Nanostructured SnO₂–ZnO composite gas sensors for selective detection of carbon monoxide

• Paul Chesler,
• Cristian Hornoiu,
• Susana Mihaiu,
• Cristina Vladut,
• Jose Maria Calderon Moreno,
• Mihai Anastasescu,
• Carmen Moldovan,
• Bogdan Firtat,
• Costin Brasoveanu,
• George Muscalu,
• Ion Stan and
• Mariuca Gartner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2045–2056, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.195

• using the low cost, ecologically friendly sol–gel/dip coating method. The precursors, zinc acetate dihydrate (Merck) as a Zn2+ source and tin(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (Sigma-Aldrich), were dissolved in ethanol. Triethanolamine (Baker Analyzed) was used as a chelating agent/catalyst. The obtained solutions

• this paper where tin–zinc ceramic composites were investigated [35]. In this study the conductivity changes leading to different sensor response were motivated by the presence of different phases having different electric behaviors (ZnO, SnO2, and Zn2SnO4 phases were identified in the composite sensing

Organoclay hybrid materials as precursors of porous ZnO/silica-clay heterostructures for photocatalytic applications

• Marwa Akkari,
• Pilar Aranda,
• Abdessalem Ben Haj Amara and
• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1971–1982, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.188

• photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants [3][4][5][6]. It should be remembered that nanoparticulated zinc oxide is a wide-band gap II–VI semiconductor with a band-gap energy of around 3.4 eV, which is of great interest for photocatalytic applications [7]. ZnO nanoparticles (NP) have been assembled to

• in the preparation of the CTA-clay derivatives. Ultra-pure deionized water (18.2 MΩ·cm) was produced in an Elga Maxima Ultra-Pure Water system). Methanol and 2-propanol (Fluka, p.a.) were used as solvents or reactants. Zinc(II) acetate dihydrate (CH3COO)2Zn·2H2O and KOH were purchased from Merck

Ferromagnetic behaviour of ZnO: the role of grain boundaries

• Boris B. Straumal,
• Svetlana G. Protasova,
• Andrei A. Mazilkin,
• Eberhard Goering,
• Gisela Schütz,
• Petr B. Straumal and
• Brigitte Baretzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1936–1947, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.185

• multilayer grain boundary segregation. Keywords: ferromagnetism; grain boundaries; zinc(II) oxide (ZnO); Review Introduction In 2000 the seminal work of Tomasz Dietl et al. appeared [1]. In this work it was predicted theoretically that many semiconductor oxides can become ferromagnetic (FM) if one dopes

• them with “magnetic” atoms such as iron, manganese and cobalt. Other theoreticians published in that time similar works [2]. It has been predicted that the Curie temperature of such diluted doped magnetic semiconductor oxides can be quite high, even above room temperature. Especially promising was zinc

• influence the magnetic behaviour of such a material. Especially attractive is that zinc oxide is cheap. It is widely used for various applications from sunblock creams to varistors for power electronics [3][4]. The various technologies of deposition of pure and doped ZnO films, sintering of ZnO ceramics and

Role of RGO support and irradiation source on the photocatalytic activity of CdS–ZnO semiconductor nanostructures

• Suneel Kumar,
• Rahul Sharma,
• Vipul Sharma,
• Gurunarayanan Harith,
• Vaidyanathan Sivakumar and
• Venkata Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1684–1697, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.161

• longer electron life time than TiO2 [14][15][16]. Zinc oxide is a well-known semiconductor with a band gap energy of 3.37 eV and has been widely explored as photocatalytic material due to its non-toxic nature, high exciton binding energy (60 meV), photosensitivity and stability on exposure to high energy

• permanganate (KMnO4) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were purchased from Merck. Zinc chloride (ZnCl2), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), cadmium acetate dihydrate (Cd(OOCCH3)2·2H2O), sodium sulfide (Na2S), ammonia solution and methyl orange were also supplied by Merck. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) used in synthesis was

• by vacuum drying overnight at same temperature. Synthesis of ZnO nanorods ZnO nanorods (NR) were synthesized through a previously reported solvothermal method [37]. In brief, 10 mL of 0.2 M zinc chloride (ZnCl2) solution in ethanol was added into 70 mL of 0.5 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution

Sb₂S₃ grown by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and its application in a hybrid solar cell

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

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1662–1673, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.158

• temperature of 255 °C leads to films that consist of orthorhombic stibnite and a secondary phase that was identified as Sb2O3 [23]. To suppress the formation of oxides, an excess of sulfur source in the precursor solution may be required as indicated by similar studies for indium sulfide [25][26], zinc

Scanning probe microscopy studies on the adsorption of selected molecular dyes on titania

• Jakub S. Prauzner-Bechcicki,
• Lukasz Zajac,
• Piotr Olszowski,
• Res Jöhr,
• Antoine Hinaut,
• Thilo Glatzel,
• Bartosz Such,
• Ernst Meyer and
• Marek Szymonski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1642–1653, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.156

• the adsorption properties and behaviour of metal-free porphyrins on TiO2(110) surfaces [52][53][54], five study various zinc porphyrins on both the (110) and (011) surfaces [55][56][57][58][59], and just a single report covers copper porphyrins deposited on the (110) face of the rutile [60]. Recently

• , zinc porphyrins have also been used in a heteromolecular system as underlayers for the adsorption of CuPc on TiO2. We will discuss that system in detail in the next section. Let us start by reviewing research published about metal-free porphyrins. Lovat et al. [52] investigated the adsorption of three

• al. [54] suggest that this result reflects the influence of the molecule–substrate interactions, i.e., the interactions between the Ni and/or 2H-TPP molecules and the TiO2 surfaces. It is very intriguing to compare the most recent results obtained for zinc porphyrins [55][56][57][58][59]. In contrast

A composite structure based on reduced graphene oxide and metal oxide nanomaterials for chemical sensors

• Vardan Galstyan,
• Elisabetta Comini,
• Iskandar Kholmanov,
• Andrea Ponzoni,
• Veronica Sberveglieri,
• Nicola Poli,
• Guido Faglia and
• Giorgio Sberveglieri

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1421–1427, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.133

• monitoring of environmental pollutants and for the application of breath tests in assessment of exposure to volatile organic compounds. Keywords: chemical sensors; reduced graphene oxide (RGO); volatile organic compounds; zinc oxide (ZnO); Introduction Hazard analysis of critical control point (HACCP

• (C2H2O4·2H2O) containing ethanol using a two-electrode system. A platinum foil was used as a counter electrode and the anodization process was carried out at room temperature. The obtained structures were zinc oxalate dihydrate (ZnC2O4·2H2O). The as-prepared samples were transformed to crystalline ZnO by

• environmental and health protection. SEM image (a) and Raman spectrum (b) of the GO platelets deposited on SiO2/Si wafer. SEM images of the obtained samples based on graphene and zinc oxide at low (a) and high (b) magnification. (a) EDX spectrum and (b) quantitative analysis of the hybrid structure based on GO

Microwave synthesis of high-quality and uniform 4 nm ZnFe₂O₄ nanocrystals for application in energy storage and nanomagnetics

• Christian Suchomski,
• Ben Breitung,
• Ralf Witte,
• Michael Knapp,
• Sondes Bauer,
• Tilo Baumbach,
• Christian Reitz and
• Torsten Brezesinski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1350–1360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.126

• narrow size distribution hold promise for many applications in different areas ranging from biomedicine to electronics and energy storage. Herein, the microwave-assisted sol–gel synthesis and thorough characterization of size-monodisperse zinc ferrite nanoparticles of spherical shape is reported. X-ray

• galvanostatic charge–discharge tests and ex situ X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy, the as-prepared zinc ferrite nanocrystals can be used as a high-capacity anode material for Li-ion batteries, showing little capacity fade – after activation – over hundreds of cycles. Overall, in addition to the

• good material characteristics, it is remarkable that the microwave-based synthetic route is simple, easily reproducible and scalable. Keywords: 1-phenylethanol route; lithium-ion battery; nanomagnetism; nanoparticles; nonaqueous sol–gel synthesis; zinc ferrite; Introduction Spinel ferrites of the

High performance Ce-doped ZnO nanorods for sunlight-driven photocatalysis

• Bilel Chouchene,
• Tahar Ben Chaabane,
• Lavinia Balan,
• Emilien Girot,
• Kevin Mozet,
• Ghouti Medjahdi and
• Raphaël Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1338–1349, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.125

• can be trapped by water and oxygen to generate hydroxyl •OH and superoxide O2•− radicals, respectively. These highly oxidizing species are responsible of the conversion of organic compounds into carbon dioxide, water, and inorganic salts. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is one of the most widely investigated

Viability and proliferation of endothelial cells upon exposure to GaN nanoparticles

• Tudor Braniste,
• Ion Tiginyanu,
• Tibor Horvath,
• Simion Raevschi,
• Serghei Cebotari,
• Marco Lux,
• Axel Haverich and
• Andres Hilfiker

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1330–1337, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.124

• nanoparticles were synthesized on a sacrificial layer of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles using hydride vapor phase epitaxy. The uptake of GaN nanoparticles by porcine endothelial cells was strongly dependent upon whether they were fixed to the substrate surface or free floating in the medium. The endothelial

The influence of phthalocyanine aggregation in complexes with CdSe/ZnS quantum dots on the photophysical properties of the complexes

• Irina V. Martynenko,
• Anna O. Orlova,
• Vladimir G. Maslov,
• Anatoly V. Fedorov,
• Kevin Berwick and
• Alexander V. Baranov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1018–1027, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.94

• problem important for PDT application needs to be clarified. Water-soluble sulfonated phthalocyanine derivatives, especially aluminium and zinc complexes, are well-understood sensitizers for PDT and, at the same time, they easily form nonluminescent aggregates in aqueous solution [30][31][32][33][34]. So

Phenalenyl-based mononuclear dysprosium complexes

• Yanhua Lan,
• Andrea Magri,
• Olaf Fuhr and
• Mario Ruben

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 995–1009, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.92

• best organic single-component conductor and has led to the creation of spin memory devices [21]. Indeed, a neutral planar phenalenyl-based molecule namely zinc methyl phenalenyl has recently been utilized as non-innocent building block for the construction of a spin memory device by Raman and co

Microwave solvothermal synthesis and characterization of manganese-doped ZnO nanoparticles

• Jacek Wojnarowicz,
• Roman Mukhovskyi,
• Elzbieta Pietrzykowska,
• Sylwia Kusnieruk,
• Jan Mizeracki and
• Witold Lojkowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 721–732, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.64

• 141, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland 10.3762/bjnano.7.64 Abstract Mn-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles were prepared by using the microwave solvothermal synthesis (MSS) technique. The nanoparticles were produced from a solution of zinc acetate dihydrate and manganese(II) acetate tetrahydrate using ethylene glycol

• -doped zinc oxide nanoparticles; microwave solvothermal synthesis (MSS); characterization techniques of nanomaterials; physical properties of Mn2+-doped ZnO nanoparticles; Introduction Nanotechnology has triggered a new global industrial revolution of the 21st century [1]. At present it is the leading

• oxides semiconductors. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a II–VI semiconductor characterised by a wide band gap of 3.3 eV and a high exciton binding energy of circa 60 meV [4]. ZnO is used in optoelectronic devices, solar cells, data carriers, light emitting diodes (LEDs), gas sensors, thermoelectric devices

Hierarchical coassembly of DNA–triptycene hybrid molecular building blocks and zinc protoporphyrin IX

• Rina Kumari,
• Sumit Singh,
• Mohan Monisha,
• Sourav Bhowmick,
• Anindya Roy,
• Neeladri Das and
• Prolay Das

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 697–707, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.62

• composite DNA nanostructures by the self-assembly of complementary symmetrical 2,6,14-triptycenetripropiolic acid (TPA)–DNA building blocks and zinc protoporphyrin IX (Zn PpIX). DNA–organic molecule scaffolds for the composite DNA nanostructure were constructed through covalent conjugation of TPA with 5

• therapy (PDT) applications as well as photocatalytic reactions. Keywords: DNA nanostructure; DNA–organic hybrid; DNA self-assembly; 2,6,14-triptycenetripropiolic acid; zinc protoporphyrin IX; Introduction Hybrid nanomaterials resulting from the covalent conjugation of DNA with organic molecules [1][2][3

• polymeric networks [46][47]. In this study, we report the synthesis of the DNA–TPA scaffolds by covalent conjugation of 2,6,14-triptycenetripropiolic acid (TPA) with amine-modified 12-mer ssDNA and coassembly with zinc protoporphyrin IX(Zn PpIX) to form composite DNA nanostructures (Scheme 1). Porphyrins

Tight junction between endothelial cells: the interaction between nanoparticles and blood vessels

• Yue Zhang and
• Wan-Xi Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 675–684, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.60

• into photo-damaged skin through follicles and intercellular spaces [28]. Also, zinc oxide, which is widely used in sunscreen, penetrates into the stratum granulosum of the epidermis [29], which leads us to the assumption that once NPs penetrate through the epidermis, there is a huge possibility to get

• pulmonary barrier (air–blood barrier) causing interstitial fibrosis [32]. Zinc oxide NPs take part in inflammatory responses in lung epithelial cells [20]. In the research for oral drug delivery, NPs could be absorbed through the intestine, and bioadhesive polymers could improve this capacity [33

Unraveling the neurotoxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles: focusing on molecular mechanisms

• Bin Song,
• Yanli Zhang,
• Jia Liu,
• Xiaoli Feng,
• Ting Zhou and
• Longquan Shao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 645–654, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.57

• nanoparticles [69]. In addition, copper oxide NPs [70], silica NPs [71], zinc oxide NPs [72], and silver NPs [73] were shown to induce autophagy in in vitro studies. TiO2 NPs were also capable of inducing autophagy. Studies showed that TiO2 NPs could induce autophagy in normal lung cells [74] and in primary

Bacteriorhodopsin–ZnO hybrid as a potential sensing element for low-temperature detection of ethanol vapour

• Saurav Kumar,
• Sudeshna Bagchi,
• Senthil Prasad,
• Anupma Sharma,
• Ritesh Kumar,
• Rishemjit Kaur,
• Jagvir Singh and
• Amol P. Bhondekar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 501–510, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.44

• - Institute of Microbial Technology, Sector 39A, Chandigarh 160036, India, Research Services, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G2E1 10.3762/bjnano.7.44 Abstract Zinc oxide (ZnO) and bacteriorhodopsin (bR) hybrid nanostructures were fabricated by immobilizing bR on ZnO thin films and ZnO nanorods

• bR. Results In this work, ZnO thin films (ZnO-TF) and ZnO nanorods (ZnO-NRs) were grown via the hydrothermal method on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates (25 × 25 mm) and both structures were used for the preparation of a sensitive film for gas testing. The precursor solution (zinc acetate dihydrate

• solution consisting of zinc nitrate and hexamine. This inverted growth scheme was preferred in order to avoid contamination effects due to sedimentation and to achieve a uniform growth pattern [35][36]. Further, the suspension of wild-type, photoactive bR was prepared with aqueous amphipol (A8-35) in a 1:5

Rigid multipodal platforms for metal surfaces

• Michal Valášek,
• Marcin Lindner and
• Marcel Mayor

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 374–405, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.34

• tetraphenylmethane with three acetylsulfanylmethyl groups 36 (Figure 15) for surface attachment to examine the effects of spatial arrangement of the molecular structure on charge storage in SAMs [72]. The redox-active molecules include ferrocene, zinc porphyrins, magnesium phthalocyanine, and triple-decker

Synthesis and applications of carbon nanomaterials for energy generation and storage

• Marco Notarianni,
• Jinzhang Liu,
• Kristy Vernon and
• Nunzio Motta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 149–196, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.17

• polytypes are α-SiC and β-SiC. The α-SiC exhibits a hexagonal crystal structure (similar to wurtzite) and is usually formed at temperatures above 1700 °C. β-SiC exhibits a cubic crystal structure with a stacking sequence of ABCABC along the (111) direction, which is typical of a zinc blende crystal

Chemical bath deposition of textured and compact zinc oxide thin films on vinyl-terminated polystyrene brushes

• Nina J. Blumenstein,
• Caroline G. Hofmeister,
• Peter Lindemann,
• Cheng Huang,
• Johannes Baier,
• Andreas Leineweber,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Christof Wöll,
• Thomas Schimmel and
• Joachim Bill

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 102–110, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.12

• ; thin film growth; zinc oxide; Introduction Due to its promising properties like photoemission in the UV range and its high piezoelectric coefficient, zinc oxide (ZnO; space group P63mc) is interesting for a wide range of applications. Several research groups investigate its application in light

• modified reaction solution without zinc acetate to prevent ZnO deposition. ζ-potential and water contact angle measurements on the modified brushes confirm the formation of a hydrophilic surface after the treatment. The ζ-potential decreases from −50 mV to −80 mV as shown in Figure 2. The contact angle

• out as described by Eisele et al. [33]. Stock solutions of polyvinylpyrrolidone (Mw = 10,000 g·mol−1, Lot#BCBF4168V, Sigma-Aldrich), zinc acetate (ZnAc2, Zn(CH3COO)2·2H2O, puriss p.a., ACS reagent, ≥99.0%, Sigma-Aldrich) and tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAOH, 1.5 M in methanol, Sigma-Aldrich) in

Blue and white light emission from zinc oxide nanoforests

• Nafisa Noor,
• Luca Lucera,
• Thomas Capuano,
• Venkata Manthina,
• Alexander G. Agrios,
• Helena Silva and
• Ali Gokirmak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2463–2469, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.255

• shows three fine peaks with very high amplitude in the 465–485 nm (blue) range, corresponding to atomic transitions of zinc. Additional peaks with smaller amplitudes in the 330–650 nm range and broad spectrum white light is observed depending on the excitation conditions. The spatial and spectral

• is formed by application of the electrical bias, giving rise to light emission via atomic transitions in gaseous zinc and oxygen. The broad spectrum, white light emission is possibly due to the free electron transitions in the plasma and blackbody radiation from molten silicon. The white light may

• indicate that the dielectric breakdown of ZnO, sublimation, and plasma formation processes are the underlying mechanisms. Keywords: electrical stress; light emission; nanoforest; plasma; zinc oxide; Introduction The interest in environmentally friendly semiconductors, biocompatible [1], functional

Correction: A single-source precursor route to anisotropic halogen-doped zinc oxide particles as a promising candidate for new transparent conducting oxide materials

• Daniela Lehr,
• Markus R. Wagner,
• Johanna Flock,
• Julian S. Reparaz,
• Clivia M. Sotomayor Torres,
• Alexander Klaiber,
• Thomas Dekorsy and
• Sebastian Polarz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2330–2331, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.239

Influence of wide band gap oxide substrates on the photoelectrochemical properties and structural disorder of CdS nanoparticles grown by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method

• Mikalai V. Malashchonak,
• Alexander V. Mazanik,
• Olga V. Korolik,
• Еugene А. Streltsov and
• Anatoly I. Kulak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2252–2262, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.231

• microscopy (SEM) images of indium, zinc, and titanium oxide prepared films are shown in Figure 1. The In2O3 films (Figure 1a,d) have a uniform thickness and are characterized by a more dense packing of the grains as compared to the ZnO deposit, which consists of plate-like crystallites with approximately 100

• water, air-dried and heat-treated at 450 °C for 1 h in air. Mesoporous zinc oxide films were prepared by the electrochemical cathodic deposition from water–ethanol (1:1 by volume) electrolyte containing 0.1 mol/L Zn(NO3)2, 0.1 mol/L KCl and 4 g/L poly(vinylpyrrolidone) at 50 °C [18][38]. Deposition was

• on the electrode surface occurs. This is confirmed by the X-ray diffraction analysis [18][38]. The heating of the obtained films in air at 360 °C results in decomposition of zinc hydroxychloride with the formation of zinc oxide. The chemical deposition of CdS on the surface of oxide (ZnO, TiO2, In2O3

A single-source precursor route to anisotropic halogen-doped zinc oxide particles as a promising candidate for new transparent conducting oxide materials

• Daniela Lehr,
• Markus R. Wagner,
• Johanna Flock,
• Julian S. Reparaz,
• Clivia M. Sotomayor Torres,
• Alexander Klaiber,
• Thomas Dekorsy and
• Sebastian Polarz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2161–2172, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.222

• steadily increasing price, it is highly desired to identify materials alternatives containing highly abundant chemical elements. The doping of other metal oxides (e.g., zinc oxide, ZnO) is a promising approach, but two problems can be identified. Phase separation might occur at the required high

• demand for ITO substitutes [16]. TCOs consisting of chemically doped zinc oxide materials ('E@ZO'; E = heteroelement) have been recognized as promising candidates as ITO substitutes [17][18]. Because ZnO is already n-type in its native state, and due to the difficulties associated with p-doping [19][20

• ][60][61][62][63]. It is documented that the reaction with water proceeds via the stepwise elimination of methane and the formation of hydroxo zinc species prior to polycondensation affording zinc oxide [55]. The latter process can also be interpreted as the reaction between Hδ+–OH as a Lewis and

Conformational switching of ethano-bridged Cu,H₂-bis-porphyrin induced by aromatic amines

• Simona Bettini,
• Emanuela Maglie,
• Rosanna Pagano,
• Victor Borovkov,
• Yoshihisa Inoue,
• Ludovico Valli and
• Gabriele Giancane

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2154–2160, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.221

• previously observed for bis(zinc porphyrin) [8]. The behavior of the bis-porphyrin floating film upon interaction with other aliphatic acyclic and cyclic amines (tert-butylamine, 1,4-diaminobutane and 1,2-diaminocyclohexane) dissolved into the subphase was also checked. It was found that there are no