Rigid multipodal platforms for metal surfaces

• Michal Valášek,
• Marcin Lindner and
• Marcel Mayor

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 374–405, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.34

• form monomolecular layers between both electrodes. In many cases, either self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) [23] or Langmuir–Blodgett films (LB) [24][25] of organic molecules on a solid surface provide the order at the molecular level inside the junction to accomplish interface functionalization. The

• with gold and that a covalent Au–S bond is formed [23][64]. This bond has a dissociation energy of around 2.1 eV (ca. 50 kcal·mol−1), which is large enough to ensure the thermal stability of thiol monolayers up to 80 °C [65]. Furthermore, it is stronger than the Au–Au bond with a dissociation energy of

• formation [63][70]. Although thiol monolayers have received considerable interest in the scientific community, the stability of these SAMs and the poor tolerability of Au in CMOS technology, considerably reduces the application potential. In particular, these organic films exhibit only moderate stability

Case studies on the formation of chalcogenide self-assembled monolayers on surfaces and dissociative processes

• Yongfeng Tong,
• Tingming Jiang,
• Azzedine Bendounan,
• Makri Nimbegondi Kotresh Harish,
• Angelo Giglia,
• Stefan Kubsky,
• Fausto Sirotti,
• Luca Pasquali,
• Srinivasan Sampath and
• Vladimir A. Esaulov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 263–277, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.24

• various applications such as catalysis, sensor development, hydrogen storage, thin films, and molecular electronics has focused on the study of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with different combinations of molecular architecture, and in particular, different molecule anchoring head groups. The latter

• chalcogenide self-assembled monolayers on surfaces and dissociative processes. Selenide synthesis; XPS spectra for selenium on nickel and tables of Se 3d peak positions; LEED images for Se on Ni(111); X-ray damage verification for selenophene. Acknowledgements T. Jiang and Y. Tong thank the Chinese

Influence of calcium on ceramide-1-phosphate monolayers

• Joana S. L. Oliveira,
• Gerald Brezesinski,
• Alexandra Hill and
• Arne Gericke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 236–245, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.22

• techniques as Brewster angle microscopy (BAM), infrared reflection–absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD). The isotherms indicate that C1P monolayers are in a condensed state in the presence of calcium ions, regardless of the pH. At higher pH without calcium ions, the

• the monolayer structure can be seen in the presence of a 150 times larger concentration of monovalent sodium ions. Therefore, calcium ions have clearly a strong affinity for the phosphomonoester of C1P. Keywords: calcium; ceramide-1-phosphate; Langmuir monolayers; phase behaviour; structural

• better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the described biological functions, Langmuir monolayers at the soft air/water interface are convenient model systems. They can be especially used to study interactions at membrane surfaces. By changing the subphase conditions, such as pH, ionic strength

Mismatch detection in DNA monolayers by atomic force microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

• Maryse D. Nkoua Ngavouka,
• Pietro Capaldo,
• Elena Ambrosetti,
• Giacinto Scoles,
• Loredana Casalis and
• Pietro Parisse

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 220–227, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.20

• differentiate devices read-out of fully and partially matching sequences. Results: We present here two platforms based on different sensing strategies, to detect mismatched and/or perfectly matched complementary DNA strands hybridization into ssDNA oligonucleotide monolayers. The first platform exploits atomic

• -assembled monolayers we followed in real-time the variation of capacitance, being able to distinguish, through the difference in hybridization kinetics, not only the presence of single, double or triple mismatches in the complementary sequence, but also the position of the mismatched base pair with respect

• microRNAs or in genomic DNA. Keywords: atomic force microscopy; DNA monolayers; electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; hybridization; mismatches; Introduction Most current technologies for genotyping and sequencing are based on DNA hybridization, exploiting the high grade of selectivity due to the unique

Characterisation of thin films of graphene–surfactant composites produced through a novel semi-automated method

• Nik J. Walch,
• Alexei Nabok,
• Frank Davis and
• Séamus P. J. Higson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 209–219, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.19

• to form stable monolayers on the water surface. Thin films of the above graphene composites were deposited onto different solid substrates, i.e., silicon, glass and gold-coated glass, using either electrostatic LbL or LB (LS) deposition techniques. SEM and AFM study showed that LB (or LS) films of

• spectrum of graphite (blue). Surface pressure/area isotherms of graphene(+)CTAB monolayers on the water surface. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 indicate consecutive compressions of the monolayer. AFM images of the same sample of a graphene(+)CTAB layer deposited onto a silicon substrate using the LS method: (a) 2D

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

• achieve this goal. In all these cases, these techniques such as high-resolution electron beam lithography [78][79], self-assembled molecular monolayers [77], spacer layer engineering via atomic layer deposition [45], self-assembly of metallic nanoparticles with DNA and other molecular binding units [46

• optical properties. As in the case of the nonlinear waveguide, the dielectric system does not manifest itself optically and thus does not allow for an accurate prediction of the nonlinear properties solely from the linear ones. The same holds for the nonlinear self-assembled monolayers on top of silver

• triangles [58]. Here, the monolayers are the source of the signal, rather than the silver triangles themselves. The main hurdle, however, is the weak nonlinearity of dielectrics when compared with noble metals, such as gold or silver. Nonlinear waveguides are thus a doubly smart choice, as the waveguide

Chemical bath deposition of textured and compact zinc oxide thin films on vinyl-terminated polystyrene brushes

• Nina J. Blumenstein,
• Caroline G. Hofmeister,
• Peter Lindemann,
• Cheng Huang,
• Johannes Baier,
• Andreas Leineweber,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Christof Wöll,
• Thomas Schimmel and
• Joachim Bill

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 102–110, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.12

• ][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]. In both cases, properties can be adjusted to match the requirements for different applications. Also the use of self-assembled monolayers (e.g., made from 1-thioacetato-16-(trichlorosilyl)hexadecane [34][35] or 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane [33]) and polyelectrolytes

Effects of electronic coupling and electrostatic potential on charge transport in carbon-based molecular electronic junctions

• Richard L. McCreery

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 32–46, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.4

• of molecules oriented between two conductors, with charge transport through the molecular layer. The vast majority of existing junction structures are based on metal/molecule bonding such as the Au/thiol self-assembled monolayers [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21], Langmuir–Blodgett films on metals

Controlled graphene oxide assembly on silver nanocube monolayers for SERS detection: dependence on nanocube packing procedure

• Martina Banchelli,
• Bruno Tiribilli,
• Roberto Pini,
• Luigi Dei,
• Paolo Matteini and
• Gabriella Caminati

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 9–21, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.2

• that although similar GO coverage was found for both systems, which leads to similar quantities of adsorbed probe, the morphology of the nanoparticle layer dictates the effective Raman enhancement behaviour. Results and Discussion Assembly of silver nanocube monolayers Silver nanocubes (AgNCs) were

• interface to obtain ordered floating monolayers, in addition we observed that the shape and position of π–A isotherms strongly depend on factors such as the time allowed for solvent evaporation before starting compression, the amount of substance spread at the interface and the compression speed. Careful

• optimization of these parameters generated reproducible isotherms up to π = 20 mN/m, compression beyond this value leads to unstable monolayers due to incipient collapse of the film and formation of 3D structure. A typical π–A isotherm for AgNCs is reported in Figure 1a together with the behaviour of the

Sub-monolayer film growth of a volatile lanthanide complex on metallic surfaces

• Hironari Isshiki,
• Jinjie Chen,
• Kevin Edelmann and
• Wulf Wulfhekel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2412–2416, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.248

• ) single crystal substrates were cleaned with a standard Ar sputtering and annealing processes in a separate preparation chamber. After annealing and cooling down to room temperature, the substrates were transferred to a molecule deposition chamber and were exposed to a molecule flow of ≈0.1 monolayers/s

Two step formation of metal aggregates by surface X-ray radiolysis under Langmuir monolayers: 2D followed by 3D growth

• Smita Mukherjee,
• Marie-Claude Fauré,
• Michel Goldmann and
• Philippe Fontaine

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2406–2411, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.247

• , results in a second growth regime of silver nanocrystals. Here the formation of the oriented thin layer is followed by the appearance of a 3D powder of silver clusters. Keywords: GIXD; Langmuir monolayers; silver clusters; TXRF; X-ray radiolysis; Introduction Formation of metal nanoclusters and

• times over the course of the 16 h irradiation period of Figure 1. During the first 30 min of irradiation, the evolution previously measured at the LURE was recovered [4][8]. The two peaks (one in-plane at 14.38 nm−1 and one out-of-plane at 13.87 nm−1) assigned to the L2 phase of Langmuir monolayers of

Nanostructured surfaces by supramolecular self-assembly of linear oligosilsesquioxanes with biocompatible side groups

• Maria Nowacka,
• Anna Kowalewska and
• Tomasz Makowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2377–2387, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.244

• made of small molecule self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) [3][14][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] and self-assembled polymer monolayers (PSAMs) [12][31][32][33] are thus promising candidates for such purpose-tailored bioengineering tools. The structure of the SAMs and PSAMs strongly depends on the

• operating mechanism of adsorption [34][35]. These two types of monolayers can differ significantly due to conformational variabilities observed for macromolecular chains. On the other hand, PSAMs offer improved surface stability, ease in processing, unique chemical specificity and tunable surface energy [12

Self-organization of gold nanoparticles on silanated surfaces

• Htet H. Kyaw,
• Salim H. Al-Harthi,
• Azzouz Sellai and
• Joydeep Dutta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2345–2353, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.242

• -functionalized glass substrates. The as grown monolayers and films annealed in ultrahigh vacuum and air (600 °C) were studied by water contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. Results of this study

Surfactant-controlled composition and crystal structure of manganese(II) sulfide nanocrystals prepared by solvothermal synthesis

• Elena Capetti,
• Anna M. Ferretti,
• Vladimiro Dal Santo and
• Alessandro Ponti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2319–2329, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.238

• /broadening of the vinyl C–H stretching band can be ruled out since the latter can be observed in close-packed OlAc monolayers [47]. In summary, NCs prepared in the absence of amines show the presence of both stearic acid and stearate. Conversely, when stearic acid and an amine were present in the reaction

Orthogonal chemical functionalization of patterned gold on silica surfaces

• Francisco Palazon,
• Didier Léonard,
• Thierry Le Mogne,
• Francesca Zuttion,
• Céline Chevalier,
• Magali Phaner-Goutorbe,
• Éliane Souteyrand,
• Yann Chevolot and
• Jean-Pierre Cloarec

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2272–2277, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.233

• ] or other [27][28] self-assembled monolayers may provide a higher diversity of potential biomolecules to immobilize. Shorter spacer chains (e.g., short alkyl chains) may also be useful to immobilize the target as close to the metal surface (i.e., the maximum intensity of the evanescent field) as

Core-level spectra and molecular deformation in adsorption: V-shaped pentacene on Al(001)

• Anu Baby,
• He Lin,
• Gian Paolo Brivio,
• Luca Floreano and
• Guido Fratesi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2242–2251, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.230

• , which increases by 0.07 Å from g to B. Such an elongation occurs because the C1 orbital modifies from sp2 to sp3 hybridization, which results in a displacement of the valence electron density of C1 from the C1–C2 bond to the newly formed C1–Al bond, as recently discussed for self-assembled monolayers

Enhanced model for determining the number of graphene layers and their distribution from X-ray diffraction data

• Beti Andonovic,
• Abdulakim Ademi,
• Anita Grozdanov,
• Perica Paunović and
• Aleksandar T. Dimitrov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2113–2122, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.216

• copper films [3] and cutting open nanotubes [4]. The electrochemical approach is a proven low-cost method for a high-yield production of carbon-based nanostructures such as graphene [5][6]. Depending on the production procedure, graphene can be produced as a mixture of monolayers, bilayers and

• multilayers (3–10 monolayers) in form of flakes or flat sheets [7][8]. As the characterization protocol that usually follows after graphene production is an important activity, the ultimate aim of this study was to define a reliable model and thus provide a method for determining the number of graphene layers

The role of low-energy electrons in focused electron beam induced deposition: four case studies of representative precursors

• Rachel M. Thorman,
• Ragesh Kumar T. P.,
• D. Howard Fairbrother and
• Oddur Ingólfsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1904–1926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.194

Template-controlled mineralization: Determining film granularity and structure by surface functionality patterns

• Nina J. Blumenstein,
• Jonathan Berson,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Petia Atanasova,
• Johannes Baier,
• Joachim Bill and
• Thomas Schimmel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1763–1768, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.180

• monolayers with different chemical functionality. We demonstrate the template-modulated morphological properties of the growing film, as the surface functionality dictates the granularity of the growing film. This, in turn, is a key property influencing other film properties such as conductivity

• deposition. Two self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with amino or fluorinated functionality were used to control the structure, and therefore, the roughness of the deposited film. A possible mechanism is presented that explains the influence of the template on the film formation. Results and Discussion

• chemical functionality pattern of the substrate, where the chemical pattern acts as a template. A site-dependent granularity in mineralized ZnO-containing films is observed by self-assembly of nanoparticles during chemical bath deposition on patterned self-assembled monolayers. The influence of template

Imaging of carbon nanomembranes with helium ion microscopy

• André Beyer,
• Henning Vieker,
• Robin Klett,
• Hanno Meyer zu Theenhausen,
• Polina Angelova and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1712–1720, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.175

• (CNMs) prepared from aromatic self-assembled monolayers constitute a recently developed class of 2D materials. They are made by a combination of self-assembly, radiation-induced cross-linking and the detachment of the cross-linked SAM from its substrate. CNMs can be deposited on arbitrary substrates

• nanomembrane; helium ion microscopy; self-assembled monolayers; Introduction Carbon nanomembranes (CNMs) are extremely thin and homogeneous two-dimensional objects consisting of a monolayer of laterally cross-linked molecules. They are made by exposing a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of aromatic molecules

Continuum models of focused electron beam induced processing

• Milos Toth,
• Charlene Lobo,
• Vinzenz Friedli,
• Aleksandra Szkudlarek and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1518–1540, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.157

• the capillary, or Fa ≈ 5 × 105 monolayers per second (taking 1014 cm−2 as monolayer coverage). At a minimum, impingement rates of FEBIP molecules should be greater than the impingement rates of residual gases (at least one monolayer per second at a background pressure of 10−6 mbar). Of course, the

Formation of pure Cu nanocrystals upon post-growth annealing of Cu–C material obtained from focused electron beam induced deposition: comparison of different methods

• Aleksandra Szkudlarek,
• Alfredo Rodrigues Vaz,
• Yucheng Zhang,
• Andrzej Rudkowski,
• Czesław Kapusta,
• Rolf Erni,
• Stanislav Moshkalev and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1508–1517, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.156

• to obtain pure metal CVD films with the same resistivity as in a bulk material at deposition temperatures below 300 °C [35][36][37]. Recently, it was shown for condensed monolayers of Cu(hfac)2 (also Pt(hfac)2 and Pd(hfac)2) that electron-beam irradiation results in about 80 atom % of carbon content

• about 10 monolayers per second for Cu(hfac)2. The exposure parameters for Cu(hfac)2 for 1 µm × 1 µm square deposits were: dwell time of 1 µs, pixel distance of 0.4 nm, and frame repetitions varying from 100 to 1000 with refreshment times of 0.625 s. The beam current was 0.4 nA. This corresponds to doses

Atomic force microscopy as analytical tool to study physico-mechanical properties of intestinal cells

• Christa Schimpel,
• Oliver Werzer,
• Eleonore Fröhlich,
• Gerd Leitinger,
• Markus Absenger-Novak,
• Birgit Teubl,
• Andreas Zimmer and
• Eva Roblegg

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1457–1466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.151

• reflected in the cell mechanics, such as a higher elasticity values compared to Caco-2 cells. Moreover, it is reported that the density of epithelial cell monolayers impacts cell mechanics (as well as the dynamics) due to variations of compressive forces [49][50]. To deeper understand the obtained elastic

Enhanced fullerene–Au(111) coupling in (2√3 × 2√3)R30° superstructures with intermolecular interactions

• Michael Paßens,
• Rainer Waser and
• Silvia Karthäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1421–1431, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.147

• addition, hybrid fullerene–Au(111) surface states suggest partly covalent interactions. Keywords: adatom–vacancy mechanism; differential conductance; fullerene; Ising model; scanning tunnelling microscopy; Introduction Monolayers of close-packed fullerenes on metal surfaces belong to one of the most

• new light on the fullerene–Au(111) interface. Results and Discussion (2√3 × 2√3)R30° superstructures High-resolution STM offers the opportunity to study in detail the structure of molecular monolayers, including domains and their boundaries. In Figure 1 an overview STM image of a C60 monolayer

• of about 30 nm. Besides this, also cracks in the C60 monolayer were observed, which presumably were formed during the cooling down to 77 K, due to higher expansion coefficients of C60 monolayers compared to Au(111) [36][37]. A closer inspection of a characteristic region of sample A3 with stripes

PLGA nanoparticles as a platform for vitamin D-based cancer therapy

• Maria J. Ramalho,
• Joana A. Loureiro,
• Bárbara Gomes,
• Manuela F. Frasco,
• Manuel A. N. Coelho and
• M. Carmo Pereira

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1306–1318, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.135

• fixed with 10% TCA for 1 h at 4 °C. The cell monolayers were then washed and stained with 50 µL SRB dye for 30 min. The cells were subsequently washed repeatedly with 1% acetic acid to remove any unbound dye. The cells were air-dried and the protein-bound stain was solubilized with 10 mM Tris solution