Possibilities and limitations of advanced transmission electron microscopy for carbon-based nanomaterials

• Xiaoxing Ke,
• Carla Bittencourt and
• Gustaaf Van Tendeloo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1541–1557, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.158

• 600 °C allows CNTs to be studied at a high voltage of 300 kV while the structure remains defect-free [104]. Furthermore, carbon-based nanohybrids, particularly graphene or CNTs functionalized with metal nanoparticles, can be considered as a unique nanoreactor at elevated temperature. The interaction

Using natural language processing techniques to inform research on nanotechnology

• Nastassja A. Lewinski and
• Bridget T. McInnes

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1439–1449, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.149

• Interactions (NBI) knowledge base. The NBI includes data on the mortality, delayed development and morphological malformations of embryonic zebrafish due to the toxicity of various nanomaterials including metal nanoparticles, dendrimer, metal oxide and polymeric materials [40]. Java Applets were used to

Formation of substrate-based gold nanocage chains through dealloying with nitric acid

• Ziren Yan,
• Ying Wu and
• Junwei Di

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1362–1368, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.140

• coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis of the dissolved metal nanoparticles. Figure 5B shows the SEM images of Ag-Au NCs treated with 10% HNO3 solution. It is obvious that the shape of nanocages changed little but the nanocages moved to form chains on the TIO substrate. It is

The Kirkendall effect and nanoscience: hollow nanospheres and nanotubes

• Abdel-Aziz El Mel,
• Ryusuke Nakamura and
• Carla Bittencourt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1348–1361, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.139

• with other fabrication processes. An example is to apply electron beam lithography to Kirkendall nanotubes, which allows the design of ordered periodic metal nanoparticles confined inside oxide nanotubes (Figure 14) [64]. Another possibility is the combination of the Kirkendall effect with galvanic

Structural transitions in electron beam deposited Co–carbonyl suspended nanowires at high electrical current densities

• Gian Carlo Gazzadi and
• Stefano Frabboni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1298–1305, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.134

• shows graphite planes arranged in a rounded cage structure with a hollow/amorphous-like interior. This carbon structure, strongly resembling the one of carbon-encapsulated metal nanoparticles [29], was probably hosting a Co grain before its migration. From this analysis, the effect of electromigration

Heterometal nanoparticles from Ru-based molecular clusters covalently anchored onto functionalized carbon nanotubes and nanofibers

• Deborah Vidick,
• Xiaoxing Ke,
• Michel Devillers,
• Claude Poleunis,
• Arnaud Delcorte,
• Pietro Moggi,
• Gustaaf Van Tendeloo and
• Sophie Hermans

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1287–1297, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.133

• and atmospheric pressure with very low Ru loading. Keywords: ammonia synthesis; cluster; nanofibers; nanoparticles; nanotubes; Introduction Metal nanoparticles (NPs) supported on nanoscopic forms of carbon (nanotubes, nanofibers) are an important class of nanostructured materials that find

• used in electrochemical devices where metal/carbon nanostructured materials can be used as superior electrodes [4]. Ultrasmall metal nanoparticles are desired in order to increase (electro-)catalytic activity by increasing the active metal surface. This is especially important in the case of precious

• contrast features. As shown in Figure 5, metal nanoparticles appear as a white contrast at atomic resolution. In addition, free standing individual atoms are visible on the CNT surface as well, which is likely to be caused by cluster collapse. This finding is important as it is generally believed that

Synthesis, characterization and in vitro effects of 7 nm alloyed silver–gold nanoparticles

• Simon Ristig,
• Svitlana Chernousova,
• Wolfgang Meyer-Zaika and
• Matthias Epple

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1212–1220, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.124

• is not proportional to the silver content. Nanoparticles with a silver/gold molar composition of 80:20 showed the highest toxicity. Keywords: cytotoxicity; gold; nanoalloys; nanoparticles; silver; Introduction Over the last decades, noble metal nanoparticles have become a prominent subject in

Improved optical limiting performance of laser-ablation-generated metal nanoparticles due to silica-microsphere-induced local field enhancement

• Zheren Du,
• Lianwei Chen,
• Tsung-Sheng Kao,
• Mengxue Wu and
• Minghui Hong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1199–1204, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.122

• -generated nanoparticles and the silica microspheres, when the metal nanoparticles enter the focal volume of the microspheres. The silica microspheres focus the laser light energy onto the metal nanoparticles, which in turn enhances the optical limiting effect of these nanoparticles. (a) Schematic of the LAL

Patterning technique for gold nanoparticles on substrates using a focused electron beam

• Takahiro Noriki,
• Shogo Abe,
• Kotaro Kajikawa and
• Masayuki Shimojo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1010–1015, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.104

• spherical metal nanoparticles [5]. According to these results, the nanoparticles should be placed at designated positions and close enough to neighboring particles for transmission at the nanoscale. Gwo et al. [6] fabricated nanoparticles in a line as well as in the form of other two- and three-dimensional

Pt- and Pd-decorated MWCNTs for vapour and gas detection at room temperature

• Hamdi Baccar,
• Atef Thamri,
• Pierrick Clément,
• Eduard Llobet and
• Adnane Abdelghani

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 919–927, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.95

• Pd nanoparticles. Sputtering allows for an oxygen plasma treatment that removes amorphous carbon from the surface of the carbon nanotubes and creates oxygenated surface defects in which metal nanoparticles nucleate within a few minutes. The decoration with the 2 nm Pt or the 3 nm Pd nanoparticles is

• , hydrogen sulphide, ammonia and hydrogen [28]. However, this technique leads to an inhomogeneous decoration of the carbon nanotubes with high irregularities in the shape and size of the metal nanoparticles, which eventually may result in poor sensor reproducibility. Espinosa and co-workers decorated plasma

• chamber, which gave rise to functional oxygen species attached to the carbon nanotube sidewalls [24]. These controlled oxygenated defects are known to act as nucleation sites for metal nanoparticles [39]. In the second step, plasma-treated MWCNT sensors were decorated with either Pt or Pd nanoparticles

Electron-stimulated purification of platinum nanostructures grown via focused electron beam induced deposition

• Brett B. Lewis,
• Michael G. Stanford,
• Jason D. Fowlkes,
• Kevin Lester,
• Harald Plank and
• Philip D. Rack

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 907–918, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.94

• pressure P. Dissolution at the surface is treated according to Henry’s law S = KeqP where S is the solubility of oxygen and Keq is the solubility constant. The use of this approximation requires a description of the deposit composition model. The model deposit consists of metal nanoparticles with a defined

Electromagnetic enhancement of ordered silver nanorod arrays evaluated by discrete dipole approximation

• Guoke Wei,
• Jinliang Wang and
• Yu Chen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 686–696, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.69

• not only depends on the intrinsic properties and the dielectric environment of the metal nanoparticles, but also on their shape, size and spatial arrangement. The incident wavelength, angle and polarization were also proven to greatly affect the performance of an SERS substrate. Previously, Chaney et

Influence of gold, silver and gold–silver alloy nanoparticles on germ cell function and embryo development

• Ulrike Taylor,
• Daniela Tiedemann,
• Christoph Rehbock,
• Wilfried A. Kues,
• Stephan Barcikowski and
• Detlef Rath

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 651–664, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.66

• nanoparticles in vitro [50]. Beyond the pure AuNP and AgNP the alloy particles were introduced in order to analyse in how far alloy formation alters the toxic potential of the pure metal nanoparticles. To estimate the effect of the tested nanoparticles on oocyte maturation the capability of the oocyte to reach

Synergic combination of the sol–gel method with dip coating for plasmonic devices

• Cristiana Figus,
• Maddalena Patrini,
• Francesco Floris,
• Lucia Fornasari,
• Paola Pellacani,
• Gerardo Marchesini,
• Andrea Valsesia,
• Flavia Artizzu,
• Daniela Marongiu,
• Michele Saba,
• Franco Marabelli,
• Andrea Mura,
• Giovanni Bongiovanni and
• Francesco Quochi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 500–507, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.52

• serves to stabilize the sensing platform (as in the case of metal nanoparticles) and provides a specific affinity, resulting in improved selectivity [7][8][11][12]. Furthermore, the surface chemistry of thiol-based self-assembled monolayers has shown some limitations mainly related to their temporal

Raman spectroscopy as a tool to investigate the structure and electronic properties of carbon-atom wires

• Alberto Milani,
• Matteo Tommasini,
• Valeria Russo,
• Andrea Li Bassi,
• Andrea Lucotti,
• Franco Cataldo and
• Carlo S. Casari

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 480–491, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.49

• ., determination of wire length). Moreover, by employing Raman spectroscopy and surface enhanced Raman scattering in combination with the support of first principles calculations, we show that a detailed understanding of the charge transfer between CAWs and metal nanoparticles may open the possibility to tune the

• between CAWs and metal nanoparticles used as the SERS active medium. Such charge transfer results in a change of the electronic configuration of the wire that evolves towards a more equalized structure (i.e., cumulenic). H-terminated polyynes were produced by the submerged arc discharge technique, as

• peculiar effect is observed when polyynes (both H- and phenyl-terminated wires) interact with metal nanoparticles (i.e., silver and gold), such as those employed in SERS to increase the sensitivity of the Raman technique. Interaction with metal nanoparticles has been investigated both in solution and on

Nanoparticle shapes by using Wulff constructions and first-principles calculations

• Georgios D. Barmparis,
• Zbigniew Lodziana,
• Nuria Lopez and
• Ioannis N. Remediakis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 361–368, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.35

• focus to three recent extensions: active sites of metal nanoparticles for heterogeneous catalysis, ligand-protected nanoparticles generated as colloidal suspensions and nanoparticles of complex metal hydrides for hydrogen storage. Conclusion: Wulff construction, in particular when linked to first

• construction The atomistic Wulff construction emerged through the field of heterogeneous catalysis, in which the shape of transition metal nanoparticles is a key factor of their functionality. Atomistic models for an equilibrium-shaped Ru nanoparticle were part of a long-term project to model an industrial

Green preparation and spectroscopic characterization of plasmonic silver nanoparticles using fruits as reducing agents

• Jes Ærøe Hyllested,
• Marta Espina Palanco,
• Nicolai Hagen,
• Klaus Bo Mogensen and
• Katrin Kneipp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 293–299, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.27

• excitation. Keywords: fruits; green synthesis; luminescence; plants; plasmonics; SERS; silver cluster; silver nanoparticles; Introduction Metal nanoparticles in various size ranges play an increasingly important role in many different fields of science, technology and medicine ranging from applications as

• catalyst, as antibacterial agents in medicine or plasmonic active structures in optical sensing and imaging [1][2][3][4][5][6]. These broad fields of applications generate a strong interest also in the preparation of metal nanoparticles. Many methods have been invented to synthesize nanoparticles, which

Functionalization of α-synuclein fibrils

• Simona Povilonienė,
• Vida Časaitė,
• Virginijus Bukauskas,
• Arūnas Šetkus,
• Juozas Staniulis and
• Rolandas Meškys

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 124–133, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.12

• possibilities with respect to functionalization of fibrils, since many streptavidin-conjugated components (enzymes and metal nanoparticles) are already available. Depending on the final aim, two strategies for functionalization may be used since the modifications can be performed before or after fibrillation

Manganese oxide phases and morphologies: A study on calcination temperature and atmospheric dependence

• Matthias Augustin,
• Daniela Fenske,
• Ingo Bardenhagen,
• Anne Westphal,
• Martin Knipper,
• Thorsten Plaggenborg,
• Joanna Kolny-Olesiak and
• Jürgen Parisi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 47–59, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.6

• range of hours (up to 24 h) and subsequent drying processes of up to 2 days [22][23][24][25][26][27]. The synthesis via oxidation of manganese metal nanoparticles by gas condensation must be followed by annealing in O2-containing atmospheres to obtain different manganese oxide species [28]. An advantage

Synthesis and characterization of fluorescence-labelled silica core-shell and noble metal-decorated ceria nanoparticles

• Rudolf Herrmann,
• Markus Rennhak and
• Armin Reller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2413–2423, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.251

• noble metal nanoparticles (2–5 nm diameter). Fluorescence labelling with ATTO 647N gave the model particles which are now under biophysical investigation. Keywords: fluorescence labelling; noble metal nanoparticles; platinum-decorated ceria nanoparticles; perylene diimide; polyorganosiloxane core

Low-cost plasmonic solar cells prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis

• Erki Kärber,
• Atanas Katerski,
• Ilona Oja Acik,
• Valdek Mikli,
• Arvo Mere,
• Ilmo Sildos and
• Malle Krunks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2398–2402, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.249

• the smaller absorbing volume. The use of mesoporous TiO2 or ZnO nanorods provides increased surface area of the absorber, while the introduction of metal nanoparticles allows photons to be captured via plasmonic effects [1][2][3][4]. This work attempts to utilize the advantages of the plasmon effect

• , while providing a technologically simple method for solar cell production. Chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) is a simple method to produce thin semiconductor oxide- and sulphide layers and metal nanoparticles (NPs) via thermal decomposition of metal precursor salts. CuInS2 (CIS) is a semiconductor material

Inorganic Janus particles for biomedical applications

• Isabel Schick,
• Steffen Lorenz,
• Dominik Gehrig,
• Stefan Tenzer,
• Wiebke Storck,
• Karl Fischer,
• Dennis Strand,
• Frédéric Laquai and
• Wolfgang Tremel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2346–2362, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.244

• und the excitation of charge carriers within the photocatalyst [48]. Upon conjugation of semiconductor nanoparticles, such as TiO2 to metal nanoparticles, charge equilibration takes place when the composite material is photoexited (Figure 6c). As a direct consequence, the Fermi level of semiconductor

• interaction at the nano-interface as shown for the exceptionally large T2-relaxation times of Co@Fe2O3 as compared to commonly available iron based MRI agents [59]. The most common metal nanoparticles for optical imaging with a long history are gold nanoparticles owing to their strong surface plasmon

Influence of stabilising agents and pH on the size of SnO₂ nanoparticles

• Olga Rac,
• Patrycja Suchorska-Woźniak,
• Marta Fiedot and
• Helena Teterycz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2192–2201, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.228

• polyelectrolyte that is protonated in acidic solutions, whereas at pH > 8, it exists in the free alkaline form [23]. PEI is often used as a colloidal metal nanoparticle and metal oxide stabiliser. Studies show that many metal nanoparticles (such as silver, gold, zinc oxide or tin dioxide) synthesised in solutions

• composition, and a non-ionic surfactant. The influence of the individual reactants as well as the solution acidity on the dimensions of the resulting nanoparticles was analysed. The understanding of the interaction between these components of the solution is critical both for the synthesis of metal

• nanoparticles as well as metal oxides with semiconducting properties, including tin dioxide. Results and Discussion Analysis of received SnO2 nanoparticles (basic solution) The aqueous solution in which the precipitation reaction for tin dioxide was carried out contained a tin(IV) chloride precursor

A study on the consequence of swift heavy ion irradiation of Zn–silica nanocomposite thin films: electronic sputtering

• Compesh Pannu,
• Udai B. Singh,
• Dinesh. C. Agarwal,
• Saif A. Khan,
• Sunil Ojha,
• Ramesh Chandra,
• Hiro Amekura,
• Debdulal Kabiraj and
• Devesh. K. Avasthi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1691–1698, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.179

• ; pressure spike; Rutherford backscattering spectrometry; transmission electron microscopy; Introduction Metal nanoparticles are currently receiving broad scientific and technological interest due to their unusual physical properties which are different from the bulk materials. Properties such as surface

• plasmon resonance [1], fast optical response [2], and superparamagnetism [3], strongly depend on shape, size, size distribution and the surrounding environment of the metal nanoparticles [4]. Thus, the properties of nanocomposites can be controlled by the variation of these parameters. Swift heavy ion

• (SHI) irradiation is an effective tool to engineer the properties of the nanocomposite thin films. SHI produces electronic excitations in a narrow cylindrical volume around its path, leading to a change in size and shape of metal nanoparticles embedded in a matrix [5][6][7][8]. The group at IUAC [5

The influence of molecular mobility on the properties of networks of gold nanoparticles and organic ligands

• Edwin J. Devid,
• Paulo N. Martinho,
• M. Venkata Kamalakar,
• Úna Prendergast,
• Christian Kübel,
• Tibebe Lemma,
• Jean-François Dayen,
• Tia. E. Keyes,
• Bernard Doudin,
• Mario Ruben and
• Sense Jan van der Molen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1664–1674, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.177

• volume. UV–vis spectroscopy Ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy is performed to gain insight into the optical properties of these molecule–gold nanoparticle arrays, and specifically to investigate the influence of the S-BPP molecules on the effective dielectric constant. Metal nanoparticles exhibit