Electrolyte tuning in dye-sensitized solar cells with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) iron(II) sensitizers

• Mariia Karpacheva,
• Catherine E. Housecroft and
• Edwin C. Constable

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 3069–3078, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.285

• electrolyte. The constant phase element was employed in this study because of the surface roughness [51][52]. We chose to focus on understanding the observations involving the MBI additive, and EIS studies were conducted for electrolytes E2b, E2c and E2e. Measurements and curve fitting were made for duplicate

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

• shown in Figure 2. AFM images of the rGO-25 sample show particles of well-defined edges and size ranging from 5 to 25 μm. The height profile (Figure 2, right column) shows thickness of ca. 1.0 nm and a surface roughness (RMS) of 0.24 nm for the rGO flake. These results clearly indicate the presence of

• hand, this nanocomposite presents several creases and folds and, more interestingly, shows higher flake thickness and higher surface roughness (ca. 10 and ca. 4.0 nm, respectively). These results clearly indicate that the deposition of PANI on rGO flakes induces an increase of the surface heterogeneity

• . Analogously, the AFM images of rGO/PANI/hexNb also indicate the presence of large flakes in the nanocomposite and, as shown by the 5 μm scan-size image (and corresponding height profile), the flake thickness and surface roughness are ca. 19 and ca. 7.2 nm, respectively. These results clearly indicate that the

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

• plasmas on the surface morphology of thin silver films. It was found that different surface structures and different degrees of surface roughness could be obtained by a systematic variation of the plasma type and condition as well as plasma power and treatment time. The differently roughened silver

• investigation of the effect of different rf plasmas on sputtered silver surfaces to determine the potential of plasma treatment in a controlled increase of the surface roughness of silver as well as the formation of hot spots on the silver surface for the use in SERS. To the best of our knowledge this is the

• silver films were characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM) in contact mode on a CP-II AFM (Bruker-Veeco) with SiC cantilevers to determine the topography and surface roughness (root mean square roughness, Rq). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the silver films was performed on a Philips XL

Biomimetic surface structures in steel fabricated with femtosecond laser pulses: influence of laser rescanning on morphology and wettability

• Camilo Florian Baron,
• Alexandros Mimidis,
• Daniel Puerto,
• Evangelos Skoulas,
• Emmanuel Stratakis,
• Javier Solis and
• Jan Siegel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2802–2812, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.262

• the laser beam many times over the same sample area, i.e., laser rescanning. From a physical point of view, one fundamental difference between a single scan and multiple rescans is that the incident laser pulse during the second and subsequent scans “sees” not only a higher surface roughness, but in

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

• addition, all the above-cited methods require very expensive lab equipment and skilled operators. Electrochemical etching, although suffering from surface roughness issues (mainly for silver), reproducibility issues and lack of tip dimension control, is a technique that is easy to implement, accessible to

Disorder in H⁺-irradiated HOPG: effect of impinging energy and dose on Raman D-band splitting and surface topography

• Lisandro Venosta,
• Noelia Bajales,
• Sergio Suárez and
• Paula G. Bercoff

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2708–2717, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.253

• techniques is advantageous in order to gain a better insight into the origin of defects. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can help to reveal an increase in the graphene/graphite surface roughness, which has been correlated with the disorder generated by increasing hydrogen irradiation doses [21][22][23

Optimization of Mo/Cr bilayer back contacts for thin-film solar cells

• Nima Khoshsirat,
• Fawad Ali,
• Vincent Tiing Tiong,
• Mojtaba Amjadipour,
• Hongxia Wang,
• Mahnaz Shafiei and
• Nunzio Motta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2700–2707, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.252

• different deposition powers and working pressures. Good adhesion to the SLG substrate has been achieved by means of an ultra-thin Cr layer under the Mo layer. By optimizing the deposition conditions we achieved low surface roughness, high optical reflectance and low sheet resistivity while we could decrease

• conditions and was set to obtain Mo layers with 600 nm thickness. Film characterization The film thickness measurements were conducted using a Bruker Dektak stylus profiler. Morphology studies and surface roughness measurements were carried out using a JEOL 7001F scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a

• morphology are also confirmed by AFM images (see Supporting Information File 1). AFM roughness analysis (Figure 4) reveals an increase of the surface roughness with the sputtering power. Surface roughness is also directly proportional to the working pressure. The average roughness increases from 1.61 to 3.06

Characterization of the microscopic tribological properties of sandfish (Scincus scincus) scales by atomic force microscopy

• Weibin Wu,
• Christian Lutz,
• Simon Mersch,
• Richard Thelen,
• Christian Greiner,
• Guillaume Gomard and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2618–2627, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.243

• for 5 min and with a 1 µm diamond suspension for 8 min (DP-suspension M products purchased from Struers, Willich, Germany). This procedure resulted in scratch-free surfaces and a surface roughness of Ra < 0.01 µm, determined by optical profilometry (Sensofar Plµ neox, Barcelona, Spain). The water

Friction reduction through biologically inspired scale-like laser surface textures

• Johannes Schneider,
• Vergil Djamiykov and
• Christian Greiner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2561–2572, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.238

• friction forces encountered for sliding speeds between 40 and 70 mm/s. For even slower sliding, a more classical mixed lubrication contact is formed, as it is also encountered for samples textured with dimples [15]. The surface roughness of the steel discs after the experiments was Ra ≈ 200 nm. The discs

• detrimental effect by introducing a scale-like surface morphology for smaller sliding speeds was observed. Surface profilometry on the discs after the experiments revealed surface roughness values of Ra ≈ 250 nm, demonstrating that the discs became slightly rougher. Occasional signs of adhesive wear events

• friction coefficient for the steel-on-ceramic contact are significantly larger compared to the steel and polymer counter bodies presented above. This might be due to the significantly larger surface roughness of the aluminium oxide discs compared to the PEEK and 100Cr6 ones. Unfortunately, it is

High-temperature magnetism and microstructure of a semiconducting ferromagnetic (GaSb)_1−x(MnSb)_x alloy

• Leonid N. Oveshnikov,
• Elena I. Nekhaeva,
• Alexey V. Kochura,
• Alexander B. Davydov,
• Mikhail A. Shakhov,
• Sergey F. Marenkin,
• Oleg A. Novodvorskii,
• Alexander P. Kuzmenko,
• Alexander L. Vasiliev,
• Boris A. Aronzon and
• Erkki Lahderanta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2457–2465, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.230

• 150 nm and the surface roughness does not exceed 6 nm. This is in a good agreement with the data presented in Table 1, which were estimated from the duration of the deposition process. The image analysis confirms a homogeneous composition throughout the film thickness without any substantial contrast

Evidence of friction reduction in laterally graded materials

• Roberto Guarino,
• Gianluca Costagliola,
• Federico Bosia and
• Nicola Maria Pugno

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2443–2456, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.229

• simulation from a Gaussian statistical distribution (to account for surface roughness) with mean values denoted with µs(m) and µk(m), respectively. The standard deviation on the local coefficients of friction are denoted with σµs and σµk, respectively. If the block i is at rest, the static friction force Ffr

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

• focused ion beam system (FIB, FEI, Quanta 3D FEG). The elemental compositions in the cross sections of the Co3O4 layers in the working electrode were determined as line profiles by an energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) attachment to the FETEM. Thickness and average surface roughness of the deposited

High-throughput micro-nanostructuring by microdroplet inkjet printing

• Hendrikje R. Neumann and
• Christine Selhuber-Unkel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2372–2380, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.222

• situated on the grain boundaries. Droplet size is a function of surface roughness Figure 4 presents the diameter distribution of micelle solution droplets for each sample. The droplets on poly-Si have a comparable size with a tight variation range of only about 5 µm. The distribution is symmetric, whereby

• automatically determined average surface roughness, Ra, for each area, sputtered NiTi (sample shown in (E)) has the highest roughness and poly-silicon (A) is the smoothest sample. Boxchart of nanoparticle separation distance in the center of microcircles for each substrate material, as determined by a nearest

Filling nanopipettes with apertures smaller than 50 nm: dynamic microdistillation

• Evelyne Salançon and
• Bernard Tinland

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2181–2187, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.204

• probably also the surface roughness. Moreover, the very small aperture range, our particular focus, was not explored in this work. When high back-pressure is applied to the filling fluid, we showed in a previous article that the fluid meniscus follows an air-flow Poiseuille law [14] enabling the size of

Recent highlights in nanoscale and mesoscale friction

• Andrea Vanossi,
• Dirk Dietzel,
• Andre Schirmeisen,
• Ernst Meyer,
• Rémy Pawlak,
• Thilo Glatzel,
• Marcin Kisiel,
• Shigeki Kawai and
• Nicola Manini

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1995–2014, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.190

• the relative lateral motion of bodies in contact, and the related dissipation phenomena are being investigated extensively due to their importance in applications, from everyday life to advanced technology. At the macroscopic scale, friction between sliding bodies depends on their surface roughness

Self-assembled quasi-hexagonal arrays of gold nanoparticles with small gaps for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

• Emre Gürdal,
• Simon Dickreuter,
• Fatima Noureddine,
• Pascal Bieschke,
• Dieter P. Kern and
• Monika Fleischer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1977–1985, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.188

• diameter distribution, which is indicated by the error bars in Figure 3. Since in reality the particles are irregular and exhibit some surface roughness, the equivalent diameters underestimate the maximum outer diameter, and thus the minimum gap sizes to neighbouring particles may be even smaller than

A differential Hall effect measurement method with sub-nanometre resolution for active dopant concentration profiling in ultrathin doped Si_1−xGe_x and Si layers

• Richard Daubriac,
• Emmanuel Scheid,
• Hiba Rizk,
• Richard Monflier,
• Sylvain Joblot,
• Rémi Beneyton,
• Pablo Acosta Alba,
• Sébastien Kerdilès and
• Filadelfo Cristiano

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1926–1939, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.184

• good agreement with previous results obtained by our research group [26]. Concerning the surface roughness, tapping mode AFM analysis provided arithmetic averages Ra of about 1.2 Å (Figure S2, Supporting Information File 1). However, in view of its application for DHE experiments, it is necessary to

• surface roughness, we used ethanol instead of ultrapure water as rinsing solvent [28]. We performed multiple cycles of etching processes on in situ boron-doped Si layers (grown on top of Si substrates) with continuous monitoring of the removed thickness (by ellipsometry measurements) and the surface

• /cm2, the observed structure is identical to that found in the as-implanted sample with the SiGe layer being almost fully crystalline (and having a surface roughness of about 1 nm). This suggests that the laser energy density used in these cases is always lower than the threshold value necessary to

Uniform cobalt nanoparticles embedded in hexagonal mesoporous nanoplates as a magnetically separable, recyclable adsorbent

• Can Zhao,
• Yuexiao Song,
• Tianyu Xiang,
• Wenxiu Qu,
• Shuo Lou,
• Xiaohong Yin and
• Feng Xin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1770–1781, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.168

• increasing concentration of DA (Figure S2A–D, Supporting Information File 1). After the heat treatment at 800 °C, Co nanoparticles embedded in the rough and porous carbon layer are observed (Figure S2E–H, Supporting Information File 1). The surface roughness is observed to reduce with decreasing

Light extraction efficiency enhancement of flip-chip blue light-emitting diodes by anodic aluminum oxide

• Yi-Ru Huang,
• Yao-Ching Chiu,
• Kuan-Chieh Huang,
• Shao-Ying Ting,
• Po-Jui Chiang,
• Chih-Ming Lai,
• Chun-Ping Jen,
• Snow H. Tseng and
• Hsiang-Chen Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1602–1612, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.152

• are shown in Figure 2. The results show the surface roughness and surface height distribution of the three samples. Figure 2a, Figure 2d, and Figure 2g show the three-dimensional AFM images of AAO60, AAO70, and AAO80, respectively. Figure 2d shows the overall structure and structural integrity of the

• reflected by the surface roughness of LEDs. RCWA analysis indicated that surface plasmon waves are not involved in LEE enhancement. Experimental To produce a typical LED chip with a single-sided PSS, InGaN/GaN MQW LEDs were grown on c-plane (0001)-oriented PSSs using a metal–organic chemical vapor

Optical near-field mapping of plasmonic nanostructures prepared by nanosphere lithography

• Gitanjali Kolhatkar,
• Alexandre Merlen,
• Jiawei Zhang,
• Chahinez Dab,
• Gregory Q. Wallace,
• François Lagugné-Labarthet and
• Andreas Ruediger

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1536–1543, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.144

• laser onto a gold tip. A schematic of the experimental setup can be found elsewhere [37]. The elastically backscattered signal detected by a PMT was studied here. To obtain a tip with a radius down to 10 nm and low surface roughness, the gold tips were fabricated by electrochemical etching. A 100 µm

Scanning speed phenomenon in contact-resonance atomic force microscopy

• Christopher C. Glover,
• Jason P. Killgore and
• Ryan C. Tung

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 945–952, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.87

• large normal stiffness to the AFM tip. Here we have neglected surface roughness, which will provide an upper bound to the fluid stiffness that is experimentally achievable. To estimate the vertical lift force and subsequent film stiffness generated by the surface water layer, we utilize a simple slider

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

• superhydrophobic functionality of the surface. In doing so, the rolling drops pick up or absorb particulates and dirt, cleaning the leaf. The superhydrophobic behavior is caused by a combination of hierarchical surface roughness at the nanometer and microscale combined with an epicuticular wax coating [32]. The

Effect of annealing treatments on CeO₂ grown on TiN and Si substrates by atomic layer deposition

• Silvia Vangelista,
• Rossella Piagge,
• Satu Ek and
• Alessio Lamperti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 890–899, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.83

• atmosphere by using a graphite dome. Thickness, interface and surface roughness, and electronic density have been determined by data fitting using the MAUD software program [24]. MAUD has also been used for Rietveld refinement of GIXRD patterns, allowing to determine CeO2 cell parameter and crystallite size

• the Ce(thd)4 molecules do not effectively diffuse onto the substrate surface and the surface coverage on the TiN or Si substrates remains strictly connected to the surface roughness, which is higher on the TiN surface (compared to Si). We should keep in mind that the sticking coefficient of Ce(thd)4

Towards the third dimension in direct electron beam writing of silver

• Katja Höflich,
• Jakub Mateusz Jurczyk,
• Katarzyna Madajska,
• Maximilian Götz,
• Luisa Berger,
• Carlos Guerra-Nuñez,
• Caspar Haverkamp,
• Iwona Szymanska and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 842–849, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.78

• precursor flux is slightly lower. The square deposits show the earlier observed surface roughness for both of the precursors. The corresponding EDX quantification points to an even higher silver content in case of the AgO2F5Prop precursor, while the small amount of oxygen is comparable. The determined

Blister formation during graphite surface oxidation by Hummers’ method

• Olga V. Sinitsyna,
• Georgy B. Meshkov,
• Anastasija V. Grigorieva,
• Alexander A. Antonov,
• Inna G. Grigorieva and
• Igor V. Yaminsky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 407–414, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.40

• and hydrogen peroxide solution, the surface became gray and matte, which indicated a significant change in the surface roughness. Raman spectroscopy of the HAPG surface before and after the treatment Raman spectra, recorded from the ordered regions on the HAPG surface before and after the treatment