Assessment of the optical and electrical properties of light-emitting diodes containing carbon-based nanostructures and plasmonic nanoparticles: a review

• Keshav Nagpal,
• Erwan Rauwel,
• Frédérique Ducroquet and
• Protima Rauwel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1078–1092, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.80

• from certain limitations, including high processing temperatures, cracking upon bending, and poor transparency in the blue and UV regions. In addition, ITO is expensive owing to the fact that it is deposited by high-vacuum thin-film deposition methods and the price of indium has escalated by almost 900

• absorbed (≈540 nm) by AuNP and the PL emission of the Alq3 thin film (≈530 nm) implies a suitable plasmonic coupling with the NPB HTL (Figure 6b). In Figure 6c, the SPR coupling radius for a 20 nm AuNP was estimated to be ≈10 nm. This implies that the excitonic recombination occurs very close to the NPB

• a uniform thin film. Some of the commonly used polymers and metal oxides for ETL are PBD, PBD-PMMA, BND, ZnO, SnO2, and TiO2 [69][70][71]. Improvements in the device performance have been reported, when using polymer–MWNT nanocomposite-based ETL. For example, Fournet et al. have investigated the

Progress and innovation of nanostructured sulfur cathodes and metal-free anodes for room-temperature Na–S batteries

• Marina Tabuyo-Martínez,
• Bernd Wicklein and
• Pilar Aranda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 995–1020, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.75

• . reported on the wet impregnation of carbon fiber cloth with sulfur dissolved in CS2 [56]. The process leads to sulfur deposition within the hollow lumen of the carbon fibers as well as on the external surface as thin film. A battery assembled with a metal Na anode had a capacity of 120 mAh·g−1 after 300

Uniform arrays of gold nanoelectrodes with tuneable recess depth

• Elena O. Gordeeva,
• Ilya V. Roslyakov,
• Alexey P. Leontiev,
• Alexey A. Klimenko and
• Kirill S. Napolskii

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 957–964, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.72

• density. At stage III, some of the nanowires reach the AAO surface and Cu starts to grow at the external surface of the template, which manifests itself by a growth of current density. Finally, the current density stabilizes at a near constant value, indicating the growth of a continuous metal film (stage

Molecular assemblies on surfaces: towards physical and electronic decoupling of organic molecules

• Sabine Maier and
• Meike Stöhr

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 950–956, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.71

• these aspects for the self-assembly of porphyrin derivatives on cobalt oxide films on top of Ir(100). While the unfunctionalized diphenylporphyrin self-assembled on the bilayer film but not on the two-bilayer film, the opposite observation was made for cyanotetraphenylporphyrin. Physical decoupling of

In situ transport characterization of magnetic states in Nb/Co superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures

• Olena M. Kapran,
• Roman Morari,
• Taras Golod,
• Evgenii A. Borodianskyi,
• Vladimir Boian,
• Andrei Prepelita,
• Nikolay Klenov,
• Anatoli S. Sidorenko and
• Vladimir M. Krasnov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 913–923, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.68

• states in complex thin-film multilayers. In this work, we study experimentally in-plane transport properties of microstructured Nb/Co multilayers. We apply various transport characterization techniques, including magnetoresistance, Hall effect, and the first-order-reversal-curves (FORC) analysis. We

• demonstrated good uniformity and perspectives for device applications [25][26][28][32][33][43][44]. Figure 1b shows a magnetization curve for a similar Nb(25 nm)/[Co(1.5 nm)/Nb(8 nm)/Co(2.5 nm)/Nb(8 nm)]6Co(1.5 nm)/Nb(25 nm) unpatterned ML film, deposited using the same setup (data from [43]). M(H) is obtained

• by SQUID magnetometry in a field parallel to the film in the normal state at T > Tc. A significant hysteresis of M(H) reveals the in-plane anisotropy of Co films (albeit with a small coercive field, HC ≈ 30 Oe), consistent with earlier studies [44][45][46][47]. Figure 1c shows a numerical simulation

Modification of a SERS-active Ag surface to promote adsorption of charged analytes: effect of Cu²⁺ ions

• Bahdan V. Ranishenka,
• Andrei Yu. Panarin,
• Irina A. Chelnokova,
• Sergei N. Terekhov,
• Peter Mojzes and
• Vadim V. Shmanai

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 902–912, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.67

• value below 10 nm. Taking into account the diameter of the NPs, we conclude that the major part of their surface would remain uncovered by the polymer layer in the plasmonic film on the SERS substrate. AFM images (Figure S3, Supporting Information File 1) confirm our conclusion. Topology map shows that

Effects of temperature and repeat layer spacing on mechanical properties of graphene/polycrystalline copper nanolaminated composites under shear loading

• Chia-Wei Huang,
• Man-Ping Chang and
• Te-Hua Fang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 863–877, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.65

• . Keywords: dislocation; graphene/Cu; molecular dynamics; shear; self-healing; Introduction Graphene is a monolayered hexagonal thin film composed of sp2-bonded carbon atoms and has extraordinary properties for applications in nanoelectronics [1][2][3][4][5][6]. However, because of the two-dimensional

Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications

• Sepand Tehrani Fateh,
• Lida Moradi,
• Elmira Kohan,
• Michael R. Hamblin and
• Amin Shiralizadeh Dezfuli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64

Silver nanoparticles nucleated in NaOH-treated halloysite: a potential antimicrobial material

• Yuri B. Matos,
• Rodrigo S. Romanus,
• Mattheus Torquato,
• Edgar H. de Souza,
• Rodrigo L. Villanova,
• Marlene Soares and
• Emilson R. Viana

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 798–807, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.63

• substrate. It is thus a low-cost solution for antimicrobial nanoparticle production that is also scalable to industrial production. Crystal structure of halloysite particles. Layout of sample dimensions (in mm × mm) and preparation for the polymer antimicrobial test showing (1) film cover, (2) bacterial

9.1% efficient zinc oxide/silicon solar cells on a 50 μm thick Si absorber

• Rafal Pietruszka,
• Bartlomiej S. Witkowski,
• Monika Ozga,
• Katarzyna Gwozdz,
• Ewa Placzek-Popko and
• Marek Godlewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 766–774, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.60

• structured top electrodes were examined by numerous measuring techniques. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a grain-like morphology of the magnesium-doped zinc oxide film. The size of the grains is closely related to the structure of the nanorods. The external quantum efficiency of the cells was measured

• elsewhere [15]. Zn1−xMgxO and Zn1−xAlxO grown by ALD Sample A, covered by ZnONR, and sample B were placed in the growth chamber of the ALD reactor. Before the growth process, the ALD reactor chamber was heated to 250 °C. The samples stayed in the chamber at this temperature for 2 h. A thin film of MZO was

• , allowing us to construct a 3D top electrode and to improve light collection/harvesting in cells with such electrodes. Figure 3 shows cross sections of the studied photovoltaic structures. The cell labeled as sample A contains ZnONR grown via the hydrothermal method. On the nanorods, an MZO film was

Recent progress in actuation technologies of micro/nanorobots

• Ke Xu and
• Bing Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 756–765, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.59

• controlled, so as to make the robot move along the surface of a graphene film in a desired trajectory. This study provided a lot of useful insight in the design of nanorobots. In the future, such designed nanorobots could be integrated into a silicon-based chip to perform specific actions. Also they could be

Physical constraints lead to parallel evolution of micro- and nanostructures of animal adhesive pads: a review

• Thies H. Büscher and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 725–743, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.57

• shape of the pad. An important structural feature of both types of attachment pads is the presence of a micro- or even nanoscopic superficial thin film contributing to the compliance of hairy and smooth attachment devices. In smooth systems the epicuticle covers the fibrous material of the pad and

• spatula, terminating tips of the cuticle outgrowths in hairy systems form the superficial film. These films are responsible for proper contact formation with the substrate due to their low bending stiffness at a minimum load [239]. The film/spatula is able to adapt to the surface profile and to replicate

• surface irregularities of certain length scales. The range of length scales to which the adaptation is possible depends on the stiffness of the film. Spatulae are able to adapt even to nanoscale roughness [240][241]. Thick films within the smooth pads of the bush cricket Tettigonia viridissima and the

Prediction of Co and Ru nanocluster morphology on 2D MoS₂ from interaction energies

• Cara-Lena Nies and
• Michael Nolan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 704–724, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.56

• gap in understanding thin film nucleation on 2D materials. In this paper, we present a density functional theory (DFT) study of the adsorption of small Co and Ru structures, with up to four atoms, on a monolayer of MoS2. We explore how the metal–substrate and metal–metal interactions contribute to the

• stability of metal clusters on MoS2, and how these interactions change in the presence of a sulfur vacancy, to develop insight to allow for a prediction of thin film morphology. The strength of interaction between the metals and MoS2 is in the order Co > Ru. The competition between metal–substrate and metal

• . Based on this understanding, we propose Co on MoS2 as a suitable candidate for advanced interconnects, while Ru on MoS2 is more suited to catalysis applications. Keywords: cobalt (Co); 2D materials; molybdenum disulfide (MoS2); ruthenium (Ru); thin film nucleation; Introduction Layered materials that

Electromigration-induced formation of percolating adsorbate islands during condensation from the gaseous phase: a computational study

• Alina V. Dvornichenko,
• Vasyl O. Kharchenko and
• Dmitrii O. Kharchenko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 694–703, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.55

• computational study of a change in the morphology of a growing thin film during condensation caused by electromigration effects. It will be shown, that separated circular adsorbate islands, realized in an isotropic system, become elongated in the direction of the applied electrical field. We discuss the

• dynamics of the evolution of surface morphology at elevated temperatures. This effect can lead to a change in the morphology of the surface compared to the isotropic case of deposition without the presence of an external field. Mathematical and numerical modeling of nanostructured thin film growth

• with specified physical and chemical properties. In this article we perform a computational study of a change in the morphology of a growing thin film during condensation induced by electromigration effects and show that separated circular adsorbate islands realized in the isotropic system become

Nanogenerator-based self-powered sensors for data collection

• Yicheng Shao,
• Maoliang Shen,
• Yuankai Zhou,
• Xin Cui,
• Lijie Li and
• Yan Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 680–693, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.54

• intelligence. Wang et al. proposed a hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene film and sponge-like graphene/polydimethylsiloxane composite material to prepare a multifunctional self-powered sensor [51]. The sensor can infer the performance of the material through the difference in the output of the electrical

• 2016 American Chemical Society. Figure 1b is adapted from [22]. Copyright © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. Used with permission from Zhen Wen et al., “TA Wrinkled PEDOT:PSS Film Based Stretchable and Transparent Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Wearable Energy Harvesters and Active

A review of defect engineering, ion implantation, and nanofabrication using the helium ion microscope

• Frances I. Allen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 633–664, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.52

• material are all dials to turn. The properties engineered span electronic, magnetic, optical, chemical, and thermal properties. In the case of 2D and thin-film materials supported on a substrate, defects induced by backscattered ions and sputtered atoms also need to be considered. A recent computational

• function [30]. In several of these works, high-resolution scanning TEM (STEM) imaging has been performed to enable the analysis of the defects created on the atomic scale [26][29][30] (see, e.g., Figure 2c). Apart from 2D materials, thin-film samples have also been the subject of electronic property tuning

• by localized helium ion irradiation. For example, using a helium ion dose of 5 × 1014 ions/cm2, permanent local tuning of the charge density in an amorphous thin film of the semiconductor indium gallium zinc oxide (film thickness 50 nm) has been demonstrated, thereby enabling activation of the

High-yield synthesis of silver nanowires for transparent conducting PET films

• Gul Naz,
• Hafsa Asghar,
• Muhammad Ramzan,
• Muhammad Arshad,
• Rashid Ahmed,
• Muhammad Bilal Tahir,
• Bakhtiar Ul Haq,
• Nadeem Baig and
• Junaid Jalil

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 624–632, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.51

• optoelectronics. Keywords: silver nanowires; high yield; visible luminescence; PET film; transmittance; sheet resistance; Introduction Several optoelectronic devices, such as solar cells, touch screens, LC displays, organic EL panels, light-emitting diodes, and organic light emitting diodes, use transparent

• ), which was used a nucleating agent [28]. Silver nanowires with an average diameter of 20 nm and lengths up to 20 µm were synthesized by using a high-pressure polyol method. The transparent film fabricated by these nanowires had a transmittance of 88% and a sheet resistance of 40 Ω/sq, which is a

• PET films whose transmittance was calculated to be up to 92.5%. Experimental Materials All required chemical reagents, that is, silver nitrate (AgNO3), ethyl glycol, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), copper chloride (CuCl2), hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, acetone, and

Impact of GaAs(100) surface preparation on EQE of AZO/Al₂O₃/p-GaAs photovoltaic structures

• Piotr Caban,
• Rafał Pietruszka,
• Jarosław Kaszewski,
• Monika Ożga,
• Bartłomiej S. Witkowski,
• Krzysztof Kopalko,
• Piotr Kuźmiuk,
• Katarzyna Gwóźdź,
• Ewa Płaczek-Popko,
• Krystyna Lawniczak-Jablonska and
• Marek Godlewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 578–592, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.48

• presence of an amorphous film of native oxides gives rise to midgap surface states in GaAs [8] which results in Fermi-level pinning [9]. Due to a high surface-related recombination velocity, a decrease in the photoluminescence (PL) of the semiconductor is also observed [7]. These phenomena have strong and

• the previously mentioned conditions, is approx. 40 Å/s (when stirred) according to Otsubo et al. [34], which gives approx. 480 nm of the substrate etched, including a few nanometers of the native oxide film within 2 min (we assume that the previously mentioned stirring and the use of a USC use gives

• B series, respectively. From the AFM results shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4, one can see that A1, A2, A4, B1, and B4 samples exhibit uniform surfaces by the means of polycrystalline thin film topography. By taking into consideration the roughness of the surfaces (RMS was measured for an area of 4

On the stability of microwave-fabricated SERS substrates – chemical and morphological considerations

• Limin Wang,
• Aisha Adebola Womiloju,
• Christiane Höppener,
• Ulrich S. Schubert and
• Stephanie Hoeppener

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 541–551, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.44

• SERS substrates for all tested solvents and buffer systems to provide a comprehensive overview. In a first set of experiments, the influence of five different organic solvents (methanol, ethanol, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), toluene, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)) and water on the nanoparticle film

Interface interaction of transition metal phthalocyanines with strontium titanate (100)

• Reimer Karstens,
• Thomas Chassé and
• Heiko Peisert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 485–496, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.39

• bending at the interface (p-type doping). Adsorbate-related core level spectra are shown in Figure 3 for different film thicknesses. For the 0.25 nm and the 0.45 nm film, the Sr 3p1/2 background was subtracted in the C 1s spectra. Original data and the background procedure are shown in Figure S5

• spectra to 0.2–0.3 eV higher binding energies with respect to the 6.9 nm film in Figure 3. Many reasons, including charge transfer and a different screening of the photohole due to a different environment, may cause such shifts. The shift to higher binding energy at the substrate interface is rather

• indicate also a substantial opposite charge transfer towards the Co central metal atoms of the molecules in the first monolayer (see below). The different shifts for N 1s and C 1s components point to a different charge distribution for the monolayer compared to the thick film, in good agreement to CoPcF16

Reconstruction of a 2D layer of KBr on Ir(111) and electromechanical alteration by graphene

• Zhao Liu,
• Antoine Hinaut,
• Stefan Peeters,
• Sebastian Scherb,
• Ernst Meyer,
• Maria Clelia Righi and
• Thilo Glatzel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 432–439, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.35

• halide heterostructures, the top KBr film on NaCl(100) exhibits a superstructure with square islands, while the stretched NaCl film on KBr(100) grows flat with rectangular islands, clearly indicating a stronger interaction between the adlayer and the substrate in these examples [35]. In contrast to these

• studies, a completely different possibility of a reconstruction for NaCl was recently predicted theoretically, suggesting that increasing the interaction between substrate and film by selecting a particular substrate may lead to the formation of NaCl films with unusual structures [36]. Such 2D NaCl layers

A stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator made of silver-coated glass microspheres for human motion energy harvesting and self-powered sensing applications

• Hui Li,
• Yaju Zhang,
• Yonghui Wu,
• Hui Zhao,
• Weichao Wang,
• Xu He and
• Haiwu Zheng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 402–412, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.32

• perception. Figure 6e shows the circuit diagram of the signal-processing unit. Experimental In this work, a simple method for fabricating a TENG is proposed. First, a layer of cured silicone rubber film (Smoth-on, Ecoflex 00-20) was prepared. Gel A and gel B were mixed together with a volume ratio of 1:1 in

Spontaneous shape transition of Mn_xGe_1−x islands to long nanowires

• S. Javad Rezvani,
• Luc Favre,
• Gabriele Giuli,
• Yiming Wubulikasimu,
• Isabelle Berbezier,
• Augusto Marcelli,
• Luca Boarino and
• Nicola Pinto

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 366–374, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.30

• electron beam. Results and Discussion High-temperature annealing of the evaporated Mn thin films on Ge(111) results in a significant change of the film morphology with the appearance of nanostructures onto the surface. The features of the structures are related to the Mn layer thickness and the duration of

• (NPs). Further increase of the Mn layer thickness to 9 ML results in a closely packed film of agglomerated islands with a relatively uniform size distribution (≃100 nm) completely filling the surface (see Figure 1c). XRD in Bragg–Brentano geometry has been carried out on these islands on the annealed 9

• ML thick Mn film. The detected signal combines information from the nanoparticles present on the surface and the underlying Ge(111) substrate. The XRD pattern exhibits two main peaks related to the (111) and (222) crystallographic planes of Ge (Figure 2). The spectrum shows two less intense peaks

Structural and optical characteristics determined by the sputtering deposition conditions of oxide thin films

• Petronela Prepelita,
• Florin Garoi and
• Valentin Craciun

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 354–365, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.29

• Petronela Prepelita Florin Garoi Valentin Craciun National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, 409 Atomistilor Street, PO Box MG-36, Magurele 077125, Ilfov, Romania 10.3762/bjnano.12.29 Abstract The influence of film thickness on the structural and optical properties of silicon

• films with thickness values ranging from 200 to 300 nm. Thus, we analyzed the beneficial effect of increasing film thickness on the composition, morphology, structure, and spectral characteristics of the studied samples. This way of analyzing oxide thin film thickness dependence on the optical and

• substrates. In the diffractogram of the 200 nm thick film, diffraction peaks corresponding to a single-phase growth of the film were initially identified. Low intensities of the diffraction lines (004) are due to growth stress, which is unevenly distributed in the film. In the diffractogram corresponding to

Nickel nanoparticle-decorated reduced graphene oxide/WO₃ nanocomposite – a promising candidate for gas sensing

• Ilka Simon,
• Alexandr Savitsky,
• Rolf Mülhaupt,
• Vladimir Pankov and
• Christoph Janiak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 343–353, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.28

• performance of MOS@rGO can further be improved by either chemical doping or by combination with a transition metal as ternary component [38]. Iron oxide-doped WO3 films showed improved NO2 sensing at room temperature, when adding a layer of 16 nm p-type rGO on the metal oxide film [39]. Nickel-doped SnO2