Local stiffness and work function variations of hexagonal boron nitride on Cu(111)

• Abhishek Grewal,
• Yuqi Wang,
• Matthias Münks,
• Klaus Kern and
• Markus Ternes

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 559–565, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.46

• et al. used high-resolution low-energy electron diffraction and normal incidence X-ray standing wave techniques to detect the large separation of 3.24 Å between the h-BN sheet and the topmost Cu(111) layer [29]. They found almost no height difference between B and N atoms and excluded significant

Influence of electrospray deposition on C₆₀ molecular assemblies

• Antoine Hinaut,
• Sebastian Scherb,
• Sara Freund,
• Zhao Liu,
• Thilo Glatzel and
• Ernst Meyer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 552–558, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.45

• the sample. Nevertheless, the contamination from solvent introduction can be reduced down to conditions compatible with high-resolution scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques [10][12]. Buckminsterfullerene C60, scheme in Figure 1b, is among the most extensively studied molecules in surface science

• nanometers in size are observed, suggesting a limited influence of the HV-ESD method. The C60 molecules cover step edges and form monolayer islands, similar to TE. High-resolution imaging of the islands, shown in Figure 2c, confirms the hexagonal lattice arrangement of C60 with a lattice parameter close to 1

Determining amplitude and tilt of a lateral force microscopy sensor

• Oliver Gretz,
• Alfred J. Weymouth,
• Thomas Holzmann,
• Korbinian Pürckhauer and
• Franz J. Giessibl

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 517–524, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.42

• amplitudes of the order of 1 nm is also valid for amplitudes under 100 pm, where we typically acquire high-resolution data. To demonstrate that this method can be applied to more complex systems, calibration data was taken of a CO molecule on Cu(111) with a CO tip. When lateral forces act on the CO molecules

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

• as the reference sample. The TEM images were obtained by using a Jeol ARM 200F high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The silver concentration in the AgNP dispersion was determined by FAAS using the GBC 932 plus instrument. The calibration was made using the silver standard solution

• dispersions of AgNPs. The AgNPs were synthesized according to the protocol proposed by Frank et al. [36]. Two types of nanoparticles were obtained: AgNPs blue and AgNPs yellow, which were labelled according to the colour (compare the UV–vis spectra shown in Figure S1 in Supporting Information File 1). High

• -resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis was performed to estimate the size and identify the shape of the nanoparticles (see Figure 1). The nanoparticles in the AgNPs blue sample had a triangular prism shape with an estimated average size of 34 ± 14 nm, while in the AgNPs yellow sample, the

Reconstruction of a 2D layer of KBr on Ir(111) and electromechanical alteration by graphene

• Zhao Liu,
• Antoine Hinaut,
• Stefan Peeters,
• Sebastian Scherb,
• Ernst Meyer,
• Maria Clelia Righi and
• Thilo Glatzel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 432–439, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.35

• reconstruction of a two-dimensional layer of KBr on an Ir(111) surface is observed by high-resolution noncontact atomic force microscopy and verified by density functional theory (DFT). The observed KBr structure is oriented along the main directions of the Ir(111) surface, but forms a characteristic double-line

• structures is presented in the high-resolution image in Figure 2a. The line structures consist of two atomic-scale protrusions separated by a valley. Two types of orthogonal lattice arrangements are observed, that is, one with a regular single-atom repetition along the stripes (red line) and another with a

• some small KBr clusters at the edge of the graphene sheets as indicated by the white dashed line in Figure 4a. A clear moiré pattern is observed on the bare graphene surfaces on Ir(111) in high-resolution measurements as presented in Figure 4b and as expected for GR/Ir(111) [47][48][49]. However

Spontaneous shape transition of Mn_xGe_1−x islands to long nanowires

• S. Javad Rezvani,
• Luc Favre,
• Gabriele Giuli,
• Yiming Wubulikasimu,
• Isabelle Berbezier,
• Augusto Marcelli,
• Luca Boarino and
• Nicola Pinto

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 366–374, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.30

• (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). We demonstrate that the thickness of the Mn layer and the annealing conditions finely control the shape transition, resulting in NWs up to ≃1.5 μm length with uniform width and homogeneous composition

Structural and optical characteristics determined by the sputtering deposition conditions of oxide thin films

• Petronela Prepelita,
• Florin Garoi and
• Valentin Craciun

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 354–365, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.29

• was possible to gain information related to the thickness of our samples. The high-resolution elementary microanalysis of the cross section perpendicular to the surface of the thin films was performed in manual mode, where the adjustment device allowed the manual setting of the tilt angle from −90° to

• of the samples by depleting the films of oxygen. Figure 2 shows the general oxide spectra for three SiO2 samples. The high-resolution (HR) analysis of the Si 2p3 and O 1s spectra recorded [43][44] for the SiO2 samples are shown in Figure 3. Using this analysis, we determined the elemental composition

• structures. XRD patterns of ZnO thin film samples with different thickness, namely: 200, 250, and 300 nm. XPS patterns of SiO2 thin films: general spectra. High-resolution XPS spectra acquired from SiO2 samples: (a) Si 2p3 and (b) O 1s. XPS survey spectra acquired from ZnO films. High-resolution (a) Zn 2p3

The patterning toolbox FIB-o-mat: Exploiting the full potential of focused helium ions for nanofabrication

• Victor Deinhart,
• Lisa-Marie Kern,
• Jan N. Kirchhof,
• Sabrina Juergensen,
• Joris Sturm,
• Enno Krauss,
• Thorsten Feichtner,
• Sviatoslav Kovalchuk,
• Michael Schneider,
• Dieter Engel,
• Bastian Pfau,
• Bert Hecht,
• Kirill I. Bolotin,
• Stephanie Reich and
• Katja Höflich

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 304–318, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.25

• ranging from several days to one or two months. For imaging and nanofabrication, only one of the three atoms is selected. This nearly ideal point source allows not only for high-resolution imaging but also for the milling of smallest geometric features [5][6][7]. Furthermore, large-area machining is

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

• , extracting the fraction of active, that is, ATP-depending fluctuations with spatial and frequency band resolution may help to develop cell activity parameters for the assessment of cellular programs such as adhesion on materials surfaces. Conclusion High-resolution SICM topographies of living and fixed MG-63

Extended iron phthalocyanine islands self-assembled on a Ge(001):H surface

• Rafal Zuzak,
• Marek Szymonski and
• Szymon Godlewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 232–241, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.19

• consider now high-resolution imaging analysis. Already within the STM image in Figure 3a, we can notice lobes that differ in their apparent height. The separation between differently bright nearest neighboring lobes, which reaches approximately 0.7 nm, suggests that they originate from the same molecule

• defects. Such molecules could be displaced laterally by means of STM manipulation and placed onto a perfectly hydrogenated Ge(001):H surface, which provided sufficient isolation from the underlying germanium substrate. Based on high-resolution STM images, we have proposed a simplified model of the layer

• . (c) Structural scheme of FePc (bottom) with schematic appearance of the STM contrast for upright-oriented molecules within the islands (top view). The differently shaded lobes mimic the contrast variation of the STM appearance due to a slight rotation of the molecules. (d) High-resolution STM image

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

• surfaces by using high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), in particular on TiO2(110) [15][16], CuO(110) [17], and Pt(111) [18]. Recently, the surface behavior of W3O9 was assessed on a complex CuWO3 phase grown on Cu(110). The CuWO3/Cu(110) substrate can be viewed as a two-dimensional (2D

• , 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

• tendency to form agglomerations indicating a weaker overall interaction with the w’-TiOx phase. This is quite intuitive because, in the latter case, the clusters have no direct contact with the metallic substrate due to the completely closed oxide film. High-resolution STM images (Figure 3a) reveal very

Imaging of SARS-CoV-2 infected Vero E6 cells by helium ion microscopy

• Natalie Frese,
• Patrick Schmerer,
• Martin Wortmann,
• Matthias Schürmann,
• Matthias König,
• Michael Westphal,
• Friedemann Weber,
• Holger Sudhoff and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 172–179, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.13

• charge compensation, which irradiates the sample with a diffuse beam of electrons. This eliminates the need for a conductive coating, and allows for a direct view on nanoscale structures [6][25]. Here, we demonstrate the benefits of high-resolution HIM by imaging SARS-CoV-2 interacting with Vero E6 cells

• observed for human coronavirus229E and quantified in HeLa cells by Wang and co-workers [38]. However, the metal coating applied by Wang et al. is clearly visible at high resolution in the SEM images as a rough layer on the cell membrane that hides the true topography [25][39]. In contrast, the HIM images

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

• can be detected due to the multi-directional vibration of the tip [17]. Furthermore, by using a qPlus sensor with a long tilted tip, vertical incident light can be coupled to the tip apex. This setup has the added benefit of locating the exact target location with high resolution when it is combined

The role of gold atom concentration in the formation of Cu–Au nanoparticles from the gas phase

• Yuri Ya. Gafner,
• Svetlana L. Gafner,
• Darya A. Ryzkova and
• Andrey V. Nomoev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 72–81, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.6

• amorphous carbon or magnesium oxide substrates by the laser evaporation of a bulk alloy with various stoichiometric compositions (Cu–Au, Cu3Au, and Au3Cu). An analysis of individual clusters carried out by using electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) showed that Cu

Bulk chemical composition contrast from attractive forces in AFM force spectroscopy

• Dorothee Silbernagl,
• Media Ghasem Zadeh Khorasani,
• Natalia Cano Murillo,
• Anna Maria Elert and
• Heinz Sturm

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 58–71, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.5

• mixture. The mechanisms which cause the nano-effects are often described and hypothesized but seldom directly shown [11][12][13][14]. High-resolution measurements of the mechanical properties of nanocomposites give insights into these mechanisms, since they are able to separately measure material phases

• and interphases. Ideally, for a complete understanding of the underlying mechanism, a full structure–property relation is desired. A counterpart for the high-resolution physical properties (“how”) is needed to describe the local structure (“what”). For that purpose, one major drawback of AFM force

• for this task, a high-resolution method of AFM force spectroscopy was used, which is called intermodulation AFM. This dynamic method is able to scan the sample with a resolution comparable to the tapping-mode images, producing the equivalent of a FDC at each pixel. A 2 × 2 µm topography scan of the

Bio-imaging with the helium-ion microscope: A review

• Matthias Schmidt,
• James M. Byrne and
• Ilari J. Maasilta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1–23, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.1

• samples, rendering HIM a promising high-resolution imaging technique for biological samples. Starting with studies focused on medical research, the last decade has seen some particularly spectacular high-resolution images in studies focused on plants, microbiology, virology, and geomicrobiology. However

• imaging of biological specimens. We also discuss some technical features of this unique type of instrument and highlight some of the new advances which will likely become more widely used in the years to come. Keywords: bio-imaging; flood gun; helium-ion microscopy; high resolution; HIM; HIM-SIMS

• ; ionofluorescense; Review Introduction Since its commercialisation in 2006 [1][2][3][4][5], the helium-ion microscope (HIM) has become a well-established tool for nanoscale imaging and nanoscale fabrication in physics and materials science. It is attractive for those applications as it combines high-resolution

Free and partially encapsulated manganese ferrite nanoparticles in multiwall carbon nanotubes

• Saja Al-Khabouri,
• Salim Al-Harthi,
• Toru Maekawa,
• Mohamed E. Elzain,
• Ashraf Al-Hinai,
• Ahmed D. Al-Rawas,
• Abbsher M. Gismelseed,
• Ali A. Yousif and
• Myo Tay Zar Myint

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1891–1904, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.170

• , and Mössbauer characterization The X-ray diffraction patterns were acquired using Cu Kα radiation (λ = 1.5404 Å) at a Philips PW1820 diffractometer. The instrument was calibrated using a silicon disc. Free manganese ferrite nanoparticles were characterized using high-resolution transmission electron

Scanning transmission imaging in the helium ion microscope using a microchannel plate with a delay line detector

• Eduardo Serralta,
• Nico Klingner,
• Olivier De Castro,
• Michael Mousley,
• Santhana Eswara,
• Serge Duarte Pinto,
• Tom Wirtz and
• Gregor Hlawacek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1854–1864, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.167

• microscopy; scanning transmission ion microscopy; Introduction The helium ion microscope (HIM) is an instrument that has already proven its value for high-resolution imaging, compositional analysis, nanofabrication, and materials modification [1][2]. It generates a focused helium (or neon) ion beam with sub

Piezotronic effect in AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterojunction nanowires used as a flexible strain sensor

• Jianqi Dong,
• Liang Chen,
• Yuqing Yang and
• Xingfu Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1847–1853, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.166

• contrast. Detailed structural parameters are shown in the Experimental section. Figure 1b shows a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) image taken of the AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterojunction (left panel) and a corresponding high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) image of the GaN layer

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

• PANalytical B.V. Empyean X-ray diffractometer with Cu Kα radiation (λ = 1.5406 Å). The surface morphology of the film catalyst was studied via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on a Carl Zeiss Ultra Plus scanning electron microscope. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HR-TEM), and

• energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were carried out on a FEI Tecnia G2 F20 high-resolution transmission electron microscope operating at 200 kV. The surface composition of the samples was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) on a ESCALAB 250Xi electron energy spectrometer using Al

• of NiFe-PBA (inset, black curve). (a–c) HR-TEM images and (d,e) element mappings of NiFe-PBA/PP-900. High-resolution XPS spectra of NiFe-PBA/PP-T calcined at 700 (top panels) and 900 °C (bottom panels) for (a) C 1s, (b) N 1s, (c) Ni 2p, and (d) Fe 2p. (a) In situ cyclic voltammetry curves of Li–O2

Molecular dynamics modeling of the influence forming process parameters on the structure and morphology of a superconducting spin valve

• Alexander Vakhrushev,
• Aleksey Fedotov,
• Vladimir Boian,
• Roman Morari and
• Anatolie Sidorenko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1776–1788, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.160

• layered nanostructure consisting of Nb, CuNi, CoOx and Co layers, prepared by magnetron sputtering. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) image of a layered Co, CoOx and CuNi nanostructure prepared by magnetron sputtering. Sketch of a Nb/Co spin-valve nanosystem. The numbers next to

• metamaterials based on them using multilevel mathematical modeling” (Section 2 of this article). This work was partially supported by the European Union H2020-project “SPINTECH” under grant agreement Nr. 810144 (high-resolution TEM images in Figure 1 and 2) and by the Russian Science Foundation Grant (RSF) Nr

Mapping of integrated PIN diodes with a 3D architecture by scanning microwave impedance microscopy and dynamic spectroscopy

• Rosine Coq Germanicus,
• Peter De Wolf,
• Florent Lallemand,
• Catherine Bunel,
• Serge Bardy,
• Hugues Murray and
• Ulrike Lüders

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1764–1775, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.159

• . In addition, a high-resolution dynamic parametric study based on the acquisition of sMIM signals as a function of the applied VDC bias, at each pixel, is carried out. Experimental sMIM Measurements Based on AFM, the sMIM mode is a microwave mode in which an incident microwave signal travels through

• again the signature of the diffused doping is provided. At the same time, the sMIM-C response (Figure 6d) localizes and reveals, with a very high resolution, the filling oxide and the carrier profile around the deep trench. Even the dielectric layer thickness of 40 nm can be determined (Figure 6d) in

• applied voltage can be extracted. The availability of a C–V (sMIM-C as a function of V) spectrum in every pixel allows for the extraction of a high-resolution map of the flatband voltage and pn junction depletion zones. This illustrates the capability to reveal sample properties that are either not

Direct observation of the Si(110)-(16×2) surface reconstruction by atomic force microscopy

• Tatsuya Yamamoto,
• Ryo Izumi,
• Kazushi Miki,
• Takahiro Yamasaki,
• Yasuhiro Sugawara and
• Yan Jun Li

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1750–1756, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.157

• succeeded in obtaining high-resolution images of pentagons and step edges by AFM. In this work, we present key evidence to confirm the reconstruction model in which each pentagon consists of five atoms and single atoms exist around step edges, which has not been reported using STM. Methods The experiments

• pentagons actually consisted of five atoms. A non-pentagonal structure in the 16×2 reconstruction and the disorder region were observed with high resolution, and the defect structure of the pentagon due to the lack of a P3 atom in the structure of pentagon was observed. We also observed the atoms of U-S4, U

Out-of-plane surface patterning by subsurface processing of polymer substrates with focused ion beams

• Serguei Chiriaev,
• Luciana Tavares,
• Vadzim Adashkevich,
• Arkadiusz J. Goszczak and
• Horst-Günter Rubahn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1693–1703, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.151

• to avoid possible interactions between the irradiated areas, such as the overlaps originating from transverse ion straggle. The samples were characterized with AFM and HIM. The measurements of the surface height were performed with a Veeco Dimension 3100 AFM instrument in the tapping mode. High

• -resolution imaging with a He+ ion-beam probe was performed using a very small beam current (below 0.1 pA) to minimize imaging artifacts from radiation damage generated by the probe beam. (a) AFM image and (b) the corresponding depth profile of a fragment of the surface depression produced in a 5 nm Pt60Pd40

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

• . The special sensitivity of the RB mode to the interfacial bonding was also seen in high-resolution electron loss spectra [59]. We also compare with PTCDA multilayers. The Raman shifts of the multilayers was found at similar energies on all three substrates, that is, at 1,309.8 cm−1 for multilayers of