High-yield synthesis of silver nanowires for transparent conducting PET films

• Gul Naz,
• Hafsa Asghar,
• Muhammad Ramzan,
• Muhammad Arshad,
• Rashid Ahmed,
• Muhammad Bilal Tahir,
• Bakhtiar Ul Haq,
• Nadeem Baig and
• Junaid Jalil

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 624–632, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.51

• spectrophotometer in the 400–800 nm wavelength range. A Bruker D8 Advance X-ray diffractometer, operating at 35 mA and 40 keV, was used to scan the sample from 20° to 85° at room temperature. To examine the surface morphology of as-synthesized powder samples, the scanning electron microscopes (Nova Nano SEM 450

Interface interaction of transition metal phthalocyanines with strontium titanate (100)

• Reimer Karstens,
• Thomas Chassé and
• Heiko Peisert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 485–496, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.39

• termination; but slightly different preparation conditions may affect also the surface morphology and roughness. Notably, for all three preparations the intensity of the interface component is in the range between 40% and 60%. That is, only for about the half of the molecules an interaction between the Co ion

Solution combustion synthesis of a nanometer-scale Co₃O₄ anode material for Li-ion batteries

• Monika Michalska,
• Huajun Xu,
• Qingmin Shan,
• Shiqiang Zhang,
• Yohan Dall'Agnese,
• Yu Gao,
• Amrita Jain and
• Marcin Krajewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 424–431, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.34

• , and a spot size of about 1 µm. Surface morphology and particle size of the synthesized cobalt oxide powder were observed using a Carl Zeiss CrossBeam Auriga scanning electron microscope (SEM) operated at 5 kV and a JEOL – JEM 1011 transmission electron microscope (TEM) operated at 80 kV. The specific

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

• we studied the surface of the samples at different magnifications (50000× and 20000×) by scanning them with a beam of accelerated electrons at very high energies (≈20 keV). The structural quality and surface morphology were investigated using a scanning electron microscope (FEI Co., model Inspect S50

• (Figure 6a’–c’) and ZnO (Figure 7a’–c’) thin films is also provided by SEM surface measurements. The surfaces are smooth, with small differences between the surface morphology of a thinner oxide film as compared to a thicker one. For ZnO samples, there is a tendency for self-structuring of the deposited

• and (b) O 1s XPS spectra acquired from ZnO samples. Cross-sectional SEM images of the cleaved SiO2 films with measured thickness values of (a) dSiO2 = 200 nm, (b) dSiO2 = 250.3 nm, and (c) dSiO2 = 300 nm. SEM micrographs of the surface morphology for the corresponding thin films are also depicted: (a

TiO_x/Pt₃Ti(111) surface-directed formation of electronically responsive supramolecular assemblies of tungsten oxide clusters

• Marco Moors,
• Yun An,
• Agnieszka Kuc and
• Kirill Yu. Monakhov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 203–212, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.16

• and 900 K. It should be remarked that, although the height information in STM images is always a convolution of electronic and topographic surface properties, their origin in this case is expected to be strongly dominated by the surface morphology. This is due to the formation of compact oxide island

Imaging of SARS-CoV-2 infected Vero E6 cells by helium ion microscopy

• Natalie Frese,
• Patrick Schmerer,
• Martin Wortmann,
• Matthias Schürmann,
• Matthias König,
• Michael Westphal,
• Friedemann Weber,
• Holger Sudhoff and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 172–179, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.13

• the uncoated surface morphology of cells and virus particles, allowing one to identify and investigate sites at which a cell interacts with the virus. While its principle of operation is very similar to SEM, HIM utilizes a beam of positively charged helium ions (He+) instead of negatively charged

Paper-based triboelectric nanogenerators and their applications: a review

• Jing Han,
• Nuo Xu,
• Yuchen Liang,
• Mei Ding,
• Junyi Zhai,
• Qijun Sun and
• Zhong Lin Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 151–171, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.12

• . Therefore, corresponding treatment processes (e.g., deposition of conductive materials by laser patterning, screen printing, spray coating, thermal deposition, surface morphology engineering, and chemical modification [46][92][93][94][95][96][97][98]) are often applied to convert paper into a conductive

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

• the substrates before and after ALD deposition of an Al2O3 layer. As shown in Figure S1 and Figure S2 (Supporting Information File 1), the surface morphology of both substrates, the as-received and the Al2O3-coated SiO2 layer, was almost identical. This indicates a uniform distribution of the

• deposited Al2O3. The height-density distribution (Figure S2, Supporting Information File 1), calculated from the AFM topography images (Figure 1), shows that the deposition of Al2O3 onto FTO substrates does not change its surface morphology. Calculated RMS (root mean square) values for AFM images of FTO and

Self-standing heterostructured NiC_x-NiFe-NC/biochar as a highly efficient cathode for lithium–oxygen batteries

• Shengyu Jing,
• Xu Gong,
• Shan Ji,
• Linhui Jia,
• Bruno G. Pollet,
• Sheng Yan and
• Huagen Liang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1809–1821, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.163

• PANalytical B.V. Empyean X-ray diffractometer with Cu Kα radiation (λ = 1.5406 Å). The surface morphology of the film catalyst was studied via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on a Carl Zeiss Ultra Plus scanning electron microscope. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HR-TEM), and

Out-of-plane surface patterning by subsurface processing of polymer substrates with focused ion beams

• Serguei Chiriaev,
• Luciana Tavares,
• Vadzim Adashkevich,
• Arkadiusz J. Goszczak and
• Horst-Günter Rubahn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1693–1703, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.151

• of the polymer. Effects of subsurface and surface processes on the surface morphology have been studied for three polymer materials: poly(methyl methacrylate), polycarbonate, and polydimethylsiloxane, by using focused ion beam irradiation with He+, Ne+, and Ga+. Thin films of a Pt60Pd40 alloy and of

• polymer bulk [7]. In fact, the method utilizes ion energy losses to manipulate the surface morphology by means of radiation damage generated in the substrate bulk and minimizes the surface damage resulting from sputtering. This leaves the thin films and the prefabricated thin-film nanostructures on the

• high transparency, biocompatibility, and low cost, enable the broad use of PDMS for the fabrication of microfluidic, microelectromechanical, and microoptical devices [20]. The effects of ion irradiation on chemical and physical properties and on the surface morphology of PDMS have been extensively

The influence of an interfacial hBN layer on the fluorescence of an organic molecule

• Christine Brülke,
• Oliver Bauer and
• Moritz M. Sokolowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1663–1684, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.149

• experiment. We observed by light microscopy that Ag(100) samples that had been prepared in a similar manner as the Cu(111) surface used here and that yielded a high-quality LEED pattern indicating the presence of long-range ordered and large, defect-free terraces, actually show variations in their surface

• morphology on a micrometer scale [60]. We propose that the defect-rich regions exhibit a large step density due to impurities and/or grain boundaries. Consequently, we assume that the hot spots are related to an inhomogeneous mesoscopic roughness of the Cu(111) surface, which is remnant after sputtering and

Walking energy harvesting and self-powered tracking system based on triboelectric nanogenerators

• Mingliang Yao,
• Guangzhong Xie,
• Qichen Gong and
• Yuanjie Su

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1590–1595, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.141

• the electrode as an output terminal. Characterization and electrical measurement of the u-TENG Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM, Hitachi SU-8020) was used to characterize the surface morphology of the modified PTFE film. A Stanford Research Systems equipment was used to measure the

Fabrication of nano/microstructures for SERS substrates using an electrochemical method

• Jingran Zhang,
• Tianqi Jia,
• Xiaoping Li,
• Junjie Yang,
• Zhengkai Li,
• Guangfeng Shi,
• Xinming Zhang and
• Zuobin Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1568–1576, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.139

• . The depth and diameter of the nanopores gradually increased as the treatment time increased, as shown in Figure 2b,c. Figure 2d shows cross-sectional SEM images of arrayed nanopores. The surface morphology includes MgO and Mg layers. In addition, a clamp is used to fix the sample. As shown in Figure 2

• , all PEO-treated Mg specimens demonstrate the typical surface morphology, which comprises of micrometer and sub-micrometer-sized quasi-circular pores and cracks. This porous and uneven surface is a result of the consecutive dielectric breakdown of the passivation layer and the heat generated during

High permittivity, breakdown strength, and energy storage density of polythiophene-encapsulated BaTiO₃ nanoparticles

• Adnanullah Khan,
• Amir Habib and
• Adeel Afzal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1190–1197, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.103

• Chemical structure and surface morphology of the as-prepared BTO nanoparticles, core–shell-type BTO-PTh nanoparticles, and pristine PTh are characterized and reported herein. Figure 2 shows the FTIR spectra of PTh, BTO, and BTO-PTh nanoparticles. A distinct peak at 560 cm−1 is the characteristic stretching

• of as-prepared BTO nanoparticles. Clusters or agglomerates of nanoparticles can be seen with easily identifiable individual BTO nanoparticles. The size of BTO nanoparticles is in the range of 70–150 nm. In contrast, the core–shell BTO-PTh nanoparticles exhibit uniform surface morphology, as shown in

• assumed that PTh multilayers are held together through π–π stacking interactions between the polymeric chains, which prevent PTh from irreversible slithering out-of-place [25]. Therefore, core–shell BTO-PTh nanoparticles possess a distinct morphology. The surface morphology of all samples is further

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

• phase (as demonstrated by Raman spectra, not shown) and caused dewetting in the Au layer with the subsequent formation of NPs [32]. Evaporation and dewetting of Au on TiO2 layers with different porosity was carried out to exploit the effect of the surface morphology on the formation of Au NPs, yielding

Gas-sensing features of nanostructured tellurium thin films

• Dumitru Tsiulyanu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1010–1018, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.85

• (PhotoniTech Pte Ltd., Singapore) atomic force microscope. The surface morphology of the films was investigated using either a TESLA BS 340 or a VEGA TESCAN TS 5130 MM (TESCAN, Czech Republic) scanning electron microscope (SEM). To investigate the structural features of the grown films, X-ray analysis was

• , identified in our preliminary works as ohmics [25][26], which form electrically transparent contacts with Te. The gold or copper wires were then attached to the electrodes with a silver paste. Figure 1A shows the surface morphology of a Te film grown on a Pyrex glass substrate at a rate of 10 nm/s. As shown

• , the film contains a dense nanocrystalline layer with randomly oriented crystals with sizes ranging from 50–100 nm. Figure 1B shows the surface morphology of an amorphous Te film grown on preliminary nanostructured Al2O3. Pure amorphous films grown on Pyrex glass substrates were uniform and did not

Extracting viscoelastic material parameters using an atomic force microscope and static force spectroscopy

• Cameron H. Parvini,
• M. A. S. R. Saadi and
• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 922–937, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.77

• microscopy (AFM) techniques have provided and continue to provide increasingly important insights into surface morphology, mechanics, and other critical material characteristics at the nanoscale. One attractive implementation involves extracting meaningful material properties, which demands physically

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

• deposited by spin coating and subjected to post-deposition annealing at 400 °C and 500 °C is similar. However, the morphology degrades for films annealed at temperatures higher than 600 °C. Figure 2 compares the surface morphology of films prepared by aerosol spray pyrolysis and spin coating annealed at 500

A set of empirical equations describing the observed colours of metal–anodic aluminium oxide–Al nanostructures

• Cristina V. Manzano,
• Jakob J. Schwiedrzik,
• Gerhard Bürki,
• Laszlo Pethö,
• Johann Michler and
• Laetitia Philippe

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 798–806, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.64

• AAO film surface morphology As mentioned above, thickness and porosity are the two morphological parameters of AAO films that have the greatest influence on the colour obtained when depositing a metal layer on top of these nanostructures. Different AAO films were anodized under the same conditions

Structural optical and electrical properties of a transparent conductive ITO/Al–Ag/ITO multilayer contact

• Aliyu Kabiru Isiyaku,
• Ahmad Hadi Ali and
• Nafarizal Nayan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 695–702, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.57

• fraction of Sn is low because it is the dopant element in ITO. The low content of Al is attributed to the very thin layer. The EDXS spectra of the films before and after annealing are shown in Figure 2. The surface morphology of the IAAI and ITO films was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) of an

• roughness is attributed to the increasing grain sizes [35]. The large grain sizes of IAAI films reduce the number of grain boundaries and thus the scattering at grain boundaries. This improves the carrier mobility leading to an increased electrical conductivity of the films. The surface morphology of the

• , OXFORD X-MAX, Energy 200 premium was used. Morphological analyses by atomic force microscopic An AFM Standard Operation AFM5010 Hitachi model in tapping mode was used to examine the surface morphology of the films. Root mean square Rrms and average Ra roughness plus morphological grain size analyses were

A novel dry-blending method to reduce the coefficient of thermal expansion of polymer templates for OTFT electrodes

• Xiangdong Ye,
• Bo Tian,
• Yuxuan Guo,
• Fan Fan and
• Anjiang Cai

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 671–677, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.53

• the silicon template. Characterization The surface morphology of the PDMS/SiO2 composite template and the OTFT electrodes was investigated via scanning electron microscopy (SEM, JSM-6390a, Japan). The thermal expansion of the PDMS/SiO2 composite template was examined using a thermomechanical analyzer

• determined based on the curves obtained from the analyzer. Results and Discussion Surface morphology of the PDMS/SiO2 composite template The prepared silicon template as well as microscopic details before and after filling with SiO2 nanoparticles are shown in Figure 2. Figure 2a shows the physical appearance

• ) cleaning of the silicon template; (b) filling with SiO2 nanoparticles; (c) removal of excess SiO2 nanoparticles; (d) grooves filled with SiO2 nanoparticles; (e) covering with PDMS; (f) curing of PDMS; (g) peeling off PDMS; and (h) prepared PDMS/SiO2 composite template. Surface morphology of the silicon

Observation of unexpected uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ films by a BaTiO₃ overlayer in an artificial multiferroic bilayer

• John E. Ordóñez,
• Lorena Marín,
• Luis A. Rodríguez,
• Pedro A. Algarabel,
• José A. Pardo,
• Roger Guzmán,
• Luis Morellón,
• César Magén,
• Etienne Snoeck,
• María E. Gómez and
• Manuel R. Ibarra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 651–661, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.51

• of the tensile-strained film can be locally altered with the formation of an orthorhombic structure due to different rotation patterns of the MnO6 octahedra to favor epitaxial growth [44][45]. In most of the cases, this is promoted by the substrate surface morphology (e.g., regular step-terrace

Evolution of Ag nanostructures created from thin films: UV–vis absorption and its theoretical predictions

• Robert Kozioł,
• Marcin Łapiński,
• Paweł Syty,
• Damian Koszelow,
• Wojciech Sadowski,
• Józef E. Sienkiewicz and
• Barbara Kościelska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 494–507, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.40

• measured in situ using a quartz crystal microbalance. To form nanostructures, the as-prepared films were put into a hot furnace and annealed in argon atmosphere at different temperatures for different periods of time. The surface morphology of the samples was analyzed using a FEI Quanta FEG 250 SEM

Formation of nanoripples on ZnO flat substrates and nanorods by gas cluster ion bombardment

• Xiaomei Zeng,
• Vasiliy Pelenovich,
• Bin Xing,
• Rakhim Rakhimov,
• Wenbin Zuo,
• Alexander Tolstogouzov,
• Chuansheng Liu,
• Dejun Fu and
• Xiangheng Xiao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 383–390, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.29

• bombardment, the modified surface morphology of the flat substrates and nanorods was studied with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) Zeiss Sigma, operated at 20 kV accelerating voltage. An atomic force microscope (AFM) Shimadzu SPM-9500J3 was used to study the ripple formation on the flat ZnO substrates

• formation on the GCIB parameters (incidence angle, accelerating voltage, and fluence). SEM and AFM images shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, respectively, present the surface morphology of the substrates before and after Ar cluster bombardment at different incidence angles, θ = 0–80°. The acceleration voltage

Implementation of data-cube pump–probe KPFM on organic solar cells

• Benjamin Grévin,
• Olivier Bardagot and
• Renaud Demadrille

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 323–337, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.24

• of the photocarriers [36]. We now focus on the photoresponse of the phase-segregated organic blend, i.e., the photoactive layer of the device without the cathode electrode, given by configuration 2 in Figure 3b. The surface morphology of the PTB7:PC71BM blend (Figure 7a) is consistent with that