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

• large band tails with both the incident and scattered photons in the Zn0.60Mg0.40O sample. The prepared ZnMgO thin films were tested for photodetector applications in the metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) design configuration with coplanar metal Pd contacts in our previous paper [29]. The films

Simulations of the 2D self-assembly of tripod-shaped building blocks

• Łukasz Baran,
• Wojciech Rżysko and
• Edyta Słyk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 884–890, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.73

• these chemical reactions are impossible to be performed in bulk. This is mainly because the substrate reduces the number of rotational and translational degrees of freedom of the admolecules. As a consequence, intermolecular contacts occur that stabilize the interactions between the particles. To

Quantitative determination of the interaction potential between two surfaces using frequency-modulated atomic force microscopy

• Nicholas Chan,
• Carrie Lin,
• Tevis Jacobs,
• Robert W. Carpick and
• Philip Egberts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 729–739, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.60

• . It also determines interfacial properties, such as adhesion and friction, and is a key input into mechanics models and atomistic simulations of contacts. We have developed a novel methodology to experimentally determine interaction potential parameters, given a particular potential form, using

• mechanics models [22][23][24][25] to allow better visualization of surface interactions. While useful insights can be obtained using fully atomistic simulations, such as molecular dynamics simulations or density functional theory, these techniques are impractical for describing larger contacts with a large

• contacts beyond those based on LJ potentials are necessary for improving the fidelity of such models and thus for a better understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms that occur when asperities come into contact. First, our methodology can serve to deconvolve material pair potential parameters from

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

• conducting oxides (TCO) thin films have been receiving much attention regarding their use as contacts in several optoelectronic devices such as LEDs [1], solar cells [2] and flat panel displays [3]. Indium tin oxide (ITO) is the most commonly used TCO for industrial and laboratory applications due to its

• transmittance (compared to other metals) in the visible region of Ag thin films at room temperature led to the wide use of Ag layers in ITO multilayer contacts [21][22][23][24]. However, Ag thin films agglomerate upon annealing due to low adhesion, which degrades the quality of the films [25]. This issue can be

Effect of substitutional defects on resonant tunneling diodes based on armchair graphene and boron nitride nanoribbons lateral heterojunctions

• Majid Sanaeepur

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 688–694, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.56

• connected to semi-infinite AGNR contacts at both sides. The energy band edge diagram of the proposed RTD along with the quantized energy level of the well are shown in Figure 1b. Due to small lattice mismatch between graphene and hBN the edge bond relaxation correction for carbon atoms at the interface of C

• the semi-infinite contacts. The self-energy matrices are calculated through a highly convergent recursive method [39]. Then the transmission as a function of the energy is obtained via [39]: in which Ga(E) = (Gr(E))† is the advanced Green's function and Γj (j = 1, 2), represent the level broadening

• due to the coupling between device and contacts: Finally, the current through the device is calculated via [38]: in which q is the electron charge, f(E) is the Fermi–Dirac distribution function at the contacts and V is the bias voltage. The Fermi level at both contacts is assumed to be 0.03 eV above

Electromigration-induced directional steps towards the formation of single atomic Ag contacts

• Atasi Chatterjee,
• Christoph Tegenkamp and
• Herbert Pfnür

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 680–687, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.55

• structures and at grain boundaries. Nevertheless, we showed recently that it can be used reliably for the formation of single atomic point contacts after careful pre-structuring of the initial Ag nanostructures. The process of formation of nanocontacts by EM down to a single-atom point contact was

• constrictions of around 150 nm having multiple grains at the centre constriction prior to the formation of a point contact. Even though clear morphological differences exist between both types of structures, quantized conductance plateaus showing the formation of single point contacts have been observed for

• shell effects, can be discriminated. Although the directional motion of atoms during EM leads to specific properties such as the instabilities mentioned, similarities to mechanically opened contacts with respect to cross-sectional stability were found. Keywords: electromigration; focussed ion beam

Current measurements in the intermittent-contact mode of atomic force microscopy using the Fourier method: a feasibility analysis

• Berkin Uluutku and
• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 453–465, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.37

• stem from the dynamics and mechanics of an intermittent-contact operation. Besides the fact that electrical contacts would be intermittent, the nature of the contact would also be time-dependent within the contact time. This is because the indentation is constantly varying. Furthermore, the

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

• oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrate. The sample was electrically connected to the AWG by mounting the HOPG substrate onto a sample holder designed with in situ electrical contacts. The pump signal generated by the AWG was transmitted through a coaxial cable (air side) connected to a twisted pair

Nonequilibrium Kondo effect in a graphene-coupled quantum dot in the presence of a magnetic field

• Levente Máthé and
• Ioan Grosu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 225–239, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.17

• Anderson model to a single QD with metallic contacts [12][15][16][19][31], which has been confirmed by experimental measurements [23][24][55]. This effect is more complicated in a multi-QD system (like a T-shaped double-QD system) with metallic leads due to the presence of multi-electron transport channels

• fulfilled for the graphene contacts. In addition, the thermoelectric transport properties of a noninteracting QD coupled to pure and gapped graphene electrodes have been analyzed based on the Hartree–Fock approximation by the EOM technique [40]. A significant enhancement of the figure of merit was reported

• related to the coupling strength of the graphene contacts to the QD (see subsection Current formulas). Here, we consider that the graphene monolayer electrodes are arranged in an armchair configuration (see Figure 1). The distance in real space between the QD and sites of graphene sublattices A and B are

Size effects of graphene nanoplatelets on the properties of high-density polyethylene nanocomposites: morphological, thermal, electrical, and mechanical characterization

• Tuba Evgin,
• Alpaslan Turgut,
• Georges Hamaoui,
• Zdenko Spitalsky,
• Nicolas Horny,
• Matej Micusik,
• Mihai Chirtoc,
• Mehmet Sarikanat and
• Maria Omastova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 167–179, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.14

• conductivity was dependent on the frequency. The first part was linked to the transfer of charge carriers by direct contacts between the GnP filler, while the second part reflected the conductivity due to hopping and tunneling of electrons between adjacent particles [26]. It was apparent that the critical

Internalization mechanisms of cell-penetrating peptides

• Ivana Ruseska and
• Andreas Zimmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 101–123, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.10

• lead to the internalization of peptides. The role of glycosaminoglycans in the initial contacts of CPPs and cells and in the initiation of internalization has been a part of several reviews so far [3][27][28][68][69]. The extensive research done on arginine-rich peptides, especially octa-arginine (R8

Mobility of charge carriers in self-assembled monolayers

• Zhihua Fu,
• Tatjana Ladnorg,
• Hartmut Gliemann,
• Alexander Welle,
• Asif Bashir,
• Michael Rohwerder,
• Qiang Zhang,
• Björn Schüpbach,
• Andreas Terfort and
• Christof Wöll

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2449–2458, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.235

• by tip size effects. The schematics presented in Figure 3 rationalize the observation that the conductivity increases with island size. In the hypothetical case that the AFM tip contacts only a single PAT molecule, i.e., an island consisting of a single molecule only, we would obtain the resistance

Semitransparent Sb₂S₃ thin film solar cells by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis for use in solar windows

• Jako S. Eensalu,
• Atanas Katerski,
• Erki Kärber,
• Lothar Weinhardt,
• Monika Blum,
• Clemens Heske,
• Wanli Yang,
• Ilona Oja Acik and
• Malle Krunks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2396–2409, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.230

• perforated metal masks. The area of cells larger than 7.1 mm2 was defined by mechanically scribing contacts after Au deposition. Thin film characterization The characterization methods employed in this study, except for XRD and XES, have already been described in detail elsewhere [28]. The structure and

Polyvinylpyrrolidone as additive for perovskite solar cells with water and isopropanol as solvents

• Chen Du,
• Shuo Wang,
• Xu Miao,
• Wenhai Sun,
• Yu Zhu,
• Chengyan Wang and
• Ruixin Ma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2374–2382, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.228

• MHz to 100 Hz. The fit results are presented in Table 2. In the circuit model, the resistors derived from metal contacts, compound resistors, and chemical capacitors are denoted by the symbols RS, Rrec, and C1, respectively. As the cell structure is uniform, the difference of the RS values between the

Review of advanced sensor devices employing nanoarchitectonics concepts

• Katsuhiko Ariga,
• Tatsuyuki Makita,
• Masato Ito,
• Taizo Mori,
• Shun Watanabe and
• Jun Takeya

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2014–2030, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.198

• environments is briefly described and hints for future sensor designs are discussed. Interfacial environments provide two distinct features, (i) contacts of phases with different dielectric natures and (ii) connection of extremely different size events (both along the lateral direction and thickness direction

• semiconductive layer provides better sensor performance with long-term stability and high sensitivity. Features of molecular recognition at interfacial media: (i) contacts of phases with different dielectric natures to result in huge enhancement of molecular recognition; (ii) connection of extremely different

Charge-transfer interactions between fullerenes and a mesoporous tetrathiafulvalene-based metal–organic framework

• Manuel Souto,
• Joaquín Calbo,
• Samuel Mañas-Valero,
• Aron Walsh and
• Guillermo Mínguez Espallargas

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1883–1893, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.183

• system (A and B; Figure 5a, Supporting Information File 2). In conformer A, the fullerene ball remains in the void between two TTFTB ligands, approaching one of them with short C(C60)…S(TTFTB) and C(C60)…benzene(TTFTB) contacts calculated at 3.4 and 3.5 Å, respectively (Figure 5b). In conformer B

• , fullerene remains over the TTFTB ligand, promoting an efficient concave–convex complementarity with a large amount of noncovalent interactions between the C60 ball and the TTF core (C(C60)…S(TTFTB) distances of 3.6–3.8 Å), and stabilizing CH…π contacts between the benzene rings of TTFTB and the fullerene

• boundary conditions (PBC). b) Supramolecular assemblies of C60@TTFTB extracted from the PBC-optimized C60@MUV-2 system in arrangements A and B. Intermolecular short contacts (in Å) and NCI surfaces (reduced density gradient isovalue = 0.3 a. u. (atomic units)) are displayed. Interaction energies (Eint) of

Fabrication and characterization of Si_1−xGe_x nanocrystals in as-grown and annealed structures: a comparative study

• Muhammad Taha Sultan,
• Adrian Valentin Maraloiu,
• Ionel Stavarache,
• Jón Tómas Gudmundsson,
• Andrei Manolescu,
• Valentin Serban Teodorescu,
• Magdalena Lidia Ciurea and
• Halldór Gudfinnur Svavarsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1873–1882, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.182

• ° divergence slit and a 0.27° parallel plate collimator was used. The measurement run was made over 0.005 °/s scan speed. For photoconductive measurement, Al contacts (1 × 4 mm2) in co-planar geometry with a gap of 4 mm between them were deposited by evaporation. A schematic of the photocurrent setup and the

Materials nanoarchitectonics at two-dimensional liquid interfaces

• Katsuhiko Ariga,
• Michio Matsumoto,
• Taizo Mori and
• Lok Kumar Shrestha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1559–1587, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.153

•  15) [237][238][239]. Fullerene molecules, such as C60 and C70, are dissolved in a liquid phase (good solvent) that contacts an immiscible liquid phase in which the molecules are poorly soluble (poor solvent). The formation of crystalline assemblies of fullerene molecules is induced by supersaturation

• -dimensional C60 crystals prepared through liquid–liquid interfacial precipitation between m-xylene and isopropyl alcohol for visible-spectrum photodetectors [248]. Additional materials or two metal contacts are not necessary in the fabricated photodetectors. These devices made solely from carbon can be used

High-temperature resistive gas sensors based on ZnO/SiC nanocomposites

• Vadim B. Platonov,
• Marina N. Rumyantseva,
• Alexander S. Frolov,
• Alexey D. Yapryntsev and
• Alexander M. Gaskov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1537–1547, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.151

• alumina micro-hotplates provided with vapor-deposited Pt contacts (0.3 × 0.2 mm2) separated by a 0.2 mm gap and with embedded Pt-meanders. The paste was dried at room temperature in ambient air and then calcined at 250 °C in purified air for 20 h to remove the binder. The thick sensing layer was about 1

Kelvin probe force microscopy of the nanoscale electrical surface potential barrier of metal/semiconductor interfaces in ambient atmosphere

• Petr Knotek,
• Tomáš Plecháček,
• Jan Smolík,
• Petr Kutálek,
• Filip Dvořák,
• Milan Vlček,
• Jiří Navrátil and
• Čestmír Drašar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1401–1411, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.138

• Au layer (both contacts on the same layer); c) 53 nm Au layer; d) and e) 19 nm Au layer before and after e-beam diffusion; f) cleaved Bi2Se3. Curves c–f) were measured with the ohmic contact on the 107 nm Au layer (see Figure S1, Supporting Information File 1). (A) Change of the I–V characteristics

Gas sensing properties of individual SnO₂ nanowires and SnO₂ sol–gel nanocomposites

• Alexey V. Shaposhnik,
• Dmitry A. Shaposhnik,
• Sergey Yu. Turishchev,
• Olga A. Chuvenkova,
• Stanislav V. Ryabtsev,
• Alexey A. Vasiliev,
• Xavier Vilanova,
• Francisco Hernandez-Ramirez and
• Joan R. Morante

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1380–1390, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.136

• , wherein random electrical contact between wires located on different electrodes are formed. The contact between each pair of nanowires is not stable, but due to the large number of contacts, completely stable electrical contact behavior is observed (on a statistical average). Sensors based on such systems

• show high sensitivity [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Hierarchical structures with SnO2 nanowires covered with additional nanoscale objects can be used for the improvement of electrical contacts [11][16][17]. A second direction in nanowire sensor development is the manufacturing of

• electrical contacts with individual nanowires [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]. These contacts can be made by means of photolithography, but more often, focused ion beam (FIB) technology is used for this purpose. This approach has several advantages: first, a reliable electrical contact

Molecular attachment to a microscope tip: inelastic tunneling, Kondo screening, and thermopower

• Rouzhaji Tuerhong,
• Mauro Boero and
• Jean-Pierre Bucher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1243–1250, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.124

• matter of fact, in our configuration, the tip–molecule and the molecule–sample contacts are not equivalent for small gaps, leading to strong effects for partially lifted molecules, as described in Figure 2f. A molecular rearrangement due to new geometrical boundary conditions is thus expected for larger

Electroluminescence and current–voltage measurements of single-(In,Ga)N/GaN-nanowire light-emitting diodes in a nanowire ensemble

• David van Treeck,
• Johannes Ledig,
• Gregor Scholz,
• Jonas Lähnemann,
• Mattia Musolino,
• Abbes Tahraoui,
• Oliver Brandt,
• Andreas Waag,
• Henning Riechert and
• Lutz Geelhaar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1177–1187, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.117

• top contacts and on the back side of the Si substrate, respectively. A more detailed description of the growth and processing procedure as well as the EL and I–V characteristics of the NW-ensemble LED can be found in [12]. The EL and I–V measurements on single-NW LEDs were carried out in a Zeiss

• current density for the maximum relative EQE and vice versa. It should be noted that this relation is only true if the NWs have similar contact resistances, resulting in a homogeneous current spreading in the ensemble device. The side-by-side comparison of ITO and Ni/Au top contacts in [12] showed that

Direct growth of few-layer graphene on AlN-based resonators for high-sensitivity gravimetric biosensors

• Jimena Olivares,
• Teona Mirea,
• Lorena Gordillo-Dagallier,
• Bruno Marco,
• José Miguel Escolano,
• Marta Clement and
• Enrique Iborra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 975–984, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.98

• SMRs in terms of quality and electromechanical coupling factors. To fit the fluidic system, the electrical contacts to the resonators were set apart from the active area of the devices, which entailed extending the electrical pads (see Figure 8b where the O-ring sealing footprint is sketched) [26]. All

In situ AFM visualization of Li–O₂ battery discharge products during redox cycling in an atmospherically controlled sample cell

• Kumar Virwani,
• Younes Ansari,
• Khanh Nguyen,
• Francisco José Alía Moreno-Ortiz,
• Jangwoo Kim,
• Maxwell J. Giammona,
• Ho-Cheol Kim and
• Young-Hye La

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 930–940, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.94

• ] using this in situ AFM set-up we monitored surface changes on the products of a Na–oxygen discharge reaction. The terms electrochemical cell and battery are used interchangeably in this study. Upon cell assembly, electrical connections were made between the lithium and carbon stainless steel contacts