Enhanced detection of nitrogen dioxide via combined heating and pulsed UV operation of indium oxide nano-octahedra

• Oriol Gonzalez,
• Sergio Roso,
• Xavier Vilanova and
• Eduard Llobet

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1507–1518, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.144

• diffractometer with parallel incident beam) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM, Jeol 7600F). For SEM analysis, samples were coated with a 3 nm thick carbon layer to avoid charging effects. Sensors were produced by employing a screen-printing technique. The as-synthesized nano-octahedra were

Microwave synthesis of high-quality and uniform 4 nm ZnFe₂O₄ nanocrystals for application in energy storage and nanomagnetics

• Christian Suchomski,
• Ben Breitung,
• Ralf Witte,
• Michael Knapp,
• Sondes Bauer,
• Tilo Baumbach,
• Christian Reitz and
• Torsten Brezesinski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1350–1360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.126

• a hemispherical electron energy analyzer. The C 1s signal from adventitious hydrocarbon at 284.8 eV was used as the energy reference to correct for charging. Mössbauer spectroscopy was performed in transmission geometry using a constant acceleration spectrometer with a 57Co radiation source embedded

Viability and proliferation of endothelial cells upon exposure to GaN nanoparticles

• Tudor Braniste,
• Ion Tiginyanu,
• Tibor Horvath,
• Simion Raevschi,
• Serghei Cebotari,
• Marco Lux,
• Axel Haverich and
• Andres Hilfiker

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1330–1337, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.124

• fixed, dehydrated, dried, and a thin metallic layer was sputtered on top of them in order to avoid charging effects during scanning. The fixation process was performed at 4 °C in 2.5% glutaraldehyde for 12 h after the samples were kept in 0.2 M sodium cacodylate buffer for 24 h. The dehydration process

Mesoporous hollow carbon spheres for lithium–sulfur batteries: distribution of sulfur and electrochemical performance

• Anika C. Juhl,
• Artur Schneider,
• Boris Ufer,
• Torsten Brezesinski,
• Jürgen Janek and
• Michael Fröba

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1229–1240, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.114

• electrolyte used in the cell was 10 μL/mgsulfur. Galvanostatic measurements were performed at 25 °C in the potential range of 2.5–1.7 V versus Li/Li+ using a MACCOR Series 4000 (Tulsa, Oklahoma) multichannel battery cycler. A constant voltage step was applied at the end of charging until a current drop of 90

In situ characterization of hydrogen absorption in nanoporous palladium produced by dealloying

• Eva-Maria Steyskal,
• Christopher Wiednig,
• Norbert Enzinger and
• Roland Würschum

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1197–1201, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.110

• platelets were cut for dealloying and subsequent charging experiments. The resistometric measurements were set up similar to our work on nanoporous platinum [12][13]. To sum up briefly, the rectangular sample (ca. 12 × 3 mm2) was immersed into the electrolyte hanging on five Pd wires, glued onto the

• pushrod of a Linseis L75 vertical dilatometer applying a constant pressure of 100 mN. A well-annealed, flattened Pd wire served as working electrode contact to an Autolab PGSTAT204 potentiostat. Electrochemical charging was performed at room temperature using commercial Ag/AgCl (saturated KCl) reference

• dealloying were performed in a 1 M solution of KOH, a highly porous carbon fabric contacted by a Pd wire served as counter electrode. The property variations of np-Pd upon electrochemical charging were calculated with respect to the sample resistance R0 and thickness L0 in the electrochemical double layer

High-resolution noncontact AFM and Kelvin probe force microscopy investigations of self-assembled photovoltaic donor–acceptor dyads

• Benjamin Grévin,
• Pierre-Olivier Schwartz,
• Laure Biniek,
• Martin Brinkmann,
• Nicolas Leclerc,
• Elena Zaborova and
• Stéphane Méry

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 799–808, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.71

• images with a very high lateral resolution are achieved, which allows for the resolution of local photo-charging contrasts at the scale of single edge-on lamella. This work paves the way for local investigations of the optoelectronic properties of donor–acceptor supramolecular architectures down to the

• Figure S8 in Supporting Information File 1), unambiguously demonstrating that the lower SPV is intrinsically related to the charging state of a single lamella. Now we briefly discuss the origin of the observed SPV contrasts. As mentioned above, it is likely that the local SPV minima (in other words, the

Orientation of FePt nanoparticles on top of a-SiO₂/Si(001), MgO(001) and sapphire(0001): effect of thermal treatments and influence of substrate and particle size

• Martin Schilling,
• Paul Ziemann,
• Zaoli Zhang,
• Johannes Biskupek,
• Ute Kaiser and
• Ulf Wiedwald

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 591–604, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.52

• leading to an atomically smooth surface for nanoparticle and film deposition. Since charging of the MgO substrate turned out to deteriorate the RHEED pattern, we further annealed the bare substrate under hydrogen atmosphere at 5·10−6 mbar to create oxygen vacancies, leading to a sufficient surface

• , charging has been minimized by a carbon flash evaporation, which, however, is removed by plasma etching before the subsequent annealing steps. The intensity along the Debye–Scherrer rings is homogeneous, thus the particles are randomly oriented. Diffraction features from the substrate are not visible

• FePt particles on MgO(001). The enhanced sharpness of the rings can be attributed to an improved crystallinity of the nanoparticles after annealing at 650 °C, but also to decreasing charging effects due to the formation of surface defects in the MgO substrate leading to better electrical conductivity

Charge and heat transport in soft nanosystems in the presence of time-dependent perturbations

• Alberto Nocera,
• Carmine Antonio Perroni,
• Vincenzo Marigliano Ramaglia and
• Vittorio Cataudella

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 439–464, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.39

• to the external drive in the weakly nonlinear regime. Finally, stochastic forces induced by quantum and thermal fluctuations due to the electron charging of the quantum dot are shown to affect in a significant way a Thouless charge pump realized with an elastically deformable quantum dot. In this

Hydration of magnesia cubes: a helium ion microscopy study

• Ruth Schwaiger,
• Johannes Schneider,
• Gilles R. Bourret and
• Oliver Diwald

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 302–309, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.28

• , most importantly, without coating the samples for charge compensation. Sample charging effects that typically occur during imaging of insulating samples can be counteracted in the HIM by using a low-energy electron flood gun for charge compensation [7]. Although charging is a problem for MgO, in this

Characterisation of thin films of graphene–surfactant composites produced through a novel semi-automated method

• Nik J. Walch,
• Alexei Nabok,
• Frank Davis and
• Séamus P. J. Higson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 209–219, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.19

• reduced number of layers. The D and D’ bands are caused by disorder in the graphene flakes. The D’ band is present when there are surface defects, such as charging or other impurities adsorbed onto the surface. The D band is caused by edge defects such as a “zig-zag” or “chair” shape on the edge. Edge

Synthesis and applications of carbon nanomaterials for energy generation and storage

• Marco Notarianni,
• Jinzhang Liu,
• Kristy Vernon and
• Nunzio Motta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 149–196, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.17

• efficiency and stability. However, the flexibility and the low cost of these materials provide the opportunity for many applications such as wearable and disposable electronics or mobile charging. The application of carbon nanotubes and graphene to supercapacitors is also discussed and reviewed in this work

Self-organization of gold nanoparticles on silanated surfaces

• Htet H. Kyaw,
• Salim H. Al-Harthi,
• Azzouz Sellai and
• Joydeep Dutta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2345–2353, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.242

• measurements were conducted in ultrahigh high vacuum conditions of 2 × 10−10 mbar. In order to reduce surface charging effects, all the measured samples were flooded with electrons for charge compensation during the XPS measurements. The binding energies were calibrated with respect to adventitious C 1s

Orthogonal chemical functionalization of patterned gold on silica surfaces

• Francisco Palazon,
• Didier Léonard,
• Thierry Le Mogne,
• Francesca Zuttion,
• Céline Chevalier,
• Magali Phaner-Goutorbe,
• Éliane Souteyrand,
• Yann Chevolot and
• Jean-Pierre Cloarec

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2272–2277, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.233

• (1486.6 eV). The analysis area can be adjusted from 200 µm to 10 µm and the energy scale was calibrated with reference to the C 1s line at a binding energy of 284.8 ± 0.1 eV (C–C/C–H). The charging effect is controlled by a dedicated neutralizer using a combination of ions and electrons at very low energy

Kelvin probe force microscopy for local characterisation of active nanoelectronic devices

• Tino Wagner,
• Hannes Beyer,
• Patrick Reissner,
• Philipp Mensch,
• Heike Riel,
• Bernd Gotsmann and
• Andreas Stemmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2193–2206, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.225

• devices exhibit some of the most typical and relevant issues hindering reliable KFM measurements in the past: a combination of large topography with a multitude of different materials including oxides prone to charging. In Figure 9, we show a scan of a 70 nm diameter indium arsenide (InAs) nanowire with

Electrochemical coating of dental implants with anodic porous titania for enhanced osteointegration

• Amirreza Shayganpour,
• Alberto Rebaudi,
• Pierpaolo Cortella,
• Alberto Diaspro and
• Marco Salerno

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2183–2192, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.224

• at 1 min appears to result in an almost full coverage of an aggregated overlayer (80–90%). Concurrently, despite the standard overcoating with 10 nm Au (in order to avoid the static charging effect due to the electron beam), the enhanced contrast still appears to be an effect of the thick insulating

Electrospray deposition of organic molecules on bulk insulator surfaces

• Antoine Hinaut,
• Rémy Pawlak,
• Ernst Meyer and
• Thilo Glatzel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1927–1934, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.195

• , charging of the surface was observed, which could be successfully overcome by a moderate annealing of the surface. The formation of various molecular assemblies was achieved and even isolated molecules could be analyzed at room temperature. Results and Discussion UHV-ESI of solvent UHV-ESI has been

• , we thus attribute this charging to the deposition process. During the deposition of only the solvent, we have not observed charging of the surface (Figure 2), whereas the presence of molecules in the solution always induces the surface charging for high coverage. Since the deposition time (minutes

• positive charging of the surface is in agreement with the estimated large negative bias voltages needed to compensate the surface potential of approximately −30 V. A major disadvantage of UHV-ESI for insulating surfaces is thus the surface charging of the crystals, increasing with the deposition time and

Imaging of carbon nanomembranes with helium ion microscopy

• André Beyer,
• Henning Vieker,
• Robin Klett,
• Hanno Meyer zu Theenhausen,
• Polina Angelova and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1712–1720, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.175

• can visualize them. However, CNMs are electrically insulating, which makes them sensitive to charging. We demonstrate that the helium ion microscope (HIM) is a good candidate for imaging freestanding CNMs due to its efficient charge compensation tool. Scanning with a beam of helium ions while

• recording the emitted secondary electrons generates the HIM images. The advantages of HIM are high resolution, high surface sensitivity and large depth of field. The effects of sample charging, imaging of multilayer CNMs as well as imaging artefacts are discussed. Keywords: 2D materials; carbon

• particle microscopy techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or helium ion microscopy (HIM). As illustrated in Supporting Information File 1, Figure S1, SEM shows a low signal-to-noise-ratio for freestanding CNMs, especially at higher magnifications, due to charging issues [4][16]. This tends

Thermal energy storage – overview and specific insight into nitrate salts for sensible and latent heat storage

• Nicole Pfleger,
• Thomas Bauer,
• Claudia Martin,
• Markus Eck and
• Antje Wörner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1487–1497, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.154

• phase diagram of a common salt mixture (KNO3 + NaNO3) and the temperature characteristic during the charging process for the salt mixture with 30 wt % potassium nitrate and 70 wt % sodium nitrate. The temperature of the storage material increases during the charging process, which is characteristic for

• increase during thermal charging of the selected salt mixture (30 wt % KNO3 + 70 wt % NaNO3). Specific enthalpy of fusion for the salt mixture KNO3–NaNO3 [35][38]. Overview of salt application. Acknowledgements We express our thanks especially to Ulrike Kröner and Markus Braun for the experimental molten

Atomic force microscopy as analytical tool to study physico-mechanical properties of intestinal cells

• Christa Schimpel,
• Oliver Werzer,
• Eleonore Fröhlich,
• Gerd Leitinger,
• Markus Absenger-Novak,
• Birgit Teubl,
• Andreas Zimmer and
• Eva Roblegg

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1457–1466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.151

• and the removed filter membranes were given a thin coating of gold palladium (Bal-Tec SCD 500) to improve the surface conductance of the sample and thus avoid surface charging of the sample under the beam. The samples were sputtered at 25 mA for 60 s under argon atmosphere and images were acquired

Scanning reflection ion microscopy in a helium ion microscope

• Yuri V. Petrov and
• Oleg F. Vyvenko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1125–1137, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.114

• because of positive charging as will be described further in detail below. The angular aperture of detected reflected ions was limited by the slit (6) installed under specular reflection conditions. The slit, with the width of about 1 mm, was mounted parallel to the tilt axis of the sample stage at a

• distortion that might be expected due to surface charging. Some distortion of the image caused by the charging appeared only at significantly higher magnification. It should be noted that the overall detector signal of registered electrons was not changed by the variation of the sample bias, indicating that

• SEs excited immediately near the sample could not reach the detector because of sample surface charging. The step of a minimum height in the field of view of the image in Figure 6 is marked with arrows. The value of the height, as retrieved from the image processing, was found to be 7 ± 2 nm. The

Charge carrier mobility and electronic properties of Al(Op)₃: impact of excimer formation

• Andrea Magri,
• Pascal Friederich,
• Bernhard Schäfer,
• Valeria Fattori,
• Xiangnan Sun,
• Timo Strunk,
• Velimir Meded,
• Luis E. Hueso,
• Wolfgang Wenzel and
• Mario Ruben

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1107–1115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.112

• (Op)3 reacts less strongly on charging, leading to a smaller reorganization energy, λ, than for Alq3. The slightly higher electronic coupling, , of Alq3 is compensated by a smaller number of neighbors, M. The calculated HOMO and especially LUMO levels are comparable to those of Alq3 (−5.14 and

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

• , CO2, and also H2O for the case of non-aqueous systems) and to protect the metal electrode from oxygen exposure. At the same time, drying out of the cell due to solvent evaporation must be avoided. (2) The gas transport must be fast enough to enable sufficiently fast discharging and charging. (3) The

• cell potential. The discharging stage ends with a sudden potential drop (“sudden death”). The charging curves, however, vary significantly and heavily depend on the cell configuration (sodium or lithium cell, type of electrolyte, use of catalysts, type of GDL, etc.). So in order to more easily discuss

• the experimental results, the classification of the voltage profiles according to the shape of the charging curves is useful (Figure 4). The starting point of the matrix is the ideal cell reaction, classified as Type 1A. The voltage profile is characterized by negligible overpotentials for discharge

Multiscale modeling of lithium ion batteries: thermal aspects

• Arnulf Latz and
• Jochen Zausch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 987–1007, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.102

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

• PHI 5000 spectrometer from Physical Electronics, equipped with a monochromatic Al Kα X-ray source with 0.7 eV energy resolution was employed. To avoid sample surface charging during the experiment, a dual-beam charge neutralisation comprised of an electron gun of 1 eV and an argon ion gun (≤10 eV) was

Transformation of hydrogen titanate nanoribbons to TiO₂ nanoribbons and the influence of the transformation strategies on the photocatalytic performance

• Melita Rutar,
• Nejc Rozman,
• Matej Pregelj,
• Carla Bittencourt,
• Romana Cerc Korošec,
• Andrijana Sever Škapin,
• Aleš Mrzel,
• Srečo D. Škapin and
• Polona Umek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 831–844, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.86

• deposited on the samples to reduce the charging effect. Specimens for TEM investigations were dispersed ultrasonically in methanol and a drop of the dispersion was deposited onto a lacy carbon film supported by a copper grid. The phase analysis was performed on the cut surface by X-ray powder diffraction