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

• of atomic force microscopy (AFM) is the measurement of physical properties at sub-micrometer resolution. Methods such as force–distance curves (FDCs) or dynamic variants (such as intermodulation AFM (ImAFM)) are able to measure mechanical properties (such as the local stiffness, kr) of nanoscopic

• heterogeneous materials. For a complete structure–property correlation, these mechanical measurements are considered to lack the ability to identify the chemical structure of the materials. In this study, the measured attractive force, Fattr, acting between the AFM tip and the sample is shown to be an

• material phases based on AFM topography. Additional chemical characterization on the nanoscale is performed by an AFM/infrared-spectroscopy hybrid method. Mechanical properties (kr) and attractive forces (Fattr) are calculated and a structure–property correlation is obtained by a manual principle component

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

• 7.2). Chronoamperometric measurements were performed in buffered solution (pH 7.2) at −1.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl). The morphology of the films was characterized ex situ, under ambient conditions, by atomic force microscopy (AFM, Dimension Icon, Bruker, USA) in a semicontact (tapping) mode. A silicon

• cantilever (TESPA-V2) with a resonant frequency fres of approx. 300 kHz, a spring constant k of 0.42 N·m−1, and a nominal tip radius of 8 nm (Bruker, USA) was employed. The Gwyddion software (v. 2.53) was utilized for processing AFM image data. Results and Discussion AFM was used to compare the morphology of

• deposited Al2O3. The height-density distribution (Figure S2, Supporting Information File 1), calculated from the AFM topography images (Figure 1), shows that the deposition of Al2O3 onto FTO substrates does not change its surface morphology. Calculated RMS (root mean square) values for AFM images of FTO and

Nanomechanics of few-layer materials: do individual layers slide upon folding?

• Ronaldo J. C. Batista,
• Rafael F. Dias,
• Ana P. M. Barboza,
• Alan B. de Oliveira,
• Taise M. Manhabosco,
• Thiago R. Gomes-Silva,
• Matheus J. S. Matos,
• Andreij C. Gadelha,
• Cassiano Rabelo,
• Luiz G. L. Cançado,
• Ado Jorio,
• Hélio Chacham and
• Bernardo R. A. Neves

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1801–1808, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.162

• methods; atomic force microscopy (AFM); molecular dynamics (MD); Raman spectroscopy; nanostructured materials; Introduction Layered materials such as graphite, talc, and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), held together by strong covalent bonds within layers and relatively weak van der Waals

• material where it folds over itself during the exfoliation process. Our method is based on AFM measurements of the geometry and mechanical response of folded edges, and on the fitting of the experimental data by an analytical continuum model parameterized solely by α, κ, and the total thickness d of the

• deposited on a substrate exhibits a cross-section geometry similar to that indicated in Figure 1 (see, for instance, Wang et al. [12] for electron microscopy images). Figure 1a shows an AFM image of a talc flake (green shades) with a thickness of approximately 2.4 nm (corresponding to two layers), which was

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

• complete parametric investigation, is performed with a dynamic spectroscopy method. The results emphasize the strong impact, in terms of distinction and location, of the applied bias on the local sMIM measurements for both FEOL and BEOL layers. Keywords: atomic force microscopy (AFM); DataCube; doping

• crucial to optimize and increase the device integration. In order to map the electrical properties of microelectronic materials with a high spatial resolution, scanning probe microscopy (SPM), based on atomic force microscopy (AFM), offers several modes based on the control of electrical conduction and on

• and with the spatial resolution of AFM [17][19]. However, there are limits to the SCM and SSRM techniques. For example, for SCM, when the local carrier concentration is extremely low, the SCM signal may be undetectable and close to zero. For SSRM, a very good control of the applied force is necessary

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

• , Himeji, Hyogo 671-2280, Japan Institute for Nanoscience Design, Osaka University, 1-2 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan 10.3762/bjnano.11.157 Abstract The atomic arrangement of the Si(110)-(16×2) reconstruction was directly observed using noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) at 78 K

• between upper and lower terraces, which have not been reported using STM. These findings are key evidence for establishing an atomic model of the Si(110)-(16×2) reconstruction, which indeed has a complex structure. Keywords: atomic force microscopy (AFM); noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM); Si

• regarding the atomic structure of the reconstruction that includes both pentagons and step edges is insufficient. In this study, the Si(110)-(16×2) reconstruction will be investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) at 78 K to directly observe the atomic arrangement of the reconstruction. In this work, we

PEG/PEI-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes as delivery carriers for doxorubicin: synthesis, characterization, and in vitro evaluation

• Shuoye Yang,
• Zhenwei Wang,
• Yahong Ping,
• Yuying Miao,
• Yongmei Xiao,
• Lingbo Qu,
• Lu Zhang,
• Yuansen Hu and
• Jinshui Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1728–1741, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.155

• (AFM) measurements, different SWCNT dispersions (ethanol/ultrapure water = 1:1) with a concentration of 0.01% were dripped on freshly cleaved mica and observed using an AFM (Dimension Icon, Bruker AXS). Drug loading and encapsulation efficiency An amount of 50 mg of different SWCNT samples were

• diffraction patterns of the CNTs remain the same after conjugation with PEG and PEI, which indicate that the surface modification will not change the atomic structure of CNTs. The morphology of the different nanocarriers was observed using AFM after deposition on a mica substrate. The raw SWCNTs exhibit large

• : HNO3, d: H2SO4/HNO3; e: CNTs-PEG, f: CNTs-PEG-PEI). AFM images of (A) raw SWCNTs, (B) CNTs-COOH, (C) CNTs-PEG, and (D) CNTs-PEG-PEI. Cumulative release profiles of DOX from different nanocarriers in PBS at (A) pH 7.4 and (B) pH 5.0 (n = 3). Cytotoxicity of (A) different blank carriers and (B) DOX

Application of contact-resonance AFM methods to polymer samples

• Sebastian Friedrich and
• Brunero Cappella

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1714–1727, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.154

• Sebastian Friedrich Brunero Cappella Federal Institute for Material Research and Testing (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.11.154 Abstract Contact-resonance AFM (CR-AFM) has been used in recent years for the measurement of mechanical properties of rather stiff

• materials, such as ceramics or metals, but also of some polymers. Compared with other techniques providing information on the mechanical properties of a sample, notably force–distance curves, CR-AFM has a much shorter acquisition time. This compensates in part the incomplete theoretical understanding of the

• . Keywords: atomic force microscopy; contact resonance; mechanical properties; polymers; wear; Introduction The development of new materials for applications on the nanoscale, such as thin polymer films, demands a reliable determination of their mechanical properties. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a very

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

• microscopy (AFM) image and the corresponding depth profile for a surface region of the Pt60Pd40/PMMA sample irradiated with He+ FIB at a fluence of 1.0 × 1016 cm−2. It is evident that the irradiation homogeneously lowers the entire irradiated surface to a depth of approx. 80 nm. For convenience, we define

• cm−2, the values of the root-mean-square (RMS) roughness, measured with AFM in the irradiated areas, were approx. 0.7 and 4.4 nm for irradiation with He+ and Ga+ ions, respectively. The RMS roughness value of the pristine sample was approx. 0.6 nm. The irradiation with Ne+ ions also significantly

• of the cells in rows 1 and 2 in Figure 4a and confirmed by AFM imaging in Figure 4b. These effects are attributed to the accumulation of gases from radiolysis at the Au film/PMMA interface and to the pressure that becomes, at a certain fluence and at certain places, sufficiently high to delaminate

PTCDA adsorption on CaF₂ thin films

• Philipp Rahe

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1615–1622, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.144

• [27][28][29]. PTCDA molecules were deposited from custom-built Knudsen cells heated to 290–300 °C. Samples were held at room temperature during deposition unless noted otherwise. STM data were acquired at 77 or 5 K using a ScientaOmicron qPlus LT AFM/STM operated by a MATRIX controller and an atom

Detecting stable adsorbates of (1S)-camphor on Cu(111) with Bayesian optimization

• Jari Järvi,
• Patrick Rinke and
• Milica Todorović

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1577–1589, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.140

• electronic properties of the material. Assemblies of organic molecules on surfaces have been studied experimentally, for example with X-ray diffraction [4][5], scanning tunneling microscopy [6][7][8] and atomic force microscopy (AFM) [9][10][11]. These methods have a considerable resolution in imaging planar

• shortened as camphor) on the Cu(111) surface. Camphor is an exemplary case of a bulky molecule, which is difficult to image with microscopy. AFM experiments [35] have revealed various different conformers of camphor on Cu(111), which makes it ideal for benchmarking the BOSS method. Our objective is to

• observed in experiments. The adsorption of camphor on Cu(111) has been studied experimentally with AFM by Alldritt and co-workers [35]. In their images, they have observed various different adsorbate structures, which shows that camphor can adsorb on Cu(111) in multiple stable configurations. In the

Fabrication of nano/microstructures for SERS substrates using an electrochemical method

• Jingran Zhang,
• Tianqi Jia,
• Xiaoping Li,
• Junjie Yang,
• Zhengkai Li,
• Guangfeng Shi,
• Xinming Zhang and
• Zuobin Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1568–1576, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.139

• over a 20 × 20 μm2 area. Before the tests, the Raman spectra were rectified using a standard Si substrate. A Raman intensity peak of 1362 cm−1 for R6G was chosen in the experiment. An atomic force microscopy (AFM) system (Dimension Icon, Bruker, Germany) was employed to detect the two-dimensional and

• that process. As a result, the average diameter of the pores increases as the duration of PEO duration increases. Figure 3 shows AFM images of the arrayed nanopores after fabrication with different treatment times. After 1 min, the nanopore diameter and depth were 0.7 ± 0.25 µm and 0.5 ± 0.16 µm

• 10 min, the nanopore diameter and depth were 7.2 ± 0.3 µm and 5 ± 0.5 µm, respectively, as shown in Figure 3d. Thus, a 10 min treatment time led to the formation of pores with microscale structure. A three-dimensional AFM image of arrayed nanopores after a treatment time of 5 min is shown in Figure

Design of V-shaped cantilevers for enhanced multifrequency AFM measurements

• Mehrnoosh Damircheli and
• Babak Eslami

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1525–1541, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.135

• microscopy (AFM) in soft matter characterization has expanded, the use of different types of cantilevers for these studies have also increased. One of the most common types of cantilevers used in soft matter imaging is V-shaped cantilevers due to their low normal spring constant. These types of cantilevers

• no studies on the static and dynamic behavior of V-shaped cantilevers in multifrequency AFM due to their complex geometry. In this work, the static and dynamic properties of V-shaped cantilevers are studied while investigating their performance in multifrequency AFM (specifically bimodal AFM). By

• dimensions, the optimum V-shaped cantilever that can provide the maximum phase contrast in bimodal AFM between gold (Au) and polystyrene (PS) is found. Based on this study, it is found that as the length of the cantilever increases the 2nd eigenmode phase contrast decreases. However, the base width exhibits

Protruding hydrogen atoms as markers for the molecular orientation of a metallocene

• Linda Laflör,
• Michael Reichling and
• Philipp Rahe

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1432–1438, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.127

• acid (FDCA) molecules on bulk and thin film CaF2(111) surfaces with non-contact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM). We use NC-AFM image calculations with the probe particle model to interpret this distinct shape by repulsive interactions between the NC-AFM tip and the top hydrogen atoms of the

• cyclopentadienyl (Cp) rings. Simulated NC-AFM images show an excellent agreement with experimental constant-height NC-AFM data of FDCA molecules at several tip–sample distances. By measuring this distinct dumbbell shape together with the molecular orientation, a strategy is proposed to determine the conformation

• employed for the investigation of both ordered and unordered molecular systems as well as of individual and isolated species [4][5][6]. For example, two different non-planar isomers of dibenzo[a,h]thianthrene molecules could be identified by high-resolution non-contact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) [7

On the frequency dependence of viscoelastic material characterization with intermittent-contact dynamic atomic force microscopy: avoiding mischaracterization across large frequency ranges

• Enrique A. López-Guerra and
• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1409–1418, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.125

• Enrique A. Lopez-Guerra Santiago D. Solares The George Washington University, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Washington, DC 20052, USA Park Systems Inc., Santa Clara, CA, 95054, USA 10.3762/bjnano.11.125 Abstract Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a widely use technique to

• response of which depends on the rate of application of the stresses imparted by the AFM tip. The mechanical response of these materials thus depends strongly on the frequency at which the characterization is performed, so much so that important aspects of behavior may be missed if one chooses an arbitrary

• characterization frequency regardless of the materials properties. In this paper we present a linear viscoelastic analysis of intermittent-contact, nearly resonant dynamic AFM characterization of such materials, considering the possibility of multiple characteristic times. We describe some of the intricacies

Atomic defect classification of the H–Si(100) surface through multi-mode scanning probe microscopy

• Jeremiah Croshaw,
• Thomas Dienel,
• Taleana Huff and
• Robert Wolkow

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1346–1360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.119

• Nanotechnology Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2M9, Canada 10.3762/bjnano.11.119 Abstract The combination of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) allows enhanced extraction and correlation of properties not readily

• same side of two neighbouring dimers. Subsequently, the latter had been reassigned as an H, OH pair originating from dissociative attachment of a residual water molecule in the vacuum system [15][16][17]. Further insights became available by non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM), separating the

• of the H-terminated Si(100)-2 × 1 surface, its structural features, and defects. Six different scanning probe imaging modes are performed using both STM and nc-AFM. By combining the accessible information with probe particle simulations [23][24] (presented in Supporting Information File 1) of the

Controlling the proximity effect in a Co/Nb multilayer: the properties of electronic transport

• Sergey Bakurskiy,
• Mikhail Kupriyanov,
• Nikolay V. Klenov,
• Igor Soloviev,
• Andrey Schegolev,
• Roman Morari,
• Yury Khaydukov and
• Anatoli S. Sidorenko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1336–1345, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.118

• interface of the bulk semiconductor electrode, with thickness LS = 10ξS. In addition, we considered the proximity effect of an artificial ferromagnetic material (AFM), consisting of alternating thin superconducting (LS = 1ξS) and ferromagnetic layers, with an exchange energy of H = 10TC. In an AFM, every

• parallel (solid lines) and antiparallel (dashed lines) magnetization orientations at low, T = 0.25TC (panel b), and high, T = 0.6TC (panel c), temperature values. The real part of F1(x) decreases inside the AFM almost exponentially, with a small step-like modulation in thin superconducting layers. In the

• , predicted in the model, for the pair potential in thin s-layers of a [Co(1.5 nm)/Nb(8 nm)/Co(2.5 nm)/Nb(8 nm)]3 AFM. For these superlattices, the possibility of switching between the P and AP cases, using a magnetic field with an intensity of ≈30 oersteds, has already been demonstrated [9]. The samples were

An atomic force microscope integrated with a helium ion microscope for correlative nanoscale characterization

• Santiago H. Andany,
• Gregor Hlawacek,
• Stefan Hummel,
• Charlène Brillard,
• Mustafa Kangül and
• Georg E. Fantner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1272–1279, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.111

• -Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden 01328, Germany GETec Microscopy GmbH, Vienna 1220, Austria 10.3762/bjnano.11.111 Abstract In this work, we report on the integration of an atomic force microscope (AFM) into a helium ion microscope (HIM). The HIM is a powerful instrument, capable of imaging and

• machining of nanoscale structures with sub-nanometer resolution, while the AFM is a well-established versatile tool for multiparametric nanoscale characterization. Combining the two techniques opens the way for unprecedented in situ correlative analysis at the nanoscale. Nanomachining and analysis can be

• performed without contamination of the sample and environmental changes between processing steps. The practicality of the resulting tool lies in the complementarity of the two techniques. The AFM offers not only true 3D topography maps, something the HIM can only provide in an indirect way, but also allows

Ultrasensitive detection of cadmium ions using a microcantilever-based piezoresistive sensor for groundwater

• Dinesh Rotake,
• Anand Darji and
• Nitin Kale

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1242–1253, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.108

• . It was calibrated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) [40]. The process begins with thermal oxidation of Si at 1000 °C using an oxidation furnace to obtain a thermally grown SiO2 layer followed by masking and etching to get the desired pattern. The polysilicon is deposited in a low-pressure chemical

• vapor deposition (LPCVD) furnace at 630 °C and boron doping (1018 per cm3) is carried out using ion implantation at 35 keV. The upper SiO2 layer is formed by re-oxidizing the polysilicon in an oxidation furnace [40]. The stiffness (k) of the fabricated piezoresistive sensor measured using AFM is 131–146

High permittivity, breakdown strength, and energy storage density of polythiophene-encapsulated BaTiO₃ nanoparticles

• Adnanullah Khan,
• Amir Habib and
• Adeel Afzal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1190–1197, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.103

• studied using atomic force microscopy, after depositing the samples on quartz wafers. Figure 5 shows the 2D- and 3D-AFM images of BTO, BTO-PTh, and PTh samples along with their surface profiles. The micrographs of BTO nanoparticles show the presence of clusters on the surface. This is in agreement with

• tetragonal BTO lattice (JCPDS No. 05-0626), while peaks denoted by (*) correspond to the orthorhombic BaSO4 impurities. SEM images of the as-prepared BTO nanoparticles (a) and the core–shell BTO-PTh nanoparticles (b). The core–shell structure of BTO-PTh nanoparticles is demonstrated in panels (c, d). AFM

Hybridization vs decoupling: influence of an h-BN interlayer on the physical properties of a lander-type molecule on Ni(111)

• Maximilian Schaal,
• Takumi Aihara,
• Marco Gruenewald,
• Felix Otto,
• Jari Domke,
• Roman Forker,
• Hiroyuki Yoshida and
• Torsten Fritz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1168–1177, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.101

• investigated in reciprocal space using an Omicron MCP-LEED (MCP2-SPECTALEED) and in real space by LT-STM using a JT-STM/AFM (SPECS Surface Nano Analysis GmbH) with a tungsten tip operated at 4.5 K. We used the non-commercial software LEEDCal [49] for the distortion correction of the LEED images and the

Revealing the local crystallinity of single silicon core–shell nanowires using tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

• Marius van den Berg,
• Ardeshir Moeinian,
• Arne Kobald,
• Yu-Ting Chen,
• Anke Horneber,
• Steffen Strehle,
• Alfred J. Meixner and
• Dai Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1147–1156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.99

• antenna. This nanoantenna is typically made by chemical etching of a thin Ag or Au wire or by evaporating a Ag or Au thin film on AFM tips. The tip works like an optical antenna when it is brought as close as a few nanometers to the sample surface and when it is illuminated with a tightly focused laser

Extracting viscoelastic material parameters using an atomic force microscope and static force spectroscopy

• Cameron H. Parvini,
• M. A. S. R. Saadi and
• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 922–937, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.77

• microscopy (AFM) techniques have provided and continue to provide increasingly important insights into surface morphology, mechanics, and other critical material characteristics at the nanoscale. One attractive implementation involves extracting meaningful material properties, which demands physically

• accurate models specifically designed for AFM experimentation and simulation. The AFM community has pursued the precise quantification and extraction of rate-dependent material properties, in particular, for a significant period of time, attempting to describe the standard viscoelastic response of

• materials. AFM static force spectroscopy (SFS) is one approach commonly used in pursuit of this goal. It is capable of acquiring rich temporal insight into the behavior of a sample. During AFM-SFS experiments the cantilever base approaches samples with a nearly constant velocity, which is manipulated to

Measurement of electrostatic tip–sample interactions by time-domain Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Christian Ritz,
• Tino Wagner and
• Andreas Stemmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 911–921, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.76

• , including the component arising from the bias modulation. This constitutes an important improvement over conventional techniques and paves the way for more reliable and accurate measurements of electrostatics and topography. Keywords: atomic force microscopy (AFM); electrostatic height error; extended

• Kalman filter; Kelvin probe force microscopy (KFM); time domain; Introduction Electrostatic forces are important interactions in non-contact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM). They arise from differences in the work function of the tip and the sample, from trapped charges, or from potentials applied to

• FM-AFM can be separated into a component induced by surface topography, Δftopo, and a component induced electrically, Δfel, therefore The coefficient a is proportional to the capacitance gradient C′′ and has the unit of Hz V−2. It is one of the three sample properties that are continuously estimated

Band tail state related photoluminescence and photoresponse of ZnMgO solid solution nanostructured films

• Vadim Morari,
• Aida Pantazi,
• Nicolai Curmei,
• Vitalie Postolache,
• Emil V. Rusu,
• Marius Enachescu,
• Ion M. Tiginyanu and
• Veaceslav V. Ursaki

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 899–910, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.75

• microscopy (AFM), UV–vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) and resistivity measurements in Zn1−xMgxO thin films deposited by the sol–gel spin-coating route in the composition range x = 0.00–0.40 [23]. It was found that the phase segregation manifests itself starting at a Mg content of x = 0.25. However

• pyrolysis. The roughness parameters of films were determined from the analysis of AFM images as published in our previous paper [28]. Graphical representations of the AFM profiles for films prepared by spin coating and aerosol spray pyrolysis are presented in Figure 1b. The RMS values deduced from the AFM

• °C with the morphology of the film prepared by spin coating annealed at 650 °C. The analysis of the morphology in Figure 2a and Figure 2b corroborate the results of the AFM analysis revealing a larger roughness of films prepared by spin coating as compared to those prepared by aerosol spray pyrolysis

Three-dimensional solvation structure of ethanol on carbonate minerals

• Hagen Söngen,
• Ygor Morais Jaques,
• Peter Spijker,
• Christoph Marutschke,
• Stefanie Klassen,
• Ilka Hermes,
• Ralf Bechstein,
• Lidija Zivanovic,
• John Tracey,
• Adam S. Foster and
• Angelika Kühnle

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 891–898, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.74

• surfaces interact with a large variety of organic molecules, which can result in surface restructuring. This process is decisive for the formation of biominerals. With the development of 3D atomic force microscopy (AFM) it is now possible to image solid–liquid interfaces with unprecedented molecular

• resolution. However, the majority of 3D AFM studies have been focused on the arrangement of water at carbonate surfaces. Here, we present an analysis of the assembly of ethanol – an organic molecule with a single hydroxy group – at the calcite and magnesite (10.4) surfaces by using high-resolution 3D AFM and

• molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Within a single AFM data set we are able to resolve both the first laterally ordered solvation layer of ethanol on the calcite surface as well as the following solvation layers that show no lateral order. Our experimental results are in excellent agreement with MD