Role of solvents in the electronic transport properties of single-molecule junctions

• Katharina Luka-Guth,
• Sebastian Hambsch,
• Andreas Bloch,
• Philipp Ehrenreich,
• Bernd Michael Briechle,
• Filip Kilibarda,
• Torsten Sendler,
• Dmytro Sysoiev,
• Thomas Huhn,
• Artur Erbe and
• Elke Scheer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1055–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.99

• ][8]. A very fruitful method for gathering statistical information on the transport behaviour of single-molecule junctions is the repeated formation and breakage of atomic contacts immersed in a solution containing the molecules under investigation in a suitable solvent. The dissolution of the

Reconstitution of the membrane protein OmpF into biomimetic block copolymer–phospholipid hybrid membranes

• Matthias Bieligmeyer,
• Franjo Artukovic,
• Stephan Nussberger,
• Thomas Hirth,
• Thomas Schiestel and
• Michaela Müller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 881–892, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.80

• /DPhPC membranes. Being well aware of the low compatibility of this solvent with proteins, this solvent led to the molecular dissolution of PIPEO. The presence of chloroform in our lipopolymer membranes may also be the reason why we did not observe typical three-step closing of trimeric OmpF channels at

Assembling semiconducting molecules by covalent attachment to a lamellar crystalline polymer substrate

• Rainhard Machatschek,
• Patrick Ortmann,
• Renate Reiter,
• Stefan Mecking and
• Günter Reiter

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 784–798, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.70

• Langmuir–Schäfer technique to a hydrophobic silicon wafer coated with an octadeclytrichlorsilane (OTS) monolayer. CPE45 crystallization, annealing and functionalization procedure In order to grow single crystals, CPE45 was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF). For the initial dissolution, a combination of

Selective photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to methanol in CuO-loaded NaTaO₃ nanocubes in isopropanol

• Tianyu Xiang,
• Feng Xin,
• Jingshuai Chen,
• Yuwen Wang,
• Xiaohong Yin and
• Xiao Shao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 776–783, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.69

• was increased to 3 mol/L and 4 mol/L, the ideal morphology of the nanocubes was disrupted and fewer nanocubes were observed. Generally, the SEM image of 2M-NaTaO3 presents the best morphology. He et al. [34] reported a hydrothermal synthesis of NaTaO3 with Ta2O5 powder and NaOH followed a dissolution

Facile synthesis of water-soluble carbon nano-onions under alkaline conditions

• Gaber Hashem Gaber Ahmed,
• Rosana Badía Laíño,
• Josefa Angela García Calzón and
• Marta Elena Díaz García

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 758–766, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.67

• carbonizing the samples in the presence of NaOH 30%. The color is probably due to the partial oxidation of graphene to graphene oxide during the process [35]. The water-soluble part of the residue was extracted by dissolution in 100 mL deionized water, then filtrated through normal filter papers and followed

Magnetic switching of nanoscale antidot lattices

• Ulf Wiedwald,
• Joachim Gräfe,
• Kristof M. Lebecki,
• Maxim Skripnik,
• Felix Haering,
• Gisela Schütz,
• Paul Ziemann,
• Eberhard Goering and
• Ulrich Nowak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 733–750, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.65

• deposited films is limited to roughly half the antidot diameter, since the acetone-based chemo-mechanical polishing needs a sidewise access to the spheres allowing PS dissolution. Under best conditions, we achieve defect-free antidot lattices of 25 × 25 µm2. Thus, integral measurements like SQUID

Hydration of magnesia cubes: a helium ion microscopy study

• Ruth Schwaiger,
• Johannes Schneider,
• Gilles R. Bourret and
• Oliver Diwald

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 302–309, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.28

• definition specific to the MgO cubes. Comparison of different regions within one sample before and after exposure to liquid water reveals different transformation processes, such as the formation of Mg(OH)2 shells that act as diffusion barriers for MgO dissolution or the evolution of brucite nanosheets

• morphologically well-defined MgO particle systems was investigated. We observed unexpected transformations ranging from swelling of the metal oxide nanostructure core to dissolution–recrystallization steps that give rise to the formation of hydroxides with entirely different microstructures [21]. Experimental All

• increase factor ≈ 1.35). Of course, the accuracy of the HIM measurement decreases for smaller structures. However, the trend is quite clear. Such observations are in line with previous reports [21] showing that small MgO cubes are subject to faster dissolution as compared to larger ones. Interestingly

Surface coating affects behavior of metallic nanoparticles in a biological environment

• Darija Domazet Jurašin,
• Marija Ćurlin,
• Ivona Capjak,
• Tea Crnković,
• Marija Lovrić,
• Michal Babič,
• Daniel Horák,
• Ivana Vinković Vrček and
• Srećko Gajović

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 246–262, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.23

• media like dissolution, adsorption, binding, and aggregation, all influencing biological impacts by affecting reactive oxygen species generation, cellular uptake and NP biodistribution [15][16][17][18]. Metallic NPs usually aggregate in media with high electrolyte content that correspond to biological

Characterisation of thin films of graphene–surfactant composites produced through a novel semi-automated method

• Nik J. Walch,
• Alexei Nabok,
• Frank Davis and
• Séamus P. J. Higson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 209–219, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.19

• to a concentration of 462.9 mg·mL−1 while the CTAB solution concentration was made up to 49.7 mg·mL−1. These solutions were prepared and then placed into a water bath heated to 50 °C to aid dissolution. Once dissolved, the surfactant solution was placed into the surfactant reservoir of the

Sonochemical co-deposition of antibacterial nanoparticles and dyes on textiles

• Ilana Perelshtein,
• Anat Lipovsky,
• Nina Perkas,
• Tzanko Tzanov and
• Aharon Gedanken

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1–8, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.1

• FEG from FEI (USA). The Cu and Zn concentrations on the fabric surface were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analysis (Horiba ULTIMA 2 spectrometer) after their dissolution from the fabric with 0.5 M HNO3. The dyes adsorbed on the cotton were

• the dissolution of the M2+ and O2− ions. As ZnO is more soluble in water, higher percentage of released ions was found for the ZnO coating. To follow the leaching of the dye into water and saline solution the color difference of the textiles before and after leaching experiments was studied by

Selective porous gates made from colloidal silica nanoparticles

• Roberto Nisticò,
• Paola Avetta,
• Paola Calza,
• Debora Fabbri,
• Giuliana Magnacca and
• Dominique Scalarone

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2105–2112, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.215

• directing agent. Benzene (≥99.7%, Riedel-de-Haën) was used as a solvent to solubilize the block copolymer. All chemicals were used without further purifications. Copolymer benzene solutions (1 wt %) were prepared and let stirring until complete dissolution of the copolymer. Micellar solutions were obtained

An ISA-TAB-Nano based data collection framework to support data-driven modelling of nanotoxicology

• Richard L. Marchese Robinson,
• Mark T. D. Cronin,
• Andrea-Nicole Richarz and
• Robert Rallo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1978–1999, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.202

• , e.g., “Parameter Value [analyte role]” (i.e., the dissolved species being measured) for dissolution Assay file templates. No claim is made that the templates developed to date within the NanoPUZZLES project would capture all relevant measurements which might be associated with a given category of

Nanofibers for drug delivery – incorporation and release of model molecules, influence of molecular weight and polymer structure

• Jakub Hrib,
• Jakub Sirc,
• Radka Hobzova,
• Zuzana Hampejsova,
• Zuzana Bosakova,
• Marcela Munzarova and
• Jiri Michalek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1939–1945, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.198

• interweaving of PEG and chains of the polymer matrix during the electrospinning process. Expecting the well interweaving of PEG molecules, their release is primarily influenced by the dissolution rate and consequent transport through the material, i.e., the molecules with lower molecular weight and so higher

• mobile, which allows them to partially penetrate the nanofibers. In this case, the distance from the surface controls the dissolution rate. The longer chains of PEG 20 contain parts of molecules which remain near the surface and are more accessible to water. This effect accelerates the release of longer

• water molecules may result in such distinct differences between the release rates from PVA. The higher amount of released PEG from PVA brings the question whether it is not related to the dissolution of the fibers in an aqueous environment. Therefore, the SEM images of PVA nanofibers after release

Temperature-dependent breakdown of hydrogen peroxide-treated ZnO and TiO₂ nanoparticle agglomerates

• Sinan Sabuncu and
• Mustafa Çulha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1897–1903, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.193

• contaminate the NP suspension, which may limit the applications of the NPs. Their dispersion in aqueous media can also be physically achieved after long ultrasonication processes (up to 60 h [10]). However, the long sonication time may also cause erosion or dissolution and the formation of cavities on the

Nanocuration workflows: Establishing best practices for identifying, inputting, and sharing data to inform decisions on nanomaterials

• Christina M. Powers,
• Karmann A. Mills,
• Stephanie A. Morris,
• Fred Klaessig,
• Sharon Gaheen,
• Nastassja Lewinski and
• Christine Ogilvie Hendren

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1860–1871, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.189

• ., dissolution rate at a particular pH and toxicity in a specific organism). These three organizations (caNanoLab, NR, and CEINT-NIKC) differ in sourcing data to be curated (established protocols, literature sources, primarily internal or fully external), the intended users (medical researchers conversant with

NanoE-Tox: New and in-depth database concerning ecotoxicity of nanomaterials

• Katre Juganson,
• Angela Ivask,
• Irina Blinova,
• Monika Mortimer and
• Anne Kahru

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1788–1804, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.183

• environment the following information was registered: test medium, hydrodynamic size of NPs in the test environment (including the method used for analysis), dissolution (if applicable), and surface charge (ζ-potential). Concerning the toxicity testing, we tabulated the following information: test organism

• , primary size, possible impurities, surface area and other observations, and the test environment-specific characteristics are: media, size, dissolution and zeta potential (Supporting Information File 2). Figure 4 illustrates the distribution of the data on ENM characteristics in NanoE-Tox database

• on their fate in respective conditions [24][49]. In aquatic environment, ENMs tend to form agglomerates that might lead to their precipitation from the water phase; on the other hand, metal-based ENMs can release potentially toxic metal ions due to dissolution [50]. Cu2+, Zn2+ and Ag+, which can

Influence of surface chemical properties on the toxicity of engineered zinc oxide nanoparticles to embryonic zebrafish

• Zitao Zhou,
• Jino Son,
• Bryan Harper,
• Zheng Zhou and
• Stacey Harper

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1568–1579, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.160

• (lacking surface ligands) are known to cause delayed embryo hatching, developmental abnormalities [12] through dissolution and release of ionic zinc [13][14] as well as induction of DNA damage through generation of reactive oxidative species (ROS) [12][15]. ZnO NPs are often coated with a variety of

• ][21]. While the dissolution kinetics and agglomeration state of the ZnO NPs is known to influence the toxicity of the materials, this study aimed to determine if specific intrinsic features could be used in lieu of empirical data on the material’s behaviour. Surface chemical ligands and capping agents

• biological interactions, even more than core composition. This finding has been supported in other studies investigating a wide range of NP types [27][41][42]. Given that dissolution and the resulting release of zinc ions and ROS are the primary cause of ZnO NP toxicity [8], it is possible that the lack of

Formation of substrate-based gold nanocage chains through dealloying with nitric acid

• Ziren Yan,
• Ying Wu and
• Junwei Di

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1362–1368, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.140

• consistent with the previous report [4]. The chemical reaction involved in the dissolution of Ag at neutral conditions is the following: The deposition of byproducts, such as AgOH or Ag2O, on the particle surface might hinder the complete removal of Ag from the alloy and block up the hole of wall [30

Heterometal nanoparticles from Ru-based molecular clusters covalently anchored onto functionalized carbon nanotubes and nanofibers

• Deborah Vidick,
• Xiaoxing Ke,
• Michel Devillers,
• Claude Poleunis,
• Arnaud Delcorte,
• Pietro Moggi,
• Gustaaf Van Tendeloo and
• Sophie Hermans

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1287–1297, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.133

• were also determined by ICP and XPS (Table 1). The experimental ratios measured by ICP are relatively close to the theoretical values, as expected. There is a systematic error due to the known difficulties regarding Ru dissolution. Therefore, we conclude that clusters when broken down give fragments

Growth and morphological analysis of segmented AuAg alloy nanowires created by pulsed electrodeposition in ion-track etched membranes

• Ina Schubert,
• Loic Burr,
• Christina Trautmann and
• Maria Eugenia Toimil-Molares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1272–1280, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.131

• occurs at similar potentials as the reduction of the ions as it can be seen in the CV in Figure 1b. Once enough ions are reduced, the dissolution of Au atoms is most probably suppressed, resulting in a constant current flow, during the growth of the Ag-rich segments. When the voltage is switched back

• electrodeposition of thin films where the effect is called kinetic surface roughening [55][56]. These Au/Ag/Au nanowires constitute excellent platforms for the fabrication of small nanogaps, by selective dissolution of the Ag segment. The method named “on-wire lithography” has been reported previously for wires of

• different noble metals [38]. In these cases, segmented nanowires were created by using different electrolytes for Au and Ag and by exchanging the electrolyte after the deposition of each segment. Our nanowires, in turn, are deposited from a single-bath electrolyte, which could influence the dissolution

Addition of Zn during the phosphine-based synthesis of indium phospide quantum dots: doping and surface passivation

• Natalia E. Mordvinova,
• Alexander A. Vinokurov,
• Oleg I. Lebedev,
• Tatiana A. Kuznetsova and
• Sergey G. Dorofeev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1237–1246, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.127

• with HF. According to the literature [24], during daylight photoetching a significant blue shift of the luminescence maximum is observed, which means that the diameter of the QDs decreases because of a partial dissolution of the QDs. If the Zn atoms are located only on the surface of the QDs, then

Synthesis, characterization and in vitro effects of 7 nm alloyed silver–gold nanoparticles

• Simon Ristig,
• Svitlana Chernousova,
• Wolfgang Meyer-Zaika and
• Matthias Epple

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1212–1220, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.124

• is possible that a passivating effect from the alloyed gold is responsible for these observations. Future studies on the time-dependent dissolution of such alloyed nanoparticles in biological media may help to better understand this effect. Experimental Chemicals We used silver nitrate (Roth, p.a

• dissolution of gold in aqua regia according to standard procedures. Ultrapure water (Purelab ultra instrument from ELGA) was used for all preparations. Synthesis Prior to use, all glassware was cleaned with boiling aqua regia. The nanoparticles were synthesized by reduction with citrate and tannic acid in

Polymer blend lithography for metal films: large-area patterning with over 1 billion holes/inch²

• Cheng Huang,
• Alexander Förste,
• Stefan Walheim and
• Thomas Schimmel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1205–1211, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.123

• and to the air interface. Therefore, a subsequent selective dissolution of either the PS or PMMA component leaves behind a nanostructured film which can be used as a lithographic mask. We use this lithographic mask for the fabrication of metal patterns by thermal evaporation of the metal, followed by

• dissolution, either the PMMA matrix (see Figure 1b, PMMA marked in red) or the PS droplets (see Figure 1g, PS marked in blue) can be kept on the substrate for the lithographic application. After the deposition of metal by thermal evaporation, the desired metal covers the whole surface of the sample (see in

• ][39]. Conclusion Polymer blend lithography (PBL) makes use of the purely lateral phase separation of two immiscible polymers during spin-casting at controlled humidity. A metal copy of either of the polymer components can be fabricated by the selective dissolution of one component, followed by metal

Tattoo ink nanoparticles in skin tissue and fibroblasts

• Colin A. Grant,
• Peter C. Twigg,
• Richard Baker and
• Desmond J. Tobin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1183–1191, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.120

• containing 0.5 mg/mL tetrazolium dye (MTT) for 4 h. The medium was carefully removed and 150 μL of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) added to each well. The plate was gently shaken to achieve complete dissolution of the formazan crystals then the absorbance read on a spectrophotometer (Tecan Infinite) at 550 nm. The

From lithium to sodium: cell chemistry of room temperature sodium–air and sodium–sulfur batteries

• Philipp Adelhelm,
• Pascal Hartmann,
• Conrad L. Bender,
• Martin Busche,
• Christine Eufinger and
• Juergen Janek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1016–1055, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.105

• . 2.3.1.7 Particle growth and dissolution: At first glance, the chemistry of a Li/O2 cell may appear quite simple, however, due to worldwide research efforts within the last four years, it was recognized that it is in fact, a very complex cell chemistry. As a consequence it was necessary to refocus on

• fundamental aspects such as the growth and dissolution process of Li2O2 particles during cycling on a microscopic scale. Various morphologies of Li2O2 deposits are reported in literature. On the one hand, so-called Li2O2 “donuts” or toroids are reported that form to a diameter of up to 1 µm, depending on

• -state Li/O2 cell, without any liquid electrolyte, in an environmental SEM and observed the formation of large toroid particles larger than 500 nm [95]. To conclude, even the dissolution process of Li2O2 during battery operation is not fully understood and continues to be a part of research efforts