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

• enhancement of ZT values, e.g., advanced TE bulk compounds of more complex crystal structures [1], low-dimensional material systems [2] or nanostructured advanced bulk materials [3]. Recently the concept of multi-phase nanocomposites (NCs), i.e., an incorporation of second-phase nanoinclusions/nanoparticals

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

Highly ordered mesoporous silica film nanocomposites containing gold nanoparticles for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol

• Mohamad Azani Jalani,
• Leny Yuliati,
• Siew Ling Lee and
• Hendrik O. Lintang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1368–1379, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.135

• synthesis method using discotic trinuclear gold(I) pyrazolate complex, were successfully utilized for the fabrication of thin film mesoporous silica nanocomposites containing gold nanoparticles. The material exhibited a highly ordered hexagonal structure when subjected to a thermal hydrogen reduction

• treatment at 210 °C. In contrast, when the material was subjected to calcination as a heat treatment from 190 to 450 °C, the thin film nanocomposites showed an intense d100 X-ray diffraction peak. Moreover, gold nanoparticles inside the thin film nanocomposites were confirmed by the presence of the d111

• . Such catalytic activity is due to the presence of gold nanoparticles of smaller size in the silicate channels of the highly ordered mesoporous film nanocomposites. Keywords: catalyst; gold nanoparticle; mesoporous silica; nanocomposite; thermal hydrogen reduction; 4-nitrophenol reduction

Multicomponent bionanocomposites based on clay nanoarchitectures for electrochemical devices

• Giulia Lo Dico,
• Bernd Wicklein,
• Lorenzo Lisuzzo,
• Giuseppe Lazzara,
• Pilar Aranda and
• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1303–1315, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.129

• recent years, the “nanoarchitectonics” concept has helped to develop a large variety of materials with new functionalities [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Among them, different types of functional materials based on clay minerals have been also prepared; pillared clays and polymer–clay nanocomposites are the best

• ][21]. However, one of the main problems limiting the preparation of HNT-based nanoarchitectured materials is the low colloidal stability of HNTs in aqueous media. This ultimately leads to inhomogeneous and badly performing nanocomposites in spite of the different approaches that have been developed to

• the direct electron transfer (DET) mode. Results and Discussion Preparation of bionanocomposite films and foams The preparation of multicomponent nanoarchitectured materials used as functional nanofiller in the further preparation of bioactive and conducting nanocomposites was carried out by mixing of

Synthesis of novel C-doped g-C₃N₄ nanosheets coupled with CdIn₂S₄ for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

• Jingshuai Chen,
• Chang-Jie Mao,
• Helin Niu and
• Ji-Ming Song

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 912–921, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.92

• to analyze the crystal structure, morphology, elementary composition, optical properties and catalytic mechanism. The CdIn2S4/CCN nanocomposites with optimal CdIn2S4 content exhibited a maximum H2 production rate of 2985 μmol h−1 g−1, almost 15 times more than that obtained using pure g-C3N4 (205

• photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4 is severely restricted by the inefficient separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and insufficient photon absorption. Up to now, a variety of strategies such as anion doping, novel metal deposition on surfaces and the design of heterojunctions/nanocomposites have been

• ascribed to O–H of absorbed water and the stretching modes of uncondensed amine groups [4]. Obviously, after the combination of CdIn2S4 and CCN, the resulting CISCCN nanocomposites possess similar FTIR spectra as that of the CCN sample. The microstructure and morphology of the as-fabricated CCN and CISCCN3

Tungsten disulfide-based nanocomposites for photothermal therapy

• Tzuriel Levin,
• Hagit Sade,
• Rina Ben-Shabbat Binyamini,
• Maayan Pour,
• Iftach Nachman and
• Jean-Paul Lellouche

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 811–822, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.81

• effect, other ligands on the cerium ion can be replaced by different polymers and linkers. The resulting nanocomposites can be used for biomedical applications, such as gene silencing [52], magnetic imaging, and drug delivery. Here we present a new and simple-to-fabricate WS2-NT-CAN-mag (WS2-NT-CM

• (cervical cancer) and MCF7 cells (breast cancer), in higher percentages compared to non-functionalized nanotubes. In addition, WS2-CAN-mag nanocomposites with two types of organic polymers were successfully prepared and characterized. Indeed, functionalization with CAN-mag gives WS2 nanotubes the added

• of polymer-functionalized WS2-NT-CM nanocomposites WS2-NT-CM (20 mg) was dispersed in ddH2O (75 mL) using an ultrasonic bath. Then, polyethylenimine (11.5 mg, branched PEI, Mw ≈ 25000, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, US) dissolved in ddH2O (1 mL) was added. The mixture was shaken at 15 °C for 48 h (220

Polydopamine-coated Au nanorods for targeted fluorescent cell imaging and photothermal therapy

• Boris N. Khlebtsov,
• Andrey M. Burov,
• Timofey E. Pylaev and
• Nikolai G. Khlebtsov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 794–803, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.79

• with functional groups still remains challenging. Here, we coated AuNRs with a polydopamine (PDA) shell and functionalized AuNR-PDA particles with folic acid and rhodamine 123 (R123) to fabricate AuNR-PDA-R123-folate nanocomposites. To the best of our knowledge, such AuNR-PDA-based composites combining

• . Meanwhile different imaging and therapeutic agents can be loaded into the shell of multifunctional nanocomposites. Various AuNR-based nanocomposites loaded with anticancer drugs [17][18][19], photodynamic dyes [20][21], MRI contrast agents [22] and many others ligands [23][24] have already been reported for

• -PDA based nanocomposites that combine fluorescent imaging modality with folate targeting and PPT ability have not been reported in the literature. Herein, we present PDA-coated NIR-absorbing AuNRs and used the potential of the PDA layer for folate surface functionalization and rhodamine 123 (R123

An efficient electrode material for high performance solid-state hybrid supercapacitors based on a Cu/CuO/porous carbon nanofiber/TiO₂ hybrid composite

• Mamta Sham Lal,
• Thirugnanam Lavanya and
• Sundara Ramaprabhu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 781–793, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.78

• decompose and offer the porous nature to the fiber during heat treatment [15]. CuO is one of the promising candidates for supercapacitors owning to its natural abundance, ecologically friendly and inexpensive characteristics. Moreover, Cu/CuO-based carbonaceous nanocomposites have emerged as an attractive

• , PCNF, Cu/PCNF, TiO2 and Cu/CuO/PCNF/TiO2 nanocomposites were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) as shown in Figure 3. XRD pattern of CNF and PCNF shows the most relevant characteristic peaks at 2θ = 25.4°, 44.2° and 2θ = 25.1°, 44.0°, respectively, which correspond to (002) and (101) planes with d

Outstanding chain-extension effect and high UV resistance of polybutylene succinate containing amino-acid-modified layered double hydroxides

• Adam A. Marek,
• Vincent Verney,
• Christine Taviot-Gueho,
• Grazia Totaro,
• Laura Sisti,
• Annamaria Celli and
• Fabrice Leroux

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 684–695, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.68

• melt compounding process. The Mg2Al-based PBS nanocomposites, dispersed with inorganic–organic hybrid materials (layered double hydroxides, LDHs), were functionalized with the amino acids L-histidine (HIS) and L-phenylalanine (PHE). The rheological and anti-ultraviolet (anti-UV) properties were

• deionized water and vacuum dried at 40 °C for 24 h. Next, the solid LDH fillers were ground using a Retsch CryoMill machine and sieved to obtain a fraction with particles of diameter less than 50 µm. Melt blending and film making The PBS–LDH nanocomposites were obtained using a twin screw extruder Hakke

• . Characterization methods FTIR spectra of the LDH fillers were recorded using a Nicolet 380 FTIR spectrometer (DTGS detector) equipped with an attenuated total reflection single reflection diamond from Specac, and 32 scans and at a resolution of 4 cm−1 were collected. LDH fillers and PBS–LDH nanocomposites were

Enhancement in thermoelectric properties due to Ag nanoparticles incorporated in Bi₂Te₃ matrix

• Srashti Gupta,
• Dinesh Chandra Agarwal,
• Bathula Sivaiah,
• Sankarakumar Amrithpandian,
• Kandasami Asokan,
• Ajay Dhar,
• Binaya Kumar Panigrahi,
• Devesh Kumar Avasthi and
• Vinay Gupta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 634–643, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.63

• of undoped Bi2Te3 and Cu -doped Bi2Te3 [18]. There are reports on Ag incorporation in Bi2Te3 especially for the preparation of 1D/3D-structured AgNWs/Bi2Te3 nanocomposites with enhanced thermoelectric properties, about 343% higher than that of pure Bi2Te3 [19]. Recently, Ag nanoparticles in a Bi2Te3

A porous 3D-RGO@MWCNT hybrid material as Li–S battery cathode

• Yongguang Zhang,
• Jun Ren,
• Yan Zhao,
• Taizhe Tan,
• Fuxing Yin and
• Yichao Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 514–521, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.52

• nanotubes; energy storage and conversion; Li–S batteries; nanocomposites; Introduction Li–S batteries are notable for their high theoretical specific capacity (1675 mAh·g−1) and energy density (2600 Wh·kg−1). Sulfur is an abundant element, enabling Li–S batteries to be highly competitive among the various

Gold nanoparticles embedded in a polymer as a 3D-printable dichroic nanocomposite material

• Lars Kool,
• Anton Bunschoten,
• Aldrik H. Velders and
• Vittorio Saggiomo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 442–447, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.43

• cups using AuNP–PVA material showing the dichroic effect in artificial and sunlight. Supporting Information Supporting Information File 49: Supporting information for aspect ratio of AuNPs, UV–vis and TEM analyses of AuNPs and AuNP-PVA nanocomposites, pictures of AuNP-PVA 3D-printed cups and their

Nanocomposite–parylene C thin films with high dielectric constant and low losses for future organic electronic devices

• Marwa Mokni,
• Gianluigi Maggioni,
• Abdelkader Kahouli,
• Sara M. Carturan,
• Walter Raniero and
• Alain Sylvestre

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 428–441, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.42

• recently proposed for low operating voltages of TFTs [1][2]. By using water-inducement, scandium oxide was succesfully integrated as gate dielectric in both InZnO and CuO TFTs [1]. Using a sol–gel approach, high-k ink hybrid AlOOH nanocomposites demonstrated low leakage currents suitable for low operating

• other pure materials such as SiO2, polyimide, polyethylene, alumina (Al2O3), benzocyclobutenes (BCB) and SiO2/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), nanocomposite parylene C (NCPC) exhibits some interesting properties [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47]. As an example, parylene C/Silica nanocomposites show

• ., Δεnormalized decreases). This analogy is emphasized when one compares sample K (absence of nanocomposites) to NCPCs (Figure 6b and Figure 7b). Clearly, Δε is higher revealing a lower global ‘semi-crystalline state’ for sample K. From Figure 7b, at a given average size of Ag oxide phase (samples A, B, D), Δε is

New micro/mesoporous nanocomposite material from low-cost sources for the efficient removal of aromatic and pathogenic pollutants from water

• Emmanuel I. Unuabonah,
• Robert Nöske,
• Jens Weber,
• Christina Günter and
• Andreas Taubert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 119–131, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.11

• volatile matter (devolatization) and thus allows for the development of a microporous structure [30][31]. The amount of Zn (obtained from EDXS) is shown to increase in 2Z-HYCA nanocomposites prepared at temperatures below 700 °C and reaches a maximum at this temperature. It then decreases sharply above 700

• because a standard solution of NaOH used in the previous preparation of the materials (which, when reacted with ZnCl2, will yield ZnO) was omitted in the preparation of the nanocomposites in this study. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis To further evaluate the composition and structure of

• nanocomposites obtained at various temperatures. “RK” indicates the spectrum of the raw kaolinite mentioned in the text. (a) XRD patterns of raw kaolinite clay and 2Z-HYCA composite materials obtained at various temperatures. (b) Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) diagrams of raw kaolinite (RK), raw kaolinite

Graphene–graphite hybrid epoxy composites with controllable workability for thermal management

• Idan Levy,
• Eyal Merary Wormser,
• Maxim Varenik,
• Matat Buzaglo,
• Roey Nadiv and
• Oren Regev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 95–104, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.9

• demonstrate the utility of this approach by fabricating a thermal interface material with tunable workability and testing it in a model electronic device. Keywords: hybrid composites; nanocomposites; rheology; thermal interface material; thermal properties; Introduction Modern-day miniaturization of

A novel polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-modified layered double hydroxide: preparation, characterization and properties

• Xianwei Zhang,
• Zhongzhu Ma,
• Hong Fan,
• Carla Bittencourt,
• Jintao Wan and
• Philippe Dubois

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 3053–3068, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.284

• the range of 0.17–0.33, and the species of metallic ions and intercalated anions are variable, giving rise to versatile isostructural LDHs [1][2][3][4]. In recent years, LDHs have found wide application in polymer nanocomposites because they are highly tunable and can observably improve the flame

Electrostatic force microscopy for the accurate characterization of interphases in nanocomposites

• Diana El Khoury,
• Richard Arinero,
• Jean-Charles Laurentie,
• Mikhaël Bechelany,
• Michel Ramonda and
• Jérôme Castellon

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2999–3012, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.279

• de Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France 10.3762/bjnano.9.279 Abstract The unusual properties of nanocomposites are commonly explained by the structure of their interphase. Therefore, these nanoscale interphase regions need to be precisely characterized; however, the existing

• deduced by comparison of experimental data and numerical simulations, as well as the interface state of silicone dioxide layers. Keywords: atomic force microscopy; building-block materials; dielectric permittivity; electrostatic force microscopy; finite element simulation; interphases; nanocomposites

• [6][7][8][9]. This unusual behavior of nanocomposites is due to the interfacial region between the nanoparticles and polymer, also called the “interphase”. The interphase region can range from a few angstroms to a few nanometers, and usually has properties that differ from those of the polymer and

Ternary nanocomposites of reduced graphene oxide, polyaniline and hexaniobate: hierarchical architecture and high polaron formation

• Claudio H. B. Silva,
• Maria Iliut,
• Christopher Muryn,
• Christian Berger,
• Zachary Coldrick,
• Vera R. L. Constantino,
• Marcia L. A. Temperini and
• Aravind Vijayaraghavan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2936–2946, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.272

• Nanostructured systems, such as nanocomposites, are potential materials for usage in different fields since synergistic effects of their components at the nanoscale domain may improve physical/chemical properties when compared to individual phases. We report here the preparation and characterisation of a new

• Nanostructured systems, such as nanocomposites, are potential materials for usage as electrochemical (bio)sensors for analytical purposes, electronics, energy storage devices and corrosion protection because the synergistic effects of their components at the nanoscale range may improve physical/chemical

• properties when compared to individual phases or enable new technological applications [1][2][3]. For instance, ternary nanocomposites (conducting polymers, metal oxides and carbon-based materials) exhibit improved energy and power densities, improved stabilities upon charge/discharge cycles [4], and higher

Layered calcium phenylphosphonate: a hybrid material for a new generation of nanofillers

• Kateřina Kopecká,
• Ludvík Beneš,
• Klára Melánová,
• Vítězslav Zima,
• Petr Knotek and
• Kateřina Zetková

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2906–2915, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.269

• exfoliation and can thereby serve as a component of nanocomposites. The synthesis procedure was revised and the reaction conditions, under which this material can be prepared in a form suitable for exfoliation in a sufficient amount, were found. Furthermore, the conditions for the exfoliation of this compound

Nanostructured liquid crystal systems and applications

• Alexei R. Khokhlov and
• Alexander V. Emelyanenko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2644–2645, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.245

• . There have also been reports of some very interesting experiments with nanocomposites where the solid nanoparticles are dissolved in liquid crystals. Composite materials and mixtures of liquid crystals usually possess better properties than their pure liquid crystal counterparts. Many challenges could

Cytotoxicity of doxorubicin-conjugated poly[N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide]-modified γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles towards human tumor cells

• Zdeněk Plichta,
• Yulia Kozak,
• Rostyslav Panchuk,
• Viktoria Sokolova,
• Matthias Epple,
• Lesya Kobylinska,
• Pavla Jendelová and
• Daniel Horák

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2533–2545, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.236

• hMSCs. In particular, the number of dying cells under the action of these nanocomposites increased by 10–20% compared to free Dox (Figure 7). In contrast, the percentage of alive hMSCs increased by 5–25% in the presence of γ-Fe2O3@P(HPMA-MMAA)-Dox particles (Figure 8). Thus, it seems that γ-Fe2O3@PHPMA

Non-agglomerated silicon–organic nanoparticles and their nanocomplexes with oligonucleotides: synthesis and properties

• Asya S. Levina,
• Marina N. Repkova,
• Nadezhda V. Shikina,
• Zinfer R. Ismagilov,
• Svetlana A. Yashnik,
• Dmitrii V. Semenov,
• Yulia I. Savinovskaya,
• Natalia A. Mazurkova,
• Inna A. Pyshnaya and
• Valentina F. Zarytova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2516–2525, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.234

• formation of TiO2·PL–DNA nanocomposites [1][2]. Silica nanoparticles can also be used as vehicles to deliver nucleic acid fragments into cells [3][4]. SiO2 nanoparticles bearing amino groups on the surface were shown to bind plasmid DNA, allowing the nanoparticles to penetration into cells, and even nuclei

Nanocellulose: Recent advances and its prospects in environmental remediation

• Katrina Pui Yee Shak,
• Yean Ling Pang and
• Shee Keat Mah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2479–2498, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.232

• graphitic carbon nitride [2][3], carbon nanodots [4], and two-dimensional carbon-based nanocomposites [5][6][7] are a few trending nanomaterials that have already found extensive applications in both environmental remediation and energy generation. In the past, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have received a great

• addition, nanocomposites fabricated from another species known as the stalked sea squirt (Styela Clava) has also demonstrated its usefulness as a catalyst for water remediation [60]. In a separate investigation led by Yu et al. [61], stalked sea squirt nanocellulose were also used as an environmentally

• nanocomposites with hierarchical structure. Besides, these –OH groups can be tailored for selective and improved interactions through a variety of chemical modifications [88]. The hydrophilicity of nanocellulose can be improved by inserting hydrophilic groups, such as carboxylic acids, alcohols, and amides, into

SERS active Ag–SiO₂ nanoparticles obtained by laser ablation of silver in colloidal silica

• Cristina Gellini,
• Francesco Muniz-Miranda,
• Alfonso Pedone and
• Maurizio Muniz-Miranda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2396–2404, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.224

• examined by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity of these nanocomposites was tested using 2,2’-bipyridine as a molecular reporter and excitation in the visible and near-IR spectral regions. The

• ; silver; Introduction Silica nanoparticles in an aqueous suspension are known to be inert and dispersible – properties which can be quite useful in the preparation of colloidal nanocomposites with silver. For this reason, there are a significant number of studies in the literature on colloidal substrates

• chemical reactants. These nanocomposites, which combine the adsorption properties of silica with the plasmonic properties of nanometer-sized silver, can be used for several purposes, for example, for the SERS detection of environmental contaminants such as POPs (persistent organic pollutants), as

Electrospun one-dimensional nanostructures: a new horizon for gas sensing materials

• Muhammad Imran,
• Nunzio Motta and
• Mahnaz Shafiei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2128–2170, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.202

• composites, are fabricated in various assemblies (e.g., as mixed nanocomposites, double-layers, core–shell or hollow forms) using the electrospinning technique [37]. These electrospun nanofibers exhibit enhanced specific surface area, superior mechanical properties, nanoporosity and improved surface