Sustainable fabrication of 2D-based devices through reuse of substrates with microfabricated electrodes

• Ying Zhang,
• Yigit Sozen,
• Esteban Zamora-Amo,
• Thomas Pucher,
• Nuria Jiménez-Arévalo,
• Zdenek Sofer,
• Yong Xie and
• Andres Castellanos-Gomez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 818–827, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.58

• signatures of the transferred 2D material, retain a largely homogeneous surface-potential distribution, and preserve comparable electrical performance after reuse. By extending the lifetime of pre-patterned chips, this approach can reduce substrate consumption and lower the cost of 2D device prototyping

• . Keywords: 2D device fabrication; microfabricated electrode; N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone; substrate reuse; ultrasonic cleaning; Introduction Nanoscience research often needs the fabrication of proof-of-concept devices to demonstrate applications of novel nanomaterials or to study their fundamental properties [1

• reliable method for cleaning and reusing these devices would be valuable for achieving more cost-effective 2D material-based device fabrication. Several recent studies have explored substrate reuse strategies to mitigate fabrication costs and improve sustainability in device prototyping [16][17][18]. For

Glycerol photoelectrochemical oxidation reaction at carbon nitrides/BiVO₄ materials

• Charles Garcia da Cunha,
• Isabelle M. D. Gonzaga,
• Cristian Hessel,
• Izadora F. Reis,
• Ivo F. Teixeira,
• Lucia H. Mascaro and
• Elton Sitta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 806–817, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.57

• (ethylene glycol) (PEG-300, Sigma-Aldrich, ACS reagent, 99.99%) for 30 min in an ultrasound bath (Soni-tech ultrasonic cleaner). Subsequently, 60 µL of a freshly sonicated suspension was drop-cast onto a 1 × 1 cm FTO (Sigma-Aldrich, surface resistivity ≈7 Ω/sq) substrate cleaned/pre-treated according to the

• . Figure 2 shows the XRD for the synthesized CNs/BiVO4 films and for BiVO4 and PCN films onto FTO substrate. The XRD pattern for clean FTO was also included (gray line) making it easier to observe its contribution to the other diffractograms. Notably, in all films, it is possible to observe the diffraction

Tuning the electronic properties of defect-rich MoS₂

• Eric Juriatti,
• Martina Binninger,
• Carolin Schüle,
• Maren Zirwick,
• Katarina Margetic,
• Erika Giangrisostomi,
• Marcus Scheele and
• Heiko Peisert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 796–805, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.56

• TMDC layers [15]. Since interaction mechanisms depend strongly on the central metal atom and the ionization potential of the phthalocyanine, we focus specifically on CoPcF16 and vary the properties of the substrate. In general, electronic defects play a crucial role in novel optoelectronic devices, as

• °C and a pressure of approximately 1 × 10−7 mbar using a Knudsen cell. Via a quartz crystal microbalance, the deposition rate was determined as 0.1–0.2 nm·min−1. The nominal layer thickness of the deposited CoPcF16 molecule on the MoS2 substrate was calculated by comparing core level intensities of

• the overlayer (C 1s) to the intensity of the substrate related Mo 3d signal. The photoionization cross sections were taken from Yeh and Lindau [27], and the inelastic mean free path was calculated using the formula given by Seah and Dench [28] for organic molecules. The XPS spectra were fitted using

Substrate-dependent pore formation in molybdenum disulfide monolayers under ion irradiation

• Yossarian Liebsch,
• Umair Javed,
• Lucia Skopinski,
• Leon Daniel,
• Franziska Appel,
• Radia Rahali,
• Clara Grygiel,
• Henning Lebius,
• Carolin Frank,
• Lars Breuer,
• Leon Kirsch,
• Frieder Koch,
• Jani Kotakoski and
• Marika Schleberger

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 769–780, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.54

• suspended MoS2, MoS2 on SiO2, bilayer MoS2, and MoS2 on gold. Both pore size and pore formation efficiency exhibit a pronounced dependence on the type of substrate. Pores are largest and most frequent in MoS2 on SiO2, while the gold substrate massively quenches pore formation. The observed pore dimensions

• under both HCI and SHI irradiation conclusively demonstrate the central role of substrate and interface-dependent electronic dissipation pathways regarding damage under these types of ion irradiation. Keywords: defects; MoS2; nanopores; SiO2; scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM

• formation have largely focused on suspended 2D materials [13][25][28][29], practical applications typically require the 2D material to be supported by a substrate. Direct investigation of ion-irradiated supported 2D materials, however, remains experimentally challenging for several reasons. For example

Interface-engineered Caco-2 cell culture on a collagen-coated liquid–liquid interface in a microfluidic device

• Satoru Kuriu and
• Soo Hyeon Kim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 760–768, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.53

• substrates, which limit the physicochemical flexibility of the cellular microenvironment. Here, we introduce a microfluidic platform in which a collagen-coated liquid–liquid interface formed between perfluorocarbon (FC-43) and culture medium serves as a substrate for epithelial cell adhesion. By culturing

• rigidity and pore-related constraints inherent to synthetic solid membranes [8][9][10]. Importantly, culturing cells at a liquid–liquid interface provides a unique opportunity to decouple biochemical signaling from substrate-imposed mechanical constraints, thereby enabling more physiologically relevant

• as a cell-adhesion substrate for epithelial cells (Figure 1A). The rectangular cuboid-shaped microfluidic device allows for stable formation of the liquid–liquid interface for cell culture by sequential flow manipulation (Figure 1B). Using Caco-2 cells, a well-known epithelial cell line, we

Tailoring Ag–Pt nanoalloys through solid-state dewetting: structural and optical insights

• Marcin Łapiński,
• Piotr Okoczuk,
• Blaž Grobiša,
• Ewa Pawlikowska,
• Amelia Rozwadowska,
• Wojciech Sadowski and
• Barbara Kościelska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 748–759, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.52

• tension) and the energy gained by reducing the total contact area between the film and the substrate (interfacial tension). A comprehensive analysis of the transformation of a thin layer into isolated islands was provided in a series of publications by Thompson and collaborators [13][20][21][22]. They

• metallic layers is their thickness: the thinner the layer, the lower the temperature at which it transforms into isolated islands. It can be stated that the significant influence of surface energy in thin-film structures, phase separation boundaries (layer–substrate, layer–liquid phase), grain boundaries

• shown in Figure 5. The survey spectra confirm the high chemical purity of all samples. Apart from Ag and Pt, only silicon originating from the substrate, as well as oxygen and carbon adsorbed from the atmosphere, were detected. The quantitative composition was determined from the survey spectra and is

Environmental applications of silver nanoparticles: state-of-the-art review and emerging trends

• Soni Prajapati,
• Akash Kumar and
• Ranjana Singh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 697–736, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.49

• nanoparticles using carbon or silicon wafers as the primary substrate [49]. The X-ray diffraction pattern reveal that AgNP crystal growth occurs at different facets depending on the NPs [49]. The most common facets include 111, 200, 220, and 311, corresponding to 2θ angles of 38.2°, 44.4°, 64.6°, and 77.5

• , donating electrons that lower the activation energy barrier for hydride ion transfer to the substrate. This process follows pseudo-first-order kinetics, with smaller particle sizes (higher surface-to-volume ratio) and electron-rich surfaces (modulated by capping agents) yielding higher apparent rate

• achieve antifouling. Dye degradation of 99% and 90% was achieved after the first and fifth cycles, respectively, indicating the efficiency of the engineered membrane [114]. Another study developed a photocatalytic membrane using AgNPs, graphene oxide, carbon nitride, and mixed cellulose ester as substrate

Cellulose as a photocatalyst support material: extraction, structural features, and environmental applications

• Yee Teng Lim,
• Nur Farhana Jaafar,
• Azizul Hakim Lahuri and
• Endang Tri Wahyuni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 635–652, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.44

• temperature directly influence whether a substrate is suitable for applications. Traditionally, glass and plastic substrates have dominated the optoelectronic industry, especially in the development of flexible electronics, yet recent research has highlighted transparent nano-paper derived from renewable

Two-step laser synthesis of Ag@TiO₂ nanomaterials for the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B

• Marija Kovačević,
• Miloš Tošić,
• Rafaela Radičić,
• Vladimir Rajić,
• Nikša Krstulović,
• Miloš Momčilović and
• Sanja Živković

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 622–634, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.43

• were deposited onto titanium substrates (purity > 99.9%, ThermoScientific) using nanosecond pulsed laser deposition in a vacuum. A 1 mm thick Ag plate (purity > 99.99%, GoodFellow) served as the laser target, with both the Ti substrate and Ag target rotating to ensure uniform film formation. An Nd:YAG

• laser (1064 nm, 300 mJ, 5 Hz, 5 ns) was focused onto the Ag target with a fluence of 12 J·cm−2. Different silver film thicknesses were obtained by varying the number of laser pulses (200 and 2000). Subsequently, the Ag-coated Ti plates and a pure Ti substrate underwent picosecond pulsed laser ablation

Recent progress in enhancing built-in electric fields of perovskite solar cells via junction engineering

• Tong Xiao and
• Ke Xu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 602–621, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.42

• gradient was induced across the film thickness. This induced a controllable potential gradient across the film thickness, increased the substrate work function by about 0.3 eV, and created a vertical p–n homojunction. Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurements revealed that the carrier lifetime of

Probing tribological evolution in atomically thin MoS₂ at different scales

• Xingzhong Zeng and
• Miao Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 586–597, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.40

• tribology toward the sub-nanoscale. Experimental Sample preparation Single-layer and few-layer MoS2 were obtained from bulk MoS2 by mechanical exfoliation [19]. N-Doped Si covered with dry oxidation-generated 300 nm thick SiO2 was used as the substrate. Prior to exfoliation, substrates were cleaned

• as the actual tip displacement between adjacent sub-sites, which is critical for characterizing load- and layer thickness-dependent sub-nanoscale stick–slip motion. Results and Discussion Due to the relatively large fluctuation of atomically thin MoS2 caused by the rough substrate, the thickness of

• MoS2 on the rough substrate is determined by combining the cross-sectional height profile and the Raman spectra. The height profiles in topographic image are carefully located in the fluctuation direction of rough substrate. Thus, the thicknesses of MoS2 on the rough substrate along the black and red

Impacts of annealing on structural and photophysical properties of zinc phthalocyanine adsorbed on graphene

• Gautier Creutzer,
• Quentin Fernez,
• Nataliya Kalashnyk,
• Zohreh Safarzadeh,
• Lydia Sosa Vargas,
• Céline Fiorini-Debuisschert,
• Nicolas Fabre and
• Fabrice Charra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 576–585, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.39

• treatments, as often shown for example with α and β phases of zinc phthalocyanines (ZnPc), with consequences on molecule orientations relative to the substrate and absorbance efficiency [21] or dynamics of charge migration and charge transfer to substrate [22]. Even inside a given phase, minute structural

• particular, ZnPc has been shown to present such 2D phase transitions on various substrates such as TiO2 [32], Au(111) [33][34], InSb [35], or ZnS [36]. These studies have emphasized the diversity of mechanisms involved in the relative stability of 2D phases, including intermolecular versus molecule–substrate

• Zn atom pointing outward (i.e., away from graphene) thus allowing the Pc-conjugated structure to approach closer to the graphene substrate. Returning to the absorption measurements, we infer that this planar-square to shuttlecock transition is accompanied by a shift of the Q-band, a small proportion

Electrochemical determination of ciprofloxacin using a MIL-101/reduced graphene oxide-modified electrode

• Nguyen Quang Man,
• Nguyen Ngoc Nghia,
• Nguyen Vinh Phu,
• Vo Thi Khanh Ly,
• Le Lam Son,
• Pham Khac Lieu,
• Le Thi Hong Phong,
• Nguyen Dinh Luyen and
• Dinh Quang Khieu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 541–554, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.35

• morphology that offers a large surface area and a conductive substrate for material deposition. The pristine MIL-101 (Figure 4b) consists of irregular polyhedral particles that tend to aggregate, forming relatively compact clusters. In contrast, the MIL-101/rGO composite (Figure 4c) reveals that MIL-101

Defects and defect-mediated engineering of two-dimensional materials: challenges and open questions

• Arkady V. Krasheninnikov,
• Matthias Batzill,
• Anouar-Akacha Delenda,
• Marija Drndić,
• Chris Ewels,
• Katharina J. Franke,
• Mahdi Ghorbani-Asl,
• Alexander Holleitner,
• Ado Jorio,
• Ute Kaiser,
• Daria Kieczka,
• Hannu-Pekka Komsa,
• Jani Kotakoski,
• Manuel Längle,
• David Lamprecht,
• Yun Liu,
• Steven G. Louie,
• Janina Maultzsch,
• Thomas Michely,
• Katherine Milton,
• Anna Niggas,
• Hanako Okuno,
• Joshua A. Robinson,
• Marika Schleberger,
• Bruno Schuler,
• Alexander Shluger,
• Kazu Suenaga,
• Kristian S. Thygesen,
• Richard A. Wilhelm,
• E. Harriet Åhlgren and
• Carla Bittencourt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 454–488, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.31

• from triplet to singlet during dissociation [62]. Although O2 incorporation into the WS2 surface involves electron transfer from the substrate, the reaction may proceed via non-adiabatic pathways, as previously discussed for O2 adsorption on metal surfaces [66][67]. This underscores the limitations of

• MoSe2 on a gold substrate to the Janus MoSeS structure [77]. Also, a facile low-temperature thiol chemistry route was suggested to remove sulfur vacancies in 2D MoS2 [78], which resulted in a significant drop in the number of the charged impurities and traps and increased the mobility. Qualitatively

• has been found on S vacancies in a monolayer of MoS2 on Au(111) [146]. However, in this case, the metallic Au substrate provided not only the electron bath for screening the magnetic moment, but also enabled the electron transfer to the vacancy due to the favorable alignment of the work functions [147

First-principles study on elastic properties of Cu, (Cu_1−x,Ni_x)₃Sn and interfacial mechanical properties of (Cu_1−x,Ni_x)₃Sn/Cu in the lead-free solder joint

• Guomin Hua

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 428–439, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.29

• the substrate [9]. In contrast to the barrier layer formed with lead-containing solder, the lead-free solder forms a compact interface between the intermetallics and the substrate without a barrier layer [9]. The compact interface could result in poor resistance to high temperatures and thermal shocks

• interfacial mechanical properties of lead-free solder joints. Considering the important role the interface between the intermetallics and the substrate plays in the strength and reliability of a solder joint, Gan et al. investigated the formation of Cu3Sn and Cu6Sn5 on a Cu substrate and determined the

• orientation relationship of ε-Cu3Sn/Cu interfaces as (001)ε//(111)Cu and [100]ε//[−110]Cu [13], that is, the interface was constructed by attaching the (001) facet of ε-Cu3Sn to the (111) facet of the Cu substrate and making the [100] axis of ε-Cu3Sn parallel to the [−110] axis of Cu substrate. Based on the

Polycatecholamine nanocoatings on stainless steel: the effect on attachment of human fibroblasts and platelets

• Paulina Trzaskowska,
• Ewa Rybak,
• Maciej Trzaskowski,
• Kamil Kopeć,
• Jakub Krzemiński,
• Rafał Podgórski,
• Hatice Genc,
• Mehtap Civelek and
• Iwona Cicha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 365–380, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.25

• used atmospheric oxidation (because the amount of oxidant in the solution is not limited by its dissolution) and allows for precise control over coating uniformity and thickness at the nanoscale. Also, for the synthesis of PTYR coatings, there is a limitation in the substrate availability for the

• oxidation reaction due to the limited solubility of ʟ-tyrosine in water. Thus, we used a supersaturated ʟ-tyrosine solution, to ensure that the oxidized part of the substrate is replaced by a fresh portion dissolved from the suspension [12]. The resulting SS-PDA and SS-PTYR samples were sterilizable, non

Ferroelectric nanodot reservoir for neuromorphic computing

• Anna Razumnaya,
• Yuri Tikhonov,
• Dmitrii Naidenko,
• Léo Boron,
• Valerii Vinokur and
• Igor Lukyanchuk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 352–364, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.24

• , enabling rich dynamic response to time-varying inputs, as required for real-time neuromorphic tasks. Notably, our approach leverages the electrostatic physics of nanoscale ferroelectrics to implement a scalable, low-power analog computing substrate. The described system relies solely on dielectric

Interconnection morphology effects on the radio frequency response of carbon nanotube sponges

• Manuela Scarselli,
• Javad Rezvani,
• Zeno Zuccari,
• Mattia Scagliotti and
• Simone Tocci

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 343–351, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.23

• , Italy 10.3762/bjnano.17.23 Abstract In this work, the high-frequency response of a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film grown on a silicon substrate is compared with that of MWCNT sponges (CNSs). Different from the CNT film, CNSs are a self-standing material that can operate in the absence of a

• supporting substrate, showing high flexibility, light weight, and mechanical robustness. We tested our synthesized CNSs as active material for the production of antennas working in the radio frequency (RF) range to determine whether CNT sponges present, in addition to practical advantages over CNT films

• from the as-grown CNS sample and the film of MWCNTs grown on a Si substrate as comparison (Figure 1). We observed that both samples have a resonance peak; for the CNT film, it is S11 = −23.0 dB at 4.40 GHz, and for the CNS sample, it is S11 = −22.6 dB at 4.78 GHz. The result found for the MWCNT film is

Fast vortex dynamics and relaxation times in NbRe-based heterostructures

• Francesco De Chiara,
• Zahra Makhdoumi Kakhaki,
• Francesco Avitabile,
• Francesco Colangelo,
• Abhishek Kumar,
• Carmine Attanasio and
• Carla Cirillo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 292–302, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.20

• capping layer. In addition, the reduced strip width of the NbRe/Py microbridge leads to a less efficient heat evacuation toward the substrate, thereby enhancing the role of Joule heating and amplifying the impact of thermal dissipation on vortex dynamics. For this reason, and since, according to the LO

• , some considerations can be done. First, in both samples, the NbRe layer is in contact with the substrate. Therefore, the dominant heat dissipation channel into the thermal bath is common to both systems and does not affect the relative comparison between Au- and Py-capped samples. Consequently

• , substrate-related thermal effects can be considered equivalent, and the observed differences can be attributed to the specific properties of the capping layers and their interaction with the superconducting film. In this respect, Au and Py are expected to affect the vortex dynamics in qualitatively

Advancing nanolithography: a comprehensive review of materials for local anodic oxidation with AFM

• Matteo Lorenzoni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 275–291, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.19

• patterns through a biased conductive tip. The process relies on the formation of a nanoscale water meniscus [14] at the tip–sample interface, enabling electrochemical reactions that oxidize the substrate, creating protruding nanostructures mainly composed of oxide. Unlike other techniques requiring complex

• preparation steps, LAO enables direct chemical modification, with precise control of the tip–sample separation during the writing process. This is typically achieved in contact mode, where the tip apex is in direct contact with the substrate, ensuring capillary condensation and the formation of a stable water

• materials considered and illustrating a comparison between conventional and electrode-free LAO (EFLAO). 2 Principles of local anodic oxidation (LAO) As already said, LAO is a nanoscale fabrication technique that utilizes an AFM to generate precise oxidation patterns on a substrate. The process is based on

Multilayered hyperbolic Au/TiO₂ nanostructures for enhancing the nonlinear response around the epsilon-near-zero point

• Fernando Arturo Araiza-Sixtos,
• Mauricio Gomez-Robles,
• Rafael Salas-Montiel and
• Raúl Rangel-Rojo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 251–261, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.17

• glass substrate, then a dip in the visible region, and finally an increase towards the IR region. We can observe a relatively high absorbance around 800 nm with transmittances down to 40%, which could lead to losses and undesired thermal effects. The complex permittivity of single layers of the

Gold nanoparticle-decorated reduced graphene oxide as a highly effective catalyst for the selective α,β-dehydrogenation of N-alkyl-4-piperidones

• Brenda Flore Kenyim,
• Mihir Tzalis,
• Marilyn Kaul,
• Robert Oestreich,
• Aysenur Limon,
• Chancellin Pecheu Nkepdep and
• Christoph Janiak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 218–238, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.15

• reduced graphene oxide (AuNPs/rGO) were demonstrated to be a highly reactive catalyst for the selective α,β-oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of N-alkyl-4-piperidones, using N-methyl-, N-ethyl- and N-benzyl-4-piperidone. The substrate N-methyl-4-piperidone represents a pharmaceutically relevant system as

• stability of Au-SiW9/rGO. It not only achieved the highest TON (118) among the three catalysts but also maintained a steady increase in TON and only a slight decrease in TOF after two hours, reflecting its ability to continuously convert substrate over time with minimal deactivation. In contrast, Au-Cit/rGO

• comparable catalytic activity. The Au-SiW9/AC catalyst, originally synthesized by Xia et al. [13], was reproduced in this study with a key difference of gold loading. Xia et al. used 3.17 wt % Au, corresponding to 0.025 mol Au/mol substrate ratio in the oxidation reaction. In this study, we used only 0.42 wt

Micro- and nanoscale effects in biological and bioinspired materials and surfaces

• Thies H. Büscher,
• Rhainer Guillermo Ferreira,
• Manuela Rebora and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 214–217, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.14

• adhesion. They combined molecular dynamics for the simulation of the adhesive contact between the gecko spatula and the substrate with finite element modeling of the mechanical behavior of the adhesive seta to understand key aspects of gecko seta adhesion across scales. Besides these studies, focusing on

Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging of contaminant species in chemical vapour deposited graphene on copper

• Barry Brennan,
• Vlad-Petru Veigang-Radulescu,
• Philipp Braeuninger-Weimer,
• Stephan Hofmann and
• Andrew J. Pollard

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 200–213, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.13

• substrate, depending on processing conditions employed and the chemical species present on the surface. This has implications for the gas permeation barrier properties of this material, graphene transfer mechanisms, as well as the effectiveness of using the oxidation of the copper foil as a rapid graphene

• diffusion of material present in the copper foil before growth [36][37], which could lead to variations in the properties of graphene once transferred from the Cu foil to an alternative substrate. We also explore the gas permeation properties of the CVD graphene on Cu [38] by examining the oxygen detected

• directly under the graphene after post-growth exposure to atmosphere. This could have implications for better understanding transfer mechanisms that rely on oxidation of the Cu substrate [39][40], defect characterisation [41], or the heat dissipation ability of graphene on Cu [42]. Methods CVD graphene

Structure-dependent thermochromism of PAZO thin films: theory and experiment

• Georgi Mateev,
• Dean Dimov,
• Nataliya Berberova-Buhova,
• Nikoleta Kircheva,
• Todor Dudev,
• Ludmila Nikolova,
• Elena Stoykova,
• Keehoon Hong,
• Dimana Nazarova,
• Silvia Angelova and
• Lian Nedelchev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 186–199, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.12

• 1200–4000 nm on a glass substrate. Thicker films were prepared because many potential applications – such as the inscription of polarization-selective holographic optical elements – require greater film thickness for optimal performance. The samples were heated in an oven and the measurement of ∆n

• based on PAZO polymer. Preparation of thin-film samples All thin films used in this work were fabricated using spin-coating technique. Methanol was used as solvent for all samples, and a magnetic stirrer ensured complete dissolution. The solution was then poured onto the substrate (quartz or glass) and

• spun at 1000 rpm to achieve thin film thicknesses ranging from 200 to 4000 nm. For spectral measurements, quartz substrates were used due to their lack of absorbance in the PAZO absorption region; thin film thickness was about 200 nm. A glass substrate was used for the measurement of birefringence (∆n