Influence of conductive carbon and MnCo₂O₄ on morphological and electrical properties of hydrogels for electrochemical energy conversion

• Sylwia Pawłowska,
• Karolina Cysewska,
• Yasamin Ziai,
• Jakub Karczewski,
• Piotr Jasiński and
• Sebastian Molin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 57–70, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.6

• electrochemically active surfaces. The great advantage of the 3D hydrogel structure is the increase of the catalytic surface area thanks to the possibility of conducting the electrochemical reaction deeper into the structure of the hydrogel. Generation of free space in the form of pores and network structure within

Curcumin-loaded nanostructured systems for treatment of leishmaniasis: a review

• Douglas Dourado,
• Thayse Silva Medeiros,
• Éverton do Nascimento Alencar,
• Edijane Matos Sales and
• Fábio Rocha Formiga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 37–50, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.4

• , sizes, charges, and modified surfaces which improves the leishmanicidal activity of curc and other control drugs. To date, only three in vivo studies in mice using nanostructured curc have been carried out. These were all based on polymers and metallic nanostructures. Despite the conducted

unDrift: A versatile software for fast offline SPM image drift correction

• Tobias Dickbreder,
• Franziska Sabath,
• Lukas Höltkemeier,
• Ralf Bechstein and
• Angelika Kühnle

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1225–1237, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.101

• properties of surfaces and interfaces across a variety of disciplines in chemistry and physics. One of the major artifacts in SPM is (thermal) drift, an unintended movement between sample and probe, which causes a distortion of the recorded SPM data. Literature holds a multitude of strategies to compensate

• force microscopy; calibration; drift correction; image correlation functions; periodic structures; scanning probe microscopy; Introduction In science and technology, scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques are widely used to study the structure and properties of surfaces and interfaces from the

• periodicity. This algorithm does not work reliably for perfectly periodic surfaces without any stationary features as all maxima would have the same intensity; thus, the algorithm cannot decide which maximum corresponds to the shift between the images [30]. For images exhibiting a periodic structure and

A combined gas-phase dissociative ionization, dissociative electron attachment and deposition study on the potential FEBID precursor [Au(CH₃)₂Cl]₂

• Elif Bilgilisoy,
• Ali Kamali,
• Thomas Xaver Gentner,
• Gerd Ballmann,
• Sjoerd Harder,
• Hans-Peter Steinrück,
• Hubertus Marbach and
• Oddur Ingólfsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1178–1199, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.98

• composition and morphology of FEBID deposits fabricated in an ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) chamber were explored on different surfaces and at varied beam currents. In the gas phase, dissociative ionization was found to lead to significant carbon loss from this precursor, and about 50% of the chlorine was on average

• nanostructures are critical for the enhancement of absorption and controlled scattering of light [10]. Focused-electron-beam-induced deposition (FEBID) is a direct writing method for controlled deposition/fabrication of nanostructures on either flat or nonflat surfaces. It offers excellent shape control and thus

• processes, rather than direct dissociation without new bond formation. Such rearrangement reactions generally proceed along convoluted paths on the respective potential energy surfaces, which are likely to be altered in the condensed phase or on a substrate surface. Furthermore, considering the current

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

• characteristics. Moreover, the probes used in CAFM are significantly sharper compared to, for example, mercury droplets or eGaIn, which makes it possible to avoid short circuits to the metallic surface relatively easily. In previous studies, CAFM has been used to investigate the conductivity of surfaces and SAMs

• SAM-covered surfaces was observed. This bears important consequences for the choice of substrates for studies on molecular SAMs; flat substrates are advantageous for such studies. Bare Au/Si and Au/mica substrates As mentioned above, two types of Au substrates were investigated, namely Au/Si and Au

• sample plane, this leads to larger variations in the local normal force when the tip lands on a slope. Therefore, the rougher topography is likely influencing the occurrence of high- and low-current areas. More specifically, this means that the conductance can appear higher on slopes and rough surfaces

Elasticity, an often-overseen parameter in the development of nanoscale drug delivery systems

• Agnes-Valencia Weiss and
• Marc Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1149–1156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.95

• . HeLa cells show an enhanced uptake by RGD functionalization but it is still reduced in comparison to all hard formulations. Particles with RGD-modified surfaces are superior in tumor accumulation for both soft and hard HNPs, with softer particles showing an overall higher retention in the tumor. This

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

• scanning conditions, current and resistance mapping as well as I–V spectroscopy over a wide range of current measurement (from 100 µA to less than 100 fA) (see Supporting Information File 1, section S1). Previous experiments have shown diamond-coated tips to be most suitable for imaging gold surfaces in

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

• . Deeper knowledge of surfaces and interfaces in heterostructures can play a crucial role in developing new methods for synthesizing such materials and in expanding their possible applications in nanoscience and nanotechnology. As a result of advances in computational methods and the increasing computer

• the investigated crystal planes and possible interfaces are introduced. Section Results and Discussion begins with convergence tests and calculations conducted for several low-index surfaces and simple Au/Ge interfaces. We then proceed to discussing several variants of a heterostructure with parallel

• , is the energy per atom in the X(Y) bulk form, nX(Y) is the number of X(Y) atoms in the XY supercell and Aint is the area of the interface. The work of separation (Wsep) is defined as the energy required to reversibly separate a bulk material into two semi-infinite bulks with free surfaces. Here we

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

• peak at the binding energy typical of surface OH (Figure 10b). This might be related to the chemisorption and decomposition of environmental humidity, enhanced on more crystallised film surfaces. Such a surface OH contribution has been described earlier [33][34]. Complementarily, the valence-band

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

• mode (DHe-KPFM spectroscopy), and 2D dynamic images can be acquired in data cube mode. The capabilities of DHe-KPFM in terms of time-resolved measurements, surface photovoltage (SPV) imaging, and detection of weak SPV signals are demonstrated through a series of experiments on difference surfaces: a

• confinement in the vertical direction and their smooth surfaces with atomic thickness control, very precise control over the optical gap and exciton energy of NSs can be achieved through chemical synthesis, making them very interesting

A visible-light photodetector based on heterojunctions between CuO nanoparticles and ZnO nanorods

• Doan Nhat Giang,
• Nhat Minh Nguyen,
• Duc Anh Ngo,
• Thanh Trang Tran,
• Le Thai Duy,
• Cong Khanh Tran,
• Thi Thanh Van Tran,
• Phan Phuong Ha La and
• Vinh Quang Dang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1018–1027, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.84

• . The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) results in Figure 1c show Zn, Cu, and O, which indicates the presence of ZnO and CuO. No further impurities were found. The results from X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy confirm that the nanoparticles covering the surfaces and

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

• ® and UHMWPE [9][10][11][12][13]. Here we extend this technique to Technora® by notching individual fibers (Figure 1b), gently opening them along shear planes to expose internal surfaces, and then scanning across those surfaces using an atomic force microscope (AFM) (Figure 1c). AFM scans yield internal

• failure will be brittle and thus more prone to variation. In contrast, Technora® has no such preferential planes, which may explain its more consistent strength values [6][7]. Indeed, we observe stray fibrils protruding in and out of the FIB-notched surfaces of Technora® and no consistent fracture planes

• filaments within Technora® fibers present no such consistent internal planes. Indeed, Ozawa hypothesized that Kevlar® has much wider “internal surfaces” than Technora®, making the former more sensitive to chemical effects [1]. This hypothesis aligns very well with our line scans (Figure 6), which show

Nanoarchitectonics of photothermal materials to enhance the sensitivity of lateral flow assays

• Elangovan Sarathkumar,
• Rajasekharan S. Anjana and
• Ramapurath S. Jayasree

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 988–1003, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.82

• ], Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, vol. 186, by V. Shirshahi; S. N. Tabatabaei; S. Hatamie; R. Saber, “Photothermal enhancement in sensitivity of lateral flow assays for detection of E-coli O157:H7”, article no. 110721, Copyright (2019), with permission from Elsevier. (This content is not subject to

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

• was shown to be consistent with Si–H bond cleavage and hydrogen desorption from silicon surfaces [29] (including Si NPs [30]) with the bond completely disappearing at 700 °C as indicated by FTIR spectra [31][32][33]. A temperature of 900 °C was chosen to assess the probability of formation of another

• nature of HF). The total etching time was 20 min (HF vapor etching of Si NPs doped with P results in the removal of the oxide layer after 15 min of etching [42]). It should be mentioned that Si NPs with hydrogen-terminated surfaces rapidly oxidize when exposed to air even at room temperatures [43][44

Antibody-conjugated nanoparticles for target-specific drug delivery of chemotherapeutics

• Mamta Kumari,
• Amitabha Acharya and
• Praveen Thaggikuppe Krishnamurthy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 912–926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.75

• chemotherapeutics specifically to the targeted cancer cells. ACNPs combine the benefits of NPs and mAbs to provide high drug loads at the tumor site with better selectivity and delivery efficiency. The mAbs on the NP surfaces recognize their specific receptors expressed on the target cells and release the

• fragment antigen-binding (Fab) region of mAbs are chemically conjugated to NP surfaces to recognize protein targets that are overexpressed on the surface of tumor cells. Conjugation of mAbs to NP surfaces improves targeting capacity, cellular uptake, and intracellular stability [12]. The mAb-functionalized

• (ACNPs) combine advantages of NPs and antibodies, which results in more specific and efficient delivery systems (Figure 1). There are a number of approaches for achieving specific conjugation of antibodies on NP surfaces. The selection of the most suitable conjugation method is very important to preserve

Two-dimensional molecular networks at the solid/liquid interface and the role of alkyl chains in their building blocks

• Suyi Liu,
• Yasuo Norikane and
• Yoshihiro Kikkawa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 872–892, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.72

• and desirable nanoarchitectures. Scanning tunneling microscopy is a powerful tool for revealing the molecular conformations, arrangements, and orientations of two-dimensional (2D) networks on surfaces. The fabrication of 2D assemblies involves non-covalent interactions that play a significant role in

• flat conducting substrates, such as metal surfaces and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions, at solid/air or solid/liquid interfaces [23][24][25][26][27][28]. Although UHV-STM offers high-resolution imaging, it requires large, complex, and expensive

• structures on metallic surfaces, such as Au(111), are different from those on a HOPG surface, even if the molecular building blocks are the same [62][63][64]. This is because of the different molecule–substrate interactions on Au(111) and HOPG. The adsorption energy of alkyl chains on Au(111) has been

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

• , an NHC-based monolayer has even been shown to protect against thiol displacement on gold surfaces [13]. Thus, in spite of the challenges that can be presented by NHC synthesis [17], they offer appeal even in light of the more general commercial availability of a wide range of thiols. The covalent

• formation of molecular monolayers on gold surfaces supports a wide range of fundamental science and technological applications. While thiol-containing species continue to dominate monolayer formation, the pursuit and characterization of monolayer precursors with superior performance has been ongoing. NHCs

Industrial perspectives for personalized microneedles

• Remmi Danae Baker-Sediako,
• Benjamin Richter,
• Matthias Blaicher,
• Michael Thiel and
• Martin Hermatschweiler

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 857–864, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.70

• microneedle development and clinical translation. Despite SLA and DLP being cost-effective entry points for fabricating bio-inspired microneedles, both techniques often suffer from rough surfaces and poor shape accuracy. Specifically, SLA and DLP 3D printers suffer from the staircase effect, which is an

• miniaturization, shape accuracy, smooth surfaces, and high aspect ratios [51][52][53][54]. In the last decade, 2PP instruments have evolved from slow (albeit versatile) microfabrication instruments (e.g., the first generation 2008–2012 Photonic Professional) suitable for proofs of concept to industrialized 3D

• microoptic fabrication, grayscale lithography offers a solution to mitigate the staircase effect. Grayscale lithography is a novel approach in photolithography for 2.5D patterning (x,y,z) with ultrasmooth surfaces that exhibits improved shape accuracy [57][58]. In 2019, Nanoscribe GmbH & Co launched the

Biomimetics on the micro- and nanoscale – The 25th anniversary of the lotus effect

• Matthias Mail,
• Kerstin Koch,
• Thomas Speck,
• William M. Megill and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 850–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.69

• Zoology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1–9, D-24118 Kiel, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.14.69 Keywords: biomimetic surfaces; hydrophobicity; lotus effect; Salvinia effect; superhydrophobicity; wettability; In 1997, Wilhelm Barthlott and Christoph Neinhuis published the paper

• “Purity of the sacred lotus” [1] in which they described the superhydrophobic surfaces and the self-cleaning ability of some plants (the so-called “lotus effect”, see Figure 1). This paper led to a paradigm shift in surface sciences. It generated a lot of interest at the time and continues today to

• inspire numerous publications and technical developments [2]. Although the phenomenon of the outstanding water repellence of some plant surfaces had been known for over 2000 years, the functional principle behind it and the detailed physicochemistry of superhydrophobic biological surfaces had remained

Silver-based SERS substrates fabricated using a 3D printed microfluidic device

• Phommachith Sonexai,
• Minh Van Nguyen,
• Bui The Huy and
• Yong-Ill Lee

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 793–803, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.65

• is more cost-effective, straightforward, and accessible. The chemical treatment of PDMS and the glass plate aims to decorate their surfaces with silanol groups (Si–OH), enabling the two surfaces to bond chemically at the atomic level [49]. To determine the droplet size, we used two dye solutions and

Carboxylic acids and light interact to affect nanoceria stability and dissolution in acidic aqueous environments

• Matthew L. Hancock,
• Eric A. Grulke and
• Robert A. Yokel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 762–780, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.63

• Matthew L. Hancock Eric A. Grulke Robert A. Yokel Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0046, United States Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536-0596, United States 10.3762/bjnano.14.63 Abstract Cerium atoms on the surfaces

• during its synthesis; in fact, a carboxylic acid, namely citric acid, is used in many synthesis protocols. Citric acid adsorbs onto nanoceria surfaces, limiting particle formation and creating stable dispersions with extended shelf life. To better understand factors influencing the fate of nanoceria, its

• potential to inhibit cancerous tumor growth [5], reduce radiation-induced damage [6], and heal wounds [7], among many other effects [8][9] cited in the introduction of [10]. Cerium atoms on nanoceria surfaces can store or release oxygen, cycling between Ce3+ and Ce4+; therefore, they can relieve oxidative

A graphene quantum dots–glassy carbon electrode-based electrochemical sensor for monitoring malathion

• Sanju Tanwar,
• Aditi Sharma and
• Dhirendra Mathur

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 701–710, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.56

• Brillouin zone, while the G band arises from vibrations in rings of sp2-hybridized atoms inside the GQDs. Electrochemical studies Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy In order to investigate the charge transfer on the electrode surfaces, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used with the redox

• working electrode has an increased surface area to volume ratio due to the small size of GQDs. In addition, the different functional groups present on the GQDs surfaces provide additional active sites, which increase sensitivity and lower the limit of detection. Interference study The selectivity of the

Humidity-dependent electrical performance of CuO nanowire networks studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

• Jelena Kosmaca,
• Juris Katkevics,
• Jana Andzane,
• Raitis Sondors,
• Liga Jasulaneca,
• Raimonds Meija,
• Kiryl Niherysh,
• Yelyzaveta Rublova and
• Donats Erts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 683–691, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.54

• compositions aligned by DEP [25]. In some of these works, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used as an effective tool to study the effects of chemical and physical absorption of water on the nanostructured surfaces of active CuO elements of the systems [23][24]. To the best of our knowledge, the

• chemisorption on the surface of a p-type nanowire can have a dual effect on the electrical conductivity, this may explain the scatter of impedances measured at the RH below 50% (Figure 3a). This hypothesis on the processes on the surfaces of the CuO nanowires is supported by the Bode plot data. The linear

• and phase angle ϕ vs log f. (a) Impedance magnitude |Z| vs relative humidity RH (dashed line is a guide to the eyes) at various T; (b) |Z| vs T at various RH. (c–e) Schematics of the processes induced by water chemisorption and physisorption on the CuO nanowire surfaces: (c) formation of a (Cu+–OH

Investigations on the optical forces from three mainstream optical resonances in all-dielectric nanostructure arrays

• Guangdong Wang and
• Zhanghua Han

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 674–682, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.53

• , respectively. In this work, we use a small virtual cube to accommodate a small object (i.e., the PS sphere) and all surfaces of the cube are in water. The electromagnetic fields at the six surfaces of the virtual cube are used to calculate the optical force according to Equation 2. With numerical calculations

Metal-organic framework-based nanomaterials as opto-electrochemical sensors for the detection of antibiotics and hormones: A review

• Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo,
• Saba Derakhshan Oskouei and
• Mustafa Gazi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 631–673, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.52

• , environmental, food safety, and health analyses. They have exceptional physico-chemical and opto-electronic properties, a high surface area-to-volume ratio, and their surfaces are easy to functionalize. Additionally, compared to their bulk counterparts, nanomaterials are particularly sensitive to changes in