Disorder in H⁺-irradiated HOPG: effect of impinging energy and dose on Raman D-band splitting and surface topography

• Lisandro Venosta,
• Noelia Bajales,
• Sergio Suárez and
• Paula G. Bercoff

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2708–2717, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.253

• techniques is advantageous in order to gain a better insight into the origin of defects. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can help to reveal an increase in the graphene/graphite surface roughness, which has been correlated with the disorder generated by increasing hydrogen irradiation doses [21][22][23

• from the irradiation chamber to the SQUID holder by using a portable vacuum chamber in order to avoid contamination during manipulation. After Raman and SQUID characterizations, atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements were performed at room temperature using a Di-Innova Microscope (Bruker, USA) in

Optimization of Mo/Cr bilayer back contacts for thin-film solar cells

• Nima Khoshsirat,
• Fawad Ali,
• Vincent Tiing Tiong,
• Mojtaba Amjadipour,
• Hongxia Wang,
• Mahnaz Shafiei and
• Nunzio Motta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2700–2707, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.252

• scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV–vis–NIR spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A careful analysis of the resulting Mo/Cr thin film across all the sputtering parameters led us to the best combination, optimizing both the electro-optical response of the Mo/Cr

Characterization of the microscopic tribological properties of sandfish (Scincus scincus) scales by atomic force microscopy

• Weibin Wu,
• Christian Lutz,
• Simon Mersch,
• Richard Thelen,
• Christian Greiner,
• Guillaume Gomard and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2618–2627, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.243

• conducted with a non-standard granular tribometer. Here, we characterise microscopic adhesion, friction and wear of single sandfish scales by atomic force microscopy. The analysis of frictional properties with different types of probes (sharp silicon tips, spherical glass tips and sand debris) demonstrates

• , it is highly unlikely that the surface structure of the scales is responsible for the observed low abrasion. Baumgartner and co-workers [10][11][16] measured adhesion by atomic force microscopy (AFM) on scales of S. scincus and observed extremely low values. They analysed the chemical composition of

• separating sand particles from the dense scales thereby reducing van der Waals forces [16]. Even a glycosylated technical surface showed a reduced granular friction coefficient [16]. Here, we analyse the tribological properties of single scales of sandfish (S. scincus) by atomic force microscopy and

Friction reduction through biologically inspired scale-like laser surface textures

• Johannes Schneider,
• Vergil Djamiykov and
• Christian Greiner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2561–2572, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.238

• investigating a possible size effect under dry sliding, sapphire discs were used as counter body material. These were prepared as previously described [23] and had a final roughness of Ra < 0.01 µm, measured by atomic force microscopy (Park XE7, Suwon, Korea). These sapphire discs had a Knoop hardness of 2200

Effective sensor properties and sensitivity considerations of a dynamic co-resonantly coupled cantilever sensor

• Julia Körner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2546–2560, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.237

• magnetic properties. This led to the first time observation of magnetic switching of these individual Heusler nanoparticles at room temperature and with a comparatively simple setup (laser-deflection detection) [16]. Other experiments in magnetic force microscopy showed a likewise increase in sensitivity

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

• groups in oligonucleotides. The Si–NH2 nanoparticles and Si–NH2·ODN nanocomplexes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and IR and electron spectroscopy. The size and zeta potential values of the prepared nanoparticles and nanocomplexes were evaluated

• coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The experimental Si/P value (10.9) showed a reasonable correlation with the calculated data (10.0). The atomic force microscopy (AFM) image of the Si–NH2 nanoparticles was not obtained in a satisfactory quality because of the very small size of the particles

• microscope. The results are presented in Figure 3. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was performed on a Solver P47 Bio atomic force microscope (NT-МDT, Russia) in a tapping mode. The aqueous solution of the Si–NH2·ODN(1) sample (10 µL, 0.16 µM, NH2/p = 10) was applied to a freshly cleaved mica area of 25–30 mm2

Enhanced antineoplastic/therapeutic efficacy using 5-fluorouracil-loaded calcium phosphate nanoparticles

• Shanid Mohiyuddin,
• Saba Naqvi and
• Gopinath Packirisamy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2499–2515, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.233

• characteristic surface morphology and size of the CaP@5-FU NPs was examined in a scanning electron microscope (Carl Zeiss ULTRA PLUS) operating at 5.0 kV and atomic force microscopy analysis (NTEGRA PNL) operating in semi-contact mode. An aqueous solution of CaP@5-FU NPs was dropped onto a glass slide and air

High-temperature magnetism and microstructure of a semiconducting ferromagnetic (GaSb)_1−x(MnSb)_x alloy

• Leonid N. Oveshnikov,
• Elena I. Nekhaeva,
• Alexey V. Kochura,
• Alexander B. Davydov,
• Mikhail A. Shakhov,
• Sergey F. Marenkin,
• Oleg A. Novodvorskii,
• Alexander P. Kuzmenko,
• Alexander L. Vasiliev,
• Boris A. Aronzon and
• Erkki Lahderanta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2457–2465, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.230

• an anomalous Hall effect above room temperature, confirming the presence of spin-polarized carriers. Electron microscopy, atomic and magnetic force microscopy results suggest that the films under study have a homogenous columnar structure in the bulk while MnSb inclusions accumulate near the surface

• –MnSb alloy films with x = 0.41 and we elucidate the origin of the ferromagnetic state in this material. We use atomic force and magnetic force microscopy (AFM and MFM) as well as scanning/transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) to study the sample structure. Experimental GaSb–MnSb films with a

• (FEI, US) was used for image analysis. P. Stadelmann’s JEMS software [16] was used for the simulation of diffraction patterns and images. Scanning atomic force microscopy (AFM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM) images were obtained on an SmartSPM microscope (AIST-NT, US) at temperatures of T = 295

High-throughput micro-nanostructuring by microdroplet inkjet printing

• Hendrikje R. Neumann and
• Christine Selhuber-Unkel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2372–2380, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.222

• maximum and minimum. Apparently, the micelle-containing o-xylene solution spreads out most reproducibly on silicon and less on NiTi. To explain the differences in the droplet diameters of our different materials, the surface topography of the samples was measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM). As

• all nanoparticles, the particle analyzer was used (included in ImageJ) and the image was converted to a binary image. Finally, a freely accessible nearest-neighbor detection algorithm was employed for the determination of the nanoparticle distances [36]. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging and image

• processing Atomic force microscopy (AFM) topographic imaging was employed to measure the roughness of the samples. Imaging was performed on a JPK NanoWizard 3 (JPK Instruments AG) operated in ac mode using ACTA cantilevers (spring constant ≈40 N/m, resonance frequency ≈300 kHz; Applied NanoStructuresInc

Block copolymers for designing nanostructured porous coatings

• Roberto Nisticò

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2332–2344, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.218

• mol−1) at low magnification. c) PS-b-PEO (10.6-b-5.0 kg mol−1) at high magnification. d) Freeze fracture cross section PS-b-PEO (10.6-b-5.0 kg mol−1). Reprinted with permission from [62], copyright 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry. a) Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of a composite nanoporous

Nanotribology

• Enrico Gnecco,
• Susan Perkin,
• Andrea Vanossi and
• Ernst Meyer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2330–2331, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.217

• techniques for materials characterization are those typical of surface science (e.g., X-ray diffraction, SEM, TEM, XPS and Raman spectroscopy), more specific to nanotribology are nanoindenters, nanotribometers, quartz force microbalance and especially atomic force microscopy (AFM), which, without a doubt

Nanoscale characterization of the temporary adhesive of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

• Ana S. Viana and
• Romana Santos

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2277–2286, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.212

• , the first nanoscale characterization of sea urchin temporary adhesives was performed using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results: The adhesive topography was similar under dry and native (seawater) conditions, which was comprised of a honeycomb-like meshwork of aggregated globular nanostructures. In

• . Keywords: adhesive footprint; atomic force microscopy; nanomechanical properties; sea urchin; temporary adhesion; Introduction Unlike the thin homogeneous films that are typical for adhesives produced by humans, biological adhesives present complex hierarchical micro- and nanostructures. Among marine

• organisms such as marine flatworms [1], barnacle cyprids [2][3][4], freshwater cnidaria [5] and echinoderms such as sea cucumbers [6] and sea stars [7][8]. This characterization was performed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), a technique that allows high-resolution images of soft biological materials to

Spin-coated planar Sb₂S₃ hybrid solar cells approaching 5% efficiency

• Pascal Kaienburg,
• Benjamin Klingebiel and
• Thomas Kirchartz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2114–2124, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.200

• chosen to be 265 °C slightly above the minimum crystallization temperature of Sb2S3. The morphology was studied with SEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Possible changes in electronic quality with crystallization temperature were investigated via photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS) where the

Phosphorus monolayer doping (MLD) of silicon on insulator (SOI) substrates

• Noel Kennedy,
• Ray Duffy,
• Luke Eaton,
• Dan O’Connell,
• Scott Monaghan,
• Shane Garvey,
• James Connolly,
• Chris Hatem,
• Justin D. Holmes and
• Brenda Long

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2106–2113, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.199

• capping layer the dopant monolayer is essentially “burnt” off during high-temperature annealing. Cap removal was carried out using a standard buffered oxide etch. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to acquire high-resolution topographic images to evaluate the surface quality throughout MLD processing

• Figure S2 (Supporting Information File 1), which lead to the use of a 1050 °C annealing for a time period of 5 s for all applications to SOI. Characterisation Atomic force microscopy was carried out in tapping mode at room temperature to analyse the surface quality throughout the MLD process. ECV

A scanning probe microscopy study of nanostructured TiO₂/poly(3-hexylthiophene) hybrid heterojunctions for photovoltaic applications

• Laurie Letertre,
• Roland Roche,
• Olivier Douhéret,
• Hailu G. Kassa,
• Denis Mariolle,
• Nicolas Chevalier,
• Łukasz Borowik,
• Philippe Dumas,
• Benjamin Grévin,
• Roberto Lazzaroni and
• Philippe Leclère

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2087–2096, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.197

• photovoltaic process and the correlation to the nanoscale morphology. A down-shift of the vacuum level of the TiO2 surface upon grafting was measured by Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), evidencing the formation of a dipole at the TiO2/P3HT-COOH interface. Upon in situ illumination, a positive photovoltage

• theoretical and material design perspective. Keywords: hybrid heterojunctions; hybrid photovoltaic; Kelvin probe force microscopy; photoconductive-AFM; photo-KPFM; poly(3-hexylthiophene); TiO2; Introduction Over the past decades, a large range of photovoltaic (PV) technologies have been developed for the

• photoconductive-AFM (PC-AFM) and photo-assisted Kelvin probe force microscopy (photo-KPFM) to follow the photovoltaic response, i.e., photocurrent and photovoltage, respectively, at the nanoscale under illumination, in order to understand the local physical processes taking place during the photoconversion of

The structural and chemical basis of temporary adhesion in the sea star Asterina gibbosa

• Birgit Lengerer,
• Marie Bonneel,
• Mathilde Lefevre,
• Elise Hennebert,
• Philippe Leclère,
• Emmanuel Gosselin,
• Peter Ladurner and
• Patrick Flammang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2071–2086, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.196

• homogenous granules. The footprints comprised a meshwork on top of a thin layer. This topography was consistently observed using various methods like scanning electron microscopy, 3D confocal interference microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and light microscopy with crystal violet staining. Additionally, we

• interference microscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). A. gibbosa tube feet and footprints were labelled with antibodies raised against the adhesive protein Sfp1 from A. rubens, but no cross-reactivity was observed. To detect carbohydrate moieties, we performed lectin labelling with 24 commercially

• ). The mesh size varied from 1 to 5 µm in diameter (Figure 4C). At higher magnification, the fine structure of both layers appeared similar (Figure 4D). The footprint topography was confirmed with 3D confocal interference microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) (Figure 5). 3D confocal interference

Recent highlights in nanoscale and mesoscale friction

• Andrea Vanossi,
• Dirk Dietzel,
• Andre Schirmeisen,
• Ernst Meyer,
• Rémy Pawlak,
• Thilo Glatzel,
• Marcin Kisiel,
• Shigeki Kawai and
• Nicola Manini

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1995–2014, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.190

• ” research field is leading to new technological advances in the area of engineering and materials science. Keywords: atomic force microscopy; dissipation; friction; mesoscale; nanomanipulation; nanoscale; scale bridging; structural lubricity; superlubricity; Introduction Friction, the force that resists

• of the field foreseeable in the near future. Review Controlled nanomovements Friction force microscopy (FFM) is a well-defined AFM operation mode in which tiny lateral forces acting on the tip, as it scans across the surface, are recorded [9]. Atomic forces involving few-atom contacts can provide

• . Manipulation of graphene nanoribbons on gold A number of nano-mechanics experiments were performed with graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) manipulated by the tip of a force microscope [58]. The structure of the GNR was determined by means of high-resolution force microscopy (CO-terminated tip), with a method

Biomimetic and biodegradable cellulose acetate scaffolds loaded with dexamethasone for bone implants

• Aikaterini-Rafailia Tsiapla,
• Varvara Karagkiozaki,
• Veroniki Bakola,
• Foteini Pappa,
• Panagiota Gkertsiou,
• Eleni Pavlidou and
• Stergios Logothetidis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1986–1994, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.189

• work, a drug-delivery nanoplatform system consisting of polymeric celluloce acetate (CA) scaffolds loaded with dexamethasone was fabricated through electrospinning. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated the successful fabrication of these structures

Nonlinear effect of carrier drift on the performance of an n-type ZnO nanowire nanogenerator by coupling piezoelectric effect and semiconduction

• Yuxing Liang,
• Shuaiqi Fan,
• Xuedong Chen and
• Yuantai Hu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1917–1925, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.183

• nanowire bent when an atomic force microscopy tip scans over the top of the nanowire. The electromechanical coupling converts mechanical energy into electric energy [28][29]. A piezoelectric potential is built inside the nanowire with the stretched side being positively charged and the compressed side

Synthesis of hafnium nanoparticles and hafnium nanoparticle films by gas condensation and energetic deposition

• Irini Michelakaki,
• Nikos Boukos,
• Dimitrios A. Dragatogiannis,
• Spyros Stathopoulos,
• Costas A. Charitidis and
• Dimitris Tsoukalas

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1868–1880, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.179

• of nanoparticles. Conclusion We have demonstrated the production and characterization of Hf nanoparticles and Hf nanoparticles thin films. A number of methods, including grazing X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and

• of the NPs and NTFs were performed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM FEI Nova Nano SEM 230) and atomic force microscopy (Veeco diInnova) in tapping mode. The nanomechanical properties of the NTFs were determined by nanoindentation. Nanoidentation testing was performed with a

Quantitative comparison of wideband low-latency phase-locked loop circuit designs for high-speed frequency modulation atomic force microscopy

• Kazuki Miyata and
• Takeshi Fukuma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1844–1855, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.176

• loop (PLL) circuit is the central component of frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM). However, its response speed is often insufficient, and limits the FM-AFM imaging speed. To overcome this issue, we propose a PLL design that enables high-speed FM-AFM. We discuss the main problems with

• dissolution process; frequency modulation atomic force microscopy; high-speed atomic-resolution imaging; phase-locked loop; Introduction Frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM) is a powerful tool for investigating atomic- and molecular-scale structures of sample surfaces in various environments

Numerical analysis of single-point spectroscopy curves used in photo-carrier dynamics measurements by Kelvin probe force microscopy under frequency-modulated excitation

• Pablo A. Fernández Garrillo,
• Benjamin Grévin and
• Łukasz Borowik

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1834–1843, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.175

• nanostructure and photo-transport mechanisms has become of crucial importance for the development of many emerging photovoltaic technologies. In this context, Kelvin probe force microscopy under frequency-modulated excitation has emerged as a useful technique for probing photo-carrier dynamics and gaining

• probe force microscopy under frequency-modulated excitation over a silicon nanocrystal solar cell, as well as against results obtained by intensity-modulated scanning Kelvin probe microscopy over a polymer/fullerene bulk heterojunction device. Moreover, we show how this simulation routine can complement

• experimental results as additional information about the photo-carrier dynamics of the sample can be gained via the numerical analysis. Keywords: carrier dynamics; carrier lifetime; carrier recombination; Kelvin probe force microscopy; nanostructured photovoltaics; numerical simulations; photo-carrier

Know your full potential: Quantitative Kelvin probe force microscopy on nanoscale electrical devices

• Amelie Axt,
• Ilka M. Hermes,
• Victor W. Bergmann,
• Niklas Tausendpfund and
• Stefan A. L. Weber

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1809–1819, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.172

• investigate the influence of the operation method in Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) on the measured potential distribution. KPFM is widely used to map the nanoscale potential distribution in operating devices, e.g., in thin film transistors or on cross sections of functional solar cells. Quantitative

• mode; AM off resonance; AM second eigenmode; cross section; crosstalk; field effect transistor; FM-KPFM; frequency modulation heterodyne; frequency modulation sideband; quantitative Kelvin probe force microscopy; solar cells; Introduction In this study, we compare the most commonly used amplitude

• modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM) Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) methods under ambient conditions to investigate how these methods can measure quantitative variations in the local contact potential difference (CPD). KPFM is a scanning force microsopcy (SFM) method that correlates the local

Direct AFM-based nanoscale mapping and tomography of open-circuit voltages for photovoltaics

• Katherine Atamanuk,
• Justin Luria and
• Bryan D. Huey

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1802–1808, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.171

• , microstructure, and performance is necessary as a function of device design, processing, and in-service conditions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been a valuable tool for such characterization, especially of materials properties and device performance at the nanoscale. In the case of thin-film solar cells

Uniform cobalt nanoparticles embedded in hexagonal mesoporous nanoplates as a magnetically separable, recyclable adsorbent

• Can Zhao,
• Yuexiao Song,
• Tianyu Xiang,
• Wenxiu Qu,
• Shuo Lou,
• Xiaohong Yin and
• Feng Xin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1770–1781, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.168

• magnetometer (VSM) with an applied magnetic field between −20 kOe and 20 kOe at room temperature (SQUID-VSM, USA). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was performed on an AFM instrument (NTEGRA Spectra, Russia) using tapping mode. The samples were deposited onto clean Si substrates and dried at 60 °C. UV–vis