Bismuth-based nanostructured photocatalysts for the remediation of antibiotics and organic dyes

• Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo and
• Faisal Suleiman Mustafa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 291–321, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.26

• turn improves the photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites. Additionally, to maximise the effectiveness of the transfer/separation of photogenerated carriers, noble metals (such as Pt, Ag, and Au) are typically used to induce surface plasmon resonance effects in photocatalysts [146]. However

A novel approach to pulsed laser deposition of platinum catalyst on carbon particles for use in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

• Bogusław Budner,
• Wojciech Tokarz,
• Sławomir Dyjak,
• Andrzej Czerwiński,
• Bartosz Bartosewicz and
• Bartłomiej Jankiewicz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 190–204, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.19

• an efficient Pt-based catalyst for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) by using a cost-effective and efficient physical method to deposit platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) on carbon supports directly from the platinum target. The method developed avoids the chemical functionalization of the

• graphitization were used as carbon supports. The best electrochemical measurement results were obtained for Pt deposited on Vulcan XC-72R. The peak power density measured for this material in a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) of a PEMFC (fed with H2/Air) was 0.41 W/cm2, which is a good result compared to 0.57

• W/cm2 obtained for commercial 20% Pt Vulcan XC-72R. This result was achieved with three times less Pt catalyst on the carbon support compared to the commercial catalyst, which means that a higher catalyst utilization factor was achieved. Keywords: carbon particles; cyclic voltammetry; fuel cells

Cooper pair splitting controlled by a temperature gradient

• Dmitry S. Golubev and
• Andrei D. Zaikin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 61–67, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.7

• integrals are taken over the contact areas , and tr(x) denote coordinate- and spin-independent tunneling amplitudes. Let us denote the probability for N1 and N2 electrons to be transferred, respectively, through the junctions 1 and 2 during the observation time t as Pt(N1,N2). Introducing the so-called

Utilizing the surface potential of a solid electrolyte region as the potential reference in Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Nobuyuki Ishida

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1558–1563, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.129

• measurement The KPFM measurements were performed at room temperature using a commercial atomic force microscope (Park Systems, NX10) placed in an Ar flow glove box (O2: <1 ppm, H2O: <1 ppm). We used Cr/Pt-coated Si cantilevers (Budget Sensors, Multi75E-G) with a nominal resonance frequency of 75 kHz and a

Photoelectrochemical water oxidation over TiO₂ nanotubes modified with MoS₂ and g-C₃N₄

• Phuong Hoang Nguyen,
• Thi Minh Cao,
• Tho Truong Nguyen,
• Hien Duy Tong and
• Viet Van Pham

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1541–1550, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.127

• , the electrode material must be extremely durable and nearly chemically inert to be able to withstand highly acidic or basic environments. Therefore, noble metals such as Pt, Pd, Au and Ag with suitable chemical properties, such as inertness, good resistance against corrosion and good electrical

• electrodes were a Pt counter electrode, a Ag/AgCl 3 M reference electrode, and a MoS2/TNAs or g-C3N4/TNAs working electrode in a 1 M Na2SO4 (pH 7.4) electrolyte solution. The light source used in this study was a 150 W Xe lamp (ABET Instruments) with a calibrated luminous intensity of 100 mW·cm−2 and a UV

A TiO₂@MWCNTs nanocomposite photoanode for solar-driven water splitting

• Anh Quynh Huu Le,
• Ngoc Nhu Thi Nguyen,
• Hai Duy Tran,
• Van-Huy Nguyen and
• Le-Hai Tran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1520–1530, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.125

• performed in 0.1 M KCl solution at a scan rate of 50 mV·s−1 with a three-electrode cell using Ag/AgCl and Pt wire as the reference and counter electrodes, respectively. The prepared TiO2@MWCNTs electrode is used as the working electrode. The measurement is carried out in a lab under 350 ± 10 lux of

LED-light-activated photocatalytic performance of metal-free carbon-modified hexagonal boron nitride towards degradation of methylene blue and phenol

• Nirmalendu S. Mishra and
• Pichiah Saravanan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1380–1392, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.114

• utilizing an EMX micro A200-9.5/12/S/W, Bruker Biospin, Germany. Photoelectrochemical study The photoelectrochemical properties of the studied materials were evaluated through a CHI 650 electrochemical workstation comprising a three-electrode system with Pt and Ag/AgCl as counter and reference electrodes

Recent trends in Bi-based nanomaterials: challenges, fabrication, enhancement techniques, and environmental applications

• Vishal Dutta,
• Ankush Chauhan,
• Ritesh Verma,
• C. Gopalkrishnan and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1316–1336, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.109

• photocatalyst is complex, which is why a h+-capturing substance is frequently added to the system to promote the production of H2 [112]. Pt, Pd, Au, and other precious metals, as well as photocatalysts containing Cd, Pb, and other elements (such as CdS), are some of the costliest and environmentally hazardous

Studies of probe tip materials by atomic force microscopy: a review

• Ke Xu and
• Yuzhe Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1256–1267, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.104

• and conductive materials at the nanoscale. Slattery et al. [46] describe the use of Pt/Ir conductive tips modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), a type of tip suitable for use in conductive imaging mode with high-sensitivity current acquisition AFM, which can also be applied to worn

• conductive coatings and regenerated broken tips. The Pt/Ir cantilever was modified with small bundles of SWCNTs by a manual attachment process and fixed using a conductive Pt pad. AFM images of the current and topography of the nanomaterial samples and non-homogeneous polymers were collected using this type

• curve is obtained with the same tip after exchanging the sample with a G/Pt(111) surface. Acquisition parameters: fo = 168274 Hz; k = 33.3 N/m; red curve: VCPD = −0.1 V; A = 13.5 nm. Blue curve: VCPD = −0.45 V; A = 16 nm. Black curve: VCPD = +0.2 V; A = 19.2 nm. (b) Atomically resolved NC-AFM image of

Design of surface nanostructures for chirality sensing based on quartz crystal microbalance

• Yinglin Ma,
• Xiangyun Xiao and
• Qingmin Ji

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1201–1219, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.100

• -amino acids on metal crystals of Ag, Cu, Pt and alloys by density functional theory (DFT) simulations. They revealed that Pt(531) with a step–kink metal surface has better enantiospecificity for eight α-amino acids (alanine, α-aminobutyric acid, valine, leucine, phenylalanine, serine, cysteine, and 3

A cantilever-based, ultrahigh-vacuum, low-temperature scanning probe instrument for multidimensional scanning force microscopy

• Hao Liu,
• Zuned Ahmed,
• Sasa Vranjkovic,
• Manfred Parschau,
• Andrada-Oana Mandru and
• Hans J. Hug

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1120–1140, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.95

• grain boundaries [69] of the rather thick metallic coating applied to the tip side of the cantilever. Note that a nominally 20 nm thick Pt coating is required to permit tunneling, but the coating thickness along the cantilever could presumably be minimized using masking procedures similar to those used

Electrocatalytic oxygen reduction activity of AgCoCu oxides on reduced graphene oxide in alkaline media

• Iyyappan Madakannu,
• Indrajit Patil,
• Bhalchandra Kakade and
• Kasibhatta Kumara Ramanatha Datta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1020–1029, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.89

• ][13][14]. In particular, the ORR in alkaline environments with faster kinetics and lower over potential requires stable transition metal-derived electrocatalysts [15]. The major hurdles for Pt-based ORR electrode catalysts in alkaline media include high cost, low operational stability, fuel crossover

• effects, and carbon monoxide poisoning [16][17]. The electrocatalytic reactivity (mechanism and kinetics) of silver has similarities to that of Pt regarding the ORR performance, with considerably high onset potential, half-wave potential, current density, and number of transferred electrons. The important

• attributes include high electrical conductivity, cost-effectiveness (50 times lower than Pt), and the ability to execute the ORR via a single step (four-electron transfer). Thus, Ag and its bi- and trimetallic alloys, with and without supporting matrices, have been extensively researched as potential ORR

Effects of focused electron beam irradiation parameters on direct nanostructure formation on Ag surfaces

• Jānis Sniķeris,
• Vjačeslavs Gerbreders,
• Andrejs Bulanovs and
• Ēriks Sļedevskis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1004–1010, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.87

• . However, some studies suggest that this process may not always be so simple. Ueda and Yoshimura [27] reported the fabrication of free-standing nanowires on various metal surfaces (Al, Ag, Au, Cu, Pt, Ta, Ti, and W) via EBID with pump oil (hydrocarbons) as a precursor. It was observed that the substrate

Hierachical epicuticular wax coverage on leaves of Deschampsia antarctica as a possible adaptation to severe environmental conditions

• Elena V. Gorb,
• Iryna A. Kozeretska and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 807–816, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.71

• ) The pedicel. (d–f) The abaxial side of the glume. The inset in (c) shows cuticular folds. CF, cuticular fold; NF, narrow furow; PT, protrusion; RD, ridge; ST, stoma; TR, trichome; WF, wide furrow. The arrows in (a) and (b) show the apical direction for (a–c) and (d–f), respectively. Scale bar in (c

Hierarchical Bi₂WO₆/TiO₂-nanotube composites derived from natural cellulose for visible-light photocatalytic treatment of pollutants

• Zehao Lin,
• Zhan Yang and
• Jianguo Huang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 745–762, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.66

• , respectively. The transient photocurrent responses and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) Nyquist plots (frequency: 0.01 Hz−100 kHz, alternate current: 5 mV) of a given sample were obtained on a CHI 760D (Shanghai, China) electrochemical workstation using a three-electrode system. The Pt plate (1.0

A nonenzymatic reduced graphene oxide-based nanosensor for parathion

• Sarani Sen,
• Anurag Roy,
• Ambarish Sanyal and
• Parukuttyamma Sujatha Devi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 730–744, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.65

• /bjnano.13.65 Abstract Organophosphate-based pesticides (e.g., parathion (PT)) have toxic effects on human health through their residues. Therefore, cost-effective and rapid detection strategies need to be developed to ensure the consuming food is free of any organophosphate-residue. This work proposed

• the fabrication of a robust, nonenzymatic electrochemical-sensing electrode modified with electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) to detect PT residues in environmental samples (e.g., soil, water) as well as in vegetables and cereals. The ERGO sensor shows a significantly affected

• electrocatalytic reduction peak at −0.58 V (vs Ag/AgCl) for rapid quantification of PT due to the amplified electroactive surface area of the modified electrode. At optimized experimental conditions, square-wave voltammetric analysis exhibits higher sensitivity (50.5 μA·μM−1·cm−2), excellent selectivity, excellent

Influence of thickness and morphology of MoS₂ on the performance of counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells

• Lam Thuy Thi Mai,
• Hai Viet Le,
• Ngan Kim Thi Nguyen,
• Van La Tran Pham,
• Thu Anh Thi Nguyen,
• Nguyen Thanh Le Huynh and
• Hoang Thai Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 528–537, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.44

• conventional Pt/FTO CE (15.3 mA·cm−2). This work reports for the first time the possibility to obtain a honeycomb-like MoS2 thin film morphology by the CV method and investigates the effect of film structure on the electrocatalytic activity and photovoltaic performance of CEs for DSSC application. Keywords

• DSSCs, which has led researchers to explore efficient cathode materials for DSSCs beyond platinum. To date, Pt replacement materials are divided into three categories, namely carbonaceous materials [2][3][4][5], conductive polymers [5], and transition metal compounds [6][7][8]. Transition metal

• catalytic activity. Li et al. reported the synthesis of MoS2/graphene composite films on FTO, which were directly used as CE for DSSCs without further thermal treatment. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the DSSCs was 8.01%, which was comparable to that of a Pt CE (8.21%) [21]. Quy et al. prepared

Surfactant-free syntheses and pair distribution function analysis of osmium nanoparticles

• Mikkel Juelsholt,
• Jonathan Quinson,
• Emil T. S. Kjær,
• Baiyu Wang,
• Rebecca Pittkowski,
• Susan R. Cooper,
• Tiffany L. Kinnibrugh,
• Søren B. Simonsen,
• Luise Theil Kuhn,
• María Escudero-Escribano and
• Kirsten M. Ø. Jensen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 230–235, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.17

• opposed to the case of Pt or Ir NPs. The robustness of the synthesis for a precursor concentration up to 100 mM allows for the performance of X-ray total scattering with pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, which shows that 1–2 nm hexagonal close packed (hcp) NPs are formed from chain-like [OsOxCly

• impurities, be toxic, and add cost to the synthesis. Surfactant-free syntheses, therefore, bear promising features not only for fundamental research but also for industrial scale production [22][23][24]. A surfactant-free synthesis method to produce Pt, Ir, Ru, or bimetallic NPs has recently been reported

• Information File 1). As opposed to the case of Pt NP synthesis, the Os NP size is also not affected by the alcohol used as reductant, as similar NP sizes are obtained when considering the TEM results (comparing Figure S6 and Figure S8, Supporting Information File 1). This result is confirmed by size analysis

Impact of device design on the electronic and optoelectronic properties of integrated Ru-terpyridine complexes

• Max Mennicken,
• Sophia Katharina Peter,
• Corinna Kaulen,
• Ulrich Simon and
• Silvia Karthäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 219–229, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.16

• rinsed three times in either ethanol or chloroform. Nanodevice fabrication The fabrication of nanoelectrode samples, each equipped with twelve nanoelectrode pairs (consisting of an AuPd and a Pt electrode with a nanometer-sized gap in between), was performed according to a recently described process

Low-energy electron interaction and focused electron beam-induced deposition of molybdenum hexacarbonyl (Mo(CO)₆)

• Po-Yuan Shih,
• Maicol Cipriani,
• Christian Felix Hermanns,
• Jens Oster,
• Klaus Edinger,
• Armin Gölzhäuser and
• Oddur Ingólfsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 182–191, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.13

• about 10 eV and George et al. [21] determined the rate constant for the formation of [Mo(CO)5]− and found it to be 1.3 × 10−7 cm3·molecule−1·s−1. This is a very high rate constant, which is consistent with cross section measurements for single-ligand loss in DEA to Co(CO)3NO [25] and Pt(PF3)4 [26

Influence of magnetic domain walls on all-optical magnetic toggle switching in a ferrimagnetic GdFe film

• Rahil Hosseinifar,
• Evangelos Golias,
• Ivar Kumberg,
• Quentin Guillet,
• Karl Frischmuth,
• Sangeeta Thakur,
• Mario Fix,
• Manfred Albrecht,
• Florian Kronast and
• Wolfgang Kuch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 74–81, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.5

• higher temperature shortly after the laser pulse, or by creep motion of the domain wall at longer times after the pulse. Such a creep motion of sharp domain ends has been studied in detail by Cao et al. in Co/Gd stacks sandwiched by Pt or Ta [22]. To further investigate the effect of magnetic domain

• thickness, deposited at room temperature using magnetron sputtering (base pressure <10−8 mbar) from elemental targets. The Ar sputter pressure was kept constant at 3.5 × 10−3 mbar during the deposition process. The film was prepared with 5 nm Pt as a seed layer on a Si(100) substrate with a 100 nm thick

• thermally oxidized SiOx layer and covered with a 3 nm Al capping layer to prevent oxidation. Composition and layer thicknesses were determined by calibrating the sputter rates with a quartz balance before the depositions. Thus, the sample structure was as follows: Al (3 nm)/Gd26Fe74 (15 nm)/Pt (5 nm)/SiOx

Sputtering onto liquids: a critical review

• Anastasiya Sergievskaya,
• Adrien Chauvin and
• Stephanos Konstantinidis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 10–53, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.2

• where platinum/copper (Pt/Cu) NPs were obtained by using an alloy target for the sputtering onto polyethylene glycol (PEG), it was reported that increasing the current from 10 to 50 mA leads to the formation of bigger NPs, from 1.3 to 4.5 nm, respectively [127

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

• samples was around 50 nm. Electrical conductivity measurements The electrical conductivity was determined in a DC measurement where the sample was put between two Pt contacts, one made of a Pt wire with a contact diameter of 700 µm and one made of a Pt sheet with additional Pt resinate paste (RP 070107

• ). Cantilevers with a conductive coating or a Pt/Ir alloy (PPP-NCSTPt by Nanosensors, Switzerland) were used for the KPFM measurements. In the present study, grains with a high surface potential were chosen for polarization experiments, as they are likely to represent ceria, while electron-conductive phases

• should show a comparably low surface potential in the unpolarized state. This is because the Fermi level of the ceria sample is lower than that of the spinel resulting in a larger potential difference between the ceria and the Pt/Ir coating of the tip than for the spinel. After the end of polarization

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

• to some excellent articles on hierarchical gas sensors that address such geometries [8][30][33][37]. Tin oxide-based fractals Yin et al. reported SnO2 nanoparticles with and without platinum (Pt) decoration synthesized using a sol–gel hydrothermal technique for gas sensing applications [63]. Figure

•  5a,b shows SEM images of samples calcined at 550 °C, corresponding to pure SnO2 and Pt-SnO2, respectively. The box-counting method estimated D = 2.43 for pure SnO2 and 2.49 for SnO2 decorated with 1 wt % Pt, respectively. Figure 5c shows the H2 sensing response curve of 1 atom % Pt-SnO2. In

• comparison to pure SnO2 and different amounts of Pt decoration (viz. 0.2, 0.5, 1, and 2 atom %), the 1 atom % Pt-decorated SnO2 (Pt-SnO2) sample exhibited higher sensitivity, a faster response of 29 s at 350 °C, and was able to sense 0.08 ppm H2. The sensor response was highest for H2 as compared to CO, CH4

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 methodology can also be adjusted to simulate the nanostructure formation by other nanofabrication techniques using electron beams, such as direct electron beam lithography. In the present study, the methodology is applied to the IDMD simulation of the FEBID of Pt(PF3)4, a widely studied precursor

• molecule, on a SiO2 surface. The simulations reveal the processes driving the initial phase of nanostructure formation during FEBID, including the nucleation of Pt atoms and the formation of small metal clusters on the surface, followed by their aggregation and the formation of dendritic platinum

• Pt(PF3)4, a widely studied precursor molecule [21][22][23][24][25][26], on a fully hydroxylated SiO2 surface. As such, this work extends the earlier IDMD-based studies [13][15] of the FEBID of W(CO)6 towards another precursor molecule that has been commonly used to fabricate platinum-containing