Engineering of oriented carbon nanotubes in composite materials

• Razieh Beigmoradi,
• Abdolreza Samimi and
• Davod Mohebbi-Kalhori

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 415–435, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.41

• microscopes, respectively. In analyzing the alignment of CNTs, the most common microscopic methods are atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning transmission microscopy (STM). Electron microscope: By changing the curvature and number

• confirms the alignment of the CNTs, adapted with permission from [99], copyright 2016 Nature Publishing Group. Scheme of the Langmuir–Blodgett technique: (a) the CNT suspension in the LB device, (b) the preparation of films by barrier compression, (c) substrate dipping vertically, and (d) atomic force

• microscopy (AFM) images of the aligned CNTs, adapted with permission from [105], copyright 2007 American Chemical Society. Schematic view of the experimental setup for surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based CNT arrangement. (a) Micrographs of the CNT suspension before applying the SAW field and (b) applying the

Blister formation during graphite surface oxidation by Hummers’ method

• Olga V. Sinitsyna,
• Georgy B. Meshkov,
• Anastasija V. Grigorieva,
• Alexander A. Antonov,
• Inna G. Grigorieva and
• Igor V. Yaminsky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 407–414, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.40

• spread of 0.8°. The bunches of large cleavage steps are visible in the lower left and the upper right corners of Figure 2. Steps (linear defects) are the main features in the images obtained by atomic force microscopy (AFM). We distinguish two types of steps: cleavage steps and the lines of edge

• surface. Surprisingly, the destruction of the sp2-lattice was not detected in the ordered regions. We suggest that the reagent diffusion under the basal plane surface occurred through the cleavage steps and dislocations with the Burgers vector parallel to the c-axis in graphite. Keywords: atomic force

• microscopy (AFM); graphene; graphite intercalation compounds (GICs); graphite oxide (GO); highly annealed pyrolythic graphite (HAPG); Introduction Graphite oxide (GO) and its single-layer derivative, graphene oxide, are of great importance due to their potential applications as a part of supercapacitors

Wafer-scale bioactive substrate patterning by chemical lift-off lithography

• Chong-You Chen,
• Chang-Ming Wang,
• Hsiang-Hua Li,
• Hong-Hseng Chan and
• Wei-Ssu Liao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 311–320, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.31

• tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM, Dimension Fastscan, Bruker Nano Surfaces, Hsinchu, Taiwan). Topographic AFM images were collected using a silicon cantilever with a spring constant of 48 N/m and a resonance frequency of 190 kHz (Nanosensors, Neuchatel, Switzerland). The substrates were gently

Gas-assisted silver deposition with a focused electron beam

• Luisa Berger,
• Katarzyna Madajska,
• Iwona B. Szymanska,
• Katja Höflich,
• Mikhail N. Polyakov,
• Jakub Jurczyk,
• Carlos Guerra-Nuñez and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 224–232, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.24

• , we believe that the systematic error in composition values is small as changes in density input did not vary much the composition values. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements were performed with a NT-MDT NTEGRA Spectra system. Data were processed with Gwyddion v2.48 and Origin 2015 software

Growth model and structure evolution of Ag layers deposited on Ge films

• Arkadiusz Ciesielski,
• Lukasz Skowronski,
• Ewa Górecka,
• Jakub Kierdaszuk and
• Tomasz Szoplik

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 66–76, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.9

• contribution from the change in the grain size and the contribution from the microstrain in the silver grains. However, microstrain should significantly alter the intensities of both interband transition peaks in the silver permittivity spectra, which we do not observe. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy

• (AFM) scans show that the grain size indeed decreases when the Ag layer is deposited on a Ge wetting film (Figure 2b) with respect to the non wetted film (Figure 2a), which is in consistency with the previous findings [4][19][20][22][24]. Table 1 shows the AFM- and XRR-derived surface roughness root

Material discrimination and mixture ratio estimation in nanocomposites via harmonic atomic force microscopy

• Weijie Zhang,
• Yuhang Chen,
• Xicheng Xia and
• Jiaru Chu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2771–2780, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.276

• Weijie Zhang Yuhang Chen Xicheng Xia Jiaru Chu Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China 10.3762/bjnano.8.276 Abstract Harmonic atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to discriminate between different

• [4]. However, it is rather difficult to distinguish a mixture of NPs having similar geometry and dimensions from topographical electron microscopy images. On the contrary, atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods can simultaneously characterize physical and chemical properties in addition to the

Dry adhesives from carbon nanofibers grown in an open ethanol flame

• Christian Lutz,
• Julia Syurik,
• C. N. Shyam Kumar,
• Christian Kübel,
• Michael Bruns and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2719–2728, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.271

• on large areas in a cost-effective way. Here, we examine the CNF growth process based on an open ethanol flame with the option to apply a magnetic field. With this method we fabricated randomly oriented and oriented CNFs and investigated their adhesion properties by atomic force microscopy (AFM

Exploring wear at the nanoscale with circular mode atomic force microscopy

• Olivier Noel,
• Aleksandar Vencl and
• Pierre-Emmanuel Mazeran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2662–2668, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.266

• de Compiègne, UMR CNRS 7337, Roberval, Centre de recherche de Royallieu – CS 60 319 – 60 203 Compiègne cedex, France 10.3762/bjnano.8.266 Abstract The development of atomic force microscopy (AFM) has allowed wear mechanisms to be investigated at the nanometer scale by means of a single asperity

• quite demanding in experimental validations [13][14]. The development of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in the 90’s has opened the field of tribology at the nanoscale. One of the main advantages of AFM is that a single asperity contact between a nanometer-sized AFM tip and an interacting surface can be

• nonlinearity behavior of the piezoelectric actuator with regards to imaging. Schematic of the wear-induced atomic force microscopy (AFM) experimental protocols using (A) conventional scanning and (B) circular mode AFM circular displacement. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) contact mode topographic images of wear

Nanoprofilometry study of focal conic domain structures in a liquid crystalline free surface

• Anna N. Bagdinova,
• Evgeny I. Demikhov,
• Nataliya G. Borisenko and
• Sergei M. Tolokonnikov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2544–2551, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.254

• boundary structures, common nanotechnology tools are used, for example atomic force microscopy (AFM) [3], light reflection, high-resolution microscopy, X-ray reflection, and transmission electron microscopy. Nanoprofilometers have shown great progress in the last years and are now capable of resolving

Interface conditions of roughness-induced superoleophilic and superoleophobic surfaces immersed in hexadecane and ethylene glycol

• Yifan Li,
• Yunlu Pan and
• Xuezeng Zhao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2504–2514, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.250

• using a surface forces apparatus (SFA). They reported an inhibition of slip length with the increase of root mean squared (RMS) roughness, which suggests that a smoother surface results in a larger slip length. The Craig group [18] utilized atomic force microscopy (AFM) to measure the slip length on

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

• (L) = 10−6 Torr·s. Atomic force microscopy Deposits created by FEBID from cis-Pt(CO)2Cl2 were imaged before and after AH cleaning by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in noncontact mode with a 75 ± 15 kHz HQ:NCS18 probe (Mikromasch USA, Watsonville, CA) on a PicoSPM SE AFM. Image processing of line-by

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

• nanotubes are collapsed after deposition onto a silicon wafer, showing an average height (n = 10) of 3.4 ± 0.1 nm by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surface topography of the DNA nanotube master template before (Figure 2a) and after (Figure 2b) deposition of a ca. 2 nm thick Al2O3 layer and the

Optical contrast and refractive index of natural van der Waals heterostructure nanosheets of franckeite

• Patricia Gant,
• Foad Ghasemi,
• David Maeso,
• Carmen Munuera,
• Elena López-Elvira,
• Riccardo Frisenda,
• David Pérez De Lara,
• Gabino Rubio-Bollinger,
• Mar Garcia-Hernandez and
• Andres Castellanos-Gomez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2357–2362, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.235

• substrate. The topography of the fabricated flakes is characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to determine their thickness (Figure 2c). Below Figure 2a–c we include a colour chart obtained from the analysis of tens of epi-illumination microscopy images of franckeite flakes with different thicknesses

Expanding the molecular-ruler process through vapor deposition of hexadecanethiol

• Alexandra M. Patron,
• Timothy S. Hooker,
• Daniel F. Santavicca,
• Corey P. Causey and
• Thomas J. Mullen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2339–2344, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.233

• enables direct comparison of thickness to MHDA molecules. Figures 2A and 2B show representative 2 µm × 2 µm and 500 nm × 500 nm atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of a Cu-ligated MHDA-C16 bilayer formed from the solution deposition of MHDA for 18 h, Cu(ClO4)2·6H2O for 5 min, and C16 for 1 h. Figure 2C

Tailoring the nanoscale morphology of HKUST-1 thin films via codeposition and seeded growth

• Landon J. Brower,
• Lauren K. Gentry,
• Amanda L. Napier and
• Mary E. Anderson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2307–2314, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.230

• varying temperature, time, and deposition method, the goal was to develop and expand design rules to tailor surMOFs with desired thickness, roughness, and grain size. In order to understand the growth mechanism and identify key variables, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and ellipsometry were used to

Fabrication of gold-coated PDMS surfaces with arrayed triangular micro/nanopyramids for use as SERS substrates

• Jingran Zhang,
• Yongda Yan,
• Peng Miao and
• Jianxiong Cai

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2271–2282, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.227

• . Finally, a gold film was deposited on the structured PDMS surface by electronic beam evaporation. The arrayed Au pyramids were formed as an active substrate that was used for the following Raman measurements. Figure 2a–d shows atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of arrayed inverted pyramidal cavities

High-stress study of bioinspired multifunctional PEDOT:PSS/nanoclay nanocomposites using AFM, SEM and numerical simulation

• Alfredo J. Diaz,
• Hanaul Noh,
• Tobias Meier and
• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2069–2082, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.207

• leverage the brick-and-mortar structure and properties, in combination with a variety of atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods, to investigate the high-pressure response of a bioinspired transparent and electrically conductive nanocomposite. Specifically, a transparent PEDOT:PSS/nanoclay coating is

A comparative study of the nanoscale and macroscale tribological attributes of alumina and stainless steel surfaces immersed in aqueous suspensions of positively or negatively charged nanodiamonds

• Colin K. Curtis,
• Antonin Marek,
• Alex I. Smirnov and
• Jacqueline Krim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2045–2059, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.205

• to values in the range 0.05–0.1 for both stainless steel and alumina, while +ND suspensions yielded an increase in friction for stainless steel contacts but little to no increase for alumina contacts. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy

Bi-layer sandwich film for antibacterial catheters

• Gerhard Franz,
• Florian Schamberger,
• Hamideh Heidari Zare,
• Sara Felicitas Bröskamp and
• Dieter Jocham

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1982–2001, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.199

• : Porosity can be evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. The qualitative approach comprises visual inspection and scanning of surface areas with atomic force microscopy (AFM). When automatic evaluation procedures are applied, the roughness of the surface can be quantitatively validated. Physical methods

Identifying the nature of surface chemical modification for directed self-assembly of block copolymers

• Laura Evangelio,
• Federico Gramazio,
• Matteo Lorenzoni,
• Michaela Gorgoi,
• Francisco Miguel Espinosa,
• Ricardo García,
• Francesc Pérez-Murano and
• Jordi Fraxedas

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1972–1981, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.198

• have been obtained with an AURIGA system from Zeiss and a Dimension Icon atomic force microscopy (AFM) from Bruker. The film thickness was determined by means of X-ray reflectometry (XRR) performed using a Philips X’Pert Pro MRD diffractometer equipped with a parabolic mirror using Cu Kα radiation

Imidazolium-based ionic liquids used as additives in the nanolubrication of silicon surfaces

• Patrícia M. Amorim,
• Ana M. Ferraria,
• Rogério Colaço,
• Luís C. Branco and
• Benilde Saramago

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1961–1971, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.197

• topography and chemical composition of the substrates surfaces were determined with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. Correlations between the obtained friction coefficients and the surface properties as well as the lubricants viscosity were attempted in

• force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. Due to the hygroscopic properties of PEG, the first step was to assess the effect of the presence of water. Then, a series of ILs based on the cations 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium [EMIM], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium [BMIM

• polyethylene glycol (PEG) to lubricate Si surfaces. The friction coefficients were measured in a nanotribometer. The viscosity of the PEG + IL mixtures as well as their contact angles on the Si surface were measured. The topography and chemical composition of the substrates surfaces were determined with atomic

Growth and characterization of textured well-faceted ZnO on planar Si(100), planar Si(111), and textured Si(100) substrates for solar cell applications

• Chin-Yi Tsai,
• Jyong-Di Lai,
• Shih-Wei Feng,
• Chien-Jung Huang,
• Chien-Hsun Chen,
• Fann-Wei Yang,
• Hsiang-Chen Wang and
• Li-Wei Tu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1939–1945, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.194

• (LPCVD) were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and cathode luminescence (CL) measurements. The results show that ZnO grown on planar Si(100), planar Si(111), and textured Si(100) substrates favor the growth of ZnO(110) ridge-like, ZnO

• by LPCVD. These three samples are characterized and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and cathode luminescence (CL) measurements. The grain structure, average grain size, and associated strains are shown to agree well with the

Application of visible-light photosensitization to form alkyl-radical-derived thin films on gold

• Rashanique D. Quarels,
• Xianglin Zhai,
• Neepa Kuruppu,
• Jenny K. Hedlund,
• Ashley A. Ellsworth,
• Amy V. Walker,
• Jayne C. Garno and
• Justin R. Ragains

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1863–1877, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.187

• using Phth–Me and Phth–NHBoc. IRRAS/contact angle data are representative. Atomic force microscopy (AFM): Model 5500 and 5420 scanning probe microscopes (Keysight Technologies, Santa Rosa, CA) were used to characterize samples. Images were collected with Pico View v 1.12 software. Tips with an average

• subjected to contact angle goniometry and IRRAS analysis. Atomic force microscopy (AFM): The deposition of a thin film using phthalimide ester Phth–Me combined with particle lithography produced a periodic arrangement of nanopores within a thin film of Au–Me on Au(111). The sample was imaged with tapping

Evaluation of preparation methods for suspended nano-objects on substrates for dimensional measurements by atomic force microscopy

• Petra Fiala,
• Daniel Göhler,
• Benno Wessely,
• Michael Stintz,
• Giovanni Mattia Lazzerini and
• Andrew Yacoot

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1774–1785, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.179

• Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 0LW, UK 10.3762/bjnano.8.179 Abstract Dimensional measurements on nano-objects by atomic force microscopy (AFM) require samples of safely fixed and well individualized particles with a suitable surface-specific particle number on flat and clean

• electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) or atomic force microscopy (AFM) are seen as most appropriate methods for nanomaterial classification and therefore traceability for these methods will become more and more important [7]. Despite the strengths of these imaging methods for

Methionine-mediated synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles and functionalization with gold quantum dots for theranostic applications

• Arūnas Jagminas,
• Agnė Mikalauskaitė,
• Vitalijus Karabanovas and
• Jūrate Vaičiūnienė

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1734–1741, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.174

• conjugated with targeting and chemotherapy agents, such as cancer stem cell-related antibodies and the anticancer drug doxorubicin, for early detection and improved treatment. In order to verify our findings, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), FTIR