Straightforward and robust synthesis of monodisperse surface-functionalized gold nanoclusters

• Silvia Varela-Aramburu,
• Richard Wirth,
• Chian-Hui Lai,
• Guillermo Orts-Gil and
• Peter H. Seeberger

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1278–1283, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.118

• agent. By serendipity we discovered a novel one-pot method to prepare gold nanoclusters using 1-thioglucose at room temperature. This simple and robust synthesis produces stable, and monodisperse nanoclusters. Oxidation of the carbohydrate results in carboxylic acid as determined by X-ray photoelectron

• spectroscopy (XPS). Coupling to the carboxylic acids or addition of thiols functionalizes the NCs that are taken up by cells but are less cytotoxic than NCs prepared by other methods. During experiments exploring different methods for the synthesis of gold tetrapods [26], we found that simply the addition of 1

Multiwalled carbon nanotube hybrids as MRI contrast agents

• Nikodem Kuźnik and
• Mateusz M. Tomczyk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1086–1103, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.102

• materials are rare. Only Marangon stated that the morphology of the nanotube skeleton was not affected by the functionalization [36]. Additionally, Yin, based on XRD and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements, concluded that, once anchored, SPIO nanoparticles are tightly bonded to the nanotube

Efficient electron-induced removal of oxalate ions and formation of copper nanoparticles from copper(II) oxalate precursor layers

• Kai Rückriem,
• Sarah Grotheer,
• Henning Vieker,
• Paul Penner,
• André Beyer,
• Armin Gölzhäuser and
• Petra Swiderek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 852–861, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.77

• infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). Helium ion microscopy (HIM) reveals the formation of spherical nanoparticles with well-defined size and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms their metallic nature. Continued irradiation after depletion of oxalate does not lead to further particle growth giving

• to eliminate water vapor and carbon dioxide. Background spectra were recorded on a MUA SAM. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy XPS was conducted at the Bielefeld University in a multi-technique UHV instrument (Multiprobe, Omicron Nanotechnology). Samples were stored under argon atmosphere in sealed

Selective photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to methanol in CuO-loaded NaTaO₃ nanocubes in isopropanol

• Tianyu Xiang,
• Feng Xin,
• Jingshuai Chen,
• Yuwen Wang,
• Xiaohong Yin and
• Xiao Shao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 776–783, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.69

• visible light absorbance correlates with the formation rate and increase in electrons and holes on the photocatalyst surface [35]. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were carried out to confirm that CuO was loaded onto the surface of NaTaO3 nanocubes

Orientation of FePt nanoparticles on top of a-SiO₂/Si(001), MgO(001) and sapphire(0001): effect of thermal treatments and influence of substrate and particle size

• Martin Schilling,
• Paul Ziemann,
• Zaoli Zhang,
• Johannes Biskupek,
• Ute Kaiser and
• Ulf Wiedwald

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 591–604, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.52

• [22][31]. Prior to in situ characterization, the films were reduced by exposure to a hydrogen plasma. The composition and the chemical state of the FePt NPs and films were measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) using Al Kα radiation directly after reduction in hydrogen plasma and after

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

• by an applied potential on gold substrates [100]. Although 1 is an effective linking agent for binding surface probes, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements revealed that monolayers of 1 are substantially disordered, with an average of 30% of the thiol groups not being bound to the gold

Case studies on the formation of chalcogenide self-assembled monolayers on surfaces and dissociative processes

• Yongfeng Tong,
• Tingming Jiang,
• Azzedine Bendounan,
• Makri Nimbegondi Kotresh Harish,
• Angelo Giglia,
• Stefan Kubsky,
• Fausto Sirotti,
• Luca Pasquali,
• Srinivasan Sampath and
• Vladimir A. Esaulov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 263–277, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.24

• deduced from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies. Thus, it was noted in the Pd case that the S 2p region spectra differed significantly from those observed for Au and Ag substrates. This is because of contributions from both atomic and thiolate sulfur. The situation is in general complicated by

3D solid supported inter-polyelectrolyte complexes obtained by the alternate deposition of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)

• Eduardo Guzmán,
• Armando Maestro,
• Sara Llamas,
• Jesús Álvarez-Rodríguez,
• Francisco Ortega,
• Ángel Maroto-Valiente and
• Ramón G. Rubio

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 197–208, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.18

• made using the software Package Parrat 32 from HMI (Berlin, Germany). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy Surface chemical analysis of the samples was carried out by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) by using an ESCAPROBE P (Omnicron) spectrometer. The measurements were carried out with a Mg Kα

• photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provides valuable information about the surface chemistry of the samples. A method to provide depth profiles (with different penetration depths, x) is angle-resolved XPS. In this method the electron path through the solid, i.e., three times the inelastic mean free path, is

• low level of ionic cross-linking, which leads to their rigidification upon dehydration. This is in accordance with the results obtained by Secrist and Nolte for spin-coated multilayers of (poly(allylamine) + poly(acrylic acid))N [52]. Internal structure: evidence of a non-stratified system X-ray

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

• lateral size ranges from 100 nm to several μm [112] (Figure 19). Before reduction, the C/O ratio is typically 4:1 to 2:1 [113][114] and can be reduced to 12:1 [115] or even to 246:1 [99], as was recently obtained. The C/O ratio is usually characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) because of

Evaluation of gas-sensing properties of ZnO nanostructures electrochemically doped with Au nanophases

• Elena Dilonardo,
• Michele Penza,
• Marco Alvisi,
• Cinzia Di Franco,
• Francesco Palmisano,
• Luisa Torsi and
• Nicola Cioffi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 22–31, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.3

• @ZnO) was investigated. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), revealed the successful deposition of nanoscale gold on the surface of spherical and rod-like ZnO nanostructures, obtained after annealing at 300 and 550 °C

Self-organization of gold nanoparticles on silanated surfaces

• Htet H. Kyaw,
• Salim H. Al-Harthi,
• Azzouz Sellai and
• Joydeep Dutta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2345–2353, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.242

• changes in electronic and optical properties. Furthermore, orientation and shape of AuNPs deposited on glass substrates were changed upon annealing, which is also reported. Results and Discussion X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of APTES-modified glass substrates XPS spectra recorded before

• tensiometer (Biolin Scientific, Sweden). 5 µL water droplets were used and water contact angle was measured at five random locations on each sample surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were carried out using Omicron Nanotechnology system with Al Kα radiation (1486.6 eV). All XPS

Orthogonal chemical functionalization of patterned gold on silica surfaces

• Francisco Palazon,
• Didier Léonard,
• Thierry Le Mogne,
• Francesca Zuttion,
• Céline Chevalier,
• Magali Phaner-Goutorbe,
• Éliane Souteyrand,
• Yann Chevolot and
• Jean-Pierre Cloarec

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2272–2277, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.233

• orthogonality of the functionalization (i.e., selective grafting of the thiol on the gold areas and the silane on the silica) was demonstrated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as well as time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF–SIMS) mapping. The orthogonal functionalization was used to

Plasma fluorination of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes: functionalization and thermal stability

• Claudia Struzzi,
• Mattia Scardamaglia,
• Axel Hemberg,
• Luca Petaccia,
• Jean-François Colomer,
• Rony Snyders and
• Carla Bittencourt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2263–2271, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.232

• spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) [10][18][19]. Although a large number of fluorination strategies and characterization routes have been reported, the choice of the precursor gas is a crucial issue that should not be underestimated due to the risk of

Core-level spectra and molecular deformation in adsorption: V-shaped pentacene on Al(001)

• Anu Baby,
• He Lin,
• Gian Paolo Brivio,
• Luca Floreano and
• Guido Fratesi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2242–2251, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.230

• particular V-shaped deformed structure is discussed and understood. The molecule–surface bond is made evident by mapping the charge redistribution. Upon X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) from the molecule, the bond with the surface is destabilized by the electron density rearrangement to screen the core

• splitting of the sigma resonances measured along the two in-plane molecular axes. Keywords: aluminum; density functional theory (DFT); near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS); pentacene; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS); Introduction Pentacene has been studied extensively as it is a

Effect of SiN_x diffusion barrier thickness on the structural properties and photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ films obtained by sol–gel dip coating and reactive magnetron sputtering

• Mohamed Nawfal Ghazzal,
• Eric Aubry,
• Nouari Chaoui and
• Didier Robert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2039–2045, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.207

• diffusion barrier thickness using extremely sensitive surface analysis techniques (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and sputtered neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS)) [5][6][13]. Aubry et al. showed that the concentration of Na+ ions increases with a decrease of the SiNx diffusion barrier of thickness

Distribution of Pd clusters on ultrathin, epitaxial TiO_x films on Pt₃Ti(111)

• Christian Breinlich,
• Maria Buchholz,
• Marco Moors,
• Tobias Pertram,
• Conrad Becker and
• Klaus Wandelt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2007–2014, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.204

• photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements indicated the existence of an oxygen-terminated Ti–O bilayer [6][7]. Depending on the applied oxygen dose, the z'-TiOx phase covers different fractions of the crystal surface, ranging from small separated islands up to a nearly complete film covering the whole

• images. Former LEED measurements have shown a commensurate rectangular unit cell with a (6 × 3√3) superstructure with respect to the (1 × 1) spots of the alloy surface and a unit cell size of (16.6 ± 0.2) × (14.4 ± 0.2) Å, while high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and X-ray

The role of low-energy electrons in focused electron beam induced deposition: four case studies of representative precursors

• Rachel M. Thorman,
• Ragesh Kumar T. P.,
• D. Howard Fairbrother and
• Oddur Ingólfsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1904–1926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.194

• relatively high energy (400–500 eV). In such surface experiments, the desorbing fragments are analyzed with MS and the composition of the remaining deposit can be analyzed with techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), reflection-absorption IR spectroscopy (RAIRS), and/or high-resolution

High photocatalytic activity of V-doped SrTiO₃ porous nanofibers produced from a combined electrospinning and thermal diffusion process

• Panpan Jing,
• Wei Lan,
• Qing Su and
• Erqing Xie

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1281–1286, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.132

• using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM, Hitachi S-4800) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM, TecnaiTM G2F30, FEI), X-ray diffraction (XRD, Cu Kα, λ = 1.5406 Å), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, Kratos AXIS

Electrical characterization of single molecule and Langmuir–Blodgett monomolecular films of a pyridine-terminated oligo(phenylene-ethynylene) derivative

• Henrry M. Osorio,
• Santiago Martín,
• María Carmen López,
• Santiago Marqués-González,
• Simon J. Higgins,
• Richard J. Nichols,
• Paul J. Low and
• Pilar Cea

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1145–1157, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.116

• and operating at a resonance frequency of 300 kHz. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra were acquired on a Kratos AXIS Ultra DLD spectrometer with a monochromatic Al Kα X-ray source (1486.6 eV) using a pass energy of 20 eV. The photoelectron take-off angle was 90° with respect to the sample

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

• composition studies The morphology and composition of sputtered, metal-decorated CNTs were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. For the TEM analysis, pristine MWCNTs were dropped onto a commercial, lacey-carbon grid. This was then

Transformation of hydrogen titanate nanoribbons to TiO₂ nanoribbons and the influence of the transformation strategies on the photocatalytic performance

• Melita Rutar,
• Nejc Rozman,
• Matej Pregelj,
• Carla Bittencourt,
• Romana Cerc Korošec,
• Andrijana Sever Škapin,
• Aleš Mrzel,
• Srečo D. Škapin and
• Polona Umek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 831–844, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.86

• , CH-N) compared with 10 h (CH-W) in deionized water. Determination of the nitrogen content An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study was conducted to determine the nitrogen content and to investigate its chemical state in the N-doped TiO2 NRs. The results are shown in Table 2. As expected, the

• determination of the nitrogen content X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were performed with a VERSAPROBE PHI 5000 from Physical Electronics, equipped with a monochromatic Al Kα X-ray source. The energy resolution was 0.6 eV. A dual beam charge neutralizator composed of an electron gun (ca. 1eV

Self-assembled anchor layers/polysaccharide coatings on titanium surfaces: a study of functionalization and stability

• Ognen Pop-Georgievski,
• Dana Kubies,
• Josef Zemek,
• Neda Neykova,
• Roman Demianchuk,
• Eliška Mázl Chánová,
• Miroslav Šlouf,
• Milan Houska and
• František Rypáček

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 617–631, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.63

• performed on a Quanta 200 FEG (FEI, Czech Republic) microscope. All micrographs presented are secondary electron images taken under high vacuum using an accelerating voltage of 30 kV. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS): The core-level photoelectron spectra were recorded using an angle-resolved

• photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and infrared reflection–absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS). The changes in topography and the established continuity of the layers were revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), stylus profilometry (SP) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The

• the immobilization of the polysaccharide chains to the anchor layer amine groups through the creation of amide bonds. The success of the performed modifications and their short-term stability in a phosphate buffer at 37 °C was probed by different surface sensitive techniques such as X-ray

Tm-doped TiO₂ and Tm₂Ti₂O₇ pyrochlore nanoparticles: enhancing the photocatalytic activity of rutile with a pyrochlore phase

• Desiré M. De los Santos,
• Javier Navas,
• Teresa Aguilar,
• Antonio Sánchez-Coronilla,
• Concha Fernández-Lorenzo,
• Rodrigo Alcántara,
• Jose Carlos Piñero,
• Ginesa Blanco and
• Joaquín Martín-Calleja

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 605–616, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.62

• phase, n = 4 for the anatase phase, and V is the unit cell volume calculated as described above. The molecular weight was calculated considering the empirical formula obtained from ICP–AES and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results. XPS was used to analyze the chemical composition and the

Conformal SiO₂ coating of sub-100 nm diameter channels of polycarbonate etched ion-track channels by atomic layer deposition

• Nicolas Sobel,
• Christian Hess,
• Manuela Lukas,
• Anne Spende,
• Bernd Stühn,
• M. E. Toimil-Molares and
• Christina Trautmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 472–479, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.48

• membranes by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) reveals a homogeneous, conformal layer of SiO2 in the channels at a deposition rate of 1.7–1.8 Å per ALD cycle. Characterization by infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms the stoichiometric composition of the SiO2 films. Detailed XPS

• channels; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS); Introduction Track-etched membranes are fabricated by heavy-ion irradiation of polymer foils and subsequent chemical etching of the ion tracks [1][2]. By controlling the etching parameters, cylindrical and conical channels can be fabricated by symmetric

• Praying Mantis High Temperature Reaction Chamber (Harrick Scientific Prodructs, INC.). Prior to analysis, samples were heated at 493 K for 1 h in N2 atmosphere to remove physisorbed water. All spectra are normalized to the band at 1019 cm−1. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) The SiO2-coated surface

In situ scanning tunneling microscopy study of Ca-modified rutile TiO₂(110) in bulk water

• Giulia Serrano,
• Beatrice Bonanni,
• Tomasz Kosmala,
• Marco Di Giovannantonio,
• Ulrike Diebold,
• Klaus Wandelt and
• Claudio Goletti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 438–443, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.44

• water. The c(6 × 2) LEED pattern observed after UHV preparation and the subsequent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements confirm that high-temperature annealing produces a Ca layer by thermal segregation from the bulk. After immersion in high purity water, STM images show quasi one