Free-radical gases on two-dimensional transition-metal disulfides (XS₂, X = Mo/W): robust half-metallicity for efficient nitrogen oxide sensors

• Chunmei Zhang,
• Yalong Jiao,
• Fengxian Ma,
• Sri Kasi Matta,
• Steven Bottle and
• Aijun Du

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1641–1646, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.156

• metal. More precisely, the single-layer XS2 (X = Mo, W) with NO adsorbed on it would behave like a metal in one spin channel while acting as a semiconductor in the other spin orientation. The half-metallicity is robust and independent of the NO concentration. In contrast, no half-metallic feature can be

• gas concentrations to confirm that the predicted half-metallicity is indeed robust. Differences in electronic properties and orbital analysis between NO and NO2 adsorption show that half-metallicity is only observed when NO is adsorbed. Since single/multi-layer MoS2 FET sensors for NO have been

Spatial Rabi oscillations between Majorana bound states and quantum dots

• Jun-Hui Zheng,
• Dao-Xin Yao and
• Zhi Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1527–1535, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.143

• candidate is the hybrid system of a spin–orbit-coupling nanowire and a conventional superconductor. Robust zero-bias conductance peak was first reported in this system, which originates from the self-conjugate nature of Majorana bound states and therefore was wildly recognized as a signature. An exotic

Robust topological phase in proximitized core–shell nanowires coupled to multiple superconductors

• Tudor D. Stanescu,
• Anna Sitek and
• Andrei Manolescu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1512–1526, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.142

• between 50–100 meV [29][37]. In this case the corner states are extremely robust to orbital effects of the magnetic field and the low-energy subspace is well separated from higher-energy states. Another interesting aspect of a prismatic shell is that it can host several Majorana states at each end of the

• the low-field topological phase corresponding to μ = −4.4 meV is now characterized by a sizable quasiparticle gap, indicating a regime which may be more favorable for robust zero-energy Majorana modes. We note that the robust low-field topological phase in panel (II-B) corresponds to a single pair of

• superconductivity (and the corresponding Majorana modes) are not very robust. An important difference between the phase diagram shown in Figure 5 and that in Figure 2 is that for the square wire we have used a larger value of the inter-chain hopping, t′ = 2.25 meV. Enhancing the coupling between chains widens the

Robust midgap states in band-inverted junctions under electric and magnetic fields

• Álvaro Díaz-Fernández,
• Natalia del Valle and
• Francisco Domínguez-Adame

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1405–1413, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.133

• presence of crossed electric and magnetic fields, the electric field being applied along the growth direction of a band-inverted junction. We show that the Dirac cone is robust and persists even if the fields are strong. In addition, we point out that Landau levels of electron states lying in the

• symmetry allow us to define a topological index given by the sign of the Dirac mass [21]. In 1994, Agassi studied the case of a band-inverted junction with a magnetic field applied parallel to the junction [23]. This author showed that the Dirac point remains robust upon the application of a magnetic field

• recently studied band-inverted junctions based on IV–VI compounds using a two-band model when an electric field is applied along the growth direction [25]. We have demonstrated that the Dirac cone of midgap states is robust against moderate values of the electric field but Fermi’s velocity decreases

Interplay between pairing and correlations in spin-polarized bound states

• Szczepan Głodzik,
• Aksel Kobiałka,
• Anna Gorczyca-Goraj,
• Andrzej Ptok,
• Grzegorz Górski,
• Maciej M. Maśka and
• Tadeusz Domański

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1370–1380, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.129

• quantum defects involving their intrinsic spins can couple them ferromagnetically. This can be used (e.g., in metallic carbon nanotubes) for a robust transmission of magnetic information over large distances. In all cases the bound YSR states are also sensitive to interactions. One of them is the spin

Disorder-induced suppression of the zero-bias conductance peak splitting in topological superconducting nanowires

• Jun-Tong Ren,
• Hai-Feng Lü,
• Sha-Sha Ke,
• Yong Guo and
• Huai-Wu Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1358–1369, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.128

• ]. Although it is noticed that the trivial Andreev bound states are non-negligible in the experiments, the enhanced Majorana energy oscillation for increasing Zeeman field is robust and unaffected when various mechanisms are taken into account. Here we investigate the effect of different types of disorder on

• conductance peak spacing. This means that the Majorana energy splitting can not be genuinely characterized by the conductance signature. One possible reason is that the Majorana energy splitting is not robust. When the energy splitting of the Majorana modes is negligible compared to the magnitude of disorder

Andreev spectrum and supercurrents in nanowire-based SNS junctions containing Majorana bound states

• Jorge Cayao,
• Annica M. Black-Schaffer,
• Elsa Prada and
• Ramón Aguado

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1339–1357, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.127

• , therefore signalling the presence of weakly overlapping MBSs. We find that while this sawtooth profile is robust against variations in the normal transmission and scalar disorder, it smooths out when temperature effects are included, making it a fragile, yet useful, signature of MBSs. We identify that in

• similar to the effect of temperature discussed above. Notice that in the tunnel regime, τ = 0.6, I() is approximately zero. For the sawtooth profile at = π is preserved and robust when τ is reduced from the fully transparent to the tunnel regime, as seen in Figure 15b. Quite remarkably, in the tunneling

• profile at = π in Figure 16b is robust against moderate values of disorder strength. We have confirmed that these conclusions are still valid even when we consider disorder of the order of 5μ (not shown). Conclusion In this numerical work we have performed a detailed investigation of the low-energy

Proximity effect in a two-dimensional electron gas coupled to a thin superconducting layer

• Christopher Reeg,
• Daniel Loss and
• Jelena Klinovaja

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1263–1271, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.118

• ][27][28][29][30][31][32]. After the first signatures of topological superconductivity were observed [33][34][35][36][37], much of the experimental focus was placed on developing more suitable devices for realizing robust topological superconducting phases. One of the most significant experimental

A simple extension of the commonly used fitting equation for oscillatory structural forces in case of silica nanoparticle suspensions

• Sebastian Schön and
• Regine von Klitzing

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1095–1107, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.101

• concentrations of silica nanoparticles. As a consequence, the parameters of the common fit equation vary with the starting point of the fit. Although the wavelength is least affected and seems to be quite robust against the starting point of the fit, all three parameters show distinct oscillations, with a period

• interpreted as the distance between the particles within the confinement, is solely dependent on the particle number density and is equal to λ = c−1/3 [35]. This dependence seems fundamental as it is very robust against multiple parameters such as salt concentration, particle size [36], surface elasticity

• minimum. Additionally, it becomes apparent that both parameters are dependent on each other, as the oscillation of one parameter with the variation of the fit starting point is mirrored by the other with a phase shift of 180°. The wavelength is much more robust, showing only a slight variation for

Single-crystalline FeCo nanoparticle-filled carbon nanotubes: synthesis, structural characterization and magnetic properties

• Rasha Ghunaim,
• Maik Scholz,
• Christine Damm,
• Bernd Rellinghaus,
• Rüdiger Klingeler,
• Bernd Büchner,
• Michael Mertig and
• Silke Hampel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1024–1034, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.95

• ][20], and are thus highly suitable for high-temperature applications. However, reducing the size of these materials down to the nanoscale to produce nanowires and nanoparticles results in a robust enhancement in the coercivity [21][22], which make them good candidates for high-density magnetic storage

• data in Figure 7 demonstrate a robust enhancement in the hardness of the magnetic nanoparticles of the annealed Fe50Co50@CNT samples compared to the bulk material. Coercive field (Hc) measurements for the Fe50Co50 nanoparticles prepared by the first and second filling approaches at 300 K yield were Hc

Enzymatically promoted release of organic molecules linked to magnetic nanoparticles

• Chiara Lambruschini,
• Silvia Villa,
• Luca Banfi,
• Fabio Canepa,
• Fabio Morana,
• Annalisa Relini,
• Paola Riani,
• Renata Riva and
• Fulvio Silvetti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 986–999, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.92

• for both types of nanoparticles. However, the NP@silica@APTES derived conjugate 14 was later found to be unstable to the Boc deblocking conditions, which led to destruction of the nanoparticles. Thus, we decided to concentrate our studies on the more robust NP@APTES derived conjugates. The relative

Automated image segmentation-assisted flattening of atomic force microscopy images

• Yuliang Wang,
• Tongda Lu,
• Xiaolai Li and
• Huimin Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 975–985, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.91

• case, hundreds of features maybe required to be excluded in one image, which makes the manual operation tedious and time consuming. A robust and automated algorithm for feature detection in MEF is highly awaited. Essentially, the extraction of the exclusion masks is a process of image segmentation

Bioinspired self-healing materials: lessons from nature

• Joseph C. Cremaldi and
• Bharat Bhushan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 907–935, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.85

• base of the food chain, plant life is varied and robust to ensure widespread growth and high reproductive rates [10][11]. In some ways, plants and animals approach healing in the same ways, including the existence of immune systems and damage prevention. However, the differences in need and biology

• damage to the softer inside tissue. This hard shell is continuously secreted and built up from within. Exoskeleton growth and ecdysis – The robust exoskeletons of arthropods, while protecting the organism, also limit their potential for growth. Therefore, periodic growth cycles require an organism to

Mechanistic insights into plasmonic photocatalysts in utilizing visible light

• Kah Hon Leong,
• Azrina Abd Aziz,
• Lan Ching Sim,
• Pichiah Saravanan,
• Min Jang and
• Detlef Bahnemann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 628–648, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.59

• allow the enhanced absorption of photon energy from the visible light spectrum. Larger metallic nanoparticles (>5 nm) produce a robust surface plasmon emission in the visible spectrum [10]. The intensity of the plasmon band is highly dependent on the morphology, surrounding medium dielectric constant

Towards 3D crystal orientation reconstruction using automated crystal orientation mapping transmission electron microscopy (ACOM-TEM)

• Aaron Kobler and
• Christian Kübel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 602–607, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.56

• experimental diffraction pattern with a database of simulated diffraction patterns covering all crystal orientations and phases for the investigated material, is a fast and robust evaluation routine. Moreover, ACOM-TEM is a quantitative method with respect to sample parameters like grain size, twin density

Review: Electrostatically actuated nanobeam-based nanoelectromechanical switches – materials solutions and operational conditions

• Liga Jasulaneca,
• Jelena Kosmaca,
• Raimonds Meija,
• Jana Andzane and
• Donats Erts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 271–300, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.29

Liquid-crystalline nanoarchitectures for tissue engineering

• Baeckkyoung Sung and
• Min-Ho Kim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 205–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.22

• systems have been modeled and analyzed as LC structures. LCs can be not only versatile model systems for understanding self-organization mechanisms in biological phenomena, but also robust engineering platforms to create novel functional nanomaterials and microdevices for tissue repair. Tissue mimicry is

Bombyx mori silk/titania/gold hybrid materials for photocatalytic water splitting: combining renewable raw materials with clean fuels

• Stefanie Krüger,
• Michael Schwarze,
• Otto Baumann,
• Christina Günter,
• Michael Bruns,
• Christian Kübel,
• Dorothée Vinga Szabó,
• Rafael Meinusch,
• Verónica de Zea Bermudez and
• Andreas Taubert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 187–204, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.21

• materials are effective water splitting catalysts and produce up to 30 mmol of hydrogen per 24 h. Overall the article demonstrates that the combination of a renewable and robust scaffold such as B. mori silk with a photoactive material provides a promising approach to new monolithic photocatalysts that can

• resulting material was thus a macroscopic and mechanically robust object that could simply be retrieved and washed before reuse [32]. Another viable approach for the synthesis of larger and mechanically stable objects with photocatalytic activity is the immobilization of TiO2/Au nanostructures on a scaffold

• is chemically and mechanically rather robust [49]. As a result, the method reported here is a promising approach towards new photocatalytically active materials based on a renewable scaffold. Experimental Chemicals Bombyx mori silk cocoons (http://www.seidentraum.biz, date of access: 14.01.2017

A robust AFM-based method for locally measuring the elasticity of samples

• Alexandre Bubendorf,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Thomas Schimmel and
• Ernst Meyer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1–10, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.1

• be verified with topographic images. The holes show a depth slightly below 1.2 nm, which is the height of the FDTS monolayer, as seen in Figure 8. If the tip coating was worn-off during the scan, larger or at least partially deeper holes would appear. Conclusion We present a robust method for the

• quantitative determination of local elastic modulus of sample under ambient conditions (humidity and temperature). It combines the simplicity of the theoretical model developed by Herruzo et al. [7] for the determination of sample elasticity from 1 MPa to 3 GPa with a robust measuring method based on contact

Robust nanobubble and nanodroplet segmentation in atomic force microscope images using the spherical Hough transform

• Yuliang Wang,
• Tongda Lu,
• Xiaolai Li,
• Shuai Ren and
• Shusheng Bi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2572–2582, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.257

• AFM scanners. In this study, a two-step approach was proposed to segment NBs and NDs in AFM images in an automated manner. The spherical Hough transform (SHT) and a boundary optimization operation were combined to achieve robust segmentation. The SHT was first used to preliminarily detect NBs and NDs

• are detected by the CHT. Robustness of the proposed method By principle, the proposed method is supposed to be robust for NB/ND detection, regardless of whether the AFM images are flattened or not. To verify this, a comparison was conducted with both the raw and flattened AFM images. The SHT and

• between the two images. Considering this influence and the small difference, one can conclude that the proposed method is robust to a typical AFM image background. This is especially important for some AFM images whose actual backgrounds are not flattened. Morphological characterization of nanobubbles and

Refractive index sensing and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy using silver–gold layered bimetallic plasmonic crystals

• Somi Kang,
• Sean E. Lehman,
• Matthew V. Schulmerich,
• An-Phong Le,
• Tae-woo Lee,
• Stephen K. Gray,
• Rohit Bhargava and
• Ralph G. Nuzzo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2492–2503, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.249

• -domain (FDTD) simulations theoretically verify the nature of the multimode plasmonic resonances generated by the devices and allow for a better understanding of the enhancements in multispectral refractive index and SERS-based sensing. Taken together, these results demonstrate a robust and potentially

Comparing postdeposition reactions of electrons and radicals with Pt nanostructures created by focused electron beam induced deposition

• Julie A. Spencer,
• Michael Barclay,
• Miranda J. Gallagher,
• Robert Winkler,
• Ilyas Unlu,
• Yung-Chien Wu,
• Harald Plank,
• Lisa McElwee-White and
• D. Howard Fairbrother

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2410–2424, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.240

• nanostructures to be fabricated. Despite the significant advantages of a process that can direct write nanostructures without the need for resists or masks [2][3], FEBID has several challenges preventing its wider implementation as a robust method for nanofabrication. One of the biggest issues is deposit purity

Robust procedure for creating and characterizing the atomic structure of scanning tunneling microscope tips

• Sumit Tewari,
• Koen M. Bastiaans,
• Milan P. Allan and
• Jan M. van Ruitenbeek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2389–2395, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.238

Increasing the stability of DNA nanostructure templates by atomic layer deposition of Al₂O₃ and its application in imprinting lithography

• Hyojeong Kim,
• Kristin Arbutina,
• Anqin Xu and
• Haitao Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2363–2375, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.236

• ; Introduction In 1982, Seeman et al. first introduced the idea of utilizing DNA to build a mechanically robust nanostructure [1]. Since then, the field of structural DNA nanotechnology has evolved remarkably from immobile Holliday junctions to complex shapes fabricated from single-stranded tiles [2][3]. Through

• ]. Compared to DNA, which is a soft material, Al2O3 is much more stable and robust. Through the conformational coating of Al2O3, the shelf life of the DNA nanotubes is assumed to be increased while maintaining their morphology longer than the nanotubes without a protective film. Overall, the 20 cycles of ALD

Material property analytical relations for the case of an AFM probe tapping a viscoelastic surface containing multiple characteristic times

• Enrique A. López-Guerra and
• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2230–2244, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.223

• highlighted the challenges involved in characterizing viscoelastic materials with dynamic intermittent-contact methods [19][20][21][22], but further work remains, both in accurately pinpointing the issues involved and in finding robust solutions for them. Typically, viscoelasticity in AFM has been