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

• cytotoxicity potential [12], although carbon nanotube toxicity differs according to the production method used [13]. Moreover, the carbon black nanoparticles found in tattoo ink have safety profiles comparable to multi-walled carbon nanotubes [14]. Thus, there is a need to more accurately assess how tattoo ink

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

Pt- and Pd-decorated MWCNTs for vapour and gas detection at room temperature

• Hamdi Baccar,
• Atef Thamri,
• Pierrick Clément,
• Eduard Llobet and
• Adnane Abdelghani

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 919–927, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.95

• temperatures [18]) thus enabling the development of low-power sensors [13][19]. This is essential for achieving long-life, battery-operated, wearable detectors. Furthermore, carbon nanotube sensors can be easily miniaturised, which is not the case for electrochemical sensors [20]. Pristine carbon nanotubes are

• known to weakly interact with VOCs in general and with aromatic VOCs in particular. Therefore, a functionalisation of the carbon nanotube sidewalls is essential to promote sensitivity. In previous works, we used oxygen-plasma-treated multiwalled carbon nanotubes for detecting nitrogen dioxide, ammonia

• affects the sensitivity and selectivity of the hybrid carbon nanotube material. The idea is to use nanoparticles that donate or accept charge upon adsorption of vapours or gas molecules, which eventually alters the electron transport in the carbon nanotube [26]. Kumar et al. published the first

Applications of three-dimensional carbon nanotube networks

• Manuela Scarselli,
• Paola Castrucci,
• Francesco De Nicola,
• Ilaria Cacciotti,
• Francesca Nanni,
• Emanuela Gatto,
• Mariano Venanzi and
• Maurizio De Crescenzi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 792–798, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.82

• respond to incident light in the visible and near-ultraviolet region and to generate a photocurrent. Keywords: carbon nanotube sponge; electrochemical; hydrophobicity; lipophilicity; Introduction In the last years, there has been growing interest in developing natural and synthetic three-dimensional

Observation of a photoinduced, resonant tunneling effect in a carbon nanotube–silicon heterojunction

• Carla Aramo,
• Antonio Ambrosio,
• Michelangelo Ambrosio,
• Maurizio Boscardin,
• Paola Castrucci,
• Michele Crivellari,
• Marco Cilmo,
• Maurizio De Crescenzi,
• Francesco De Nicola,
• Emanuele Fiandrini,
• Valentina Grossi,
• Pasqualino Maddalena,
• Maurizio Passacantando,
• Sandro Santucci,
• Manuela Scarselli and
• Antonio Valentini

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 704–710, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.71

• , Sezione di Bari and Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Bari, Via Amendola 173, 70126 Bari, Italy 10.3762/bjnano.6.71 Abstract A significant resonant tunneling effect has been observed under the 2.4 V junction threshold in a large area, carbon nanotube–silicon (CNT–Si) heterojunction

• -based devices have been attributed to the photon-induced generation of charge carriers in single-wall CNTs and the subsequent charge separation across the carbon nanotube–metal contact interface [11]. To the best of our knowledge, there is a lack of measurements in the UV region [8], and moreover, there

Overview of nanoscale NEXAFS performed with soft X-ray microscopes

• Peter Guttmann and
• Carla Bittencourt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 595–604, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.61

• nanoscale structures are becoming more and more important. Not only for the further miniaturization of semiconductor devices like carbon nanotube based transistors, but also for newly developed efficient energy storage devices, gas sensors or catalytic systems nanoscale and functionalized materials have to

Chains of carbon atoms: A vision or a new nanomaterial?

• Florian Banhart

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 559–569, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.58

• of states in the contacting material at low energy is small. Another aspect is the local hybridization of the carbon atoms at the contact. A sp3-hybridized carbon atom (e.g., when the chain is connected to the middle of a graphenic sheet or the wall of a carbon nanotube as shown in Figure 5) leads to

• -wall carbon nanotube [61]. The smallest experimentally identified carbon nanotube is the (3,3) nanotube with a diameter of 4 Å. The instability of extremely thin nanotubes is due to the increasing pyramidalization angle in small sp2 structures, leading to an increasing sp3 character of the bonds. The

• is shown in the inset. Different hybridization states of the end atoms of carbon chains when they are connected to a graphitic contact. The contact atoms are marked in red. As an example, chains are attached to the closed end of a carbon nanotube (left), leading to local sp3-hybridization, and to an

Exploiting the hierarchical morphology of single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotube films for highly hydrophobic coatings

• Francesco De Nicola,
• Paola Castrucci,
• Manuela Scarselli,
• Francesca Nanni,
• Ilaria Cacciotti and
• Maurizio De Crescenzi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 353–360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.34

• surfaces. Here, we report single-walled (SWCNT) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) thin films realized by a simple, rapid, reproducible, and inexpensive filtration process from an aqueous dispersion, that was deposited at room temperature by a dry-transfer printing method on glass. Furthermore, the

• investigation of carbon nanotube films through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals the multi-scale hierarchical morphology of the self-assembled carbon nanotube random networks. Moreover, contact angle measurements show that hierarchical SWCNT/MWCNT composite surfaces exhibit a higher hydrophobicity

• (contact angles of up to 137°) than bare SWCNT (110°) and MWCNT (97°) coatings, thereby confirming the enhancement produced by the surface hierarchical morphology. Keywords: hierarchical structures; hydrophobic surfaces; multi-walled carbon nanotube; single-walled carbon nanotube; wetting transitions

Boosting the local anodic oxidation of silicon through carbon nanofiber atomic force microscopy probes

• Gemma Rius,
• Matteo Lorenzoni,
• Soichiro Matsui,
• Masaki Tanemura and
• Francesc Perez-Murano

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 215–222, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.20

• -AFM, because it regulates the minimum feature size and the electric field. For instance, the feasibility of carbon nanotube (CNT)-functionalized tips showed great promise for LAO-AFM, yet, the fabrication of CNT tips presents difficulties. Here, we explore the use of a carbon nanofiber (CNF) as the

• morphologically and chemically degrades during its use, the conditions and the results of LAO-AFM are dramatically affected or even lost. It has been proposed, as one possibility to overcome this issue, the use of carbon nanotube (CNT)-functionalized tips [14][15]. With excellent electronic conduction, mechanical

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of graphitic carbon nanomaterials doped with heteroatoms

• Toma Susi,
• Thomas Pichler and
• Paola Ayala

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 177–192, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.17

• have received major attention, starting with the discovery of fullerenes in the late 1980s [1][2], followed by the proliferation of carbon nanotube research from the early 1990s [3][4][5], and coming finally to the latest stage when graphene rose into prominence in the mid-2000s [6][7][8]. Due to the

• diameter [14][89]. It is also possible that there are several concentric walls approximately separated by the graphite interlayer distance; such tubes are called multiwalled (MWCNTs), with the double-walled (DWCNT) being a somewhat special case [90]. Carbon nanotube samples have two crucial differences

• to firmly establish the metrology of dopants in carbon nanomaterials. Structural models of graphitic carbon nanomaterials. Clockwise from top left: graphene, graphite, C60 fullerene, and a single-walled carbon nanotube. The photoemission response of metallicity-separated and purified single-walled

Materials and characterization techniques for high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

• Roswitha Zeis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 68–83, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.8

• incorporated into MEAs for cell performances testing. The single cells achieved a peak power of over 100 mW/cm2 at 120 °C with a relatively low platinum loading (0.45 mg/cm2) for both the cathode and the anode. Binder: The polymer-wrapped carbon nanotube catalyst concept elegantly incorporates the binder PBI

Nanobioarchitectures based on chlorophyll photopigment, artificial lipid bilayers and carbon nanotubes

• Marcela Elisabeta Barbinta-Patrascu,
• Stefan Marian Iordache,
• Ana Maria Iordache,
• Nicoleta Badea and
• Camelia Ungureanu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2316–2325, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.240

• carbon nanotubes [18]. Bianco et al. [19] showed that carbon nanotube biofunctionalization lead not only to the improved solubility and biocompatibility of CNTs, but also transformed them into platforms for biomedical applications. Carbon nanotubes are generally considered biocompatible and of low

• efficient energy transfer between the Chla molecules incorporated in liposomes (ordered along SWCNTs) as a result of interaction with the carbon nanotube sidewall. These findings are in agreement with our previous studies [4][5]. As can be seen in both Figure 4 and Figure 5, the liquid crystal phase of

• their aggregation; spherical-shaped profiles of liposomes could be observed along and near the carbon nanotubes. Thus, a carbon nanotube network was formed by the cross-linking of CNTs via liposomes with islands of lipid vesicles. This proves that the bionanocomposite undergoes self-assembly in an

Electrical contacts to individual SWCNTs: A review

• Wei Liu,
• Christofer Hierold and
• Miroslav Haluska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2202–2215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.229

• mechanical properties [1][2][3] as well as thermal and electrical conductivity [4][5], enabling ballistic charge carrier transport up to the microscale at room temperature [6][7]. The emergence of carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNFETs) using SWCNTs as the device channel provides a possible

• [9]. Recently, the concept of a CNFET-based single processor was successfully implemented by Shulaker et al. [10]. These achievements reflect the great progress in fabrication technology that is advancing carbon nanotube technology closer to reality. For SWCNT-based devices, the nanotubes must be

• work function difference between metal and carbon nanotube. To some extent, the height of the Schottky barrier reflects the intrinsic property of electrical contact. The approaches used to evaluate the height of the Schottky barrier are detailed in this section. Although a capacitance–voltage (C–V

Advances in NO₂ sensing with individual single-walled carbon nanotube transistors

• Kiran Chikkadi,
• Matthias Muoth,
• Cosmin Roman,
• Miroslav Haluska and
• Christofer Hierold

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2179–2191, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.227

• attached to their surface. This property has generated interest for their application in sensing gases, chemicals and biomolecules. With over a decade of research, a clearer picture of the interactions between the carbon nanotube and its surroundings has been achieved. In this review, we intend to

• summarize the current knowledge on this topic, focusing not only on the effect of adsorbates but also the effect of dielectric charge traps on the electrical transport in single-walled carbon nanotube transistors that are to be used in sensing applications. Recently, contact-passivated, open-channel

• individual single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistors have been shown to be operational at room temperature with ultra-low power consumption. Sensor recovery within minutes through UV illumination or self-heating has been shown. Improvements in fabrication processes aimed at reducing the impact

Two-dimensional and tubular structures of misfit compounds: Structural and electronic properties

• Tommy Lorenz,
• Jan-Ole Joswig and
• Gotthard Seifert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2171–2178, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.226

• SiO4 rings. (a) Top view, (b) side view with the depiction of the spontaneous bending of the layers and the C–Si bonds and (c) a carbon nanotube is surrounded by a cylindrical SiOx (x = 5/2) layer. Carbon, oxygen, and silicon atoms are colored in light gray, dark gray, and black, respectively. Cell

Modification of a single-molecule AFM probe with highly defined surface functionality

• Fei Long,
• Bin Cao,
• Ashok Khanal,
• Shiyue Fang and
• Reza Shahbazian-Yassar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2122–2128, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.221

• resulted in uncertainties concerning quantity and location of molecules being studied [1]. To improve the reproducibility of experimental results, covalent attachment methods are preferred. Wong and co-authors attached a single-wall carbon nanotube (SW-CNT) to the tip of an AFM probe [15]. The carboxylic

Sequence-dependent electrical response of ssDNA-decorated carbon nanotube, field-effect transistors to dopamine

• Hari Krishna Salila Vijayalal Mohan,
• Jianing An and
• Lianxi Zheng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2113–2121, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.220

• , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 10.3762/bjnano.5.220 Abstract Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based field-effect transistors (FETs) have been explored for use as biological/chemical sensors. Dopamine (DA) is a biomolecule with great clinical significance for disease diagnosis, however, SWCNT

• : carbon nanotube; deoxyribonucleic acid; dopamine; field-effect transistor; uric acid; Introduction Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are excellent chemical/biological sensing materials because of their ultra-high sensitivity, fast response, and size compatibility, as compared to traditional

Effect of channel length on the electrical response of carbon nanotube field-effect transistors to deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization

• Hari Krishna Salila Vijayalal Mohan,
• Jianing An,
• Yani Zhang,
• Chee How Wong and
• Lianxi Zheng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2081–2091, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.217

• .5.217 Abstract A single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) in a field-effect transistor (FET) configuration provides an ideal electronic path for label-free detection of nucleic acid hybridization. The simultaneous influence of more than one response mechanism in hybridization detection causes a variation

Optical properties and electrical transport of thin films of terbium(III) bis(phthalocyanine) on cobalt

• Peter Robaschik,
• Pablo F. Siles,
• Daniel Bülz,
• Peter Richter,
• Manuel Monecke,
• Michael Fronk,
• Svetlana Klyatskaya,
• Daniel Grimm,
• Oliver G. Schmidt,
• Mario Ruben,
• Dietrich R. T. Zahn and
• Georgeta Salvan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2070–2078, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.215

• transporting layer [10] and recently Urdampilleta et al. reported a supramolecular spin valve made of a carbon nanotube (CNT) covered by only a few TbPc2 molecules [5]. For electronic and spintronic devices it is crucial to know and to control the molecular orientation on the device-related substrates. The

Non-covalent and reversible functionalization of carbon nanotubes

• Antonello Di Crescenzo,
• Valeria Ettorre and
• Antonella Fontana

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1675–1690, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.178

• in order to act as a good carbon nanotube dispersant both in water and in organic solvents. The review pinpoints also a few examples of dispersant design. The last section is devoted to the exploitation of the major quality of non-covalent functionalization that is its reversibility and the

• functionalization, represents nowadays one of the major challenges in overcoming their limited manipulability and therefore in developing applications for the future. (a) The wrapping vector of a graphene sheet defines the structure (chirality) of a carbon nanotube. Examples of (b) ‘‘armchair’’ and (c)‘‘zig-zag

Growth and structural discrimination of cortical neurons on randomly oriented and vertically aligned dense carbon nanotube networks

• Christoph Nick,
• Sandeep Yadav,
• Ravi Joshi,
• Christiane Thielemann and
• Jörg J. Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1575–1579, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.169

• . These neuron cells attach preferentially on the CNT sidewalls of the vertically aligned CNT architecture instead than onto the tips of the individual CNT pillars. Keywords: carbon nanotube; chemical vapour deposition; interface; neuron; scaffold; Findings Biochemically functionalised carbon nanotubes

• sizes while maintaining a good performance in signal recording [10]. This subject has been of strong interdisciplinary interest over the last decade [9][11][12]. Mainly unordered randomly deposited CNTs and dense carbon nanotube fibres (CNF) have been studied as growth substrate for cells. It was found

Liquid fuel cells

• Grigorii L. Soloveichik

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1399–1418, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.153

• ]. The use of crude glycerol from the biodiesel process in an AEM fuel cell has been reported [115]. The use of dealloyed PtCo nanoparticles on a carbon nanotube support surface in such a cell allowed for a peak power density of 268.5 mW/cm2 at 80 °C with the anode catalyst loading of 0.5 mg Pt/cm2 [116

Nano-rings with a handle – Synthesis of substituted cycloparaphenylenes

• Anne-Florence Tran-Van and
• Hermann A. Wegner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1320–1333, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.145

• cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs), the smallest armchair carbon nanotube, has been a quest for the past decades which experienced a revival in 2008 when the first synthesis was achieved. Since then CPPs with various ring sizes have been realized. The incorporation of substituents and the synthesis of CPPs with building

Organic and inorganic–organic thin film structures by molecular layer deposition: A review

• Pia Sundberg and
• Maarit Karppinen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1104–1136, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.123

Gas sensing with gold-decorated vertically aligned carbon nanotubes

• Prasantha R. Mudimela,
• Mattia Scardamaglia,
• Oriol González-León,
• Nicolas Reckinger,
• Rony Snyders,
• Eduard Llobet,
• Carla Bittencourt and
• Jean-François Colomer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 910–918, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.104

• decorated with gold nanoparticles were investigated as gas sensitive materials for detecting nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at room temperature. Gold nanoparticles of about 6 nm in diameter were sputtered on the top surface of the carbon nanotube forests to enhance the sensitivity to the pollutant gas. We showed

• morphology of the active layer and its chemical composition was characterized by using scanning and transmission electron microscopies (SEM and TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. Experimental Vertically aligned carbon nanotube growth VA-CNT synthesis was carried out in a thermal

• the case of 500 µm-long tubes. Additionally, the chemical sensitization effect of Au nanoparticles sitting on top of the CNT film may be lost beyond a given depth, which would also explain the loss of sensitivity found in 500 µm-thick films. This result could change if the density of the carbon