Comparing a porphyrin- and a coumarin-based dye adsorbed on NiO(001)

• Sara Freund,
• Antoine Hinaut,
• Nathalie Marinakis,
• Edwin C. Constable,
• Ernst Meyer,
• Catherine E. Housecroft and
• Thilo Glatzel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 874–881, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.88

• semiconductor TiO2 has become one of the most extensively studied metal oxides, especially in the context of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) [1]. The working principle of an n-type DSSC, which is shown in Figure 1a, relies on the functionalization of TiO2 surfaces with dye molecules enabling the absorption of

• ) of the semiconductor [2]. This charge transfer, which occurs from the dye molecules towards the surface of the semiconductor, offers the possibility of designing specific hybrid devices with photoactive anodes consisting of functionalized TiO2. In contrast to TiO2 [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], wide

Rapid, ultraviolet-induced, reversibly switchable wettability of superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic surfaces

• Yunlu Pan,
• Wenting Kong,
• Bharat Bhushan and
• Xuezeng Zhao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 866–873, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.87

• switching and extreme wettability changes upon ultraviolet (UV) illumination were investigated. TiO2 nanoparticles were modified in solutions of trimethoxy(alkyl)silane, and the suspensions were sprayed on glass substrates. For such samples, the water contact angle (WCA) was shown to transition from a

• illumination can be confirmed. It was found that the presence of trimethoxy(alkyl)silane in the TiO2–trimethoxy(alkyl)silane coating served to speed up the super-wettability transition time from superhydrophobicity to superhydrophilicity, but also limited the number of wettability recycle times. With this

• understanding, the effect of the trimethoxy(alkyl)silane concentration on the number of recycle cycles was investigated. Keywords: superhydrophilic surfaces; superhydrophobic surfaces; switchable wettability; TiO2; trimethoxy(alkyl)silane; UV illumination; Introduction Wettability is an important property of

Synthesis of MnO₂–CuO–Fe₂O₃/CNTs catalysts: low-temperature SCR activity and formation mechanism

• Yanbing Zhang,
• Lihua Liu,
• Yingzan Chen,
• Xianglong Cheng,
• Chengjian Song,
• Mingjie Ding and
• Haipeng Zhao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 848–855, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.85

• , the catalyst of the SCR reaction, V2O5+WO3(MoO3)/TiO2, has some drawbacks, such as the toxic V-based material and the high operating temperature window (300–400 °C) [6][7][8]. Additionally, this kind of catalyst is easily influenced by ash and SO2, which makes it necessary to be installed downstream

Novel reversibly switchable wettability of superhydrophobic–superhydrophilic surfaces induced by charge injection and heating

• Xiangdong Ye,
• Junwen Hou and
• Dongbao Cai

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 840–847, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.84

• for converting superhydrophobic surfaces into superhydrophilic surfaces after only 10 min of ultraviolet irradiation. Gao et al. [6] prepared 18 alkyltrichlorosilane-modified TiO2 films for the reversible switching between superhydrophilicity and superhydrophobicity of a wood surface. Feng et al. [7

• angle of 0°), and the reverse process took only 30 s. Esmeryan et al. [12] revealed collapsed superhydrophobicity and conversion to superhydrophilicity upon thermal annealing of the coating at temperatures above 300 °C. Lai et al. [13] prepared a uniform and stable TiO2-based nanoband film by

• electrophoretic deposition. The transformation of hydrogen titanate to porous TiO2 (B) and anatase-type TiO2 completed the superhydrophilic–superhydrophobic transition but the process was unidirectional and irreversible. Jiang et al. [14] prepared cotton fabrics by a three-step method that comprised cotton

An efficient electrode material for high performance solid-state hybrid supercapacitors based on a Cu/CuO/porous carbon nanofiber/TiO₂ hybrid composite

• Mamta Sham Lal,
• Thirugnanam Lavanya and
• Sundara Ramaprabhu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 781–793, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.78

• carbon nanofiber/TiO2 (Cu/CuO/PCNF/TiO2) composite uniformly covered with TiO2 nanoparticles was synthesized by electrospinning and a simple hydrothermal technique. The synthesized composite exhibits a unique morphology and excellent supercapacitive performance, including both electric double layer and

• pseudo-capacitance behavior. Electrochemical measurements were performed by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The highest specific capacitance value of 530 F g−1 at a current density of 1.5 A g−1 was obtained for the Cu/CuO/PCNF/TiO2 composite

• nanoparticles, which together open up new opportunities for energy storage and conversion applications. Keywords: composite; electrochemical performance; porous carbon nanofiber; solid-state hybrid supercapacitor; supercapacitor; TiO2 nanoparticles; Introduction To meet the rapidly growing demand for energy

On the transformation of “zincone”-like into porous ZnO thin films from sub-saturated plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition

• Alberto Perrotta,
• Julian Pilz,
• Stefan Pachmajer,
• Antonella Milella and
• Anna Maria Coclite

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 746–759, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.74

• ZnO [15][16]. Liang et al. [15] reported on the transformation of zincones deposited on TiO2 nanoparticles into porous ZnO via thermal treatment in the presence of air. Low surface area and wide pore size distribution (in the micropore and mesopore size range) were achieved. The surface area and the

• an inhibition of the crystal formation in the resulting TiO2 layers, and the authors attributed this to the amorphous titania being constrained in the organic matrix. As a consequence, an investigation of the crystallinity of Zn-alkoxide layers would shed a light on the evolution of the ZnO crystals

• different methods in the annealing temperature range of 350–450 °C [62][68][69][70][71][72][73]. For the pyrolysis of titanicone, a shift towards higher crystallization temperatures for TiO2 was reported by Abdulagatov et al. [11] due to hindrance of crystallization by organic ligands constraining amorphous

A porous 3D-RGO@MWCNT hybrid material as Li–S battery cathode

• Yongguang Zhang,
• Jun Ren,
• Yan Zhao,
• Taizhe Tan,
• Fuxing Yin and
• Yichao Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 514–521, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.52

• sulfur loading is essential for the practical implementation of Li–S batteries [5][6][7]. To overcome the above-mentioned challenges in Li–S batteries, many strategies have been proposed [8][9][10][11][12]. For example, metal oxides, such as TiO2, ZnO, MnO2, and SiO2, were reported to provide active

Widening of the electroactivity potential range by composite formation – capacitive properties of TiO₂/BiVO₄/PEDOT:PSS electrodes in contact with an aqueous electrolyte

• Konrad Trzciński,
• Mariusz Szkoda,
• Andrzej P. Nowak,
• Marcin Łapiński and
• Anna Lisowska-Oleksiak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 483–493, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.49

• , Poland 10.3762/bjnano.10.49 Abstract Composites based on the titania nanotubes were tested in aqueous electrolyte as a potential electrode material for energy storage devices. The nanotubular morphology of TiO2 was obtained by Ti anodization. TiO2 nanotubes were covered by a thin layer of bismuth

• vanadate using pulsed laser deposition. The formation of the TiO2/BiVO4 junction leads to enhancement of pseudocapacitance in the cathodic potential range. The third component, the conjugated polymer PEDOT:PSS, was electrodeposited from an electrolyte containing the monomer EDOT and NaPSS as a source of

• –inorganic composites with TiO2 [18][19], organic–inorganic hybrids consisting of a conducting polymer and Prussian blue analogues [20], or composites with carbon nanomaterials [21]. Tuning of the electrochemical activity of supercapacitors can also be achieved via electrolyte modification. The addition of

Reduced graphene oxide supported C₃N₄ nanoflakes and quantum dots as metal-free catalysts for visible light assisted CO₂ reduction

• Md Rakibuddin and
• Haekyoung Kim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 448–458, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.44

• , and CH3OH is one of the sustainable ways to address the issues of both global warming and the energy crisis [1][2][3][4][5][6]. So far, a variety of semiconductor photocatalysts, such as ZnO, TiO2, WO3, and CdS have been developed for the photoreduction of CO2 [7][8][9][10]. However, poor separation

Gold nanoparticles embedded in a polymer as a 3D-printable dichroic nanocomposite material

• Lars Kool,
• Anton Bunschoten,
• Aldrik H. Velders and
• Vittorio Saggiomo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 442–447, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.43

• modifying 3D-printable plastics with, for example, catalysts [11] or TiO2 nanoparticles [12] to obtain new improved materials with special characteristics. In this paper, we show how to fabricate a 3D-printable dichroic material using gold nanoparticles, jumping from the 4th century Roman glassmiths

Advanced scanning probe lithography using anatase-to-rutile transition to create localized TiO₂ nanorods

• Julian Kalb,
• Vanessa Knittel and
• Lukas Schmidt-Mende

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 412–418, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.40

• Julian Kalb Vanessa Knittel Lukas Schmidt-Mende Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.10.40 Abstract In this article, we demonstrate the position-controlled hydrothermal growth of rutile TiO2 nanorods using a new scanning

• probe lithography method in which a silicon tip, commonly used for atomic force microscopy, was pulled across an anatase TiO2 film. This process scratches the film causing tiny anatase TiO2 nanoparticles to form on the surface. According to previous reports, these anatase particles convert into rutile

• nanocrystals and provide the growth of rutile TiO2 nanorods in well-defined areas. Due to the small tip radius, the resolution of this method is excellent and the method is quite inexpensive compared to electron-beam lithography and similar methods providing a position-controlled growth of semiconducting TiO2

Biocompatible organic–inorganic hybrid materials based on nucleobases and titanium developed by molecular layer deposition

• Leva Momtazi,
• Henrik H. Sønsteby and
• Ola Nilsen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 399–411, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.39

• , confirming the hybrid nature of the as-deposited films with an amorphous structure where partial inclusion of the TTIP molecule occurs during growth. The films are highly hydrophilic, while the nucleobases do leach in water providing an amorphous structure mainly of TiO2 with reduced density and index of

• 2.19 over the temperature range of 225 to 350 °C. The density of all the systems increased with deposition temperature from roughly 1.7 g cm−3 at 225 °C to 2.3 g cm−3 at 350 °C. For comparison, the refractive index and density of anatase TiO2 films deposited at 225 °C is 2.36 and 3.78 g cm−3

• , indicating that the film is converted towards TiO2 and either excess TIP-ligands and/or nucleobases is lost from the film. All of these observations point towards the fact that the adenine system produces a relatively stable complex containing both TIP ligands and adenine. This complex is sufficiently stable

Integration of LaMnO_3+δ films on platinized silicon substrates for resistive switching applications by PI-MOCVD

• Raquel Rodriguez-Lamas,
• Dolors Pla,
• Odette Chaix-Pluchery,
• Benjamin Meunier,
• Fabrice Wilhelm,
• Andrei Rogalev,
• Laetitia Rapenne,
• Xavier Mescot,
• Quentin Rafhay,
• Hervé Roussel,
• Michel Boudard,
• Carmen Jiménez and
• Mónica Burriel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 389–398, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.38

• functions of electrode and active material, creating an ohmic contact or a Schottky barrier. Furthermore, some electrodes can be oxidized forming a new interface layer that can also act as oxygen reservoir (e.g., Ti, TiO2) [20][21][22]. The use of Pt as bottom electrode in our LMO-based devices guarantees

• , maximizing the flux of carried precursor. The deposition temperature inside the main chamber (a hot-wall quartz reactor heated by an external furnace) ranged from 500 to 750 °C. The substrates used were 1 cm × 1 cm chips cut from a Pt (150 nm)/TiO2 (40 nm)/SiO2 (500 nm)/Si (111) wafer (VinKarola Instruments

One-step nonhydrolytic sol–gel synthesis of mesoporous TiO₂ phosphonate hybrid materials

• Yanhui Wang,
• P. Hubert Mutin and
• Johan G. Alauzun

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 356–362, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.35

• Yanhui Wang P. Hubert Mutin Johan G. Alauzun Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR 5253, Université de Montpellier, CC 1701, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France 10.3762/bjnano.10.35 Abstract Mesoporous TiO2–octylphosphonate hybrid materials were prepared in one step by

• with the P/Ti ratio, leading to an increase of the specific surface area and a decrease of the pore size of the hybrid samples. For a P/Ti ratio of 0.2, the volume fraction of organic octyl groups exceeds 50%. The hybrid material becomes nonporous and can be described as amorphous TiO2 clusters

• with 1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene [32]. The reaction of alkoxides in acetophenone (used as a solvent and an oxygen donor) has already been described for the synthesis of TiO2 [33] and BaTiO3 [34] nanoparticles, but it has never been used to prepare mesoporous oxides or hybrid materials. In the present work

Interaction of Te and Se interlayers with Ag or Au nanofilms in sandwich structures

• Arkadiusz Ciesielski,
• Lukasz Skowronski,
• Marek Trzcinski,
• Ewa Górecka,
• Wojciech Pacuski and
• Tomasz Szoplik

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 238–246, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.22

• Knudsen cell was kept at working temperature [39]. SiO2, Ag and Au, LiF layers were deposited from fabmate or tungsten crucibles using a PVD75 Lesker e-beam evaporator. The purity of the evaporation materials was 4N for both silver and gold, 5N for SiO2 and TIO2, 3N for LiF. SiO2 was evaporated at an

Uniform Sb₂S₃ optical coatings by chemical spray method

• Jako S. Eensalu,
• Atanas Katerski,
• Erki Kärber,
• Ilona Oja Acik,
• Arvo Mere and
• Malle Krunks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 198–210, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.18

• uniform thickness. First, amorphous Sb2S3 layers, likely forming by 3D Volmer–Weber island growth through a molten phase reaction between SbCl3 and SC(NH2)2, were deposited in air on a glass/ITO/TiO2 substrate by ultrasonic spraying of methanolic Sb/S 1:3 molar ratio solution at 200–210 °C. Second, we

• Sb2S3 layers and presented the first planar TiO2/Sb2S3/P3HT solar cells comprising ultrasonically sprayed Sb2S3 (power conversion efficiency η ≤ 1.9%) [12]. SbCl3 and thiourea (SC(NH2)2) are often used in the field to deposit Sb2S3 thin films. Spraying the SbCl3/SC(NH2)2 (henceforth Sb/S) 1:6 molar

• ratio solution at 250 °C in air yielded separate Sb2S3 grains, which did not cover the TiO2 substrate entirely, whereas spraying the Sb/S 1:3 solution yielded an inhomogeneous mix of amorphous and polycrystalline Sb2S3 [12]. We learned to produce continuous uniform layers of polycrystalline Sb2S3 by a

Nanoporous water oxidation electrodes with a low loading of laser-deposited Ru/C exhibit enhanced corrosion stability

• Sandra Haschke,
• Dmitrii Pankin,
• Vladimir Mikhailovskii,
• Maïssa K. S. Barr,
• Adriana Both-Engel,
• Alina Manshina and
• Julien Bachmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 157–167, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.15

• limited by its significant dissolution (corrosion) at high anodic potential over the whole pH range (Figure 2) [10][11][12]. One strategy to address this limitation has involved mixing metallic Ru (or its oxides) with other solids (such as Ir [13][14][15][16][17][18], Ta [19], or Pt [20], TiO2 [21], Ni

Scanning probe microscopy for energy-related materials

• Rüdiger Berger,
• Benjamin Grévin,
• Philippe Leclère and
• Yi Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 132–134, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.12

• cells. Tomography is achieved by gradually removing surface material during continuous high-load topographic imaging. For photovoltaic materials, the interface between materials accepting electrons or holes is of crucial importance. Laurie Letertre and co-workers study a nanocolumnar TiO2 surface

New micro/mesoporous nanocomposite material from low-cost sources for the efficient removal of aromatic and pathogenic pollutants from water

• Emmanuel I. Unuabonah,
• Robert Nöske,
• Jens Weber,
• Christina Günter and
• Andreas Taubert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 119–131, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.11

• 750 °C for one hour. The originally used raw kaolinite is composed of kaolinite (k), quartz (qtz) and feldspar (microcline (kfs) and plagioclase (plg)) and small amounts of illite (il, JCPDF 98-009-0144) and anatase (TiO2, JCPDF 98-009-6946, at 2θ values of 25.29°). As already mentioned, the kaolinite

Threshold voltage decrease in a thermotropic nematic liquid crystal doped with graphene oxide flakes

• Mateusz Mrukiewicz,
• Krystian Kowiorski,
• Paweł Perkowski,
• Rafał Mazur and
• Małgorzata Djas

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 71–78, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.7

• nanoparticles of MgO and SiO2 [6]. Here, the effect was caused by the reduction of the order parameter S. The concentration-dependent enhancement of the electro-optic response was observed for Ti and TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed in NLC [7][8]. The significant effect of ferroelectric Sn2P2S6 on the threshold

Amorphous Ni_xCo_yP-supported TiO₂ nanotube arrays as an efficient hydrogen evolution reaction electrocatalyst in acidic solution

• Yong Li,
• Peng Yang,
• Bin Wang and
• Zhongqing Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 62–70, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.6

• attention due to their synergistic effect for improving the hydrogen evolution reaction as compared to monometallic phosphides. In this work, NiCoP modified hybrid electrodes were fabricated by a one-step electrodeposition process with TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNAs) as a carrier. X-ray diffraction

• unstable under acidic conditions. One effective way to improve their stability is with an appropriate support material. Compared to the nickel foam or other substrates [19][23][24], TiO2 nanotube arrays prepared by anodization are favorable for the loading of catalysts and the fast transfer of electrons

• aqueous solution, the NixCoyP/TNAs electrodes presented enhanced electrocatalytic activity and robust stability after incorporating Co into NiP. Experimental Preparation of NixCoyP/TNA electrodes The TiO2 nanotube arrays used here were prepared using an electrochemical anodization technique according to

Electrolyte tuning in dye-sensitized solar cells with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) iron(II) sensitizers

• Mariia Karpacheva,
• Catherine E. Housecroft and
• Edwin C. Constable

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 3069–3078, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.285

• additives in an I−/I3−-based electrolyte. We present data for fully masked DSCs to avoid overestimation of their performance [40]. Results and Discussion Effects of solvent and ionic liquid The working electrodes for the DSCs were prepared using commercial FTO/TiO2 electrodes immersed in a MeCN solution

• in Table 1. In typical I−/I3−-based electrolytes, LiI and I2 are present in a solvent such as MeCN, 3-methoxypropionitrile (MPN) or valeronitrile, with added ionic liquid, often 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide (BMII, Scheme 3). Additives are also present to tune the TiO2 conduction band energy and

• series resistance (Rs), a resistance (RPt) and a constant phase element (CPE1) to model a platinum counter electrode, an extended distributed element (DX1) which represented the TiO2/electrolyte interface as a transmission line model, and a Warburg element (Ws) associated with diffusion of the

Graphene-enhanced metal oxide gas sensors at room temperature: a review

• Dongjin Sun,
• Yifan Luo,
• Marc Debliquy and
• Chao Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2832–2844, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.264

• achieved at all [19][20]. Metal-oxide semiconductors (MOS), including tin oxide (SnO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), copper oxide (CuO), tungsten oxide (WO3), indium oxide (In2O3), ferric oxide (Fe2O3) and cobalt oxide (Co3O4) are important materials for gas sensors [21][22][23][24][25][26

• dioxide (TiO2), as a wide-bandgap semiconductor, has been widely used as photocatalyst, and in solar cells and gas sensors [70][71][72]. In general, its operating temperature is over 200 °C, so scholars try to prepare composites with graphene to reduce its operating temperature. However, the stability of

• this type of composite sensors is a problem. Recently Li et al. [73] reported an ultrafast and sensitive NH3 sensor using rGO decorated with TiO2 nanocrystals. There were two different morphologies in these sensing materials: rGO either laid on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles, partly wrapping them

Impact of the anodization time on the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanotubes

• Jesús A. Díaz-Real,
• Geyla C. Dubed-Bandomo,
• Juan Galindo-de-la-Rosa,
• Luis G. Arriaga,
• Janet Ledesma-García and
• Nicolas Alonso-Vante

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2628–2643, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.244

• length, fluorine content, and capacitance of the space charge region increased, affecting the opto-electronic properties (bandgap, bathochromic shift, band-edge position) and surface hydrophilicity of TiO2 NTs. These properties are at the origin of the photocatalytic activity (PCA), as proved with the

• photooxidation of methylene blue. Keywords: fluorine doping; nanotubes; photocatalytic activity; photoelectrochemistry; titanium(IV) oxide (TiO2); Introduction TiO2 started to attract great interest after Fujishima and Honda reported [1] on its photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties in 1972. Numerous features

• such as excellent chemical stability, photo-corrosion resistance, low cost, and low toxicity make TiO2 a material suitable for energy production and environmental applications, such as advanced oxidation processes for the decomposition of organic pollutants in water [2][3]. However, the material

Non-agglomerated silicon–organic nanoparticles and their nanocomplexes with oligonucleotides: synthesis and properties

• Asya S. Levina,
• Marina N. Repkova,
• Nadezhda V. Shikina,
• Zinfer R. Ismagilov,
• Svetlana A. Yashnik,
• Dmitrii V. Semenov,
• Yulia I. Savinovskaya,
• Natalia A. Mazurkova,
• Inna A. Pyshnaya and
• Valentina F. Zarytova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2516–2525, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.234

• formation of TiO2·PL–DNA nanocomposites [1][2]. Silica nanoparticles can also be used as vehicles to deliver nucleic acid fragments into cells [3][4]. SiO2 nanoparticles bearing amino groups on the surface were shown to bind plasmid DNA, allowing the nanoparticles to penetration into cells, and even nuclei

• ), and the nanocomplex containing random ODN(5) was much less active. The antiviral activity of the Si–NH2·ODN(4) nanocomplex was not inferior to that of the TiO2·PL–ODN nanocomplexes reported in our previous papers [20][21][22]. The high inhibition efficiency of the virus reproduction with the use of