Direct observation of the Si(110)-(16×2) surface reconstruction by atomic force microscopy

• Tatsuya Yamamoto,
• Ryo Izumi,
• Kazushi Miki,
• Takahiro Yamasaki,
• Yasuhiro Sugawara and
• Yan Jun Li

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1750–1756, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.157

• on the lower terrace are the same in either phase. Note that only phase A actually exists and the surface energy of phase A should be lower than that of phase B; that is, both atom 1 and 2 can not be removed simultaneously. Therefore, atom 2 must exist, however we could not observe it because the tip

High-responsivity hybrid α-Ag₂S/Si photodetector prepared by pulsed laser ablation in liquid

• Raid A. Ismail,
• Hanan A. Rawdhan and
• Duha S. Ahmed

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1596–1607, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.142

• energy of the NPs. The surfaces of spherical particles have high-index crystallographic planes, which increase the surface energy of synthesized NPs [35]. The average particle size was approximately 40 ± 5 nm, and the agglomerated particles tended to form large particles. The Ag2S NPs prepared in the

• the product after adding CTAB. TEM images of the Ag2S NPs synthesized with and without CTAB are shown in Figure 6. The TEM image shown in Figure 6a confirms that the Ag2S particles prepared in pure Tu had a spherical morphology and different sizes due to the agglomeration effect of the high surface

Analysis of catalyst surface wetting: the early stage of epitaxial germanium nanowire growth

• Owen C. Ernst,
• Felix Lange,
• David Uebel,
• Thomas Teubner and
• Torsten Boeck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1371–1380, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.121

• difference between the surface energy of the pristine substrate, γS, and the sum of the surface energy values of the wetted substrate (γSF + γF): In an ideal van der Waals system, it can be shown that the surface energy values are also associated with polarizability [34]. For real systems, however, it is

• more precise to use experimentally measured surface energy values that are listed in the literature for many materials. However, the determination of the surface energy between substrate and fluid, also called the interfacial energy, γSF, can be more challenging. Thus the following three methods were

• hysteresis effects, making the interpretation of the results even more complicated [39]. ii. The vW model: As mentioned before, the surface energy values are also connected with the polarizability of the system (i.e., with the Hamaker constants). In order to approximate the interfacial energy, it can be

Atomic defect classification of the H–Si(100) surface through multi-mode scanning probe microscopy

• Jeremiah Croshaw,
• Thomas Dienel,
• Taleana Huff and
• Robert Wolkow

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1346–1360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.119

• ) (100) surface would, by argument of the crystal geometry, extend two unsatisfied bonds into vacuum. To minimize the surface energy, each silicon atom bonds with a neighbouring Si atom to create a dimer, thus reducing the number of dangling bonds (DBs) by half [13]. Rows consisting of many of these

Photothermally active nanoparticles as a promising tool for eliminating bacteria and biofilms

• Mykola Borzenkov,
• Piersandro Pallavicini,
• Angelo Taglietti,
• Laura D’Alfonso,
• Maddalena Collini and
• Giuseppe Chirico

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1134–1146, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.98

• of Ag+ and by the so-called nanomechanical effect (i.e., a disruptive phenomenon that is generated by the high NP surface energy at the bacterial membrane) [69]. A reproducible synthetic method was developed to grow anisotropic silver nanoplates on glass with a LSPR absorption tunable in the NIR

Vibration analysis and pull-in instability behavior in a multiwalled piezoelectric nanosensor with fluid flow conveyance

• Sayyid H. Hashemi Kachapi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1072–1081, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.92

• nonlinear buckling and postbuckling behavior of functionally graded piezoelectric cylindrical nanoshells were studied by Fang et al. using the surface energy effect [21][22]. Also, Zhu et al. utilized the surface energy effect to investigate a new approach for smart control of nonlinear free vibration of

A few-layer graphene/chlorin e6 hybrid nanomaterial and its application in photodynamic therapy against Candida albicans

• Selene Acosta,
• Carlos Moreno-Aguilar,
• Dania Hernández-Sánchez,
• Beatriz Morales-Cruzado,
• Erick Sarmiento-Gomez,
• Carla Bittencourt,
• Luis Octavio Sánchez-Vargas and
• Mildred Quintana

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1054–1061, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.90

• Discussion The liquid phase exfoliation of graphite was first carried out in toxic, non-biocompatible solvents due to the match in the surface energy of graphene and the solvents [33]. However, the interest in using graphene for biological applications has led to the development of new synthetic techniques

Quantitative determination of the interaction potential between two surfaces using frequency-modulated atomic force microscopy

• Nicholas Chan,
• Carrie Lin,
• Tevis Jacobs,
• Robert W. Carpick and
• Philip Egberts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 729–739, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.60

• hydrogen- and oxygen-termination, as well as chemical aging of the diamond surface can lead to significant variations in surface energy [63]. Furthermore, a loss of hydrogen termination of the diamond surface could result in CHx defects [64][65] as well C–C dimer surface reconstruction [66]. Therefore, a

Synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic performance of 0D/2D CuO/tourmaline composite photocatalysts

• Changqiang Yu,
• Min Wen,
• Zhen Tong,
• Shuhua Li,
• Yanhong Yin,
• Xianbin Liu,
• Yesheng Li,
• Tongxiang Liang,
• Ziping Wu and
• Dionysios D. Dionysiou

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 407–416, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.31

• and higher specific surface area compared with its bulk counterpart [11][12]. However, the agglomeration of nanoscale CuO results from the high surface energy and the quick recombination of the photoinduced charge carriers and restricts the photocatalytic activity [13][14]. At present, the

Size effects of graphene nanoplatelets on the properties of high-density polyethylene nanocomposites: morphological, thermal, electrical, and mechanical characterization

• Tuba Evgin,
• Alpaslan Turgut,
• Georges Hamaoui,
• Zdenko Spitalsky,
• Nicolas Horny,
• Matej Micusik,
• Mihai Chirtoc,
• Mehmet Sarikanat and
• Maria Omastova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 167–179, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.14

• vol % (2.05–26.81 wt %) of GnP concentration. Results and Discussion Characterization The SEM micrographs of each type of GnP and nanocomposites with 5.52 vol % GnPs are presented in Figure 1. The aggregated forms of the GnPs were observed due to their high surface energy. Figure 1 indicated that the

• GnPs in HDPE were observed: separately dispersed and aggregated. The observed aggregates of GnPs, especially G3, may have been attributed to the large aspect ratio and high surface energy of the GnPs. In particullar, G1 nanoflakes were more isolated from each other, while G2 nanoflakes were found to be

The effect of heat treatment on the morphology and mobility of Au nanoparticles

• Sven Oras,
• Sergei Vlassov,
• Simon Vigonski,
• Boris Polyakov,
• Mikk Antsov,
• Vahur Zadin,
• Rünno Lõhmus and
• Karine Mougin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 61–67, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.6

• (1000 K) show that the NPs become rounded by a diffusion process that minimizes the surface energy. The process combines minimizing the surface area and transitioning to the lower energy surface types {111} and {100}. In AFM manipulation experiments, it was found that the higher the annealing

Formation of metal/semiconductor Cu–Si composite nanostructures

• Natalya V. Yumozhapova,
• Andrey V. Nomoev,
• Vyacheslav V. Syzrantsev and
• Erzhena C. Khartaeva

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2497–2504, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.240

• components. The reason of the formation of such a particle is the difference in the surface energy between the silicon and copper components. It becomes insignificant, especially for silicon particles located at large distance from the central copper part. The second reason is that silicon has a higher

Improved adsorption and degradation performance by S-doping of (001)-TiO₂

• Xiao-Yu Sun,
• Xian Zhang,
• Xiao Sun,
• Ni-Xian Qian,
• Min Wang and
• Yong-Qing Ma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2116–2127, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.206

• the differently exposed crystal faces have different atomic and electronic structures and surface energy. This results in differences in the adsorption capacity regarding pollutant molecules and in the electron transfer properties of TiO2 [8][9]. It is widely believed that the exposed (001) face has a

The importance of design in nanoarchitectonics: multifractality in MACE silicon nanowires

• Stefania Carapezzi and
• Anna Cavallini

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2094–2102, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.204

• energy required to separate the surfaces of the two pillars by dL. γsup is the surface energy of the pillar, c0 is the contact width at equilibrium of the two pillars under no external force, and Uc is the stored elastic energy normalized to the contact length due to the deformation near the contact

Nanostructured and oriented metal–organic framework films enabling extreme surface wetting properties

• Andre Mähringer,
• Julian M. Rotter and
• Dana D. Medina

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1994–2003, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.196

• were synthesized as highly crystalline bulk materials. The M-CAT-1 surface energy was estimated by contact angle measurements using pellet samples exposing nonoriented crystallites on the surface. Next, oriented and compact Co- and Ni-CAT-1 films were deposited on gold surfaces by vapor-assisted

• feature an amphiphilic character, namely hydrophilic and superolephilic properties. This amphiphilic wetting property can be attributed to the high surface energy of the MOF materials. To estimate the corresponding MOF surface energy, we applied Fowker’s theory, where the observed CA between a liquid and

• a solid is related to the sum of a polar and dispersive components of the liquid’s surface tension [68]. Utilizing the measured CAs of diiodomethane exhibiting solely a dispersive component and water, having a dispersive and polar components, enabled the calculation of the overall surface energy for

Fabrication and characterization of Si_1−xGe_x nanocrystals in as-grown and annealed structures: a comparative study

• Muhammad Taha Sultan,
• Adrian Valentin Maraloiu,
• Ionel Stavarache,
• Jón Tómas Gudmundsson,
• Andrei Manolescu,
• Valentin Serban Teodorescu,
• Magdalena Lidia Ciurea and
• Halldór Gudfinnur Svavarsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1873–1882, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.182

• SiGe layer, which in turn reduces the nucleation barrier. It can also be argued that since heterogeneous nucleation occurs at preferential sites (as in our case), small NCs in as-grown MLs or even the crystallites that are under strain [39][40][41][42] will further reduce the surface energy and

The impact of crystal size and temperature on the adsorption-induced flexibility of the Zr-based metal–organic framework DUT-98

• Simon Krause,
• Volodymyr Bon,
• Hongchu Du,
• Rafal E. Dunin-Borkowski,
• Ulrich Stoeck,
• Irena Senkovska and
• Stefan Kaskel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1737–1744, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.169

• , smaller crystal sizes seem to stabilize the presence of a metastable op phase by impacting the activation barrier, presumably due to the contribution of the surface energy and other factors. This observation was previously made for DUT-8 for which the guest-free metastable op phase was also found to be

Precise local control of liquid crystal pretilt on polymer layers by focused ion beam nanopatterning

• Maxim V. Gorkunov,
• Irina V. Kasyanova,
• Vladimir V. Artemov,
• Alena V. Mamonova and
• Serguei P. Palto

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1691–1697, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.164

• the type of alignment is related to the difference of surface energy between the LC and the polymer [4][5]. The underlying microscopic mechanisms, however, are yet not fully clarified and valuable related facts are being continuously accumulated [6]. A planar aligning surface reduces the director

Energy distribution in an ensemble of nanoparticles and its consequences

• Dieter Vollath

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1452–1457, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.143

• temperature. Additionally, the data for gsolid ± kT [1][2], describing the limits of the fluctuations, are also given. The fluctuation limits defined by Equation 5 are indicated, too. The necessary thermodynamic data were taken from Arblaster’s review [3]. For the surface energy, in a first approximation, the

A highly efficient porous rod-like Ce-doped ZnO photocatalyst for the degradation of dye contaminants in water

• Binjing Hu,
• Qiang Sun,
• Chengyi Zuo,
• Yunxin Pei,
• Siwei Yang,
• Hui Zheng and
• Fangming Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1157–1165, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.115

• affects the formation of ZIF-8. More specifically, it undergoes three main stages: gel formation, nucleation and crystallization [23]. According to Mahmoud’s [35] report, the Ce element which is doped into the lattice of Zn seeds may lower the surface energy, thus leading to a new morphology. Labhane et

Rapid, ultraviolet-induced, reversibly switchable wettability of superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic surfaces

• Yunlu Pan,
• Wenting Kong,
• Bharat Bhushan and
• Xuezeng Zhao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 866–873, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.87

• photocatalysis material that has attracted attention since it is more sensitive to UV light [17]. The use of a photochemical method to strengthen the interaction between nanoparticles and organic materials is quite common [18][19]. TiO2 nanoparticles modified with organic materials that have a low surface energy

Hydrophilicity and carbon chain length effects on the gas sensing properties of chemoresistive, self-assembled monolayer carbon nanotube sensors

• Juan Casanova-Cháfer,
• Carla Bittencourt and
• Eduard Llobet

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 565–577, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.58

• be ruled out [42]. While hydrophilic functional groups (e.g., COOH) present high surface energy due to their high affinity towards polar molecules, such as nitrogen dioxide, hydrophobic functional groups (e.g., CH3) present low surface energy due to their low affinity to polar molecules [43]. The low

Gold nanoparticles embedded in a polymer as a 3D-printable dichroic nanocomposite material

• Lars Kool,
• Anton Bunschoten,
• Aldrik H. Velders and
• Vittorio Saggiomo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 442–447, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.43

• reflection. The explanation is that, while boiling, the gold nanowires fragment, creating nanoparticles with a large head and a slim and long tail, comparable to a tadpole. Over time the tail starts to shrink, due to intra-particle Ostwald ripening to minimize the total surface energy of the nanoparticle

Site-specific growth of oriented ZnO nanocrystal arrays

• Rekha Bai,
• Dinesh K. Pandya,
• Sujeet Chaudhary,
• Veer Dhaka,
• Vladislav Khayrudinov,
• Jori Lemettinen,
• Christoffer Kauppinen and
• Harri Lipsanen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 274–280, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.26

• surface energy of the crystal facets in an undefined and complex way, which results in the formation of branched nanostructures [21]. Another disadvantage of these solution-based techniques is that the growth takes place in the solution itself and the grown nanocrystals are distributed randomly when

• -exposed polar zinc (0001) face, six symmetric non-polar {} planes parallel to the [0001] direction, and a basal polar oxygen () face [17]. It is well known that the hexagonal wurtzite ZnO has two polar planes (0001) and (), which have high surface energy that can absorb new small particles to reduce its

• surface energy and thus ZnO NCs are oriented to grow along the [0001] direction [17]. The attractive force between the two basal planes is a prime requirement to make a twinned crystal. So, two negatively charged O (or positively charged Zn-terminated) crystal planes of ZnO can be linked together by

Uniform Sb₂S₃ optical coatings by chemical spray method

• Jako S. Eensalu,
• Atanas Katerski,
• Erki Kärber,
• Ilona Oja Acik,
• Arvo Mere and
• Malle Krunks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 198–210, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.18

• large islands to minimize Sb2S3–air interfacial free surface energy (2), and form grain boundaries during crystallization in vacuum or inert environment (3). B – Sb2S3 crystallizes into separate grains if either the deposition temperature, the deposition time or the excess of TU in Sb/S precursor molar