Nanoscale mapping of dielectric properties based on surface adhesion force measurements

• Ying Wang,
• Yue Shen,
• Xingya Wang,
• Zhiwei Shen,
• Bin Li,
• Jun Hu and
• Yi Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 900–906, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.84

• , the newly-developed PF-QNM mode of AFM made it possible to simultaneously map the adhesion property as well as topography of the sample with high spatial resolution. In PF-QNM mode, force–distance curves between the AFM tip and the sample are measured at each pixel, so the force where the tip finally

Towards the third dimension in direct electron beam writing of silver

• Katja Höflich,
• Jakub Mateusz Jurczyk,
• Katarzyna Madajska,
• Maximilian Götz,
• Luisa Berger,
• Carlos Guerra-Nuñez,
• Caspar Haverkamp,
• Iwona Szymanska and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 842–849, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.78

• a reference silver layer. The quantified carbon background of ca. 15 atom % was subtracted to determine the actual deposit composition. The topography of the deposits was monitored using atomic force microscopy (AFM) with an AIST Smart SPM system. Data processing was carried out using the free

• AgO2F5Prop. The red arrow on the right side depicts the direction in which the AFM profiles were taken. This was chosen such, that deposit deformations due to stage drift and beam blanker velocity do not influence the displayed topography below. The AFM profiles are the result of averaging over seven

Synthesis and characterization of two new TiO₂-containing benzothiazole-based imine composites for organic device applications

• Anna Różycka,
• Agnieszka Iwan,
• Krzysztof Artur Bogdanowicz,
• Michal Filapek,
• Natalia Górska,
• Damian Pociecha,
• Marek Malinowski,
• Patryk Fryń,
• Agnieszka Hreniak,
• Jakub Rysz,
• Paweł Dąbczyński and
• Monika Marzec

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 721–739, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.67

• out to be too rough to be measured with AFM, these samples were prepared with the spin coating technique (1000 rpm, 40 s). As one can see in Figure 10a, the topography of pure SP2 imine and SP2:TiO2 composites in each case reveals quite large crystallites randomly distributed on the glass surface, and

• Jeol ECZ-400 S spectrometer (1H - 400 MHz) with a delay time of 5 s. The measurements were carried out at room temperature on 10–15% (w/v) sample solutions. UV–vis spectra of SP1–SP2 compounds in a chloroform solution were recorded on a Jasco V670 spectrophotometer. AFM imaging of sample topography was

• measured at room temperature with the Agilent 5500 microscope working in non-contact mode. The setpoint and gains were adjusted to each measurement to obtain a clear image without noise. For each sample, topography images were collected at several randomly chosen areas. As described in [52

Combined pulsed laser deposition and non-contact atomic force microscopy system for studies of insulator metal oxide thin films

• Daiki Katsube,
• Hayato Yamashita,
• Satoshi Abo and
• Masayuki Abe

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 686–692, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.63

• deposition, a deposited sample was taken out into the ambient atmosphere and its topography was measured with a tapping AFM in air. Although it is difficult to obtain atomic resolution images in tapping mode, the larger scanning area of tapping AFM enabled us to check whether a step-and-terrace surface was

Tuning adhesion forces between functionalized gold colloidal nanoparticles and silicon AFM tips: role of ligands and capillary forces

• Sven Oras,
• Sergei Vlassov,
• Marta Berholts,
• Rünno Lõhmus and
• Karine Mougin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 660–670, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.61

• evaluate the impact of the NPs topography on the adhesion measurement at nanoscale. Results and Discussion Functionalized Au nanoparticles Au colloidal NPs used in the study ranged from a few to several tens of nanometers in size and had a polyhedral structure with well-defined facets (Figure 1). The most

• have strong influence on the intermolecular interactions between the silicon tip and the Au NPs. Adhesion of Au colloidal nanoparticles Freshly prepared NPs were drop-casted onto a silicon wafer and dried as described in the experimental section. Topography and adhesion of the NPs were measured by AFM

• in a PeakForce QNM Mode. Figure 2 displays AFM images of Au NPs topography and adhesion along with typical force–distance curves for Au NPs and Si substrate. Results show that adhesion force values are highly modulated by the nature of the tail group of the NPs thin coating as well as the NPs

Optimisation of purification techniques for the preparation of large-volume aqueous solar nanoparticle inks for organic photovoltaics

• Furqan Almyahi,
• Thomas R. Andersen,
• Nathan A. Cooling,
• Natalie P. Holmes,
• Matthew J. Griffith,
• Krishna Feron,
• Xiaojing Zhou,
• Warwick J. Belcher and
• Paul C. Dastoor

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 649–659, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.60

• concentration on the aqueous solar nanoparticle (ASNP) inks was investigated by monitoring the surface morphology/topography of the ASNP films using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photovoltaic device performance as a function of ultrafiltration (decreasing SDS content

• ). The surface morphology/topography showed, as expected, a decreased number of SDS crystallites on the surface of the ASNP film with increased ultrafiltration steps. The device performance revealed distinct peaks in efficiency with ultrafiltration: centrifuge purified inks reached a maximum efficiency

• reached was 64 and 50 mN m−1 for the centrifugal and the crossflow purifications, respectively. Influence of free-SDS surfactant on the surface morphology/topography of ASNP films Optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were conducted for ASNP films with low, medium and high dilution factors

Lyapunov estimation for high-speed demodulation in multifrequency atomic force microscopy

• David M. Harcombe,
• Michael G. Ruppert,
• Michael R. P. Ragazzon and
• Andrew J. Fleming

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 490–498, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.47

• interactions [2], atomic scale resolution imaging is achieved, which far exceeds the optical diffraction limit. An image generated by constant-force topography AFM depends entirely on its feedback control loop. The composition of a sample is visualized in three-dimensions by plotting the control signal against

• samples, allowing for biophysical processes to be studied [6][7][8]. Multifrequency AFM (MF-AFM) methods allow for the study of tip–sample interactions occurring at multiple frequencies [9]. This extends imaging information beyond the topography to a range of nanomechanical properties including sample

• harmonics, respectively. (a,c): Topography in nanometers, (b) higher-harmonic phase (°) images taken with parallel LIAs, (d) higher-harmonic phase (°) images taken with the MF-LYAP.

Facile synthesis of ZnFe₂O₄ photocatalysts for decolourization of organic dyes under solar irradiation

• Arjun Behera,
• Debasmita Kandi,
• Sanjit Manohar Majhi,
• Satyabadi Martha and
• Kulamani Parida

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 436–446, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.42

• microscopy (FESEM) provides surface morphology and topography of the prepared materials. Figure 2 shows the surface topography of ZFO-500. The sample consists of agglomerated nanoparticles with smooth surface. The agglomeration of ZFO-500 is accompanied with the formation of small crystallites [28]. TEM The

Blister formation during graphite surface oxidation by Hummers’ method

• Olga V. Sinitsyna,
• Georgy B. Meshkov,
• Anastasija V. Grigorieva,
• Alexander A. Antonov,
• Inna G. Grigorieva and
• Igor V. Yaminsky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 407–414, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.40

• steps on the surface. The present work is devoted to the evaluation of the topography changes during the initial stages of the graphite oxidation in order to clarify the role of the basal-plane surface in the diffusion of reagents. We chose the classical method of GO synthesis proposed by Hummers and

• additional experiment was conducted in which the time of the treatment with the oxidation mixture was 3 minutes. Sample characterization AFM measurements were carried out using a FemtoScan multifunctional scanning probe microscope produced by the Advanced Technologies Center. The surface topography was

Review: Electrostatically actuated nanobeam-based nanoelectromechanical switches – materials solutions and operational conditions

• Liga Jasulaneca,
• Jelena Kosmaca,
• Raimonds Meija,
• Jana Andzane and
• Donats Erts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 271–300, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.29

• –Nordheim (FN) tunnelling [54][85][87][88]. The direct tunnelling occurs when the barrier is trapezoidal, and the FN tunnelling occurs when the barrier is triangular [10][89][90]. The shape of the initial potential barrier in the NEM switch contact depends on the size and topography of the contact area, as

Anchoring of a dye precursor on NiO(001) studied by non-contact atomic force microscopy

• Sara Freund,
• Antoine Hinaut,
• Nathalie Marinakis,
• Edwin C. Constable,
• Ernst Meyer,
• Catherine E. Housecroft and
• Thilo Glatzel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 242–249, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.26

•  2 shows topography images of the bare NiO(001) surface measured by bimodal nc-AFM using both the first normal and torsional resonance frequency of the cantilever. In this mode high stability and resolution can be combined in order to get detailed information at the atomic scale even under room

• of recording a first scan line with a closed feedback loop where the tip–sample distance is regulated using a topographic set point Δf1 and then acquiring a second scan in a open feedback loop following the recorded topography but applying an additional constant Z-offset, reducing the tip–sample

Liquid-crystalline nanoarchitectures for tissue engineering

• Baeckkyoung Sung and
• Min-Ho Kim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 205–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.22

• alignment of ECM fibers is known to control the cell shape and motion [53]. During development, growth, and proliferation, the 2D/3D topography of ECM affects the cell spreading, focal adhesion strength, and intercellular mechanical signaling [54]. For example, the guided migration of cells in the ECM was

• . Structurally ordered films have been fabricated by applying unidirectional shear force on a drop of concentrated M13 virus suspension, which resulted in a nematic-like organization of the viruses. The long-range order 2D nematic topography can guide the directional growth of hippocampal neural progenitor cells

• factors (2D/3D topography and mechanical stiffness) and the biochemical factors (cell binding and molecular stimulation). The mechanical feedback from the scaffold is transmitted to the cell nucleus (N) via actin bundles (stress fibers). The chemical signal is generated by growth factors and then

Combined scanning probe electronic and thermal characterization of an indium arsenide nanowire

• Tino Wagner,
• Fabian Menges,
• Heike Riel,
• Bernd Gotsmann and
• Andreas Stemmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 129–136, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.15

• nanoscale tip with the surface. So far, electrical and thermal device characterization by scanning probe microscopy has often suffered from low lateral resolution [3][4][5][6], long-distance averaging effects [7][8][9], and topography-induced crosstalk [10][11][12], allowing for a mainly qualitative data

• topography, geometrical artefacts and feedback problems can be minimized by appropriate control schemes [20]. The typical lateral resolution of our SThM and KFM setups is on the order of the tip radius (below 10 nm), at a noise level of 20 μK·Hz−0.5 and 1 mV·Hz−0.5, respectively, depending on operating

• average power of 2.9 μW and a peak current of 30 μA is shown superimposed as a colour code on the topography scan in Figure 1b. From topography, the wire height is 60 nm. On both sides, the wire is electrically contacted by 120 nm high Au/Ni top electrodes, leaving a wire segment of approx. 1 μm in

Nematic topological defects positionally controlled by geometry and external fields

• Pavlo Kurioz,
• Marko Kralj,
• Bryce S. Murray,
• Charles Rosenblatt and
• Samo Kralj

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 109–118, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.13

• uniaxial nematic structures defined by Equation 10 and assume . (b) In the “cylindrical” cells we impose a boojum topological defect at the top plate and assume . (a) Typical scribed surface topography enforcing the m = 2 topological defect. (b) Schematic representation showing the AFM-scribed director

A robust AFM-based method for locally measuring the elasticity of samples

• Alexandre Bubendorf,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Thomas Schimmel and
• Ernst Meyer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1–10, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.1

• feedback in the highest region of the plastic phase of 44.4 nN for LLDPE, 29.6 nN for PP, 29.6 nN for PS and 37 nN for FDTS. The results of the scannings are shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7 for topography (panel a) and elastic modulus (panel b). The histograms in Figure 6c and Figure 7c correspond to the

• right of σ, FN and A characterize the increase speed (bold for fast) and magnitude (length). Mapping of (a) topography and (b) elastic modulus of 2.5 μm × 2.5 μm areas of the LLDPE, PP and PS samples. The measurements were performed in contact by applying a constant normal force FN of 44.4 nN for LLDPE

• ) topography and (b) elastic modulus of a 2.5 μm × 2.5 μm area of the FDTS + SiOx SAM sample. The measurements were performed in contact by applying a constant normal force FN of 37 nN, and by exciting the two first flexural modes of the cantilever with an amplitude of A1 = 22 mV and A2 = 5 mV respectively for

Material discrimination and mixture ratio estimation in nanocomposites via harmonic atomic force microscopy

• Weijie Zhang,
• Yuhang Chen,
• Xicheng Xia and
• Jiaru Chu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2771–2780, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.276

• different kinds of nanoparticles with almost the same shape and size. Higher harmonic imaging offers better information on the distribution and mixture of different nanoparticles as compared to other techniques, including topography and conventional tapping phase. Therefore, harmonic AFM has potential

• were prepared by mixing PS and SiO2 NPs and then deposited on a silicon substrate. The harmonic AFM results are presented in Figure 7. For this specimen, the three different materials, PS, SiO2 and Si can be distinguished even from the topography because the diameters of the PS and SiO2 NPs are

• amplitude magnitudes in the scan area, which correspond to the two kinds of NPs. Careful comparison between the topography and harmonic amplitude images have been conducted. The variation of the surface geometry is found to have little influence on the harmonic amplitude. That is, the amplitude contrast

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

• samples [27]. The AFM topography map in Figure 1E shows a pattern of recessed circular holes, which are each approximately 1 µm in diameter with a center-to-center separation of 4 µm. These features directly reproduced the lateral dimensions and periodicity of the Au features on the corresponding Au-on-Si

• of the regions containing the lifted-off Au monolayers using AFM topography maps of patterned PDMS (Figure 1E,F,H). To recognize and to differentiate between regions containing Au–mercaptoundecanol monolayers and PDMS-only background regions, we employed a recently developed image analysis algorithm

• the PDMS before each sample was rinsed on both sides with ethanol and blown dry. Peak-force atomic force microscopy A Bruker Dimension Icon scanning probe microscope (Bruker Nano, Santa Barbara, CA, USA) was used to map the topography and mechanical properties of flat PDMS stamps patterned with Au

Robust nanobubble and nanodroplet segmentation in atomic force microscope images using the spherical Hough transform

• Yuliang Wang,
• Tongda Lu,
• Xiaolai Li,
• Shuai Ren and
• Shusheng Bi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2572–2582, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.257

• scanners, noise [24][25] or the actual topography of the sample surfaces (e.g., HOPG). In general, it is difficult to establish one source of the uneven background from the others in AFM images. Practically, researchers use a plane fitting method to aggressively flatten AFM images to improve the contrast

• can be directly obtained and the contact angle can then be calculated. It is known that the topography image obtained from an AFM image is the convolution of the AFM tip and substrate morphologies [30][31][32]. In the case of the spherical-cap-shaped NBs and NDs, the influence of the AFM tip on the

• points compared with the other two methods. As mentioned earlier, due to the finite size of AFM tips, the AFM images are actually the convolution of AFM tips with the real topography of samples. Here NB/ND characterization was implemented after tip correction (see Equations 1–3). Figure 12a and Figure

Nanoprofilometry study of focal conic domain structures in a liquid crystalline free surface

• Anna N. Bagdinova,
• Evgeny I. Demikhov,
• Nataliya G. Borisenko and
• Sergei M. Tolokonnikov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2544–2551, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.254

• of the surface. Vertical measurements (normal to the surface) are carried out interferometrically. Horizontal measurements (in the plane of surface) are made by calculating the size of the pixel in the field of the objective. Using these methods, ISSA analyzes and calculates the topography of the

Interface conditions of roughness-induced superoleophilic and superoleophobic surfaces immersed in hexadecane and ethylene glycol

• Yifan Li,
• Yunlu Pan and
• Xuezeng Zhao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2504–2514, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.250

• the RMS roughness. Results are similar to those of the superoleophilic surface. All slip lengths are negative and decrease from b1 to b5. It also can be explained by the rough topography leading to a discontinuity of boundary slip. Conclusion The effect of surface RMS roughness on the interface

Robust procedure for creating and characterizing the atomic structure of scanning tunneling microscope tips

• Sumit Tewari,
• Koen M. Bastiaans,
• Milan P. Allan and
• Jan M. van Ruitenbeek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2389–2395, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.238

• of the surface with atomic resolution. STM has found its applications in many fields of science. Apart from studying surface topography, STM has been used for, e.g., manipulating single atoms [3][4][5], for doing spectroscopy [6], for fabricating nano-structures with novel engineered electronic

• exploit the capabilities of the low-temperature STM setup for imaging the evolution of the tip structure by scanning over an isolated adatom on the surface. The obtained STM images are convolutions of the topography and electronic states of sample and tip. Lang [31] has shown theoretically using two

• planar metal electrodes with a single adatom on each of them, that upon scanning one with the other symmetric convolutions of the topography and electronic states are expected, giving circularly symmetric images. Any asymmetry in the STM images of an isolated adatom will reflect the asymmetry of the

Increasing the stability of DNA nanostructure templates by atomic layer deposition of Al₂O₃ and its application in imprinting lithography

• Hyojeong Kim,
• Kristin Arbutina,
• Anqin Xu and
• Haitao Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2363–2375, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.236

• nanotubes are collapsed after deposition onto a silicon wafer, showing an average height (n = 10) of 3.4 ± 0.1 nm by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surface topography of the DNA nanotube master template before (Figure 2a) and after (Figure 2b) deposition of a ca. 2 nm thick Al2O3 layer and the

• process. To quantify the degree of conservation of the surface topography, height/depth and full width at half maximum (FWHM) were measured in four different locations in the AFM images and compared at the same locations throughout the fabrication process (Figure 2f,g). Taking location 1 as an example

• analysis were scanned in the same location of the template at the beginning and the end of this period (Figure S4a,b, Supporting Information File 1). Not surprisingly, the 40 days of aging in air did not alter the surface topography of the DNA nanostructure master template. While the height of the DNA

Optical contrast and refractive index of natural van der Waals heterostructure nanosheets of franckeite

• Patricia Gant,
• Foad Ghasemi,
• David Maeso,
• Carmen Munuera,
• Elena López-Elvira,
• Riccardo Frisenda,
• David Pérez De Lara,
• Gabino Rubio-Bollinger,
• Mar Garcia-Hernandez and
• Andres Castellanos-Gomez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2357–2362, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.235

• substrate. The topography of the fabricated flakes is characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to determine their thickness (Figure 2c). Below Figure 2a–c we include a colour chart obtained from the analysis of tens of epi-illumination microscopy images of franckeite flakes with different thicknesses

Surfactant-induced enhancement of droplet adhesion in superhydrophobic soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves

• Oliver Hagedorn,
• Ingo Fleute-Schlachter,
• Hans Georg Mainx,
• Viktoria Zeisler-Diehl and
• Kerstin Koch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2345–2356, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.234

• epicuticular wax chemical composition might also show differences in the alteration of their wax by surfactants. Conclusion The presented data on the surface topography and chemistry of soybean leaf surfaces show that the hydrophobic compound of the leaves are three-dimensional epicuticular waxes, composed

• visualize the topography of the leaves, a 3D light microscope (Keyence VHX-600DSO, Keyence Deutschland GmbH, Germany) was used. Glycine max L. leaves were fixed on a flat glass slide with double-sided adhesive tape (Tesa, Germany) and images were taken from the side at magnifications between 10× and 30

Photobleaching of YOYO-1 in super-resolution single DNA fluorescence imaging

• Joseph R. Pyle and
• Jixin Chen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2296–2306, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.229

• Joseph R. Pyle Jixin Chen Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701, USA 10.3762/bjnano.8.229 Abstract Super-resolution imaging of single DNA molecules via point accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography (PAINT

• photobleaching (SHRIMP) [34], and point accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography (PAINT) [35][36]. The main principle behind the latter techniques is to take a fluorescent video of single molecules over time. Each frame of the video is then processed to determine the center of each fluorescent point