Formation of precise 2D Au particle arrays via thermally induced dewetting on pre-patterned substrates

• Dong Wang,
• Ran Ji and
• Peter Schaaf

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 318–326, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.37

• agglomeration [32][33], voids can nucleate due to periodic film thickness fluctuations (spinodal dewetting), or at defects, which is then followed by void growth and particle formation [31]. For polycrystalline metallic films, dewetting is also affected by the character of grain boundaries [33]. Altogether

• , and then proceeds with void growth and particle formation. For polycrystalline films on the flat substrates, void nucleation is generally thought to occur due to grain boundary grooving, via surface diffusion at the grain boundaries, and grain boundary triple junctions which intersect the substrate

• surface [39][40]. Recently, Mueller and Spolenak have reported that holes (large substrate-exposing voids) were found to protrude into the film predominantly at high angle grain boundaries during dewetting [41]. During annealing, grain boundary grooving and grain growth are competing kinetic processes

Schottky junction/ohmic contact behavior of a nanoporous TiO₂ thin film photoanode in contact with redox electrolyte solutions

• Masao Kaneko,
• Hirohito Ueno and
• Junichi Nemoto

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 127–134, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.15

• are transported first to the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO, SnO2:F) conductive layer through TiO2 grain boundaries and then to the cathode reducing electron acceptor there (O2 in the present case). In a Schottky junction, under the conditions when the band structure is flat without any bending, the

• . The thin space charge layer is located at the interface between TiO2 and the liquid, and the band structure (CB and VB) in the TiO2 bulk is interconnected through the TiO2 grain boundaries forming continuous CB electron-transporting channels from the space charge layer to reach the conductive layer on

• separated into electrons and holes due to the slope of the VB and CB bands, the h+ then being reduced by MeOH present in the liquid, and the e− being transported in the CB through TiO2 grain boundaries to the counter cathode via the FTO. As reported earlier by us [13], resistances at the grain boundaries

Defects in oxide surfaces studied by atomic force and scanning tunneling microscopy

• Thomas König,
• Georg H. Simon,
• Lars Heinke,
• Leonid Lichtenstein and
• Markus Heyde

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 1–14, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.1

• trapped charge on the surface dipole. This demonstrates the great benefit of NC-AFM and KPFM in combination with STM and STS. Line defects Apart from point defects more complex structures like line defects are found on oxide surfaces. Line defects can be caused by step edges or grain boundaries that