Impact of GaAs(100) surface preparation on EQE of AZO/Al₂O₃/p-GaAs photovoltaic structures

• Piotr Caban,
• Rafał Pietruszka,
• Jarosław Kaszewski,
• Monika Ożga,
• Bartłomiej S. Witkowski,
• Krzysztof Kopalko,
• Piotr Kuźmiuk,
• Katarzyna Gwóźdź,
• Ewa Płaczek-Popko,
• Krystyna Lawniczak-Jablonska and
• Marek Godlewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 578–592, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.48

• a 3D top electrode, 14% of efficiency was reached [2]. Consequently, we also turned out our attention towards gallium arsenide as a substrate/absorber for solar cells. The first results of the experiments made us aware of the potential and possible fields for improvement of ZnO/GaAs-based structures

Properties of graphene deposited on GaN nanowires: influence of nanowire roughness, self-induced nanogating and defects

• Jakub Kierdaszuk,
• Piotr Kaźmierczak,
• Justyna Grzonka,
• Aleksandra Krajewska,
• Aleksandra Przewłoka,
• Wawrzyniec Kaszub,
• Zbigniew R. Zytkiewicz,
• Marta Sobanska,
• Maria Kamińska,
• Andrzej Wysmołek and
• Aneta Drabińska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 566–577, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.47

• absorption [9]. However, the interaction between corrugated nanowire substrate and graphene could substantially increase the scattering of carriers in a graphene electrode and decrease its conductivity. Therefore, detailed studies of the interaction between nanowire substrate and graphene are crucial to gain

Simulation of gas sensing with a triboelectric nanogenerator

• Kaiqin Zhao,
• Hua Gan,
• Huan Li,
• Ziyu Liu and
• Zhiyuan Zhu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 507–516, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.41

• can also be used as sensors [22]. TENGs, originally proposed by Prof. Zhongling Wang [23], are microgenerators that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy based on the triboelectric effect [24]. In most TENG simulations, a triboelectric polymer material is in direct contact with an electrode

• ], single electrode mode [32][33][34], and independent layer mode [35]. In order to explain the charge transfer process between two friction materials in contact, various models have been proposed and explored, such as electron cloud model [36][37][38], ion transfer model [39], and material transfer model

• charge flow of a TENG is shown in Figure 1. When the two triboelectric materials contact each other, different charges are generated on the surface. When they are separated, the induced electrons of the upper surface electrode will flow to the lower surface electrode, forming a current flow. When the two

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of water in aqueous dispersions of silver nanoparticles

• Paulina Filipczak,
• Krzysztof Hałagan,
• Jacek Ulański and
• Marcin Kozanecki

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 497–506, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.40

• selective enhancement of Raman signals from the samples. Previous studies showed that the RRE in liquid water directly corresponds to its supramolecular structure. It was also reported that the electric-field-induced orientation of water molecules on the electrode surface results in the surface-enhanced

Boosting of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution via chlorine doping of polymeric carbon nitride

• Malgorzata Aleksandrzak,
• Michalina Kijaczko,
• Wojciech Kukulka,
• Daria Baranowska,
• Martyna Baca,
• Beata Zielinska and
• Ewa Mijowska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 473–484, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.38

• the EIS spectrum is related to the charge-transfer resistance at the electrode–electrolyte interface [71]. The EIS arc radius of Cl-PCN is smaller than that of PCN. Its impedance is reduced compared to PCN, indicating that Cl doping decreased the charge-transfer resistance of polymeric carbon nitride

• potentiostat in a three-electrode test cell with a platinum wire as the counter electrode and the saturated calomel electrode (SCE) as the reference. The working electrode was a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass with the analyzed material drop-casted from a 0.2% ethanol/Nafion solution. A 0.5 M sodium

Solution combustion synthesis of a nanometer-scale Co₃O₄ anode material for Li-ion batteries

• Monika Michalska,
• Huajun Xu,
• Qingmin Shan,
• Shiqiang Zhang,
• Yohan Dall'Agnese,
• Yu Gao,
• Amrita Jain and
• Marcin Krajewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 424–431, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.34

• potential next-generation anodes. Among them, transition metal oxides (TMOs) have attracted particular attention because their capacities are significantly greater than those of carbonaceous electrode materials. Also, most of the TMOs are relatively inexpensive and easily accessible due to their high

• , the lithium storage reactions associated with TMO electrodes are accompanied with large volume changes during lithiation–delithiation processes [1][2][3][4][6], but their volume variations are less significant [1]. This may lead to electrode pulverization and subsequent detachment of active materials

• from the current collector. Besides that, the Co3O4 electrode material suffers from low ionic and electronic conductivity, which influences its relatively slow charge/discharge rate [2][4]. In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, some strategies have been proposed. One of them is related to

A stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator made of silver-coated glass microspheres for human motion energy harvesting and self-powered sensing applications

• Hui Li,
• Yaju Zhang,
• Yonghui Wu,
• Hui Zhao,
• Weichao Wang,
• Xu He and
• Haiwu Zheng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 402–412, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.32

• sustainable electricity. However, there is a need for improvement regarding the output performance and the complex fabrication of TENG devices. Here, a triboelectric nanogenerator in single-electrode mode is fabricated by a simple strategy, which involves a sandwich structure of silicone rubber and silver

• motion energy; silver-coated glass microsphere; single-electrode mode; triboelectric nanogenerator; wearable; Introduction Traditional batteries cannot provide a durable and reliable power supply for small portable electronic devices, personalized healthcare, and Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices [1][2

• stretchability of the TENG devices, which is adverse regarding wearables. Therefore, further investigations to enhance the stretchability of TENGs by innovative design are still required. In this work, we developed a single-electrode mode, stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator (S-TENG) using a simple strategy

Intracranial recording in patients with aphasia using nanomaterial-based flexible electronics: promises and challenges

• Qingchun Wang and
• Wai Ting Siok

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 330–342, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.27

• covering almost the whole brain. The application of novel nanomaterials has the potential to overcome the limitations of conventional electrode arrays. IEEG electrode arrays electroplated with nanoparticles could lower impedance and allow for a closer contact with cortical cells, thereby providing more

• accurate recordings of cortical activity [6]. Preclinical tests using animals (rats or primates) have shown that nanomaterial-based electronics could boost the spatiotemporal accuracy and resolution of brain imaging signals [7]. In general, iEEG electrode arrays made of nanomaterials are thinner, lighter

• , and more flexible and sensitive; these characteristics lead to higher spatial and temporal resolution than that of conventional electrode arrays [6][7]. These features make them less harmful to brain tissue [6], indicating their potential application in the human brain. In this review, we first

The nanomorphology of cell surfaces of adhered osteoblasts

• Christian Voelkner,
• Mirco Wendt,
• Regina Lange,
• Max Ulbrich,
• Martina Gruening,
• Susanne Staehlke,
• Barbara Nebe,
• Ingo Barke and
• Sylvia Speller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 242–256, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.20

• measurement of I–V characteristics [21]. The bias voltage applied between pipette and bath electrode was approximately 100 mV. Both electrodes were non-polarizable (Ag/AgCl). For SICM topography measurements the nanopipette approached the surface until the setpoint of 0.98 nA (corresponding to an ion current

TiO_x/Pt₃Ti(111) surface-directed formation of electronically responsive supramolecular assemblies of tungsten oxide clusters

• Marco Moors,
• Yun An,
• Agnieszka Kuc and
• Kirill Yu. Monakhov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 203–212, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.16

• of electronic devices appealing for the implementation in conceptually new data storage cells [1]. Specifically, resistive memories [2] based on the change of the electrical properties of a transition metal oxide thin layer, integrated in a simple electrode setup as a function of an externally

• , theory-supported STM measurements at liquid nitrogen temperatures have been selected as an ideal characterization technique. This is due to the fact that it not only allows high-resolution imaging on the nanoscale, but the STM tip may also act as a charge-injecting or depleting electrode for the

Toward graphene textiles in wearable eye tracking systems for human–machine interaction

• Ata Jedari Golparvar and
• Murat Kaya Yapici

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 180–189, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.14

• creates a more positive charge in the electrode that the cornea is approaching [8]. The biopotentials resulting from eye activity, which are in fact waveforms that relate the dipole fluctuations to the type of eye movement, are referred to as electrooculograms; while the specific technique for recording

• technologies. Materials and Methods Synthesis of graphene textiles and electrode preparation The developed process to synthesize conductive graphene textiles is based on a low-cost and scalable, three-step approach in which conformal layers of graphene were formed on various fabrics including nylon, polyester

• this way, “passive” graphene textile electrodes were formed, which can be directly used to capture surface biopotentials without further modification. Conductivity measurements showed resistance values of the textiles between 1 and 10 kΩ and skin-electrode impedance values from 87.5 kΩ (at 10 Hz) to

Paper-based triboelectric nanogenerators and their applications: a review

• Jing Han,
• Nuo Xu,
• Yuchen Liang,
• Mei Ding,
• Junyi Zhai,
• Qijun Sun and
• Zhong Lin Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 151–171, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.12

• contact–separation mode [30][31][32], lateral-sliding mode [33][34][35], single-electrode mode [36][37], and freestanding triboelectric-layer mode [38]. As an advanced and durable energy source, TENGs have shown promising and significant features that are applied to power units in the micro- and nanoscale

• polarization direction, TENGs can have four working modes [87], including vertical contact–separation (CS) mode, in-plane lateral-sliding (LS) mode, single-electrode (SE) mode, and freestanding triboelectric-layer (FT) mode, as shown in Figure 2a. In the vertical CS mode, a stack of two dielectric films is

• plated with a metal electrode at the back surface of each layer. When the two dielectric films are vertically separated and periodically contacted due to the application of external forces, a small air gap is formed in the middle and a potential difference is induced between the two electrodes, which can

A review on the green and sustainable synthesis of silver nanoparticles and one-dimensional silver nanostructures

• Sina Kaabipour and
• Shohreh Hemmati

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 102–136, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.9

• anode, and an electron exchange takes place in the plasma region where silver ions are reduced [129]. In the case of silver electrodes, silver will be melted and vaporized from the electrode ends, and as a result, nanoparticles are formed from the silver condensates [131]. Tien et al. [227] synthesized

Fusion of purple membranes triggered by immobilization on carbon nanomembranes

• René Riedel,
• Natalie Frese,
• Fang Yang,
• Martin Wortmann,
• Raphael Dalpke,
• Daniel Rhinow,
• Norbert Hampp and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 93–101, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.8

• deposited patches primarily prefer uncovered areas. In addition, the PM gets well oriented in an electric field according to its surface charge. Initially, a drop of 5 µL WT PM suspension was attached to the substrate only and was not in contact with the opposite electrode. While the plate distance was kept

• . An electric field between the substrate and an ITO electrode has been used for the controlled deposition of genetically modified c-His PM from a suspension. The best results were achieved after the incubation of 40 µL c-His PM suspension of OD 0.02 at 5 V for 3 min and a DPR time of 5 min at a

Numerical analysis of vibration modes of a qPlus sensor with a long tip

• Kebei Chen,
• Zhenghui Liu,
• Yuchen Xie,
• Chunyu Zhang,
• Gengzhao Xu,
• Wentao Song and
• Ke Xu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 82–92, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.7

• = 687 µm, and thickness τ = 121 µm, are used in the finite element model. The arrangement of the gold electrodes on the tuning fork is the same as in reality. One electrode pair is grounded and the other is set to a virtual ground. The calculated mechanical eigenfrequency of the bare tuning fork is

ZnO and MXenes as electrode materials for supercapacitor devices

• Ameen Uddin Ammar,
• Ipek Deniz Yildirim,
• Feray Bakan and
• Emre Erdem

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 49–57, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.4

• Supercapacitor devices are interesting owing to their broad range of applicability from wearable electronics to energy storage in electric vehicles. One of the key parameters that affect the efficiency of supercapacitor devices is selecting the ideal electrode material for a specific application. Regarding this

• , recently developed metal oxides, specifically nanostructured ZnO, and MXenes with their defect structures, size effects, as well as optical and electronic properties have been presented as electrode material in supercapacitor devices. The discussion of MXenes along with ZnO, although different in chemistry

• materials; electrodes; MXenes; supercapacitors; zinc oxide (ZnO); Introduction In this article, the past, the present, and the prospects of ZnO and MXenes are discussed in terms of their usage as electrode materials in supercapacitor devices. Recently, supercapacitors gained a lot of attention due to their

Atomic layer deposited films of Al₂O₃ on fluorine-doped tin oxide electrodes: stability and barrier properties

• Hana Krýsová,
• Michael Neumann-Spallart,
• Hana Tarábková,
• Pavel Janda,
• Ladislav Kavan and
• Josef Krýsa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 24–34, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.2

• of electrified interfaces is particularly challenging, because electron or hole transport through the coating must be maintained. Previously, ALD and other coating techniques have been shown to protect a semiconducting hematite electrode against corrosion and photocorrosion by using titanium dioxide

• studies, Al2O3 films on FTO were exposed, at various time intervals and at room temperature, to 1 M NaOH, 1 M H2SO4, and buffered solution (pH 7.2). Electrochemical experiments were carried out in a single-compartment three-electrode cell using a Zahner workstation. The reference electrode was Ag/AgCl (3

• M KCl) and a platinum rod was used as the counter electrode. The blocking properties of the deposited layers were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in an aqueous electrolyte composed of 0.5 mM K3[Fe(CN)6] and 0.5 mM K4[Fe(CN)6] in 0.5 M KCl (pH 2.5, adjusted with HCl) or in phosphate buffer (pH

Kondo effects in small-bandgap carbon nanotube quantum dots

• Patryk Florków,
• Damian Krychowski and
• Stanisław Lipiński

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1873–1890, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.169

• small-bandgap nanotubes it is parabolic. For wide-bandgap nanotubes, SO splitting can be described by one effective parameter: and describe electrons in the left and in the right electrode, respectively: and the last term in Equation 1 represents tunneling: We parameterize the coupling strength to

Self-standing heterostructured NiC_x-NiFe-NC/biochar as a highly efficient cathode for lithium–oxygen batteries

• Shengyu Jing,
• Xu Gong,
• Shan Ji,
• Linhui Jia,
• Bruno G. Pollet,
• Sheng Yan and
• Huagen Liang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1809–1821, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.163

• the previous literatures [40][41][42]. However, a hydrothermal process was introduced here as a new treatment step prior to the precursor calcination in order to modify the properties of the prepared electrode materials. Heterostructured NiCx-NiFe-NC derived from bimetallic Prussian blue supported on

• full charge and discharge cycles at 0.1 mA·cm−2. The specific capacity of NiFe-PBA/PP-700 and NiFe-PBA/PP-900 decreased gradually. However, the overpotential increased with the increase in the number of cycles. This can be attributed to the undecomposed Li2O2 covering the surface of the electrode

• discharge product was Li2O2 (JCPDF 09-0355). It is noteworthy that LiOH was also detected. This can be associated with the reaction between Li2O2 and H2O when the discharged/recharged electrode was exposed to air during XRD testing. After charging to 4.5 V, trace amounts of LiOH were detected, due to the

Absorption and photoconductivity spectra of amorphous multilayer structures

• Oxana Iaseniuc and
• Mihail Iovu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1757–1763, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.158

• –Ge0.09As0.09Se0.82–Al, and Al–Ge0.30As0.04S0.66–Al) and of an amorphous heterostructure (Al–As0.40S0.30Se0.30/Ge0.09As0.09Se0.82/Ge0.30As0.04S0.66–Al) at different values of the voltage, with positive or negative polarity, applied to the illuminated top Al electrode are presented and discussed. The complex structure

• of the applied electrical field was as uniformly as possible in each layer. The transparence of the top Al electrode was 60–70%, and the sample area was S = 0.5 cm2. In the same technological cycle, the multilayer heterostructure (HS) Al–As0.40S0.30Se0.30/Ge0.09As0.09Se0.82/Ge0.30As0.04S0.66–Al was

• prepared. The experimental samples had a sandwich configuration with two Al electrodes, of which the top electrode was transparent to the incident light. The dark conductivity σd and the spectral distribution of the stationary photocurrent Iph = f(λ) have been measured under constant-current conditions

The influence of an interfacial hBN layer on the fluorescence of an organic molecule

• Christine Brülke,
• Oliver Bauer and
• Moritz M. Sokolowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1663–1684, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.149

• directly on metal substrates by chemical vapor deposition [2]. This is, for example, exploited when a 2DM interfacial layer is inserted between the metallic electrode and a functional organic layer of an organic electronic device, such as an organic light emitting diode [3]. The purpose of the interfacial

• to which extent decoupling of the organic molecules from a metal electrode is achieved when a 2DM layer in the limit of a single interfacial layer, for example, a monolayer of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), is used. Such a decoupling is achieved when the wave functions of the metal are spatially

Piezoelectric sensor based on graphene-doped PVDF nanofibers for sign language translation

• Shuai Yang,
• Xiaojing Cui,
• Rui Guo,
• Zhiyi Zhang,
• Shengbo Sang and
• Hulin Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1655–1662, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.148

• sensing. Results and Discussion The structural design of the self-powered PES based on GR-doped PVDF nanofibers is shown in Figure 1a. The cross section of the self-powered PES shows three parts, namely the GR-doped PVDF piezoelectric layer in the center, the electrode layer of Ti3C2 MXene and Ag NWs on

• piezoelectric sensor. Ti3C2 MXene and Ag NWs maintain the good conductivity of the electrode and avoid possible short-circuit problems occurring after magnetron sputtering. Also, a stable flexibility of the structure is maintained. GR is added with six different mass fractions, that is, 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8

Selective detection of complex gas mixtures using point contacts: concept, method and tools

• Alexander P. Pospelov,
• Victor I. Belan,
• Dmytro O. Harbuz,
• Volodymyr L. Vakula,
• Lyudmila V. Kamarchuk,
• Yuliya V. Volkova and
• Gennadii V. Kamarchuk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1631–1643, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.146

• the electric field of the contact. The electric field is concentrated in the Yanson point contact area due to a specific electric drop in the potential in that area as the current flows through the electrode/point contact/electrode system. Upon crossing the area of the Yanson point contact, electrons

• . These properties are essential for Yanson point-contact spectroscopy [6] and are used to create a new generation of advanced nanosensors [4]. The Yanson point contact itself is the simplest electrophysical structure and it can be represented as an electrode/point contact/electrode system. In the

Oxidation of Au/Ag films by oxygen plasma: phase separation and generation of nanoporosity

• Abdel-Aziz El Mel,
• Said A. Mansour,
• Mujaheed Pasha,
• Atef Zekri,
• Janarthanan Ponraj,
• Akshath Shetty and
• Yousef Haik

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1608–1614, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.143

• 12 min and at an electrical power of 100 W. The films were oxidized using radio-frequency oxygen plasma at 100 W and 3 Pa and the samples were placed onto a substrate holder located 10 cm away from the electrode. SEM was performed on an FEI Versa3D instrument (Hillsboro, OR, USA) at an acceleration

Walking energy harvesting and self-powered tracking system based on triboelectric nanogenerators

• Mingliang Yao,
• Guangzhong Xie,
• Qichen Gong and
• Yuanjie Su

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1590–1595, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.141

• to the extensive energy consumption and high population density in modern cities, the collection and use of scattered walking energy from the stream of people is crucial for the development of a green ecological city. Herein, a flexible undulated electrode-based triboelectric nanogenerator (u-TENG

• excellent performance, which can be used as motion [35][36][37] and temperature sensors [38][39], UV detectors [40], tactile sensors [41][42][43], sensors for healthcare [44][45][46][47], humidity sensors, and gas sensors [48][49][50][51], for example. In this work, a flexible undulated electrode-based

• triboelectric nanogenerator (u-TENG) was proposed and fabricated to scavenge the walking energy from areas with a high pedestrian flow. The as-prepared u-TENG is composed of two copper-coated nanostructured poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) thin films as the back electrodes and an elastic undulated electrode in