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

• absorb LED light irradiation with a light harvesting efficiency of ≈90% and a direct bandgap of 2 eV. The introduction of carbon into the HBN lattice led to a significant change in the electronic environment through the formation of C–B and C–N bonds which resulted in improved visible light activity

• . The mechanistic insights on the transfer and separation of charge carriers along with the photodegradation performance and reactive oxygen species (ROS) trapping have been enunciated in detail. The apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) further substantiated the potential of MBN to be used as a visible

• attachment using BaSO4 as the standard. The electronic arrangement of the studied materials was revealed through a PHI 5000 versa probe III high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (HR-XPS). The mineralization efficiency was estimated through the variation in the total organic carbon content by using

Straight roads into nowhere – obvious and not-so-obvious biological models for ferrophobic surfaces

• Wilfried Konrad,
• Christoph Neinhuis and
• Anita Roth-Nebelsick

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1345–1360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.111

• Düsseldorf (a research institute of the German steel industry) formed a collaboration with Hundt & Weber at Siegen (a manufacturer of tuyères) and the Institute of Botany of the Technical University of Dresden (C. N. and W. K.). The collaboration formulated the project proposal “Increase of energy efficiency

• Tübingen, Department for Geosciences “Increase of energy efficiency of blast furnaces by using novel longlife-tuyères”, 2015–2018. Participants: Betriebsforschungsinstitut (Düsseldorf) (a research institute of the german steel industry), Hundt & Weber at Siegen (a german subsidiary company of Lebronce

Near-infrared photoactive Ag-Zn-Ga-S-Se quantum dots for high-performance quantum dot-sensitized solar cells

• Roopakala Kottayi,
• Ilangovan Veerappan and
• Ramadasse Sittaramane

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1337–1344, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.110

• performance studies. The fabricated QDSC have superior electrochemical activity with a photoconversion efficiency of 4.91%. Keywords: alloyed QDs; photoconversion efficiency; photovoltaic performance; quantum dots; Introduction Human life depends on various forms of energy. Approximately 13 terawatts of

• good solution to the raising energy demands. Third-generation PV cells show advantages such as high theoretical photoconversion efficiency (PCE = 44%) [2], low cost, and flexibility. QDSCs have been considered a candidate for PV cells [3] because of the good optoelectronic properties of colloidal QDs

• [4][5][6][7]. At present, QDSCs have reached 14.4% efficiency. In QDSCs, QDs are added to the metal oxides. Our earlier reports demonstrated that porous TiO2 nanofibers possess an enormous surface area for the maximum absorption of QDs [8][9][10]. For the past decades, binary or ternary QDs based on

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

• efficiency. The reason is that photogenerated electrons and holes recombine quickly [41]. We use an analogy for a more straightforward comprehension of the recombination timeframe. The force of gravity ensures that any item thrown into the air will return to the Earth below within a few seconds. After being

• irradiation, the RhB photodegradation efficiency of the coralloid particles produced at pH 7 was about four times greater than that of the sample synthesized at pH 0.5. The increased photocatalytic activity was caused by several factors, such as a synergistic effect of highly exposed (010) grain facets, an

• making nanostructures of functional materials. However, templates were chosen rather based on utility than on cost. The self-template technology does not require additional templates, which leads to less expensive production and increased efficiency. This makes the approach more realistic for practical

Bending and punching characteristics of aluminum sheets using the quasi-continuum method

• Man-Ping Chang,
• Shang-Jui Lin and
• Te-Hua Fang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1303–1315, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.108

• nanoscale simulations. In the present study, the QC method was performed to simulate nano-punching processes. Since the QC method has the benefits of simulating large-scale models and reducing simulation operation time to enhance the simulation efficiency, it accurately captures the atomistic physics while

• retaining the efficiency of continuum models. A nickel punch and a single-crystalline Al workpiece were used as the punching materials. Models with different crystal orientations, workpiece thicknesses, clearances, and taper punch angles were established. The results of the stress–displacement curve, shear

• punching displacement was 120 Å. The effects of crystal orientation, workpiece thickness, clearance, and taper angle on the nano-punching process were investigated and analyzed. The QC method was used to simulate the nano-punching process. In order to improve the computation efficiency, the simulated model

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

• nanoclusters while their fluorescence quantum yields and stability are improved to a larger extent. Gold-silver bimetallic nanoclusters (AuAgNCs) exhibit enhanced luminescence efficiency and photostability due to Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and synergistic effects. Zhang et al. [27] synthesized

A super-oscillatory step-zoom metalens for visible light

• Yi Zhou,
• Chao Yan,
• Peng Tian,
• Zhu Li,
• Yu He,
• Bin Fan,
• Zhiyong Wang,
• Yao Deng and
• Dongliang Tang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1220–1227, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.101

• two focal lengths within a certain field of view. The designed device consists of nanopillars with high efficiency of up to 80%, and the super-resolution focusing with 0.84 times of diffraction limit is verified by the full-wave simulation. The proposed method bears the potential to become a useful

• the device’s ability to modulate the optical field effectively, which, in turn, limits the performance of super-oscillatory lenses (e.g., efficiency and large sidelobe). The development of metasurfaces has provided an effective approach to modulating amplitude, phase, and polarization of the optical

• field at the subwavelength scale [16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Compared with metallic metasurfaces, all-dielectric metasurfaces are characterized by high amplitude transmittance, which is important for super-oscillatory lenses with comparatively low focusing efficiency. Generally, for all-dielectric

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

• sensors [17][18][19]. However, these methods still have drawbacks as they are time consuming, expensive, and unable to monitor real-time detection. In addition, they have low-recognition efficiency and low sensitivity to weak signals. Therefore, researchers keep devoting their efforts to developing novel

• been widely used as matrix layers to physically or chemically bind with recognition molecules for chiral detection [34][35]. Compared with SAMs, polymer-supported recognition molecules may strengthen chiral bindings and detection efficiency. Gao et al. studied the Val enantiomer-containing polymer

• factors for improving the chiral recognition efficiency. Although polymer-supported chiral moieties showed enhanced sensing capability of chiral molecules, this type of complex mode still has stability problems. The recognition moieties in polymer layers may detach or denature during the chiral sensing

Application of nanoarchitectonics in moist-electric generation

• Jia-Cheng Feng and
• Hong Xia

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1185–1200, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.99

• improve the efficiency of energy harvesting in MEGs, and a considerable number of studies have focused on nanomaterials [9][21]. The generation of a flowing current through the injection of water flow into carbon nanotubes was one of the initial studies of MEGs [4][5][10][22][23]. Since then, more works

Microneedle-based ocular drug delivery systems – recent advances and challenges

• Piotr Gadziński,
• Anna Froelich,
• Monika Wojtyłko,
• Antoni Białek,
• Julia Krysztofiak and
• Tomasz Osmałek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1167–1184, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.98

• . For comparison, the cornea permeates substances with a mass not greater than 1 kDa [28]. Unfortunately, transscleral absorption is often reduced by elimination via nasolacrimal drainage pathways, tear protein binding, or drug metabolism [44]. The treatment efficiency is also decreased by constant

• was important in terms of enhancement of drug permeation across the skin. It was shown that the needles with flat tips were more efficient than the ones with sharp endings. Also, the system efficiency did not correlate with the number of microneedles. Coated microneedles are similar to the previously

• polyhexamethylene biguanide, an antimicrobial agent, for in vivo assessment of therapeutic efficiency. The drug-containing tip after optimization was delivered to the mouse cornea and efficiently reduced the progression of keratitis [183]. The same group developed another rapidly detachable MN. The new idea was to

Rapid fabrication of MgO@g-C₃N₄ heterojunctions for photocatalytic nitric oxide removal

• Minh-Thuan Pham,
• Duyen P. H. Tran,
• Xuan-Thanh Bui and
• Sheng-Jie You

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1141–1154, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.96

• heterojunction photocatalysts were synthesized by one-step pyrolysis of MgO and urea at 550 °C for two hours. The photocatalytic NO removal efficiency of the MgO@g-C3N4 heterojunctions was significantly improved and reached a maximum value of 75.4% under visible light irradiation. Differential reflectance

• conversion, DeNOx index, apparent quantum efficiency, trapping tests, and electron spin resonance measurements were carried out to understand the photocatalytic mechanism of the materials. The high reusability of the MgO@g-C3N4 heterojunction was shown by a five-cycle recycling test. This study provides a

• (+1.75 eV) is more negative than that of H2O/•OH (+2.40 eV), reducing the photocatalytic efficiency [16][17]. A well-known approach for overcoming this problem in order to achieve increased photocatalytic performance is to couple two semiconductors with optimal band alignment. MgO is an alkaline metal

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles toward highly efficient photocatalysis and antibacterial application

• Vo Thi Thu Nhu,
• Nguyen Duy Dat,
• Le-Minh Tam and
• Nguyen Hoang Phuong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1108–1119, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.94

• the same conditions; however, it achieved lower efficiencies. In addition, ZnO NPs were also tested regarding their antibacterial activity, and the results showed that the prepared ZnO samples had the highest (i.e., 100%) antibacterial efficiency against E. coli. Keywords: green synthesis; methylene

• photocatalysts. ZnO has a higher quantum efficiency than that of TiO2 since it absorbs more energy in the UV region [4][5][6][7]. Furthermore, ZnO is a low-cost photocatalyst with high photocatalytic activity, nontoxicity, light sensitivity, and stability [8][9][10]. The photodegradation of organic substances by

• centrifuged at 6000 rpm to measure the dye concentrations. The dye concentration was analyzed by UV–vis spectroscopy (Hitachi U2900) with maximum adsorption wavelengths of MB and MO of 664 nm and 464 nm, respectively [29][30]. The degradation efficiency was calculated using Equation 3. where c0 is the initial

Recent advances in green carbon dots (2015–2022): synthesis, metal ion sensing, and biological applications

• Aisha Kanwal,
• Naheed Bibi,
• Sajjad Hyder,
• Arif Muhammad,
• Hao Ren,
• Jiangtao Liu and
• Zhongli Lei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1068–1107, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.93

• was used to compare its efficiency with some traditional organic fluorophores [105]. Lycii fructus was used by Sun et al. to develop an efficient method to prepare CDs by using a hydrothermal approach. The reported CDs showed good water solubility and excellent bio-compatibility, and the obtained QY

Biomimetic chitosan with biocomposite nanomaterials for bone tissue repair and regeneration

• Se-Kwon Kim,
• Sesha Subramanian Murugan,
• Pandurang Appana Dalavi,
• Sebanti Gupta,
• Sukumaran Anil,
• Gi Hun Seong and
• Jayachandran Venkatesan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1051–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.92

• ) have carried out a study on bone regeneration efficiency by using the AuNPs, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, chitosan nanoparticles, gold hydroxyapatite-based nanocomposites, and chitosan–hydroxyapatite-based nanocomposites. In vitro cell interaction with bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells was

• gene expressions were observed. In vivo studies were done on Sprague Dawley rats. Microscale computational analysis and histological analysis show that new bone has formed. In addition, the developed scaffold demonstrated remarkable antibacterial efficiency against Staphylococcus aureus [86]. To

Spindle-like MIL101(Fe) decorated with Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles for enhanced degradation of chlortetracycline under visible-light irradiation

• Chen-chen Hao,
• Fang-yan Chen,
• Kun Bian,
• Yu-bin Tang and
• Wei-long Shi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1038–1050, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.91

• -light irradiation. The obtained BOM-20 composite (20 wt % Bi2O3/MIL101(Fe)) exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity with CTC degradation efficiency of 88.2% within 120 min. The degradation rate constant of BOM-20 toward CTC is 0.01348 min−1, which is 5.9 and 4.3 times higher than that of pristine

• traditional measures were difficult to be popularized. Photocatalysis is considered as an alternative and promising strategy for degradation and mineralization of antibiotics due to its low cost, high efficiency, mild reaction condition, and no secondary pollution [9][10][11]. A variety of semiconductors have

• ][21][35]. However, pure phase MIL101(Fe), like most semiconductor photocatalysts, has inherent defects, such as low conductivity and high recombination efficiency of photogenerated electron–hole pairs [26][36]. To overcome these shortcomings, several strategies have been developed. One approach is to

Analytical and numerical design of a hybrid Fabry–Perot plano-concave microcavity for hexagonal boron nitride

• Felipe Ortiz-Huerta and
• Karina Garay-Palmett

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1030–1037, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.90

• -defined spatio-temporal mode along with an accessible numerical aperture (NA) to increase the light extraction efficiency that is required for effective coupling into optical waveguides. Based on a previously developed experimental approach to fabricate hybrid Fabry–Perot microcavities (Ortiz-Huerta et al

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

• ; microwave synthesis; oxygen electroreduction; reduced graphene oxide; silver NPs; Introduction Fuel cells and rechargeable metal–air batteries have become an integral part of the renewable energy system because of their superior efficiency, high power density, and reliability. Also, they are

• slow reaction rates of the electrode processes impede the efficiency and, thus, require innovative catalyst designs. The ORR is an irreversible, complex (involving multiple steps and intermediates O, OH−, O2−, HO2− and H2O2) and kinetically slow process (via two- or four-electron transfer) dominating

• trimetallic atoms finely dispersed over rGO. Moreover, based on the d-band centre theory, the low value of Ag impacts the low oxygen absorption energy, which can be boosted by doping with copper atoms on the surface [31]. The efficiency of the ORR depends on the design and composition of the catalyst for

Numerical study on all-optical modulation characteristics of quantum cascade lasers

• Biao Wei,
• Haijun Zhou,
• Guangxiang Li and
• Bin Tang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1011–1019, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.88

• standard 35-stage In0.52Al0.48As/In0.53Ga0.47As type-I four-level Fabry–Perot QCL based on a two-phonon-resonance design [27]. Current injection efficiency is defined as the ratio of current to total current injected into the upper subband of the QCL in the active region, which is close to 56%. The QCL

Efficiency of electron cooling in cold-electron bolometers with traps

• Dmitrii A. Pimanov,
• Vladimir A. Frost,
• Anton V. Blagodatkin,
• Anna V. Gordeeva,
• Andrey L. Pankratov and
• Leonid S. Kuzmin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 896–901, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.80

• efficiency. This concept is based on negative electrothermal feedback for an incoming signal, which is due to the direct electron cooling of the absorber by the normal metal–insulator–superconductor (NIS) tunnel junctions. Recently, in receivers with cold-electron bolometers [4][5][6], electron cooling from

Solar-light-driven LaFe_xNi_1−xO₃ perovskite oxides for photocatalytic Fenton-like reaction to degrade organic pollutants

• Chao-Wei Huang,
• Shu-Yu Hsu,
• Jun-Han Lin,
• Yun Jhou,
• Wei-Yu Chen,
• Kun-Yi Andrew Lin,
• Yu-Tang Lin and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 882–895, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.79

• transmittance and suitable surface area for degrading methylparaben. Although Ti-doped catalyst was expected as a semiconductor to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency, pure LaFeO3 still revealed the better performance of methylparaben photodegradation than LaTi0.15Fe0.85O3 [28]. On the contrary, Garcia-Muñoz

• presented as black, as shown in Figure 5b. They successfully increased the absorption efficiency of visible light and utilized more visible light effectively. In order to determine the specific surface area, pore size, and pore volume of the prepared perovskite oxides, the analysis of nitrogen adsorption

• . LaFe0.7Ni0.3O3 had a larger crystal diameter and higher specific surface, which improved the separation of photogenerated charge carriers and the efficiency of the surface reaction. For comparison, the second-order kinetics analysis was also conducted for the samples prepared at pH 0 in Table 1. However, the R2

DNA aptamer selection and construction of an aptasensor based on graphene FETs for Zika virus NS1 protein detection

• Nathalie B. F. Almeida,
• Thiago A. S. L. Sousa,
• Viviane C. F. Santos,
• Camila M. S. Lacerda,
• Thais G. Silva,
• Rafaella F. Q. Grenfell,
• Flavio Plentz and
• Antero S. R. Andrade

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 873–881, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.78

• the target [17]. The CE separation efficiency allows for high-affinity aptamers to be obtained with only three to five rounds. Our present study demonstrates, for the first time, the application of CE-SELEX to obtain DNA aptamers for the ZIKV NS1 protein. In particular, the ZIKV60 aptamer (patent

• characterization, the selectivity of this aptamer towards ZIKV NS1 protein diluted in human serum. The functionalized graphene devices exhibit an evident recognition of NS1 ranging from 0.01 to 100 pg/mL. As a result, the efficiency of our functionalization protocol in combination with the distinguished

• confirmed that ZIKV60 binds preferentially to the NS1 ZIKV protein relative to NS1 of the other viruses, with the following ratios: DENV1 14.2, DENV2 14.8, DENV3 13.4, DENV4 14.8, and YFV 14.2 (Table 1). Applying CE to SELEX (CE-SELEX) was an important advance. The separation efficiency of CE contributed to

Numerical modeling of a multi-frequency receiving system based on an array of dipole antennas for LSPE-SWIPE

• Alexander V. Chiginev,
• Anton V. Blagodatkin,
• Dmitrii A. Pimanov,
• Ekaterina A. Matrozova,
• Anna V. Gordeeva,
• Andrey L. Pankratov and
• Leonid S. Kuzmin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 865–872, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.77

• array matching with a SQUID readout (the total resistance of this array should be 1 Ohm). Third, the electron cooling efficiency is increased by a factor of two due to the two-fold increase in the readout for the same power going through the system. Last but not least, the absence of a second SIN tunnel

Self-assembly of C₆₀ on a ZnTPP/Fe(001)–p(1 × 1)O substrate: observation of a quasi-freestanding C₆₀ monolayer

• Guglielmo Albani,
• Michele Capra,
• Alessandro Lodesani,
• Alberto Calloni,
• Gianlorenzo Bussetti,
• Marco Finazzi,
• Franco Ciccacci,
• Alberto Brambilla,
• Lamberto Duò and
• Andrea Picone

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 857–864, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.76

• the cell efficiency [21]. It has been shown that a buffer layer interposed between the substrate and the molecular film can improve the crystallinity of the latter and reduce the electronic coupling with the support [22]. The buffer layer can either be a thin oxide film [23][24][25][26] or a single

Micro-structures, nanomechanical properties and flight performance of three beetles with different folding ratios

• Jiyu Sun,
• Pengpeng Li,
• Yongwei Yan,
• Fa Song,
• Nuo Xu and
• Zhijun Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 845–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.75

• tunnels and high-speed cameras, the relationships between wing shapes, flapping flight lift, and aerodynamic efficiency of dragonflies [31] and fruit flies [32] were examined. In addition, the influence of frequency and wind speed on the aerodynamic characteristics (such as the lift, drag, and vortex) of

• wings were flapping, lift and drag increased at the same time. At this time, the beetle could change its flight speed and obtain more lift or thrust to improve the flight efficiency and reduce the energy loss. When the wind speed reached a larger value, the lift decreased and the drag increased, and the

Ultrafast signatures of magnetic inhomogeneity in Pd_1−xFe_x (x ≤ 0.08) epitaxial thin films

• Andrey V. Petrov,
• Sergey I. Nikitin,
• Lenar R. Tagirov,
• Amir I. Gumarov,
• Igor V. Yanilkin and
• Roman V. Yusupov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 836–844, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.74

• supercomputing, big-data processing, artificial intelligence, and neuromorphic computing [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. The highlight features of superconducting data processing techniques, for example, RSFQ logic [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9], are the high speed and unprecedental energy efficiency [2][3][10][11][12][13