Engineering of oriented carbon nanotubes in composite materials

• Razieh Beigmoradi,
• Abdolreza Samimi and
• Davod Mohebbi-Kalhori

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 415–435, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.41

• are produced by applying a suitable electric field to a piezoelectric material such as LiNbO3. One set of metallic interdigital transducers (IDTs) intercalated on the piezoelectric surface introduces the electric field, generating a SAW displacement amplitude on the order of 10 Å. A solution of CNTs

Periodic structures on liquid-phase smectic A, nematic and isotropic free surfaces

• Anna N. Bagdinova,
• Evgeny I. Demikhov,
• Nataliya G. Borisenko,
• Sergei M. Tolokonnikov,
• Gennadii V. Mishakov and
• Andrei V. Sharkov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 342–352, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.34

• interference of the two wavefronts is an image of light and dark fringes that indicate the presence of the surface structure. The sample beam scans in vertical movements of the objective with a piezoelectric transducer (PZT). Intensities of each camera pixel are recorded with a video camera and converted to

• tip is in direct contact with the surface but is not immersed in the LC surface. Generally, the distance between the tip and the surface can be changed in the interval of 0–20 nm using a piezoelectric shifter. For optical microscopy, we used a versatile polarized optical microscope (HUVITZ HRV-300

Review: Electrostatically actuated nanobeam-based nanoelectromechanical switches – materials solutions and operational conditions

• Liga Jasulaneca,
• Jelena Kosmaca,
• Raimonds Meija,
• Jana Andzane and
• Donats Erts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 271–300, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.29

• commercial applications. Actuation of NEM switches includes a variety of methods, for example, electrostatic [7][12], thermal [64], piezoelectric [65], resonant [66] and free-floating [67] switching. Electrostatic actuation is one of the most widespread and actively studied actuation modes. It is a promising

• thermal [64] or piezoelectric [65] actuation methods. Main architectures and basic operational principles of electrostatically actuated nanobeam-based NEM switches In general, electrostatically actuated nanobeam-based NEM switches can be divided into two main groups: two-terminal (2T) switches, employing

A robust AFM-based method for locally measuring the elasticity of samples

• Alexandre Bubendorf,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Thomas Schimmel and
• Ernst Meyer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1–10, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.1

• -displacement curves of the piezoelectric scanner. The occurence of a plastic deformation followed by an elastic deformation is shown and explained. The necessary load FN for measuring in the elastic domain was assessed for each sample, used for mapping the frequency shifts Δf1 and Δf2 and for determining the

• and frequency shifts Δf1, Δf2 were recorded for a displacement of the piezoelectric scanner in the normal Z-direction from 0 to 350 nm. To measure the curves, the cantilever tip first indented the sample to a depth corresponding to a displacement of the Z-scanner of 350 nm and both PLLs were then

• [7] can be determined from the measurement of Δf1 and Δf2 as functions of the Z-displacement of the piezoelectric scanner. These curves were measured on four polymers, i.e., LLDPE, PP, PS, PTFE, and a Teflon-like fluorinated SAM. Analysis of these curves evidenced the existence of plastic and elastic

Exploring wear at the nanoscale with circular mode atomic force microscopy

• Olivier Noel,
• Aleksandar Vencl and
• Pierre-Emmanuel Mazeran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2662–2668, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.266

• mode AFM, which generates high frequency, circular displacements of the contact. Under such conditions, the wear rate is significant and the drift of the piezoelectric actuator is limited. As a result, well-defined wear tracks are generated and an accurate computation of the wear volume is possible

• conditions, producing a significant wear is long and fastidious due to the low sliding velocity. In addition, the typical AFM scanning velocity, in the µm/s range, does not allow well-defined wear tracks to be obtained as the piezoelectric actuator thermal drift continuously moves the sample under the probe

• circular displacement of an AFM tip in contact with the plane of a given material (Figure 1B). The circular displacement is provided by way of injecting two sinusoidal voltage components in phase quadrature on the piezoelectric actuator of the AFM in both directions of the plan of the sample. With such a

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

• . The result of the interference of the two wavefronts is an image of light and dark fringes that indicate surface structure. The test part is scanned by vertical movement of the objective with a piezoelectric transducer (PZT). The intensity in each camera pixel is fixed by video camera and converted to

Hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO quantum dot/KNb₃O₈ nanosheet photocatalysts for reducing carbon dioxide to methanol

• Xiao Shao,
• Weiyue Xin and
• Xiaohong Yin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2264–2270, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.226

• excellent nonlinear optical, piezoelectric, ferroelectric, ionic conductivity, selective-ion exchange and photocatalytic properties [6][7][8][9]. Zhang et al. prepared K4Nb6O17 with a sheet-like nanostructure by hydrothermal synthesis and found its photocatalytic activity for degrading acidic red G to be

Magnetic properties of optimized cobalt nanospheres grown by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) on cantilever tips

• Soraya Sangiao,
• César Magén,
• Darius Mofakhami,
• Grégoire de Loubens and
• José María De Teresa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2106–2115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.210

• standard laser deflection technique is used to monitor the displacement of the cantilever. Its resonance frequency is tracked using a piezoelectric bimorph and a feedback electronic circuit based on a phase lock loop. The relative frequency shift due to the force acting on the magnetic moment m of the

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

• other of which demonstrated feasibility as an electrode [24]. The multifunctionality of the brick-and-mortar structure is an important advantage compared to other architectures, for electrically conductive nanocomposites. For example, a recently developed piezoelectric sensor exploited the PVDF/nanoclay

Functional materials for environmental sensors and energy systems

• Michele Penza,
• Anita Lloyd Spetz,
• Albert Romano-Rodriguez and
• Meyya Meyyappan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2015–2016, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.201

• sensing and energy applications, carbon-based materials for chemical sensing and energy applications, piezoelectric and thermoelectric materials for energy harvesting applications, new nanotechnology-based sensors for monitoring gaseous and liquid pollutants, surface-sensitive spectroscopy for studying

Evaluation of preparation methods for suspended nano-objects on substrates for dimensional measurements by atomic force microscopy

• Petra Fiala,
• Daniel Göhler,
• Benno Wessely,
• Michael Stintz,
• Giovanni Mattia Lazzerini and
• Andrew Yacoot

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1774–1785, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.179

• Inc., Orem, Utah, USA) were used for instrument calibration. AFM AFM measurements were performed with a traceable atomic force microscope that uses two integrated optical interferometry systems for detecting the deflection of the cantilever and for measuring the vertical motion of the piezoelectric

Methionine-mediated synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles and functionalization with gold quantum dots for theranostic applications

• Arūnas Jagminas,
• Agnė Mikalauskaitė,
• Vitalijus Karabanovas and
• Jūrate Vaičiūnienė

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1734–1741, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.174

• resolution. Image processing included flattening (2nd order) to remove the background slope caused by the irregularities of the piezoelectric scanner. The analysis was performed using the SpmLabAnalysis software (Veeco Instruments Inc., USA). Magnetization measurements were accomplished using a vibrating

Surface functionalization of 3D-printed plastics via initiated chemical vapor deposition

• Christine Cheng and
• Malancha Gupta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1629–1636, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.162

• flow regulated by a piezoelectric actuator [10][11]. Selective laser sintering uses a laser beam to heat a layer of powder above its melting point, fusing it to the previous layers, and then new powder is subsequently rolled over the printed object [12][13]. In stereolithography (SLA), a laser or UV

A biofunctionalizable ink platform composed of catechol-modified chitosan and reduced graphene oxide/platinum nanocomposite

• Peter Sobolewski,
• Agata Goszczyńska,
• Małgorzata Aleksandrzak,
• Karolina Urbaś,
• Joanna Derkowska,
• Agnieszka Bartoszewska,
• Jacek Podolski,
• Ewa Mijowska and
• Mirosława El Fray

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1508–1514, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.151

• modified the chitosan with catechol groups, in order to obtain adhesive properties and improve solubility. Dispersions of rGO–Pt in ethylene glycol were admixed with an aqueous solution of modified chitosan to yield an ink that is suitable for non-contact piezoelectric printing using a commercial

• polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products and low non-specific binding. Our results demonstrate that catechol-modified chitosan/rGO–Pt nanocomposites can be used as inks for piezoelectric printing and facilitate the attachment of biorecognition elements for biosensor applications. Keywords: biosensing

• ; catechol; chitosan; graphene; piezoelectric printing; Introduction Biosensors are a key enabling technology for the paradigm shift towards decentralized, personalized and targeted medicine. They offer the potential to utilize the wealth of information provided by modern molecular biology (genomics and

3D continuum phonon model for group-IV 2D materials

• Morten Willatzen,
• Lok C. Lew Yan Voon,
• Appala Naidu Gandi and
• Udo Schwingenschlögl

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1345–1356, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.136

• approaches, by starting with the elastic and electric equations, and taking into account the full crystalline symmetry and piezoelectric couplings when allowed by symmetry. We apply the theory to obtain the phonons in group-IV elemental 2D materials. Given that there are two fundamental structures for the

• () structures belong to the hexagonal system, while silicene belongs to the trigonal system (point group D3d). Graphene and silicene are non-piezoelectric materials because of the inversion symmetry of the unit cell, while MoS2 is piezoelectric because its unit cell exhibits inversion asymmetry. Application

• graphene, Equation 2, because of the same hexagonal symmetry. However, the stress–strain relations are different because of the presence of piezoelectricity. Specifically, there are additional contributions to the stress–strain constitutive relations: by use of the piezoelectric e-tensor: and the equation

Study of the correlation between sensing performance and surface morphology of inkjet-printed aqueous graphene-based chemiresistors for NO₂ detection

• F. Villani,
• C. Schiattarella,
• T. Polichetti,
• R. Di Capua,
• F. Loffredo,
• B. Alfano,
• M. L. Miglietta,
• E. Massera,
• L. Verdoliva and
• G. Di Francia

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1023–1031, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.103

• have been employed as transducers. For all the substrates, interdigitated Cr/Au (30 nm/120 nm) electrodes have been realized by e-beam evaporation (chamber pressure at about 10−7 mbar) through a shadow mask. The inkjet equipment has been a piezoelectric drop-on-demand Dimatix materials printer 2831

Measuring adhesion on rough surfaces using atomic force microscopy with a liquid probe

• Juan V. Escobar,
• Cristina Garza and
• Rolando Castillo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 813–825, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.84

• employed for measuring forces in the colloidal probe technique [4][5]. The surface under study is moved up and down by applying a voltage to a piezoelectric translator while recording the cantilever deflection. The deflection of the cantilever is measured with the optical beam deflection technique. As the

Synthesis of graphene–transition metal oxide hybrid nanoparticles and their application in various fields

• Arpita Jana,
• Elke Scheer and
• Sebastian Polarz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 688–714, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.74

• binding energy of 60 meV. It has been extensively studied because of its potential application in solar cells, sensors, diode lasers, piezoelectric devices, as surface acoustic wave propagators, antibacterial agents and ultraviolet light emitters. Graphene-based ZnO hybrids proved to be promising

Dispersion of single-wall carbon nanotubes with supramolecular Congo red – properties of the complexes and mechanism of the interaction

• Anna Jagusiak,
• Barbara Piekarska,
• Tomasz Pańczyk,
• Małgorzata Jemioła-Rzemińska,
• Elżbieta Bielańska,
• Barbara Stopa,
• Grzegorz Zemanek,
• Janina Rybarska,
• Irena Roterman and
• Leszek Konieczny

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 636–648, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.68

• characteristic: stiffness (elasticity) of the material (DMT Modulus; the higher value of the modified Young's modulus means the more stiff material), adhesion forces (it allows mapping the maximum force with which the microcantilever is attracted by the sample at the time of retract of the piezoelectric scanner

The longstanding challenge of the nanocrystallization of 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX)

• Florent Pessina and
• Denis Spitzer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 452–466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.49

• , etc. Ultrasonic spray pyrolysis Since the nineties, spray crystallization and synthesis has been performed using several atomizers, and among them piezoelectric transducers [75][76]. As a spray technique, the goal is to produce one particle per droplet, but here the crystallization is controlled by

• particles and sub-micrometer-sized CL-20:HMX cocrystals. The claimed large-scale synthesis has not been fairly investigated. For instance increasing the number of piezoelectric transducers and scaling up the furnace would require excessive amounts of electrical power, thus making the cost-effectiveness of

Multimodal cantilevers with novel piezoelectric layer topology for sensitivity enhancement

• Steven Ian Moore,
• Michael G. Ruppert and
• Yuen Kuan Yong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 358–371, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.38

• of the transducer layout on the cantilever for higher order modes has not been addressed. To fully utilize an integrated piezoelectric transducer, this work alters the layout of the piezoelectric layer to maximize both the deflection of the cantilever and measured piezoelectric charge response for a

• multifrequency AFM and has the potential to provide higher resolution imaging on higher order modes. Keywords: atomic force microscopy; multifrequency AFM; multimodal AFM; piezoelectric cantilever, self-sensing; Introduction The invention of the atomic force microscope (AFM) [1] provided for the observation of

• AFM cantilever instrumentation requires a piezoelectric stack actuator at the base of the cantilever for excitation [3] inevitably adding additional resonances as is visible from the so called forest of peaks [22]. These additional frequency components make cantilever resonance tuning almost

Template-controlled piezoactivity of ZnO thin films grown via a bioinspired approach

• Nina J. Blumenstein,
• Fabian Streb,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Zaklina Burghard and
• Joachim Bill

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 296–303, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.32

• of functional inorganic materials under mild reaction conditions where organic templates direct the deposition process. In this study, this principle was adapted for the formation of piezoelectric ZnO thin films. The influence of two different organic templates (namely, a carboxylate-terminated self

• -assembled monolayer and a sulfonate-terminated polyelectrolyte multilayer) on the deposition and therefore on the piezoelectric performance was investigated. While the low negative charge of the COOH-SAM is not able to support oriented attachment of the particles, the strongly negatively charged sulfonated

• polyelectrolyte leads to texturing of the ZnO film. This texture enables a piezoelectric performance of the material which was measured by piezoresponse force microscopy. This study shows that it is possible to tune the piezoelectric properties of ZnO by applying templates with different functionalities

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

• -layers on different supports [17][18]. The QCM-D responses, i.e., the resonance frequency f and the energy dissipation D of the shear oscillatory motion of a piezoelectric quartz crystal sensor, change upon adsorption or desorption of material on the surface of that sensor. The measured parameters are

Graphene–polymer coating for the realization of strain sensors

• Carmela Bonavolontà,
• Carla Aramo,
• Massimo Valentino,
• Giampiero Pepe,
• Sergio De Nicola,
• Gianfranco Carotenuto,
• Angela Longo,
• Mariano Palomba,
• Simone Boccardi and
• Carosena Meola

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 21–27, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.3

• described a simple fabrication process to produce a low-cost graphene film on a PMMA substrate. The process makes use of the direct application of a nanostructured graphite colloidal suspension to a PMMA slat. Bending tests have been performed on this structure in order to study its piezoelectric response

Noise in NC-AFM measurements with significant tip–sample interaction

• Jannis Lübbe,
• Matthias Temmen,
• Philipp Rahe and
• Michael Reichling

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1885–1904, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.181

• speculate that the low-frequency deviation is caused by mechanical instabilities within the system, or by instabilities within the piezoelectric excitation system. For example, low-frequency noise has been observed when using photothermal excitation [23]. Disabling the amplitude control loop results in a