Bismuth-based nanostructured photocatalysts for the remediation of antibiotics and organic dyes

• Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo and
• Faisal Suleiman Mustafa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 291–321, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.26

• were degraded by 94.8% and 81.1% after 1 h, respectively. Another strategy for overcoming constraints such as low charge migration and the unpredictable direction of charge diffusion is the construction of a Schottky junction. A Schottky junction can be created at the interface between the

• facile solvothermal technique. An intrinsic electric field is created at the interface as a result of the active migration of electrons from BiVO4 to NiSe2. This improves the separation efficiency of the photogenerated carriers, and the interaction at the interface lowers the bandgap of BiVO4, which in

Spin dynamics in superconductor/ferromagnetic insulator hybrid structures with precessing magnetization

• Yaroslav V. Turkin and
• Nataliya Pugach

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 233–239, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.22

• film S that is in contact with a ferromagnetic insulator layer FI. Spin current and induced magnetization are calculated not only at the interface of the S/FI hybrid structure, but also inside the superconducting film. The new and interesting predicted effect is the frequency dependence of the induced

• magnetization with a maximum appearing at high temperatures. It is also shown that the increase of the magnetization precession frequency can drastically change the spin distribution of quasiparticles at the S/FI interface. Keywords: ferromagnetic resonance; proximity effect; superconducting spintronics

• calculated [29]. Another important problem that occurs during consideration of the dynamic inverse proximity effect is the nonequilibrium behavior of quasiparticles at the S/FI interface. In this work, we present our new results that prove that adiabatic dynamics of quasiparticles into the superconducting

High–low Kelvin probe force spectroscopy for measuring the interface state density

• Ryo Izumi,
• Masato Miyazaki,
• Yan Jun Li and
• Yasuhiro Sugawara

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 175–189, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.18

• of the effects of semiconductor interface states with high spatial resolution using high and low AC bias frequencies compared with the cutoff frequency of the carrier transfer between the interface and bulk states. Information on the energy spectrum of the interface state density is important for

• interface state density inside semiconductors. We derive an analytical expression for the electrostatic forces between a tip and a semiconductor sample in the accumulation, depletion, and inversion regions, taking into account the charge transfer between the bulk and interface states in semiconductors. We

• show that the analysis of electrostatic forces in the depletion region at high- and low-frequency AC bias voltages provides information about the interface state density in the semiconductor bandgap. As a preliminary experiment, high-low KPFS measurements were performed on ion-implanted silicon

A distributed active patch antenna model of a Josephson oscillator

• Vladimir M. Krasnov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 151–164, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.16

• from Josephson oscillators. Figure 1a shows a sketch of a typical FFO. It is based on a sandwich-type (overlap) JJ with the length, a ≫ λJ, much larger than the Josephson penetration depth, and both in-plane sizes much larger than the thickness of the junction interface, d ≪ b ≪ a. The in-plane

Formation of nanoflowers: Au and Ni silicide cores surrounded by SiO_x branches

• Feitao Li,
• Siyao Wan,
• Dong Wang and
• Peter Schaaf

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 133–140, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.14

• substrate at higher temperatures in oxygen-deficient environment [3][4]. Another cost-effective nanofabrication method, thin film dewetting, driven by the reduction of the surface energy and the interface energy has also been profusely studied because it provides a straightforward and fast way to produce

• , such as Au and Ni, can diffuse to the Si/SiO2 interface and enhance the decomposition rate there [38][39][40]. Hence, increasing decomposed areas with the thicker Au layer means that Au enhances the decomposition of SiO2 more than Ni. Completely different structures can be observed inside the

• ][4], dewetting of the Au/Ni bilayers and diffusion of Au and Ni atoms from the bilayers to the SiO2/Si interface begin at high temperatures. Simultaneously, decomposition is initiated at the SiO2/Si interface, and it can be strengthened by the diffused Au and Ni atoms to finally form the

Characterisation of a micrometer-scale active plasmonic element by means of complementary computational and experimental methods

• Ciarán Barron,
• Giulia Di Fazio,
• Samuel Kenny,
• Silas O’Toole,
• Robin O’Reilly and
• Dominic Zerulla

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 110–122, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.12

• polaritons (SPPs) are mixed states of photons and electron density waves propagating along the interface between a conductor and a dielectric. As a result of this phenomenon, an electric field strongly confined in the z-direction is produced at the interface. As direct excitation of a smooth metallic surface

• reference light is recorded after the aperture and reflected from a cube beam splitter, with the signal photodiode placed on the 2θ arm of a high-accuracy (18 arcsec resolution) Siemens θ–2θ X-ray diffractometer stage with inbuilt goniometer to collect light reflected from the interface. The absolute

• deposition substrate for a thin silver film of 48 nm. The incident angles were referenced to the air–prism interface. The sinusoidal current was generated using a function generator with a current buffer to ensure impedance matching to the system under investigation. A transimpedance-amplified photodiode

Antimicrobial and mechanical properties of functionalized textile by nanoarchitectured photoinduced Ag@polymer coating

• Jessica Plé,
• Marine Dabert,
• Helene Lecoq,
• Sophie Hellé,
• Lydie Ploux and
• Lavinia Balan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 95–109, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.11

• significantly affect the flexibility of the original cotton substrate (Figure 6). In the case of Ag@PEG600DA coatings, the samples do not show any cracking or loss of adhesion at the coating/textile interface following a bending-type deformation for example; the metal surface remains visually intact. However

Frontiers of nanoelectronics: intrinsic Josephson effect and prospects of superconducting spintronics

• Anatolie S. Sidorenko,
• Horst Hahn and
• Vladimir Krasnov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 79–82, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.9

• magnetic proximity effect at a ferromagnetic–insulator–superconductor (FIS) interface was investigated through combined experimental and theoretical work [25]. Manifestations of nonlinear features in magnetic dynamics and current–voltage characteristics of the 0 Josephson junction in superconductor

Gap-directed chemical lift-off lithographic nanoarchitectonics for arbitrary sub-micrometer patterning

• Chang-Ming Wang,
• Hong-Sheng Chan,
• Chia-Li Liao,
• Che-Wei Chang and
• Wei-Ssu Liao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 34–44, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.4

• cause lithographic limitation, the structural gaps generated at the stamp–substrate interface during the contacting stage can provide another opportunity to create minute geometries. For example, nanochannels with height on the order of 10 nm and millimeters in length can be created when a nanowire is

• nanometer level can be obtained via the use of microscale features generated from conventional lithography. Nevertheless, the integration of interface structure gap formation and soft lithography, unfortunately, is still challenging since the molecular lateral diffusion problem remains to restrict pattern

• this approach lies on the deliberately-designed soft material stamp structure geometry and stereo dimension. To induce the spontaneous generation of controllable structure gaps at the stamp–substrate interface, the feature height (H), spacing distance (D), and width (W) on a soft material stamp are

The influence of structure and local structural defects on the magnetic properties of cobalt nanofilms

• Alexander Vakhrushev,
• Aleksey Fedotov,
• Olesya Severyukhina and
• Anatolie Sidorenko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 23–33, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.3

• of the sample. The results of numerical experiments are described in the literature [37][38][39]. The next stage of sample study involved the optimization of the nanofilm interface. The basic magnetic properties of the nanocomposite depend on the quality of the interface between the layers, so the

• problem of obtaining clearly separated contact layers is highly relevant. Using simulations, it was demonstrated that optimization of the nanofilm interface can be obtained either by introducing additional intermediate thin layers neutral to the original composition, such as aluminum oxide, or by

Observation of collective excitation of surface plasmon resonances in large Josephson junction arrays

• Roger Cattaneo,
• Mikhail A. Galin and
• Vladimir M. Krasnov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1578–1588, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.132

• formation of standing waves at the electrode/substrate interface. We observe that resonant steps in the current–voltage characteristics appear above some threshold number of junctions, Nth ≈ 100, and then progressively enhance in amplitude with further increment of the number of junctions in the resistive

• profound step structure in the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics. The resonances are caused by the formation of surface plasmon-type standing waves at the electrode–substrate interface [34]. Thus, the electrodes themselves act as a common external resonator, facilitating the effective indirect coupling

• interconnecting Nb electrodes, acting as a travelling wave antenna for surface plasmons at the electrode–substrate interface [9][34]. The linear array contains also two extra Nb lines (without JJs) on each side of the array forming a slot waveguide, which may act as an additional external resonator. However

From a free electron gas to confined states: A mixed island of PTCDA and copper phthalocyanine on Ag(111)

• Alfred J. Weymouth,
• Emily Roche and
• Franz J. Giessibl

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1572–1577, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.131

• at submonolayer coverage, it forms islands under which the native Shockley state of the Ag(111) surface can no longer be found. Previous work has shown that this state shifts upwards to form a new interface state starting at 0.6 V above the Fermi level, having properties of a two-dimensional electron

• include a metal–organic interface. At this interface, it is important to be able to modify the band structure to optimize the efficiency of a device [1]. One of the most successful methods to change the electronic structure of a molecular semiconductor device is to add a second molecular species either at

• coverage, lies flat on metal surfaces. Submonolayer coverage of PTCDA on Ag(111) is known to form islands with a herringbone reconstruction [3][4]. These islands are hosts to an interface state that acts like a free-electron gas [5]. This interface state has been observed with two-photon photoelectron

Utilizing the surface potential of a solid electrolyte region as the potential reference in Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Nobuyuki Ishida

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1558–1563, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.129

• , in the case of electrochemical devices such as batteries, the redox reactions that occur at the electrode are determined by the potential difference across the electrode–electrolyte interface, not the electrode potential relative to ground. This prevents the accurate consideration of redox reactions

• interface [13]. In the case of KPFM measurements, the CPD can be measured not only at the electrodes but also over the electrolyte region. Therefore, the change in the potential difference across the electrode–electrolyte interface can, in principle, be detected without a reference electrode, although this

• -accumulation layer on the negative electrode side [14][15]. Consequently, a voltage drop occurs only close to the interface between the electrode and the solid electrolyte, with the potential within the solid electrolyte region becoming constant, as depicted in Figure 1b. In general, the magnitude of the

Induced electric conductivity in organic polymers

• Konstantin Y. Arutyunov,
• Anatoli S. Gurski,
• Vladimir V. Artemov,
• Alexander L. Vasiliev,
• Azat R. Yusupov,
• Danfis D. Karamov and
• Alexei N. Lachinov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1551–1557, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.128

• interface are completely or partially elongated. Also, film formation at such low concentrations strongly depends on the energy interaction of macromolecules with the substrate surface, which explains the weak dependence of the film thickness on the solution concentration. With an increase in concentration

Photoelectrochemical water oxidation over TiO₂ nanotubes modified with MoS₂ and g-C₃N₄

• Phuong Hoang Nguyen,
• Thi Minh Cao,
• Tho Truong Nguyen,
• Hien Duy Tong and
• Viet Van Pham

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1541–1550, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.127

• with previous publications [50][51][52]. Figure 5 shows the results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), that is, Nyquist and Mott–Schottky plots of the materials, which give information about the charge transfer mechanism at the interface. In Figure 5a, the Nyquist plots of the samples all

• , the area of interface or the electrode, the applied and flat band potentials, the Boltzmann constant, and the temperature, respectively. The plot of 1/C2 vs V shows an intercept of the x-axis, which corresponds to the flat band potential (Efb), that is, the conduction band maximum (CBM) level of the

Non-stoichiometric magnetite as catalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of phenol and 2,6-dibromo-4-methylphenol – a new approach in water treatment

• Joanna Kisała,
• Anna Tomaszewska and
• Przemysław Kolek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1531–1540, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.126

• analogous samples. It is believed that, at the catalyst–solution interface, the phenoxy group binds specifically to surface sites (Equations 3 and 4): S – undissociated organic compound; Sn− - dissociated organic compound This means that DBMP is more likely to interact with the catalyst surface than PhOH

A TiO₂@MWCNTs nanocomposite photoanode for solar-driven water splitting

• Anh Quynh Huu Le,
• Ngoc Nhu Thi Nguyen,
• Hai Duy Tran,
• Van-Huy Nguyen and
• Le-Hai Tran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1520–1530, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.125

• irradiation is significantly higher than that prepared by TiO2 (vs Ag/AgCl). The low charge capacity of the TiO2@MWCNTs electrode–electrolyte interface hinders the recombination of the photogenerated electrons and holes, which contributes to the enhancement of the solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency

• photoelectrochemical processes occurring at the interface between electrode and electrolyte [31]. Cyclic voltammetry measurements are utilized to analyze the characteristics of charge and discharge of the photoelectrochemical electrodes. Figure 8a shows the cyclic voltammograms (CVs) generated using the prepared TiO2

• performance because free electrons can shift to the trap state, resulting in a potential difference in the interface between the electrolyte and the electrode [40]. The Warburg element (W3) in the equilibrium circuit, indicating the contribution of diffusion to the overall charge transfer on the electrode, is

Hydroxyapatite–bioglass nanocomposites: Structural, mechanical, and biological aspects

• Olga Shikimaka,
• Mihaela Bivol,
• Bogdan A. Sava,
• Marius Dumitru,
• Christu Tardei,
• Beatrice G. Sbarcea,
• Daria Grabco,
• Constantin Pyrtsac,
• Daria Topal,
• Andrian Prisacaru,
• Vitalie Cobzac and
• Viorel Nacu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1490–1504, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.123

• drawbacks. An ideal biomaterial to replace the bone tissue must integrate in the surrounding bone or soft tissue by stimulating osteoinduction and octeoconduction [1] at their interface in physiologic environment. Synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA), Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, although being very similar to the mineral

Rapid and sensitive detection of box turtles using an electrochemical DNA biosensor based on a gold/graphene nanocomposite

• Abu Hashem,
• M. A. Motalib Hossain,
• Ab Rahman Marlinda,
• Mohammad Al Mamun,
• Khanom Simarani and
• Mohd Rafie Johan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1458–1472, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.120

• -controlled charge-transfer process through the electrode–solution interface. Regarding the qualitative aspect, it was found that the nanocomposite-modified electrode shows a diffusion-limited charge transfer process. The bare SPCE comparatively showed lower charge transfer resistance at higher frequencies

• than that of individual nanomaterial-modified SPCEs, representing a limitation of electron transfer through the electrode–solution interface [56] for different electrode surfaces. The EIS plots for the modified SPCEs surfaces also reveal that the electrode–solution interfacial charge transfer process

Density of states in the presence of spin-dependent scattering in SF bilayers: a numerical and analytical approach

• Tairzhan Karabassov,
• Valeriia D. Pashkovskaia,
• Nikita A. Parkhomenko,
• Anastasia V. Guravova,
• Elena A. Kazakova,
• Boris G. Lvov,
• Alexander A. Golubov and
• Andrey S. Vasenko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1418–1431, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.117

• –orbit scattering. For practical reasons, we propose the analytical solution for the density of states in SF bilayers in the case of a thin ferromagnet and low transparency of the SF interface. This solution is confirmed by numerical calculations using a self-consistent two-step iterative method. The

• is well-known [1][2][3][79]. It has a so-called mini-gap at the subgap energies E < Δ (where Δ is the superconducting gap), whose magnitude depends on the NS interface parameters and the thickness of the N layer [79][80]. Replacing the N layer with a ferromagnetic metal F results in a more

• ]. In this work, we consider a diffusive SF bilayer, assuming a relatively low interface transparency and the presence of magnetic and spin–orbit scattering. For this purpose, the Kupriyanov–Lukichev (KL) boundary conditions at the superconductor/ferromagnet interface are perfectly suitable [83]. We

LED-light-activated photocatalytic performance of metal-free carbon-modified hexagonal boron nitride towards degradation of methylene blue and phenol

• Nirmalendu S. Mishra and
• Pichiah Saravanan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1380–1392, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.114

• MBN-80 by providing in-depth information on the charge transfer kinetics, and the obtained Nyquist plots are depicted in Figure 6a. The charge transfer resistance at the electrode–electrolyte interface can be interpreted through the arc radius from the Nyquist plot [30]. The lower Nyquist radius for

• –electrolyte interface was measured as a function of the applied potential (Eappl) and enunciated through Equation 8. Furthermore, the band structure, Debye length (LDB), density of charge carriers (Nd), and width of the space charge region (Wsc) pertaining to MBN-80 could also be calculated from the Mott

Dry under water: air retaining properties of large-scale elastomer foils covered with mushroom-shaped surface microstructures

• Matthias Mail,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Wilhelm Barthlott,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Lars Heepe

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1370–1379, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.113

• interface area of Vi, kH is the Henry’s law volatility constant of air in water. In order to calculate kH we assume air is composed of approx. 78% nitrogen and approx. 20% oxygen. Following Sander [54], the Henry’s law solubility constant for oxygen in water at 20 °C is approx. 1.42 × 10−5 mol/(m3·Pa), for

• were determined. Deionized water was used throughout all experiments. 3.1 Air–water interface of a persistent air-layer To investigate the shape of the air–water interface of the air layers kept by MSM and to proof the expected durability of the air layer in a water depth lower than 2 cm, a 2.0 × 2.0

• (HCX APO L 63x/0.90 W U-V-I, Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar) with 63-fold magnification directly after submergence and after two weeks. Using the total reflection of the laser light at the air–water interface this method allowed us to analyze the shape of the air–water interface at high resolution. The

Straight roads into nowhere – obvious and not-so-obvious biological models for ferrophobic surfaces

• Wilfried Konrad,
• Christoph Neinhuis and
• Anita Roth-Nebelsick

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1345–1360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.111

• gas/liquid interface and the forces acting on this interface should be in stable mechanical equilibrium, that is, the (extra) forces generated by a (small) displacement of the interface should be able to push the system back to its equilibrium position. In case of liquid iron flowing over the tuyère

• creating the air layer should not exceed the capillary length, that is, surface forces should dominate forces trying to distort the gas/liquid interface (e.g., gravitational forces). The straight top-down pathway: Identifying and following obvious biological models As a first step, it appeared to be quite

• (Figure 2). These are able to hold the resulting air layer for extended periods of time upon immersion. The interface is also resilient against perturbations. The “Salvinia effect” has considerable biomimetic potential, for instance, with respect to fuel reduction in maritime shipping [24][25] because an

Near-infrared photoactive Ag-Zn-Ga-S-Se quantum dots for high-performance quantum dot-sensitized solar cells

• Roopakala Kottayi,
• Ilangovan Veerappan and
• Ramadasse Sittaramane

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1337–1344, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.110

• ) that appears at the interface of electrolyte and counter electrode. The low-frequency region hemisphere is attributed to the charge transfer resistance (R2) appearing at the interface of electrolyte and photoanode. The sheet resistance (Rs) is the resistance of the intercept of the real axis. Similarly

• , CD1 is the double layer capacitance in the counter electrode/electrolyte interface and CD2 is the capacitance in the photoanode/electrolyte interface. In this work, we focused on R2, and it was observed to be 26.78 Ω. This low value of R2 reveals that the AZGSSe/TiO2 NF-based photoanode has superior

Recent trends in Bi-based nanomaterials: challenges, fabrication, enhancement techniques, and environmental applications

• Vishal Dutta,
• Ankush Chauhan,
• Ritesh Verma,
• C. Gopalkrishnan and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1316–1336, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.109

• both the surface and the inside. When exposed to visible light, Bi7O9I3/NTC displayed higher photocatalytic activity owing to the synergistic effect of the micro-/nanoscale hierarchical structure, low iodine content, and well-contacted interface. 93.5% methyl orange (MO) and 96.6% RhB were eliminated

• , heterostructure formation, interface modification, and Bi-content enhancement, have been employed. Defect formation Vacancies and defects affect the electrical properties of Bi-based semiconductor photocatalysts and, hence, govern the photocatalytic efficacy. Rao et al. reported an N2-assisted heat treatment

• migration [95][96]. Photoinduced holes in n-type semiconductors are transported to p-type semiconductors by an electric field at the interface, whereas photoinduced electrons from p-type semiconductors are transported to n-type semiconductors (Figure 5b). Using simple and cost-effective experimental