Exploring surface charge dynamics: implications for AFM height measurements in 2D materials

• Mario Navarro-Rodriguez,
• Andres M. Somoza and
• Elisa Palacios-Lidon

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 767–780, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.64

• insulating substrates. In Figure 1, we present a stack of single-layer GO and rGO flakes co-deposited on SiO2, measured under N2 atmosphere (RH < 10%). Distinguishing between GO and rGO flakes based solely on the topography image proves to be challenging, as both materials exhibit similar heights. Therefore

• is roughly homogeneous along the flake. Conversely, when biasing the tip, not only does the overall height increase, but the increase is more pronounced in certain regions (Figure 4c,d). Comparing these regions with the 2ωelec image (Figure 4b), we find that the height increase is correlated to the

• , where the tip is far away from the surface; thus, we only keep the leading-order terms in z0→∞. This approximation allows for a simple treatment in terms of image charges, see for example [86][87]. In general, verifying the boundary conditions at the surface and at the tip surface requires to treat an

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

• microscopy (SEM) image of the trenches with a superimposed line depicting the position of the prepared cross section. Figure 3b–d presents the corresponding cross-sectional STEM images of trenches, where the silicon dioxide is visualized as the dark layer. The shape of trenches was mainly determined by the

• crystalline silicon substrate covered by an approximately 600 nm thick silicon dioxide layer. The plan-view SEM image corresponding to M = 2 and cross-sectional STEM images of the prepared boxes are shown in Figure 3e and Figure 3f–h, respectively. As can be seen from Figure 3e–h, V-like boxes cutting through

• atoms caused by the ion beam movement during the fabrication of the boxes (see Figure 1a). Each stripe in the image corresponds to one of the line segments oriented along the y axis in the serpentine scanning pattern. The composition of the redeposited layer varies along the z axis direction, and

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

• the length and width of NWs for three-point bending were measured in SEM, the heights were taken from the topography data obtained by AFM in the adhered parts of the NW at each end. In Figure 5a, an SEM image captures the morphology of a Ga2O3 NW positioned over an inverted pyramid structure. Notably

• ) X-ray diffraction pattern of β-Ga2O3 NWs on silicon substrate. b) TEM image of a β-Ga2O3 NW with interlayer spacing of 5.7 Å, indicating [001] growth direction. c) TEM image of a β-Ga2O3 NW with orthogonal (11−2) and (−112) planes and interlayer spacing 2.2 Å, indicating [021] growth direction. a

• ) SEM image of the as-grown Ga2O3 NWs on silicon substrate; b) an individual NW with trapezoid cross-section. SEM image of a NW fixed at one end and a closely positioned probe tip: a) without applied AC and DC; b) observable oscillation with 4V AC and 2V DC (no resonance); c) with 4V AC and 2V DC

Enhancing higher-order modal response in multifrequency atomic force microscopy with a coupled cantilever system

• Wendong Sun,
• Jianqiang Qian,
• Yingzi Li,
• Yanan Chen,
• Zhipeng Dou,
• Rui Lin,
• Peng Cheng,
• Xiaodong Gao,
• Quan Yuan and
• Yifan Hu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 694–703, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.57

• the higher-order modal response of the coupled system gradually increases, which will improve the sensitivity of the detection and promote the development of multifrequency AFM utilizing higher-order modes of the cantilever to image sample properties. Finite element analysis Model size and simulation

• inset shows an enlarged view of the red boxed area. (b) The influence of different excitation positions on the frequency modal response of the microcantilever model. Experimental setup of the macroscale cantilever platform. Image of the macroscale cantilever. The left side is clamped by (a) a size

Exfoliation of titanium nitride using a non-thermal plasma process

• Priscila Jussiane Zambiazi,
• Dolores Ribeiro Ricci Lazar,
• Larissa Otubo,
• Rodrigo Fernando Brambilla de Souza,
• Almir Oliveira Neto and
• Cecilia Chaves Guedes-Silva

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 631–637, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.53

• higher transparency to the microscope beam is observed, indicating fewer scattering centers. When comparing Figure 3a and Figure 3d, it is clear that the initial compact 3D TiN blocks underwent a transformation and evolved into plate-like thin layers. The high-resolution image in Figure 3f shows a

Comparative analysis of the ultrastructure and adhesive secretion pathways of different smooth attachment pads of the stick insect Medauroidea extradentata (Phasmatodea)

• Julian Thomas,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Thies H. Büscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 612–630, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.52

AFM-IR investigation of thin PECVD SiO_x films on a polypropylene substrate in the surface-sensitive mode

• Hendrik Müller,
• Hartmut Stadler,
• Teresa de los Arcos,
• Adrian Keller and
• Guido Grundmeier

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 603–611, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.51

• , equipped with a broadband Carmina OPO Laser (Angewandte Physik & Elektronik GmbH, Germany). Contact Mode NIR2 cantilevers from Anasys Instruments (PR-EX-nIR2-10) were used. The samples were first scanned in contact mode with a resolution between 512 × 256 and 256 × 256 pixels and an image size between 10

• with a 5 nm SiOx coating was used and, additionally to the AFM-IR spectra, a hyperspectral image was collected in contact mode. In addition to photothermal AFM-IR measurements in contact mode and surface-sensitive mode, the surface was analyzed with near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron

• image of the sample with the 50 nm SiOx layer (Figure 4a), a column-like grown SiOx film is visible. The surface became rougher. In addition to that, small cracks in the SiOx layer are recognizable. These cracks were induced by uniaxial stretching of about 10%. The topography of the 5 nm sample (Figure

Stiffness calibration of qPlus sensors at low temperature through thermal noise measurements

• Laurent Nony,
• Sylvain Clair,
• Daniel Uehli,
• Aitziber Herrero,
• Jean-Marc Themlin,
• Andrea Campos,
• Franck Para,
• Alessandro Pioda and
• Christian Loppacher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 580–602, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.50

• = − f1 < 0 is tracked by the PLL and used as the input of the Z-controller to form a “topographic image”, which is actually a “constant-Δf” image. Alternatively, the image can also be acquired at constant height, which then forms a local Δf map of the surface. Δf is expressed according to [11][12]: where

Radiofrequency enhances drug release from responsive nanoflowers for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy

• Yanyan Wen,
• Ningning Song,
• Yueyou Peng,
• Weiwei Wu,
• Qixiong Lin,
• Minjie Cui,
• Rongrong Li,
• Qiufeng Yu,
• Sixue Wu,
• Yongkang Liang,
• Wei Tian and
• Yanfeng Meng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 569–579, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.49

• diameters were 156 nm, 177 nm, and 199 nm, respectively (Figure 2e). The average size obtained from TEM was different from the sizes found by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The reason is that the TEM image depicts the size of the sample in the dry state, while the DLS method depicts the size of the

• as, *p < 0.05, ****p < 0.0001, ns (not significant). Synthesis of the Fe3O4 NCs, CUR-Fe NPs, and CUR-Fe@MnO2 NFs. Figure 1 was drawn using Figdraw (https://www.figdraw.com), export ID AOPIS34314. The materials contained in the image are copyrighted by Home for Researchers. This content is not subject

• ), export ID AOPIS34314. The materials contained in the image are copyrighted by Home for Researchers. This content is not subject to CC BY 4.0. We would like to thank Prof Yingqi Li, Zhanfeng Zheng, Yongzhen Wang and Yong Wang for their technical help. Funding The authors are grateful for the financial

Directed growth of quinacridone chains on the vicinal Ag(35 1 1) surface

• Niklas Humberg,
• Lukas Grönwoldt and
• Moritz Sokolowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 556–568, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.48

• that up to three chains, parallel to an adjacent step edge, would fit on a terrace (one chain is 16.5 Å in width). A QA chain that is oriented perpendicular to the step edges would consist of seven molecules on one terrace (the intermolecular distance within a QA chain is 6.6 Å). An STM image of the Ag

• (35 1 1) surface is shown in Figure S1a of Supporting Information File 1. The STM image reveals that the Ag steps are not regularly spaced. Instead, the distribution of the terrace widths is very broad. The step distribution that was obtained by evaluating STM images with an Python script reported by

• Bastidas et al. [32] is shown in Figure S1b in Supporting Information File 1. On the left-hand side of the STM image (Figure S1, Supporting Information File 1), the average distance between the steps is only 20 Å (seven atom rows), which is less than half of the expected terrace width of 50.5 Å. At the

Cholesterol nanoarchaeosomes for alendronate targeted delivery as an anti-endothelial dysfunction agent

• Horacio Emanuel Jerez,
• Yamila Roxana Simioni,
• Kajal Ghosal,
• Maria Jose Morilla and
• Eder Lilia Romero

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 517–534, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.46

• 33342 for 10 min at RT. After staining, the membranes were separated from the inserts and were mounted on slides using a motion mounting medium. A Leica laser-scanning spectral confocal microscope TCS SP8 (Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar, Germany) was used. Image processing was performed using ImageJ

• test using Prisma 4.0 Software (Graph Pad Software, CA, USA). A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant: *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001; n.s. represents non-significant (p > 0.05). (A) Representative image of alendronate loaded in a cholesterol-containing

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible light by cobalt ferrite nanoparticles/graphene quantum dots

• Vo Chau Ngoc Anh,
• Le Thi Thanh Nhi,
• Le Thi Kim Dung,
• Dang Thi Ngoc Hoa,
• Nguyen Truong Son,
• Nguyen Thi Thao Uyen,
• Nguyen Ngoc Uyen Thu,
• Le Van Thanh Son,
• Le Trung Hieu,
• Tran Ngoc Tuyen and
• Dinh Quang Khieu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 475–489, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.43

• of CF and CF/GQDs-200, respectively, and the corresponding particle size distribution. CF has very fine particles of around 15–20 nm. The intimate interfacial contact between GQDs sheets and the CF nanoparticle is further depicted in the TEM image (Figure 4e). In this image, the deposited

• curves of CF/GQDs-200. SEM images of (a) CF/GQD-140, (b) CF/GQD-180, and (c) CF/GQD-200; TEM observations and corresponding particle size distribution of (d) CF and (e) CF/GQDs-200. EDX-mapping of CF/GQDs-200. (a) Electron microscopy image, (b) EDX spectrum, (c) carbon mapping, (d) oxygen mapping, (e

Sidewall angle tuning in focused electron beam-induced processing

• Sangeetha Hari,
• Willem F. van Dorp,
• Johannes J. L. Mulders,
• Piet H. F. Trompenaars,
• Pieter Kruit and
• Cornelis W. Hagen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 447–456, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.40

• using focused ion beam (FIB) milling and shown as an electron tilt image in Figure 1b, clearly demonstrates the Gaussian shape. For lithography applications, however, both the long tails and the Gaussian cross section are highly undesirable. The tails may form interconnects to neighboring lines, and the

• functioned as the reference. The lines were etched serially from left to right. The distance between the deposits was chosen to be larger than the range of the BSE electrons so that each deposit could be etched independently. Figure 3b shows a quick-scan top view SE image of the array after etching

• SE image. A 200 nm thick carbon FEBID deposit was fabricated, which would be thick enough to image with SE as well as using FIB cross sectioning. The top view SE image and cross section of the reference structure are shown in Figure 7. Such a deposit was then exposed to FEBIE at both sidewalls. A

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

• plane (upwards or downwards) it will not be visible in the SEM image. If a NW is contacting one or more NWs, then heat-induced redistribution of silver atoms between the NWs is often observed, resulting in thickening and shortening of all the contacting NWs (Supporting Information File 1, Figure S5

• one image. : Necking and splitting of Ag NWs in the heating scheme 1 after treatment at 375 °C. SEM images of Ag NWs after a single-step heat treatment (heating scheme 2) at 400 °C. Fragmentation of NWs happened almost exclusively in the adhered parts. Average values of splits per length unit in

• fragmentation of NWs during the heat treatment. Molecular dynamics model of the NW: (a) initial conditions, (b) results of the compression cycle, (c) results of the tensile deformation; (d) amorphization of the central part of the NW as a result of heat-treatment cycles: TEM image (left) and MD simulation frame

Potential of a deep eutectic solvent in silver nanoparticle fabrication for antibiotic residue detection

• Le Hong Tho,
• Bui Xuan Khuyen,
• Ngoc Xuan Dat Mai and
• Nhu Hoa Thi Tran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 426–434, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.38

• peaks of SDZ are as follows: Although the consistency in SERS signals recorded on the Ag NPs-DES substrate has been investigated with 10−6 M NFT, we need to evaluate the SERS mapping image of SDZ to ensure the stability of our substrate when analytes are changed. Hence, 10−5 M of SDZ was added dropwise

Unveiling the nature of atomic defects in graphene on a metal surface

• Karl Rothe,
• Nicolas Néel and
• Jörg Kröger

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 416–425, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.37

• depicted in the bottom inset to Figure 1a, which shows an atomically resolved STM image of graphene. Mounds of the moiré pattern appear as depressions, while valleys show bright contrast at the specific tunneling parameters used for the STM topograph in Figure 1a. At higher tunneling currents, a contrast

• evidenced by shifts of the point of maximum attraction and hysteresis loops in force spectroscopy experiments. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy of defect types 1 and 2 in graphene on Ir(111). (a) Constant-current STM image of Ar+-bombarded graphene (bias voltage: 100 mV, tunneling current: 50

• image and (b) simultaneously recorded tunneling current map of two adjacent defects (10 mV, 3.6 nm × 3.6 nm). (c),(d) As (a),(b) for a type-2 defect (10 mV, 2.5 nm × 2.5 nm). The relevant defects in (a–d) are encircled by a dashed line. The gray scale (from dark to bright) covers changes in the

Classification and application of metal-based nanoantioxidants in medicine and healthcare

• Nguyen Nhat Nam,
• Nguyen Khoi Song Tran,
• Tan Tai Nguyen,
• Nguyen Ngoc Trai,
• Nguyen Phuong Thuy,
• Hoang Dang Khoa Do,
• Nhu Hoa Thi Tran and
• Kieu The Loan Trinh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 396–415, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.36

Investigating ripple pattern formation and damage profiles in Si and Ge induced by 100 keV Ar⁺ ion beam: a comparative study

• Indra Sulania,
• Harpreet Sondhi,
• Tanuj Kumar,
• Sunil Ojha,
• G R Umapathy,
• Ambuj Mishra,
• Ambuj Tripathi,
• Richa Krishna,
• Devesh Kumar Avasthi and
• Yogendra Kumar Mishra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 367–375, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.33

• analysis of Si and Ge samples irradiated with a fluence of 9 × 1017 ions/cm2 was performed in cross-sectional mode. The TEM image clearly reveals the surface modification occurred due to Ar ion irradiation. At fewer places, Ar bubbles of ≈15 nm were also visible (marked with a dotted section) in Si. It was

Modulated critical currents of spin-transfer torque-induced resistance changes in NiCu/Cu multilayered nanowires

• Mengqi Fu,
• Roman Hartmann,
• Julian Braun,
• Sergej Andreev,
• Torsten Pietsch and
• Elke Scheer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 360–366, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.32

• . Therefore, the fabrication process of 3D devices becomes easier. Figure 2a shows a SEM image of nanowires after removing the AAO template and top electrodes by diluted NaOH solution. Each nanowire consists of multiple NiCu layers of different thickness that are separated by thin Cu layers (denoted as Cu

• STT-induced features can be interpreted as asynchronous changes of the magnetization direction of different NiCu layers as well as spin accumulation at different interfaces. (a) SEM image after nanowire deposition and surface polishing. The bright dots represent the deposited nanowires the tops of

• which are near the surface of the AAO template. (b) SEM image of nanowire-based devices. The measured nanowire array was contacted by the patterned Au bottom electrode and the Al top electrode. (c) Sketch of the cross section of the device. (a) SEM image of nanowires after the AAO template was removed

Controllable physicochemical properties of WO_x thin films grown under glancing angle

• Rupam Mandal,
• Aparajita Mandal,
• Alapan Dutta,
• Rengasamy Sivakumar,
• Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava and
• Tapobrata Som

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 350–359, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.31

• uniformity. WSxM software was used to carry out AFM image analysis. Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) was used to study the local work function of the WOx films. WOx samples were removed from the high-vacuum environment right before the KPFM measurements to avoid any contamination in air. For KPFM

Comparative electron microscopy particle sizing of TiO₂ pigments: sample preparation and measurement

• Ralf Theissmann,
• Christopher Drury,
• Markus Rohe,
• Thomas Koch,
• Jochen Winkler and
• Petr Pikal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 317–332, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.29

• particles on each image, and to correctly identify the particle edges. Effective image acquisition and analysis requires training and routine performance checks for both the personnel capturing the images and those interpreting them. Results Electron microscopy measurements of E171 samples and related

• samples in 2023. Three of the reported measurements were made by SEM and three by TEM. The following three images (Figures 3–5) illustrate typical images used for the different methods. A top-view SEM image is shown in Figure 3 (Precheza M2, Venator M3), Figure 4 is an example of a TEM image (RCPTM, P1

• , P6), and Figure 5 is a cross-section SEM image (KRONOS M1). The particle size distributions measured with each manufacturer’s method are remarkably similar, as shown in Figure 1. The D50n values are close, but the tails of the distributions vary slightly, especially in the cases where a small number

Design, fabrication, and characterization of kinetic-inductive force sensors for scanning probe applications

• August K. Roos,
• Ermes Scarano,
• Elisabet K. Arvidsson,
• Erik Holmgren and
• David B. Haviland

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 242–255, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.23

• microscopy (SPM), the tip plays a fundamental role in the achievable lateral resolution of the image. The focused electron-beam induced deposition (FEBID) [34] technique has been adapted to fabricate tips for SPM, for example, to enhance commercial platinum–iridium alloy (Pt-Ir)-coated conductive tips [35

• by setting the deposition height to 10 μm. Defocusing of the electron spot during vertical growth naturally forms a narrowing conical structure. At the apex of this cone, we routinely achieve a curvature radius of less than 10 nm, as verified by the SEM image in Figure 6c. Finally, we deposit a thin

• direction. (a) Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a fabricated sensor seen from an angled topside view. The cantilever is formed from a Si-N plate protruding from and supported by a Si substrate. A thin film of Nb-Ti-N is deposited on top of the Si-N and patterned to form the microwave resonator. A

Quantitative wear evaluation of tips based on sharp structures

• Ke Xu and
• Houwen Leng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 230–241, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.22

• surface topography [7]. A sharper needle tip leads to more accurate measurements [8]. During the scanning process, tip and sample come into mutual contact, causing wear on the tip [9]. Tip wear or damage in practical applications can have severe consequences, including reduced image quality and erroneous

• . Orji et al. [14] utilized a transmission electron microscope (TEM) to image a tip and derived its tapered shape from the TEM image. Electron microscopic observation offers the advantages of high precision and resolution, enabling accurate acquisition of morphological information about the tip. However

• indicator of tip wear, but also used the surface roughness (Ra) to represent the degree of image deterioration to evaluate the degree of probe wear. It was concluded that a high free amplitude and a set point of 0.5 increase probe wear, while a set point of 0.6 reduces tip wear; the scanning speed does not

Ion beam processing of DNA origami nanostructures

• Leo Sala,
• Agnes Zerolová,
• Violaine Vizcaino,
• Alain Mery,
• Alicja Domaracka,
• Hermann Rothard,
• Philippe Boduch,
• Dominik Pinkas and
• Jaroslav Kocišek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 207–214, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.20

• , we only evaluated samples on Si. AFM imaging was used to check and subsequently analyze the irradiated samples. The imaging was performed in air using a Dimension Icon AFM (Bruker) in ScanAsyst mode which employs PeakForce Tapping Technology and ScanAsyst probes (40 kHz, 0.4 N/m). Image processing

• irradiated samples with the height profiles of one side of representative nanotriangles at each fluence level plotted at the bottom of each image. The relative mean height of the nanotriangles in comparison to the unirradiated control sample is plotted in Figure 2A as a function of the fluence. We associate

• increasing fluences of 56Fe25+ ions with height profiles of representative triangles shown at the bottom of each image. A height map at higher magnification is also presented in Figure 1D, and the relative height increase is plotted as a function of the fluence in Figure 2B. In this irradiation experiment

Graphene removal by water-assisted focused electron-beam-induced etching – unveiling the dose and dwell time impact on the etch profile and topographical changes in SiO₂ substrates

• Aleksandra Szkudlarek,
• Jan M. Michalik,
• Inés Serrano-Esparza,
• Zdeněk Nováček,
• Veronika Novotná,
• Piotr Ozga,
• Czesław Kapusta and
• José María De Teresa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 190–198, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.18

• be optimized to prevent unnecessary defects and reduce the detrimental impact on the underlying substrate. The optical microscope image of the graphene flake before the patterning process is shown in Figure 2A. The size of the etched lines, estimated based on SEM measurements, is usually smaller than

• 50 nm (20 nm in the best case). However, due to the long residual time of the water molecules inside the SEM chamber, the collection of an image can further destroy the investigated material. Therefore, we performed a second series of experiments for a detailed analysis with Raman spectroscopy and

• that with certain precautions water-assisted FEBIE can be applied for such a nanopatterning process. The experimental data obtained with scanning Raman spectroscopy, correlative probe and electron microscopy, and in situ AFM measurements provide a comprehensive image of FEBIE etch profiles. In addition