Rapid thermal annealing for high-quality ITO thin films deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

• Petronela Prepelita,
• Ionel Stavarache,
• Doina Craciun,
• Florin Garoi,
• Catalin Negrila,
• Beatrice Gabriela Sbarcea and
• Valentin Craciun

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1511–1522, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.149

• , resulting in significant improvements of the quality of the ITO films that are commonly used as conductive transparent electrodes for photovoltaic structures. Starting from a single sintered target (purity 99.95%), ITO thin films of predefined thickness (230 nm, 300 nm and 370 nm) were deposited at room

• treatment on the ITO chemical composition. Using a Tauc plot, values of the optical band gap ranging from 3.17 to 3.67 eV were estimated. These values depend on the heat treatment and the thickness of the sample. Highly conductive indium tin oxide thin films (ρ = 7.4 × 10−5 Ω cm) were obtained after RTA

• [7][11]. Due to these features, ITO films are promising components for the development of high-performance optoelectronics [7][11][12][13] and photovoltaic devices. In order to use ITO thin films for photovoltaic applications, samples with reproducible properties are required [8][14]. The performance

Growth of lithium hydride thin films from solutions: Towards solution atomic layer deposition of lithiated films

• Ivan Kundrata,
• Karol Fröhlich,
• Lubomír Vančo,
• Matej Mičušík and
• Julien Bachmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1443–1451, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.142

• , Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 41 Bratislava, Slovakia Saint Petersburg State University, Institute of Chemistry, Universitetskii pr. 26, 198504 St. Petersburg, Russia 10.3762/bjnano.10.142 Abstract Lithiated thin films are necessary for the fabrication of novel solid-state batteries, including the electrodes and

• homogeneous air-sensitive thin films, characterized by using ellipsometry, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), in situ quartz crystal microbalance, and scanning electron microscopy, was observed. Lithium hydride diffraction peaks have been observed in as-deposited films by GIXRD. X-ray photoelectron

• precursors and at temperatures not suitable for conventional ALD. Keywords: lithiated thin films; lithium hydride; solution atomic layer deposition (sALD); Introduction While the development of electric motors and semiconductor devices is progressing, the pressure on battery development is increasing

Kelvin probe force microscopy of the nanoscale electrical surface potential barrier of metal/semiconductor interfaces in ambient atmosphere

• Petr Knotek,
• Tomáš Plecháček,
• Jan Smolík,
• Petr Kutálek,
• Filip Dvořák,
• Milan Vlček,
• Jiří Navrátil and
• Čestmír Drašar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1401–1411, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.138

• crystals of 10–20 mm in length, 3–6 mm in width and up to 3 mm in thickness [31]. The surface of freshly cleaved layered Bi2Se3 single crystals was used as a substrate. The samples for the AFM measurement, Au nanoparticles (NPs) and thin films of gold or molybdenum, were prepared via DC sputtering in a SEM

Highly ordered mesoporous silica film nanocomposites containing gold nanoparticles for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol

• Mohamad Azani Jalani,
• Leny Yuliati,
• Siew Ling Lee and
• Hendrik O. Lintang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1368–1379, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.135

• different sizes of AuNPs were possibly formed in their thin film composites. Catalytic activity For the catalysis reaction, only the thin film composites [AuNPs]cal/silicahex treated at 250 °C for 3 hours and [AuNPs]red/silicahex materials treated at 210 °C for 2 hours were selected because these thin films

• room temperature. For fabrication as thin films, 70 µL of the final sol–gel solution was spin-coated on a glass substrate to produce a colorless transparent thin film (around 0.5 mg of composite was successfully coated). It was followed by air-drying for a day at ambient temperature. Synthesis of

• placing the thin film into the center of the tube with the same temperature treatment for 2 hours with flow rate of hydrogen gas in 25 mL min−1. Catalytic reduction of 4-NP The catalytic reduction of 4-NP to 4-AP was studied using the resulting thin films [AuNPs]cal/silicahex and [AuNPs]red/silicahex

Fabrication of phase masks from amorphous carbon thin films for electron-beam shaping

• Lukas Grünewald,
• Dagmar Gerthsen and
• Simon Hettler

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1290–1302, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.128

• , smooth, free-standing SixNy thin films are commercially available. Smooth thin films are a requirement for the successful fabrication of the thickness pattern. However, SixNy is an insulator and an additional conductive layer has to be deposited onto a SixNy-based PM to avoid charging by electron-beam

• phase masks Fabrication of SixNy membranes and aC film deposition A 200 µm thick Si wafer with 120 nm thick low-stress SixNy coating on both sides was used as base material. Optical lithography and etching methods for SixNy and Si were applied to produce free-standing SixNy thin films (Figure 1

• ). Pyramid-shaped trenches are generated beneath the thin films by anisotropic wet-etching of Si in a heated KOH solution (KOH + H2O in a ratio of 2:3, 80 °C, Figure 1a,c). The lithography mask was designed such that a 3 × 3 array of square-shaped SixNy thin films was produced on a single wafer (Figure 1b,c

Concurrent nanoscale surface etching and SnO₂ loading of carbon fibers for vanadium ion redox enhancement

• Jun Maruyama,
• Shohei Maruyama,
• Tomoko Fukuhara,
• Toru Nagaoka and
• Kei Hanafusa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 985–992, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.99

• , we attempted to obtain an additional enhancement effect of metal-oxide nanoparticles without the need for further processing steps. A coating with carbonaceous thin films was obtained coating by sublimation, deposition, and pyrolysis of tin(II) phthalocyanine (SnPc) on a carbon fiber surface in a

• the slightly retained amorphous carbon might prevent potential dislocation and dissolution of the SnO2 particles. Conclusion The thermal oxidation of Sn-containing carbonaceous thin films on a carbon fiber surface, which was formed by sublimation, deposition, and pyrolysis of SnPc during a single-step

• manufacturer or determined in advance by thermogravimetry and a differential thermal analysis using an SSC/5200 thermal analyzer (Seiko Instruments). Concurrent surface etching and SnO2 loading For depositing the Sn-containing carbonaceous thin films (CSnPc), eight pieces of TGP (1 cm2) and 10 mg of SnPc were

Direct growth of few-layer graphene on AlN-based resonators for high-sensitivity gravimetric biosensors

• Jimena Olivares,
• Teona Mirea,
• Lorena Gordillo-Dagallier,
• Bruno Marco,
• José Miguel Escolano,
• Marta Clement and
• Enrique Iborra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 975–984, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.98

• properly functionalized [1][2], the small sample volumes they require for operation when combined with microfluidics [3], their high-speed response and label-free operation [4]. Piezoelectric resonators based on thin films of, e.g., AlN or ZnO offer significantly greater sensitivities than conventional

Novel reversibly switchable wettability of superhydrophobic–superhydrophilic surfaces induced by charge injection and heating

• Xiangdong Ye,
• Junwen Hou and
• Dongbao Cai

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 840–847, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.84

• ] deposited thin films of titanium dioxide nanorods on glass substrates by a low-temperature hydrothermal method. The films were stored in the dark for two weeks to yield films with a contact angle of 154 ± 1.3°. Film irradiation with ultraviolet light for 2 h rendered the films superhydrophilic with a

On the transformation of “zincone”-like into porous ZnO thin films from sub-saturated plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition

• Alberto Perrotta,
• Julian Pilz,
• Stefan Pachmajer,
• Antonella Milella and
• Anna Maria Coclite

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 746–759, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.74

• /bjnano.10.74 Abstract The synthesis of nanoporous ZnO thin films is achieved through annealing of zinc-alkoxide (“zincone”-like) layers obtained by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD). The zincone-like layers are deposited through sub-saturated PE-ALD adopting diethylzinc and O2 plasma with

• doses below self-limiting values. Nanoporous ZnO thin films were subsequently obtained by calcination of the zincone-like layers between 100–600 °C. Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were adopted in situ during calcination to investigate the removal of carbon impurities

• crystal growth occurred, giving insights in the manufacturing of nanoporous ZnO from Zn-based hybrid materials. Keywords: calcination; PE-ALD; porosity; thin films; ZnO; Introduction Atomic layer deposition (ALD) and molecular layer deposition (MLD) are sequential self-limiting vapor-phase deposition

An iridescent film of porous anodic aluminum oxide with alternatingly electrodeposited Cu and SiO₂ nanoparticles

• Menglei Chang,
• Huawen Hu,
• Haiyan Quan,
• Hongyang Wei,
• Zhangyi Xiong,
• Jiacong Lu,
• Pin Luo,
• Yaoheng Liang,
• Jianzhen Ou and
• Dongchu Chen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 735–745, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.73

• measured using an ultraviolet–visible–near infrared (UV–vis–NIR) spectrophotometer (UV-4100, Hitachi, Japan). Microstructure observation and phase-composition analyses were performed using a TD-3500 X-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument. For measuring the thickness of the thin films formed on the sample, the

Ultrathin hydrophobic films based on the metal organic framework UiO-66-COOH(Zr)

• Miguel A. Andrés,
• Clemence Sicard,
• Christian Serre,
• Olivier Roubeau and
• Ignacio Gascón

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 654–665, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.65

• [24] and spray methods [25]. Compared to other methodologies that allow the deposition of MOF thin films, the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique presents some advantages. Previous functionalization of the surface is not necessary and the film obtained can be as thin as one monolayer of MOF particles

Direct observation of the CVD growth of monolayer MoS₂ using in situ optical spectroscopy

• Claudia Beatriz López-Posadas,
• Yaxu Wei,
• Wanfu Shen,
• Daniel Kahr,
• Michael Hohage and
• Lidong Sun

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 557–564, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.57

• synthesizing large-area 2D TMDCs have been reported, including mechanical exfoliation, sulphurization of metal thin films, mass transport, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) [6][7]. In particular, CVD is considered to be an attractive and very promising approach for large-scale

• reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), which measures the normalized difference between the reflectance of the bare surface and the surface covered by thin films, possesses an enhanced sensitivity to the surface modification and ultrathin film growth [25][26]. This technique has been successfully applied to reveal

• the MoO3 thin films were formed on the substrate surfaces. Actually, we attribute the observed DTS signal to the absorption of the MoO3 thin films which were deposited on the inner surface of the quartz window at the end of the furnace tube. Since the quartz was maintained close to room temperature

Nanocomposite–parylene C thin films with high dielectric constant and low losses for future organic electronic devices

• Marwa Mokni,
• Gianluigi Maggioni,
• Abdelkader Kahouli,
• Sara M. Carturan,
• Walter Raniero and
• Alain Sylvestre

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 428–441, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.42

• Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Viale dell’Università 2, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy 10.3762/bjnano.10.42 Abstract Nanocomposite–parylene C (NCPC) thin films were deposited with a new technique based on the combination of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for parylene C

• understood. This dielectric analysis showed that an increase in the dielectric constant accompanied by a decrease of dissipation factor tan δ is possible when silver-oxide particles are embedded in a parylene C matrix. Thus, for OFET applications, NCPC thin films could constitute a new interesting route as

• incorporated in the polymer matrix. Under these conditions, we have prepared uniform nanocomposite thin films with thicknesses from 1 to 3 µm, as measured by a Tencor AlphaStep 200 profilometer. In order to obtain several, nominally identical samples for each deposition run, the substrates were put on a

Biocompatible organic–inorganic hybrid materials based on nucleobases and titanium developed by molecular layer deposition

• Leva Momtazi,
• Henrik H. Sønsteby and
• Ola Nilsen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 399–411, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.39

• Leva Momtazi Henrik H. Sonsteby Ola Nilsen Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology (SMN), Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1033 Blindern, N-0315 Oslo, Norway 10.3762/bjnano.10.39 Abstract We have constructed thin films of organic–inorganic hybrid character by

• anticancer complexes for better metallo-pharmaceutical activity and toxicity reduction [8]. This work describes the growth of films based on such organic nucleotides as complexes with the biocompatible metal titanium. As thin films, such materials can be better applied as coatings on scaffolds or implants

• gas phase. ALD was initially developed for production of thin films of zinc sulphide [10], and since its introduction in the 1970s, it has expanded to include a wide range of materials, including organic–inorganic hybrid compounds. In both ALD and MLD, the precursors are introduced onto the surface of

Integration of LaMnO_3+δ films on platinized silicon substrates for resistive switching applications by PI-MOCVD

• Raquel Rodriguez-Lamas,
• Dolors Pla,
• Odette Chaix-Pluchery,
• Benjamin Meunier,
• Fabrice Wilhelm,
• Andrei Rogalev,
• Laetitia Rapenne,
• Xavier Mescot,
• Quentin Rafhay,
• Hervé Roussel,
• Michel Boudard,
• Carmen Jiménez and
• Mónica Burriel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 389–398, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.38

• ] have been used for the deposition of epitaxial and polycrystalline LMO and doped LMO thin films enabling the control of the oxygen and cation stoichiometry. Since the precursor solution is simply prepared by dissolution of metalorganic species, the stoichiometry of the film is easily tuneable by

• , by modifying a number of controlled parameters on the process, such as pulse frequency, oxygen partial pressure and temperature, the structure of the LMO thin films can be tuned during growth. In memristors, the electrodes play a crucial role in the RS response. For example, in electrochemical

• , these substrates undergo dewetting when exposed to high temperatures for long times. The high temperatures required to grow perovskite thin films by techniques such as PI-MOCVD or PLD are a drawback because the continuity of the Pt bottom electrode can be lost [25]. In this work, we explore a number of

Geometrical optimisation of core–shell nanowire arrays for enhanced absorption in thin crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells

• Robin Vismara,
• Olindo Isabella,
• Andrea Ingenito,
• Fai Tong Si and
• Miro Zeman

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 322–331, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.31

• , a 100 nm thick transparent tin-doped indium oxide (In2O3:Sn, ITO) was deposited at low power and low temperature, using radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The cell area was defined as 5 mm × 5 mm, using a mask during ITO deposition. The reported equivalent thickness values of thin films on

Removal of toxic heavy metals from river water samples using a porous silica surface modified with a new β-ketoenolic host

• Said Tighadouini,
• Smaail Radi,
• Abderrahman Elidrissi,
• Khadija Haboubi,
• Maryse Bacquet,
• Stéphanie Degoutin,
• Mustapha Zaghrioui and
• Yann Garcia

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 262–273, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.25

• coordination complexes with most transition metals [41][42]. The incorporation at the surface silica of a β-ketoenol group thus affords these hybrids the capacity to retain heavy metal ions. The group of C. Sanchez has prepared some mesoporous thin films functionalized with silylated β-ketoenol compounds as

Interaction of Te and Se interlayers with Ag or Au nanofilms in sandwich structures

• Arkadiusz Ciesielski,
• Lukasz Skowronski,
• Marek Trzcinski,
• Ewa Górecka,
• Wojciech Pacuski and
• Tomasz Szoplik

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 238–246, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.22

• the surface of Au layer were detected. This indicates the occurrence of grain boundary segregation or diffusion of these semiconductors in the plasmonic thin films. The curve shape of the Te concentration in the Ag layer suggests the dominant role of segregation. The study of the electron energy loss

Raman study of flash-lamp annealed aqueous Cu₂ZnSnS₄ nanocrystals

• Yevhenii Havryliuk,
• Oleksandr Selyshchev,
• Mykhailo Valakh,
• Alexandra Raevskaya,
• Oleksandr Stroyuk,
• Constance Schmidt,
• Volodymyr Dzhagan and
• Dietrich R. T. Zahn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 222–227, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.20

• University of Technology, 09107 Chemnitz, Germany L. V. Pysarzhevsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, 03028, Ukraine 10.3762/bjnano.10.20 Abstract The effect of flash-lamp annealing (FLA) on the re-crystallization of thin films made of colloidal Cu2ZnSnS4

• dependence of the formation on the film thickness are also investigated. Importantly, no inert atmosphere for the FLA treatment of the NCs is required, which makes this technology even more suitable for mass production, in particular for printed thin films on flexible substrates. Keywords: copper zinc tin

• the thickness of the film. Thus, in the case of annealing of thin films with high energies, the Raman spectra show the presence of all possible secondary phases and the absence of the source material, indicating a complete decay of CZTS. When thicker films are annealed, even with maximum energy, the

Uniform Sb₂S₃ optical coatings by chemical spray method

• Jako S. Eensalu,
• Atanas Katerski,
• Erki Kärber,
• Ilona Oja Acik,
• Arvo Mere and
• Malle Krunks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 198–210, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.18

• controllable in-air growth of continuous, uniform, polycrystalline Sb2S3 absorber layers has not yet been accomplished. This could be achieved with chemical spray pyrolysis, a robust chemical method for deposition of thin films. We applied a two-stage process to produce continuous Sb2S3 optical coatings with

• pyrolysis in air by tuning of the deposition temperature, the Sb/S precursor molar ratio in the spray solution, and the post-deposition treatment temperature. Keywords: antimony sulfide; thin films; ultrasonic spray; vacuum annealing; Volmer–Weber growth; Introduction Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) is an

• structured solar cells [8]. Planar ≈1.7 eV absorber layers can be applied in semitransparent solar cells as well as in tandem solar cells. Chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) is a robust and industrially scalable chemical method for rapid deposition of thin films [9]. Our research group first investigated spray

Nanoporous water oxidation electrodes with a low loading of laser-deposited Ru/C exhibit enhanced corrosion stability

• Sandra Haschke,
• Dmitrii Pankin,
• Vladimir Mikhailovskii,
• Maïssa K. S. Barr,
• Adriana Both-Engel,
• Alina Manshina and
• Julien Bachmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 157–167, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.15

• Ru3(CO)12 solutions. SEM images of planar samples coated with laser-induced Ru/C films in cross-section (a) and top-view (b). Laser-irradiation of Ru3(CO)12 solutions results in continuous and rough thin films deposited on ITO. Preparation of nanostructured Ru/C electrodes. (a) Anodization of Al in 1

Sputtering of silicon nanopowders by an argon cluster ion beam

• Xiaomei Zeng,
• Vasiliy Pelenovich,
• Zhenguo Wang,
• Wenbin Zuo,
• Sergey Belykh,
• Alexander Tolstogouzov,
• Dejun Fu and
• Xiangheng Xiao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 135–143, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.13

• 98.8 nm particles and thin films, the yield was 96 and 129, respectively. In this study, we combine two of the above-mentioned approaches to further increase the sputtering yield, i.e., employing heavy cluster projectiles to irradiate finite size targets. The feasibility of such an increase in the

Zn/F-doped tin oxide nanoparticles synthesized by laser pyrolysis: structural and optical properties

• Florian Dumitrache,
• Iuliana P. Morjan,
• Elena Dutu,
• Ion Morjan,
• Claudiu Teodor Fleaca,
• Monica Scarisoreanu,
• Alina Ilie,
• Marius Dumitru,
• Cristian Mihailescu,
• Adriana Smarandache and
• Gabriel Prodan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 9–21, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.2

• the visible range [5][6]. For the case of tin oxide, a comparative study using halogen anions (F, Cl, Br, I) as dopants shows that the fluorine anion induces the formation of thin films and exhibits the best performance in terms of transparency and conductivity [7]. Today, the most used material for

• were obtained. To the best of our knowledge, Zn/F-doped tin oxide nanoparticles with low Zn and high F content have been prepared for the first time. Related fluorine-doped zinc tin oxide (FZTO) thin films with higher zinc concentration (from 5.5 to 35.5 atom %) and lower fluorine content (0.62 to 3.49

• measurements can help in engineering so that Zn/F-doped SnO2 can be considered as a typical transparent conducting oxide (TCO) suitable for solar cell applications. Thin films were prepared from the as-synthesized powders using spin-coating and found to have an apparent density of around 0.8 g/cm3. The

Contact splitting in dry adhesion and friction: reducing the influence of roughness

• Jae-Kang Kim and
• Michael Varenberg

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1–8, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.1

• biological adhesives is to achieve efficient and easily controllable adhesion on any surface, it is important to understand how to overcome the negative effects of roughness on attachment of thin films. It was shown that gecko adhesion is lower if the substrate waviness wavelength is comparable to the

• , while the force needed to start sliding is affected less. Conclusion Based on the results presented in this work, we can conclude the following. First, because thin films can adapt to wavy but not to rough surfaces, the adhesion- and friction-driven attachment of the wall-shaped microstructure degrades

Hydrogen-induced plasticity in nanoporous palladium

• Markus Gößler,
• Eva-Maria Steyskal,
• Markus Stütz,
• Norbert Enzinger and
• Roland Würschum

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 3013–3024, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.280

• depletion of PdHα at a value below −0.99 V is consistent with values reported for palladium thin films [31][32]. The threshold values for the palladium hydride β-phase formation (−0.96 V) and the potential of α-phase depletion (−0.99 V) can be used for a phase distinction in current-controlled experiments

• order to maintain surface–shell–core coherency during the α-to-β transition [34]. A study on phase transitions in PdH thin films concluded that coherent transitions are possible up to a critical film thickness of 22 nm [36]. As ligament sizes in npPd produced by dealloying in our work are in the order