High–low Kelvin probe force spectroscopy for measuring the interface state density

• Ryo Izumi,
• Masato Miyazaki,
• Yan Jun Li and
• Yasuhiro Sugawara

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 175–189, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.18

• of the effects of semiconductor interface states with high spatial resolution using high and low AC bias frequencies compared with the cutoff frequency of the carrier transfer between the interface and bulk states. Information on the energy spectrum of the interface state density is important for

• actual semiconductor device evaluation, and there is a need to develop a method for obtaining such physical quantities. Here, we propose high–low Kelvin probe force spectroscopy (high–low KPFS), an electrostatic force spectroscopy method using high- and low-frequency AC bias voltages to measure the

• interface state density inside semiconductors. We derive an analytical expression for the electrostatic forces between a tip and a semiconductor sample in the accumulation, depletion, and inversion regions, taking into account the charge transfer between the bulk and interface states in semiconductors. We

Frontiers of nanoelectronics: intrinsic Josephson effect and prospects of superconducting spintronics

• Anatolie S. Sidorenko,
• Horst Hahn and
• Vladimir Krasnov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 79–82, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.9

• , during the last four decades, the triumphal development of microelectronics and computers, based on traditional semiconductor chips, was enabled by the exponential growth of the number of transistors in chips and the shrinkage of the size of individual transistors, following the empirical Moore’s Law

• -workers (see [4][5] and references therein) has been investigated by many researchers [6][7][8]. The energy consumption of the SDT basic element is of the order of 10−19 J, corresponding to up to seven orders of magnitude less energy dissipation than that for their semiconductor analog, even when the

Gap-directed chemical lift-off lithographic nanoarchitectonics for arbitrary sub-micrometer patterning

• Chang-Ming Wang,
• Hong-Sheng Chan,
• Chia-Li Liao,
• Che-Wei Chang and
• Wei-Ssu Liao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 34–44, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.4

• -off lithography; gap; self-assembled monolayer; sub-micrometer; surface patterning; Introduction The development of lithographic techniques is crucial to the advancement of the electronics and semiconductor industry, the backbones of modern technology. Advances in photolithography have pushed the

• fabricated with inexpensive photomasks. With this technology, we foresee that the straightforward generation of versatile nanoscale patterns can further push the boundaries of CLL, and expand its applications in solving conventional biosensing, nanoelectronics, and semiconductor problems. Visualization of

Electrical and optical enhancement of ITO/Mo bilayer thin films via laser annealing

• Abdelbaki Hacini,
• Ahmad Hadi Ali,
• Nurul Nadia Adnan and
• Nafarizal Nayan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1589–1595, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.133

• Abdelbaki Hacini Ahmad Hadi Ali Nurul Nadia Adnan Nafarizal Nayan Laser and Semiconductor Technology Research Group, COR PDSR, Department of Physics and Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, Pagoh Educational Hub, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 84600 Pagoh, Johor, Malaysia

• resistivity follows for higher annealing energies. The resistivity variation can be explained by the behavior of the metal–semiconductor contact and the effect of laser annealing on the structural defects of the surface. The inclusion of a thin metal film with low resistivity and the reduction of grain

• -annealed ITO/Mo bilayer thin films. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Laser and Semiconductor Technology Research Group, and Microelectronics and Nanotechnology - Shamsuddin Research Centre (MiNT-SRC) for providing technical facilities for our work. Furthermore, the authors would like to

From a free electron gas to confined states: A mixed island of PTCDA and copper phthalocyanine on Ag(111)

• Alfred J. Weymouth,
• Emily Roche and
• Franz J. Giessibl

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1572–1577, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.131

• of one-dimensional quantum wells, our analysis shows that this state does not act as a free electron gas and that the features are instead localized above individual PTCDA molecules. Keywords: AFM; copper phthalocyanine; dI/dV; PTCDA; STM; Introduction Organic semiconductor devices typically

• include a metal–organic interface. At this interface, it is important to be able to modify the band structure to optimize the efficiency of a device [1]. One of the most successful methods to change the electronic structure of a molecular semiconductor device is to add a second molecular species either at

• low concentration as a dopant or at higher concentrations as a mixed layer [2]. Perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) is an organic molecule that has been investigated for its properties as an organic semiconductor and as a dye. It is straightforward to evaporate in vacuum and, at submonolayer

Photoelectrochemical water oxidation over TiO₂ nanotubes modified with MoS₂ and g-C₃N₄

• Phuong Hoang Nguyen,
• Thi Minh Cao,
• Tho Truong Nguyen,
• Hien Duy Tong and
• Viet Van Pham

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1541–1550, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.127

• ability. (i) TNAs only respond to ultraviolet (UV) light [22][23][24], and (ii) they exhibit fast carrier recombination [25]. Recently, the development of new heterojunction architectures through coupling TNAs with other semiconductor materials, especially low-bandgap semiconductors, led to a reduction of

• the required amounts of noble metals and materials such as CdS or ZnS [26][27][28][29]. There are many low-bandgap semiconductors that were coupled with TNAs, including MoS2, WS2, MoSe2, g-C3N4, Cu2O, and CuO. MoS2 is a semiconductor with a narrow bandgap (1.9 eV at room temperature) exhibiting unique

• spectroscopy (DRS) was carried out to measure the optical bandgap of the semiconductor materials through the Tauc method using the absorption coefficient α of the material, according to Equation 1 [42]: where h, ν, Eg, and B are the Planck constant, the frequency of the photon, the bandgap energy, and a

Non-stoichiometric magnetite as catalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of phenol and 2,6-dibromo-4-methylphenol – a new approach in water treatment

• Joanna Kisała,
• Anna Tomaszewska and
• Przemysław Kolek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1531–1540, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.126

• magnetite and maghemite are significantly different. Magnetite is a conductor (bandgap of 0.1 eV), while maghemite is a semiconductor (bandgap of approx. 2.0 eV) [12]. The unit cell parameter of magnetite is slightly larger (ca. 8.40 Å) than that of maghemite (ca. 8.34 Å). A combination of these properties

A TiO₂@MWCNTs nanocomposite photoanode for solar-driven water splitting

• Anh Quynh Huu Le,
• Ngoc Nhu Thi Nguyen,
• Hai Duy Tran,
• Van-Huy Nguyen and
• Le-Hai Tran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1520–1530, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.125

• reactions. As a wide-bandgap (ca. 3.2 eV) semiconductor, TiO2 is a promising photocatalyst for degrading a massive range of high-molecular-weight organic pollutants under UV radiation [1]. Because of high specific surface, nanoscale TiO2 as grains or tubes can absorb UV light more substantially than

Double-layer symmetric gratings with bound states in the continuum for dual-band high-Q optical sensing

• Chaoying Shi,
• Jinhua Hu,
• Xiuhong Liu,
• Junfang Liang,
• Jijun Zhao,
• Haiyan Han and
• Qiaofen Zhu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1408–1417, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.116

• complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes [13][14]. It has been shown that the HCG system can support the optical bound states in the continuum (BICs) [15][16][17][18]. BIC plays an important role in determining the characteristics of the radiative high-Q resonance [17]. However, there are fewer

LED-light-activated photocatalytic performance of metal-free carbon-modified hexagonal boron nitride towards degradation of methylene blue and phenol

• Nirmalendu S. Mishra and
• Pichiah Saravanan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1380–1392, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.114

• nature of the electronic transition within the semiconductor. The HBN exhibited an absorption edge at about 220 nm corresponding to a bandgap (Eg) of 5.2 eV, whereas the bandgap of MBN materials was found to be 3.68, 3.41, and 2 eV for MBN-25, MNB-50, and MBN-80, respectively. The material capability to

• MBN-80 thus demonstrates the enhanced electrochemical performance and lower charge transfer resistance. This mainly means an enhanced electron transfer from MBN-80 for a favourable visible light photocatalysis. Additionally, the capacitance of the electrical double layer generated at the semiconductor

Recent trends in Bi-based nanomaterials: challenges, fabrication, enhancement techniques, and environmental applications

• Vishal Dutta,
• Ankush Chauhan,
• Ritesh Verma,
• C. Gopalkrishnan and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1316–1336, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.109

• fabrication techniques and enhancement in Bi-based semiconductor photocatalysts. Various environmental applications, such as H2 generation and elimination of water pollutants, are also discussed in terms of semiconductor photocatalysis. Future developments will be guided by the uses, issues, and possibilities

• catalyze chemical processes and transform constantly recoverable solar energy into productive chemical energy [1]. Various semiconductor nanoparticles have been used as effective photocatalysts in essential photocatalytic applications such as wastewater treatment, water dissociation, and energy conversion

• electric field (IEF) between the layers. This electric field allows photogenerated charge carriers to be separated and moved effectively [17][18][19][20][21]. A range of visible-light-active Bi-based photocatalysts has lately raised curiosity among semiconductor photocatalysts. Bi3+ has a higher stability

Enhanced electronic transport properties of Te roll-like nanostructures

• E. R. Viana,
• N. Cifuentes and
• J. C. González

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1284–1291, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.106

• Earth’s crust and a well-known p-type and narrow-bandgap (≈0.35 eV at room temperature) semiconductor material. Tellurium is widely used in thermoelectric devices, piezoelectric devices, photoconductive devices, gas sensing, nonlinear optical devices, solar cells, photonic crystals, holographic recording

• ][27]. This model has been successfully used to analyze the electronic properties of single semiconductor NWs of different cross sections and materials such as ZnO [27], SnO2 [16][19], and GaAs [17][18][28]. In this case, the calculations were done using μh = gmL2/(VdsCox) and p = 1/(eρμh), where gm

• metallic-like character of some bulk crystals [34][40][41][42][43] and NWs [44] at high temperatures, revealed by a decrease in the electrical resistance as the temperature drops. This behavior is not observed in our material, which exhibits semiconductor behavior over the whole investigated temperature

Studies of probe tip materials by atomic force microscopy: a review

• Ke Xu and
• Yuzhe Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1256–1267, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.104

• future, such probes will enable previously unexplored conductivity measurements, such as measurements of semiconductor nanostructures or electrical conductivity on insulating substrates. Conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) can be used to characterize the electrical properties of semi-conductive

Rapid fabrication of MgO@g-C₃N₄ heterojunctions for photocatalytic nitric oxide removal

• Minh-Thuan Pham,
• Duyen P. H. Tran,
• Xuan-Thanh Bui and
• Sheng-Jie You

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1141–1154, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.96

• pollutants with light under ambient conditions [10]. Due to its unique properties, such as high chemical stability and low synthesis cost, graphitic carbon nitride has attracted considerable attention in the realm of environmental remediation [11][12][13]. It is an organic semiconductor that effectively

Recent advances in green carbon dots (2015–2022): synthesis, metal ion sensing, and biological applications

• Aisha Kanwal,
• Naheed Bibi,
• Sajjad Hyder,
• Arif Muhammad,
• Hao Ren,
• Jiangtao Liu and
• Zhongli Lei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1068–1107, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.93

• nanomaterials has proved to be useful for applications in a variety of disciplines, including chemical or biological sensing, bioimaging, drug delivery, photodynamic therapy, electrocatalysis, and photocatalysis, with advantages over commonly used semiconductor dots or conventional fluorescent probes such as

Spindle-like MIL101(Fe) decorated with Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles for enhanced degradation of chlortetracycline under visible-light irradiation

• Chen-chen Hao,
• Fang-yan Chen,
• Kun Bian,
• Yu-bin Tang and
• Wei-long Shi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1038–1050, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.91

• –metal charge transfer (LMCT). For this reason, these MOFs are considered as emerging semiconductor-like photocatalysts and attention is growing toward these materials [26][27][28][29]. In 2007, Garcia and coworkers have first reported photocatalytic degradation of phenol by using MOF-5 as a

• ][21][35]. However, pure phase MIL101(Fe), like most semiconductor photocatalysts, has inherent defects, such as low conductivity and high recombination efficiency of photogenerated electron–hole pairs [26][36]. To overcome these shortcomings, several strategies have been developed. One approach is to

• be improved by combining it with other suitable semiconductor materials to construct Z-scheme heterojunctions. Bismuth trioxide (Bi2O3), a metal oxide semiconductor with a bandgap of 2.8 eV, can be excited by visible light [43][44]. However, pure Bi2O3 exhibits poor photocatalytic activity due to the

Theoretical investigations of oxygen vacancy effects in nickel-doped zirconia from ab initio XANES spectroscopy at the oxygen K-edge

• Dick Hartmann Douma,
• Lodvert Tchibota Poaty,
• Alessio Lamperti,
• Stéphane Kenmoe,
• Abdulrafiu Tunde Raji,
• Alberto Debernardi and
• Bernard M’Passi-Mabiala

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 975–985, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.85

• zirconia will also create oxygen vacancies, although of different concentration due to the different oxidation states of Fe and Ni. Furthermore, O vacancies may be inadvertently introduced into semiconductors as a result of the processing conditions. For example, in a semiconductor manufacturing process

Solar-light-driven LaFe_xNi_1−xO₃ perovskite oxides for photocatalytic Fenton-like reaction to degrade organic pollutants

• Chao-Wei Huang,
• Shu-Yu Hsu,
• Jun-Han Lin,
• Yun Jhou,
• Wei-Yu Chen,
• Kun-Yi Andrew Lin,
• Yu-Tang Lin and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 882–895, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.79

• transmittance and suitable surface area for degrading methylparaben. Although Ti-doped catalyst was expected as a semiconductor to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency, pure LaFeO3 still revealed the better performance of methylparaben photodegradation than LaTi0.15Fe0.85O3 [28]. On the contrary, Garcia-Muñoz

Hierarchical Bi₂WO₆/TiO₂-nanotube composites derived from natural cellulose for visible-light photocatalytic treatment of pollutants

• Zehao Lin,
• Zhan Yang and
• Jianguo Huang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 745–762, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.66

• , respectively. Therefore, the EVB and ECB values of the TiO2 semiconductor are calculated to be 2.87 and −0.25 eV, and those of the Bi2WO6 semiconductor are 2.91 and 0.51 eV, respectively. Based on the results of the above photoelectrochemical characterizations and the scavenger experiments of the active

Direct measurement of surface photovoltage by AC bias Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Masato Miyazaki,
• Yasuhiro Sugawara and
• Yan Jun Li

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 712–720, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.63

• thermal drift between darkness and illumination. In the case of semiconductors, an electric field is screened on the scale of the Debye length LD [3], where kB is the Boltzmann constant, T is the temperature, ε0 is the vacuum permittivity, εr is the relative permittivity of the semiconductor, e is the

Revealing local structural properties of an atomically thin MoSe₂ surface using optical microscopy

• Lin Pan,
• Peng Miao,
• Anke Horneber,
• Alfred J. Meixner,
• Pierre-Michel Adam and
• Dai Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 572–581, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.49

• all Raman peaks. This is attributed to the fact that these vibrational modes possess large dipoles leading to a strong dipole–dipole interaction with the underlying h-BN. The MoSe2 monolayer used in our work is a direct-bandgap semiconductor and has a polar covalent bond (Mo–Se). The Raman peaks of

Influence of thickness and morphology of MoS₂ on the performance of counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells

• Lam Thuy Thi Mai,
• Hai Viet Le,
• Ngan Kim Thi Nguyen,
• Van La Tran Pham,
• Thu Anh Thi Nguyen,
• Nguyen Thanh Le Huynh and
• Hoang Thai Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 528–537, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.44

• with three types of crystal phase, that is, trigonal (1T), hexagonal (2H), and rhombohedral (3R). Considering electrocatalytic applications, the 1T metallic phase exhibits a higher catalytic activity than the 2H and 3R semiconductor phases [11][17]. Moreover, it is well known that the electrocatalytic

• modes, E2g (in plane) and A1g (out of plane), observed at 376 and 403 cm−1, respectively, are attributed to the 2H semiconductor phase [31][32][33]. The three first-order Raman modes, A1g, E2g, and E1g (288 cm–1), are attributed to vibrational modes of the S–Mo–S layer. Other well-known multiphonon

Zinc oxide nanostructures for fluorescence and Raman signal enhancement: a review

• Ioana Marica,
• Fran Nekvapil,
• Maria Ștefan,
• Cosmin Farcău and
• Alexandra Falamaș

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 472–490, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.40

• metal NPs through the creation of “hot spots”, small gaps between NPs (less than 10 nm), due to interparticle EM coupling under the incident light. Similarly, large field enhancements can arise around sharp tips and edges on the rough surface of NPs. The EM enhancement effects on semiconductor

• years due to important advantages that they offer, for example, good recyclability, long-term use, and cost effectiveness. For ultrasensitive detection of molecules, however, the SERS performance of standalone semiconductor substrates is too weak. Therefore, the development of hybrid nanomaterials based

• on semiconductors decorated with noble metals, or vice versa, has been proposed. These hybrid nanostructures show enhanced optical and electronic properties due to the coupling between the noble metal and the semiconductor [10][11][13]. Various fabrication techniques have been employed to develop

Selected properties of Al_xZn_yO thin films prepared by reactive pulsed magnetron sputtering using a two-element Zn/Al target

• Witold Posadowski,
• Artur Wiatrowski,
• Jarosław Domaradzki and
• Michał Mazur

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 344–354, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.29

• , it can be considered that for films deposited at X ≥ 50 mm, more Al3+ ions were successfully incorporated into the host lattice as the aluminium content increases (confirmed by the EDS results) and the Al2ZnO4 phase decreases (confirmed by the XRD results). ZnO is a wide-bandgap semiconductor with

The effect of metal surface nanomorphology on the output performance of a TENG

• Yiru Wang,
• Xin Zhao,
• Yang Liu and
• Wenjun Zhou

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 298–312, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.25

• surface. When the materials are separated, the positive and negative electrostatic charges on the materials will also be separated, resulting in a potential difference. The charge transfer strongly depends on the work functions of the two materials in contact, for example, metal–metal, semiconductor

• –semiconductor and semiconductor–metal contact pairs [14][15]. A semiconductor–metal contact can be described by the band diagram shown in Figure 1. The frictional electrical properties of materials depend on their work functions and Fermi levels [16][17]. The intermediate state in the bandgap can reduce the