Dry adhesives from carbon nanofibers grown in an open ethanol flame

• Christian Lutz,
• Julia Syurik,
• C. N. Shyam Kumar,
• Christian Kübel,
• Michael Bruns and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2719–2728, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.271

• same time it avoids the use of unfavourable gases such as hydrogen or ammonia and electrical power for heating as the ethanol flame provides sufficiently high temperatures by itself. It is, of course, unlikely to produce CNFs on an industrial scale with an open flame under ambient conditions. It might

Patterning of supported gold monolayers via chemical lift-off lithography

• Liane S. Slaughter,
• Kevin M. Cheung,
• Sami Kaappa,
• Huan H. Cao,
• Qing Yang,
• Thomas D. Young,
• Andrew C. Serino,
• Sami Malola,
• Jana M. Olson,
• Stephan Link,
• Hannu Häkkinen,
• Anne M. Andrews and
• Paul S. Weiss

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2648–2661, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.265

• under ambient conditions. Having established characterization modalities to evaluate Au–alkanethiolate monolayers on PDMS, we developed an additional strategy for patterning PDMS with Au–alkanethiolate monolayers that takes advantage of the chemical selectivity associated with CLL. We previously

• features onto PDMS [74][75][76], CLL is parallel, high-throughput, and is performed under ambient conditions. Further studies will test the impact of the composition of the supporting molecules on the properties of the lifted-off Au monolayer. The structural and electronic properties of the Au monolayer

Localized growth of carbon nanotubes via lithographic fabrication of metallic deposits

• Fan Tu,
• Martin Drost,
• Imre Szenti,
• Janos Kiss,
• Zoltan Kónya and
• Hubertus Marbach

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2592–2605, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.260

• Fe samples were transferred under ambient conditions to the CVD apparatus at the University of Szeged, Hungary. Therefore, oxidation of the Fe deposits, forming Fe2O3 and Fe3O4, is anticipated as discussed previously [32]. However, exposure to H2 for ten minutes before the CVD and simultaneous dosage

Direct writing of gold nanostructures with an electron beam: On the way to pure nanostructures by combining optimized deposition with oxygen-plasma treatment

• Domagoj Belić,
• Mostafa M. Shawrav,
• Emmerich Bertagnolli and
• Heinz D. Wanzenboeck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2530–2543, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.253

• small O fraction was also detected (<10 atom %), but it remains unclear whether it partially originates from decomposed precursor molecules (C7H10AuF3O2) or partially from the atmospheric O2 and H2O that had been adsorbed to the NPs during a short transfer of the samples under ambient conditions from

Au nanostructure fabrication by pulsed laser deposition in open air: Influence of the deposition geometry

• Rumen G. Nikov,
• Anna Og. Dikovska,
• Nikolay N. Nedyalkov,
• Georgi V. Avdeev and
• Petar A. Atanasov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2438–2445, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.242

• and realization in ambient conditions presented in this work more ideal for industrial applications. Keywords: Au nanostructures; deposition geometry; nanocolumns; open-air PLD; physical properties; Introduction The growing interest in nanomaterials is related to their unique and fascinating

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

• Raman system using a 325 nm laser. Photocatalytic reaction The photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methanol was carried out at ambient conditions in a quartz container and batch operated slurry reactor with cooling jacket. 20 mg of the catalyst was added to 20 mL of isopropanol under magnetic stirring

Ester formation at the liquid–solid interface

• Nguyen T. N. Ha,
• Thiruvancheril G. Gopakumar,
• Nguyen D. C. Yen,
• Carola Mende,
• Lars Smykalla,
• Maik Schlesinger,
• Roy Buschbeck,
• Tobias Rüffer,
• Heinrich Lang,
• Michael Mehring and
• Michael Hietschold

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2139–2150, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.213

• ambient conditions [27]. Molecular mixture at solid−liquid interfaces could possibly initiate chemical reactions and be monitored in situ with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Metal complexation reactions, polymerizations [28][29][30] and photochemical dimerization [31] are shown to be initiated at

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

• within the linear regime. Due to the difficulty and unreliability of holding the AFM probe steady during measurement (due to high drift in ambient conditions), which would be required in order to maintain a constant contact area during a current-voltage (I–V) measurement, we confirm linearity of the I–V

• used to calibrate the force constant of the cantilevers. CRFM and C-AFM measurements were carried out with a scan rate of 0.5 Hz over 256 × 256 pixels per image. Bimodal AFM images were obtained with a scan rate of 2 Hz over 256 × 256 pixels per image. All measurements were performed in ambient

• conditions (≈20 °C and ≈40% RH). The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were taken using a FEI Teneo LV. Samples were casted on a glass slide, then cooled down with liquid nitrogen and broken in half. They were then placed at a 45-degree angle with respect to the electron gun, in order to observe the

Imidazolium-based ionic liquids used as additives in the nanolubrication of silicon surfaces

• Patrícia M. Amorim,
• Ana M. Ferraria,
• Rogério Colaço,
• Luís C. Branco and
• Benilde Saramago

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1961–1971, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.197

• in the lubricants Most ILs and PEG itself are very hygroscopic liquids the water content of which may increase during the tribological applications under ambient conditions. Thus, it is important to know the influence of water on the tribological performance of pure PEG and its mixtures. Two types of

Intercalation of Si between MoS₂ layers

• Rik van Bremen,
• Qirong Yao,
• Soumya Banerjee,
• Deniz Cakir,
• Nuri Oncel and
• Harold J. W. Zandvliet

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1952–1960, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.196

• samples were exfoliated before Si deposition. In a separate UHV chamber, Si was deposited on the MoS2 sample via resistive heating of a small piece of a silicon wafer and then the MoS2 sample was quickly transferred to the XPS chamber. During this transfer the sample was exposed to ambient conditions. The

• , measured at 103 eV, can be attributed to oxidized silicon [48]. The oxidation of Si occurs during the transfer of the sample from the growth chamber to the XPS chamber. During this transfer the sample was exposed to ambient conditions. A more detailed analysis reveals that only 5% of the Si is pristine

Carbon nano-onions as fluorescent on/off modulated nanoprobes for diagnostics

• Stefania Lettieri,
• Marta d’Amora,
• Adalberto Camisasca,
• Alberto Diaspro and
• Silvia Giordani

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1878–1888, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.188

• . Experimental Materials All solvents and reagents were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich in high purity grade. All reactions and measurements were carried out under ambient conditions, unless otherwise stated. Instrumentation Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) TGA was conducted on a TA Q500 analyzer, using a platinum

Application of visible-light photosensitization to form alkyl-radical-derived thin films on gold

• Rashanique D. Quarels,
• Xianglin Zhai,
• Neepa Kuruppu,
• Jenny K. Hedlund,
• Ashley A. Ellsworth,
• Amy V. Walker,
• Jayne C. Garno and
• Justin R. Ragains

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1863–1877, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.187

• mode in ambient conditions. The sites of nanopores of uncovered gold substrate that were protected by the mesosphere mask appear as dark circles (Figure 1a). The characteristic features of a gold surface such as triangular terrace steps and flat domains are apparent in the topography image. The

• sample in ambient conditions for six months, using tapping mode AFM (Figure 5). The arrangement and locations of nanopores can still be resolved with AFM topographs (Figure 5a). The surface coverage of the Au–NHBoc film measured 83%, which is consistent with the value measured from the freshly prepared

• –NHBoc film after storage in ambient conditions for six months. (a) Topography image; (b) zoom-in view; (c) cursor profile for the line in (b); (d) corresponding phase image of (b). IRRAS Spectrum of Au–Me. IRRAS Spectrum of Au–NHBoc. Au 4f, C 1s and O 1s photoelectron spectra of the deposited Au–Me

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

• specimen holder. Drying methods: Conventional drop-drying was realized by supplying one droplet of the conditioned suspension (approx. 5–10 µL) on the conditioned substrate using a micropipette (Model L-200XLS+, Mettler Toledo, Gießen, Germany). The drying procedure was performed under ambient conditions

Fluorination of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes: from CF₄ plasma chemistry to surface functionalization

• Claudia Struzzi,
• Mattia Scardamaglia,
• Jean-François Colomer,
• Alberto Verdini,
• Luca Floreano,
• Rony Snyders and
• Carla Bittencourt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1723–1733, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.173

• investigate the evolution of the electronic properties as a function of the fluorine content at the vCNT surface. The samples suffer a limited ageing effect, with a small loss of fluorine functionalities after two weeks in ambient conditions. Keywords: carbon nanotubes; CF4 plasma; fluorination; plasma

• electronic properties of fluorinated vCNT is discussed as a function of the fluorine content and ageing effects are verified after storing the samples for two weeks under ambient conditions. Results and Discussion In the present work, we combine the study of the CF4 plasma chemistry with the analysis of the

• . In Figure 6, we show the evolution of the F (green) and O (blue) concentrations from the as-functionalized vCNT (dark shades) to the samples after being stored two weeks in ambient conditions (light shades). The loss of fluorine is limited to few percent in all samples except for the highly

Air–water interface of submerged superhydrophobic surfaces imaged by atomic force microscopy

• Markus Moosmann,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Wilhelm Barthlott and
• Matthias Mail

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1671–1679, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.167

• showing long-term stable air retention, we were able to image the air–water interface by AFM. In Figure 5, the data measured from the ideal sample in ambient conditions and in water are compared. The image of Figure 5a was taken in ambient conditions in tapping mode. It shows a row of pillars validating

• . Characterization by atomic force microscopy (AFM) AFM images were made with a commercial AFM system (Dimension ICON, Bruker) operated by a Nanoscope V controller (Bruker). Imaging under ambient conditions was conducted in tapping mode with NSC 15 cantilevers (MikroMasch) with a nominal force constant of 40 N/m and

• , the interfaces separating the wetted areas from the air-retaining areas followed exactly the alignment of the micro-pillars. AFM images (a, c) and the corresponding cross-sections (red lines in b, d) of the sample. The image in a) was taken in ambient conditions in tapping mode and confirms the pillar

Process-specific mechanisms of vertically oriented graphene growth in plasmas

• Subrata Ghosh,
• Shyamal R. Polaki,
• Niranjan Kumar,
• Sankarakumar Amirthapandian,
• Mohamed Kamruddin and
• Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1658–1670, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.166

• the help of a CCD camera (Apex Instrument Co. Pvt. Ltd., India). The volume of the droplet was about 1 µL and all measurements were carried out under ambient conditions. The value of contact angle was evaluated by half angle fitting method prescribed by Apex instrument. Ag paste was used to make four

Group-13 and group-15 doping of germanane

• Nicholas D. Cultrara,
• Maxx Q. Arguilla,
• Shishi Jiang,
• Chuanchuan Sun,
• Michael R. Scudder,
• R. Dominic Ross and
• Joshua E. Goldberger

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1642–1648, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.164

• + oxidation state. For comparison, a Ge(111) wafer having surface oxide contains Ge 2p3/2 peaks at 1216.3 for Ge0, and peaks of oxidized Ge2+ to Ge4+, which range from 1218.2 to 1220.6 eV. Figure 4b shows the Ga 3d5/2 and Ge 3d5/2 XPS spectra for the 2.3% Ga:GeH crystals after exposure to ambient conditions

• . Undoped GeH exhibited sheet resistances approaching the noise limit of the instrumentation of the order of ca. 1015 Ω/sq in both vacuum and under ambient conditions, similar to previous studies [29]. Figure 5c,d shows a representative I–V plot for 2.3% Ga:GeH in vacuum and air, respectively. The I–V plot

• again at the actual noise limit of our instrumentation. However, in air, there is an increase in conductivity of at least three orders of magnitude. Figure 5f shows a representative I–V plot of As:GeH in ambient conditions. In contrast to Ga:GeH, the I–V plot is linear, with minimal hysteresis. The I–V

Parylene C as a versatile dielectric material for organic field-effect transistors

• Tomasz Marszalek,
• Maciej Gazicki-Lipman and
• Jacek Ulanski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1532–1545, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.155

• dielectric, OFETs of adequate transport characteristics are operated under ambient conditions with no need of any extra shielding. After an initial period of a decrease of charge-carrier mobility, the long-term performance stabilizes at a satisfactory operational level. It has to be stressed, however, that

• discussed above were obtained for active materials that were not sensitive to ambient conditions. However, most n-type organic semiconductors do not show such stability. One example of an unstable material (characterized by considerable charge trapping) is the previously described fullerene C60. The

• transistor characteristics of unprotected and Parylene C protected fullerene based devices are presented in Figure 13. Transfer characteristics, monitored under ambient conditions, of non-protected OFETs are shown in Figure 13a. As seen in the figure, the source–drain current (IDS) of a non-encapsulated OFET

Light-induced magnetoresistance in solution-processed planar hybrid devices measured under ambient conditions

• Sreetama Banerjee,
• Daniel Bülz,
• Danny Reuter,
• Karla Hiller,
• Dietrich R. T. Zahn and
• Georgeta Salvan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1502–1507, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.150

• photocurrent. The magnetoresistance effect was found to diminish over time under ambient conditions compared to a freshly prepared sample. We propose that the much faster degradation of the magnetoresistance effect as compared to the photocurrent was due to the incorporation of water molecules in the TIPS

• reported for other materials such as Alq3 [3]. The observed magnetoresistance effect was found to diminish approximately after two days of sample preparation in case of the HED-TIE devices kept under ambient conditions, while the photocurrent decreased from 120% to only 65%. The photoresponse time, however

Deposition of exchange-coupled dinickel complexes on gold substrates utilizing ambidentate mercapto-carboxylato ligands

• Martin Börner,
• Laura Blömer,
• Marcus Kischel,
• Peter Richter,
• Georgeta Salvan,
• Dietrich R. T. Zahn,
• Pablo F. Siles,
• Maria E. N. Fuentes,
• Carlos C. B. Bufon,
• Daniel Grimm,
• Oliver G. Schmidt,
• Daniel Breite,
• Bernd Abel and
• Berthold Kersting

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1375–1387, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.139

• . Atomic force microscopy An Agilent 5600LS AFM system was used to collect topography data under Ar and ambient conditions in order to keep the integrity of the organic system. Measurements were performed in tapping mode in order to minimize the contact between the AFM probe and the sample surface and

• were recorded under ambient conditions in a spectral range from 0.7 eV to 5 eV at light incidence angles of 65°, 70°, and 75°. The samples were immediately measured after preparation. Gold substrates were cleaned, immersed in a 1 × 10−3 M solution of the complexes in CH2Cl2 for at least 12 h, rinsed

Comprehensive Raman study of epitaxial silicene-related phases on Ag(111)

• Dmytro Solonenko,
• Ovidiu D. Gordan,
• Guy Le Lay,
• Dietrich R. T. Zahn and
• Patrick Vogt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1357–1365, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.137

• detected. Ex situ AFM images of this sample recorded under ambient conditions, i.e., after oxidation in air, are displayed in Figure 3b. Raman spectra obtained before and after air exposure are identical confirming that the oxidation process in air does not cause the appearance of those new features

Bright fluorescent silica-nanoparticle probes for high-resolution STED and confocal microscopy

• Isabella Tavernaro,
• Christian Cavelius,
• Henrike Peuschel and
• Annette Kraegeloh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1283–1296, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.130

• under ambient conditions. The UV–vis spectra of diluted and undiluted solutions were recorded with a Cary 5000 spectrophotometer (Varian Inc., Darmstadt, Germany) in the range from 300 to 800 nm. Fluorescence spectra were obtained with a spectrofluorometer Spex FluoroMax-3 from HORIBA Jobin Yvon

Metal oxide nanostructures: preparation, characterization and functional applications as chemical sensors

• Dario Zappa,
• Angela Bertuna,
• Elisabetta Comini,
• Navpreet Kaur,
• Nicola Poli,
• Veronica Sberveglieri and
• Giorgio Sberveglieri

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1205–1217, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.122

• in a test chamber of 1 L volume enclosed in a custom-made climatic chamber, set at 20 °C, to remove any influence from external ambient conditions. A fixed voltage of 1 V was applied to the sensing element of each sensor, while the current flowing was measured by picoamperemeters (Keithley). The

Preparation of thick silica coatings on carbon fibers with fine-structured silica nanotubes induced by a self-assembly process

• Benjamin Baumgärtner,
• Hendrik Möller,
• Thomas Neumann and
• Dirk Volkmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1145–1155, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.116

• methanol, dried under ambient conditions and subsequently dissolved in water by neutralizing with 25 wt % aqueous ammonia solution. The clear polymer solution was transferred into dialysis tubing (Aldrich, cellulose membrane, typical molecular weight cut-off: 3500 kDa) and the dialysis was carried out

• centrifugation, washed with water and ethanol and dried at ambient conditions leading to white silica powders. Calcination of the LPEI/silica hybrid material was performed in air atmosphere with a heating rate of 1.5 K/min up to a maximum temperature of 475 °C at which the sample was kept for 90 min. In the case

Growth, structure and stability of sputter-deposited MoS₂ thin films

• Reinhard Kaindl,
• Bernhard C. Bayer,
• Roland Resel,
• Thomas Müller,
• Viera Skakalova,
• Gerlinde Habler,
• Rainer Abart,
• Alexey S. Cherevan,
• Dominik Eder,
• Maxime Blatter,
• Fabian Fischer,
• Jannik C. Meyer,
• Dmitry K. Polyushkin and
• Wolfgang Waldhauser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1115–1126, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.113

• , electron beam and light scattering, scanning and spectroscopic methods as well as electrical device characterization. We find that room-temperature-deposited MoS2 films are amorphous, of smooth surface morphology and easily degraded upon moderate laser-induced annealing in ambient conditions. In contrast

• annealing conditions. Our in situ laser annealing experiments therefore show that the amorphous MoS2 films deposited at RT are very unstable and easily oxidized upon increased energy input in ambient air whereas nanocrystalline films deposited at 400 °C remain comparatively stable in ambient conditions when