Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy of difurylethene-based photochromic single-molecule junctions

• Youngsang Kim,
• Safa G. Bahoosh,
• Dmytro Sysoiev,
• Thomas Huhn,
• Fabian Pauly and
• Elke Scheer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2606–2614, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.261

• particularly promising because of the negligible change of molecular length between the two isomers (i.e., open and closed forms) and the possibility for further chemical functionalization [13][14]. The isomerization upon illumination with appropriate wavelengths tunes the electronic structure of the molecules

Amplified cross-linking efficiency of self-assembled monolayers through targeted dissociative electron attachment for the production of carbon nanomembranes

• Sascha Koch,
• Christopher D. Kaiser,
• Paul Penner,
• Michael Barclay,
• Lena Frommeyer,
• Daniel Emmrich,
• Patrick Stohmann,
• Tarek Abu-Husein,
• Andreas Terfort,
• D. Howard Fairbrother,
• Oddur Ingólfsson and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2562–2571, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.256

• high thermal stability [1][2][3]. Depending on the fabrication method, the choice of precursor molecules and functionalization type, such membranes have great potential for a wide variety of applications [2]. In recent years, protocols and procedures have been developed to produce functional CNMs by

Direct writing of gold nanostructures with an electron beam: On the way to pure nanostructures by combining optimized deposition with oxygen-plasma treatment

• Domagoj Belić,
• Mostafa M. Shawrav,
• Emmerich Bertagnolli and
• Heinz D. Wanzenboeck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2530–2543, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.253

• Figure 5b, indicate that the O-plasma cleaning exposed some of the embedded Au nanocrystallites to the exterior. Such purified patterned nanostructures are deemed very suitable for further functionalization, e.g., for immobilization of biomolecules or similar applications where having clean Au surfaces

• functionalization. Conclusion In summary, we investigated a FEBID experimental parameter subspace, aiming to fabricate 2D and 3D nanostructures with a high Au content, starting from a common metal-organic precursor, Me2-Au-tfac. In the first instance, we realized vertical free-standing FEBID Au nanopillars having a

• functionalization, which is highly desired for a range of applications in nanotechnology. Experimental The samples were prepared by FEBID of Au inside a custom-modified Zeiss Leo 1530VP SEM. The microscope was equipped with a home-made gas injection system containing dimethylgold(III)-trifluoroacetylacetonate

Synthesis of metal-fluoride nanoparticles supported on thermally reduced graphite oxide

• Alexa Schmitz,
• Kai Schütte,
• Vesko Ilievski,
• Juri Barthel,
• Laura Burk,
• Rolf Mülhaupt,
• Junpei Yue,
• Bernd Smarsly and
• Christoph Janiak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2474–2483, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.247

• reactive sites for the nucleation and growth of metal nanoparticles. The nucleation and growth mechanism depends on the degree of oxygen functionalization at the graphene surface sheets, such that no nanoparticles are obtained at totally reduced graphene surfaces [7][79]. TRGO is generally regarded as a

• good base material for obtaining highly loaded nanoparticle–graphene hybrid materials, because of its surface functionalization [80]. A distinct possibility is the formation of hydrogen bonds between the metal-fluoride nanoparticles and the hydroxyl groups at the TRGO surface. Batteries based on

Strategy to discover full-length amyloid-beta peptide ligands using high-efficiency microarray technology

• Clelia Galati,
• Natalia Spinella,
• Lucio Renna,
• Danilo Milardi,
• Francesco Attanasio,
• Michele Francesco Maria Sciacca and
• Corrado Bongiorno

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2446–2453, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.243

• features of the used system [27]. An additional advantage is the ease of implementing on it consolidated coating methods for the hosting of biomolecules. In this work, for peptide immobilization in a microarray format, we propose one of the most common functionalization methods (an epoxysilane) although

• different kinds of functionalization processes can be used [28]. To validate the new platform with suitable control experiments, we used two different peptides (i.e., KLVFF and Semax), investigating their ability to bind monomeric Aβ. Residues encompassing the domain 16–20 of the Aβ peptide may act as a

Involvement of two uptake mechanisms of gold and iron oxide nanoparticles in a co-exposure scenario using mouse macrophages

• Dimitri Vanhecke,
• Dagmar A. Kuhn,
• Dorleta Jimenez de Aberasturi,
• Sandor Balog,
• Ana Milosevic,
• Dominic Urban,
• Diana Peckys,
• Niels de Jonge,
• Wolfgang J. Parak,
• Alke Petri-Fink and
• Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2396–2409, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.239

• diagnostic and therapeutic applications [4]. There is convincing evidence that the physico-chemical properties of NPs, such as size, shape, material, and surface functionalization, strongly influence uptake and intracellular trafficking of NPs [5][6][7]. The uptake of NPs occurs via endocytotic pathways

In situ controlled rapid growth of novel high activity TiB₂/(TiB₂–TiN) hierarchical/heterostructured nanocomposites

• Jilin Wang,
• Hejie Liao,
• Yuchun Ji,
• Fei Long,
• Yunle Gu,
• Zhengguang Zou,
• Weimin Wang and
• Zhengyi Fu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2116–2125, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.211

• these exposed atoms could serve as high activity positions and might be used in future research in the fields of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, surface chemical modification and functionalization [18][19]. Moreover, the internal and external components were TiB2 and TiN, respectively. The crystal

• highly active material could possibly be further used in the research fields of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, structural and functional performance integrated composite ceramics and/or films, surface chemical modification and functionalization. Another point worth noting is that the detailed

Magnetic properties of optimized cobalt nanospheres grown by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) on cantilever tips

• Soraya Sangiao,
• César Magén,
• Darius Mofakhami,
• Grégoire de Loubens and
• José María De Teresa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2106–2115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.210

• magnetic nanostructures have been produced in last years by the focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) technique [1][2]. The extensive list of nanostructures includes: (a) planar deposits in the shape of Hall bars for sensing purposes [3][4][5][6]; (b) magnetic nanopillars for functionalization

A systematic study of the controlled generation of crystalline iron oxide nanoparticles on graphene using a chemical etching process

• Peter Krauß,
• Jörg Engstler and
• Jörg J. Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2017–2025, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.202

• were found to have diameters in the range of 9 ± 4 nm after this annealing procedure (Figure 5). To summarize, functionalization of CVD-derived graphene with iron oxide nanoparticles is possible using customized etchants and/or additional processing techniques. The number of iron oxide particles in

• subdividing the etching chamber into two connected individual compartments. Using this modified chemical etching process, an additional post-processing to remove polymer residues from graphene is not required. We further investigated functionalization of graphene with iron oxide nanoparticles by using

• hydrochloric solutions of iron(III) chloride as the etchant in the modified transfer process. A controlled functionalization with iron(II) oxide nanoparticles is possible by adjusting the ratio of copper to etchant, the concentration of iron(III) chloride and weight percent of hydrochloric acid employed. The

Identifying the nature of surface chemical modification for directed self-assembly of block copolymers

• Laura Evangelio,
• Federico Gramazio,
• Matteo Lorenzoni,
• Michaela Gorgoi,
• Francisco Miguel Espinosa,
• Ricardo García,
• Francesc Pérez-Murano and
• Jordi Fraxedas

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1972–1981, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.198

• silicon wafer, left in the Figure) and the block copolymer domains. The first DSA (two steps) process uses electron beam lithography (EBL) [12] on a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) resist with a subsequent substrate functionalization with oxygen plasma of the uncovered areas (top of Figure 1). The two

• the oxygen plasma functionalization. Conversely, when the sample is cooled down in nitrogen, PS does not undergo oxidation. As a consequence, such a sample is slightly affine to PS before functionalization. When chemical guiding stripes are defined on this substrate by oxygen plasma exposure (see

• of the polymer brush layer were analysed, we investigated the effect of the functionalization upon exposure to oxygen plasma. Figure 3c shows the C 1s HAXPES spectrum taken with 2020 eV photons of the sample cooled in nitrogen after the oxygen plasma treatment. The comparison with Figure 3a evidences

Carbon nano-onions as fluorescent on/off modulated nanoprobes for diagnostics

• Stefania Lettieri,
• Marta d’Amora,
• Adalberto Camisasca,
• Alberto Diaspro and
• Silvia Giordani

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1878–1888, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.188

• 10.3762/bjnano.8.188 Abstract Multishell fullerenes, known as carbon nano-onions (CNOs), have emerged as a platform for bioimaging because of their cell-penetration properties and minimal systemic toxicity. Here, we describe the covalent functionalization of CNOs with a π-extended distyryl-substituted

• procedure [25][26]. The condensation with dimethylaminobenzaldehyde led to the NIR-BODIPY derivative 3. The surface functionalization of 5 nm pristine CNOs (p-CNOs), synthetized by thermal annealing of d-NDs, was obtained by an oxidation process using a 3 M solution of nitric acid under reflux condition

• (BODIPY 3) is the switched-off form while the protonated form (BODIPY 4) is the switched-on form. The successful functionalization of CNOs with BODIPY 3 was confirmed by photoemission studies. Upon photoexcitation at 680 nm, fluo-CNOs-1a (Figure 2) exhibited a maximum emission (λem) at 768 nm, while fluo

Optical techniques for cervical neoplasia detection

• Tatiana Novikova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1844–1862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.186

• a size of less than 100 nm (i.e., which are much smaller than normal human cells) with biomolecules such as receptors, enzymes, and antibodies on the cell surface and inside the cell [87]. By surface coating, functionalization, and integration with different bioconjugated targeting agents those

Self-assembly of chiral fluorescent nanoparticles based on water-soluble L-tryptophan derivatives of p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene

• Pavel L. Padnya,
• Irina A. Khripunova,
• Olga A. Mostovaya,
• Timur A. Mukhametzyanov,
• Vladimir G. Evtugyn,
• Vyacheslav V. Vorobev,
• Yuri N. Osin and
• Ivan I. Stoikov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1825–1835, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.184

• cations and amino alcohols, were obtained [44][45][46][47][48]. Thus, the functionalization of the macrocyclic thiacalix[4]arene platform with tryptophan fragments can be useful in creation of new sensory materials. The great conformational ability of this macrocycle in combination with the use of

Synthesis and functionalization of NaGdF₄:Yb,Er@NaGdF₄ core–shell nanoparticles for possible application as multimodal contrast agents

• Dovile Baziulyte-Paulaviciene,
• Vitalijus Karabanovas,
• Marius Stasys,
• Greta Jarockyte,
• Vilius Poderys,
• Simas Sakirzanovas and
• Ricardas Rotomskis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1815–1824, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.183

• amphiphilic polymer coating [18] have been developed in order to transfer nanoparticles with hydrophobic surfaces into aqueous media. Furthermore, the multimodal UCNP surface modification field still lacks reference materials and established protocols for functionalization and targeting. Some studies showed

(Metallo)porphyrins for potential materials science applications

• Lars Smykalla,
• Carola Mende,
• Michael Fronk,
• Pablo F. Siles,
• Michael Hietschold,
• Georgeta Salvan,
• Dietrich R. T. Zahn,
• Oliver G. Schmidt,
• Tobias Rüffer and
• Heinrich Lang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1786–1800, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.180

• functionalization of (metallo)porphyrins on how to assemble individual molecules further into large non-covalently and covalently bonded ensembles. The potential for applications of the results reviewed here ranges from dendrites as nanowires for electronic/spintronic device integration via self-assembled non

Methionine-mediated synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles and functionalization with gold quantum dots for theranostic applications

• Arūnas Jagminas,
• Agnė Mikalauskaitė,
• Vitalijus Karabanovas and
• Jūrate Vaičiūnienė

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1734–1741, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.174

• Biocompatible superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) through smart chemical functionalization of their surface with fluorescent species, therapeutic proteins, antibiotics, and aptamers offer remarkable potential for diagnosis and therapy of disease sites at their initial stage of growth. Such NPs can

• spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of as-formed CoFe2O4 NPs before and after decoration with gold QDs were applied. Keywords: functionalization; gold; magnetic nanoparticles; quantum dots; theranostics; Introduction In current

• have a dramatic effect on the formation of the surface protein corona in the bloodstream that affects CoFe2O4@Met–Au NPs passive targeting and uptake into tumor cells. The elaborated functionalization of magnetic NPs with gold QDs represents a promising multi-task platform for linking magnetic NPs with

Fluorination of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes: from CF₄ plasma chemistry to surface functionalization

• Claudia Struzzi,
• Mattia Scardamaglia,
• Jean-François Colomer,
• Alberto Verdini,
• Luca Floreano,
• Rony Snyders and
• Carla Bittencourt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1723–1733, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.173

• makes the surface highly hydrophobic: the introduction of polar groups has been successfully adopted to initiate subsequent functionalization [22] and to profitably implement the fluorinated carbon nanomaterials in numerous applications, including gas sensors for hindering the moisture interference [23

• functionalization chamber may be activated by the plasma and recombination with oxygen or fluorine species can occur, leading to COFx formation affecting the functionalization of the carbon nanotubes. In this work, we correlate the chemical composition of the CF4 plasma with changes occurring on vertically aligned

• combination of these experimental approaches enables evaluating the nature of the species that are generated inside the glow considering the presence of contaminants in the background pressure and at the walls of the functionalization chamber. These contaminants are responsible for the CO, CO2 and COF2

Effect of the fluorination technique on the surface-fluorination patterning of double-walled carbon nanotubes

• Lyubov G. Bulusheva,
• Yuliya V. Fedoseeva,
• Emmanuel Flahaut,
• Jérémy Rio,
• Christopher P. Ewels,
• Victor O. Koroteev,
• Gregory Van Lier,
• Denis V. Vyalikh and
• Alexander V. Okotrub

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1688–1698, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.169

• nanotubes (DWCNTs) are fluorinated using (1) fluorine F2 at 200 °C, (2) gaseous BrF3 at room temperature, and (3) CF4 radio-frequency plasma functionalization. These have been comparatively studied using transmission electron microscopy and infrared, Raman, X-ray photoelectron, and near-edge X-ray

• possibility of different patterning of carbon surfaces through choosing the fluorination method. Keywords: double-walled carbon nanotubes; fluorination; NEXAFS; quantum-chemical modeling; Introduction Even after surface chemical functionalization, due to their inner shell double-walled carbon nanotubes

• (DWCNTs) display many advantages characteristic of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), particularly small diameter, high strength and flexibility [1]. Carbon nanotube (CNT) surfaces are rather inert to chemical functionalization. The highest possible concentration of attached surface species is

Process-specific mechanisms of vertically oriented graphene growth in plasmas

• Subrata Ghosh,
• Shyamal R. Polaki,
• Niranjan Kumar,
• Sankarakumar Amirthapandian,
• Mohamed Kamruddin and
• Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1658–1670, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.166

• , non-agglomerated structure, sharp edges, excellent thermal and electrical properties, thermal and electrochemical stability and ease in functionalization make VGNs promising candidates for a wide range of applications that include field emission, sensing, energy storage, metamaterials, biomedical and

Uptake and intracellular accumulation of diamond nanoparticles – a metabolic and cytotoxic study

• Antonín Brož,
• Lucie Bačáková,
• Pavla Štenclová,
• Alexander Kromka and
• Štěpán Potocký

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1649–1657, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.165

• impurities, and surface functionalization groups. Adverse effects on cell viability have been reported when using DNDs [24][28][29][30][31][32], while HPHT NDs often appear to be nontoxic [33][34]. Factors influencing the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles are their size [24][35][36] and surface functionalization

Surface functionalization of 3D-printed plastics via initiated chemical vapor deposition

• Christine Cheng and
• Malancha Gupta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1629–1636, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.162

• 3DP applications, because it allows for tuning of bulk properties, such as cost-effectiveness or structural rigidity, independently of sophisticated surface functionalization. For example, in scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, angiogenesis is a major challenge, because printed scaffolds have

• hydrophobic surface properties and do not promote cellular differentiation [3][18]. Surface modification of printed scaffolds can allow for the tuning of surface functionalization to promote vascularization and tissue regeneration while maintaining control over the mechanical robustness of the bulk structure

• engineering applications [18]. In another example of surface functionalization, Wang et al. reported a method for modifying the surfaces of 3DP structures fabricated via SLA by using a UV-curable resin with an embedded alkyl bromide initiator from which atom transfer radical polymerization was initiated [19

Luminescent supramolecular hydrogels from a tripeptide and nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots

• Maria C. Cringoli,
• Slavko Kralj,
• Marina Kurbasic,
• Massimo Urban and
• Silvia Marchesan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1553–1562, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.157

• excellent water solubility, ease of functionalization, high chemical stability and resistance to photo-bleaching. In particular, CNDs have attracted particular interest in light of their biocompatibility, combined with their fascinating fluorescence properties, such as excitation-dependent emission range

A biofunctionalizable ink platform composed of catechol-modified chitosan and reduced graphene oxide/platinum nanocomposite

• Peter Sobolewski,
• Agata Goszczyńska,
• Małgorzata Aleksandrzak,
• Karolina Urbaś,
• Joanna Derkowska,
• Agnieszka Bartoszewska,
• Jacek Podolski,
• Ewa Mijowska and
• Mirosława El Fray

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1508–1514, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.151

• . Printed patterns utilizing ink prepared with thiol-modified chitosan instead or no chitosan, just rGO–Pt dispersed in EG, were washed off during the course of the functionalization/hybridization process. Importantly, we observed no strong non-specific binding between the non-complementary PCR product and

• functionalized with DNA oligonucleotide probes. A) Results of hybridization with complementary, GBS+ Cy3-labeled PCR product. B) Results of hybridization with non-complementary, control Cy3-labeled PCR product. Simultaneous reduction and functionalization of GO to rGO–Pt nanocomposite. Initial amount of rGO–Pt

Adsorption and electronic properties of pentacene on thin dielectric decoupling layers

• Sebastian Koslowski,
• Daniel Rosenblatt,
• Alexander Kabakchiev,
• Klaus Kuhnke,
• Klaus Kern and
• Uta Schlickum

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1388–1395, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.140

• resolution, the tip is functionalized with a pentacene molecule, as has been shown for pentacene on NaCl [3] (Figure 4). The functionalization is achieved by positioning a metallic tip over the endpoint of the pentacene molecule. While monitoring the current, the tip is lowered until an abrupt change in the

• HOMO and LUMO peaks by STS. Furthermore, STS mapping at the peak energies reveals the shapes of the corresponding molecular orbitals, and tip functionalization further improves the contrast of these structures. In order to further rationalize the results obtained by STS on pentacene on the h-BN/Rh(111

• , constant height). Spatial mapping of the molecular orbitals of pentacene by employing an STM tip without (left) and with (right) pentacene functionalization (U(LUMO) = +1.2 V, U(HOMO) = −2.1 V, I = 50 pA, constant height). Hückel calculations of the frontier molecular orbitals (HOMO and LUMO) of pentacene

Deposition of exchange-coupled dinickel complexes on gold substrates utilizing ambidentate mercapto-carboxylato ligands

• Martin Börner,
• Laura Blömer,
• Marcus Kischel,
• Peter Richter,
• Georgeta Salvan,
• Dietrich R. T. Zahn,
• Pablo F. Siles,
• Maria E. N. Fuentes,
• Carlos C. B. Bufon,
• Daniel Grimm,
• Oliver G. Schmidt,
• Daniel Breite,
• Bernd Abel and
• Berthold Kersting

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1375–1387, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.139

• functionalization. Of these, the formation of self-assembled monolayers of SMMs appears to be an attractive and suitable method [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. Our work involves the deposition of exchange-coupled complexes of the type [MII2L(μ-L’)](ClO4), where L represents a hexaazadithiophenolate macrocycle

• carboxylato-bridged complexes [Ni2L(HL2)](ClO4) (2) and [Ni2L(L3)](ClO4) (3) [39][40] such that an exposed thiol or phosphane group is available for further functionalization. Indeed, 2 dimerizes via a disulphide bond upon oxidation in air to generate a tetranuclear [{Ni2L}2(O2CC6H4S)2]2+ complex, while