Tailoring of physical properties of RF-sputtered ZnTe films: role of substrate temperature

• Kafi Devi,
• Usha Rani,
• Arun Kumar,
• Divya Gupta and
• Sanjeev Aggarwal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 333–348, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.25

• II–VI semiconductor with a direct bandgap of 2.26 eV, which lies in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. ZnTe is a p-type semiconductor because of zinc vacancies and has a low electron affinity of 3.53 eV at room temperature [5]. It exists in both zincblende and wurtzite structures

• . The photoluminescence occurs when a material absorbs energy higher than its bandgap. In a semiconductor, this leads to the creation of a large number of electrons and holes in comparison to their equilibrium concentration. These generated charge carriers recombine after thermal relaxation, and photons

Emerging strategies in the sustainable removal of antibiotics using semiconductor-based photocatalysts

• Yunus Ahmed,
• Keya Rani Dutta,
• Parul Akhtar,
• Md. Arif Hossen,
• Md. Jahangir Alam,
• Obaid A. Alharbi,
• Hamad AlMohamadi and
• Abdul Wahab Mohammad

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 264–285, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.21

• to human health and ecological balance, requiring immediate and novel intervention techniques. Regarding this, semiconductor-based photocatalysts have appeared as promising candidates, providing a sustainable and efficient way to remove antibiotics from aquatic ecosystems. Nanomaterials can

• capacity to absorb light and concerns about catalytic stability, photocatalysis outperforms other advanced oxidation processes in multiple aspects. This study focuses on summarizing recent advances in the sustainable removal of antibiotics using semiconductor-based photocatalysts. By reviewing the latest

• improve the performance and scalability for wider use in real-world situations. Keywords: antibiotics; degradation pathways; heterojunctions; mechanisms; photocatalysts; semiconductor; Introduction Antibiotics are chemical substances used to treat bacterial infections in humans, animals, aquaculture

Recent advances in photothermal nanomaterials for ophthalmic applications

• Jiayuan Zhuang,
• Linhui Jia,
• Chenghao Li,
• Rui Yang,
• Jiapeng Wang,
• Wen-an Wang,
• Heng Zhou and
• Xiangxia Luo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 195–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.16

• , and inorganic semiconductor materials that absorb light through bandgap transitions [25]. The specific photothermal properties of these materials, encompassing aspects such as range and rate of light absorption, photothermal conversion efficiency, heat transfer capability, and photothermal stability

• , including exceptional biocompatibility, biodegradability, wide availability, low cost, and a highly tunable structure, making them well-suited for such uses [67][68][69][70][71]. 2.3 Inorganic semiconductor materials Inorganic semiconductor materials, such as TiO2, SiO2, and Fe2O3, possess conductivity

• photothermal conversion capabilities. For instance, titanium dioxide (TiO2) with a bandgap of 3.3 eV, which is transparent to visible light, primarily absorbs ultraviolet light, and common semiconductor materials are only weakly absorbent in the NIR range (Figure 2h) [78]. In comparison to LSPR metals and

Clays enhanced with niobium: potential in wastewater treatment and reuse as pigment with antibacterial activity

• Silvia Jaerger,
• Patricia Appelt,
• Mario Antônio Alves da Cunha,
• Fabián Ccahuana Ayma,
• Ricardo Schneider,
• Carla Bittencourt and
• Fauze Jacó Anaissi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 141–154, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.13

• residues from the original organic matter, thus avoiding the disposal of sludge [8]. This approach allows the removal of various organic pollutants, including textile dyes, using solid semiconductors (e.g., NbOPO4 and Nb2O5) and photons (with energy greater than the bandgap energy of the semiconductor) to

• photocatalyst to treat MB dye solutions and reuse this material as a hybrid pigment. Considering the semiconductor properties of niobium and the high capacity of the clay to remove pollutants from wastewater, we proposed in this research to use the niobium-modified clay as an adsorbent and photocatalyst to

• comparison obtained regarding the percentage of removal from adsorption and heterogeneous photocatalysis tests. The photocatalysis mechanism can be explained as follows: a semiconductor such as the BEPh and BEOx samples absorbs a photon, promoting an electron from the valence band (VB) to the conduction band

TiO₂ immobilized on 2D mordenite: effect of hydrolysis conditions on structural, textural, and optical characteristics of the nanocomposites

• Marina G. Shelyapina,
• Rosario Isidro Yocupicio-Gaxiola,
• Gleb A. Valkovsky and
• Vitalii Petranovskii

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 128–140, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.12

• studied nanocomposites transformed using Equation 6 with n = 2 (since TiO2 is an indirect bandgap semiconductor). Semiconductor materials are characterized by a steep linear increase in light absorption with increasing energy. The bandgap energy can be estimated from the point of intersection of the x

Characterization of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized using probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum GP258

• Prashantkumar Siddappa Chakra,
• Aishwarya Banakar,
• Shriram Narayan Puranik,
• Vishwas Kaveeshwar,
• C. R. Ravikumar and
• Devaraja Gayathri

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 78–89, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.8

• [16]. This peak, observed in the blue line of the spectrum, confirms the formation of ZnO NPs with semiconductor properties and highlights their high purity, which is proven by the lack of peaks that would indicate impurities. This data validates the successful synthesis of ZnO NPs with a clear

• MB dye progressed with time and yielded 95% degradation under 120 min. The process involved in dye degradation is exciting electrons and generating holes in the semiconductor. The produced electrons form superoxide radicals (•O2−) by reacting with O2, while holes react with water (H2O) molecules to

Theoretical study of the electronic and optical properties of a composite formed by the zeolite NaA and a magnetite cluster

• Joel Antúnez-García,
• Roberto Núñez-González,
• Vitalii Petranovskii,
• H’Linh Hmok,
• Armando Reyes-Serrato,
• Fabian N. Murrieta-Rico,
• Mufei Xiao and
• Jonathan Zamora

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 44–53, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.5

• that the composite exhibits magnetic properties of a half-semiconductor and a strong optical response within the visible and ultraviolet regions of the spectrum. Keywords: magnetic cluster; NaA zeolite; optical properties; Introduction Zeolites are crystalline materials made up of aluminosilicates

• bandgap of 6.5 eV, along with additional bandgaps originating from states associated with the bands at 4.5 and 5.2 eV. In Figure 4b, the TDOS for the NaA-M composite is presented, clearly revealing the decoupling of the spin-up and spin-down states, resulting in a “half-semiconductor”-type magnetic

• within the zeolite exhibits characteristics of a half-semiconductor in contrast to the free cluster in the vacuum, which presents ferromagnetic behavior. Moreover, the results suggest that introducing the cluster into zeolite enhances the control over the transition between spin polarizations, making it

Heterogeneous reactions in a HFCVD reactor: simulation using a 2D model

• Xochitl Aleyda Morán Martínez,
• José Alberto Luna López,
• Zaira Jocelyn Hernández Simón,
• Gabriel Omar Mendoza Conde,
• José Álvaro David Hernández de Luz and
• Godofredo García Salgado

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1627–1638, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.128

• ; chemical reactions; flow dynamics; HFCVD; hot filament chemical vapor deposition; SiOx films; Introduction The growth of materials such as non-stoichiometric silicon oxide (SiOx) is an important step in semiconductor devices development. Control of deposition parameters determines the success of the

• because the input gases and materials are accessible; also, it is scalable to larger areas [6]. The SiOx films obtained by HFCVD possess excellent optical and electrical properties, which makes such films suitable for applications in the manufacture of metal–insulator–semiconductor and metal–insulator

Strain-induced bandgap engineering in 2D ψ-graphene materials: a first-principles study

• Kamal Kumar,
• Nora H. de Leeuw,
• Jost Adam and
• Abhishek Kumar Mishra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1440–1452, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.116

• atoms arranged in 5,6,7-membered rings. The half and fully hydrogenated (hydrogen-functionalized) forms of ψ-graphene are called ψ-graphone and ψ-graphane. Like ψ-graphene, ψ-graphone has a zero bandgap, but ψ-graphane is a wide-bandgap semiconductor. In this study, we have applied in-plane and out-of

• are zero-bandgap, like goldene [15] and ψ-graphene [16]. The absence of bandgaps in 2D materials makes them unsuitable for conventional semiconductor applications and limits their use in photonics and optical devices [17]. Therefore, bandgap engineering (manipulation of electronic band structures

• compatibility with established technologies (the semiconductor industry can adopt it to enhance the performance of devices) [28]. Strain can be introduced in graphene using different methods, namely, by exploiting a mismatch in thermal expansion between graphene and the underlying substrate, by transferring

Ion-induced surface reactions and deposition from Pt(CO)₂Cl₂ and Pt(CO)₂Br₂

• Mohammed K. Abdel-Rahman,
• Patrick M. Eckhert,
• Atul Chaudhary,
• Johnathon M. Johnson,
• Jo-Chi Yu,
• Lisa McElwee-White and
• D. Howard Fairbrother

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1427–1439, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.115

• , deposition strategies in various applications, such as circuit editing and lithographic mask repair in the semiconductor industry [7][8][9][10][11][12] as well as the growth of functional materials for magnetism [13][14][15][16], superconductivity [17], and sensing [18][19]. Compared to FEBID, FIBID operates

Lithium niobate on insulator: an emerging nanophotonic crystal for optimized light control

• Midhun Murali,
• Amit Banerjee and
• Tanmoy Basu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1415–1426, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.114

• challenging due to its ultrafast nature. In 2022, Quach et al. presented an innovative model of a quantum battery [37]. This device comprises a DBR structure-based microcavity that encloses an organic semiconductor molecular dye, named Lumogen-Forange (LFO). The DBRs comprised 10 bilayers of SiO2/Nb2O5 in the

• and driving coherent interactions with the organic semiconductor molecules. Secondly, enabling the measurement of the evolution of stored energy and the differential reflectivity induced by the pump pulse, which is essential for monitoring the charging dynamics at a femtosecond resolution. The

Various CVD-grown ZnO nanostructures for nanodevices and interdisciplinary applications

• The-Long Phan,
• Le Viet Cuong,
• Vu Dinh Lam and
• Ngoc Toan Dang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1390–1399, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.112

• electronic/optoelectronic devices, energy storage/generation systems, and renewable energy conversion devices with high performance and low-power consumption [1][2][3]. In comparison to semiconductors, ZnO has attracted much more attention. This is due to ZnO having outstanding semiconductor behaviours in

• microcavities [9]. Additionally, it is a transparent semiconductor with significant piezoelectricity [10]. These noble characteristics suggest ZnO to be a potential material in the fabrication of UV/blue/green LEDs, solid-state random lasers, UV-absorption devices, and nanogenerators [9][11][12][13]. Magnetic

Green synthesis of carbon dot structures from Rheum Ribes and Schottky diode fabrication

• Muhammed Taha Durmus and
• Ebru Bozkurt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1369–1375, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.110

• were calculated as 566 nm and 5.25 eV, respectively. The ideality factor and the measured barrier height (Φb) of the CDs-based Schottky diode were calculated as 9.1 and 0.364 eV, respectively. The CDs were used as semiconductor material in a Schottky diode, and the diode exhibited rectification

• electrical current. There are many types of diodes, such as Zener diodes, crystal diodes, and Schottky diodes, and each type has different features and is used for different purposes. Schottky diodes contain a metal–semiconductor junction. This structure differs from other diodes because of its high

• of demonstrating the applicability of CDs in the field of electronics, apart from sensor studies, which are common application areas, and in terms of introducing new semiconductor materials to the field of electronics. Experimental Materials Rheum ribes was purchased from the market, washed, and

Out-of-plane polarization induces a picosecond photoresponse in rhombohedral stacked bilayer WSe₂

• Guixian Liu,
• Yufan Wang,
• Zhoujuan Xu,
• Zhouxiaosong Zeng,
• Lanyu Huang,
• Cuihuan Ge and
• Xiao Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1362–1368, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.109

• (TMDs) through twist misalignment [18][19], which brings about fascinating physical phenomena [25][26][27][28][29]. Stacking semiconductor vdW materials with suitable bandgaps at specific angles not only breaks OOP symmetry, but also combines excellent semiconductor properties with spontaneous

• polarization, offering promising advances in optoelectronics [23][30]. One of the key optoelectronic phenomena in 2D semiconductor materials is the photocurrent response. The polarization, which results in spontaneous photocurrent under zero bias, gives rise to the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE), which can

• ) at room temperature. The electrical properties of the devices were characterized using an Agilent B1500 semiconductor analyzer in a Lake Shore vacuum chamber (10−4 Pa). SPCM and TRPC measurement The photocurrent maps were all obtained under zero bias using a custom-built scanning photocurrent

Mn-doped ZnO nanopowders prepared by sol–gel and microwave-assisted sol–gel methods and their photocatalytic properties

• Cristina Maria Vlăduț,
• Crina Anastasescu,
• Silviu Preda,
• Oana Catalina Mocioiu,
• Simona Petrescu,
• Jeanina Pandele-Cusu,
• Dana Culita,
• Veronica Bratan,
• Ioan Balint and
• Maria Zaharescu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1283–1296, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.104

• generated CO2 were measured for both catalysts. These inexpensive semiconductor materials, which proved to be light-responsive, can be further used for developing water depollution technologies based on solar light energy. Keywords: microwave-assisted synthesis; oxalic acid mineralization; semiconductor

• semiconductor with many versatile and attractive applications in optical, optoelectronic, and photocatalytic fields [35][36][37]. The doping of ZnO with Mn can lead to the development of multifunctional nanostructures, such as room-temperature ferromagnetic materials with potential applications in spintronics

• catalyst is generally associated with low photocatalytic activity. Accordingly, various modifiers of semiconductor nanomaterials are used to enhance separation of the photogenerated charges, causing a corresponding decrease of PL emission. The correlation between photoluminescence and photocatalytic

Quantum-to-classical modeling of monolayer Ge₂Se₂ and its application in photovoltaic devices

• Anup Shrivastava,
• Shivani Saini,
• Dolly Kumari,
• Sanjai Singh and
• Jost Adam

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1153–1169, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.94

• . Figure 3 depicts that the monolayer Ge2Se2 is a direct-bandgap semiconductor with a bandgap of the order of 1.12 eV. Valence band maximum (VBM) and conduction band minimum (CBM) are located along the Γ-X path. The computed bandgap value and its dispersion nature are consistent with earlier reported works

• , ELUMO is the LUMO energy level. The ionization potential is calculated as IP = EVac − EHOMO, where IP, EVac, and EHOMO are ionization potential, vacuum energy level, and HOMO energy level, respectively. The electron affinity at a semiconductor surface is defined as the energy needed to carry an electron

• the proposed solar cell, we performed a numerical simulation using SCAPS-1D, which solves the fundamental semiconductor equations such as drift–diffusion, Poisson’s equation, and continuity equations as: and where and are the electron and hole current densities at the Fermi levels EFn and EFp

Photocatalytic methane oxidation over a TiO₂/SiNWs p–n junction catalyst at room temperature

• Qui Thanh Hoai Ta,
• Luan Minh Nguyen,
• Ngoc Hoi Nguyen,
• Phan Khanh Thinh Nguyen and
• Dai Hai Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1132–1141, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.92

• deposition on catalyst surfaces [4][5][6][7]. Therefore, sustainable strategies for both green conversion and atmospheric removal of CH4 are urgently necessary [8][9][10][11]. Semiconductor-based photocatalysis has been attracting scientists’ attention because of its environmental friendliness and easy

• handling [12][13][14]. Photocatalytic metal oxide semiconductor materials have been utilized for converting solar energy into valuable chemical energy in the field of CH4 conversion [15][16][17]. Methane oxidation presents a particularly promising strategy. The primary objective is to convert methane into

• valuable products such as formaldehyde (HCHO), methanol (CH3OH), and other value-added oxygenates, which serve as essential precursors in various manufacturing and production processes [18][19]. The n-type semiconductor titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been discovered as a potential photocatalyst material

Unveiling the potential of alginate-based nanomaterials in sensing technology and smart delivery applications

• Shakhzodjon Uzokboev,
• Khojimukhammad Akhmadbekov,
• Ra’no Nuritdinova,
• Salah M. Tawfik and
• Yong-Ill Lee

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1077–1104, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.88

Recent progress on field-effect transistor-based biosensors: device perspective

• Billel Smaani,
• Fares Nafa,
• Mohamed Salah Benlatrech,
• Ismahan Mahdi,
• Hamza Akroum,
• Mohamed walid Azizi,
• Khaled Harrar and
• Sayan Kanungo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 977–994, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.80

• increasing their use in daily life [38]. The first ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (IS FETs) biosensor combined the metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) structure with glass electrodes for measuring ion activities in electrochemical and biological environments [39]. Subsequently, hydrogen-sensitive MOSFET

• technology rapidly emerged [40][41]. However, all these FETs were highly bulky and required more space. Nakamoto et al. [42] later devised a biosensor with a novel fabrication method aligned well with the complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication process. Usually, biosensors convert

• biorecognition layer, a transducer, and an amplifier (Figure 2). It typically consists of a semiconductor channel and three terminal electrodes named drain, source, and gate [37][49]. The biorecognition layer selectively binds the target biomolecule (analyte), such as enzymes, antibodies, and proteins in a

Intermixing of MoS₂ and WS₂ photocatalysts toward methylene blue photodegradation

• Maryam Al Qaydi,
• Nitul S. Rajput,
• Michael Lejeune,
• Abdellatif Bouchalkha,
• Mimoun El Marssi,
• Steevy Cordette,
• Chaouki Kasmi and
• Mustapha Jouiad

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 817–829, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.68

• ]. Typically, semiconductor-based photocatalysts, such as TiO2, ZnO2, and some other high-bandgap transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMD) have shown their ability to efficiently degrade the activated MB by irradiation [10][11]. Recently, TMD such as MoS2 and WS2, have displayed remarkable potential as

• cocatalysts. Their catalytic properties can be tailored based on their crystal structure, their surface area, and their morphology [12][13]. When TMD catalysts are intermixed, they form semiconductor–semiconductor junctions, enhancing their photocatalytic properties by promoting charge separation and electron

Effect of repeating hydrothermal growth processes and rapid thermal annealing on CuO thin film properties

• Monika Ozga,
• Eunika Zielony,
• Aleksandra Wierzbicka,
• Anna Wolska,
• Marcin Klepka,
• Marek Godlewski,
• Bogdan J. Kowalski and
• Bartłomiej S. Witkowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 743–754, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.62

• devices. Keywords: CuO; hydrothermal method; rapid thermal annealing; thin films; Introduction Copper(II) oxide is a p-type semiconductor possessing a narrow bandgap, along with many beneficial electrical, optical, and magnetic properties. Particularly at the nanoscale, these properties set themselves

• × magnification. The spectral resolution was of the order of 0.5 cm−1. A 532 nm semiconductor laser was used to illuminate the samples. The measurements were performed without detection of polarization of the scattered light. A liquid nitrogen-cooled multichannel silicon CCD camera was used as a detector. Results

Level set simulation of focused ion beam sputtering of a multilayer substrate

• Alexander V. Rumyantsev,
• Nikolai I. Borgardt,
• Roman L. Volkov and
• Yuri A. Chaplygin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 733–742, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.61

• possible to deterministically produce a nanoscale topography on the surface of almost any substrate [1]. FIB milling was originally established in semiconductor technology [2] and materials science applications [3]. Now it is increasingly used for fabrication of complex micro- and nanoscale structures and

• semiconductor heterostructures [13]. Metal and dielectric layers can be used as hard masks for achieving high resolution and throughput of the FIB nanofabrication process [14]. Modification of integrated circuits [15] is an industrially relevant application of multilayer structure processing. Effective

Elastic modulus of β-Ga₂O₃ nanowires measured by resonance and three-point bending techniques

• Annamarija Trausa,
• Sven Oras,
• Sergei Vlassov,
• Mikk Antsov,
• Tauno Tiirats,
• Andreas Kyritsakis,
• Boris Polyakov and
• Edgars Butanovs

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 704–712, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.58

• geometry, utilising a 600 W Cu anode (Cu Kα radiation, λ = 1.5406 Å) X-ray tube. In four steps, (100)Si wafers (Semiconductor wafer, Inc.) with 50 nm thermal oxide, were processed to create the patterned silicon substrates with grooves and inverted pyramids. First, the patterns were created in a

Aero-ZnS prepared by physical vapor transport on three-dimensional networks of sacrificial ZnO microtetrapods

• Veaceslav Ursaki,
• Tudor Braniste,
• Victor Zalamai,
• Emil Rusu,
• Vladimir Ciobanu,
• Vadim Morari,
• Daniel Podgornii,
• Pier Carlo Ricci,
• Rainer Adelung and
• Ion Tiginyanu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 490–499, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.44

• metal oxides [1][9][10]. Metal oxides include TiO2, ZnO, Al2O3, WO3, Cu2O, CuO, SnO2, Fe2O3, Bi2O3, Ag3PO4, BiWO4, BiVO4, BiFeO3, and SeTiO3, while chalcogenides are represented by ZnS, ZnSe, CdS, PbS, CdSe, SnS2, and Bi2S3. Among porous semiconductor materials, recently developed super-lightweight ones

• for the preparation of the abovementioned semiconductor-based aeromaterials. Most of these aeromaterials have been produced by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Particularly, an aero-ZnS material exhibiting hydrophilic properties under tension and hydrophobic

• recombination [35]. Therefore, the photoluminescence properties of the prepared aero-ZnS materials, including the near-bandgap emission, are similar to those inherent to semiconductor ZnS single crystals. The PL band around 2.4 eV is also excited by intraband-energy radiation with a wavelength of 405 nm (3.06

Heat-induced morphological changes in silver nanowires deposited on a patterned silicon substrate

• Elyad Damerchi,
• Sven Oras,
• Edgars Butanovs,
• Allar Liivlaid,
• Mikk Antsov,
• Boris Polyakov,
• Annamarija Trausa,
• Veronika Zadin,
• Andreas Kyritsakis,
• Loïc Vidal,
• Karine Mougin,
• Siim Pikker and
• Sergei Vlassov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 435–446, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.39

• silicon substrates with square holes were prepared from (100) silicon wafers (Semiconductor Wafer, Inc.) with 50 nm thermal oxide in four steps as follows: 1) conventional optical lithography process to produce the desired pattern in a photoresist on the wafer; 2) selective removal of SiO2 using buffered