au/mica and Au/Si substrates

• Julian Skolaut,
• Jędrzej Tepper,
• Federica Galli,
• Wulf Wulfhekel and
• Jan M. van Ruitenbeek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1169–1177, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.97

• applied method uses conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM). In this technique, a conductive probe is used in an AFM, which allows for imaging the surface topography (and other characteristics such as adhesion and stiffness) with lateral resolution while simultaneously being able to measure current

• study, since it measures topography and current simultaneously and reduces wear effects on the tips. Results and Discussion We divided the results obtained with the methods described above into two main sections. These are studies on (i) the bare substrates and on (ii) the DDT SAMs on these substrates

• Figure 2b show the topography and the current map, respectively, for a Au/mica substrate. The 300 × 300 nm2 topography map shows that the Au/mica substrate has large flat areas on which the height does not change significantly. The overall change in height throughout the image is approximately 4 nm, and

Hierarchically patterned polyurethane microgrooves featuring nanopillars or nanoholes for neurite elongation and alignment

• Lester Uy Vinzons,
• Guo-Chung Dong and
• Shu-Ping Lin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1157–1168, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.96

• patterned nano-/microstructured PU films enhance both PC12 neurite elongation and alignment, showing the potential use of our proposed method for the micro-/nanopatterning of polymers for nerve tissue engineering. Keywords: hierarchical; nanopatterning; neurite alignment; neurite outgrowth; topography

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

Spatial mapping of photovoltage and light-induced displacement of on-chip coupled piezo/photodiodes by Kelvin probe force microscopy under modulated illumination

• Zeinab Eftekhari,
• Nasim Rezaei,
• Hidde Stokkel,
• Jian-Yao Zheng,
• Andrea Cerreta,
• Ilka Hermes,
• Minh Nguyen,
• Guus Rijnders and
• Rebecca Saive

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1059–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.87

• with atomic vertical resolution. In several studies, AFM has been used to determine photo-induced height/topography variation in organic–inorganic lead halide perovskites [15], nanosheets [16], and photosensitive polymers [17]. Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), an electrostatic variant of AFM, can

• the dark and CPDlight is the CPD under illumination in that same location [24][25][26][27]. In some studies, KPFM has been employed for simultaneous study of structural and optoelectronic properties of materials and functional devices [28][29][30]. For example, the topography and SPV of illuminated

• mechanical resonance frequency (f0) executed by the lock-in amplifier 1 and the generated topography signal is controlled by the Z feedback. A sinusoidal AC bias (VAC) with drive of 1 V and frequency (fAC) of 5 kHz is applied to the tip through lock-in 2, generating a signal with a frequency of f0 ± fAC near

Exploring internal structures and properties of terpolymer fibers via real-space characterizations

• Michael R. Roenbeck and
• Kenneth E. Strawhecker

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1004–1017, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.83

• nano- and microscale topography, stiffness, and transverse elastic modulus (ET) maps of internal structural features and local mechanical responses in real space. (See the Experimental section for additional details.) As Technora® has often been compared to Kevlar® K29 fibers, we focus further on

• ®, both the topography and stiffness maps (Figure 2) revealed a consistent microstructure across the fiber diameter at this length scale. Complementing topography and stiffness maps, lateral line profiles (e.g., dashed line, Figure 2a) quantified both topography and stiffness variations across the

• diameter. Topography and stiffness (Figure 2c) were remarkably uniform across the diameter as well. Only two notable features deviate from our consistent topography and stiffness measurements: (i) slopes from the outer edges inward and (ii) a sudden jump at a lateral position of ca. 5 μm. It should be

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

• , immediately after the chemical cleaning step. The topography and the associated VCPD image are reported in Figure 2a and Figure 2b, respectively. Note that the origin (0;0) is identified as a point in the InP substrate. Moving along the positive direction of the y axis, one will reach the end of the sample

• 0.61 and 0.91 μm, respectively. The low resolution of the interlayers can be attributed either to their narrowness or to the experimental conditions since the two GaInAs:nid layers are well resolved in the topography image. Certainly, the width of these layers is narrower than the radius of the tip

• illumination on the sample cross section, we have performed KPFM measurements under white-light illumination. The topography and the associated VCPD image are reported in Figure 4a and Figure 4b, respectively. The VCPD/light image of Figure 4b shows a significant contrast enhancement due to the interaction

Molecular nanoarchitectonics: unification of nanotechnology and molecular/materials science

• Katsuhiko Ariga

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

• oligomeric chains were significantly elongated. High-resolution scanning tunneling microscope (STM) topography shows alternating bright twin spots, which correspond to phenylene and tetrafluorophenylene, respectively. A high-resolution atomic force microscope (AFM) image of an entirely elongated fine

High–low Kelvin probe force spectroscopy for measuring the interface state density

• Ryo Izumi,
• Masato Miyazaki,
• Yan Jun Li and
• Yasuhiro Sugawara

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 175–189, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.18

• the measurement. (a) Surface topography and (b) CPD image of the pn-patterned Si surface. The CPD image was obtained by KPFM using an AC bias voltage with a low modulation frequency of fm = 100 Hz. The scan size was 7 μm × 2.1 μm. (c) Line profile corresponding to the white line in panel (a); (d) line