Oblique angle deposition of nickel thin films by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering

• Hamidreza Hajihoseini,
• Movaffaq Kateb,
• Snorri Þorgeir Ingvarsson and
• Jon Tomas Gudmundsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1914–1921, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.186

• fitted using the Parrat formalism [51]. A low-density surface layer (around 1 nm) on top of the film had to be included in the model in order to achieve a good fit. This is due to the formation of an oxide or oxynitride surface layer after the films were removed from the vacuum chamber, as has been

Processing nanoporous organic polymers in liquid amines

• Jeehye Byun,
• Damien Thirion and
• Cafer T. Yavuz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1844–1850, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.179

• reacted with EDA, there was a color change of the COP, indicating the formation of an infiltration layer of EDA on the polymeric surface. As the treatment time progressed, further penetration of the EDA made the surface layer swollen so that bulk polymer cracked into smaller units that can behave like

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

• Equation 1 for the homogeneous background yields Above a stripe pattern, the first term in Equation 2, which is independent of x, provides the main contribution to the integral in Equation 4 while the remaining terms oscillating with x are negligible as they are localized in a submicrometer-thin surface

• layer. As we have recently shown [31][32], such layers being thicker when modulated with larger periodicity represent metasurfaces potentially hosting many interesting optical phenomena. In the present case, however, the smaller periods of 1–2 μm are deliberately chosen to minimise their optical

Kelvin probe force microscopy work function characterization of transition metal oxide crystals under ongoing reduction and oxidation

• Dominik Wrana,
• Karol Cieślik,
• Wojciech Belza,
• Christian Rodenbücher,
• Krzysztof Szot and
• Franciszek Krok

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1596–1607, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.155

• [26]. This general process has also been observed for the broader class of transition metal oxides, such as CaTiO3 or BaTiO3. The titanium monoxide surface layer crystallizes in the form of nanowires oriented along the main crystallographic directions of SrTiO3(100), with a length of up to 10 µm, a

• TiO2 termination with oxygen vacancies in the surface layer [14]. The difference is most likely caused by the higher density of oxygen vacancies, due to the heavy thermal reduction. Ambient air reoxidation of TiO and SrTiO3 As the vast majority of applications of transition metal oxides is related to

High-temperature resistive gas sensors based on ZnO/SiC nanocomposites

• Vadim B. Platonov,
• Marina N. Rumyantseva,
• Alexander S. Frolov,
• Alexey D. Yapryntsev and
• Alexander M. Gaskov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1537–1547, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.151

• interpreted in the context of the assumption of the formation of an n–n heterojunction at the ZnO/SiC interface, resulting in electron transfer from SiC to ZnO. The increase in the concentration of electrons in the near-surface layer of ZnO leads to an increase in the concentration of chemisorbed oxygen on

Gas sensing properties of individual SnO₂ nanowires and SnO₂ sol–gel nanocomposites

• Alexey V. Shaposhnik,
• Dmitry A. Shaposhnik,
• Sergey Yu. Turishchev,
• Olga A. Chuvenkova,
• Stanislav V. Ryabtsev,
• Alexey A. Vasiliev,
• Xavier Vilanova,
• Francisco Hernandez-Ramirez and
• Joan R. Morante

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1380–1390, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.136

• composition and the structure of the material surface layer to be obtained, sometimes accompanied by ab initio calculations [41][42]. According to the dipole selection rules Sn M4,5 (3d) XANES spectra represent transitions from core 3d states to free p- and f-states in the conduction band. Oxygen K (1s

Capillary force-induced superlattice variation atop a nanometer-wide graphene flake and its moiré origin studied by STM

• Loji K. Thomas and
• Michael Reichling

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 804–810, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.80

• STM manipulation of folding of graphene under UHV conditions [30], although tip-driven surface layer deformation may occur more easily in air than in vacuum [31]. Under humid or liquid conditions, capillary forces are present and might offer a substantial amount of force for rotation or translation of

Widening of the electroactivity potential range by composite formation – capacitive properties of TiO₂/BiVO₄/PEDOT:PSS electrodes in contact with an aqueous electrolyte

• Konrad Trzciński,
• Mariusz Szkoda,
• Andrzej P. Nowak,
• Marcin Łapiński and
• Anna Lisowska-Oleksiak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 483–493, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.49

• surface of conjugated polymers [25]. In this study, we modified the surface layer of titania nanotubes and tested it as a potential electrode material for energy storage devices. The enhancement of pseudocapacitance, and the extension of the electroactivity range are the goals of this research. A

Sputtering of silicon nanopowders by an argon cluster ion beam

• Xiaomei Zeng,
• Vasiliy Pelenovich,
• Zhenguo Wang,
• Wenbin Zuo,
• Sergey Belykh,
• Alexander Tolstogouzov,
• Dejun Fu and
• Xiangheng Xiao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 135–143, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.13

• the nanoparticles are filled by debris, which due to the limited lateral resolution cannot be observed. Such filling of the voids results in densification of the top surface layer. Therefore, as the number of contacts between neighbor nanoparticles increases, consequently, we can expect the weakening

• particle debris on the surface due to lower projectile energy. Therefore, only a slight densification of the surface layer and retention of the finite size effect at given doses occurs, and an increased sputtering yield is observed even at lower energy. Nevertheless, at higher doses, the sputtering yield

• the sputtering yields in Figure 3b were discussed without any assumption of the surficial densification. However, it can have an influence on the calculation of the number of sputtered atoms, which has been determined in supposition of the constant average density. The thickness of the dense surface

Femtosecond laser-assisted fabrication of chalcopyrite micro-concentrator photovoltaics

• Franziska Ringleb,
• Stefan Andree,
• Berit Heidmann,
• Jörn Bonse,
• Katharina Eylers,
• Owen Ernst,
• Torsten Boeck,
• Martina Schmid and
• Jörg Krüger

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 3025–3038, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.281

• modulated deposition of energy in a shallow near-surface layer and, finally, to periodic material removal [20]. The micrometer-sized melting features supposedly arise from heterogeneities of the glass composition affecting the local optical and thermo-physical properties during the multi-pulse irradiation

Electrostatic force microscopy for the accurate characterization of interphases in nanocomposites

• Diana El Khoury,
• Richard Arinero,
• Jean-Charles Laurentie,
• Mikhaël Bechelany,
• Michel Ramonda and
• Jérôme Castellon

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2999–3012, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.279

• . Approach 1: PS + Al2O3 and PS + Al2O3 + PVAc In the first method, the EFM signals for PS + 100 nm Al2O3 and PS + 100 nm Al2O3 + PVAc samples were compared (Figure 1). These samples mimicked a nanodielectric that has interphase (Al2O3) without and with a matrix surface layer, respectively. Al2O3 was the

• Al2O3 and PS + 100 nm Al2O3 + PVAc samples are presented in Figure 2a and 2b. The topography height was lower in samples with than in those without the matrix surface layer. Additional nanomechanical measurements indicated that this decrease was due to the non-uniformly thick spin-coated PVAc film [38

Adhesive contact of rough brushes

• Qiang Li and
• Valentin L. Popov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2405–2412, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.225

• adhesive properties as a softer surface layer may help create an intimate contact with rough surfaces, while the stiffer interior supports a higher final adhesive strength. In this way, properties can be achieved which are not possible for homogeneous materials [24][25]. In the present section, we only

Block copolymers for designing nanostructured porous coatings

• Roberto Nisticò

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2332–2344, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.218

• varying the block copolymer parameters (mostly, molecular weight, and the different blocks volume fraction) and the formulation (i.e., solvent(s) volume), it is possible to modulate the surface layer organization at the level of a few tens of nanometers. The following paragraphs describe how well-ordered

Surface energy of nanoparticles – influence of particle size and structure

• Dieter Vollath,
• Franz Dieter Fischer and
• David Holec

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2265–2276, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.211

• liquid or liquid-like layer at temperatures significantly below the melting temperature or a continuous process of melting starting at the surface. Thermodynamic calculations support these models [34][35]. Sakai [34] concludes that the phenomenon of a liquid-like surface layer is, at least for the

• ]. This order parameter obtains the value 1 for perfectly crystallized and 0 for liquid material. Certainly, such a surface layer with reduced crystalline order has a surface energy, which is closer to that of a liquid rather than a crystalline solid. Also this result supports arguments leading to the

• reduction of the surface energy shown in Figure 7 is certainly connected to the formation of a disordered surface layer, as it was shown by Chang and Johnson [35]. For small particles, Figure 6 and Figure 7 clearly demonstrate (with a high probability) that at least the surface of nanoparticles loses order

Lead-free hybrid perovskites for photovoltaics

• Oleksandr Stroyuk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2209–2235, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.207

• accumulate in a surface layer of the HP film exerting a passivating effect and resulting in a longer charge carrier lifetime [102]. The introduction of Ca2+ on the Pb2+ sites of CsPbI3 HP results in a more homogeneous a better contact between the HP and HTL, as well as the surface passivation by a Ca

• -enriched surface layer [103]. The best Ca-substituted CsPbI3 HPs show a PCE of higher than 13% and maintain more than 85% of the initial efficiency for more than two months of testing with encapsulation [103]. A partial substitution of Pb(II) with In(III) yields HPs with a reduced lead content and a

Uniform cobalt nanoparticles embedded in hexagonal mesoporous nanoplates as a magnetically separable, recyclable adsorbent

• Can Zhao,
• Yuexiao Song,
• Tianyu Xiang,
• Wenxiu Qu,
• Shuo Lou,
• Xiaohong Yin and
• Feng Xin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1770–1781, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.168

• spectrum are assigned to the 2p3/2 and 2p1/2 spin–orbit split peaks of Co (II) species, respectively (Figure 6C). Two small peaks at 786.4 eV and 803.5 eV are two satellite peaks of Co (II) species [39]. XPS is sensitive to atoms in the near-surface layer, hence only two weak peaks in Figure 6C ascribed to

Facile phase transfer of gold nanorods and nanospheres stabilized with block copolymers

• Yaroslav I. Derikov,
• Georgiy A. Shandryuk,
• Raisa V. Talroze,
• Alexander A. Ezhov and
• Yaroslav V. Kudryavtsev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 616–627, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.58

• separate particles rather than their aggregates and (ii) to obtain information regarding the surface layer that stabilizes the nanoparticles before and after the phase transfer. The first task stemmed from our TEM observations that demonstrated the possibility of nanorod side-by-side stacking (see Figure

• 436 nm [51]. Thus, the presence of a CTAB bilayer at the Au nanorod surface should noticeably shift the maximum position of the TM plasmon resonance in water and benzene. This can be checked by simulations for a model in which a single nanorod is coated with a surface layer with the refractive index

• the PS-b-P2VP block copolymer, the presence of polystyrene blocks in the surface layer of nanorods can effectively increase the refractive index of that layer and bring it close to the refractive index of the dispersion medium, benzene. If so, the modeled extinction cross section for a bare nanorod

Fabrication and photoactivity of ionic liquid–TiO₂ structures for efficient visible-light-induced photocatalytic decomposition of organic pollutants in aqueous phase

• Anna Gołąbiewska,
• Marta Paszkiewicz-Gawron,
• Aleksandra Sadzińska,
• Wojciech Lisowski,
• Ewelina Grabowska,
• Adriana Zaleska-Medynska and
• Justyna Łuczak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 580–590, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.54

• size of the IL–TiO2 photocatalysts. The values in parenthesis represent the error in measurement. Elemental composition (in atom %) and chemical characteristics of titanium, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen states in the surface layer of [ODMM][Cl] and [TDMM][Cl] IL-modified TiO2 particles, evaluated by X

Influence of the preparation method on the photocatalytic activity of Nd-modified TiO₂

• Patrycja Parnicka,
• Paweł Mazierski,
• Tomasz Grzyb,
• Wojciech Lisowski,
• Ewa Kowalska,
• Bunsho Ohtani,
• Adriana Zaleska-Medynska and
• Joanna Nadolna

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 447–459, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.43

• photocatalyst for the degradation of phenol and toluene under visible light. XPS analysis revealed that the photocatalyst prepared via HT method contains a three-times higher amount of hydroxy groups at the surface layer and a two-times higher amount of surface defects than that obtained by the SHT method. The

• defected and contaminated by organic impurities can also hinder the up-conversion process or even make it impossible to occur. Chemical composition To correlate the surface properties with the photoactivity of the obtained Nd-TiO2, the surface layer of pristine TiO2 and Nd-modified TiO2 prepared by SHT and

• significantly higher photocatalytic activity compared to Nd-TiO2 NPs prepared via sol–hydrothermal process. The photocatalyst prepared via HT method has three times more hydroxy groups on its surface layer and a two times higher amount of surface defects than the powder obtained by SHT method. According to the

Dopant-stimulated growth of GaN nanotube-like nanostructures on Si(111) by molecular beam epitaxy

• Alexey D. Bolshakov,
• Alexey M. Mozharov,
• Georgiy A. Sapunov,
• Igor V. Shtrom,
• Nickolay V. Sibirev,
• Vladimir V. Fedorov,
• Evgeniy V. Ubyivovk,
• Maria Tchernycheva,
• George E. Cirlin and
• Ivan S. Mukhin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 146–154, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.17

• nucleation and growth of NWs is played by growth species diffusion. We could thus conclude that Ga adatom kinetics on the substrate strongly depend on the surface layer chemistry and can be altered by the annealing procedure. We have also considered the volume of incorporated material in our experimental

• magnitude higher than in the bulk [43]. A similar effect of doping level elevation (which value may even exceed the Si solubility limit in bulk GaN) was observed in the surface layer of GaN NWs [27][28]. The preferential incorporation of Si in the outer part (shell) of the NW leads to formation of point

Electro-optical characteristics of a liquid crystal cell with graphene electrodes

• Nune H. Hakobyan,
• Hakob L. Margaryan,
• Valeri K. Abrahamyan,
• Vladimir M. Aroutiounian,
• Arpi S. Dilanchian Gharghani,
• Amalya B. Kostanyan,
• Timothy D. Wilkinson and
• Nelson Tabirian

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2802–2806, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.279

• initial moment of the pulse action (sharp reorientation oscillation) the system tends to keep its original ordered state. Here, the translation of the highly ordered surface layer into the LC bulk occurs under the influence of elastic forces. However, later, the ordering in the bulk is lost due to the

Patterning of supported gold monolayers via chemical lift-off lithography

• Liane S. Slaughter,
• Kevin M. Cheung,
• Sami Kaappa,
• Huan H. Cao,
• Qing Yang,
• Thomas D. Young,
• Andrew C. Serino,
• Sami Malola,
• Jana M. Olson,
• Stephan Link,
• Hannu Häkkinen,
• Anne M. Andrews and
• Paul S. Weiss

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2648–2661, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.265

• an ideal fcc Au{111} surface. During lift-off, some Au surface atoms remain attached to the lifting sulfur atoms, breaking the Au surface symmetry and causing reconstruction of the remaining Au surface layer. As lifting continues, some Au atoms move between the sulfur atoms, forming RS–Au–SR

Laser-assisted fabrication of gold nanoparticle-composed structures embedded in borosilicate glass

• Nikolay Nedyalkov,
• Mihaela Koleva,
• Nadya Stankova,
• Rosen Nikov,
• Mitsuhiro Terakawa,
• Yasutaka Nakajima,
• Lyubomir Aleksandrov and
• Reni Iordanova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2454–2463, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.244

• the induced defects only. At a fluence of greater than 3 J/cm2, ablation of the sample was observed. It should be mentioned that the absorption of the laser energy at 266 nm occurs within a thin surface layer due to the high absorbance of the material in this range (see Figure 1). This results in an

Au₅₅, a stable glassy cluster: results of ab initio calculations

• Dieter Vollath,
• David Holec and
• Franz Dieter Fischer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2221–2229, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.222

• [33]. Furthermore, one can think about magnetic materials in which, generally, the magnetic properties of a surface layer are different to the core of the cluster, or where in contrast to the corresponding bulk material small clusters do not exhibit ferromagnetism. When applying Equation 1 to the Au55

In situ controlled rapid growth of novel high activity TiB₂/(TiB₂–TiN) hierarchical/heterostructured nanocomposites

• Jilin Wang,
• Hejie Liao,
• Yuchun Ji,
• Fei Long,
• Yunle Gu,
• Zhengguang Zou,
• Weimin Wang and
• Zhengyi Fu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2116–2125, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.211

• mentioned reaction coupling self-propagating high-temperature synthesis principle (Figure 4a). The SHS reaction system creates a special environment where the surface layer of the formed TiB2 crystals can be broken into fragments due to the infiltration and erosion of the high concentration of N*, Ti*and H2

• nm. Proposed schematic illustration and the corresponding FSEM images related to the formation process of the as-synthesized TiB2/(TiB2–TiN) samples. (a) TiB2 hexagonal prism crystal. (b) (B1) The surface layer was broken into fragments. (c) (C1) TiB2 fragments melted into small droplets. (d) (D1