9.1% efficient zinc oxide/silicon solar cells on a 50 μm thick Si absorber

• Rafal Pietruszka,
• Bartlomiej S. Witkowski,
• Monika Ozga,
• Katarzyna Gwozdz,
• Ewa Placzek-Popko and
• Marek Godlewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 766–774, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.60

• environmentally friendly solar cells are cells based on zinc oxide (ZnO). ZnO thin films can be obtained using many technologies, including molecular beam epitaxy, RF magnetron sputtering, pulsed laser deposition, chemical vapor deposition, and atomic layer deposition (ALD) [3]. ALD attracts the attention of many

• during manufacture [5]. Moreover, thin films of zinc oxide, aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO), and/or gallium-doped ZnO (GZO) have been successfully used in organic [6], perovskite [7], and CIGS [8] solar cells. Thanks to excellent electrical and optical parameters of AZO and GZO, these films are

• inexpensive alternatives for indium tin oxide (ITO) [9]. In this work, we used ALD to deposit zinc oxide nanoseeds, magnesium-doped zinc oxide (MZO) layers and aluminium-doped zinc oxide films. We thus continue our interest on photovoltaic structures based on thin films of ZnO. Recently, there have been

Nanogenerator-based self-powered sensors for data collection

• Yicheng Shao,
• Maoliang Shen,
• Yuankai Zhou,
• Xin Cui,
• Lijie Li and
• Yan Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 680–693, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.54

• direction of future medicine. Zhang et al. [31] developed a self-powered implantable blood glucose meter based on the piezo-enzymatic-reaction coupling effect of GOx@ZnO (GOx: glucose oxidase) nanowires. By collecting the mechanical energy generated by human movement, the output voltage provided information

• . Lee et al. proposed a based Hg2+ ion sensor based on ZnO nanowires and carbon nanotubes for detecting toxic pollutants [17]. The ZnO nanowire (NW) array acted as power source. When Hg2+ ions were detected, the system powered a light-emitting diode (LED). Li et al. designed a self-powered heavy metal

• changes through the output response signal. Gas molecules can be adsorbed on the surface of piezoelectric/triboelectric materials, causing changes in the carrier density [95]. Thus, the gas concentration can be obtained from the output voltage of the PENG/TENGs. The output of a PENG based on ZnO NWs is

Impact of GaAs(100) surface preparation on EQE of AZO/Al₂O₃/p-GaAs photovoltaic structures

• Piotr Caban,
• Rafał Pietruszka,
• Jarosław Kaszewski,
• Monika Ożga,
• Bartłomiej S. Witkowski,
• Krzysztof Kopalko,
• Piotr Kuźmiuk,
• Katarzyna Gwóźdź,
• Ewa Płaczek-Popko,
• Krystyna Lawniczak-Jablonska and
• Marek Godlewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 578–592, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.48

• ; gallium arsenide; photovoltaics; surface passivation; Introduction The atomic layer deposition (ALD) method is used for silicon passivation in photovoltaics. In recent years we proposed the usage of ALD for the construction of simplified Si-based cells [1]. Once zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were employed as

• a 3D top electrode, 14% of efficiency was reached [2]. Consequently, we also turned out our attention towards gallium arsenide as a substrate/absorber for solar cells. The first results of the experiments made us aware of the potential and possible fields for improvement of ZnO/GaAs-based structures

• before to be resulting from complexes of Al3+ ions and VZn [40]. These complexes resulted from the substitution of Zn2+ ions with Al3+ ions. The region above 450 nm is ascribed as the reflection of point defects present in the ZnO structure [41]. One can observe a broad band typically present in undoped

Structural and optical characteristics determined by the sputtering deposition conditions of oxide thin films

• Petronela Prepelita,
• Florin Garoi and
• Valentin Craciun

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 354–365, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.29

• dioxide (SiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on quartz substrates was investigated. The deposition conditions were optimized to achieve stoichiometric thin films. The orientation of crystallites, structure, and composition were investigated by X-ray

• thickness. The optical constants (i.e., the refractive index n, the extinction coefficient k, and the absorption coefficient α) of the SiO2 and ZnO oxide films were determined from the transmission spectra recorded in the range of 190–2500 nm by using the Swanepoel method, while the energy bandgap was

• ; optical quality; SiO2 and ZnO; structural properties; thin films; Introduction The application of oxide thin films is quite diverse due to their excellent properties [1][2][3][4][5], such as dielectric properties [6][7][8] for the production of metamaterials [9]. Metamaterials applied in the field of

Nickel nanoparticle-decorated reduced graphene oxide/WO₃ nanocomposite – a promising candidate for gas sensing

• Ilka Simon,
• Alexandr Savitsky,
• Rolf Mülhaupt,
• Vladimir Pankov and
• Christoph Janiak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 343–353, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.28

• -type MOS and an n-type MOS (p–n heterojunctions) [6][18]. The p-type MOS NiO is not a very popular gas sensing material, because p-type MOS have, in general, a lower gas response than n-type MOS, such as WO3, ZnO, or SnO2 [22][23]. But p-type MOS are ideal doping agents [24]. NiO combined with WO3

• nanoparticles loaded with graphene have an enhanced acetone response at 350 °C with increased graphene loading level (best at 5 wt % graphene) [40]. ZnO nanostructures doped with nickel and rGO were used for hydrogen sensing at 100 °C [34]. The decoration of MOS with a noble metal, such as Pd or Pt, improves

A review on the biological effects of nanomaterials on silkworm (Bombyx mori)

• Sandra Senyo Fometu,
• Guohua Wu,
• Lin Ma and
• Joan Shine Davids

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 190–202, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.15

• to generate more reactive oxygen species (ROS) and to induce oxidative stress could be a reason for their antibacterial activity against R. solanacearum in tobacco plants [23]. Aside from MgO NPs, other nanomaterials, including titanium dioxide (TiO2 NPs), zinc oxide (ZnO NPs), copper oxide (CuO NPs

• [37] and chemicals, and to evaluate nano–bio interactions. The exposure of nanomaterials (NM) to the environment is reported to have detrimental effects on human lungs. Pulmonary inflammation was reported in C57BL/6N mice exposed to zinc oxide (ZnO) (size of nanoparticles functionalized with

• [124]. This occurs as a result of the imbalance of free radicals in the organism [125]. ROS generation in living organisms is essential as it activates cell defense mechanisms and their antioxidant enzymes [126][127]. Xu et al. [128] reported that silkworm larvae exposed to 10–70 μg/mL of ZnO NPs via

ZnO and MXenes as electrode materials for supercapacitor devices

• Ameen Uddin Ammar,
• Ipek Deniz Yildirim,
• Feray Bakan and
• Emre Erdem

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 49–57, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.4

• , recently developed metal oxides, specifically nanostructured ZnO, and MXenes with their defect structures, size effects, as well as optical and electronic properties have been presented as electrode material in supercapacitor devices. The discussion of MXenes along with ZnO, although different in chemistry

• materials; electrodes; MXenes; supercapacitors; zinc oxide (ZnO); Introduction In this article, the past, the present, and the prospects of ZnO and MXenes are discussed in terms of their usage as electrode materials in supercapacitor devices. Recently, supercapacitors gained a lot of attention due to their

• supercapacitor device are important factors in this scenario. Nowadays, ZnO as metal oxide and MXene as 2D materials are the rising stars of electrode materials in supercapacitors due to their highly controllable properties. Therefore, we review the findings about ZnO and MXene in terms of defect structures and

Atomic layer deposited films of Al₂O₃ on fluorine-doped tin oxide electrodes: stability and barrier properties

• Hana Krýsová,
• Michael Neumann-Spallart,
• Hana Tarábková,
• Pavel Janda,
• Ladislav Kavan and
• Josef Krýsa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 24–34, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.2

• semiconducting electrodes, such as ZnO. Aluminium oxide is another promising candidate for this task. It is amphoteric but insoluble in aqueous media at a neutral pH value [8][9]. ALD oxide layers, including Al2O3, were used as barrier coatings on copper to protect against corrosion in 0.1 M NaCl [10]. As

Bio-imaging with the helium-ion microscope: A review

• Matthias Schmidt,
• James M. Byrne and
• Ilari J. Maasilta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1–23, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.1

• published in 2018 by Sato et al., who used the ionoluminescense generated by the He ion beam to detect ZnO nanoparticles which were incubated with COS7 cells [25]. Today HIM-SIMS is possible via two different approaches. The first, a sector-field mass-spectrometer SIMS, was developed by Dowsett, Wirtz, et

• by Sato et al., HIM imaging was used to study COS7 kidney fibroblast cells [25]. In one of the experiments described in the paper, the cells were incubated with ZnO nanoparticles whose fluorescense was detected by IL-HIM. In general, it can be concluded that IL-HIM is particularly promising for

Nanocasting synthesis of BiFeO₃ nanoparticles with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

• Thomas Cadenbach,
• Maria J. Benitez,
• A. Lucia Morales,
• Cesar Costa Vera,
• Luis Lascano,
• Francisco Quiroz,
• Alexis Debut and
• Karla Vizuete

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1822–1833, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.164

• the complete mineralization of dyes is achieved by the generation of hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals [10][11]. Traditional photocatalysts, such as TiO2 or ZnO, provide chemical stability and facile preparation methods [12][13]. However, their environmental benefit in large-scale industrial

A self-powered, flexible ultra-thin Si/ZnO nanowire photodetector as full-spectrum optical sensor and pyroelectric nanogenerator

• Liang Chen,
• Jianqi Dong,
• Miao He and
• Xingfu Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1623–1630, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.145

• work, a new type of self-powered, high-performance ultra-thin p-Si/n-ZnO nanowire (NW) flexible photodetector (PD) and its application as full-spectrum optical sensor and pyroelectric nanogenerator (PENG) are demonstrated. The working mechanism of PDs for PENGs is carefully investigated and

• develop a new type of full-spectrum flexible PDs with a special working mechanism to further improve their performance and expand the practical application. Pyroelectric polarization can be achieved by changing the temperature of a pyroelectric material [10]. ZnO is an ideal pyroelectric material with a

• wide bandgap (3.2 eV), which absorbs UV light and can be easily prepared [11][12]. A pyroelectric potential will be generated in ZnO when the temperature changes upon illumination. The internal electric field can effectively drive the flow of electrons through an external circuit, yielding a short

Antimicrobial metal-based nanoparticles: a review on their synthesis, types and antimicrobial action

• Matías Guerrero Correa,
• Fernanda B. Martínez,
• Cristian Patiño Vidal,
• Camilo Streitt,
• Juan Escrig and
• Carol Lopez de Dicastillo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1450–1469, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.129

• setup [23]. Magnetron sputtering is a high-rate vacuum-coating technique generally used to synthesize films, multilayer or hybrid systems based on substrate coating. For example, Piedade et al. obtained ZnO, ZnO–C and ZnO–Cu films with thickness values ranging from 385 to 1635 nm. In addition, Galstyan

• et al. produced coated sheets of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) which formed a composite compound containing ZnO [24][25]. One method that facilitates the large-scale production of nanoparticles is the MCP technique. This method is based on a chemical exchange reaction that occurs due to the heat and

• pressure at which the ball mills are subjected to in a grinder. By using this technique, Kim et al. have discussed how ZnO NPs can be developed with sizes ranging from 20 to 30 nm [26]. The microwave-thermal method [27][28][29][30] allows small particles to be obtained with a narrow size distribution from

Triboelectric nanogenerator based on Teflon/vitamin B1 powder for self-powered humidity sensing

• Liangyi Zhang,
• Huan Li,
• Yiyuan Xie,
• Jing Guo and
• Zhiyuan Zhu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1394–1401, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.123

• ]. Recently, TENG-based sensors have attracted increased attention [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]. In 2014, Ga-doped ZnO was used for the fabrication of piezo-humidity sensors with a high sensitivity and a fast response [42]. In 2018, Vivekananthan et al. proposed sustainable energy harvesting and battery

Photothermally active nanoparticles as a promising tool for eliminating bacteria and biofilms

• Mykola Borzenkov,
• Piersandro Pallavicini,
• Angelo Taglietti,
• Laura D’Alfonso,
• Maddalena Collini and
• Giuseppe Chirico

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1134–1146, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.98

• formation are controversial as the Ag nanoparticles seem to be effective against the Gram-negative but not so much against the Gram-positive strains [6]. The antibacterial properties of a wide range of nanoparticles and their corresponding nanocomposites, such as ZnO [17][18], TiO2 [19][20], Fe3O4 [21][22

• used instead of NIR lasers to trigger the photothermal effect. For example, thiolated cobalt-doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized to photo-inhibit the efflux pump in multidrug-resistant bacteria [105]. The antibacterial activity of this nanosystem against methicillin-resistant S. aureus was found

Gram-scale synthesis of splat-shaped Ag–TiO₂ nanocomposites for enhanced antimicrobial properties

• Mohammad Jaber,
• Asim Mushtaq,
• Kebiao Zhang,
• Jindan Wu,
• Dandan Luo,
• Zihan Yi,
• M. Zubair Iqbal and
• Xiangdong Kong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1119–1125, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.96

• , silver (Ag), zinc oxide (ZnO), copper oxide (CuO), iron oxide (Fe3O4) and titanium oxide (TiO2) are well recognized options due to their outstanding antibacterial properties. These nanoparticles have antibacterial activity due to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [9][10][11]; more

Vibration analysis and pull-in instability behavior in a multiwalled piezoelectric nanosensor with fluid flow conveyance

• Sayyid H. Hashemi Kachapi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1072–1081, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.92

• stress theory to investigate the effects of various fluid parameters on the pull-in voltage of carbon nanotubes conveying viscous fluid [15]. Also, the vibration analysis of viscoelastic double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) combined with ZnO layers and subjected to magnetic and electric fields were

Highly sensitive detection of estradiol by a SERS sensor based on TiO₂ covered with gold nanoparticles

• Andrea Brognara,
• Ili F. Mohamad Ali Nasri,
• Beatrice R. Bricchi,
• Andrea Li Bassi,
• Caroline Gauchotte-Lindsay,
• Matteo Ghidelli and
• Nathalie Lidgi-Guigui

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1026–1035, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.87

• use of composite systems of dielectrics (TiO2, ZnO) and metallic NPs has gathered increasing attention regarding SERS applications, because the plasmonic enhancement provided by metallic NPs can be combined with the optical properties of the semiconductor such as light trapping, scattering, and

Microwave-induced electric discharges on metal particles for the synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials under solvent-free conditions

• Vijay Tripathi,
• Harit Kumar,
• Anubhav Agarwal and
• Leela S. Panchakarla

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1019–1025, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.86

• . We have also seen a partial rolling of graphene sheets into nanoscrolls (Figure 5a,b). The formation of ultrasmall nanoparticles of ZnO along with graphene was detected (see Figure S8 in Supporting Information File 1). In the case of GO exfoliation, we have observed the formation of nanosheets of

• corresponding selected area electron diffraction pattern. Supporting Information Supporting Information File 58: Characterization details of g-C3N4 by XRD and XPS. Electron microscope analysis of Ni, Cu, ZnF2, NiF2, and ZnO nanostructures. Acknowledgements Authors acknowledge SAIF, NCPRE and IRCC at IIT

Wet-spinning of magneto-responsive helical chitosan microfibers

• Dorothea Brüggemann,
• Johanna Michel,
• Naiana Suter,
• Matheus Grande de Aguiar and
• Michael Maas

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 991–999, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.83

• organic templates are examples of alternative ways to synthesize helical nano- or microfibers from various materials like carbon nanotubes (CNTs), ZnO or different polymers [8][48][49]. Here, we present a simple method for synthesizing helical chitosan microfibers with embedded magnetic nanoparticles

Band tail state related photoluminescence and photoresponse of ZnMgO solid solution nanostructured films

• Vadim Morari,
• Aida Pantazi,
• Nicolai Curmei,
• Vitalie Postolache,
• Emil V. Rusu,
• Marius Enachescu,
• Ion M. Tiginyanu and
• Veaceslav V. Ursaki

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 899–910, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.75

• morphology, or in the formation of ZnO particles embedded into the ZnMgO matrix, respectively. Local compositional fluctuations leading to the formation of deep band tails in the gap were deduced from photoluminescence spectra. A model for the band tail distribution in the bandgap is proposed as a function

• between the direct bandgaps of 3.36 eV for ZnO and 7.8 eV for MgO at room temperature, making it very attractive for short-wavelength optical applications such as UV detectors [1][2][3][4][5] and light emitters [6][7][8][9]. Various techniques have been used for the preparation of ZnMgO films such as

• possibility for easy doping and preparation of homogeneous films with good electrical and optical properties. The films are prepared on various substrates such as ZnO [6], MgO [17], Si [2][3][4][23], CaF2 [12], Al2O3 [18], sapphire [7][10][11][13][14][15][16][19][31][32], glass and quartz [1][20][21][23][24

Transition from freestanding SnO₂ nanowires to laterally aligned nanowires with a simulation-based experimental design

• Jasmin-Clara Bürger,
• Sebastian Gutsch and
• Margit Zacharias

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 843–853, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.69

• were simulated by means of the finite element method (FEM) software COMSOL multiphysics® [24]. Tube furnace simulations for the general growth of NWs have already been presented in literature, but have focused mainly on an improved understanding of the growth of ZnO NWs and are not specialized on the

• the derived conclusions. We could not find reliable parameters for Sn diffusion, therefore, the parameters for Zn were used (Dn = 1.4 × 10−4 m2/s|1063 K,1 atm, adapted for the given conditions with Equation 1) [27][28]. ZnO NWs can be grown by carbothermal reduction, too [28]. Hence, the simulations

Light–matter interactions in two-dimensional layered WSe₂ for gauging evolution of phonon dynamics

• Avra S. Bandyopadhyay,
• Chandan Biswas and
• Anupama B. Kaul

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 782–797, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.63

• nanoparticle (≈1.4 ps) [59], and 1L graphene (≈1.2 ps) [60]. We compared our results with the phonon lifetimes of conventional bulk 3D materials such as GaN [38][61], AlN [61], ZnO [61] and the values are provided in Table 3. Similar to τP, here we also define a define a parameter, the temperature-dependent

Hexagonal boron nitride: a review of the emerging material platform for single-photon sources and the spin–photon interface

• Stefania Castelletto,
• Faraz A. Inam,
• Shin-ichiro Sato and
• Alberto Boretti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 740–769, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.61

• at an even more emerging stage of development that can serve as alternative material platforms. These are generally the wide-bandgap group II–VI and III–V materials, such GaN [32][33][34] and ZnO [35][36][37], and low-dimensional van der Waals materials, including the transition metal dichalcogenide

Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic performance of heterostructured CuO–ZnO-loaded composite nanofiber membranes

• Wei Fang,
• Liang Yu and
• Lan Xu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 631–650, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.50

• environmental monitoring, industry, aviation, and transportation. In this paper, heterostructured CuO–ZnO-loaded CNF membranes (CNFMs) were prepared successfully by a combination of electrospinning, heat treatment, and hydrothermal synthesis. The influence of the synthesis parameters on morphology, structure

• three times, and the degradation rate remained above 90%. Keywords: electrospinning; composite nanofibers; heterostructured CuO–ZnO; hydrothermal synthesis; photocatalysis; semiconductor oxide; Introduction Water remediation is one of the main scientific research subjects regarding environmental

• semiconductor material to the other [7][8][9][10]. ZnO is a semiconductor material with a wide direct bandgap of 3.2 eV, which can absorb a small part of the solar spectrum in the UV region [11][12][13]. CuO is a nontoxic, chemically stable and naturally abundant material. It is a p-type semiconductor with a

Nanoarchitectonics: bottom-up creation of functional materials and systems

• Katsuhiko Ariga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 450–452, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.36

• TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles exhibit distinct and useful properties [35]. Other examples include a self-assembled MoS2-based composite that was developed for energy conversion and storage purposes [36], a silver-nanoparticle/cellulose-nanofiber composite that was applied for surface-enhanced Raman