Bulk chemical composition contrast from attractive forces in AFM force spectroscopy

• Dorothee Silbernagl,
• Media Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani,
• Natalia Cano Murillo,
• Anna Maria Elert and
• Heinz Sturm

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 58–71, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.5

• two inorganic materials, glass and boehmite (γ-AlOOH), with up to four (epoxy) and three (boehmite) different sample–tip pairings. We also have a very strong indication that this parameter has a certain sensitivity for subsurface structures (model sample epoxy/PC). Consequently, by sensing into some

Application of contact-resonance AFM methods to polymer samples

• Sebastian Friedrich and
• Brunero Cappella

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1714–1727, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.154

• the 100 nm film is smaller than on the 25 nm thick film. This is due to the shielding effect of the thicker polymer film, preventing the tip from “sensing” the substrate and making the sample less stiff [31]. Yet, after ca. 80 s, a larger amount of polymer surrounds the tip and the contact area

Seebeck coefficient of silicon nanowire forests doped by thermal diffusion

• Shaimaa Elyamny,
• Elisabetta Dimaggio and
• Giovanni Pennelli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1707–1713, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.153

• fabricate large numbers of nanowires with high aspect ratio, perpendicular to a silicon substrate, that is, so-called silicon nanowire (SiNW) forests. The process is very suitable for the large-scale fabrication of nanostructured devices useful for several applications, such as sensing, photovoltaics

Cardiomyocyte uptake mechanism of a hydroxyapatite nanoparticle mediated gene delivery system

• Hiroaki Komuro,
• Masahiro Yamazoe,
• Kosuke Nozaki,
• Akiko Nagai and
• Tetsuo Sasano

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1685–1692, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.150

• the presence than in the absence of HAp (Figure 5). Extracellular calcium ions are proposed to act as a stimulant for triggering macropinocytosis in macrophages and neurons [25][36]. The extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is expressed in cardiomyocytes as well as in various other cells [37

Piezoelectric sensor based on graphene-doped PVDF nanofibers for sign language translation

• Shuai Yang,
• Xiaojing Cui,
• Rui Guo,
• Zhiyi Zhang,
• Shengbo Sang and
• Hulin Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1655–1662, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.148

• correlation between temperature and signal can be used to avoid burns. The integrated sensing system based on multiple PESs can accurately recognize the action of each finger in real time, which can be effectively applied in sign language translation. PES-based motion-tracking applications have been

• interactions between humans and machines, the indispensability of external power sources greatly narrow their application scopes [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. Piezoelectric sensors generate self-responsive electrical signals based on external mechanical forces. As a self-powered sensing system

• , piezoelectric sensors show potential in wearable sensing applications [19][36][37][38][39][40][41]. However, traditional piezoelectric sensor devices such as piezoelectric ceramics have disadvantages in detecting bending, and their detection stability and measurement range need to be improved [18][42][43][44

Selective detection of complex gas mixtures using point contacts: concept, method and tools

• Alexander P. Pospelov,
• Victor I. Belan,
• Dmytro O. Harbuz,
• Volodymyr L. Vakula,
• Lyudmila V. Kamarchuk,
• Yuliya V. Volkova and
• Gennadii V. Kamarchuk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1631–1643, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.146

• unique properties of Yanson point contacts used as the sensing elements. The quantum properties of Yanson point contacts enable the solution of some of the problems that could not be solved using conventional sensors measuring conductance. In the present paper, we demonstrate this by showing the

• point contacts [4], used as the sensing elements. Spectral studies clearly demonstrate the fundamental difference between Yanson point contacts and traditional electrical contacts. The latter normally behave as bulk conductors of electric current without spectral properties. In contrast, Yanson point

• ][5]. The density of the primary nanostructured sensing elements in the sensor matrix was between 5 × 104 and 6 × 104 Yanson point contacts per square millimeter of the observable surface. The mesoscopic point-contact sensor matrix has a small integrated source of energy, which is manufactured with a

A self-powered, flexible ultra-thin Si/ZnO nanowire photodetector as full-spectrum optical sensor and pyroelectric nanogenerator

• Liang Chen,
• Jianqi Dong,
• Miao He and
• Xingfu Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1623–1630, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.145

• light from ultraviolet to near-infrared have attracted widespread attention in recent years for a variety of applications in industry and technology, such as optical sensing/communication, environmental monitoring, biomedicine, and the “internet of things” [1][2][3][4]. Especially full-spectrum PDs

• full-spectrum optical sensing or optical communication. Powering external circuits as a PENG In structure design of the device, ultra-thin (45 μm) p-Si is prepared by isotropic chemical etching to fabricate flexible electronic devices and enhance the performance of the PDs. The structure diagram of a

• that the p-Si/n-ZnO NWs heterojunction device not only can realize self-powered full-spectrum (UV–visible–NIR) optical sensing but can also serve as a power source (PENG) transforming thermal energy into electrical energy to power other loads. Conclusion We have fabricated a high-performance self

Walking energy harvesting and self-powered tracking system based on triboelectric nanogenerators

• Mingliang Yao,
• Guangzhong Xie,
• Qichen Gong and
• Yuanjie Su

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1590–1595, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.141

• ][23], rotation [24][25][26][27], sound wave [28], air flow [29][30][31], water wave, and rain drops [32][33][34]. Furthermore, since they are able to convert mechanical motion into electrical energy, TENGs have been widely used to successfully construct reliable self-powered sensing systems with an

• , including men, women and children. In addition, integrated with six sensing channels along a public aisle, a self-powered location-tracking system was constructed for pedestrian volume counting and passenger tracing. This work paves the way for the application of triboelectric sensors in intelligent cities

Optically and electrically driven nanoantennas

• Monika Fleischer,
• Dai Zhang and
• Alfred J. Meixner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1542–1545, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.136

• , Germany 10.3762/bjnano.11.136 Keywords: active plasmonics; electrically driven nanoantenna; gap antenna; nanoantenna; nanofabrication; nanospectroscopy; nano-photonics; optical antenna; second harmonic generation; sensing; scanning tip; surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA); surface-enhanced Raman

• or TERS) [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15], as well as for (bio-)sensing applications [16][17][18]. The integration of nanoantennas can lead to enhanced functionality for optoelectronic devices, nano-light sources, light amplification, or hybrid systems in combination with nanoemitters or two

• ultrahigh sensitivity sensing the central feature for tightly confining and enhancing the optical near-field is a narrow gap between two metallic nanoparticles or tips. Creating such gaps to obtain a controlled distribution of hotspots, for example, on a chip, is no trivial task. This has been pursued using

Self-assembly and spectroscopic fingerprints of photoactive pyrenyl tectons on hBN/Cu(111)

• Domenik M. Zimmermann,
• Knud Seufert,
• Luka Ðorđević,
• Tobias Hoh,
• Sushobhan Joshi,
• Tomas Marangoni,
• Davide Bonifazi and
• Willi Auwärter

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1470–1483, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.130

• ; Introduction Atomic-level control of molecular materials at interfaces is crucial to fully exploit the materials’ potential in electronic, optoelectronic, spintronic, and sensing applications [1][2]. Specifically, the effects of adsorption, conformation, and supramolecular organization on the resulting

• anchor for noncovalent functionalization, e.g., to develop graphene platforms to be used in sensing applications [65][66][67] and to employ hBN monolayers for capturing aromatic organic pollutants [68]. On bulk insulators, it was, for instance, demonstrated how the optical properties of an adsorbed

Wafer-level integration of self-aligned high aspect ratio silicon 3D structures using the MACE method with Au, Pd, Pt, Cu, and Ir

• Mathias Franz,
• Romy Junghans,
• Paul Schmitt,
• Adriana Szeghalmi and
• Stefan E. Schulz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1439–1449, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.128

• metal–insulator–semiconductor or metal–insulator–metal capacitors with a high effective area on a small footprint. The high surface area of a silicon nanowire array can be used to fabricate ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs) with a high signal-to-noise ratio. An ISFET is a pH sensing

• platform and can be adapted to detect biomolecules [9]. Silicon nanowires are used as template for cancer sensors. The nanowires are implemented as gate in integrated sensing FETs [10][11]. A wide range of chemical sensors and biosensors benefit from porous silicon structures [12]. All these presented

Triboelectric nanogenerator based on Teflon/vitamin B1 powder for self-powered humidity sensing

• Liangyi Zhang,
• Huan Li,
• Yiyuan Xie,
• Jing Guo and
• Zhiyuan Zhu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1394–1401, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.123

• -emitting diodes (LEDs) integrated in the TVB-TENG system. The TVB-TENG proposed in this study illustrates a cost-effective method for portable power supply and sensing devices. Keywords: humidity sensor; self-powered system; triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs); triboelectrification; vitamin B1

• ; Introduction Recently, there has been unprecedented advancement in the internet of things (IoT) technology, which includes environmental monitoring and intelligent community applications. Particularly, humidity sensing has been investigated in environmental monitoring, and in other sectors, such as agriculture

• for humidity sensing is hindered by the high costs involved in their complex production and the high facility costs for particular manufacturing process. Thus, intensive research is required for the design of TENGs based on commercially available, cost-effective and feasible materials. Furthermore

An atomic force microscope integrated with a helium ion microscope for correlative nanoscale characterization

• Santiago H. Andany,
• Gregor Hlawacek,
• Stefan Hummel,
• Charlène Brillard,
• Mustafa Kangül and
• Georg E. Fantner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1272–1279, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.111

• integration. Keywords: atomic force microscopy (AFM); combined setup; correlative microscopy; helium ion microscopy (HIM); self-sensing cantilevers; Introduction Shortly after the invention of the atomic force microscope (AFM) in 1986 [1], efforts were made towards combining this scanning probe microscopy

• correlative imaging on electrically insulating samples. In this first attempt, the readout of cantilever deflection was achieved using the electron beam itself. Shortly after, better performing combined setups were described utilizing more conventional self-sensing [5] and optical [6] techniques for the

• seamlessly between the pole piece and the sample. The assembly is made from grade-5 titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) and the three axes of motion are actuated by stack-piezo actuators, offering an achievable scan range of 30 × 30 × 12 µm. The reported AFM uses a self-sensing readout for measuring cantilever deflection

Ultrasensitive detection of cadmium ions using a microcantilever-based piezoresistive sensor for groundwater

• Dinesh Rotake,
• Anand Darji and
• Nitin Kale

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1242–1253, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.108

• disadvantages during operation in water when the refractive index of water changes [30][31]. Many authors have proposed electrode-based approaches for the selective sensing of Cd(II) [32], but the limits of detection were always in the micromolar to nanomolar ranges. Some of the authors used fluorescent [5][33

• it also requires a lab instrument for measurement. We have previously investigated SAMs of homocysteine (HCys) and pyridinedicarboxylic acid (PDCA) for the selective sensing of Hg(II) ions using a portable piezoresistive platform [39][40]. Experimental results confirmed that proposed setup is capable

• of sensing in the picomolar range. In this paper, we have used the previously designed portable piezoresistive platform for the selective capture Cd(II) in the picomolar range. Preliminary results show that the fabricated device has an excellent response within 20–23 minutes with 0.56 ng/mL (2.78 pM

Applications of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in drug and therapeutic delivery, and biotechnological advancements

• Maria Suciu,
• Corina M. Ionescu,
• Alexandra Ciorita,
• Septimiu C. Tripon,
• Dragos Nica,
• Hani Al-Salami and
• Lucian Barbu-Tudoran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1092–1109, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.94

• on the environment. Many nanoparticles showed great potential and proved their utility in biology and medicine. There are multiple types of nanoparticles routinely used in biology and related sciences for sensing, targeting or imaging, including quantum dots for fluorescence applications and electron

• been extensively examined regarding biocompatibility, targeted or intended cytotoxicity (ferroptosis), local hyperthermia treatments, photothermal or photodynamic therapy, and MRI. Also, there are increasingly more studies reporting on combinations with in vivo fluorescence imaging, sensing and

Highly sensitive detection of estradiol by a SERS sensor based on TiO₂ covered with gold nanoparticles

• Andrea Brognara,
• Ili F. Mohamad Ali Nasri,
• Beatrice R. Bricchi,
• Andrea Li Bassi,
• Caroline Gauchotte-Lindsay,
• Matteo Ghidelli and
• Nathalie Lidgi-Guigui

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1026–1035, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.87

• (SERS); TiO2 nanostructures; Introduction Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) as a sensing tool requires the optimization of a surface and its functionalization. The surface should provide a good enhancement over a large range of wavelengths, to detect molecules with various fingerprints, while it

Gas-sensing features of nanostructured tellurium thin films

• Dumitru Tsiulyanu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1010–1018, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.85

• Dumitru Tsiulyanu CIMAN Research Centre of Department of Physics, Technical University, bul. Dacia 41, MD-2060 Chisinau, Moldova 10.3762/bjnano.11.85 Abstract Nanocrystalline and amorphous nanostructured tellurium (Te) thin films were grown and their gas-sensing properties were investigated at

• were interpreted in terms of an increase in disorder (amorphization), leading to an increase in the surface chemical activity of chalcogenides, as well as an increase in the active surface area due to substrate porosity. Keywords: gas-sensing properties; NO2; tellurium thin films; nanocrystalline

• development of thin films in chemical-sensing applications, especially for toxic gas sensing. Szaro [4] pioneered the studies regarding the effects of oxygen and nitrogen, diluted in either dry or wet air, on the electrical properties of Te films. The results showed an increase in the hole concentration

Band tail state related photoluminescence and photoresponse of ZnMgO solid solution nanostructured films

• Vadim Morari,
• Aida Pantazi,
• Nicolai Curmei,
• Vitalie Postolache,
• Emil V. Rusu,
• Marius Enachescu,
• Ion M. Tiginyanu and
• Veaceslav V. Ursaki

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 899–910, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.75

• photodetectors developed on ZnMgO films, including correlations between PL and sensing properties, is in progress in our laboratory, but the results will be published in a separate paper. Conclusion The results of this study demonstrate the preparation of ZnMgO thin films by spin-coating on Si substrates with

Simulations of the 2D self-assembly of tripod-shaped building blocks

• Łukasz Baran,
• Wojciech Rżysko and
• Edyta Słyk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 884–890, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.73

• problems in the chemical industry such as gas storage, chemical sensing, and drug delivery [1][2][3]. Thus, this field has very recently gained particular interest in both experimental and theoretical studies, which was followed by a vast amount of papers devoted to investigating these phenomena. Thanks to

Hexagonal boron nitride: a review of the emerging material platform for single-photon sources and the spin–photon interface

• Stefania Castelletto,
• Faraz A. Inam,
• Shin-ichiro Sato and
• Alberto Boretti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 740–769, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.61

• , quantum computation, and quantum sensing. Their integration in photonic structures such as photonic crystals, microdisks, microring resonators, and nanopillars is essential for their deployment in quantum technologies. While there are currently only two material platforms (diamond and silicon carbide

• applications, such as quantum information science [1], quantum sensing [2], quantum cryptography [3], and quantum computing [4][5]. After the discovery and assessment of their quantum properties, some of these defects became prominent examples of material platforms for quantum photonics [6][7][8][9][10] and

• in diamond is currently the preferred platform for implementing quantum sensing and quantum computing approaches, the recent emergence of other interesting color centers in diamond itself [16][30][31] and in other materials indicates that indeed NV is not optimal for many applications, neither it is

Soybean-derived blue photoluminescent carbon dots

• Shanshan Wang,
• Wei Sun,
• Dong-sheng Yang and
• Fuqian Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 606–619, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.48

• wavelength [7], and low cost [8]. CDs have been considered as a group of important nanomaterials with potential applications in nanotechnology [9], electrocatalysis [10], metal-ion detection [2], thermal sensing [11], drug delivery [12], and biosensing and bioimaging [1]. Several methods are available for

Luminescent gold nanoclusters for bioimaging applications

• Nonappa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 533–546, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.42

• emerged as attractive candidates for sensing, catalysis and bioimaging applications in recent years. For practical use in bioimaging, nanomaterials with high photoluminescence, quantum yield, photostability and large Stokes shifts are needed. While offering high photoluminescence and quantum yield

• optoelectronic properties make them suitable for bioimaging and biosensing applications. In this review, an overview of the sensing of pathogens, and of in vitro and in vivo bioimaging using luminescent gold nanoclusters along with the limitations with selected examples are discussed. Keywords: bioimaging

• complexes primarily rely on chelation of metal ions with carboxylic groups, therefore the diversity of ligand design is limited. The discovery of green fluorescent protein (GFP) led to remarkable progress in bioimaging including protein quantification, tracking, sensing as well as imaging various

Multilayer capsules made of weak polyelectrolytes: a review on the preparation, functionalization and applications in drug delivery

• Varsha Sharma and
• Anandhakumar Sundaramurthy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 508–532, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.41

• Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu 603203, India 10.3762/bjnano.11.41 Abstract Multilayer capsules have been of great interest for scientists and medical communities in multidisciplinary fields of research, such as drug delivery, sensing, biomedicine

Nanoarchitectonics: bottom-up creation of functional materials and systems

• Katsuhiko Ariga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 450–452, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.36

• [14][15], sensing [16][17], catalysis [18], energy [19], environmental [20], devices [21][22], and bio-related [23][24] applications. Accordingly, the goal of the thematic issue “Nanoarchitectonics: bottom-up creation of functional materials and systems” was to collect leading research examples that

Formation of nanoripples on ZnO flat substrates and nanorods by gas cluster ion bombardment

• Xiaomei Zeng,
• Vasiliy Pelenovich,
• Bin Xing,
• Rakhim Rakhimov,
• Wenbin Zuo,
• Alexander Tolstogouzov,
• Chuansheng Liu,
• Dejun Fu and
• Xiangheng Xiao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 383–390, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.29

• of semiconductor quantum dots [2]. Arrays of metallic nanoparticles or nanowires aligned on dielectric surfaces with nanoripples are ideal for research on plasmonics [3]. Ag nanoparticle arrays created on rippled silicon surfaces have demonstrated excellent sensing of molecules through surface

• , suggesting a small influence of the sort of material or the crystal orientation of the substrate on the ripple formation. Recently, Saleem et al. have proposed to use the nanoripple structures formed by GCIB for plasmonic and biomolecular sensing applications [16][17]. In all above-mentioned studies planar

• discussed. The results obtained in this study are of interest in the application of ZnO nanostructures for, e.g., gas sensing, solar cells, or field emitters, where controlled surface morphologies are required. Experimental We have grown ZnO nanorods on Si(100) substrates (HF-Kejing Materials Technology Co