Charged particle single nanometre manufacturing

• Philip D. Prewett,
• Cornelis W. Hagen,
• Claudia Lenk,
• Steve Lenk,
• Marcus Kaestner,
• Tzvetan Ivanov,
• Ahmad Ahmad,
• Ivo W. Rangelow,
• Xiaoqing Shi,
• Stuart A. Boden,
• Alex P. G. Robinson,
• Dongxu Yang,
• Sangeetha Hari,
• Marijke Scotuzzi and
• Ejaz Huq

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2855–2882, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.266

Controlling surface morphology and sensitivity of granular and porous silver films for surface-enhanced Raman scattering, SERS

• Sherif Okeil and
• Jörg J. Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2813–2831, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.263

• surface. However, the formation of a particulate morphology and the faceting of the silver surface is best explained by an anisotropic etching or a restructuring process of the silver surface by reactive nitrogen plasma species such as N2+, N2* (excited nitrogen), N•+ and N• (nitrogen radicals) [79]. The

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

• free radicals that are responsible for the degradation of organic molecules. As the ta increased, the signal for surface OH groups was enhanced, suggesting a direct relationship with the fluorine content [34]. A third feature (O 1s III, 532 eV) was also present in the oxygen spectra and was ascribed to

Cytotoxicity of doxorubicin-conjugated poly[N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide]-modified γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles towards human tumor cells

• Zdeněk Plichta,
• Yulia Kozak,
• Rostyslav Panchuk,
• Viktoria Sokolova,
• Matthias Epple,
• Lesya Kobylinska,
• Pavla Jendelová and
• Daniel Horák

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2533–2545, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.236

• doxorubicin (Dox), which is considered as one of the most potent FDA-approved antitumor drugs [1]. Dox realizes its therapeutic effect via the inhibition of DNA topoisomerase II and the generation of free radicals, leading to cell membrane damage, inhibition of macromolecule production, and ultimately

Improved catalytic combustion of methane using CuO nanobelts with predominantly (001) surfaces

• Qingquan Kong,
• Yichun Yin,
• Bing Xue,
• Yonggang Jin,
• Wei Feng,
• Zhi-Gang Chen,
• Shi Su and
• Chenghua Sun

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2526–2532, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.235

• forms, but spin-polarization for lowly coordinated Cu on the surface and radicals involved in CH4 oxidation deserves serious consideration. For instance, the difference in calculated adsorption energies with and without spin-polarization can be as high as 0.1–0.2 eV, with geometries showing slight

• reactant to product). Based on our tests, both spin-polarization and vdW corrections are necessary, especially for the calculation of intermediate radicals involved in CH4 oxidation (e.g., CH2*, CH* and O*). During the quick screening of surfaces for CH4 adsorption, the adsorption energy (AE) and

Hierarchical heterostructures of Bi₂MoO₆ microflowers decorated with Ag₂CO₃ nanoparticles for efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic removal of toxic pollutants

• Shijie Li,
• Wei Jiang,
• Shiwei Hu,
• Yu Liu,
• Yanping Liu,
• Kaibing Xu and
• Jianshe Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2297–2305, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.214

• shows a stable structure [32]. These results verify that ACO/BMO-30 is stable. It is rationally speculated that ACO/BMO-30 has great potential for the elimination of toxic pollutants. Photocatalytic mechanism In general, radicals and other active species (e.g., •O2−, •OH and h+) produced in the

• and Bi2MoO6 are able to absorb visible light and, and charge carriers are photo-generated on the surface of Ag2CO3 and Bi2MoO6. The electrons in the CB of Bi2MoO6 can partially transfer into that of Ag2CO3. The electrons are then captured by the oxygen, producing •O2− radicals, which play a minor role

• inhibited, as verified by PL results (Figure 5) [53][54]. Although the VB potential of Ag2CO3 (2.6 eV) is more positive than that of H2O/•OH (2.38 eV/NHE at pH 7), the generated •OH radicals did not act as the major active species for pollutant degradation (Figure 9). In Ag/Ag2CO3/Bi2MoO6, Ag(0) can also be

Synthesis of a MnO₂/Fe₃O₄/diatomite nanocomposite as an efficient heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst for methylene blue degradation

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

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1940–1950, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.185

• considered as the most promising method because of the high removal efficiency and wide application scopes [6][7]. Iron-based homogeneous and heterogeneous Fenton or Fenton-like catalysts with the activation of H2O2 can effectively generate hydroxyl radicals (•OH, the main reactive species for the

• heterogeneous Fenton-like system of MnO2-peroxymonosulfate (MnO2-PMS) is proposed. As alternatives to H2O2 and hydroxyl radicals (•OH), peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and the sulfate radical (•SO4−) exhibit a wider functional pH range, convenience in storage and higher oxidation selectivity. Also, compared to iron

• of PMS increasing from 0.15 to 0.60 g/L, which is probably due to the higher PMS concentration promoting the generation of active radicals (•SO4−). Figure 9d shows the TOC reduction as a function of the reaction time. Less than 10% of TOC is removed in the initial adsorption process. Then, the

Synthesis of carbon nanowalls from a single-source metal-organic precursor

• André Giese,
• Sebastian Schipporeit,
• Volker Buck and
• Nicolas Wöhrl

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1895–1905, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.181

• generated from the gaseous radicals in the plasma and condensate on the surface to form nanoislands with dangling bonds as described in the Stranski–Krastanov growth model (stage 1). In stage 2, a high density of carbon nanoislands is reached on the substrate, offering a rough surface with a considerable

Free-radical gases on two-dimensional transition-metal disulfides (XS₂, X = Mo/W): robust half-metallicity for efficient nitrogen oxide sensors

• Chunmei Zhang,
• Yalong Jiao,
• Fengxian Ma,
• Sri Kasi Matta,
• Steven Bottle and
• Aijun Du

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1641–1646, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.156

• selectively detect NO by exhibiting half-metallicity after physical adsorption of gas on the surface. For comparison, an investigation of NO2 adsorbed on single-layer XS2 (X = Mo, W) is also presented as both NO and NO2 are free radicals and can introduce magnetic moments to the gas/XS2 (X = Mo, W) system

• discussions on the adsorption of NO and NO2 on XS2 (X = Mo, W), as NO and NO2 are paramagnetic free radicals. Most other gas molecules, such as NH3, CO and CO2, have no magnetic moment. Monolayer XS2 (X = Mo, W) have a hexagonal configuration, where three pairs of S atoms are anchored on one X atom and form

Absence of free carriers in silicon nanocrystals grown from phosphorus- and boron-doped silicon-rich oxide and oxynitride

• Daniel Hiller,
• Julian López-Vidrier,
• Keita Nomoto,
• Michael Wahl,
• Wolfgang Bock,
• Tomáš Chlouba,
• František Trojánek,
• Sebastian Gutsch,
• Margit Zacharias,
• Dirk König,
• Petr Malý and
• Michael Kopnarski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1501–1511, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.141

• oxide are SiH4 and N2O. Since Si-rich oxides have to be grown in O-depletion, some of the N-radicals present in the plasma react with the Si and are subsequently incorporated in the film. The resulting material is inevitably a Si-rich oxynitride (SRON) with in our case ≈10 atom % N [16]. Considering

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

• Equation 6 to form a superoxide anion (O2•−), which acts as a strong oxidizing agent. Similarly, strongly oxidizing hydroxyl radicals (•OH) are produced in the VB by the reaction of hVB+ with either surface hydroxy groups (–OH) or adsorbed water molecules (Equation 7). The reaction of these active species

• visible-light irradiation. The authors have also reported that •CO2− radicals (produced by the reaction of hVB+ with HCO2NH4) and eCB− are responsible for the reduction of 4-nitroaniline to p-phenylenediamine over CdS/TiO2 photocatalysts [56]. Photodegradation of pollutants The principle of photocatalysis

• simultaneous formation of molecular oxygen and hydroxyl radicals at the CoO surface [169]. NiO is a p-type semiconductor, which can conveniently be combined with different photocatalysts and the composite photocatalysts exhibit higher activity [170][171][172]. The introduction of nickel oxide into the TiO2

Bioinspired self-healing materials: lessons from nature

• Joseph C. Cremaldi and
• Bharat Bhushan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 907–935, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.85

Noble metal-modified titania with visible-light activity for the decomposition of microorganisms

• Maya Endo,
• Zhishun Wei,
• Kunlei Wang,
• Baris Karabiyik,
• Kenta Yoshiiri,
• Paulina Rokicka,
• Bunsho Ohtani,
• Agata Markowska-Szczupak and
• Ewa Kowalska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 829–841, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.77

• disinfection of UV irradiation (only during treatment/direct irradiation). Ozone disinfection is also efficient for the degradation of microorganisms, either directly by ozone molecules or by formed oxidative radicals. However, it should be reminded that ozone itself is harmful and can initiate the formation

Facile synthesis of a ZnO–BiOI p–n nano-heterojunction with excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity

• Mengyuan Zhang,
• Jiaqian Qin,
• Pengfei Yu,
• Bing Zhang,
• Mingzhen Ma,
• Xinyu Zhang and
• Riping Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 789–800, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.72

• ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid sodium (EDTA sodium) were adopted as scavengers of O2•− [53], •OH [54] radicals and holes [55], respectively. From the results displayed in Figure 6f, it is obvious that while the addition of BQ significantly inhibits the photocatalytic activity, DMSO has less effect on

• mainly attributed to the oxidation reaction of O2•− and the •OH radicals. Based on the results of the experiments, the probable processes of the mechanism can be proposed as follows: Photocatalytic mechanism On the basis of above results, it is firmly believed that the photocatalytic degradation ability

Surface-plasmon-enhanced ultraviolet emission of Au-decorated ZnO structures for gas sensing and photocatalytic devices

• T. Anh Thu Do,
• Truong Giang Ho,
• Thu Hoai Bui,
• Quang Ngan Pham,
• Hong Thai Giang,
• Thi Thu Do,
• Duc Van Nguyen and
• Dai Lam Tran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 771–779, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.70

• radicals (e.g., •O2−, •OOH, and •OH) at the surface, which are mainly involved in photocatalytic degradation of dyes into CO2 or harmless compounds [42]. Therefore, to further determine the ability of Au-decorated ZnO and ZnO sub-micrometer spheres in improving irradiation, PL spectra of an aqueous RhB

Perovskite-structured CaTiO₃ coupled with g-C₃N₄ as a heterojunction photocatalyst for organic pollutant degradation

• Ashish Kumar,
• Christian Schuerings,
• Suneel Kumar,
• Ajay Kumar and
• Venkata Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 671–685, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.62

• overall photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, the active species trapping experiments validate the major role played by superoxide radicals (O2−•) in the degradation of pollutants. Based on scavenger studies and theoretically calculated band positions, a plausible mechanism for the photocatalytic

• and hinders the charge recombination. This electron transfer is thermodynamically highly favored as charge flows from higher negative potential value to the lower negative potential values [34][60]. Thus, the formation of O2−• radicals is facilitated here as the reduction potential of O2/O2− (−0.33 eV

• the VB of g-C3N4 cannot react with OH− or H2O to produce •OH radicals due to the more negative VB potential of g-C3N4 (1.52 eV vs NHE). However, the h+ on the VB of CT (2.62 eV) can react with the OH− ions to generate •OH radicals due to more positive potential as compared to OH−/•OH (1.99 eV vs NHE

Mechanistic insights into plasmonic photocatalysts in utilizing visible light

• Kah Hon Leong,
• Azrina Abd Aziz,
• Lan Ching Sim,
• Pichiah Saravanan,
• Min Jang and
• Detlef Bahnemann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 628–648, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.59

• : localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR); noble metal; plasmonic photocatalyst; reactive radicals; Schottky junctions; visible light; Review Introduction Photocatalysts have played and will continue to play a pivotal role in environmental and energy applications in order to fulfil the needs of the

• context of promoting sustainable photocatalysts. This review exclusively discusses the recent advances with regards to synthesis, the mechanism behind the plasmonic phenomenon, quantum efficiency, identification of active radicals and future perspectives. Fundamentals of plasmonic photocatalysts An

• simulation method, it was claimed that the enhanced photo-electrochemical water splitting performance of Pd@BiVO4 was attributed to the hot-electron injection from Pd NPs upon SPR excitation in the vis–NIR region [112]. Identification of reactive radicals It is quite obvious that photocatalysis is supported

Fabrication and photoactivity of ionic liquid–TiO₂ structures for efficient visible-light-induced photocatalytic decomposition of organic pollutants in aqueous phase

• Anna Gołąbiewska,
• Marta Paszkiewicz-Gawron,
• Aleksandra Sadzińska,
• Wojciech Lisowski,
• Ewelina Grabowska,
• Adriana Zaleska-Medynska and
• Justyna Łuczak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 580–590, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.54

• , indicating that h+ might play a negligible role in the phenol photo-oxidation process. Probably the positively charged hole could catch OH− to yield hydroxyl radicals [58]. In the case of the TiO2_T(1:3) sample, when tert-butyl alcohol (•OH scavenger) was added to the phenol solution, 63% of phenol was

• degraded, indicating that OH radicals play an insignificant role in the degradation process. Interestingly, for the TiO2_O(1:3) photocatalyst, the addition of AgNO3 and tert-butyl alcohol increased the effectiveness of the photocatalytic process. As explained by Liu et al., AgNO3 may be capable of

• radicals scavengers (ammonium oxalate as a scavenger for photogenerated holes, AgNO3 as scavenger for electrons, benzoquinone (BQ) as scavenger for superoxide radical species, and tert-butyl alcohol as a scavenger for hydroxyl radical species). The procedure of the photocatalytic measurements was carried

Single-step process to improve the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube yarn

• Maria Cecilia Evora,
• Xinyi Lu,
• Nitilaksha Hiremath,
• Nam-Goo Kang,
• Kunlun Hong,
• Roberto Uribe,
• Gajanan Bhat and
• Jimmy Mays

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 545–554, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.52

• ]. Ionizing radiation has a sufficiently high energy to break bonds and create free radicals that chemically react in several ways over a short period of time. The large penetrating power of high-energy radiation provides an opportunity to carry out grafting at different depths of the substrate and, also

• polyacrylonitrile (PAN) from the literature (Figure 1c). This process relies on the fundamentals of radiation grafting polymerization. The advantage of the process is that an initiator is not required, avoiding the formation of free radicals on the substrate backbone/monomer, contamination and problems with local

• heating of the initiator. Basically, the e-beam is absorbed by all elements of the system, while water usually absorbs most of this energy [30][31][32]. The irradiation of water produces hydrogen atoms, solvated electrons, hydroxyl radicals, H2, H2O2, H3O+ and OH− [33]. The hydroxyl radicals can be

Influence of the preparation method on the photocatalytic activity of Nd-modified TiO₂

• Patrycja Parnicka,
• Paweł Mazierski,
• Tomasz Grzyb,
• Wojciech Lisowski,
• Ewa Kowalska,
• Bunsho Ohtani,
• Adriana Zaleska-Medynska and
• Joanna Nadolna

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 447–459, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.43

• photocatalytic efficiency of phenol and toluene degradation under vis irradiation in the presence of 0.25% Nd-TiO2(HT) reached 0.62 and 3.36 μmol·dm−1·min−1, respectively. Photocatalytic activity tests in the presence of Nd-TiO2 and scavenger confirm that superoxide radicals were responsible for the visible

• photogenerated lifetime of the carriers, and finally increasing the formation of highly reactive and oxidative radicals during the photocatalytic degradation [15]. The Nd-TiO2 NPs showed intense emission of Nd3+ ions under excitation by laser radiation with λex = 350 nm (Figure 5). The characteristic transition

• influenced by surface hydroxyl groups helping to generate reactive oxygen species, such as hydroxyl radicals. The photocatalytic degradation of toluene was carried out under LED irradiation (λmax = 415 nm). A high photocatalytic activity was exhibited by all the neodymium-modified photocatalysts (Figure 6c

Facile synthesis of ZnFe₂O₄ photocatalysts for decolourization of organic dyes under solar irradiation

• Arjun Behera,
• Debasmita Kandi,
• Sanjit Manohar Majhi,
• Satyabadi Martha and
• Kulamani Parida

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 436–446, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.42

•  1. Scavenger test for the radicals involved in the process In order to analyse the mechanism of degradation, the most active species formed during the decomposition of Congo red were examined by scavenging experiments. The active species responsible for the decolourization of Congo red can be

• detected by using trapping reagents such as dimethyl sulfoxide, isopropyl alcohol, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, p-benzoquinone for electrons, hydroxyl radicals (•OH), holes (h+), and superoxide (•O2−) radicals, respectively [35]. Figure 11b,c clearly shows that hydroxyl and superoxide radicals play a

• species in the decolourization process. The confirmation of the active species is studied in next section. Confirmatory test for •OH radical In order to confirm the major role of •OH radicals, terephthalic acid (TA) was utilised as a probe reagent because it does not react with other radicals and

Electron interaction with copper(II) carboxylate compounds

• Michal Lacko,
• Peter Papp,
• Iwona B. Szymańska,
• Edward Szłyk and
• Štefan Matejčík

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 384–398, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.38

• latter, reactive chemical species (radicals) and electrons lead to activation of molecules and this process can be controlled well on large scales. One of the most innovative techniques, known as EBID or FEBID (Focused Electron Beam Induced Deposition) [2][3], uses a high energy electron beam that can be

• metal complex. In this work, acetylacetone was studied under electron impact and it was concluded from gas phase experiments that radicals released by electron-induced fragmentation react with intact molecules to produce a non-volatile residue that was detected using XPS. These results emphasize that

Sugarcane juice derived carbon dot–graphitic carbon nitride composites for bisphenol A degradation under sunlight irradiation

• Lan Ching Sim,
• Jing Lin Wong,
• Chen Hong Hak,
• Jun Yan Tai,
• Kah Hon Leong and
• Pichiah Saravanan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 353–363, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.35

• radicals involved in the photoreaction. The influence order of the active radical species on the degradation of BPA was O2•− > h+ > hydroxyl radical (•OH) > e−. It is obvious that O2•− was the main radical species generated since the photodegradation of BPA was significantly inhibited after the addition of

• benzoquinone (BQ). The addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt dihydrate (EDTA-2Na+) in BPA solution slightly suppressed the degradation rate, showing that h+ was also one of the active radicals involved in the photoreaction. In contrast, neither •OH nor e− are the main reactive species

• the CB of g-C3N4 to adsorbed oxygen (O2), generating O2•. Meanwhile, O2•− radicals also reacted with the hydrogen (H+) ion to further produce a minor portion of •OH radicals. Thus, the O2•− and •OH could oxidize the BPA simultaneously to enhance the photocatalytic performance. Although the CDs did not

Electron-driven and thermal chemistry during water-assisted purification of platinum nanomaterials generated by electron beam induced deposition

• Ziyan Warneke,
• Markus Rohdenburg,
• Jonas Warneke,
• Janina Kopyra and
• Petra Swiderek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 77–90, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.10

• exclusively in form of CH4 molecules. This is obvious from the intensity ratio of 1:0.9 of the MS signals recorded at m/z 16 and 15 which is characteristic of CH4 thus excluding noticeable contributions of CH3 radicals that would lead to additional intensity of the m/z 15 signal. It was proposed previously

• that the exclusive observation of CH4 can be explained by reaction of desorbing CH3 radicals with hydrogen from the walls of the UHV chamber that occur before CH3 can reach the mass spectrometer [11]. Based on previous results from our setup, we can exclude such an artifact. In fact, ESD of CH3 was

• of CH4 which is supported by the very small amount of C2H6 production as also observed here. The latter would be expected to result from recombination of CH3 radicals that have dissociated from the precursor. When electron irradiation is performed at E0 well above the ionization threshold, as in the

Response under low-energy electron irradiation of a thin film of a potential copper precursor for focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID)

• Leo Sala,
• Iwona B. Szymańska,
• Céline Dablemont,
• Anne Lafosse and
• Lionel Amiaud

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 57–65, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.8

• CH3NH2 radicals, shows that the electron impact fragmentation of ethylamine on the surface has an onset at 8–9 eV, which is in agreement with the typical onset (8 eV) observed for carbon chain fragmentation in hydrocarbon films [28][29]. The fragmentation yield increases then with the electron energy, as

• detection of mass 119 and mass 69, which are attributed to CF3CF2 and CF3 radicals, respectively (Figure 3, curves d and e). The detection of the entire C3F7COO ligand and C3F7 fragments was not possible due to the low sensitivity of the mass spectrometer to high-mass fragments. Fluorocarbon desorption