Anchoring of a dye precursor on NiO(001) studied by non-contact atomic force microscopy

• Sara Freund,
• Antoine Hinaut,
• Nathalie Marinakis,
• Edwin C. Constable,
• Ernst Meyer,
• Catherine E. Housecroft and
• Thilo Glatzel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 242–249, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.26

• between the NiO surface and the dye precursor molecule DCPDMbpy. Conclusion We have presented high-resolution topographic measurements using bimodal nc-AFM at room temperature of the anchoring part of a larger dye molecule (DCPDMbpy) adsorbed on a NiO(001) crystal surface. The surface structure of NiO(001

Growth model and structure evolution of Ag layers deposited on Ge films

• Arkadiusz Ciesielski,
• Lukasz Skowronski,
• Ewa Górecka,
• Jakub Kierdaszuk and
• Tomasz Szoplik

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 66–76, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.9

• from the values derived from the AFM scans. The only exception to that is the sample annealed at 300 °C, for which the general surface structure is similar to the structure of samples annealed at 100 °C, which results in similar roughness, but within every scan area of 3 × 3 µm2 there are a couple of

Patterning of supported gold monolayers via chemical lift-off lithography

• Liane S. Slaughter,
• Kevin M. Cheung,
• Sami Kaappa,
• Huan H. Cao,
• Qing Yang,
• Thomas D. Young,
• Andrew C. Serino,
• Sami Malola,
• Jana M. Olson,
• Stephan Link,
• Hannu Häkkinen,
• Anne M. Andrews and
• Paul S. Weiss

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2648–2661, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.265

• theory and the grid-based projector-augmented wave (GPAW) method [49]. The simulations revealed that a densely packed SAM of chemisorbed butanethiolates was pulled from a Au{111} surface. The details of the initial Au–thiolate surface structure and the pulling speed were varied (see Experimental section

• structure. In the unit cell, the Au slab consisted of (3, 4, 3) atoms in the (x, y, z) directions, respectively, fulfilling a {111} surface structure with the surface vector pointing in the z-direction. The lattice constant was 4.18 Å, corresponding to the theoretical lattice constant of Au in the Perdew

Localized growth of carbon nanotubes via lithographic fabrication of metallic deposits

• Fan Tu,
• Martin Drost,
• Imre Szenti,
• Janos Kiss,
• Zoltan Kónya and
• Hubertus Marbach

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2592–2605, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.260

• the CNT, but also the catalyst size, chemical composition and the surface structure has an influence on the growth of the CNTs [9][10][11][12]. Therefore, it is important to fabricate catalysts of controlled size and chemical composition at the desired spatial position in order to fabricate CNTs in

Nanoprofilometry study of focal conic domain structures in a liquid crystalline free surface

• Anna N. Bagdinova,
• Evgeny I. Demikhov,
• Nataliya G. Borisenko and
• Sergei M. Tolokonnikov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2544–2551, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.254

• one order of magnitude less than the results obtained with the interferometric surface structure analysis work of this paper. In another [10], the sample became solid after evaporation of the liquid part of the suspension. In both cases no visual images of the surface were demonstrated. Results The

• free surface structure of the liquid crystal compound 8CB was studied using a nanoprofilometer (ZYGO, NewView 6K). The optical scheme and principal of operation of the microscope are presented in the Experimental section of this paper. The LC compound 4-n-octyl-4’-cyanobiphenyl (K24 or 8CB) has the

• following liquid crystalline phase sequence: isotropic (41 °C), nematic (32 °C), smectic-A (22.2 °C). The profilometer is an interferometric surface structure analyzer (ISSA) that allows three dimensional images of the surface structures to be obtained. Its vertical scan range is 150 μm, the vertical

Au nanostructure fabrication by pulsed laser deposition in open air: Influence of the deposition geometry

• Rumen G. Nikov,
• Anna Og. Dikovska,
• Nikolay N. Nedyalkov,
• Georgi V. Avdeev and
• Petar A. Atanasov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2438–2445, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.242

• dynamic hydrophobicity due to their discrete surface structure [30]. Conclusion The present paper demonstrates a fast and flexible method for the fabrication of pure Au nanostructures. The structures were produced by applying the PLD technique in open air, that is, in the absence of vacuum, typically

Surfactant-induced enhancement of droplet adhesion in superhydrophobic soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves

• Oliver Hagedorn,
• Ingo Fleute-Schlachter,
• Hans Georg Mainx,
• Viktoria Zeisler-Diehl and
• Kerstin Koch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2345–2356, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.234

• Ecophysiology, IZMB, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.8.234 Abstract This study performed with soybean (Glycine max L.), one of the most important crops for human and animal nutrition, demonstrates that changes in the leaf surface structure can increase the adhesion of

High-stress study of bioinspired multifunctional PEDOT:PSS/nanoclay nanocomposites using AFM, SEM and numerical simulation

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

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2069–2082, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.207

• underneath the MTM platelet is reduced by two orders of magnitude, compared to Laponite, for a given value of the force applied by the AFM tip. Besides the platelet size difference, in MTM the current is segregated into “hotspots” and the formation of the skin layer also affects the surface structure, so the

A comparative study of the nanoscale and macroscale tribological attributes of alumina and stainless steel surfaces immersed in aqueous suspensions of positively or negatively charged nanodiamonds

• Colin K. Curtis,
• Antonin Marek,
• Alex I. Smirnov and
• Jacqueline Krim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2045–2059, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.205

• –100 nm thick Al2O3 layer. For Al2O3 is exposed to water one expect a formation of several aluminum hydroxide phases [49]. The presence of hydroxy (OH) groups on the alumina surface is affected by the oxide surface structure as well as other parameters with pH being the most important. Overall, the

Collembola cuticles and the three-phase line tension

• Håkon Gundersen,
• Hans Petter Leinaas and
• Christian Thaulow

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1714–1722, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.172

• prediction of contact angles in the observed range. The discrepancy between the contact angle predicted by simple models and those observed is especially large in the springtail Cryptopygus clavatus which changes, seasonally, from superhydrophobic to wetting without a large change in surface structure; C

• equation, which underestimates the contact angle of Collembola cuticles [5] and sub-micrometer-sized surface structures in general [16]. The Cassie–Baxter equation also fails to predict changes in contact angle without an accompanying change in surface structure, such as the seasonal change in wetting

• length and wetted surface area, can be calculated from surface structure data. A reassessment of measured values published in [5] yielded a range of S from 0.039 μm to 0.37 μm in the Collembola species studied. λ, the three-phase line tension, of water on Collembola cuticles, or similar systems, is not

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

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

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

• ]. It is noteworthy to mention here that by using different precursor materials, some of the properties, such as microstructure, adsorption affinity and isoelectric point of g-C3N4 can be tuned [91]. It is known that catalysis is a surface phenomenon, which is affected by the surface structure and

Biological and biomimetic materials and surfaces

• Stanislav Gorb and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 403–407, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.42

• fields of basic and applied research, as can be seen in some articles of this Thematic Series. A second type of surface structure that has been observed is the so-called Salvinia effect that has been quantitatively characterized in collaboration with Thomas Schimmel from the Karlsruhe Institute of

Tailoring bifunctional hybrid organic–inorganic nanoadsorbents by the choice of functional layer composition probed by adsorption of Cu²⁺ ions

• Veronika V. Tomina,
• Inna V. Melnyk,
• Yuriy L. Zub,
• Aivaras Kareiva,
• Miroslava Vaclavikova,
• Gulaim A. Seisenbaeva and
• Vadim G. Kessler

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 334–347, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.36

• and methyl groups; c,d) proposed surface structure of the bifunctional layer for particles bearing perfluoroctyl and aminopropyl (in the image chains with green and blue head groups, respectively) groups on the surface. Supporting Information Supporting Information File 16: Additional experimental

Colorimetric gas detection by the varying thickness of a thin film of ultrasmall PTSA-coated TiO₂ nanoparticles on a Si substrate

• Urmas Joost,
• Andris Šutka,
• Meeri Visnapuu,
• Aile Tamm,
• Meeri Lembinen,
• Mikk Antsov,
• Kathriin Utt,
• Krisjanis Smits,
• Ergo Nõmmiste and
• Vambola Kisand

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 229–236, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.25

• substrate and the film surface was measured before and after VOC exposure. Additionally, changes in the surface structure of the films under VOC exposure are possible. However, reflectance modifications in Figure 4 are typical for films with increasing thickness and therefore we can neglect significant

• changes in the surface structure under VOC exposure. Figure 5 shows the swelling of the film during exposure to the analyte gas (ethanol). The film thickness was evaluated to be ca. 305 nm before exposure to ethanol vapors and ca. 345 nm during exposure, i.e., the measured swelling is about 10%. This

Impact of surface wettability on S-layer recrystallization: a real-time characterization by QCM-D

• Jagoba Iturri,
• Ana C. Vianna,
• Alberto Moreno-Cencerrado,
• Dietmar Pum,
• Uwe B. Sleytr and
• José Luis Toca-Herrera

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 91–98, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.10

• bacterium with a magnified view of the surface structure shown as an electron micrograph of a thin section (adapted from [2]). Abbreviations indicate: Gram-positive cell wall (CW); plasma membrane (PM) and S-layer (S). Figures (b) and (c) show the real time variation of ∆f (in Hz) and ∆D (in units of 1 × 10

Numerical investigation of depth profiling capabilities of helium and neon ions in ion microscopy

• Patrick Philipp,
• Lukasz Rzeznik and
• Tom Wirtz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1749–1760, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.168

• surface by disordering the surface structure and forming hydrogenated amorphous carbon [4]. Similarly, Ga+ irradiation of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) results in micro- and nanopatterns with controlled stiffness for potential applications in tissue engineering [5]. Overall, the properties depend on the

Nanostructured TiO₂-based gas sensors with enhanced sensitivity to reducing gases

• Wojciech Maziarz,
• Anna Kusior and
• Anita Trenczek-Zajac

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1718–1726, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.164

• surface of the flower-like sensor surface is very complex and more developed. Gas molecules need much more time to reach deep into the spongy surface structure of the sensor and become adsorbed. A comparison of the response, S, of the TiO2-based nanostructured sensors to selected reducing gases at

Nano- and microstructured materials for in vitro studies of the physiology of vascular cells

• Alexandra M. Greiner,
• Adria Sales,
• Hao Chen,
• Sarah A. Biela,
• Dieter Kaufmann and
• Ralf Kemkemer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1620–1641, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.155

• techniques that have been used for the fabrication of appropriate substrates for in vitro studies with vascular cells. We give a brief overview over possible surface structure geometries, mention compounds and methods for surface biofunctionalization and present the importance of the mechanical

• . The pattern of the photomask will determine the later dimensions of a surface structure [49]. This method can be combined with other procedures such as physical or chemical vapor deposition where the height of the pattern can be further controlled by depositing a nanometrically controlled layer, often

• adhesion behavior/machinery according to the substrate topography (surface shape and size) as well as they frequently adapt their motility (Figure 4C) [5][13][209][212][213][214][215]. ECs: Previous studies showed a dependence of the strength of endothelial cell adhesion on the surface structure and its

Three-gradient regular solution model for simple liquids wetting complex surface topologies

• Sabine Akerboom,
• Marleen Kamperman and
• Frans A. M. Leermakers

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1377–1396, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.129

• implies that if the surface structure induces a curvature in one direction due to pinning, this should be compensated by the opposite curvature in the perpendicular direction. Hence, if structuring of a surface induces a noticeable curvature of the droplet parallel to the surface, this should lead to

• °. As we already selected χ = 2.2, we will be in the correct contact angle regime when we set the adsorption energies around χS = −0.2. Below we will always mention the strength of adsorption. Liquid condensation in parallel slit The surface structure of an inverse opal consists of close to spherical

•  5B). Since the impregnating wetting state is not observed even for such small cavity sizes as used in Figure 7, we conclude that the impregnating wetting state due to capillary condensation is not likely to develop for practical inverse opals which are marginally hydrophilic. In this surface

Experimental and simulation-based investigation of He, Ne and Ar irradiation of polymers for ion microscopy

• Lukasz Rzeznik,
• Yves Fleming,
• Tom Wirtz and
• Patrick Philipp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1113–1128, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.104

• to what is observed for inorganic samples [26][27]. Only a change in the surface structure from a larger to a finer grain structure is observed. At this point it is not clear whether these structures are related to some degradation of the polymer materials or whether they are due to bubble formation

Frog tongue surface microstructures: functional and evolutionary patterns

• Thomas Kleinteich and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 893–903, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.81

• , despite the general notions about its importance for a successful contact with the prey, little is known about the surface structure of frog tongues. Previous studies focused almost exclusively on species within the Ranidae and Bufonidae, neglecting the wide diversity of frogs. Here we examined the tongue

Microscopic characterization of Fe nanoparticles formed on SrTiO₃(001) and SrTiO₃(110) surfaces

• Miyoko Tanaka

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 817–824, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.73

• showed simple (1 × 1) structures [41]. This type of surface structure is reported for samples annealed in UHV at relatively low temperatures [26][33], which is also the case in our study. STO(110) surfaces are terminated with TiO planes with the possibility of oxygen depletion [25]. This type of surface

• structure is also reported with samples annealed in UHV at comparatively low temperatures [34][35][36] and matches with our results. However, crystal deformation presumably due to ion-beam thinning is also observed in our case [25]. When Fe was deposited on these surfaces, Fe nanoparticles of similar sizes

Fabrication and properties of luminescence polymer composites with erbium/ytterbium oxides and gold nanoparticles

• Julia A. Burunkova,
• Ihor Yu. Denisiuk,
• Dmitri I. Zhuk,
• Lajos Daroczi,
• Attila Csik,
• István Csarnovics and
• Sándor Kokenyesi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 630–636, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.55

• /Yb oxide NPs (54a). AFM picture of the surface structure of the 52Au nanocomposite. Quantitative data of composition analyses. Composition of the prepared composites. Acknowledgements This work was supported by the International laboratory "Nonlinear optical molecular crystals and microlasers

Efficiency improvement in the cantilever photothermal excitation method using a photothermal conversion layer

• Natsumi Inada,
• Hitoshi Asakawa,
• Taiki Kobayashi and
• Takeshi Fukuma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 409–417, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.36

• imaging was performed for 2 h without changing the imaging parameters. We found subnanometer-scale contrasts corresponding to the mica surface structure in all the successive AFM images. In addition, no contaminations on the mica surface were found in the AFM images. The results show that a PTC layer does

Rigid multipodal platforms for metal surfaces

• Michal Valášek,
• Marcin Lindner and
• Marcel Mayor

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 374–405, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.34