Measurement of polarization effects in dual-phase ceria-based oxygen permeation membranes using Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Kerstin Neuhaus,
• Christina Schmidt,
• Liudmila Fischer,
• Wilhelm Albert Meulenberg,
• Ke Ran,
• Joachim Mayer and
• Stefan Baumann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1380–1391, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.102

• composite. The KPFM measurements were performed at room temperature and show diffusion coefficients in the range of 3 × 10−13 cm2·s−1, which is comparable to values measured for single-phase Gd-doped ceria thin films using the same method. Keywords: ceria; diffusion coefficient; Kelvin probe force

• films using the same experimental setup [24]. As the introduced gradient in the composite material was in most cases not circular as observed for the single-phase materials, one of the biggest sources of error for the calculation of the diffusion coefficients shown in Table 1 is the determination of the

• to literature values for single-phase Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 thin films from [24] obtained with the same method. The diffusion length L was determined from the average radius of the area affected by polarization, which could be measured in the KPFM map. The error of the chemical diffusion coefficient is in

Chemical vapor deposition of germanium-rich CrGe_x nanowires

• Vladislav Dřínek,
• Stanislav Tiagulskyi,
• Roman Yatskiv,
• Jan Grym,
• Radek Fajgar,
• Věra Jandová,
• Martin Koštejn and
• Jaroslav Kupčík

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1365–1371, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.100

• prepared, too. Magnetic properties were measured and the growth mechanism was discussed [10]. The formation of Cr/Ge nanoparticles during the epitaxial growth of Cr/Ge films and their magnetic properties were studied to understand the ferromagnetic semiconductor behavior [11]. In this work, we made an

Plasmon-enhanced photoluminescence from TiO₂ and TeO₂ thin films doped by Eu³⁺ for optoelectronic applications

• Marcin Łapiński,
• Jakub Czubek,
• Katarzyna Drozdowska,
• Anna Synak,
• Wojciech Sadowski and
• Barbara Kościelska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1271–1278, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.94

• luminescence properties of europium-doped titanium dioxide and tellurium oxide thin films enhanced by gold plasmonic nanostructures. We propose a new type of plasmon structure with an ultrathin dielectric film between plasmonic platform and luminescent material. Plasmonic platforms were manufactured through

• thermal annealing of the gold thin film. Thermal dewetting of gold film results in spherical gold nanostructures with average dimensions of 50 nm. Both, luminescent TiO2:Eu and TeO2:Eu films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering from mosaic targets. The morphology of the gold nanostructures was

• . Potential new materials can be found through the computation of luminescent thin films and plasmonic platforms. Such a hybrid structure can be formed by thin oxide layers doped with rare-earth ions deposited on metal nanostructures [1][2][3]. Plasmonic resonance can be observed in metallic nanostructures

Enhancement of the piezoelectric coefficient in PVDF-TrFe/CoFe₂O₄ nanocomposites through DC magnetic poling

• Marco Fortunato,
• Alessio Tamburrano,
• Maria Paola Bracciale,
• Maria Laura Santarelli and
• Maria Sabrina Sarto

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1262–1270, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.93

• %. After curing, the spin coated nanocomposite thin films were exposed to a DC magnetic field for 1 h at 65 °C. In Figure 3 the d33 values are reported as function of the applied DC magnetic field strength. As can be seen, the piezoelectric coefficient increases when the magnetic field is increased and

• in the fabrication of energy harvesting devices or wearable sensors for flexible electronics applications. Experimental The PVDF-TrFe/CoFe2O4 nanocomposite thin films were produced through spin coating. The CoFe2O4 nanoparticles (Sigma-Aldrich, 99%) were dispersed in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF, Sigma

• °C and a DC magnetic field was applied through a ferromagnetic core (Figure 8). The morphology of the PVDF-TrFe/CoFe2O4 nanocomposite thin films was investigated using a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM, Auriga, Carl Zeiss) operated with an accelerating voltage of 5 kV. Chemical

Electrical, electrochemical and structural studies of a chlorine-derived ionic liquid-based polymer gel electrolyte

• Ashish Gupta,
• Amrita Jain,
• Manju Kumari and
• Santosh K. Tripathi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1252–1261, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.92

• fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP) as a host polymer. The electrolyte films were synthesized by using the solution casting technique. The as-prepared films were free-standing and transparent with good dimensional stability. Optimized electrolyte films exhibit a maximum room-temperature ionic

• electrolyte film which contains 30 wt % of the ionic liquid. The optimized films have good potential to be used as electrolyte materials for energy storage applications. Keywords: ionic liquid; polymer gel electrolytes; solution casting technique; transference number; Introduction For the past two decades

• ionic liquid [BDiMIM][Cl], the host polymer PVdF-HFP, and the salt magnesium perchlorate (Mg(ClO4)2) were used to prepare polymer electrolyte films. The synthesized films were characterized by different microscopic and electrochemical techniques. Results and Discussion Structural characterization The

Morphology-driven gas sensing by fabricated fractals: A review

• Vishal Kamathe and
• Rupali Nagar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1187–1208, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.88

• metal oxide (SMO) sensors are most popular due to their low cost, simplicity, easy fabrication, and wide range of gas detection capabilities [9]. Thin films and nanostructures exhibit better sensing characteristics. Various researchers have reported structures with morphologies such as nanowires (NWs

• geometry. Plugotarenko et al. employed sol–gel method to prepare SiO2·SnOx·CuOy nanofilms from a tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) alcohol solution modified by metal salts and applied the samples for NO2 sensing [50]. The SiO2·SnOx·CuOy films annealed at 500 °C exhibited a sample surface consisting of crater-like

• a lower value of fractal dimension is more effective in sensing NO2 gas and lowers the optimum operating temperature. Chen et al. used pulsed laser deposition for growing different SnO2 thin films by varying the substrate temperature. The obtained films exhibited fractal features [43]. In another

Irradiation-driven molecular dynamics simulation of the FEBID process for Pt(PF₃)₄

• Alexey Prosvetov,
• Alexey V. Verkhovtsev,
• Gennady Sushko and
• Andrey V. Solov’yov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1151–1172, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.86

• the whole simulated surface). The latter case is relevant for surface science experiments on irradiation of thin films of adsorbed precursor molecules. The yields of SE and BSE and the corresponding spatial distributions depend on the energy of the PE beam and the material of a substrate. These

First-principles study of the structural, optoelectronic and thermophysical properties of the π-SnSe for thermoelectric applications

• Muhammad Atif Sattar,
• Najwa Al Bouzieh,
• Maamar Benkraouda and
• Noureddine Amrane

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1101–1114, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.82

• remarkably high value of ZT ≈ 2.6 at 773 K along the b axis has been reported, which is the world record so far [1][5]. Also, for the SnSe thin films and 2D sheets, the experimental ZT values were relatively low; the maximum value can only reach 0.28 at 675 K [67][68]. One recent study shows that the Gd

Assessment of the optical and electrical properties of light-emitting diodes containing carbon-based nanostructures and plasmonic nanoparticles: a review

• Keshav Nagpal,
• Erwan Rauwel,
• Frédérique Ducroquet and
• Protima Rauwel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1078–1092, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.80

• a wider choice of emission wavelengths compared to conventional lighting systems. Inorganic LED consist of inorganic semiconductor materials in the active region, for example thin films of GaAs that emit in the red to near-infrared (>700 nm) region [4]. Ga-based LED belong to the III–V group of

• leverage over inorganic LED in display applications. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) consist of photoactive polymers, such as PPV and MEH-PPV that can be deposited as highly ordered crystalline thin films [15][16]. Despite several advantages, OLED have certain drawbacks, such as lower lifetime, high

• a large scale. For this purpose, transparent conducting oxides (TCO), such as thin films of In2O3, SnO2, ZnO, and their mixtures have been extensively studied [30][31][32][33][34]. The most widely studied TCO is indium tin oxide (ITO), which possesses good physical properties, such as high optical

Progress and innovation of nanostructured sulfur cathodes and metal-free anodes for room-temperature Na–S batteries

• Marina Tabuyo-Martínez,
• Bernd Wicklein and
• Pilar Aranda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 995–1020, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.75

Uniform arrays of gold nanoelectrodes with tuneable recess depth

• Elena O. Gordeeva,
• Ilya V. Roslyakov,
• Alexey P. Leontiev,
• Alexey A. Klimenko and
• Kirill S. Napolskii

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 957–964, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.72

• available porous AAO films with a highly irregular structure to prepare the Au nanowell electrodes with 600 nm depth by templated electrodeposition. It is worth noting that the percentage of nanoelectrodes in the array that are involved in electrochemical reactions has not been discussed in detail. At the

• Scientific and Educational School of Lomonosov MSU «The future of the planet and global environmental change» is acknowledged. Funding The work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (Grant No. 19-73-10176) in part of preparation and characterization of the AAO porous films. Templated

Molecular assemblies on surfaces: towards physical and electronic decoupling of organic molecules

• Sabine Maier and
• Meike Stöhr

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 950–956, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.71

• sufficient to truly electronically insulate molecular structures. For this, the usage of either thicker insulating films (mostly alkali halides) or bulk insulators is required. For studying molecules on bulk insulators, ionic crystals (e.g., KBr, NaCl, CaF2, and calcite) have mostly served as model systems

• . Due to lowered diffusion barrier and adsorption energy, the two-dimensional molecular layers can be affected by dewetting and may change into three-dimensional clusters [47]. In return, the reduced molecule–surface interaction on insulating films or bulk insulators can stabilize highly reactive

• quenched on bare Cu(111) and would require three molecular decoupling layers to be probed on Cu(111). In all three studies using hBN, ordered molecular films were observed. The decoupling even allowed for the formation of complex self-assemblies such as kagome lattices by tuning the number and position of

The role of deep eutectic solvents and carrageenan in synthesizing biocompatible anisotropic metal nanoparticles

• Nabojit Das,
• Akash Kumar and
• Raja Gopal Rayavarapu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 924–938, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.69

• of CTAB-capped gold nanorods on estuarine model systems (consisting of sediments, plants, microbial films, fish, and snails) for observing ecological and environmental impact [71]. The results showed that the biofilms were the primary route through which gold nanorods enters the food chain. It is

In situ transport characterization of magnetic states in Nb/Co superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures

• Olena M. Kapran,
• Roman Morari,
• Taras Golod,
• Evgenii A. Borodianskyi,
• Vladimir Boian,
• Andrei Prepelita,
• Nikolay Klenov,
• Anatoli S. Sidorenko and
• Vladimir M. Krasnov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 913–923, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.68

• were used for the calibration of the etching rates of the films. MLs are patterned into micrometer-scale bridges with multiple contacts using photolithography and reactive ion etching. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of one of the studied samples is shown in Figure 1a. Control of the

• by SQUID magnetometry in a field parallel to the film in the normal state at T > Tc. A significant hysteresis of M(H) reveals the in-plane anisotropy of Co films (albeit with a small coercive field, HC ≈ 30 Oe), consistent with earlier studies [44][45][46][47]. Figure 1c shows a numerical simulation

• the field. However, this effect is nonmonotonous with the field, as can be seen from the zoomed-in view in the inset. The rest of the transition is little affected in this field range (up to 500 Oe). This is caused by the large value of the upper critical field for thin Nb films in the parallel field

Modification of a SERS-active Ag surface to promote adsorption of charged analytes: effect of Cu²⁺ ions

• Bahdan V. Ranishenka,
• Andrei Yu. Panarin,
• Irina A. Chelnokova,
• Sergei N. Terekhov,
• Peter Mojzes and
• Vadim V. Shmanai

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 902–912, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.67

• the electrostatic interaction between analyte molecules and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on the intensity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). For this, we fabricated nanostructured plasmonic films by immobilization of Ag NPs on glass plates and functionalized them by a set of differently

Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications

• Sepand Tehrani Fateh,
• Lida Moradi,
• Elmira Kohan,
• Michael R. Hamblin and
• Amin Shiralizadeh Dezfuli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64

9.1% efficient zinc oxide/silicon solar cells on a 50 μm thick Si absorber

• Rafal Pietruszka,
• Bartlomiej S. Witkowski,
• Monika Ozga,
• Katarzyna Gwozdz,
• Ewa Placzek-Popko and
• Marek Godlewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 766–774, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.60

• University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland 10.3762/bjnano.12.60 Abstract Today, silicon solar cells (amorphous films and wafer-based) are a main source of green energy. These cells and their components are produced by employing various technologies. Unfortunately

• environmentally friendly solar cells are cells based on zinc oxide (ZnO). ZnO thin films can be obtained using many technologies, including molecular beam epitaxy, RF magnetron sputtering, pulsed laser deposition, chemical vapor deposition, and atomic layer deposition (ALD) [3]. ALD attracts the attention of many

• research groups. This technology was invented in the 1970s by Tuomo Suntola from Finland [4]. Thanks to the unique properties of this technology, materials produced by ALD quickly found a number of applications in PV. For example, ultrathin films of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) are used to passivate silicon

Physical constraints lead to parallel evolution of micro- and nanostructures of animal adhesive pads: a review

• Thies H. Büscher and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 725–743, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.57

• spatula, terminating tips of the cuticle outgrowths in hairy systems form the superficial film. These films are responsible for proper contact formation with the substrate due to their low bending stiffness at a minimum load [239]. The film/spatula is able to adapt to the surface profile and to replicate

• surface irregularities of certain length scales. The range of length scales to which the adaptation is possible depends on the stiffness of the film. Spatulae are able to adapt even to nanoscale roughness [240][241]. Thick films within the smooth pads of the bush cricket Tettigonia viridissima and the

• pad as a stable unit [35][246]. The thicker superficial film in the desert species may also minimize water loss [132] and, presumably, it prevents the fragile fibrous material from wearing out during walking [126][127]. However, in thicker/stiffer films, the adhesive properties are, at the same time

Prediction of Co and Ru nanocluster morphology on 2D MoS₂ from interaction energies

• Cara-Lena Nies and
• Michael Nolan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 704–724, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.56

• -quality, conformal thin films with low resistivity, to avoid many of the typical failure mechanisms such as electromigration [42][43]. This means that 3D migration of atoms (agglomeration) should be inhibited, while 2D growth (wetting) should be promoted. In contrast, in catalysis applications the ratio

• clusters (n = 1–4) on a single ML of MoS2. Based on this understanding, alongside the magnitude of metal–substrate and metal–metal interactions we will be able to predict the morphology of Co and Ru thin films on 2D MoS2. We have previously studied 2D and 3D Cu clusters on TaN, where we determined that

Electromigration-induced formation of percolating adsorbate islands during condensation from the gaseous phase: a computational study

• Alina V. Dvornichenko,
• Vasyl O. Kharchenko and
• Dmitrii O. Kharchenko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 694–703, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.55

• islands during condensation from the gaseous phase. We will show that the elongated morphology of adsorbate islands remains stable if the electric field is turned off. Keywords: adsorptive systems; electromigration; numerical simulations; pattern formation; thin films; Introduction The processes of

• according to the Stransky–Krastanov growth regime [16][17][18][19], whereas at elevated temperatures such processes are associated with the solid dissolution of the layers of precipitated material [20][21]. Surface EM [22][23] is widely used in the study of thin solid films, for example, for the formation

• of nanocontacts [24][25], the direction of movement of monoatomic steps and islands on the surface of crystals [22][23][26], the formation of faces on the surface of crystals and crystalline surfaces [27]. Studies of the effects induced by surface EM in thin monocomponent monocrystalline films

A review of defect engineering, ion implantation, and nanofabrication using the helium ion microscope

• Frances I. Allen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 633–664, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.52

• electronic conduction properties of the material without needing to rely on thermal activation [37]. And finally in the category of electronic applications, a number of studies have used the HIM to direct-write Josephson tunnel junctions into thin films of high-transition-temperature superconductors. This

• structures [45]. The performance of Josephson junctions in YBCO thin films fabricated using the HIM has been further evaluated in [46]. Cross-sectional STEM analysis of helium line irradiations of YBCO has shown that the crystallinity of the Josephson junction barriers is essentially preserved, highlighting

• PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 thin films at doses of 0.22 × 1015 to 1 × 1015 ions/cm2 has been demonstrated, and through site-selective direct-write patterning with variable dose, various nanostructures with novel ferroelectric-switching functionalities have been fabricated [33] (Figure 2f). Using similar doses, out-of-plane

High-yield synthesis of silver nanowires for transparent conducting PET films

• Gul Naz,
• Hafsa Asghar,
• Muhammad Ramzan,
• Muhammad Arshad,
• Rashid Ahmed,
• Muhammad Bilal Tahir,
• Bakhtiar Ul Haq,
• Nadeem Baig and
• Junaid Jalil

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 624–632, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.51

• length with an average diameter of about 86 nm, that is, the aspect ratio values of the AgNWs exceeded 45. An ink consisting of hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and AgNWs was transferred to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films by simple mechanical pressing. The PET films retained transparency and

• flexibility after the ink coating. The maximum transmittance value of as-prepared PET films in the visible region was estimated to be about 92.5% with a sheet resistance value of ca. 20 Ω/sq. This makes the films a potential substitute to commonly used expensive indium tin oxide (ITO) in the field of flexible

• electrodes made of sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO) films [1][2][3]. These films are widely used because of their high transmittance, low sheet resistance, and high electrical conductivity. Yet, they still have some major drawbacks such as high cost, intrinsic brittleness due to the ceramic nature [4], and

Local stiffness and work function variations of hexagonal boron nitride on Cu(111)

• Abhishek Grewal,
• Yuqi Wang,
• Matthias Münks,
• Klaus Kern and
• Markus Ternes

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 559–565, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.46

• - and few-layer thick graphene films [1][2]. Unique properties, such as high thermal stability and conductivity, immense intra-sheet stiffness, and excellent dielectric properties, make h-BN interesting for technological applications. For example, thin films of h-BN have been used as a passivating layer

On the stability of microwave-fabricated SERS substrates – chemical and morphological considerations

• Limin Wang,
• Aisha Adebola Womiloju,
• Christiane Höppener,
• Ulrich S. Schubert and
• Stephanie Hoeppener

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 541–551, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.44

• are irregular in shape and well separated (Figure 2a), which supports the formation of hot spots in these nanoparticle films. At the same time, the nanoparticles are rather polydisperse, which is seen as a beneficial feature of SERS substrates as it contributes to the electromagnetic enhancement

• coverage, as well as the average projected spherical analogue particle size. Even though it has to be considered here that the standard deviations of the determined particle sizes and projected areas are rather high, these values can serve as a first estimation of the particle sizes in the SERS films

Interface interaction of transition metal phthalocyanines with strontium titanate (100)

• Reimer Karstens,
• Thomas Chassé and
• Heiko Peisert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 485–496, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.39

• be driven by the ionization potential difference between substrate and adsorbate. In addition, fluorination may affect significantly the adsorption geometry on surfaces as well as the single-crystal structure and arrangement in thin films [34][35][36][37]. Furthermore, local chemical interactions

• (Supporting Information File 1). The peak fit parameters are given in Table S7 and Table S8 (Supporting Information File 1). For the thickest films in Figure 3 (6.9 nm) the molecule-related core level spectra can be described analogously to the literature of transition metal phthalocyanines [53][54][55]. A

• spectra (0.25 nm) of the macrocycle (N 1s and C 1s) in Figure 3 can be essentially described by the model applied for the bulk-like thicker films. For both N 1s and C 1s spectra, a slight broadening is observed for monolayer spectra compared to the bulk. The Gaussian width increases from 1.0 to 1.1 eV and