Linear and nonlinear optical properties of hybrid metallic–dielectric plasmonic nanoantennas

• Mario Hentschel,
• Bernd Metzger,
• Bastian Knabe,
• Karsten Buse and
• Harald Giessen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 111–120, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.13

• caused by a change in the linear response than by the insertion of the nanocrystals. These findings indicate that we do not observe second harmonic generation from the nanocrystals. First of all, it is puzzling why the structures without the crystals already show a significant SH emission. In the

Vibration-mediated Kondo transport in molecular junctions: conductance evolution during mechanical stretching

• David Rakhmilevitch and
• Oren Tal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2417–2422, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.249

• rupture. After the introduction of CuPc to the bare Ag junction, new counts at conductance values mostly below 0.2G0 can be observed, as demonstrated in Figure 3b. This is an indication for the insertion of molecules into the junction. The formation of molecular junctions was further verified by

• observed for four junctions. Conductance–length histograms, indicating the most probable conductance of the junction during the final stages of junction elongation before (a) and after (b) CuPc insertion. Both histograms were taken at a voltage of 50 mV, and the lower limit of the conductance scale was

Electrochemical behavior of polypyrrol/AuNP composites deposited by different electrochemical methods: sensing properties towards catechol

• Celia García-Hernández,
• Cristina García-Cabezón,
• Cristina Medina-Plaza,
• Fernando Martín-Pedrosa,
• Yolanda Blanco,
• José Antonio de Saja and
• María Luz Rodríguez-Méndez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2052–2061, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.209

• incorporated in the Ppy films was higher when electropolymerization was carried out by chronopotentiometry (CP). Besides, cogeneration method allowed for the incorporation of a higher number of AuNPs than trapping. Impedance experiments demonstrated that the insertion of AuNPs increased the conductivity. As an

• been reported that the insertion of NPs into the sensing layer provides remarkable properties compared to conventional polymeric matrices. Several examples have been reported in the literature. For instance, electrochemically deposited Ppy/AuNP films have demonstrated a great potential to detect DNA

• conductivity changes resulting from the insertion of AuNPs in the Ppy films. The complex impedance can be plotted as the real (Zreal) vs imaginary (Zimaginary) components (Nyquist plot), which are related to the resistance and capacitance of the cell, respectively. At high frequencies (left part of the diagram

Nitrogen-doped graphene films from chemical vapor deposition of pyridine: influence of process parameters on the electrical and optical properties

• Andrea Capasso,
• Theodoros Dikonimos,
• Francesca Sarto,
• Alessio Tamburrano,
• Giovanni De Bellis,
• Maria Sabrina Sarto,
• Giuliana Faggio,
• Angela Malara,
• Giacomo Messina and
• Nicola Lisi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2028–2038, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.206

• pyridine on copper substrates. Pyridine-CVD is expected to lead to doped graphene by the insertion of nitrogen atoms in the growing sp2 carbon lattice, possibly improving the properties of graphene as a transparent conductive film. We here report on the influence that the CVD parameters (i.e., temperature

• profound effect on the insertion of nitrogen atoms into the graphene lattice (and hence on the doping level). Pyridine decomposes mainly into hydrogen, acetylene (C2H2) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) [34], which is the compound expected to be at the basis of the heterogeneous doping of graphene. The

• grown by pyridine (0.92 at 1 sccm H2 and 1.16 at 100 sccm H2) are consistently higher than those of the ethanol samples (0.68 at 1 sccm H2 and 0.25 at 100 sccm H2). This ID/IG increment for pyridine-CVD might be thus ascribed to the insertion of nitrogen in the graphene film. It was shown that the ID/ID

Attenuation, dispersion and nonlinearity effects in graphene-based waveguides

• Almir Wirth Lima Jr.,
• João Cesar Moura Mota and
• Antonio Sergio Bezerra Sombra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1221–1228, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.125

• this case, for μg ≈> 0.43 eV, the mode suffers almost no attenuation. Therefore, since the graphene-based waveguide we are analyzing has a length smaller than 1 Lp, we can neglect the attenuation inside the waveguide. However, we must consider the insertion loss. A schematic view for insertion of an

• optical signal in a nanophotonic waveguide is shown in Figure 5. The optical signal from an optical source is inserted into a monomode optical fiber via a connector with an insertion loss of 0.5 dB, mainly due to misalignment between the two portions of the optical fibers. The insertion loss of the

• optical fiber can be neglected due to its short length. The signal output to be coupled to the graphene-based waveguide (Figure 5) suffers an estimated insertion loss of 2.5 dB (for safety) before entering the graphene nanoribbon due to misalignment and control of the proper distance between the optical

Tattoo ink nanoparticles in skin tissue and fibroblasts

• Colin A. Grant,
• Peter C. Twigg,
• Richard Baker and
• Desmond J. Tobin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1183–1191, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.120

• repaired through the action of fibroblasts, ultimately laying down scar tissue. Over long periods of time the tattoo ink particles can be found to gradually move to the deeper dermis (i.e., reticular dermis), which gives the tattoo a faded and blurred appearance. Importantly, after tattoo ink insertion

• opportunity to visualise how tattoo ink particles may interact with dermal cells replicating the first moments following tattoo ink insertion in the skin. The AFM image of the fibroblast (Figure 7a) shows that the fixed cell is quite large, over 2 μm in height, therefore the small ink nanoparticles are

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

• that can be stored during this process is therefore limited and the capacities of positive insertion-type and intercalation-type electrode materials are around 120–180 mAh/g. Employing graphite as a negative electrode (372 mAh/g), the theoretical energy densities of single cells for current Li-ion

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

• in order to increase the available surface for insertion or conversion reactions. To ensure the mechanical stability of the electrode, binder has to be added, which in turn is not without consequences for the electrochemical properties of the batteries. Therefore the nano- and micrometer-scale

• simulations the determination of Gibbs free energies, entropies and insertion properties (e.g., kinetic barriers, chemical potential of adsorbed species, solvation energies) are obtained. The relation of these quantities to the actual heat production has to be derived from systematic thermodynamic theories

Synergic combination of the sol–gel method with dip coating for plasmonic devices

• Cristiana Figus,
• Maddalena Patrini,
• Francesco Floris,
• Lucia Fornasari,
• Paola Pellacani,
• Gerardo Marchesini,
• Andrea Valsesia,
• Flavia Artizzu,
• Daniela Marongiu,
• Michele Saba,
• Franco Marabelli,
• Andrea Mura,
• Giovanni Bongiovanni and
• Francesco Quochi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 500–507, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.52

• requires a chemically stable and optically tunable, dielectric platform, which should be properly functionalized: given these requirements, the silica layer coating represents a highly suitable method. However, the insertion of a silica layer between a plasmonic metal surface and a target molecule is not

Mammalian cell growth on gold nanoparticle-decorated substrates is influenced by the nanoparticle coating

• Christina Rosman,
• Sebastien Pierrat,
• Marco Tarantola,
• David Schneider,
• Eva Sunnick,
• Andreas Janshoff and
• Carsten Sönnichsen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2479–2488, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.257

• nanoparticle infiltration into a tissue lesion or by insertion of nanoparticle patterned implants. This can potentially influence cell migration, which has implications in wound healing [13]. Recently, a study by Yang et al. tracked the migration behavior of prostate carcinoma cells (PC3, epithelial) and human

Liquid-phase exfoliated graphene: functionalization, characterization, and applications

• Mildred Quintana,
• Jesús Iván Tapia and
• Maurizio Prato

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2328–2338, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.242

• anions of Ru4POM in the charged functional moieties by complementary electrostatic interactions were introduced. Comparing the insertion of a shorter moiety by the diazonium arylation reaction with the positively charged dendrons attached by the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition described before, we confirmed

Influence of the supramolecular architecture on the magnetic properties of a Dy^III single-molecule magnet: an ab initio investigation

• Julie Jung,
• Olivier Cador,
• Kevin Bernot,
• Fabrice Pointillart,
• Javier Luzon and
• Boris Le Guennic

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2267–2274, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.236

• embedded in its crystalline matrix does not behave as an isolated object. This sensitivity of SMM to their environment makes their insertion into devices [13][14][15] trickier than expected. If SMM are considered for quantum information processing [16][17][18][19], supramolecular interactions are expected

In situ metalation of free base phthalocyanine covalently bonded to silicon surfaces

• Fabio Lupo,
• Cristina Tudisco,
• Federico Bertani,
• Enrico Dalcanale and
• Guglielmo G. Condorelli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2222–2229, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.231

• of a flat substrate the proposed strong surface interaction of the fraction of 1-Pc lying down close the substrate prevents an efficient insertion of Co in the Pc ring, whilst in the case of porous samples, less strong surface interactions allow for a more efficient metalation. Further information

Photodetectors based on carbon nanotubes deposited by using a spray technique on semi-insulating gallium arsenide

• Domenico Melisi,
• Maria Angela Nitti,
• Marco Valentini,
• Antonio Valentini,
• Teresa Ligonzo,
• Giuseppe De Pascali and
• Marianna Ambrico

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1999–2006, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.208

• with subsequent reduction of the forward current. Then evidently the insertion of the CNT layer improves the ohmic behaviour with respect to the ITO/GaAs interface and consequently the diode performance. The net photocurrents for negative bias of the devices in the vis–UV spectral region have been used

Cathode lens spectromicroscopy: methodology and applications

• T. O. Menteş,
• G. Zamborlini,
• A. Sala and
• A. Locatelli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1873–1886, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.198

• a well-collimated e-beam on the sample. In XPEEM operation, instead, the sample is illuminated by the monochromatized X-ray beam produced by the insertion device in the synchrotron ring. A photograph of the experimental apparatus is shown in Figure 4. Traces indicating the optical path of the

The influence of molecular mobility on the properties of networks of gold nanoparticles and organic ligands

• Edwin J. Devid,
• Paulo N. Martinho,
• M. Venkata Kamalakar,
• Úna Prendergast,
• Christian Kübel,
• Tibebe Lemma,
• Jean-François Dayen,
• Tia. E. Keyes,
• Bernard Doudin,
• Mario Ruben and
• Sense Jan van der Molen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1664–1674, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.177

• dithiolated conjugated molecules are allowed to form molecular bridges between neighboring nanoparticles [6][8]. Although molecular insertion cannot be driven to completeness for thermodynamic reasons [9][10], this protocol has proven successful in molecular electronics, e.g., by providing access to

On the structure of grain/interphase boundaries and interfaces

• K. Anantha Padmanabhan and
• Herbert Gleiter

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1603–1615, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.172

• embedded inside a solid matrix, the energy associated with the insertion of the atom cluster into the solid matrix also has to be included. Eshelby [8] has explained how this can be done in a quantitative manner by approximating the shape of the basic unit to an oblate spheroid. This will lead to an

• intensive. Such a computation will, however, result only in values for the above parameters for the atom cluster of oblate spheroid shape. But, in the real situation this cluster is embedded in a solid matrix. Eshelby [8] has already shown how such an insertion process modifies the important engineering

Magnesium batteries: Current state of the art, issues and future perspectives

• Rana Mohtadi and
• Fuminori Mizuno

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1291–1311, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.143

• highly reducing electrochemical environment remains a source of several challenges as explained in subsection 1.1 Aiming at overcoming these, magnesium ion insertion anodes have been recently proposed and demonstrated. These are explained in subsection 1.2. 1.1 The magnesium metal anode When discussing

• that crystals growth of deposited magnesium is determined by the thermodynamic stability and the diffusion rates of Mg ions. 1.2 Magnesium ion insertion anodes In order to overcome limitations of the electrolytes induced by their reactivity with the magnesium metal, insertion type anodes were proposed

• as one potential solution. As described below, magnesium insertion anodes did offer the opportunity of using electrolytes made from magnesium ionic salts in polar aprotic solvents. However, they are currently faced with challenges caused by extremely sluggish magnesium insertion/extraction kinetics

Model systems for studying cell adhesion and biomimetic actin networks

• Dorothea Brüggemann,
• Johannes P. Frohnmayer and
• Joachim P. Spatz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1193–1202, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.131

• molar affinity of talin to lipid vesicles [77]. The insertion behaviour of talin into negatively charged lipid bilayers was investigated in more detail by the film balance method combined with fluorescence imaging. With this technique, Sackmann and co-workers showed that fluorescently labelled as well

Influence of particle size and fluorination ratio of CF_x precursor compounds on the electrochemical performance of C–FeF₂ nanocomposites for reversible lithium storage

• Ben Breitung,
• M. Anji Reddy,
• Venkata Sai Kiran Chakravadhanula,
• Michael Engel,
• Christian Kübel,
• Annie K. Powell,
• Horst Hahn and
• Maximilian Fichtner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 705–713, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.80

• ; enregy-related; graphite fluoride; lithium battery; iron fluoride; Introduction Lithium-ion batteries are key energy storage systems for portable and mobile electric devices. However, for applications that need high energy densities, current insertion-based lithium-ion batteries do not match the targets

• for such systems [1][2][3][4]. As a perspective, energy storage materials that are based on conversion reactions may offer high theoretical capacities and high theoretical energy densities for hydrogen storage and for electrochemical storage in batteries [5]. Compared to state-of-the-art insertion

• to 571 mAh/g [8]. This mainly results from a utilization of several oxidation states of the active metal that allows for a multi-electron process per redox step compared to only one-electron processes in the insertion materials [9][10][11]. An early example for conversion reactions in batteries was

A nano-graphite cold cathode for an energy-efficient cathodoluminescent light source

• Alexander N. Obraztsov,
• Victor I. Kleshch and
• Elena A. Smolnikova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 493–500, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.58

• vacuum electronic technologies, including outgasing with thermal annealing at about 400 °C and porous Ti getter insertion into the sealed device. Commercially available CL phosphor materials with the chemical composition ZnS CdS:CuAl for green lamps, Y2O2S:Eu for red lamps, and ZnS:Ag for blue lamps were

Grating-assisted coupling to nanophotonic circuits in microcrystalline diamond thin films

• Patrik Rath,
• Svetlana Khasminskaya,
• Christoph Nebel,
• Christoph Wild and
• Wolfram H.P. Pernice

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 300–305, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.33

• circuits with insertion loss of −5.0 dB. Our approach holds promise for transferring established silicon photonics technology to a diamond platform for applications in broadband optics and biological sensing. Results Fabrication of diamond photonic circuits Diamond provides a relatively high refractive

Functionalization of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes

• Eloise Van Hooijdonk,
• Carla Bittencourt,
• Rony Snyders and
• Jean-François Colomer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 129–152, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.14

• polymer-free region (Figure 19). Mechanical insertion of a VA-CNT forest in a spin-cast PM allows the best control of the penetration depth [145]. A post-treatment consisting of the attachment of nanoparticles in the polymer-free region can take place (as discussed in the previous section), the

Characterization of the mechanical properties of qPlus sensors

• Jan Berger,
• Martin Švec,
• Martin Müller,
• Martin Ledinský,
• Antonín Fejfar,
• Pavel Jelínek and
• Zsolt Majzik

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 1–9, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.1

• an optical microscope Leica DM LM prior to insertion into UHV. The horizontal resolution of this microscope with objective Leica N PLAN L 50× (NA 0.5) is at least 2 μm. The measured lengths and calculated stiffness values are listed in Table 1. By using the minimal resolution for the microscope, the

Synthesis and electrical characterization of intrinsic and in situ doped Si nanowires using a novel precursor

• Wolfgang Molnar,
• Alois Lugstein,
• Tomasz Wojcik,
• Peter Pongratz,
• Norbert Auner,
• Christian Bauch and
• Emmerich Bertagnolli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 564–569, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.65

• requires the modification of growth parameters, such as temperature and feed-gas composition, to achieve effective NW growth. Moreover the addition of the dopant species, and thus the expected insertion of B into the lattice of the Si-NW, also influences the morphology and crystal orientation. Nevertheless