Three-in-one approach towards efficient organic dye-sensitized solar cells: aggregation suppression, panchromatic absorption and resonance energy transfer

• Jayita Patwari,
• Samim Sardar,
• Bo Liu,
• Peter Lemmens and
• Samir Kumar Pal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1705–1713, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.171

• carried out to explore the dynamical processes occurring between these two dyes after the attachment to the TiO2 surface. PPIX is an environmentally friendly organic sensitizer that has a strong absorption in the visible region of the solar spectrum. Application of PPIX as a sensitizer in DSSCs has been

• of the photoanodes S8P2 and S6P4, it can be observed that the simultaneous attachment of PPIX and SQ2 on the TiO2 surface can significantly reduce the aggregation of the SQ2 dye. It can be noted that after the addition of PPIX, the absorption region of SQ2 becomes narrower and the prominent peak

• timescale of 60 ps (64%) was obtained after attachment of SQ2 on the TiO2 surface. All the lifetime components and their relative percentages are summarized in Table 2. Figure 5a presents the current density (J) vs voltage (V) characteristics of the co-sensitized DSSCs. Sample S8P2 shows the highest

Effect of the fluorination technique on the surface-fluorination patterning of double-walled carbon nanotubes

• Lyubov G. Bulusheva,
• Yuliya V. Fedoseeva,
• Emmanuel Flahaut,
• Jérémy Rio,
• Christopher P. Ewels,
• Victor O. Koroteev,
• Gregory Van Lier,
• Denis V. Vyalikh and
• Alexander V. Okotrub

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1688–1698, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.169

• . Results and Discussion Raman spectroscopy detected a growth of the intensity of the D band corresponding to out-of-plane vibrations of carbon hexagons after fluorination of the DWCNT sample (Figure 1). This is due to development of sp3-hybridized carbon defect sites as the result of covalent attachment of

• disruption of the uniformity of the π-system due to attachment of fluorine atoms to the CNT surface [40]. The appearance of a set of C–F absorption bands in the FTIR spectra reflects a co-existence of various types of bonds in samples. Chamssedine et al. identified three types of C–F bonding for fluorinated

• promoting the attachment of fluorine atoms one by one. For the DWCNTs treated with CF4 plasma we suppose fluorination of the rope surfaces only, since the plasma deposition is directional and the sample exposure time was relatively short. This did not allow us to choose a single model well suited to all

Uptake and intracellular accumulation of diamond nanoparticles – a metabolic and cytotoxic study

• Antonín Brož,
• Lucie Bačáková,
• Pavla Štenclová,
• Alexander Kromka and
• Štěpán Potocký

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1649–1657, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.165

• concentration-dependent manner. This was explained by the fact that MWCNTs at higher concentrations covered most of the bottom of the culture well and left only limited space for cell attachment and spreading [38]. Influence of particle type Figure 3 and Figure 4 show a comparison between the cell metabolic

Oxidative stabilization of polyacrylonitrile nanofibers and carbon nanofibers containing graphene oxide (GO): a spectroscopic and electrochemical study

• İlknur Gergin,
• Ezgi Ismar and
• A. Sezai Sarac

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1616–1628, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.161

• reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) (Perkin Elmer, Spectrum One, with a Universal ATR attachment with a diamond and ZnSe crystal). The microstructure of the carbonized nanofiber webs was investigated by Raman spectroscopy (DXR Raman spectrometer, Thermo Scientific, at 532 nm). The

A biofunctionalizable ink platform composed of catechol-modified chitosan and reduced graphene oxide/platinum nanocomposite

• Peter Sobolewski,
• Agata Goszczyńska,
• Małgorzata Aleksandrzak,
• Karolina Urbaś,
• Joanna Derkowska,
• Agnieszka Bartoszewska,
• Jacek Podolski,
• Ewa Mijowska and
• Mirosława El Fray

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1508–1514, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.151

• polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products and low non-specific binding. Our results demonstrate that catechol-modified chitosan/rGO–Pt nanocomposites can be used as inks for piezoelectric printing and facilitate the attachment of biorecognition elements for biosensor applications. Keywords: biosensing

Micro- and nano-surface structures based on vapor-deposited polymers

• Hsien-Yeh Chen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1366–1374, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.138

• for the pattern formation of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-like polymer derivatives to guide fibroblast attachment [21]. A photodefinable polymer of poly(4-benzoyl-p-xylylene-co-p-xylylene) was synthesized by CVD, and a combined soft lithographical and UV light process was performed to create the

• –Arg–Glu–Asp–Val (CREDV) peptide showed the synergic anti-fouling property and preferentially enhanced attachment of endothelial cells in such patterned areas [50]. In another report, a multifunctional coating was realized via CVD copolymerization to deposit a poly(p-xylylene) copolymer, which

Miniemulsion copolymerization of (meth)acrylates in the presence of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes for reinforced coating applications

• Bertha T. Pérez-Martínez,
• Lorena Farías-Cepeda,
• Víctor M. Ovando-Medina,
• José M. Asua,
• Lucero Rosales-Marines and
• Radmila Tomovska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1328–1337, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.134

• covalent attachment or through the supramolecular adsorption or wrapping of suitable functionalities and even surface active substances [1][2][4][5]. Various techniques have been developed for the synthesis of CNT–polymer composites, including solution mixing [6][7], melt blending [8][9][10][11][12], latex

Characterization of ferrite nanoparticles for preparation of biocomposites

• Urszula Klekotka,
• Magdalena Rogowska,
• Dariusz Satuła and
• Beata Kalska-Szostko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1257–1265, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.127

• signal at 1052 cm−1 that originates from –CH=O in this compound [32]. The last spectra (d) were collected after the attachment of trypsin, and here a small signal at 1056 cm−1 occurs, which suggests the presence of the tested enzyme in the sample. Similar changes in the IR spectra were observed

• mixture was mixed for 3 h at RT [34]. After that, the nanoparticles were once again washed with Tris-HCl solution and dried at RT overnight. Attachment of the tested enzymes In the present studies, enzymes were attached to the nanoparticles in two ways. In the first one, via glutaraldehyde, and in the

• second, without it, directly to the –COOH obtained via surface modification with oleic acid, which is schematically presented in Figure 8. Below, we present the methods for attachment of the various enzymes. Albumin: Nanoparticles were washed with Tris-HCl solution, then the mixture of albumin (17 g/L

Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and thermogravimetric analysis of two series of substituted (metallo)tetraphenylporphyrins

• Rasha K. Al-Shewiki,
• Carola Mende,
• Roy Buschbeck,
• Pablo F. Siles,
• Oliver G. Schmidt,
• Tobias Rüffer and
• Heinrich Lang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1191–1204, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.121

• Information File 1 shows the IR spectra of 2/3 and of 2a–d/3a–d as obtained by FTIR measurements with a Nicolet iS10 spectrometer (ATR attachment, ZnSe crystal) for comparison. For the porphyrins 2 and 3 three different N–H vibrations at 3310–3326 cm−1, 975–990 cm−1 and 675–700 cm−1 are expected according to

Needs and challenges for assessing the environmental impacts of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs)

• Michelle Romero-Franco,
• Hilary A. Godwin,
• Muhammad Bilal and
• Yoram Cohen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 989–1014, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.101

Vapor-phase-synthesized fluoroacrylate polymer thin films: thermal stability and structural properties

• Paul Christian and
• Anna Maria Coclite

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 933–942, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.95

• , whereby qz = 4π·sin(θ)/λ. The index z indicates that only net planes parallel to the substrate surface were probed in the experiment (specular scan). In situ, temperature-dependent XRD studies were performed with a DHS900 heating stage attachment (Anton-Paar, Austria), using a heating rate of 2 °C/min

3D Nanoprinting via laser-assisted electron beam induced deposition: growth kinetics, enhanced purity, and electrical resistivity

• Brett B. Lewis,
• Robert Winkler,
• Xiahan Sang,
• Pushpa R. Pudasaini,
• Michael G. Stanford,
• Harald Plank,
• Raymond R. Unocic,
• Jason D. Fowlkes and
• Philip D. Rack

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 801–812, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.83

• resultant grain structure and carbon removal. In standard EBID using the MeCpPt(IV)Me3 precursor, the initial reaction leading to condensation occurs with the cleavage of a single bond between a methyl group and the platinum atom, surmised to occur primarily through dissociative electron attachment (DEA

Silicon microgrooves for contact guidance of human aortic endothelial cells

• Sara Fernández-Castillejo,
• Pilar Formentín,
• Úrsula Catalán,
• Josep Pallarès,
• Lluís F. Marsal and
• Rosa Solà

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 675–681, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.72

• , macroporous and micropillars, to study the effect of topography on the behaviour of endothelial cells. Collagen was found to stimulate cell adhesion and promote an enhanced cell attachment [32][33]. Herein, to mimic the elongated endothelium in natural lineal vessels, human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs

• ,d) V-shaped grooves. Cytotoxicity observed after D1–D7 of cells incubation on a regular well-plate (blank condition), on flat substrate (Flat) or on different patterned substrates (S15, S40, V15 and V40). No statistical differences were found in any condition tested. a) Attachment of HAECs after 2

Optimizing qPlus sensor assemblies for simultaneous scanning tunneling and noncontact atomic force microscopy operation based on finite element method analysis

• Omur E. Dagdeviren and
• Udo D. Schwarz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 657–666, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.70

• numerical analysis of qPlus-style setups without tips, this work quantifies the influence of tip attachment on the operational characteristics of the sensor. The results using finite element modeling show in particular that for setups that include a metallic tip that is connected via a separate wire to

• throughout this work at typical values of ethick = 100 µm and eover = 40 µm to solely focus on the effect the tip attachment has. All calculations were carried out using the COMSOL Multiphysics 4.4 structural mechanics software package (COMSOL Multiphysics GmbH, Berlin, and Germany). Table 1 summarizes the

• as in the recently introduced tuned-oscillator mode [38]), other priorities for the evolution of f0, k, and Q may exist. The first attachment choice studied in this paper is depicted in Figure 2a–c. Here, the blunt tungsten rod of 100 µm diameter and 400 µm length standing in for the tip is mounted

Dispersion of single-wall carbon nanotubes with supramolecular Congo red – properties of the complexes and mechanism of the interaction

• Anna Jagusiak,
• Barbara Piekarska,
• Tomasz Pańczyk,
• Małgorzata Jemioła-Rzemińska,
• Elżbieta Bielańska,
• Barbara Stopa,
• Grzegorz Zemanek,
• Janina Rybarska,
• Irena Roterman and
• Leszek Konieczny

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 636–648, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.68

• ]. Functionalization also allows for the attachment of biologically active molecules – e.g., drugs, nucleic acids, antibodies or ligands for cell-surface receptors. This is especially important for targeted drug delivery systems based on CNT [13][15][18][19][20][21]. Noncovalent functionalization of CNTs is usually

• . Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membranes (0.2 µm pore size) were purchased from MERCK Millipore. All other reagents used were of analytical grade. Dispersion of SWNTs by non-covalent attachment of supramolecular Congo red 1 mL of aqueous CR solution (2 or 5 mg/mL) was heated for 3 min at 100 °C, slowly cooled to room

α-((4-Cyanobenzoyl)oxy)-ω-methyl poly(ethylene glycol): a new stabilizer for silver nanoparticles

• Jana Lutze,
• Miguel A. Bañares,
• Marcos Pita,
• Andrea Haase,
• Andreas Luch and
• Andreas Taubert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 627–635, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.67

• reaction) size distribution. Moreover, the interaction of the cyano group with the silver surface is reasonably strong [36][38][39][40][41][42][43] and provides a good attachment of CBAmPEG to the NP surface. UV–vis spectroscopy suggests that a smaller fraction of the nanoparticles may aggregate upon

Modeling of the growth of GaAs–AlGaAs core–shell nanowires

• Qian Zhang,
• Peter W. Voorhees and
• Stephen H. Davis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 506–513, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.54

• the attachment rate of Al atoms is smaller there. Keywords: core–shell nanowires; heterostructures; mechanisms; quantum dots; Findings Core–shell nanowires with heterostructures hold great promise in photonic and electronic applications because of their high sensitivity to electronic and magnetic

• concentration of Al atoms along each facet tends to be a constant that is equal to its attachment rate on the corresponding facets in the deposition-dominated regime (Figure 10). The behaviour of the segregation is similar to the results of the former numerical simulation in the surface-diffusion-dominated

Formation and shape-control of hierarchical cobalt nanostructures using quaternary ammonium salts in aqueous media

• Ruchi Deshmukh,
• Anurag Mehra and
• Rochish Thaokar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 494–505, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.53

• aggregate by magnetic interaction (ferromagnetic) by oriented attachment resulting in nanorods. The FEGSEM images (Figure 5c) show a persistent tendency of nanorods to interlock while a few isolated nanorods can also be seen. In the following we explain the crystal structure and the effect of different

Biological and biomimetic materials and surfaces

• Stanislav Gorb and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 403–407, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.42

• exaggeration one can say that Lotus-Effect® surfaces, together with fasteners inspired by gecko attachment structures, can be considered as “flagships” of contemporary surface-related biomimetic research. Still today questions related to these effects are the topic of novel state-of-the-art studies in the

• , attachment and prey catching systems, reproductive, folding and feeding systems, as well as in traumatic reproductive systems [14]. The diets of marine zooplanktonic copepod crustaceans comprise a large proportion of the diatom taxa whose silicified shells exhibit extremely impressive mechanical stability

• smooth vertical surfaces and ceilings. The functioning of the pads depends on various environmental factors. Heepe et al. showed that the attachment performance of the beetle Coccinella septempunctata depends on the relative humidity. The authors demonstrated that both low (15%) and high (99

Comparison of four methods for the biofunctionalization of gold nanorods by the introduction of sulfhydryl groups to antibodies

• Xuefeng Wang,
• Zhong Mei,
• Yanyan Wang and
• Liang Tang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 372–380, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.39

• the four modified anti-IgG (Figure S4, Supporting Information File 1). Thus, functionalizing GNRs by directly introducing thiol groups to antibodies using functional cross-linkers such as Traut’s reagent, DTT, and PEG6-CONHNH2 is more efficient; attachment to thiol groups via an amide bond is also

Selective photodissociation of tailored molecular tags as a tool for quantum optics

• Ugur Sezer,
• Philipp Geyer,
• Moritz Kriegleder,
• Maxime Debiossac,
• Armin Shayeghi,
• Markus Arndt,
• Lukas Felix and
• Marcel Mayor

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 325–333, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.35

• gratings based on photocleavable subunits is presented. For that purpose, we have designed, synthesized and characterized a molecular tag based on a 2-(phenoxymethyl)-1-nitrobenzene motive comprising an ethynyl group enabling its modular attachment by covalent coupling chemistry. The covalent attachment

Functionalized TiO₂ nanoparticles by single-step hydrothermal synthesis: the role of the silane coupling agents

• Antoine R. M. Dalod,
• Lars Henriksen,
• Tor Grande and
• Mari-Ann Einarsrud

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 304–312, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.33

• oriented attachment of nanoparticles and specific adsorption of the aminosilane on crystallographic faces of anatase nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were functionalized in situ and became hydrophobic as silanes reacted to form covalent bonds on the surface of TiO2. The versatility of the aqueous synthesis

• 700 °C leads to the formation of a nanometric amorphous SiO2 layer, preventing growth and phase transition of the in situ functionalized nanoparticles. Keywords: core–shell nanoparticles; functionalized nanoparticles; hydrothermal synthesis; oriented attachment; silane coupling agent; Introduction

• nm and a narrow size distribution. Samples functionalized with aminosilane (Figure 3c,d) exhibit similar nanoparticles, but also larger rod-like nanoparticles. Similar crystallite size and roughness of the rod-like nanostructures suggest that they are formed by oriented attachment [31] of the

Template-controlled piezoactivity of ZnO thin films grown via a bioinspired approach

• Nina J. Blumenstein,
• Fabian Streb,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Zaklina Burghard and
• Joachim Bill

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 296–303, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.32

• -assembled monolayer and a sulfonate-terminated polyelectrolyte multilayer) on the deposition and therefore on the piezoelectric performance was investigated. While the low negative charge of the COOH-SAM is not able to support oriented attachment of the particles, the strongly negatively charged sulfonated

• , electrostatic attraction promotes attachment of the ZnO particles. On the other hand, non-polar molecules inhibit adsorption and film growth. In this way the growth and morphology of the films can be easily controlled [27][28][29]. Moreover, it is possible to achieve site-selective growth of ZnO by using two

• composite nacre with its remarkable mechanical stability [37]. The growth of the inorganic, polycrystalline aragonite platelets is directed by biopolymers. This organic template leads to oriented attachment of the CaCO3 crystallites so that a preferred orientation along the c-axis arises [38]. According to

Comparison of four functionalization methods of gold nanoparticles for enhancing the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)

• Paula Ciaurriz,
• Fátima Fernández,
• Edurne Tellechea,
• Jose F. Moran and
• Aaron C. Asensio

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 244–253, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.27

• of free amine groups (few lysine amino acid residues) compared to the antibody molecule. The lower availability of free amino groups could hamper the attachment of peroxidase in the covalent strategy (Figure 1c), although more experiments should be performed to confirm this. Consequently, this would

Sensitive detection of hydrocarbon gases using electrochemically Pd-modified ZnO chemiresistors

• Elena Dilonardo,
• Michele Penza,
• Marco Alvisi,
• Gennaro Cassano,
• Cinzia Di Franco,
• Francesco Palmisano,
• Luisa Torsi and
• Nicola Cioffi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 82–90, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.9

• removal of chlorine ions in the liquid phase. Finally, a thermal treatment at 120 °C for 2 h allowed us to maintain hydroxyl (–OH) groups on the oxide surface in order to permit the attachment of Pd NPs during the electrochemical deposition process [45]. Electrochemical decoration of ZnO by Pd NPs Pd@ZnO