Expanding the molecular-ruler process through vapor deposition of hexadecanethiol

• Alexandra M. Patron,
• Timothy S. Hooker,
• Daniel F. Santavicca,
• Corey P. Causey and
• Thomas J. Mullen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2339–2344, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.233

• enables direct comparison of thickness to MHDA molecules. Figures 2A and 2B show representative 2 µm × 2 µm and 500 nm × 500 nm atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of a Cu-ligated MHDA-C16 bilayer formed from the solution deposition of MHDA for 18 h, Cu(ClO4)2·6H2O for 5 min, and C16 for 1 h. Figure 2C

Tailoring the nanoscale morphology of HKUST-1 thin films via codeposition and seeded growth

• Landon J. Brower,
• Lauren K. Gentry,
• Amanda L. Napier and
• Mary E. Anderson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2307–2314, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.230

• varying temperature, time, and deposition method, the goal was to develop and expand design rules to tailor surMOFs with desired thickness, roughness, and grain size. In order to understand the growth mechanism and identify key variables, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and ellipsometry were used to

Fabrication of gold-coated PDMS surfaces with arrayed triangular micro/nanopyramids for use as SERS substrates

• Jingran Zhang,
• Yongda Yan,
• Peng Miao and
• Jianxiong Cai

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2271–2282, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.227

• . Finally, a gold film was deposited on the structured PDMS surface by electronic beam evaporation. The arrayed Au pyramids were formed as an active substrate that was used for the following Raman measurements. Figure 2a–d shows atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of arrayed inverted pyramidal cavities

High-stress study of bioinspired multifunctional PEDOT:PSS/nanoclay nanocomposites using AFM, SEM and numerical simulation

• Alfredo J. Diaz,
• Hanaul Noh,
• Tobias Meier and
• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2069–2082, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.207

• leverage the brick-and-mortar structure and properties, in combination with a variety of atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods, to investigate the high-pressure response of a bioinspired transparent and electrically conductive nanocomposite. Specifically, a transparent PEDOT:PSS/nanoclay coating is

A comparative study of the nanoscale and macroscale tribological attributes of alumina and stainless steel surfaces immersed in aqueous suspensions of positively or negatively charged nanodiamonds

• Colin K. Curtis,
• Antonin Marek,
• Alex I. Smirnov and
• Jacqueline Krim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2045–2059, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.205

• to values in the range 0.05–0.1 for both stainless steel and alumina, while +ND suspensions yielded an increase in friction for stainless steel contacts but little to no increase for alumina contacts. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy

Bi-layer sandwich film for antibacterial catheters

• Gerhard Franz,
• Florian Schamberger,
• Hamideh Heidari Zare,
• Sara Felicitas Bröskamp and
• Dieter Jocham

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1982–2001, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.199

• : Porosity can be evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. The qualitative approach comprises visual inspection and scanning of surface areas with atomic force microscopy (AFM). When automatic evaluation procedures are applied, the roughness of the surface can be quantitatively validated. Physical methods

Identifying the nature of surface chemical modification for directed self-assembly of block copolymers

• Laura Evangelio,
• Federico Gramazio,
• Matteo Lorenzoni,
• Michaela Gorgoi,
• Francisco Miguel Espinosa,
• Ricardo García,
• Francesc Pérez-Murano and
• Jordi Fraxedas

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1972–1981, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.198

• have been obtained with an AURIGA system from Zeiss and a Dimension Icon atomic force microscopy (AFM) from Bruker. The film thickness was determined by means of X-ray reflectometry (XRR) performed using a Philips X’Pert Pro MRD diffractometer equipped with a parabolic mirror using Cu Kα radiation

Imidazolium-based ionic liquids used as additives in the nanolubrication of silicon surfaces

• Patrícia M. Amorim,
• Ana M. Ferraria,
• Rogério Colaço,
• Luís C. Branco and
• Benilde Saramago

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1961–1971, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.197

• topography and chemical composition of the substrates surfaces were determined with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. Correlations between the obtained friction coefficients and the surface properties as well as the lubricants viscosity were attempted in

• force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. Due to the hygroscopic properties of PEG, the first step was to assess the effect of the presence of water. Then, a series of ILs based on the cations 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium [EMIM], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium [BMIM

• polyethylene glycol (PEG) to lubricate Si surfaces. The friction coefficients were measured in a nanotribometer. The viscosity of the PEG + IL mixtures as well as their contact angles on the Si surface were measured. The topography and chemical composition of the substrates surfaces were determined with atomic

Growth and characterization of textured well-faceted ZnO on planar Si(100), planar Si(111), and textured Si(100) substrates for solar cell applications

• Chin-Yi Tsai,
• Jyong-Di Lai,
• Shih-Wei Feng,
• Chien-Jung Huang,
• Chien-Hsun Chen,
• Fann-Wei Yang,
• Hsiang-Chen Wang and
• Li-Wei Tu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1939–1945, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.194

• (LPCVD) were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and cathode luminescence (CL) measurements. The results show that ZnO grown on planar Si(100), planar Si(111), and textured Si(100) substrates favor the growth of ZnO(110) ridge-like, ZnO

• by LPCVD. These three samples are characterized and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and cathode luminescence (CL) measurements. The grain structure, average grain size, and associated strains are shown to agree well with the

Application of visible-light photosensitization to form alkyl-radical-derived thin films on gold

• Rashanique D. Quarels,
• Xianglin Zhai,
• Neepa Kuruppu,
• Jenny K. Hedlund,
• Ashley A. Ellsworth,
• Amy V. Walker,
• Jayne C. Garno and
• Justin R. Ragains

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1863–1877, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.187

• using Phth–Me and Phth–NHBoc. IRRAS/contact angle data are representative. Atomic force microscopy (AFM): Model 5500 and 5420 scanning probe microscopes (Keysight Technologies, Santa Rosa, CA) were used to characterize samples. Images were collected with Pico View v 1.12 software. Tips with an average

• subjected to contact angle goniometry and IRRAS analysis. Atomic force microscopy (AFM): The deposition of a thin film using phthalimide ester Phth–Me combined with particle lithography produced a periodic arrangement of nanopores within a thin film of Au–Me on Au(111). The sample was imaged with tapping

Evaluation of preparation methods for suspended nano-objects on substrates for dimensional measurements by atomic force microscopy

• Petra Fiala,
• Daniel Göhler,
• Benno Wessely,
• Michael Stintz,
• Giovanni Mattia Lazzerini and
• Andrew Yacoot

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1774–1785, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.179

• Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 0LW, UK 10.3762/bjnano.8.179 Abstract Dimensional measurements on nano-objects by atomic force microscopy (AFM) require samples of safely fixed and well individualized particles with a suitable surface-specific particle number on flat and clean

• electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) or atomic force microscopy (AFM) are seen as most appropriate methods for nanomaterial classification and therefore traceability for these methods will become more and more important [7]. Despite the strengths of these imaging methods for

Methionine-mediated synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles and functionalization with gold quantum dots for theranostic applications

• Arūnas Jagminas,
• Agnė Mikalauskaitė,
• Vitalijus Karabanovas and
• Jūrate Vaičiūnienė

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1734–1741, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.174

• conjugated with targeting and chemotherapy agents, such as cancer stem cell-related antibodies and the anticancer drug doxorubicin, for early detection and improved treatment. In order to verify our findings, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), FTIR

Air–water interface of submerged superhydrophobic surfaces imaged by atomic force microscopy

• Markus Moosmann,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Wilhelm Barthlott and
• Matthias Mail

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1671–1679, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.167

• interface have been limited to the micrometer regime. In this work, we utilized a nondynamic and nondestructive atomic force microscopy (AFM) method to image the interface of submerged superhydrophobic structures with nanometer resolution. Up to now, only the interfaces of nanobubbles (acting almost like

• technologies [8]. Most of the methods used so far are limited to structures with features in the micrometer range. However, atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a suitable instrument to study smaller dimensions but is still rarely used to image air–water interfaces. The most prominent exception is the

• . Characterization by atomic force microscopy (AFM) AFM images were made with a commercial AFM system (Dimension ICON, Bruker) operated by a Nanoscope V controller (Bruker). Imaging under ambient conditions was conducted in tapping mode with NSC 15 cantilevers (MikroMasch) with a nominal force constant of 40 N/m and

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

• (Princeton Applied Research, Tennessee, USA). The surface topography of the fibers was observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) with Nanosurf Easy-Scan2TM software. AFM analyses were performed with a non-contact mode by using NCLR-10 model Al-coating silicon tips with 7 μm thickness, 225 μm length, 38 μm

High-speed dynamic-mode atomic force microscopy imaging of polymers: an adaptive multiloop-mode approach

• Juan Ren and
• Qingze Zou

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1563–1570, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.158

• quality of the 25 Hz and 20 Hz AMLM imaging is at the same level of that of the 1 Hz TM imaging, while the tip–sample interaction force is substantially smaller than that of the 2 Hz TM imaging. Keywords: adaptive multiloop mode; atomic force microscopy (AFM); heterogeneous polymer sample; tapping-mode

• imaging; Introduction In this paper, the adaptive-multiloop imaging mode of atomic force microscopy (AFM) is tested and evaluated by imaging three largely different heterogeneous polymer samples. AMLM imaging substantially increases the speed of tapping mode (TM) imaging (by over an order of magnitude

A nanocomplex of C₆₀ fullerene with cisplatin: design, characterization and toxicity

• Svitlana Prylutska,
• Svitlana Politenkova,
• Kateryna Afanasieva,
• Volodymyr Korolovych,
• Kateryna Bogutska,
• Andriy Sivolob,
• Larysa Skivka,
• Maxim Evstigneev,
• Viktor Kostjukov,
• Yuriy Prylutskyy and
• Uwe Ritter

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1494–1501, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.149

• cell in disposable cuvettes. The Smoluchowski approximation was used to convert the electrophoretic mobility to the zeta potential. AFM study The surface morphology of the particles was examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM images were collected using an Integra Spectra microscope (NTMDT

Deposition of exchange-coupled dinickel complexes on gold substrates utilizing ambidentate mercapto-carboxylato ligands

• Martin Börner,
• Laura Blömer,
• Marcus Kischel,
• Peter Richter,
• Georgeta Salvan,
• Dietrich R. T. Zahn,
• Pablo F. Siles,
• Maria E. N. Fuentes,
• Carlos C. B. Bufon,
• Daniel Grimm,
• Oliver G. Schmidt,
• Daniel Breite,
• Bernd Abel and
• Berthold Kersting

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1375–1387, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.139

• ) and 8 (J = +20.8 cm−1; H = −2JS1S2). The reactivity of complexes 6–8 is reminiscent of that of pure thiolato ligands, which readily chemisorb on Au surfaces as verified by contact angle, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. The large [Ni2L] tail groups, however

• “auration” of 2 and 3 with AuI sources leads to the trinuclear NiII2AuI species 4 and 5. Moreover, complexes 2 and 3 interact also with Au surfaces via Au–S and Au–P bonds without complex disintegration as established by contact angle, spectroscopic ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray

Charge transport in organic nanocrystal diodes based on rolled-up robust nanomembrane contacts

• Vineeth Kumar Bandari,
• Lakshmi Varadharajan,
• Longqian Xu,
• Abdur Rehman Jalil,
• Mirunalini Devarajulu,
• Pablo F. Siles,
• Feng Zhu and
• Oliver G. Schmidt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1277–1282, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.129

• , the deposited molecules form inhomogeneous nanopyramids during growth. The heights of the nanopyramids range between 50–100 nm, as observed from atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements. Figure 1 shows the device configuration and molecular structures. After formation of organic nanopyramids, the

Growth, structure and stability of sputter-deposited MoS₂ thin films

• Reinhard Kaindl,
• Bernhard C. Bayer,
• Roland Resel,
• Thomas Müller,
• Viera Skakalova,
• Gerlinde Habler,
• Rainer Abart,
• Alexey S. Cherevan,
• Dominik Eder,
• Maxime Blatter,
• Fabian Fischer,
• Jannik C. Meyer,
• Dmitry K. Polyushkin and
• Wolfgang Waldhauser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1115–1126, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.113

• secondary electron scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image. This observation is confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) images and a low AFM-derived root-mean-squared (RMS) surface roughness of ≈0.8 nm. No voids are detected in the films, indicating a compact morphology. At 400 °C deposition temperature

• -cut film cross-sections. The large number of experimental characterisation methods required comparison of different film thicknesses, however all give a consistent picture of the film properties. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy A NT-MDT Ntegra Spectra coupled AFM and Raman

Optical response of heterogeneous polymer layers containing silver nanostructures

• Miriam Carlberg,
• Florent Pourcin,
• Olivier Margeat,
• Judikaël Le Rouzo,
• Gérard Berginc,
• Rose-Marie Sauvage,
• Jörg Ackermann and
• Ludovic Escoubas

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1065–1072, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.108

• nanoprisms were created in a two-step seed-based method [18]. By depositing the nanospheres directly onto the substrate, their size was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM, Figure 4). The synthesized nanospheres have a diameter of 20 nm. The nanoprisms were equilateral and their edge size varied from

Study of the correlation between sensing performance and surface morphology of inkjet-printed aqueous graphene-based chemiresistors for NO₂ detection

• F. Villani,
• C. Schiattarella,
• T. Polichetti,
• R. Di Capua,
• F. Loffredo,
• B. Alfano,
• M. L. Miglietta,
• E. Massera,
• L. Verdoliva and
• G. Di Francia

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1023–1031, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.103

• atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses, in order to investigate the effect of the substrate morphology and, more specifically, of the ink–substrate interaction on the device performances. The reported analyses demonstrate the possibility to inkjet-print an aqueous graphene suspension onto flexible

• measurements have been collected over two weeks. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of the fabricated devices (substrates and deposited graphene) have been taken by means of an XE100 Park instrument operating in non-contact mode (amplitude modulation, silicon nitride cantilever from Nanosensor) at room

BTEX detection with composites of ethylenevinyl acetate and nanostructured carbon

• Santa Stepina,
• Astrida Berzina,
• Gita Sakale and
• Maris Knite

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 982–988, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.100

• ethylenevinyl acetate copolymer and carbon black (EVA–CB) were synthesized for sensing BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene) vapours. The composites were characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM) in an electroconductive mode. Gas sensing results show that EVA-CB can reproducibly detect BTEX

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

• force microscopy (AFM) for the as-prepared and heat-treated samples (see Figure 3). For pristine p-PFDA films, the surface consists of randomly distributed spherical aggregations, forming a hillock-like structure. This is also reflected by the root mean square roughness (σ) of the surface, which was

• -PFDA and cross-linked alterations thereof are chemically stable in the investigated temperature range, within the detection limits of the FTIR spectroscopy measurement. Surface morphology and wettability The impact of the cross-linker on the surface morphology of p-PFDA films was investigated by atomic

Synthesis of coaxial nanotubes of polyaniline and poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) by oxidative/initiated chemical vapor deposition

• Alper Balkan,
• Efe Armagan and
• Gozde Ozaydin Ince

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 872–882, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.89

• , Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electron microscopy. AAO templates were used for PANI nanotube synthesis. During deposition, the flowrates of aniline and SbCl5 were maintained at 1.6 sccm and 1.2 sccm, respectively, at 25 mTorr of operating pressure for 15 min. The stage

Relationships between chemical structure, mechanical properties and materials processing in nanopatterned organosilicate fins

• Gheorghe Stan,
• Richard S. Gates,
• Qichi Hu,
• Kevin Kjoller,
• Craig Prater,
• Kanwal Jit Singh,
• Ebony Mays and
• Sean W. King

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 863–871, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.88

• atomic force microscopy (AFM) and exploiting either near-field optical enhancements produced by the probe tip [25][26], or using the AFM probe to detect various photoinduced thermo-mechanical responses [24][27]. However, these techniques have yet to be routinely combined with other nanoscale SPM