Polyvinylpyrrolidone as additive for perovskite solar cells with water and isopropanol as solvents

• Chen Du,
• Shuo Wang,
• Xu Miao,
• Wenhai Sun,
• Yu Zhu,
• Chengyan Wang and
• Ruixin Ma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2374–2382, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.228

• photoanode and CH3NH3PbX3 (X = I, Br) as light absorbing material to derive perovskite dye-sensitized solar cells with conversion efficiencies of 3.81% (X = I) and 3.13% (X = Br). However, the corrosion of the perovskite material used in the electrolyte results in a poor stability of the devices [5]. In July

Oblique angle deposition of nickel thin films by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering

• Hamidreza Hajihoseini,
• Movaffaq Kateb,
• Snorri Þorgeir Ingvarsson and
• Jon Tomas Gudmundsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1914–1921, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.186

• ], corrosion-resistant coatings [3][4], optically transparent conductive electrodes [5], contact devices [6], Li-storage materials [7], and as selective absorbers in solar thermal energy conversion [8]. Moreover, a number of nickel-containing alloys exploit the ferromagnetic properties of nickel such as NiTi

BiOCl/TiO₂/diatomite composites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B

• Minlin Ao,
• Kun Liu,
• Xuekun Tang,
• Zishun Li,
• Qian Peng and
• Jing Huang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1412–1422, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.139

• [10]. As one of the most promising photocatalysts, in terms of its chemical stability, non-toxicity, photo-corrosion resistance in aqueous media and advanced oxidation properties, titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been widely studied [11][12] and employed for water splitting [13], energy storage [14], and

Alloyed Pt₃M (M = Co, Ni) nanoparticles supported on S- and N-doped carbon nanotubes for the oxygen reduction reaction

• Stéphane Louisia,
• Yohann R. J. Thomas,
• Pierre Lecante,
• Marie Heitzmann,
• M. Rosa Axet,
• Pierre-André Jacques and
• Philippe Serp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1251–1269, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.125

• be done without compromise to the catalyst layer performance and durability. It is known that catalyst degradation via platinum dissolution and carbon corrosion plays an important role in the voltage degradation of PEMFCs [6][7][8]. CB, which is widely used, particularly for its low cost, suffers

• from thermochemical instability and corrosion in fuel cell applications. In the cathodic layer, the oxidizing, wet and acidic environment, the high electrochemical potential, and the high platinum loading all lead to the oxidation of the carbon surface, and occasionally to the formation of CO2 [9

• ]. This carbon corrosion modifies the mass transport properties of the active layer, especially for the water management, and accelerates the degradation of the Pt NPs [10][11]. One way to reduce the Pt content is to use more active, tailored NPs [12][13], for example, bimetallic NPs with a core–shell

A highly efficient porous rod-like Ce-doped ZnO photocatalyst for the degradation of dye contaminants in water

• Binjing Hu,
• Qiang Sun,
• Chengyi Zuo,
• Yunxin Pei,
• Siwei Yang,
• Hui Zheng and
• Fangming Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1157–1165, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.115

• most suitable catalysts in many industries given its inexpensive, non-toxic, efficient and anti-corrosion properties [7]. Nevertheless, it still has some disadvantages with respect to photocatalysis. For example, it has a narrow response range, low quantum efficiency, and its photogenerated electron

In situ AFM visualization of Li–O₂ battery discharge products during redox cycling in an atmospherically controlled sample cell

• Kumar Virwani,
• Younes Ansari,
• Khanh Nguyen,
• Francisco José Alía Moreno-Ortiz,
• Jangwoo Kim,
• Maxwell J. Giammona,
• Ho-Cheol Kim and
• Young-Hye La

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 930–940, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.94

• deposition [3], corrosion and molecular adsorbates on a variety of surfaces [4] have also been investigated with scanning probe microscopy. In situ local probe techniques at electrical interfaces [5] use scanning probe microscopy to probe surface changes and reactions. A recent review by Yang et al. [6

Synthesis of MnO₂–CuO–Fe₂O₃/CNTs catalysts: low-temperature SCR activity and formation mechanism

• Yanbing Zhang,
• Lihua Liu,
• Yingzan Chen,
• Xianglong Cheng,
• Chengjian Song,
• Mingjie Ding and
• Haipeng Zhao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 848–855, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.85

• °C. The mechanisms of above preparation method are redox reactions between MnO4− (from KMnO4) and Cl− (from FeCl3 and CeCl3), or Mn7+ and O2− (from KMnO4) as well as MnO4− (from the KMnO4) and Cl− (from CeCl3). The generation of Cl− anions in the preparation process can result in corrosion of the

• temperature range, but Cl− anions are formed in the preparation process, which might lead to a corrosion of metal equipment. The 4% MnO2–CuO–Fe2O3/CNTs catalyst reaches NO conversions of 43.1–87.9% at 80–180 °C, which is similar to two catalysts in our previous papers. Moreover, HNO3 is formed in the

An iridescent film of porous anodic aluminum oxide with alternatingly electrodeposited Cu and SiO₂ nanoparticles

• Menglei Chang,
• Huawen Hu,
• Haiyan Quan,
• Hongyang Wei,
• Zhangyi Xiong,
• Jiacong Lu,
• Pin Luo,
• Yaoheng Liang,
• Jianzhen Ou and
• Dongchu Chen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 735–745, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.73

• film that exhibited a rainbow effect and superior anti-corrosion performance. Keywords: aluminum alloys; anodic aluminum oxidation; interference-enabled color production; rainbow effect; structural color; Introduction Due to the low cost, high mechanical strength and ductility, and well-developed

• interfacial impedance of the sample was estimated on the basis of the analysis described above, and the corrosion resistance performance was evaluated in more detail. Furthermore, the electrical polarization process of the sample in the test solution was studied by analyzing the Nyquist and Bode diagrams. The

• equipment. In the electrical polarization measurements, the self-corrosion current, Icorr, and self-corrosion potential, Ecorr, are critical parameters to evaluate the corrosion resistance of materials, especially aluminum profiles (Figure 7 and Table 4). Generally, the smaller the value of Icorr is, the

Outstanding chain-extension effect and high UV resistance of polybutylene succinate containing amino-acid-modified layered double hydroxides

• Adam A. Marek,
• Vincent Verney,
• Christine Taviot-Gueho,
• Grazia Totaro,
• Laura Sisti,
• Annamaria Celli and
• Fabrice Leroux

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 684–695, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.68

• study reports the beneficial role of PHE interleaved into LDH as a self-healing agent for polymer coating in corrosion inhibition for aluminium substrates [16]. Due to the presence of benzene (for PHE) or the heterocyclic imidazole ring (for HIS), both organic molecules should absorb in the short to

Nanocomposite–parylene C thin films with high dielectric constant and low losses for future organic electronic devices

• Marwa Mokni,
• Gianluigi Maggioni,
• Abdelkader Kahouli,
• Sara M. Carturan,
• Walter Raniero and
• Alain Sylvestre

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 428–441, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.42

• ][22]. Parylene C is highly corrosion resistant on metallic surfaces and possesses outstanding electrical insulation with high tensile strength, moderate dielectric losses [16][23] and low permeability to gases [24][25]. Hydrophobicity [26] and physical stability [27] of parylene C make it a good

Interaction of Te and Se interlayers with Ag or Au nanofilms in sandwich structures

• Arkadiusz Ciesielski,
• Lukasz Skowronski,
• Marek Trzcinski,
• Ewa Górecka,
• Wojciech Pacuski and
• Tomasz Szoplik

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 238–246, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.22

• deposited directly on SiO2 substrates, covered by 2 nm-thick films of Te or Se and then followed by another 20 nm-thick layer of Ag or Au. All of the samples were then capped with 3 nm-thick LiF films to avoid corrosion. Se and Te films were deposited using a II–VI semiconductor growth chamber of a dual

Nanoporous water oxidation electrodes with a low loading of laser-deposited Ru/C exhibit enhanced corrosion stability

• Sandra Haschke,
• Dmitrii Pankin,
• Vladimir Mikhailovskii,
• Maïssa K. S. Barr,
• Adriana Both-Engel,
• Alina Manshina and
• Julien Bachmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 157–167, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.15

• limited by its significant dissolution (corrosion) at high anodic potential over the whole pH range (Figure 2) [10][11][12]. One strategy to address this limitation has involved mixing metallic Ru (or its oxides) with other solids (such as Ir [13][14][15][16][17][18], Ta [19], or Pt [20], TiO2 [21], Ni

• of the nanoporous geometry (variation of the pore length) towards obtaining reasonable current densities at low overpotential, (2) the minimization of corrosion via minimized overpotential and nanoparticle morphology, and (3) the minimization of noble metal loading. These efforts result in a very

• of metallic Ru to Ru(II) and subsequently to Ru(IV) at the solid surface [10][67][68]. The oxygen evolution reaction starts beyond +0.8 V (E’ = +0.79 V) vs Ag/AgCl at pH 4 whereas electro-corrosion to dissolved species (H2RuO5, RuO4−) begins at +0.95 V (Figure 2) [10][11]. These restrictions force us

Ternary nanocomposites of reduced graphene oxide, polyaniline and hexaniobate: hierarchical architecture and high polaron formation

• Claudio H. B. Silva,
• Maria Iliut,
• Christopher Muryn,
• Christian Berger,
• Zachary Coldrick,
• Vera R. L. Constantino,
• Marcia L. A. Temperini and
• Aravind Vijayaraghavan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2936–2946, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.272

• morphological aspects. Therefore, the new nanocomposite presents promising properties for development of new materials in the film form on substrates for sensing or corrosion protection for example. Keywords: graphene oxide; hexaniobate; polyaniline; Raman spectroscopy; secondary doping; Introduction

• Nanostructured systems, such as nanocomposites, are potential materials for usage as electrochemical (bio)sensors for analytical purposes, electronics, energy storage devices and corrosion protection because the synergistic effects of their components at the nanoscale range may improve physical/chemical

• chemical versatility and significant interactions between the components are attractive features for applications that require chemically functionalised materials in the film form, such as sensing or corrosion protection. Experimental Materials Precursor graphite flakes (NGS Naturgraphit GmbH, 300 μm flake

Low cost tips for tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy fabricated by two-step electrochemical etching of 125 µm diameter gold wires

• Antonino Foti,
• Francesco Barreca,
• Enza Fazio,
• Cristiano D’Andrea,
• Paolo Matteini,
• Onofrio Maria Maragò and
• Pietro Giuseppe Gucciardi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2718–2729, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.254

• Discussion Gold etching and tip formation mechanism The gold electrochemical corrosion is driven by a well-known redox process in acidic environment [31], whose main reactions are: Here the superficial gold atoms are oxidized, transforming into either Au(I) or Au(III). The chlorine ions combine with Au(I) or

Impact of the anodization time on the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanotubes

• Jesús A. Díaz-Real,
• Geyla C. Dubed-Bandomo,
• Juan Galindo-de-la-Rosa,
• Luis G. Arriaga,
• Janet Ledesma-García and
• Nicolas Alonso-Vante

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2628–2643, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.244

• such as excellent chemical stability, photo-corrosion resistance, low cost, and low toxicity make TiO2 a material suitable for energy production and environmental applications, such as advanced oxidation processes for the decomposition of organic pollutants in water [2][3]. However, the material

Thickness-dependent photoelectrochemical properties of a semitransparent Co₃O₄ photocathode

• Malkeshkumar Patel and
• Joondong Kim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2432–2442, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.228

• regarding low-cost and reliable PEC cells [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. For a widespread application of PEC cells, the photoelectrodes need to fulfill the criteria of (i) a low band gap (1.7–2.2 eV), (ii) low resistivity, (iii) low cost, (iv) corrosion stability and (v) a correct alignment of band edges with

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

• improves the performance of electrospun fibers/mats. In addition, the electrospun fibers/mats may reduce corrosion and/or oxidation in NPs, especially those with anisotropic structure [40]. Depending on the type of polymer and NPs, electrospun fibers incorporated with NPs are optimized for specific

Metal-free catalysis based on nitrogen-doped carbon nanomaterials: a photoelectron spectroscopy point of view

• Mattia Scardamaglia and
• Carla Bittencourt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2015–2031, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.191

• candidates are the less expensive transition metals (Co, Ni, Fe, Mo) and their alloys [5]. However, these metals suffer from inherent corrosion and susceptibility to oxidation which limit their use in acidic electrolytic environments. The most common poisoning agent is CO, which inhibits the dissociative

Synthesis of hafnium nanoparticles and hafnium nanoparticle films by gas condensation and energetic deposition

• Irini Michelakaki,
• Nikos Boukos,
• Dimitrios A. Dragatogiannis,
• Spyros Stathopoulos,
• Costas A. Charitidis and
• Dimitris Tsoukalas

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1868–1880, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.179

• cross section in neutron absorption [32]. Hafnium alloys are used in medical applications because they are biocompatible and exhibit high corrosion resistance as well as in aerospace technology because it can increase the mechanical strength of materials [33]. Furthermore, because of its high dielectric

Quantitative comparison of wideband low-latency phase-locked loop circuit designs for high-speed frequency modulation atomic force microscopy

• Kazuki Miyata and
• Takeshi Fukuma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1844–1855, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.176

• atomistic mechanisms of various interfacial phenomena, including thin-film formation, crystal growth and dissolution, metal corrosion, and catalytic reactions in vacuum and in liquids. This problem could be solved by enhancing the FM-AFM operation speed. The development of high-speed FM-AFM requires

Cr(VI) remediation from aqueous environment through modified-TiO₂-mediated photocatalytic reduction

• Rashmi Acharya,
• Brundabana Naik and
• Kulamani Parida

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1448–1470, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.137

• pH. It is evident from Figure 1 that HCrO4− and Cr2O72− are the stable Cr(VI) species between pH 1.0 and 6.0 whereas CrO42− predominates above pH 6.0 [6]. Cr(VI) compounds are corrosion inhibitors and are toxic and are thus mostly used in different industrial processes such as metal plating, leather

Cyclodextrin inhibits zinc corrosion by destabilizing point defect formation in the oxide layer

• Abdulrahman Altin,
• Maciej Krzywiecki,
• Adnan Sarfraz,
• Cigdem Toparli,
• Claudius Laska,
• Philipp Kerger,
• Aleksandar Zeradjanin,
• Karl J. J. Mayrhofer,
• Michael Rohwerder and
• Andreas Erbe

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 936–944, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.86

• , 7491 Trondheim, Norway 10.3762/bjnano.9.86 Abstract Corrosion inhibitors are added in low concentrations to corrosive solutions for reducing the corrosion rate of a metallic material. Their mechanism of action is typically the blocking of free metal surface by adsorption, thus slowing down dissolution

• . This work uses electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to show the cyclic oligosaccharide β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) to inhibit corrosion of zinc in 0.1M chloride with an inhibition efficiency of up to 85%. Only a monomolecular adsorption layer of β-CD is present on the surface of the oxide covered metal

• interface, closely resembling the energy level alignment in an n–p junction. The energy level shift is too large to permit further electron transfer through the layer, inhibiting corrosion. Adsorption hence changes the defect density in the protecting ZnO layer. This mechanism of corrosion inhibition shows

Facile chemical routes to mesoporous silver substrates for SERS analysis

• Elina A. Tastekova,
• Alexander Y. Polyakov,
• Anastasia E. Goldt,
• Alexander V. Sidorov,
• Alexandra A. Oshmyanskaya,
• Irina V. Sukhorukova,
• Dmitry V. Shtansky,
• Wolgang Grünert and
• Anastasia V. Grigorieva

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 880–889, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.82

• due to the low redox potential of most of the metals, leading to fast oxidation or corrosion of metal sponges in ambient conditions. The oxidation stability of noble metals makes them more reliable as functional materials and thus materials such as porous silver, gold and platinum can be kept for a

Engineering of oriented carbon nanotubes in composite materials

• Razieh Beigmoradi,
• Abdolreza Samimi and
• Davod Mohebbi-Kalhori

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 415–435, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.41

• of the surface. In practice, this feature is used to study corrosion, cleanness, uniformity, roughness, adhesion, friction, size, etc. AFM, like SEM and TEM, is a suitable technique to characterize the alignment of CNTs, especially horizontal alignment; for instance, when the CNTs grow horizontally

Review: Electrostatically actuated nanobeam-based nanoelectromechanical switches – materials solutions and operational conditions

• Liga Jasulaneca,
• Jelena Kosmaca,
• Raimonds Meija,
• Jana Andzane and
• Donats Erts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 271–300, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.29

• contact when switching to the on state [70]. Silicon carbide: Silicon carbide (SiC), well-known for its resistance to corrosion, has been widely explored for harsh environment applications where traditional semiconductor materials fail. In addition, it has tribological characteristics superior to those of

• singular switching events [23]. Ceramics Titanium and tungsten nitride ceramics: Titanium nitride (TiN) has a low electrical resistivity that is comparable to some metals, high stiffness (Young’s modulus of 427–590 GPa) and high hardness, high melting temperature (2930 °C), high corrosion resistance [140