Physics, chemistry and biology of functional nanostructures
Nanoscience emerged as a field addressing phenomena that are strongly related to and influenced by their length scale being in the nanometer range. From the very beginning the interdisciplinary character of nanoscience became obvious. Initially it was supported and pushed forward by physics, materials science and chemistry, with a strong interrelation with semiconductor and information technology. Today, biology is included, opening new research areas within nanoscience. As a consequence of this development towards a real transdisciplinary field of science, worldwide collaborative research networks have been installed encompassing physics, materials science, chemistry and biology as well as various areas of engineering.
See also the Thematic Series:
Physics, chemistry and biology of functional nanostructures III
Physics, chemistry and biology of functional nanostructures II
Functional nanostructures
Revealing thermal effects in the electronic transport through irradiated atomic metal point contacts
- Full Research Paper
- Published 24 Oct 2012
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Figure 1: SEM image of the Au electrodes; the gap between the two segments, distinguishable by the border of ...
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Figure 2: (a) Red: Light-induced signal of a gold electrode under illumination (see Figure 1) in an electrochemical e...
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Figure 3: Spatial dependence of the light-induced signal (see Figure 2a) for the two working electrodes. The probed ar...
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Figure 4: Cyclic voltammogram of AgNO3 under illumination. Twelve insets of zoomed areas at different potenti...
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Figure 5: Cyclic voltammogram (CV) of AgNO3 at 35 °C (black) and 45 °C (red), scan rate was 50 mV/s. The temp...
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Figure 6: (a) Optical microscope picture of a MCBJ before electrochemical deposition of Ag (bright-field illu...
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Figure 7: (a) Light-induced signal (red) of a dry, electrochemically closed break junction, and the laser pul...
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Figure 8: (a) Illustration of the closed contact; a silver crystallite spans the bridge across the gap betwee...
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Figure 9: (a) Voltage change during the laser pulse at an Au–Ag–Au junction versus time for different bias cu...
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Figure 10: Sketch of the optical setup used for the experiments on the “dry” contacts.
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Figure 11: Sketch of the electronic circuit used for the measurements on the electrochemically controlled cont...
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Figure 12: Sketch of the electrical circuit used for the measurements on the “dry” contacts.
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Figure 13: Diagram of an electrochemical cell used for studying the influence of laser illumination on the cha...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 20 Nov 2012
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Figure 1: SEM image of Au nanoparticles (average diameter 13 nm, interparticle distance 102 nm) deposited on ...
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Figure 2: Schematics of the process leading to positioning nanoparticles on the micrometer scale: (1) Start; ...
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Figure 3: SEM image of resist disks arranged in a square (dark contrasts) as obtained after development (step...
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Figure 4: SEM image of two squares of nanopillars as obtained after RIE with single Au NPs, arranged in a squ...
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Figure 5: SEM image of four squares of nanopillars as obtained after RIE with single Au NPs, arranged in a sq...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 23 Nov 2012
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Figure 1: TEM image of sodium titanate nanotubes (a) typical region used to record the NEXAFS–TXM data. (b) H...
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Figure 2: (a) X-ray images at different photon energies E from an image stack recorded on the (Na,H)TiNTs at ...
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Figure 3: NEXAFS spectra at the Ti L-edge recorded on (1) SrTiO3, (2) (Na,H)TiNTs and (3) anatase. The vertic...
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Figure 4: (a) Calculated NEXAFS spectra. Ti atoms at different sites of the (Na,H)TiNTs structure (Figure 4b). (b) Bal...
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Figure 5: Comparison of NEXAFS spectra calculated by using density functional theory (red) and O K-edge spect...
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Figure 6: (a) Contribution to the O K-edge spectrum of oxygen atoms at different sites of the (Na,H)TiNTs str...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 07 Dec 2012
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Figure 1: Principle of percolated perpendicular media. The exchange-coupled film is interspersed by nonmagnet...
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Figure 2: Schematics of the sample preparation. Self-assembled, close-packed monolayers of PS spheres are dep...
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Figure 3: Size reduction of PS spheres as a function of etching time in isotropic oxygen plasma at ambient te...
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Figure 4: SEM images of monolayer assemblies of commercial Au nanoparticles with (a) 60 nm diameter and (b) 4...
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Figure 5: (a) Magnetic hysteresis loops of a percolated Fe film (a = 95 nm, d = 66 nm, t = 17 nm) and a thin-...
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Figure 6: (a) Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy images of Fe films taken with right circularly polarized...
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Figure 7: (a–i) MFM images of the same spot taken in different perpendicular fields after driving the sample ...
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Figure 8: (a) DF-STEM image of 40 nm Au nanoparticles capped with a magnetic Co/Pt multilayer. Panel (b) show...
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Figure 9: (a) MOKE remanence curves for Co/Pt multilayers grown on a planar substrate as well as on arrays of...
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- Letter
- Published 11 Dec 2012
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Figure 1: Schematics of the carbon-containing nickel nanowire array before (left) and after (right) post-anne...
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Figure 2: SEM micrographs of the post-annealed carbon-containing nickel nanowires on silicon nanograted struc...
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Figure 3: (a) TEM micrograph of a coaxial nanowire as prepared on a silicon nanograted structure. (b) High-re...
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Figure 4: (a) Normalized hysteresis loops of the coaxial nanowire array measured at 300 K with an applied mag...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 19 Dec 2012
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Figure 1: Tapping-mode atomic force microscopy images of a typical monolayer, with the particle diameter (and...
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Figure 2: Illustration of the four steps in down-scaling of the particles of a polystyrene monolayer to the 1...
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Figure 3: Polystyrene nanoparticles monolayer after plasma-ICP etching for (a) 165, (b) 180, and (c) 195 seco...
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Figure 4: SEM images of a typical colloidal-monolayer mask, shown on four scales in (a–d). The average interd...
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Figure 5: (a) ) Illustration of the integrated circuit device produced by using a colloidal nanoarray mask an...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 21 Dec 2012
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Figure 1: (a) Scanning electron micrograph of a mica mask. High aspect ratio channels were created by bombard...
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Figure 2: Nonlinear optical microscopy of implanted color centers by using ground-state-depletion microscopy ...
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Figure 3: Fluorescence spectra of the nitrogen–vacancy defect in diamond. The upper curve shows the spectrum ...
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Figure 4: Plasmonic resonator geometries, field I and current q for (a) half-wave antenna, (b) bow tie and cr...
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Figure 5: Enhancement of the collection efficiency with a hemispherical solid immersion lens (SIL). (a) Reduc...
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Figure 6: Macroscopic solid immersion lens [10]. (a) Photograph of a single crystalline diamond hemisphere. (b) C...
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Figure 7: Fabrication of a microscopic diamond hemisphere by focused ion beam milling. (a) Grid of FIB marker...
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Figure 8: (a) Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of a micropillar resonator with embedded diamond nanoc...
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Figure 9: (a) Normalized intensity autocorrelation function g(2)(τ) from a micropillar cavity of 1.6 µm diame...
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Figure 10: View into the MWPECVD reactor during growth of a single-crystalline diamond layer.
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Figure 11: (a) Optical emission spectroscopy: observed nickel emission in the MWPECVD plasma during diamond gr...
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Figure 12: (a) SIMS depth profile of nickel-doped single-crystal diamond layer. The intensity of the two “mark...
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Figure 13: Cathodoluminescence spectra measured at a temperature of 5 K on a nickel-doped single-crystal diamo...
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Figure 14: (a–c) Room-temperature PL mapping excited at a wavelength of 660 nm on (111) diamond layers grown b...
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Figure 15: (a) As-grown nanodiamond particles on a silicon substrate. (b) Confocal photoluminescence mapping (...
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Video
- Full Research Paper
- Published 24 Jan 2013
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Figure 1: (a) and (b) show sketches of simulated focus patterns (E2 in xz plane) in the parabolic mirror and ...
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Figure 2: (a) Replacing the split ring resonators with individual plasmonically coupled gold dots allows us t...
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Figure 3: Extinction spectra of a gold monomer, a gold hexamer, and gold heptamers with different interpartic...
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Figure 4: Simulated field distributions and local electric currents (blue arrows) for the gold hexamer and he...
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Figure 5: (a) Examples of complex plasmonic oligomers with tailorable optical properties. Adapted with permis...
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Figure 6: Schematic of two optical microscopic configurations using a parabolic mirror for focusing (a, adapt...
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Figure 7: Oligomer rings composed of gold nanodots, SEM images on the left, confocal luminescence images unde...
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Figure 8: Oligomer structures consisting of aluminium. (a) The formation of collective behavior in the cluste...
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Figure 9: Simulated near-fields of heptamer structures under radial (left, multiplied by 20 for a better comp...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 28 Jan 2013
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Figure 1: Example for a load (a) and displacement scheme (b) of one of the individual scratch segments used i...
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Figure 2: Lateral force versus normal load plot for the fused silica sample in contact with the 1 µm conical ...
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Figure 3: Friction coefficient versus normal load for the fused silica sample derived with both conical inden...
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Figure 4: Friction coefficient versus normal load for the smooth DLC sample derived for both conical indenter...
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Figure 5: Friction coefficient versus normal load for the rough DLC sample derived for both conical indenters...
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- Letter
- Published 31 Jan 2013
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Figure 1: Schematic representation of the new combing method. The droplet containing the DNA solution makes c...
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Figure 2: AFM topographic images of dsDNA molecules deposited on silicon substrates. (a) DNA deposited on APT...
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Figure 3: AFM topographic images demonstrating combing of dsDNA and DNA–peptide conjugates on hydrophobically...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 15 Feb 2013
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Figure 1: (a) Smooth ripple-like structure where the first and last six rows of carbon-dimers are surface-cla...
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Figure 2: Calculated reaction barriers for hydrogenation of bent graphene as a function of the local radius o...
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Figure 3: Electronic transmission through a single kink normalised by the transmission of pristine graphene (T...
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Figure 4: (Left) Band structures for H-passivated armchair ribbons with varying width, N. The ribbons are a z...
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Figure 5: Projected band structure and transmission through structures with multiple kinks. The top (section S...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 19 Feb 2013
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Figure 1: SEM images of the NPG(Ag)-4 catalyst (a) before and (b) after 1000 min on stream.
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Figure 2: XRD patterns of various NPG catalysts before and after 1000 min on stream: (a) NPG(Ag) and (b) NPG(...
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Figure 3: Au(4f) (a) and Ag(3d) (b) XP spectra of the NPG(Ag)-3 catalyst before and after 1000 min on stream.
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Figure 4: Au(4f) (a) and Cu(2p) (b) XP spectra of the NPG(Cu)-2 catalyst before and after 1000 min on stream.
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Figure 5: Temporal evolution of the catalytic activities of various (a) NPG(Ag) and (b) NPG(Cu) catalysts mea...
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Figure 6: Accumulated uptake of CO and O2 as well as CO2 formation during simultaneous pulsing of CO/Ar and O2...
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Figure 7: TPD spectra of oxygen species (m/z = 32) recorded before reaction and after the simultaneous pulsin...
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Figure 8: Catalytic activities of various NPG catalysts at 30 °C, plotted against the total amount of (a) sur...
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Figure 9: OSC of various NPG catalysts plotted against the total amount of (a) surface Ag or (b) surface Cu a...
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- Review
- Published 22 Feb 2013
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Figure 1: Example of scanning electron microscopy image of carbon nanotubes aligned perpendicularly to the su...
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Figure 2: (a) SEM and HR-TEM images of aligned MWCNTs grown in three dimensions on Inconel substrates by floa...
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Figure 3: SWCNT forest grown with water-assisted CVD. (a) Picture of a 2.5 mm tall SWCNT forest on a 7 mm by ...
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Figure 4: Various examples of nanotube arrays grown on Ni dots. (a) Bunches of nanotubes (about 100 nm in dia...
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Figure 5: SEM images of natural (a) gecko setae, (b) a lotus leaf with hierarchical roughness, and (c) the ha...
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Figure 6: SEM image of beautiful repeating patterns of multiply oriented, organized nanotube structures on de...
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Figure 7: SEM images of (a) Chinese characters cut in 2D on a mat of CNTs, (b) a pyramidal structure cut by f...
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Figure 8: (a) Field-emission data of a CNT film before and after 2 min of CF4 plasma treatment. Inset is the ...
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Figure 9: Effect of oxygen plasma functionalization on the VA-CNTs. (1) Optical microscopy images of the cont...
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Figure 10: XPS analysis of (a) pristine vertically aligned MWCNTs and oxygen-plasma-treated MWCNTs for (b) 5 m...
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Figure 11: Percentage weight loss of amorphous carbon as a function of the H2O-plasma etching time. The H2O-pl...
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Figure 12: (a) Variation of threshold electric field and nitrogen content with the duration of the nitrogen pl...
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Figure 13: (a) Procedures for the nanotube inner wall modification and the asymmetric modification of the nano...
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Figure 14: HRTEM images of (a) Pt-NPs-covered CNT tip; inset shows individual particles on the ends of CNTs. (...
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Figure 15: SEM micrographs of the aligned carbon nanotubes (a) before and (b) after plasma polymerization of a...
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Figure 16: SEM images of water droplets on CNT films. (a) Top-down view of micron-sized water droplets suspend...
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Figure 17: Illustration of the ACNT-epoxy TIM assembly process and the CNT statues at the interface. Adapted w...
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Figure 18: Preparation procedure for organizing PANI/MWCNT nanocomposite-tube films. (a) Aligned MWCNT film gr...
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Figure 19: (a) Schematic representation of the VA-CNTs embedded into a polymer matrix by thermal infiltration ...
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Figure 20: (a) Schematic illustration of the iCVD functionalization process of aligned CNTs and (b) schematic ...
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Figure 21: (a) The functionalization process of the amine-terminated ferrocene derivative to CNT ends by carbo...
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Figure 22: In-situ DNA synthesis from sidewalls of carbon nanotubes photoetched with azidothymidine. Aligned M...
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Figure 23: (a) SEM image (taken at a 25° tilt) of a VA-CNFs substrate. (b) Schematic of the functionalization ...
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Figure 24: SEM images of superhydrophobic CNT forests, after functionalization with thiols: (a) in the gas pha...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 14 May 2013
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Figure 1: CVR chamber consisting of precursor sources, reaction zone and thermophoretic powder-collection sys...
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Figure 2: X-ray diffraction patterns (Cu Kα radiation) from the TiO2:Eu nanophosphors produced by the CVR met...
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Figure 3: Normalized emission spectra of Eu3+ in TiO2 under excitation at 330 or 390 nm.
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Figure 4: Excitation spectrum of TiO2:Eu nanoparticles detected at 617 nm emission.
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Figure 5: Decay of the TiO2:Eu emission intensity with time for excitation at 330 nm.
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Figure 6: Decay of the TiO2:Eu emission intensity at 617 nm with time for excitation at 460 nm.
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Figure 7: STEM image of TiO2:Eu nanoparticles coated with a shell of 3 nm Al2O3 and TiO2.
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Figure 8: High-resolution TEM image of TiO2 nanoparticles coated with Al2O3 showing that the Al2O3 coating is...
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Figure 9: SEM image of Ag nanoantennas from the nanosphere lithography process (using colloid spheres with 3 ...
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Figure 10: Confocal microscopy images of the Ag nano-antenna structures (produced using 3 μm diameter colloid ...
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Figure 11: Calculated field-enhancement factor (normalized to the amplitude E0 of the incident light) for bowt...
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Figure 12: Field enhancement ratio (scale goes from 0 to 90) for Ag bow-tie nano-antennas with tip-to-edge len...
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Figure 13: Dependence of the field enhancement in the centre of the gap of a bowtie antenna structure on the i...
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Figure 14: Field enhancement ratio for an array of Ag nanoantenna structures with tip-to-edge length of 370 nm...
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Figure 15: SEM image of spin coated TiO2:Eu layer on Ag nanoantenna structures.
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Figure 16: (a) AFM image of the spin coated TiO2:Eu layer. The antenna structure is still visible in this regi...
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Figure 17: Fluorescent intensity obtained by confocal microscopy of spin-coated nanoantenna structures under e...
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Figure 18: Emission spectrum of VTLUNP organic pigment under excitation with 532 nm radiation.
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Figure 19: Excitation spectrum of VTLUNP organic pigment for emission at 614 nm.
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Figure 20: (a) AFM image of Ag nanoantennas spin coated with VTLUNP (b) AFM height profiles along the lines 1 ...
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Figure 21: Representative scattering (a, c) and fluorescence (b, d) images of the samples spin coated with VTL...
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Figure 22: Representative fluorescence images (recorded at 614 nm) of samples without SiOx layer (a, b) and sa...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 31 May 2013
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Figure 1: Schematic drawing of used membranes with 100 μm thick Si grid and a 40 nm layer of electron-transpa...
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Figure 2: SEM pictures of irradiated CSPETCS layer on a Si/SiO2 substrate (100 μm/40 nm) after incubation wit...
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Figure 3: SEM-T micrographs of CSPETCS silanised SiO2 TEM windows after irradiation and incubation with a sol...
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Figure 4: Height (a,c,d) and phase (b) measurements via AFM of an irradiated CSPETCS monolayer incubated with...
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Figure 5: Super structure of immobilised 6 nm AuNPs on a circular structure written by CEBL (a) and possible ...
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Figure 6: AFM height measurement of a superstructured AuNP pattern (a), exemplary height profile (b) of line ...
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Figure 7: AFM measurements of height (a, b) and phase (c) of a CSPETCS SAM patterned by pointwise irradiation...
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Figure 8: Horizontal (a) and vertical (b) spatial autocorrelation of AFM height measurement in Figure 7b and histogram...
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- Published 14 Aug 2013
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Figure 1: (a) An array of dots written at a substrate temperature of 306 K (33 °C) and a dwell time of 3 s pe...
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Figure 2: (a) The average deposited mass per dot as a function of substrate temperature and beam current. (b)...
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Figure 3: (a) The average deposited mass per dot as a function of dwell time and substrate temperature. The d...
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Figure 4: The activation energies for desorption calculated from the data in Figure 2b and Figure 3b.
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