Addition of Zn during the phosphine-based synthesis of indium phospide quantum dots: doping and surface passivation

• Natalia E. Mordvinova,
• Alexander A. Vinokurov,
• Oleg I. Lebedev,
• Tatiana A. Kuznetsova and
• Sergey G. Dorofeev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1237–1246, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.127

• non-doped QDs calculated from XRD is approximately 3.8 nm. For Mnom = 0.5 the diameter is 3.3 nm, for Mnom = 1 it is 2.6 nm, and for Mnom = 2 it is 2.4 nm, where Mnom is the Zn:In molar ratio in the reaction mass. In order to investigate the fine microstructure of the Zn/InP QDs, and in particular the

Magnetic properties of iron cluster/chromium matrix nanocomposites

• Arne Fischer,
• Robert Kruk,
• Di Wang and
• Horst Hahn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1158–1163, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.117

• treatment steps, i.e., quenching, annealing combined with plastic deformation, in order to obtain the multicomponent multiphase structures optimized for advanced structural and functional applications [1]. Besides the pathways used during the preparation of the alloys, their final nano- and microstructure

Tunable magnetism on the lateral mesoscale by post-processing of Co/Pt heterostructures

• Oleksandr V. Dobrovolskiy,
• Maksym Kompaniiets,
• Roland Sachser,
• Fabrizio Porrati,
• Christian Gspan,
• Harald Plank and
• Michael Huth

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1082–1090, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.109

• formed at different depths within the layered nano-stripe, as will be corroborated by a TEM inspection in the section devoted to the microstructure analysis. Summarizing this part, the following two effects are observed in the post-processed Co/Pt samples, namely (i) the development of hysteresis and (ii

• ) a reduction of the saturation field. To explain both effects, we next discuss the processes which take place in the deposits in the course of purification treatments. Purification mechanisms The as-deposited reference sample A has a nanogranular Co microstructure with inclusions of carbon and oxygen

• ferromagnet whose presence can explain both, the reduction of the saturation field as well as the appearance of a hysteresis loop in samples B and C. Microstructure analysis To get insight into the microstructure of the purified samples and to examine, whether the assumed CoPt L10 phase is indeed present in

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

• a suitable conductive support structure. For the Li/S8 and Li/O2 batteries, this means that significant complexity is added, as a series of transport steps and nucleation/decomposition processes take place that will depend on the morphology, microstructure and surface chemistry of the conductive

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

• microstructure of the electrodes. In recent years a theoretical structure emerges, which opens the possibility to establish a systematic modeling strategy from atomistic to continuum scale to capture and couple the relevant phenomena on each scale. We outline the building blocks for such a systematic approach

• and discuss in detail a rigorous approach for the continuum scale based on rational thermodynamics and homogenization theories. Our focus is on the development of a systematic thermodynamically consistent theory for thermal phenomena in batteries at the microstructure scale and at the cell scale. We

• cell scale are numerically solved in full 3D resolution. The complex very localized distributions of heat sources in a microstructure of a battery and the problems of mapping these localized sources on an averaged porous electrode model are discussed by comparing the detailed 3D microstructure-resolved

Electron-stimulated purification of platinum nanostructures grown via focused electron beam induced deposition

• Brett B. Lewis,
• Michael G. Stanford,
• Jason D. Fowlkes,
• Kevin Lester,
• Harald Plank and
• Philip D. Rack

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 907–918, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.94

• parameters during deposition. As the layer is extremely thin (a few monolayers) it can also be easily removed ex situ by with a brief focused ion beam etch. Microstructure Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the as-deposited and cured PtCx EBID patterns were taken to compare the microstructure

• ), and 5.06 nm (±0.80 nm) for as-deposited, 6 min, and 12 min purification patterns, respectively. In order to further characterize the microstructure development during purification, selected area electron diffraction patterns (SAED) were taken for an as-deposited and purified PtCx deposit as shown in

• microstructure and grain size of progressively purified material, six samples were prepared on 30 nm thick SiNx substrates for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging. The samples were deposited and purified using similar parameters reported above. The samples were purified to different times (and doses

Morphology control of zinc oxide films via polysaccharide-mediated, low temperature, chemical bath deposition

• Florian Waltz,
• Hans-Christoph Schwarz,
• Andreas M. Schneider,
• Stefanie Eiden and
• Peter Behrens

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 799–808, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.83

• the formation of crystalline ZnO [30]. Doping is carried out by the simple addition of the corresponding dopant salt to the deposition solution. In addition to doping, the microstructure of the resulting film, which involves the crystallite size as well as the morphology of the crystallites and the

Applications of three-dimensional carbon nanotube networks

• Manuela Scarselli,
• Paola Castrucci,
• Francesco De Nicola,
• Ilaria Cacciotti,
• Francesca Nanni,
• Emanuela Gatto,
• Mariano Venanzi and
• Maurizio De Crescenzi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 792–798, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.82

• nanotubes and to lesser extent of carbon fibers. Studies on the microstructure indicate that the assembly presents a marked variability in the tube external diameter and in the inner structure. We study the relationship between the observed microscopic properties and some potential applications. In

• temperature region of the quartz tube furnace. The CNT synthesis was carried out at a temperature of 900 °C, measured by an optical pyrometer. Microstructure investigation: The morphology of the CNT-sponges was examined with a field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM, Leo Supra 35) equipped

Mapping of elasticity and damping in an α + β titanium alloy through atomic force acoustic microscopy

• M. Kalyan Phani,
• Anish Kumar,
• T. Jayakumar,
• Walter Arnold and
• Konrad Samwer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 767–776, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.79

• microstructure, an electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) study was performed using a Zeiss SUPRA 55 Gemini field emission gun (FEG) scanning electron microscope (SEM) at an accelerating voltage of 20 kV, an aperture of 120 μm, a working distance of 16 mm, a tilt angle of 70° and a specimen–detector distance

• K that has the maximum volume fraction of the α-phase. The attenuation was found to be highest in the sample heat-treated at 1223 K that has the maximum amount of β-phase. The SHT at 1323 K is comprised of a single-phase α′ microstructure. Hence, the isotropic indentation modulus of the α′-phase can

• of Ti-6Al-4V specimens heat-treated at (a) 923 K; (b) 1123 K; (c) 1223 K for one hour followed by water quenching and (d) topography line-profile corresponding to the dotted line marked in (c). (a) Topography image and (b) a composite image showing typical microstructure in a Ti-6Al-4V specimen heat

Electroburning of few-layer graphene flakes, epitaxial graphene, and turbostratic graphene discs in air and under vacuum

• Andrea Candini,
• Nils Richter,
• Domenica Convertino,
• Camilla Coletti,
• Franck Balestro,
• Wolfgang Wernsdorfer,
• Mathias Kläui and
• Marco Affronte

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 711–719, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.72

• -pyrrolidinone by using bath sonication followed by centrifugation allowing for the separation of the discs from each other and from other types of microstructure [25]. The material was then dried in the form of powders, which were then deposited on a p-doped silicon wafer coated with 300 nm of oxide by an

Influence of grain size and composition, topology and excess free volume on the deformation behavior of Cu–Zr nanoglasses

• Daniel Şopu and
• Karsten Albe

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 537–545, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.56

• ]. The recent work of Chen et al. [8], supports Gleiter’s results on the structural model of a NG. The microstructure of a metallic nanoglass consisting of glassy grains and glass–glass interfaces has been experimentally revealed by electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering and positron

• -centered FI [0,0,12,0] because this polyhedron is known to be the key structural motif in amorphous Cu–Zr alloy, characterized by a high packing density [21] and high shear resistance [22]. For modeling the NG microstructure, a 2D array of columnar grains with a hexagonal cross section is used. The grains

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

• , affecting the microstructure homogeneity and the film thickness [23][24][25][26][27]. Moreover, a detailed optical study of the silica-coated plasmonic structure was performed. The sol was prepared using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as a silica precursor, water at pH 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, HCl (as a catalyst) and

• , which affects film wettability, and the sol dilution. This change in the contact angle is probably due to the modification of the silica microstructure induced by an increase of the ethanol concentration, which is also supported by the decrease of the refractive index values for films prepared from

A scanning probe microscope for magnetoresistive cantilevers utilizing a nested scanner design for large-area scans

• Tobias Meier,
• Alexander Förste,
• Ali Tavassolizadeh,
• Karsten Rott,
• Dirk Meyners,
• Roland Gröger,
• Günter Reiss,
• Eckhard Quandt,
• Thomas Schimmel and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 451–461, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.46

• Tobias Meier Alexander Forste Ali Tavassolizadeh Karsten Rott Dirk Meyners Roland Groger Gunter Reiss Eckhard Quandt Thomas Schimmel Hendrik Holscher Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen

• steps in microstructure technology, AFMs are often used for spot checks of the fabricated structures. However, as most AFMs are limited to a field of view of 100 × 100 μm2, they are only suitable for local imaging. Often, features of structural details will just not fit into this field of view. Optical

Exploiting the hierarchical morphology of single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotube films for highly hydrophobic coatings

• Francesco De Nicola,
• Paola Castrucci,
• Manuela Scarselli,
• Francesca Nanni,
• Ilaria Cacciotti and
• Maurizio De Crescenzi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 353–360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.34

• analysis (see Experimental section), we estimated the pore radius ρ and the bundle diameter d of the SWCNT and MWCNT random networks. The obtained results are reported in Table 1 together with the SWCNT microstructure area S and height h. However, in the case of MWCNT films, no microstructures were

• /MWCNT) and in reverse order (MWCNT/SWCNT), as shown in Figure 2. From SEM image analysis, we obtained the two film pore diameters, microstructure areas and heights, as reported in Table 1. In both cases, a self-assembly led to the formation of several huge microstructures as compared to the those of the

• in Table 1, may be interpreted on the basis of the microstructure characteristic dimensions S and h. In both the SWCNT/MWCNT and MWCNT/SWCNT samples the microstructure characteristic dimensions are comparable with those of lotus and rose micropapillae [2][3]. Nevertheless, in the latter the extrinsic

Tunable white light emission by variation of composition and defects of electrospun Al₂O₃–SiO₂ nanofibers

• Jinyuan Zhou,
• Gengzhi Sun,
• Hao Zhao,
• Xiaojun Pan,
• Zhenxing Zhang,
• Yujun Fu,
• Yanzhe Mao and
• Erqing Xie

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 313–320, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.29

• crystalline phase and microstructure of the composite nanofibers. Photoluminescence experiments indicated that the resulting white light emission can be tuned by the relative intensity of the individual spectral components, which are related to the individual defects such as: violet-blue emission from O

• mol %, that is, most of our diphasic gels are silica-rich, except Al8Si2. The cristobalite residues in the Al-rich Al8Si2 samples might be caused by Si contamination from the silicon substrates used during high-temperature calcination. Morphology and microstructure Figure 2a illustrates the morphology

• (Figure 2f). Further studies on the microstructure and morphology of the calcined composite nanofibers were conducted by TEM. Figure 3a shows the morphology of the Al4Si6 fibers. It can be seen that the fibers have diameters of about 100–200 nm with a coarse surface, which is consistent with the above SEM

Increasing throughput of AFM-based single cell adhesion measurements through multisubstrate surfaces

• Miao Yu,
• Nico Strohmeyer,
• Jinghe Wang,
• Daniel J. Müller and
• Jonne Helenius

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 157–166, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.15

• setup is to microstructure the surface such that it presents areas having different properties. Examples used for SCFS include: microstructured surfaces with two different polymers [34], different nanoscale groves [35] and the use of two different ECM proteins [36]. However, the equipment needed for

Influence of stabilising agents and pH on the size of SnO₂ nanoparticles

• Olga Rac,
• Patrycja Suchorska-Woźniak,
• Marta Fiedot and
• Helena Teterycz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2192–2201, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.228

• a viscosity of the continuous phase (water) of 0.891 mPa∙s. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM): Microstructure studies of the resulting tin oxide particles were made using an EM900 TEM (Zeiss, Germany). The samples were prepared by depositing drops of a suspension of SnO2 nanoparticles onto a

• materials research diffractometer. The samples were dried and heated at 450 °C for 15 min. Scanning electron microscope (SEM): Microstructure studies of the tin oxide particles were made using an LEO 435 VP scanning electron microscope (SEM) (Zeiss, Germany). The samples were dried and heated at 600 °C for

Nanocrystalline ceria coatings on solid oxide fuel cell anodes: the role of organic surfactant pretreatments on coating microstructures and sulfur tolerance

• Chieh-Chun Wu,
• Ling Tang and
• Mark R. De Guire

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1712–1724, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.181

• (IV) oxide; microstructure; organic self-assembled monolayers; solid oxide fuel cells; sulfur tolerance; Introduction Fuel cells convert chemical energy directly to electrical energy. Compared to conventional power sources, fuel cells offer higher efficiencies, lower emissions, modular installation

• were treated with surfactants prior to immersion in an aqueous precursor solution [27]. By this approach, a nanocrystalline ceria film was formed without further heat treatment. The thickness of the film and its morphology and distribution within the microstructure of the porous SOFC anode depended

• to resolve the phases of anode particles qualitatively and to investigate the microstructure changes. The chemical compositions of the anode were analyzed (QUANTAX Esprit 1.8 software) on EDXS maps taken over an area of 190 μm2 or greater. Cross-sectional images through the coated anodes were

Self-organization of mesoscopic silver wires by electrochemical deposition

• Sheng Zhong,
• Thomas Koch,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Harald Rösner,
• Eberhard Nold,
• Aaron Kobler,
• Torsten Scherer,
• Di Wang,
• Christian Kübel,
• Mu Wang,
• Horst Hahn and
• Thomas Schimmel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1285–1290, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.142

• removed from the substrate and subsequently rearranged on other substrates. The microstructure and chemical composition of the silver wires were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Figure 3a shows a typical bright-field TEM image of silver

Dry friction of microstructured polymer surfaces inspired by snake skin

• Martina J. Baum,
• Lars Heepe,
• Elena Fadeeva and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1091–1103, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.122

• microstructure investigated in this study was inspired by the anisotropic microornamentation of scales from the ventral body side of the California King Snake (Lampropeltis getula californiae). Frictional properties of snake-inspired microstructured polymer surface (SIMPS) made of epoxy resin were characterised

• in contact with a smooth glass ball by a microtribometer in two perpendicular directions. The SIMPS exhibited a considerable frictional anisotropy: Frictional coefficients measured along the microstructure were about 33% lower than those measured in the opposite direction. Frictional coefficients

• were compared to those obtained on other types of surface microstructure: (i) smooth ones, (ii) rough ones, and (iii) ones with periodic groove-like microstructures of different dimensions. The results demonstrate the existence of a common pattern of interaction between two general effects that

Functionalized nanostructures for enhanced photocatalytic performance under solar light

• Liejin Guo,
• Dengwei Jing,
• Maochang Liu,
• Yubin Chen,
• Shaohua Shen,
• Jinwen Shi and
• Kai Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 994–1004, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.113

• } facets as the reactive surfaces can accelerate the redox reactions. Therefore, nanosheet-based AgSbO3 photocatalysts showed a 1.8 times higher initial O2 evolution rate than AgSbO3 photocatalysts without the hierarchical structure under visible-light irradiation. Besides facet control, microstructure

• high crystallinity, high surface area and unique microstructure [63]. As the crystal size of the semiconductor is close to the exciton Bohr radius, its bandgap can be enlarged with a reduced crystal size due to the quantum confinement effect. Therefore, we have synthesized Co3O4 quantum dots (3–4 nm

Direct observation of microcavitation in underwater adhesion of mushroom-shaped adhesive microstructure

• Lars Heepe,
• Alexander E. Kovalev and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 903–909, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.103

• .; Gorb, S. N. Underwater adhesion of mushroom-shaped adhesive microstructure: An air-entrapment effect. In Biological and biomimetic adhesives: Challenges and opportunities; Santos, R.; Aldred, N.; Gorb, S. N.; Flammang, P., Eds.; The Royal Society of Chemistry: Cambridge, U.K., 2013; pp 65–71] rather

Measuring air layer volumes retained by submerged floating-ferns Salvinia and biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces

• Matthias J. Mayser,
• Holger F. Bohn,
• Meike Reker and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 812–821, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.93

• submerged to fast. Air volumes on Salvinia leaves The air volumes held by four different Salvinia species were more variable due to the more complex surface microstructure (see Figure 4) and great differences in leaf surface area which ranged from 44 ± 8 mm2 for S. minima up to 1388 ± 149 mm2 for S

• these differences can be explained by the volume occupied by the trichomes themselves and by the sagging of the air water interface between the hairs. Since the surface microstructure of the Salvinia leaves is less well defined than in the wafer replicas, these volumes are difficult to measure but can

The surface microstructure of cusps and leaflets in rabbit and mouse heart valves

• Xia Ye,
• Bharat Bhushan,
• Ming Zhou and
• Weining Lei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 622–629, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.73

• Photonics Fabrication, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang Jiangsu 212013, China 10.3762/bjnano.5.73 Abstract In this investigation, scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the microstructure on the surfaces of animal heart valve cusps/leaflets. The results showed that though these surfaces appear

• smooth to the naked eye, they are actually comprised of a double hierarchical structure consisting of a cobblestone-like microstructure and nano-cilia along with mastoids with a directional arrangement. Such nanostructures could play a very important role in the hemocompatibility characteristics of heart

• valves. On this basis, the model of the microstructure was constructed and theoretical analysis was used to obtain optimal geometric parameters for the rough surface of artificial valve cusps/leaflets. This model may help improve reconstructive techniques and it may be beneficial in the design and

Hairy suckers: the surface microstructure and its possible functional significance in the Octopus vulgaris sucker

• Francesca Tramacere,
• Esther Appel,
• Barbara Mazzolai and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 561–565, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.66

• suction muscles stop contracting, the maintenance of the low pressure at the interface is guaranteed by the closure of the orifice [5]. This mechanism would allow the octopus to perform an efficient attachment for a long period of time with minimal energy consumption. A specialised microstructure, as

• recently shown for clingfish [3] and abalone molluscs [6], might play an important watertight role in this minimal energy consumption hypothesis [5]. For studying this, we used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at high resolution to explore the microstructure of different octopus sucker surfaces

• network of interconnected channels are instead fundamental for increasing the adhesion area subjected to the suction. Due to the presence of a particular surface microstructure, an octopus can maintain attachment for long periods of time without muscular effort and thus without energy expenditure. This