Low cost tips for tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy fabricated by two-step electrochemical etching of 125 µm diameter gold wires

• Antonino Foti,
• Francesco Barreca,
• Enza Fazio,
• Cristiano D’Andrea,
• Paolo Matteini,
• Onofrio Maria Maragò and
• Pietro Giuseppe Gucciardi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2718–2729, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.254

• ]. The tips efficiently enhance and confine the electromagnetic field at the nanoscale [8][9] or even at sub-nanometer levels [10]. TERS has a sensitivity that can reach the single molecule level [11][12]. TERS setups based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) [1][13], scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) [14

Disorder in H⁺-irradiated HOPG: effect of impinging energy and dose on Raman D-band splitting and surface topography

• Lisandro Venosta,
• Noelia Bajales,
• Sergio Suárez and
• Paula G. Bercoff

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2708–2717, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.253

• techniques is advantageous in order to gain a better insight into the origin of defects. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can help to reveal an increase in the graphene/graphite surface roughness, which has been correlated with the disorder generated by increasing hydrogen irradiation doses [21][22][23

• from the irradiation chamber to the SQUID holder by using a portable vacuum chamber in order to avoid contamination during manipulation. After Raman and SQUID characterizations, atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements were performed at room temperature using a Di-Innova Microscope (Bruker, USA) in

Optimization of Mo/Cr bilayer back contacts for thin-film solar cells

• Nima Khoshsirat,
• Fawad Ali,
• Vincent Tiing Tiong,
• Mojtaba Amjadipour,
• Hongxia Wang,
• Mahnaz Shafiei and
• Nunzio Motta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2700–2707, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.252

• scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV–vis–NIR spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A careful analysis of the resulting Mo/Cr thin film across all the sputtering parameters led us to the best combination, optimizing both the electro-optical response of the Mo/Cr

Characterization of the microscopic tribological properties of sandfish (Scincus scincus) scales by atomic force microscopy

• Weibin Wu,
• Christian Lutz,
• Simon Mersch,
• Richard Thelen,
• Christian Greiner,
• Guillaume Gomard and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2618–2627, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.243

• , it is highly unlikely that the surface structure of the scales is responsible for the observed low abrasion. Baumgartner and co-workers [10][11][16] measured adhesion by atomic force microscopy (AFM) on scales of S. scincus and observed extremely low values. They analysed the chemical composition of

Non-agglomerated silicon–organic nanoparticles and their nanocomplexes with oligonucleotides: synthesis and properties

• Asya S. Levina,
• Marina N. Repkova,
• Nadezhda V. Shikina,
• Zinfer R. Ismagilov,
• Svetlana A. Yashnik,
• Dmitrii V. Semenov,
• Yulia I. Savinovskaya,
• Natalia A. Mazurkova,
• Inna A. Pyshnaya and
• Valentina F. Zarytova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2516–2525, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.234

• coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The experimental Si/P value (10.9) showed a reasonable correlation with the calculated data (10.0). The atomic force microscopy (AFM) image of the Si–NH2 nanoparticles was not obtained in a satisfactory quality because of the very small size of the particles

• microscope. The results are presented in Figure 3. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was performed on a Solver P47 Bio atomic force microscope (NT-МDT, Russia) in a tapping mode. The aqueous solution of the Si–NH2·ODN(1) sample (10 µL, 0.16 µM, NH2/p = 10) was applied to a freshly cleaved mica area of 25–30 mm2

High-temperature magnetism and microstructure of a semiconducting ferromagnetic (GaSb)_1−x(MnSb)_x alloy

• Leonid N. Oveshnikov,
• Elena I. Nekhaeva,
• Alexey V. Kochura,
• Alexander B. Davydov,
• Mikhail A. Shakhov,
• Sergey F. Marenkin,
• Oleg A. Novodvorskii,
• Alexander P. Kuzmenko,
• Alexander L. Vasiliev,
• Boris A. Aronzon and
• Erkki Lahderanta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2457–2465, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.230

• (FEI, US) was used for image analysis. P. Stadelmann’s JEMS software [16] was used for the simulation of diffraction patterns and images. Scanning atomic force microscopy (AFM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM) images were obtained on an SmartSPM microscope (AIST-NT, US) at temperatures of T = 295

High-throughput micro-nanostructuring by microdroplet inkjet printing

• Hendrikje R. Neumann and
• Christine Selhuber-Unkel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2372–2380, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.222

• maximum and minimum. Apparently, the micelle-containing o-xylene solution spreads out most reproducibly on silicon and less on NiTi. To explain the differences in the droplet diameters of our different materials, the surface topography of the samples was measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM). As

• all nanoparticles, the particle analyzer was used (included in ImageJ) and the image was converted to a binary image. Finally, a freely accessible nearest-neighbor detection algorithm was employed for the determination of the nanoparticle distances [36]. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging and image

• processing Atomic force microscopy (AFM) topographic imaging was employed to measure the roughness of the samples. Imaging was performed on a JPK NanoWizard 3 (JPK Instruments AG) operated in ac mode using ACTA cantilevers (spring constant ≈40 N/m, resonance frequency ≈300 kHz; Applied NanoStructuresInc

Block copolymers for designing nanostructured porous coatings

• Roberto Nisticò

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2332–2344, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.218

• mol−1) at low magnification. c) PS-b-PEO (10.6-b-5.0 kg mol−1) at high magnification. d) Freeze fracture cross section PS-b-PEO (10.6-b-5.0 kg mol−1). Reprinted with permission from [62], copyright 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry. a) Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of a composite nanoporous

Nanotribology

• Enrico Gnecco,
• Susan Perkin,
• Andrea Vanossi and
• Ernst Meyer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2330–2331, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.217

• techniques for materials characterization are those typical of surface science (e.g., X-ray diffraction, SEM, TEM, XPS and Raman spectroscopy), more specific to nanotribology are nanoindenters, nanotribometers, quartz force microbalance and especially atomic force microscopy (AFM), which, without a doubt

Nanoscale characterization of the temporary adhesive of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

• Ana S. Viana and
• Romana Santos

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2277–2286, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.212

• , the first nanoscale characterization of sea urchin temporary adhesives was performed using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results: The adhesive topography was similar under dry and native (seawater) conditions, which was comprised of a honeycomb-like meshwork of aggregated globular nanostructures. In

• organisms such as marine flatworms [1], barnacle cyprids [2][3][4], freshwater cnidaria [5] and echinoderms such as sea cucumbers [6] and sea stars [7][8]. This characterization was performed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), a technique that allows high-resolution images of soft biological materials to

• tube feet were allowed to adhere firmly to a freshly cleaved mica surface and then voluntarily detach, leaving the adhesive secretion on the substrate (mica for AFM and glass for histochemistry) as a footprint. All methodologies used comply with national legislation and guidelines. Atomic force

Spin-coated planar Sb₂S₃ hybrid solar cells approaching 5% efficiency

• Pascal Kaienburg,
• Benjamin Klingebiel and
• Thomas Kirchartz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2114–2124, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.200

• chosen to be 265 °C slightly above the minimum crystallization temperature of Sb2S3. The morphology was studied with SEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Possible changes in electronic quality with crystallization temperature were investigated via photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS) where the

Phosphorus monolayer doping (MLD) of silicon on insulator (SOI) substrates

• Noel Kennedy,
• Ray Duffy,
• Luke Eaton,
• Dan O’Connell,
• Scott Monaghan,
• Shane Garvey,
• James Connolly,
• Chris Hatem,
• Justin D. Holmes and
• Brenda Long

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2106–2113, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.199

• capping layer the dopant monolayer is essentially “burnt” off during high-temperature annealing. Cap removal was carried out using a standard buffered oxide etch. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to acquire high-resolution topographic images to evaluate the surface quality throughout MLD processing

The structural and chemical basis of temporary adhesion in the sea star Asterina gibbosa

• Birgit Lengerer,
• Marie Bonneel,
• Mathilde Lefevre,
• Elise Hennebert,
• Philippe Leclère,
• Emmanuel Gosselin,
• Peter Ladurner and
• Patrick Flammang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2071–2086, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.196

• interference microscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). A. gibbosa tube feet and footprints were labelled with antibodies raised against the adhesive protein Sfp1 from A. rubens, but no cross-reactivity was observed. To detect carbohydrate moieties, we performed lectin labelling with 24 commercially

• ). The mesh size varied from 1 to 5 µm in diameter (Figure 4C). At higher magnification, the fine structure of both layers appeared similar (Figure 4D). The footprint topography was confirmed with 3D confocal interference microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) (Figure 5). 3D confocal interference

• Metrology A/S) was used to determine the roughness parameters from the confocal images. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) Footprints were collected on clean microscope glass slides, rinsed with MilliQ water and air dried. The footprints were then imaged in air and under ambient conditions with a Dimension Icon

Biomimetic and biodegradable cellulose acetate scaffolds loaded with dexamethasone for bone implants

• Aikaterini-Rafailia Tsiapla,
• Varvara Karagkiozaki,
• Veroniki Bakola,
• Foteini Pappa,
• Panagiota Gkertsiou,
• Eleni Pavlidou and
• Stergios Logothetidis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1986–1994, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.189

• work, a drug-delivery nanoplatform system consisting of polymeric celluloce acetate (CA) scaffolds loaded with dexamethasone was fabricated through electrospinning. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated the successful fabrication of these structures

Direct AFM-based nanoscale mapping and tomography of open-circuit voltages for photovoltaics

• Katherine Atamanuk,
• Justin Luria and
• Bryan D. Huey

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1802–1808, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.171

• , microstructure, and performance is necessary as a function of device design, processing, and in-service conditions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been a valuable tool for such characterization, especially of materials properties and device performance at the nanoscale. In the case of thin-film solar cells

Uniform cobalt nanoparticles embedded in hexagonal mesoporous nanoplates as a magnetically separable, recyclable adsorbent

• Can Zhao,
• Yuexiao Song,
• Tianyu Xiang,
• Wenxiu Qu,
• Shuo Lou,
• Xiaohong Yin and
• Feng Xin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1770–1781, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.168

• magnetometer (VSM) with an applied magnetic field between −20 kOe and 20 kOe at room temperature (SQUID-VSM, USA). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was performed on an AFM instrument (NTEGRA Spectra, Russia) using tapping mode. The samples were deposited onto clean Si substrates and dried at 60 °C. UV–vis

Magnetic properties of Fe₃O₄ antidot arrays synthesized by AFIR: atomic layer deposition, focused ion beam and thermal reduction

• Juan L. Palma,
• Alejandro Pereira,
• Raquel Álvaro,
• José Miguel García-Martín and
• Juan Escrig

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1728–1734, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.164

• has a controlled atmosphere of hydrogen (4%) balanced with argon (96%) at an overpressure of 400 mbar with a set temperature of 430 °C, for 4 h [32][33]. This process allows for the conversion of Fe2O3 to Fe3O4, which exhibits a strong magnetic signal. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements have

Closed polymer containers based on phenylboronic esters of resorcinarenes

• Tatiana Yu. Sergeeva,
• Rezeda K. Mukhitova,
• Irek R. Nizameev,
• Marsil K. Kadirov,
• Polina D. Klypina,
• Albina Y. Ziganshina and
• Alexander I. Konovalov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1594–1601, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.151

• diameter of p(SRA-B) is about 130 nm as evident from atomic force microscopy (AFM) images (Figure 1). The average molecular weight determined by static light scattering (SLS) measurements, is about 1600 ± 90 kDa (see Supporting Information File 1, Figure S2). In the IR spectrum of p(SRA-B), the band

Correlative electrochemical strain and scanning electron microscopy for local characterization of the solid state electrolyte Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃

• Nino Schön,
• Deniz Cihan Gunduz,
• Shicheng Yu,
• Hermann Tempel,
• Roland Schierholz and
• Florian Hausen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1564–1572, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.148

• relatively new technique based on atomic force microscopy (AFM): An AC voltage with the same frequency as the contact resonance frequency of the tip–sample contact is applied to a conductive tip. [22][23]. The induced electrical field in the material under investigation is extremely localized due to the

Preparation and morphology-dependent wettability of porous alumina membranes

• Dmitry L. Shimanovich,
• Alla I. Vorobjova,
• Daria I. Tishkevich,
• Alex V. Trukhanov,
• Maxim V. Zdorovets and
• Artem L. Kozlovskiy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1423–1436, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.135

• examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, Philips, XL 30 S FEG and Hitachi, S-4800) and atomic force microscopy (AFM, Nanotop, NT-206 (Belarus) and Solver P47H, NT-MDT Co., Russia). Computer processing of the experimental data was carried out using the software package Surface Explorer Document (SED

Induced smectic phase in binary mixtures of twist-bend nematogens

• Anamarija Knežević,
• Irena Dokli,
• Marin Sapunar,
• Suzana Šegota,
• Ute Baumeister and
• Andreja Lesac

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1297–1307, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.122

• , obtained by atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging, is in the range of 6–7 nm. The induction of the smectic phase in the mixtures containing 55–80 mol % of BB was confirmed using polarising optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction. The origin of the

• phase. Various spectroscopic techniques and molecular dynamic calculations were used in an attempt to determine the interactions responsible for the induction of the smectic phase. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements performed on the mixtures enriched with CBI showed that the distance between

Artifacts in time-resolved Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Sascha Sadewasser,
• Nicoleta Nicoara and
• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1272–1281, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.119

• electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) on organic photovoltaic blends [14][15][16]. By applying a bias pulse to the atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip, Schirmeisen et al. studied the ion transport in solid electrolytes [17]. By applying bias pulses across organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) electronic

Heterostuctures of 4-(chloromethyl)phenyltrichlorosilane and 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphine prepared on Si(111) using particle lithography: Nanoscale characterization of the main steps of nanopatterning

• Phillip C. Chambers and
• Jayne C. Garno

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1211–1219, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.112

• matrix of OTS showed minimal areas of nonspecific adsorption. The AFM studies provide insight into the mechanism of the self-polymerization of CMPS as a platform for constructing porphyrin heterostructures. Keywords: atomic force microscopy (AFM); nanostructures; particle lithography; porphyrin; self

• with a surface orientation defined by the substituents [20]. The self-assembly of manganese meso-tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrin on Cu(111) was studied using low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to resolve molecular structures by Chen et al. [21]. A

• porphyrins and organosilanes. With ex situ steps of particle lithography, the successive addition of molecules through chemical reactions in solution can be evaluated by measuring changes in the heights and morphology of nanostructures. Using high-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM), surface changes can

Imaging of viscoelastic soft matter with small indentation using higher eigenmodes in single-eigenmode amplitude-modulation atomic force microscopy

• Miead Nikfarjam,
• Enrique A. López-Guerra,
• Santiago D. Solares and
• Babak Eslami

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1116–1122, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.103

• Abstract In this short paper we explore the use of higher eigenmodes in single-eigenmode amplitude-modulation atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the small-indentation imaging of soft viscoelastic materials. In viscoelastic materials, whose response depends on the deformation rate, the tip–sample forces

• the invention of atomic force microscopy (AFM), researchers have sought to increase the number of observables that are recorded during a single-pass measurement, as well as improve the sensitivity with which those observables are recorded [1][2][3][4][5]. In an effort to control the sensitivity and

Magnetic characterization of cobalt nanowires and square nanorings fabricated by focused electron beam induced deposition

• Federico Venturi,
• Gian Carlo Gazzadi,
• Amir H. Tavabi,
• Alberto Rota,
• Rafal E. Dunin-Borkowski and
• Stefano Frabboni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1040–1049, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.97

• outside and inside the sample. MFM is a microscopy technique that is closely related to atomic force microscopy (AFM) [31]. The scanning tip is magnetized and is therefore sensitive to magnetic fields generated by the sample. Attractive and repulsive forces between the tip and the sample are measured and