Advances and challenges in the field of plasma polymer nanoparticles

• Andrei Choukourov,
• Pavel Pleskunov,
• Daniil Nikitin,
• Valerii Titov,
• Artem Shelemin,
• Mykhailo Vaidulych,
• Anna Kuzminova,
• Pavel Solař,
• Jan Hanuš,
• Jaroslav Kousal,
• Ondřej Kylián,
• Danka Slavínská and
• Hynek Biederman

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2002–2014, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.200

• situation is related to the weak van der Waals forces acting between NPs and substrate so that a NP layer can be easily destroyed by a tiny mechanical impact. This drawback can be overcome by depositing a capping layer that should be sufficiently robust to fix the NPs on the surface yet sufficiently thin so

Imidazolium-based ionic liquids used as additives in the nanolubrication of silicon surfaces

• Patrícia M. Amorim,
• Ana M. Ferraria,
• Rogério Colaço,
• Luís C. Branco and
• Benilde Saramago

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1961–1971, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.197

• substrate. Enhanced interactions between the cation and or the anion and the hydrophilic silicon substrate, due to van der Waals forces (long side chains), hydrogen bonding (ethanol functional groups) and, more importantly, chemical bonding involving the hydrophilic sulfate and Si, promote the formation of

Intercalation of Si between MoS₂ layers

• Rik van Bremen,
• Qirong Yao,
• Soumya Banerjee,
• Deniz Cakir,
• Nuri Oncel and
• Harold J. W. Zandvliet

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1952–1960, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.196

• structure relaxation. Thus, we suggest that the intercalation of silicon atoms between MoS2 layers may promote the formation of silicene, which interacts only weakly with the environment via van der Waals forces. We found that both top and bottom MoS2 layers develop bumps due to the interaction with the

Non-intuitive clustering of 9,10-phenanthrenequinone on Au(111)

• Ryan D. Brown,
• Rebecca C. Quardokus,
• Natalie A. Wasio,
• Jacob P. Petersen,
• Angela M. Silski,
• Steven A. Corcelli and
• S. Alex Kandel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1801–1807, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.181

• in dipole–dipole interactions being overwhelmed by stronger intermolecular interactions (i.e., van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding) during growth processes [32][33][34][35]. However, the arrangement of molecules in the tetramer does not allow for half of the carbonyl groups present to form C–H

Two-dimensional carbon-based nanocomposites for photocatalytic energy generation and environmental remediation applications

• Suneel Kumar,
• Ashish Kumar,
• Ashish Bahuguna,
• Vipul Sharma and
• Venkata Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1571–1600, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.159

• properties with unsaturated N-atoms for anchoring active sites [69]. Furthermore, the stacked 2D layered structure of g-C3N4 consists of single-layer nitrogen heteroatom-substituted graphite nanosheets, formed through sp2 hybridization of C and N atoms, and various layers are bound together by van der Waals

• forces [69]. Thus it is clear that the lattice structure of g-C3N4 consists only of two abundant elements, C and N (C/N molar ratio = 0.75), which are earth abundant and nontoxic in nature [61]. More surface active sites, nontoxicity, natural abundance and good thermal stability of g-C3N4 makes it a

A nanocomplex of C₆₀ fullerene with cisplatin: design, characterization and toxicity

• Svitlana Prylutska,
• Svitlana Politenkova,
• Kateryna Afanasieva,
• Volodymyr Korolovych,
• Kateryna Bogutska,
• Andriy Sivolob,
• Larysa Skivka,
• Maxim Evstigneev,
• Viktor Kostjukov,
• Yuriy Prylutskyy and
• Uwe Ritter

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1494–1501, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.149

• negatively charged C60 molecules and attraction of the C60 fullerenes due to hydrophobic and van der Waals forces. Thereby, the negative potential of C60+Cis clusters is an important factor responsible for the stabilization of this aqueous system. The structural and energetic peculiarities of C60+Cis

Preparation of thick silica coatings on carbon fibers with fine-structured silica nanotubes induced by a self-assembly process

• Benjamin Baumgärtner,
• Hendrik Möller,
• Thomas Neumann and
• Dirk Volkmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1145–1155, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.116

• separate (non-immobilized) silica particles. In principle, catalytic active polyamines can be localized on the surface of carbon fibers by covalent linkage or by weak van der Waals forces. The latter will be demonstrated for the self-assembly of long-chain polyamines, namely LPEI, in the following chapter

• with surface-confined LPEI aggregates While the short-chain polyamine TEPA was covalently bound to the carbon fiber surface, the suitability of linear poly(ethylenimine) for a self-assembly process can be used to localize the polyamine on the fiber surface via van der Waals forces. This way, a coating

Growth, structure and stability of sputter-deposited MoS₂ thin films

• Reinhard Kaindl,
• Bernhard C. Bayer,
• Roland Resel,
• Thomas Müller,
• Viera Skakalova,
• Gerlinde Habler,
• Rainer Abart,
• Alexey S. Cherevan,
• Dominik Eder,
• Maxime Blatter,
• Fabian Fischer,
• Jannik C. Meyer,
• Dmitry K. Polyushkin and
• Wolfgang Waldhauser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1115–1126, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.113

• covalently bonded, hexagonally coordinated S–Mo–S layers, bonded to neighbouring layers by weak van der Waals forces [1][2][3]. One of the unique features of MoS2 is the polymorphism with distinct electronic characteristics [4]. Depending on the arrangement of S atoms, several distinct symmetries may form

Stable Au–C bonds to the substrate for fullerene-based nanostructures

• Taras Chutora,
• Jesús Redondo,
• Bruno de la Torre,
• Martin Švec,
• Pavel Jelínek and
• Héctor Vázquez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1073–1079, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.109

• energies of these two structures is (in the absence of van der Waals forces) close to zero. This indicates that changes in the electronic structure arising from the vacancy when it is oriented towards vacuum do not significantly affect the metal–molecule contact. In contrast to the value of the defect-down

Triptycene-terminated thiolate and selenolate monolayers on Au(111)

• Jinxuan Liu,
• Martin Kind,
• Björn Schüpbach,
• Daniel Käfer,
• Stefanie Winkler,
• Wenhua Zhang,
• Andreas Terfort and
• Christof Wöll

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 892–905, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.91

• nature of the backbones of the SAM-building molecules [1][4]. It is well-known that long-chained alkyl moieties [9] promote the formation of well-ordered thiolate monolayers on gold via van der Waals forces. Another example for highly crystalline monolayers are biphenyl [10][11][12] and terphenyl [13][14

Modeling adsorption of brominated, chlorinated and mixed bromo/chloro-dibenzo-p-dioxins on C₆₀ fullerene using Nano-QSPR

• Piotr Urbaszek,
• Agnieszka Gajewicz,
• Celina Sikorska,
• Maciej Haranczyk and
• Tomasz Puzyn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 752–761, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.78

• method with partially implemented experimental parameters from different databases. Since it is recognized as one of the best existing methods for showing weak interactions like Van der Waals forces and π–π interactions [53][54][55][56], it was applied in the presented study. The 6-31++G(d,p) basis set

Analysis and modification of defective surface aggregates on PCDTBT:PCBM solar cell blends using combined Kelvin probe, conductive and bimodal atomic force microscopy

• Hanaul Noh,
• Alfredo J. Diaz and
• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 579–589, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.62

• electrostatic [22] and van der Waals forces and topography can be avoided. On the other hand, aged samples stored for several weeks under ambient conditions show topographical features corresponding to the structures found in the phase and potential measurements (see Figure S3, Supporting Information File 1

Graphene functionalised by laser-ablated V₂O₅ for a highly sensitive NH₃ sensor

• Margus Kodu,
• Artjom Berholts,
• Tauno Kahro,
• Mati Kook,
• Peeter Ritslaid,
• Helina Seemen,
• Tea Avarmaa,
• Harry Alles and
• Raivo Jaaniso

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 571–578, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.61

• charged atoms on the surface. Consequently, the adsorption energy is due to van der Waals forces, and may be less or comparable to kBT (where kB is the Boltzmann constant and T the absolute temperature) for gases at room temperature. The introduction of defects and dopant atoms into graphene can

Streptavidin-coated gold nanoparticles: critical role of oligonucleotides on stability and fractal aggregation

• Roberta D'Agata,
• Pasquale Palladino and
• Giuseppe Spoto

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1–11, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.1

• that is polymer-depleted because of increased steric hindrance. Non-specific protein-DNA interactions are mediated by electrostatic interactions with the charged DNA backbone, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces and hydrophobic interactions [62][63][64]. The whole non-specific interaction can push

When the going gets rough – studying the effect of surface roughness on the adhesive abilities of tree frogs

• Niall Crawford,
• Thomas Endlein,
• Jonathan T. Pham,
• Mathis Riehle and
• W. Jon P. Barnes

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2116–2131, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.201

• situation where capillary forces would be absent. Additionally, since toe pads make close contact to surfaces, a role for van der Waals forces cannot be excluded [3]. However, little evidence was found for such forces in a recent AFM study of the toe pads of Litoria [24]. Capillary forces are highest when

Solvent-mediated conductance increase of dodecanethiol-stabilized gold nanoparticle monolayers

• Patrick A. Reissner,
• Jean-Nicolas Tisserant,
• Antoni Sánchez-Ferrer,
• Raffaele Mezzenga and
• Andreas Stemmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2057–2064, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.196

• dependence can be expected if the decrease in lattice constant is driven by an energy minimization process. Attractive van-der-Waals forces between adjacent nanoparticles can cause agglomeration of nanoparticles, which we observed after removing the alkane ligands by UV/ozone treatment. However, van-der

• -Waals forces rather decrease slightly in a liquid medium in comparison to air. A slow compaction of the nanoparticle monolayer as we observed may be caused either by a collapse of alkyl tails or by partial interdigitation of alkyl tails between nanoparticles. The good solubility of 1-dodecanethiol in

Morphology of SiO₂ films as a key factor in alignment of liquid crystals with negative dielectric anisotropy

• Volodymyr Tkachenko,
• Antigone Marino,
• Eva Otón,
• Noureddine Bennis and
• Josè Manuel Otón

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1743–1748, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.167

• homeotropically, respectively. Such behavior can be explained by induced dipole–dipole interaction between LC and a smoothed oxide surface derived from van der Waals forces [3][8]. When α increases from 60° to 85°, the preferred orientation of LC with positive Δε switches from orthogonal to parallel to the plane

Filled and empty states of Zn-TPP films deposited on Fe(001)-p(1×1)O

• Gianlorenzo Bussetti,
• Alberto Calloni,
• Rossella Yivlialin,
• Andrea Picone,
• Federico Bottegoni and
• Marco Finazzi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1527–1531, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.146

• limited to weak van der Waals forces [11]. Consequently, changes in the energy position of the different spectroscopic features of the 1 ML film with respect to the reference layer are usually interpreted in terms of intensity strength of the molecule–substrate interaction. In Figure 2, we report the

Surface roughness rather than surface chemistry essentially affects insect adhesion

• Matt W. England,
• Tomoya Sato,
• Makoto Yagihashi,
• Atsushi Hozumi,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Elena V. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1471–1479, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.139

• (Figure 4a,b). In the latter case, it is presumably due to wetting reduction by the pad fluid (Figure 4c,d). Additionally, at the sites of solid–solid contact between insect pads and substrates, the true contact area and contribution of van der Waals forces are believed to be effectively reduced for both

Influence of ambient humidity on the attachment ability of ladybird beetles (Coccinella septempunctata)

• Lars Heepe,
• Jonas O. Wolff and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1322–1329, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.123

• [14], and geckos, revealed in measurements with living animals [11] and with isolated setae [10]. This is particularly interesting since both types of adhesive systems (wet and dry) are supposed to be based on different physical interactions (capillarity versus van der Waals forces). For the dry

Reasons and remedies for the agglomeration of multilayered graphene and carbon nanotubes in polymers

• Rasheed Atif and
• Fawad Inam

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1174–1196, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.109

• dispersion state of filler as multilayered graphene (MLG) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) tend to agglomerate due to van der Waals forces. The agglomeration can be avoided by using organic solvents, selecting suitable dispersion and production methods, and functionalizing the fillers. Another proposed method is

• nanocomposites and to gain knowledge about their biocompatibility and performance in living organisms. One of the main issues in the production of polymer nanocomposites is the dispersion state of fillers, because MLG and CNTs tend to agglomerate due to van der Waals forces. The agglomeration can be avoided by

• about 1 TPa (more than steel by factor of 5) [2]. MWNTs comprise a number of concentric graphene cylinders, which is known as “Russian doll” structure. There are van der Waals forces between adjacent graphene layers [40]. MWNTs have diameters and lengths in the ranges of 10–20 nm and of 10–50 μm

Nanoscale effects in the characterization of viscoelastic materials with atomic force microscopy: coupling of a quasi-three-dimensional standard linear solid model with in-plane surface interactions

• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 554–571, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.49

• or dispersion (van der Waals) forces exerted by the probe, thus leading to a situation in which the sample is influenced by the measurement itself. One could continue extending the list of phenomena that preclude an ideal measurement by considering other issues such as limitations of the measurement

• of the Q3D force curve of Figure 7 (note that the model does not currently include other types of forces, besides the force due to the viscoelastic elements and the van der Waals forces). Since the Q3D model is based on individual 1D SLS elements, it also exhibits the qualitatively correct behavior

• far only linear elastic. A fourth, related, limitation is that the model assumes uniform material relaxation in the subsurface, which cannot be guaranteed even in one dimension. Adhesion forces other than attractive van der Waals forces are also not considered, although these can be important and may

Influence of calcium on ceramide-1-phosphate monolayers

• Joana S. L. Oliveira,
• Gerald Brezesinski,
• Alexandra Hill and
• Arne Gericke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 236–245, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.22

• negatively charged head groups are responsible for the larger areas per molecule and larger tilt angles. Upon compression, the strong van der Waals forces between the acyl chains and the screening effect of sodium ions surpass the electrostatic repulsions allowing C1P to transform into the untilted state. On

• liquid-expanded phase (LE) due to repulsive forces between the negatively charged phosphate head groups. At pH 4, the C1P head groups are either one-fold deprotonated or neutral (most probably a mixture of protonation states). The strong van der Waals forces between the chains allow the system to be in a

• attractive van der Waals forces). This result supports the calcium-mediated interaction of C1P with the C2 domain of cPLa2α (effector protein). Since C1P is involved in many biological functions, its interaction with other ions could also be of interest. Furthermore, the potential to form solid-like domains

Synthesis and applications of carbon nanomaterials for energy generation and storage

• Marco Notarianni,
• Jinzhang Liu,
• Kristy Vernon and
• Nunzio Motta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 149–196, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.17

• acid [53]. In both the arc discharge and laser ablation methods, bundles of MWNTs and SWNTs held together by van der Waals forces are generated by the condensation of carbon atoms generated from the evaporation of solid carbon sources. The third method, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), involves the

• and can thus only be considered for research purposes. Chemical exfoliation. It is well known that the van der Waals forces that bond together the graphene sheets to form graphite are particularly weak and can be broken by external mechanical force. A common example of this can be seen with the usage

A simple and efficient quasi 3-dimensional viscoelastic model and software for simulation of tapping-mode atomic force microscopy

• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2233–2241, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.229

• amplitude. The total tip–sample force term Fts consists of the repulsive forces generated by the Q3D model (these are calculated numerically since there does not exist an analytical expression to calculate them [10]) plus attractive van der Waals forces, which are included for each area element in the Q3D

• model via an equation similar to the Hamaker equation [12]. Thus, the contribution to the van der Waals forces for area element j is where V is a van der Waals ‘strength’ parameter in the code (see c-file in Supporting Information File 1) that adjusts the magnitude of the van der Waals interaction

• of force curve for bimodal AFM, showing a double impact. The blue arrows indicate in each case the position where the tip first reaches the sample, and the red arrows indicate the position where the tip leaves the sample. Van der Waals forces have been included in the attractive (noncontact) region