First-principles study of the structural, optoelectronic and thermophysical properties of the π-SnSe for thermoelectric applications

• Muhammad Atif Sattar,
• Najwa Al Bouzieh,
• Maamar Benkraouda and
• Noureddine Amrane

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1101–1114, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.82

• is exceptionally promising for the next generation of photovoltaic and thermoelectric devices at room and high temperatures. Keywords: density functional theory (DFT); electronic properties; lattice thermal conductivity; optical properties; thermodynamic properties; thermoelectric properties; tin

• conductivity, thermal conductivity, electronic thermal conductivity, lattice thermal conductivity, and absolute temperature, respectively [5]. The bottleneck that limits the extensive use of TE materials is their relatively low value of ZT. The close interdependency of the three entities S, σ, and κtot offer

• the power factor (PF = S2σ) which is connected with the electrical transport [8][9] and the lowest value of κtot [10]. To date, a considerable amount of research has been performed to enhance the ZT value. For instance, by lowering the value of the lattice thermal conductivity (through all-scale

Assessment of the optical and electrical properties of light-emitting diodes containing carbon-based nanostructures and plasmonic nanoparticles: a review

• Keshav Nagpal,
• Erwan Rauwel,
• Frédérique Ducroquet and
• Protima Rauwel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1078–1092, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.80

• manifests as an increment in the photoluminescence (PL), conductivity, and electroluminescence (EL) of the LED [24][25]. Other MNP with SPR properties include Al, Pt, Pd, and Cu [26][27][28][29]. In general, SPR not only increases the radiative recombination lifetime values, but also the quantum yield

• review is available in Table 1. Enhancing the anode characteristics For LED, the general strategy is to use a current-spreading layer (anode) with a high electrical conductivity and a high transparency ranging from the UV to the red region. Additionally, it should also be cost-effective and producible on

• (Figure 7) present the best results in terms of luminance and EL emission. In addition, the electron conductivity of the device is increased by four orders of magnitude. Concerning graphene–polymer nanocomposites, Choudhary et al. have inserted MoS2 and graphene oxide NP into a polyaniline ETL [72]. The

Progress and innovation of nanostructured sulfur cathodes and metal-free anodes for room-temperature Na–S batteries

• Marina Tabuyo-Martínez,
• Bernd Wicklein and
• Pilar Aranda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 995–1020, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.75

• design a cathode material that improves the conductivity of the system [4][11]. Common approaches are based on the incorporation of conductive carbon nanomaterials [23]. The volume expansion of sulfur during the discharge process is caused by the formation of the discharge product Na2S. This expansion is

• the drawbacks of sulfur-based cathodes. The strategies to solve the polysulfide shuttle effect, conductivity drop, and structural damage caused by sulfur volume expansion are discussed. Moreover, concepts for Na metal-free anodes in Na–S batteries are reviewed and analyzed. Other strategies including

• this technology has currently developed and where future research could be directed at. Review Conventional sulfur–carbon cathode materials Sulfur–carbon composites are the most widely studied cathode materials because carbon increases the cathode conductivity and also improves the reactivity of sulfur

A Au/CuNiCoS₄/p-Si photodiode: electrical and morphological characterization

• Adem Koçyiğit,
• Adem Sarılmaz,
• Teoman Öztürk,
• Faruk Ozel and
• Murat Yıldırım

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 984–994, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.74

• frequency and then decreased towards 1000 kHz. The decreasing of Rs with increasing frequency can be attributed to an increase of the conductivity of the photodiode. The Nss values for the Au/CuNiCoS4/p-Si photodiode are acceptable for optoelectronic devices [44]. The plots of resistance as function of the

The role of deep eutectic solvents and carrageenan in synthesizing biocompatible anisotropic metal nanoparticles

• Nabojit Das,
• Akash Kumar and
• Raja Gopal Rayavarapu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 924–938, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.69

• surface coating with nanoparticles through electrodeposition. A general electrodeposition setup consists of three electrodes, that is cathode, anode, and a reference electrode [78]. The solvation property and the conductivity of DESs also play a critical role in determining the physical structure, yield

• of carrageenan and surfactants. The dissolution of several compounds would significantly contribute to a species-rich system with higher conductivity. This unique hybrid model will create a platform for synthesizing n different nanomaterials with combinatorial possibilities of 2n since there are n

Fate and transformation of silver nanoparticles in different biological conditions

• Barbara Pem,
• Marija Ćurlin,
• Darija Domazet Jurašin,
• Valerije Vrček,
• Rinea Barbir,
• Vedran Micek,
• Raluca M. Fratila,
• Jesus M. de la Fuente and
• Ivana Vinković Vrček

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 665–679, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.53

• possible toxic effects following the biomedical applications. Experimental Chemicals All chemicals were purchased from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany) unless otherwise specified. Ultrapure water (UPW), characterized with conductivity of 18.2 MΩ·cm, was obtained from a GenPure UltraPure water system (GenPure UV

A review of defect engineering, ion implantation, and nanofabrication using the helium ion microscope

• Frances I. Allen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 633–664, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.52

• analysis of these substrate effects can be found in [18]. Electrical and electronic properties The majority of defect engineering studies using the HIM have focused on tuning electrical conductivity. First work in this area concentrated on graphene, seeking to locally modulate its 2D electronic structure

• traps that pin the Fermi level at the Dirac point. Later conductivity tuning of graphene went on to combine this irradiation-induced effect with the fine patterning capabilities of the HIM performing line irradiations across graphene with varying step sizes between dwell points [21]. This produced

• continuously irradiated lines in the one extreme, and lines comprising a chain of separated points in the other. Conductivity analysis of these samples showed that in addition to the total dose, the scan strategy (which controls the uniformity of the dose and hence the uniformity of the resulting defects) can

High-yield synthesis of silver nanowires for transparent conducting PET films

• Gul Naz,
• Hafsa Asghar,
• Muhammad Ramzan,
• Muhammad Arshad,
• Rashid Ahmed,
• Muhammad Bilal Tahir,
• Bakhtiar Ul Haq,
• Nadeem Baig and
• Junaid Jalil

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 624–632, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.51

• electrodes made of sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO) films [1][2][3]. These films are widely used because of their high transmittance, low sheet resistance, and high electrical conductivity. Yet, they still have some major drawbacks such as high cost, intrinsic brittleness due to the ceramic nature [4], and

• electrical conductivity [12]. AgNWs are important as they offer a possibility to overcome light–matter interaction in the visible region. The optical properties of AgNWs are determined by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), which depends on shape, size, and environment of the material [13]. AgNWs

• as a by-product of the reaction drastically affect the electrical conductivity and transparency of the silver nanowires network, thus limiting the optoelectronic applications [30][31]. Here, a fast one-pot modified polyol protocol [32] was employed to obtain ultrapure silver nanowires. In this facile

Nanoporous and nonporous conjugated donor–acceptor polymer semiconductors for photocatalytic hydrogen production

• Zhao-Qi Sheng,
• Yu-Qin Xing,
• Yan Chen,
• Guang Zhang,
• Shi-Yong Liu and
• Long Chen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 607–623, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.50

• -based polymers, for example, P45 (Figure 5). The D–π–A-type compound P45 possesses an extended π-conjugation along the backbone and consequently has an enlarged visible-light absorption and enhanced electronic conductivity compared with π-linker-free pyrene–benzothiadiazole-based polymers. After

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

• mobility and, consequently, graphene conductivity. On the other hand, chemical functionalization of graphene may improve the sensitivity of graphene-based sensors [6]. Therefore, the control of density and types of defects in graphene might be a new way to prepare efficient molecular sensors. Systems

• 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

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

• - and few-layer thick graphene films [1][2]. Unique properties, such as high thermal stability and conductivity, immense intra-sheet stiffness, and excellent dielectric properties, make h-BN interesting for technological applications. For example, thin films of h-BN have been used as a passivating layer

Interface interaction of transition metal phthalocyanines with strontium titanate (100)

• Reimer Karstens,
• Thomas Chassé and
• Heiko Peisert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 485–496, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.39

• theoretical approaches [6]. Possible applications of STO/organic interfaces include FETs [7][8], photodiodes [9], and organic spin valves[10]. Strontium titanate is a semiconductor with an indirect band gap of 3.25 eV [11] crystallizing in a perovskite structure with cubic unit cell. The conductivity can be

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

• 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

• conductivity enhancement and sometimes mitigates the impact of volume changes. However, at the same time, it causes a decrease of the Co3O4 capacity. Another strategy is associated with synthesis procedures that allow one to produce nanometer-scale Co3O4 materials with various shapes and morphologies. It has

• frequently observed for pure and unmodified Co3O4 electrodes tested at current densities above 200 mA·g−1 [4][24][27]. It can be related to low ionic and electronic conductivity, which influences the charge/discharge at high current densities [2][4]. Interestingly, the cyclability test performed at 100 mA·g

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

• the mold slowly. Second, SCGMs (diameter of 30 μm, Shenzhen Changxinda Shielding Materials Co. LTD) with good electrical conductivity were spread evenly over the surface. Finally, different films were prepared by adjusting the ratio between silicone and rubber/SCGMs (1:1, 1:1.5, 1:2, 1:2.5

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

• high dielectric constant and low conductivity. Metamaterial structures with similar repetitive geometric structures, such as Si/SiO2/ITO/Au [62], were obtained worldwide. In the case of our research, the new suggested metamaterial structure will consist of dielectric (SiO2)/inductive elements

Nickel nanoparticle-decorated reduced graphene oxide/WO₃ nanocomposite – a promising candidate for gas sensing

• Ilka Simon,
• Alexandr Savitsky,
• Rolf Mülhaupt,
• Vladimir Pankov and
• Christoph Janiak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 343–353, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.28

• graphene oxide, rGO) chemically or thermally. Through the partial removal of oxygen groups, the conductivity can be restored. Additionally, defects and vacancies are created [26]. Because of the ultra-high surface area per atom and the high electron transport along the graphene plane, rGO has a rapid and

• charges (possibly, a p–n junction is formed). It was shown [59] that electrons that were transferred from the n-type semiconductor and stored in the rGO sheets are withdrawn upon exposure to gas, thereby restoring the hole concentration and p-type conductivity of rGO. This is made possible by the energy

• band alignment between the semiconductor and rGO, the electron acceptor functionalization of the analyzed gas, and the p-type conductivity of the rGO. Thus, the electron-depleted WO3 surface is more sensitive to the adsorption of acetone molecules and the transition of electrons from the adsorbed gas

Scanning transmission helium ion microscopy on carbon nanomembranes

• Daniel Emmrich,
• Annalena Wolff,
• Nikolaus Meyerbröker,
• Jörg K. N. Lindner,
• André Beyer and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 222–231, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.18

• originate from a molecular thin film, they can be as thin as 1 nm. The conductivity of such membranes is low, which poses a challenge to SE imaging with charged-particle microscopes such as SEM or HIM [24]. This work demonstrates that the holder is easily optimized for such difficult samples. It is possible

• measure the pure STIM signal, SE emitted directly from the sample need to be blocked. Ideally, the resulting signal consists exclusively of SE released by transmitted ions. Three measures were taken to filter out direct SE. Firstly, CNMs have a low conductivity, which leads to charging and reduces the SE

• , HIM and Raman spectroscopy were performed on the samples after the EFTEM experiments. The SE image in Figure 7b shows that membrane turned brighter in the areas previously imaged with EFTEM, which is indicative of a higher electric conductivity, as demonstrated in the following. In Figure 7c, a Raman

A review on the biological effects of nanomaterials on silkworm (Bombyx mori)

• Sandra Senyo Fometu,
• Guohua Wu,
• Lin Ma and
• Joan Shine Davids

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 190–202, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.15

• graphitic structure enhanced its electrical conductivity [162]. Graphene has excellent electrical conductivity, optical properties, and mechanical strength [163][164][165][166], and these traits were conferred to the silk fibers. It was also indicated that silkworms fed with a lower concentration (0.2 wt

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

• 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

• 11.6 kΩ (at 1 kHz). Additionally, since the operation of the textile electrodes relies on charge flow, moisture and sweat can increase the interface conductivity of the skin electrodes and provide an even better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in long-term monitoring applications in contrast to “wet

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

• addition to the improved conductivity of the specimen, the deposited layer may contribute to the electron density of the surface, thus increasing secondary electron yield. This effect, commonly referred to as electron- and/or ion beam-induced deposition, is commonly observed in charged-particle microscopes

• to increased conductivity, this region appears significantly brighter than the rest of the image. (b1–3) HIM images of a cell infected at MOI 1 at different magnifications (FOV 20 µm, 5 µm, and 450 nm) with charge compensation. (c1–3) HIM images of the same cell (FOV 20 µm, 2 µm, and 450 nm) after

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

• paper-based 3D foldable device submitted to a direct laser patterning method, which can convert ink-soaked paper substrates to multifunctional carbide/graphene (MCG) composites [92]. The composites have shown good conductivity even after repeated mechanical bending and folding tests. Moreover, the laser

• flexible conductive materials, metallic materials (e.g., copper, zinc, silver, and gold) are still frequently used as electrodes for flexible electronics due to their excellent electrical conductivity. By using the Kapton tape to attach soft stencils to paper, various metals can be deposited through the

• conductivity. VF is a simple and rapid method to cast functional materials onto solution-processable substrates without the need to implement any time-consuming and high-cost processes (e.g., evacuation, thermal/e-beam heating, and radio-frequency sputtering). The conductivity is also easily adjustable by

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

• characteristics including antimicrobial activity, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, optical characteristics, and mechanical properties. The antimicrobial characteristic of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has made them highly applicable in the biomedical and therapeutic fields [69][70][71]. Currently

• infections, and also inhibit the growth of bacterial biofilms [14][15][16]. AgNPs were also used in developing strong thermally conductive materials. They were used in polymer composites to increase thermal conductivity (K) [77][78] for cooling applications in electronic equipment. Furthermore, AgNPs have

• demonstrated unique electrical properties. AgNPs coated on polycarbonate substrates were previously used to increase the electrical conductivity of polycarbonate composites [79]. AgNPs have also demonstrated minimum or no adverse effects on mechanical strength when embedded in polymeric materials or composites

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

• alternatives to metal oxides are two-dimensional (2D) MXenes. Their properties include environmental sustainability, lamellar structure, high transformation efficiency, high surface hydrophilicity, and good electrical conductivity [14]. Therefore, in the following section we discuss the main properties of

• biocompatibility, photothermal efficiency, low Seebeck coefficient, as well as good conductivity. They synthesized tantalum carbide MXene sheets from a tantalum aluminum carbide (Ta4AlC3) MAX phase through etching the intermediate aluminium with the aid of hydrofluoric acid (HF). Analysis of the synthesized

• of N-CuMe2Pc nanorods. The sample M10P2, in which 10 mg of MXene and 2 mg N-CuMe2Pc were used, exhibited high ionic conductivity and the measured value of the specific capacitance was 786 F·g−1 [16]. Li et al. synthesized monolayer wrinkled Ti3C2Tx grafted with HF and decorated with N-doped carbon by

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

• contrast mechanism occurs when HIM is used to study insulating or poorly conducting materials such as most biological specimens. Here, differences in local conductivity result in the accumulation of positive charges under the ion beam, which hampers the emission of secondary electrons and results in a

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

• spreading of the current. Next, 500 nm of an unintentionally doped GaN layer was deposited to protect the lower layer during the selective EC etching. A heavily doped GaN (N+-GaN) sacrificial layer, sandwiched by two thin N++-GaN layers was inserted under the AlGaN/AlN/GaN layer to enhance the conductivity

• conductivity, the heavily doped GaN preferentially reacts with the oxalic acid solution in an applied electric field. The lateral etching rates on both sides of N+-GaN were approximately the same during EC wet etching (Figure 2e). Finally, a single NW was obtained to prepare the strain sensor (Figure 2f). The