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

• substrates consisting of thin Au layers of different surface roughness. We compare granular Au films deposited on Si wafers with epitaxial (flat) Au films on mica. Experimental Before the experimental results are presented, this section focuses on the preparation of the samples under study and the setup used

• S2a). In contrast to the Au/mica surface, the Au/Si substrate exhibits a rougher surface, as seen in Figure 2c, in agreement with the difference in growth mode of Au films on the two substrates. For mica, epitaxial growth is obtained [16][17], while Au on Si/SiO2 forms a granular film [18]. Although

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

• approaches are quite limited. In this work, we show that nanopillars and nanoholes, and their combination with microgrooves, can be patterned on polyurethane (PU) films using a low-cost, reusable photoresist master mold prepared via nanosphere lens lithography and UV-LED photolithography, with specific

• 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

• Supporting Information File 1, Figure S2). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images (Figure 1C–E) confirm the featureless surface of flat PU and the ordered arrays of nanopillars and nanoholes on the nanopatterned films. For the PU nanopillar substrate, some short pillars occassionally appeared (Figure 1D

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

Density functional theory study of Au-fcc/Ge and Au-hcp/Ge interfaces

• Olga Sikora,
• Małgorzata Sternik,
• Benedykt R. Jany,
• Franciszek Krok,
• Przemysław Piekarz and
• Andrzej M. Oleś

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1093–1105, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.90

• interlayer distance compared to variant T2. The Ge–Au bond lengths obtained for the T1 structure, 2.50 Å, are in good agreement with the experimental values for amorphous GeAu alloys, 2.66 Å, [33] and thin films of Au covering a Ge(111) surface, 2.5 Å, [34]. In variant T2 the Au–Ge distance between Au atoms

Properties of tin oxide films grown by atomic layer deposition from tin tetraiodide and ozone

• Kristjan Kalam,
• Peeter Ritslaid,
• Tanel Käämbre,
• Aile Tamm and
• Kaupo Kukli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1085–1092, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.89

• Kristjan Kalam Peeter Ritslaid Tanel Kaambre Aile Tamm Kaupo Kukli Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia 10.3762/bjnano.14.89 Abstract Polycrystalline SnO2 thin films were grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on SiO2/Si(100) substrates from SnI4 and O3

• . Suitable evaporation temperatures for the SnI4 precursor as well as the relationship between growth per cycle and substrate temperature were determined. Crystal growth in the films in the temperature range of 225–600 °C was identified. Spectroscopic analyses revealed low amounts of residual iodine and

• implied the formation of single-phase oxide in the films grown at temperatures above 300 °C. Appropriateness of the mentioned precursor system to the preparation of SnO2 films was established. Keywords: atomic layer deposition; tin oxide; tin tetraiodide; Introduction Atomic layer-deposited SnO2 films

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

• latter configuration is used in the case of organic BHJ thin films (processed on transparent substrates, i.e., glass coated with indium thin oxide). The light intensity is adjusted using the laser power control and optical density filters. In the following, for each measurement, the optical power Popt

• again confirm the (positive) SPV polarity. To conclude this part of the work, it is important to check whether the data obtained for this PTB7:PC71BM sample are consistent with the results of our previous investigations on BHJ thin films based on the same donor–acceptor tandem. Considering only the SPV

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

• effect of gravity on the displacement is taken into account. The voltage excitation signal is introduced to the LNO terminals as shown in the inset of Figure 2. The material properties of PZT and LNO thin films were derived from the literature and are summarized in Table 1. The strain-charge form is

• normalized to the corresponding voltage applied to each point. Properties of PZT [35][36] and LNO films [37]. Compliance matrix elements (elastic compliance constants, Sij) and coupling matrix elements (piezoelectric coefficients, dij) have the units of and , respectively. Supporting Information Supporting

Isolation of cubic Si₃P₄ in the form of nanocrystals

• Polina K. Nikiforova,
• Sergei S. Bubenov,
• Vadim B. Platonov,
• Andrey S. Kumskov,
• Nikolay N. Kononov,
• Tatyana A. Kuznetsova and
• Sergey G. Dorofeev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 971–979, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.80

• sonication in an ultrasonic bath SW3H (Sono Swiss). Once the films were drop cast on aluminum mirrors, the IR spectra were recorded. The synthesized Si3P4 NPs were reactive and emanated phosphine upon contact with moisture. Once the ampoules were opened in an inert atmosphere, particles were allowed to

• the case of alcoholysis passivation, degassed 1-dodecanol was introduced to the Si3P4 product powder without air contact. Si3P4 NPs samples were examined on a diffractometer DRON-4-07 (Cu Kα radiation) in the form of films on a polished quartz substrate; phase analysis was performed using the program

Low temperature atomic layer deposition of cobalt using dicobalt hexacarbonyl-1-heptyne as precursor

• Mathias Franz,
• Mahnaz Safian Jouzdani,
• Lysann Kaßner,
• Marcus Daniel,
• Frank Stahr and
• Stefan E. Schulz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 951–963, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.78

• -temperature ALD; PEALD; plasma-enhanced ALD; XPS; Introduction The atomic layer deposition (ALD) of cobalt films is an ongoing topic of interest [1]. Cobalt thin and ultrathin films play an important role in current generations of integrated circuits [2]. Compared to copper, the metal offers a greater

• . Typically, these systems require ultrathin layers within the nanometre scale [6]. The thickness and conformality criteria of future microelectronics devices require the development of cobalt metal films deposited by ALD. Because of the self-limiting growth process, ALD allows for the sub-nanometre control

• with a deposition rate of approximately 0.1 Å/cycle. The deposited films were analysed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and are well in the metallic state. We also show the optimization of the overall process through varying the pulse times for precursor, purging, and the plasma pulse. Experimental

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

• but also the potential for deliberate etching, with the outcome determined by choice of chemically synthesized organic species and solvent. Keywords: gold etchant; microfabrication; N-heterocyclic carbenes; self-assembled monolayer (SAM); thin films; Introduction Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are

• resonance in solution-phase samples [15][18][19][20][21][22]. In these works, the NHC monolayer films were formed using several different approaches and preparations [16]. Indeed, a recent feature article highlights four methods to prepare NHC films [16]. For example, Crudden and co-workers have presented

• water and carbon dioxide so that there was no need for a strong base for deprotonation or for air-free conditions [13][14]. Camden and co-workers have used CO2 adducts of benzimidazolium to produce NHC films by melting the solid CO2 adduct directly onto a gold surface under vacuum. They have also

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

• . Composition and β-phase content of the piezoelectric composite films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction. The morphology of the composite film fibers was observed through scanning electron microscopy. Finally, the P(VDF-TrFE)/ZnO/graphene composite film was encapsulated in a sandwich-structure heart sound

• preprocessed heart sound signals using MATLAB scripts. Finally, a K-nearest neighbor (KNN) heart sound classification model was trained and used to predict whether a heart sound is normal or abnormal, with the prediction result displayed. Experimental Preparation of films by high-voltage electrospinning In

• 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

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

• hinder the extraction of the photogenerated charges. III–V-based solar devices belong to the PV technology of thin and ultrathin films in which layers with widths of the order of a few nanometres are often integrated for an optimal surface passivation or for better carrier extraction, considerably

The microstrain-accompanied structural phase transition from h-MoO₃ to α-MoO₃ investigated by in situ X-ray diffraction

• Zeqian Zhang,
• Honglong Shi,
• Boxiang Zhuang,
• Minting Luo and
• Zhenfei Hu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 692–700, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.55

• some question regarding the h-MoO3 phase: (1) The location of the intercalated molecules inside the h-MoO3 structure is unknown. (2) The reason of the mismatch in h-MoO3 thin films and the failure of microdevices is not understood. (3) The structural phase transition at the atomic scale from h-MoO3 to

• transition from h-MoO3 to α-MoO3 Anisotropic thermal expansion and first-order phase transition The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) is an important mechanical parameter for the application of MoO3 thin films, as it can increase the mismatch between thin films and the substrate, causing microdevices to

SERS performance of GaN/Ag substrates fabricated by Ag coating of GaN platforms

• Magdalena A. Zając,
• Bogusław Budner,
• Malwina Liszewska,
• Bartosz Bartosewicz,
• Łukasz Gutowski,
• Jan L. Weyher and
• Bartłomiej J. Jankiewicz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 552–564, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.46

• reliable SERS substrates, which often must be tailored toward specific applications [15][17][18]. The SERS substrates described in the literature include nanoparticles, core–shell nanoparticles, semicontinuous metal films, and many other nanostructures most commonly made of gold or silver [18][19][20][21

• relative to the axis of the pillars. The observed effect can be associated with the initial orientation of GaN pillars to the plasma plume (Figure 1); pillars are under some angle to the plasma plume. This effect is similar to the one observed during the growth of thin metal films in oblique angle

Carbon nanotube-cellulose ink for rapid solvent identification

• Tiago Amarante,
• Thiago H. R. Cunha,
• Claudio Laudares,
• Ana P. M. Barboza,
• Ana Carolina dos Santos,
• Cíntia L. Pereira,
• Vinicius Ornelas,
• Bernardo R. A. Neves,
• André S. Ferlauto and
• Rodrigo G. Lacerda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 535–543, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.44

• sensing, as electromagnetic shielding, and as thermoelectric material [32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. Also, Qi et al. reported a liquid-water sensor based on carbon nanotube–cellulose composite films, and, more recently, Goodman et al. reported the scalable manufacturing of nanocomposites for liquid sensing

• [39][40]. Besides, graphene films deposited on cellulose paper and a graphene/cellulose composite were also reported as a solvent sensor material [30][33]. However, most of these works rely on cellulose as a paper substrate or as a thick composite film that cannot be readily employed for large-scale

• and other 1D/2D materials have been employed as ink components with great potential for a broad range of applications, for example, in flexible electronics, photoconductors, transparent conductors, and gas sensors [44][45][46][47]. Carbon nanotube ink films have been reported as field-effect

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

• microorganisms, that is, cyanobacteria and yeast cells, have been immobilized in silica and silicate-based substrates organized as nanostructured materials. In a first attempt, matrices based on bionanocomposites of chitosan and alginate incorporating sepiolite clay mineral and shaped as films, beads, or foams

• to be tested as immobilization matrices of microalgae. Sepiolite–alginate beads, sepiolite–chitosan/alginate thin films, and sepiolite–chitosan foams were produced (Figure 1). Sepiolite and biopolymer concentration, synthesis temperature, and microorganism concentration were modified to study their

• precursor could be cast and gelled as thin films or hollow tubular monoliths with thin walls, improving the interaction between the encapsulated cells and a liquid medium in which the material could be placed. In addition to the optimisation of the sol–gel synthesis, the conditions for yolk–shell

On the use of Raman spectroscopy to characterize mass-produced graphene nanoplatelets

• Keith R. Paton,
• Konstantinos Despotelis,
• Naresh Kumar,
• Piers Turner and
• Andrew J. Pollard

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 509–521, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.42

• . Raman spectra of the filtered films on the membrane were recorded using a Renishaw Qontor confocal spectrometer (Renishaw plc., UK) using a 532 nm excitation laser and a 2400 L/mm grating. An area of 20 μm × 20 μm of the film was mapped, with 1 μm distance between measurement locations. Spectra were

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

• (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

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

• films. Optical microscopy was employed to observe the surface structure of the films (Figure 10a–d). Figure 10a shows the filter paper. In the photothermal films, the filter paper is the supporting layer. The filter paper is indeed suitable for this purpose because the cellulose fibers are randomly

• THF solution and (c) for drop-cast films. (d) The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the DPP derivatives in THF solution. (Figure 4 was adapted with permission from [27], Copyright 2021 American Chemical Society.) Typical polymeric PTMs used for SSG. (a) Schematic illustration of the fabrication

Molecular nanoarchitectonics: unification of nanotechnology and molecular/materials science

• Katsuhiko Ariga

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

• nanoarchitectonics, Kubo and co-workers have developed room-temperature phosphorescence-active thiophene boronate ester-crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol films [93]. The films are capable of multicolor afterglow emission by changing the amount of sulforhodamine B. Molecular design and nanoarchitectonics can sometimes

• ) method [95][96] and layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly [97][98] are used to organize materials from molecules. Oishi and co-workers have used the LB method to create layered perovskite films with a uniform surface [99]. Similarly, LbL assembly is a simple and convenient way to create a wide range of materials

Evaluation of electrosynthesized reduced graphene oxide–Ni/Fe/Co-based (oxy)hydroxide catalysts towards the oxygen evolution reaction

• Karolina Cysewska,
• Marcin Łapiński,
• Marcin Zając,
• Jakub Karczewski,
• Piotr Jasiński and
• Sebastian Molin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 420–433, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.34

• of NiFe and CoNiFe on GO/nickel foam, the specific current density peak appeared after around 8 s and 20 s of the deposition for CoNiFe-GO and NiFe-GO, respectively. Because the metallic films were deposited on the surface of nickel foam already modified with GO, the peak may be associated with the

• the electrodeposition of conductive films on active metals [26]. The morphology of the deposits was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and is presented in Figure 1b–f. Typical GO flakes regularly distributed over the surface of the nickel foam were successfully obtained after the one-step

Plasmonic nanotechnology for photothermal applications – an evaluation

• A. R. Indhu,
• L. Keerthana and
• Gnanaprakash Dharmalingam

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 380–419, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.33

• films, they are propagating oscillations termed surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs)). A plasmon in LSPR can be visualized as a quasiparticle confined to the volume of the nanoparticle [27]. The resulting confinement of the absorbed incident electromagnetic radiation within the nanoparticle thus means an

• disparate manipulations possible in the absorbance of the former. 2.2.3 Matryushka: Multilayered nanoparticles have interestingly different optical characteristics than their single or non-layered pristine counterparts. Taking multiple forms such as core–shell, sandwich structures, and films, such

• Au films from 40 nm increases hot carrier generation through increased intraband transitions as well as due to an asymmetric density of states distribution. Hence, hot carrier generation and lifetimes depend on the material, particle size and shape, as well as the distribution of the density of

Spin dynamics in superconductor/ferromagnetic insulator hybrid structures with precessing magnetization

• Yaroslav V. Turkin and
• Nataliya Pugach

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 233–239, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.22

• interaction between the superconducting correlations and spin waves influences the dynamics of both superconducting and magnetic films. Interfacial exchange interaction between Cooper pairs and magnons results in a nonstationary induced magnetization and spin currents in the superconducting film and changes

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

• time, carbon quantum dots were prepared from o-phenylenediamine dissolved in toluene by a solvothermal route. Subsequently, the prepared carbon quantum dots were encapsulated into polyurethane films by a swelling–encapsulation–shrink method. Analyses of the results obtained by different

• synthesis by a solvothermal method. The prepared CQDs were encapsulated into medical grade polyurethane (PU) films by a swelling–encapsulation–shrink method. It was investigated how the precursor influenced the structure (morphology and chemical composition) and further prooxidative, antibacterial, and

• 12 h at 180 °C. All chemicals were purchased and used as received. After synthesis, CQDs were filtered through polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filters with 100 nm pore size. The prepared hydrophobic CQDs (toluene solution, 20 mL) were encapsulated into medical grade polyurethane (PU) films (dimension

A distributed active patch antenna model of a Josephson oscillator

• Vladimir M. Krasnov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 151–164, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.16

• approximation is valid for not very high temperatures, T/Tc < 0.8. Using typical parameters for sputtered Nb films, σn ≃ 1.75 × 105 (Ω·cm)−1 [42], frequency f = 400 GHz, and T/Tc = 0.5, we obtain: Rsurf ≃ 0.12 Ω. Transmission line impedance The TL impedance is given by Equation 34 where GQP = 1/RQP. For tunnel