Nanoscale friction and wear of a polymer coated with graphene

• Robin Vacher and
• Astrid S. de Wijn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 63–73, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.4

• , to be sure that no extremely unphysical events can occur, we have used the same potential as for the non-bonded polymer–polymer interaction. The masses of the particles were chosen to be equal to 12.01 g/mol for the carbon atoms of graphene, 44.17 g/mol for the monomers in PVA and, 2.8 g/mol for the

• deposited graphene on the surface of the polymer substrate by placing the graphene sheet at around 90 Å from the surface and then applying a force to each of the graphene carbon atoms equal to 0.00005 eV/Å (8.0 × 10−14 N) for a period of 75 ps, after which it sits on the surface and has stopped moving. The

• total normal force applied is around 4 nN (3.3 MPa). Then the force is removed and the graphene sheet stays on the surface due to adhesion. To avoid sliding of the entire graphene sheet over the polymer substrate, we fix the position of some of the graphene carbon atoms during indentation and sliding

Effect of lubricants on the rotational transmission between solid-state gears

• Huang-Hsiang Lin,
• Jonathan Heinze,
• Alexander Croy,
• Rafael Gutiérrez and
• Gianaurelio Cuniberti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 54–62, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.3

• protocol A, we use (i) AIREBO for carbon interactions within the gears, (ii) AIREBO for gear–lubricant interactions and (iii) a 12-6 Lennard-Jones potential with ε = 2.875 meV, σ = 3.5 Å [60] and cutoff distance 3σ for gear–gear interactions. Note, that the LJ parameters are chosen differently to the ones

• rad/ns (or periods equal to 2000, 1000 and 500 ps). To check if lubricants can protect the surface of the gears, we use protocol B in the MD simulations, which allows for bond formation to happen between gears. Note that the C–C bonds between gears are characterized by two carbon atoms attaching each

• distance 10 nm, tip radius 6 nm and thickness 2.05 nm; (a) without lubricants and lubricated by (b) benzene, (c) hexadecene and (d) phenanthrene molecules where the purple and white atoms denote the carbon and hydrogen atoms of the lubricant, respectively. The dimension of the lubricant layer shown here is

Sputtering onto liquids: a critical review

• Anastasiya Sergievskaya,
• Adrien Chauvin and
• Stephanos Konstantinidis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 10–53, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.2

• gas phase and subsequent film growth can be computed using, for example, SIMTRA [37] and NASCAM [38] codes, respectively. The evolution of the sputtering yield calculated by SRIM for carbon (C), titanium (Ti), and Au targets as a function of the kinetic energy of the bombarding argon ions is presented

• ion impacts. The sputtering yield is influenced by the surface binding energy (Eb) of the target material, here Eb = 7.41, 4.89, and 3.8 eV for carbon, titanium, and gold, respectively. These values are provided by the SRIM code. Atoms leaving the target surface have an average kinetic energy of the

• the La Mer model was not built based on experimental observations about the formation of metal NPs. Basically, La Mer and co-workers applied classical nucleation theory (CNT; this abbreviation was widely used by colloidal chemists years before carbon nanotubes became a hot research topic) that was

Topographic signatures and manipulations of Fe atoms, CO molecules and NaCl islands on superconducting Pb(111)

• Carl Drechsel,
• Philipp D’Astolfo,
• Jung-Ching Liu,
• Thilo Glatzel,
• Rémy Pawlak and
• Ernst Meyer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1–9, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.1

• with functionalized tips. We report on the topographic signatures observed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) of carbon monoxide (CO) molecules, iron (Fe) atoms and sodium chloride (NaCl) islands deposited on superconducting Pb(111). For the CO adsorption a comparison with the Pb(110) substrate is

• of iron atoms on top of the prototypical Pb(111) superconducting surface. Keywords: carbon monoxide (CO); lateral manipulation; NaCl; scanning tunneling microscopy; superconductivity; Introduction The most exciting manifestation of topological superconductivity [1][2][3] is the Majorana zero mode

• systematic characterization by STM of the adsorption of carbon monoxide (CO), sodium chloride (NaCl) and iron adatoms (Fe) on the superconducting Pb(111) surface at low temperature (4.7 K). We show a surprising absence of STM topographic signatures of CO molecules on Pb(111), which we impute to their high

Chemical vapor deposition of germanium-rich CrGe_x nanowires

• Vladislav Dřínek,
• Stanislav Tiagulskyi,
• Roman Yatskiv,
• Jan Grym,
• Radek Fajgar,
• Věra Jandová,
• Martin Koštejn and
• Jaroslav Kupčík

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1365–1371, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.100

• carbon–platinum composite using focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID) (Supporting Information File 1, Figure S10). The resistivity of the nanowire–deposit system was estimated to be 2.7 kΩ·cm (Figure 5). This value is significantly higher than the previously reported resistivity for nominally

• (SAED) patterns were evaluated using the ProcessDiffraction software package. The samples were prepared on holey carbon-coated Au/Mo grids by brushing the grids against the substrate containing the deposit. Electrical measurements of the NWs were carried out in the SEM apparatus (Tescan Lyra 3) equipped

Two dynamic modes to streamline challenging atomic force microscopy measurements

• Alexei G. Temiryazev,
• Andrey V. Krayev and
• Marina P. Temiryazeva

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1226–1236, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.90

• -walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) [26]. This is very soft object that can be easily deformed by AFM probe. On the other hand, such a regime significantly reduces the likelihood of tip contamination. AFM image artifacts are often caused by a particle sticking to the tip (see Figure 2c). This not only

• known that the lateral resolution of AFM images depends on the sharpness of the probe. A typical value of the radius of the tip curvature r is 10 nm. Specially made probes with carbon spikes have values of r about 2 nm [31][32]. Nevertheless, under certain conditions, for example, when measuring under

Impact of electron–phonon coupling on electron transport through T-shaped arrangements of quantum dots in the Kondo regime

• Patryk Florków and
• Stanisław Lipiński

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1209–1225, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.89

• been observed in semiconductor-based quantum dots (QDs) [1][2][3][4], in carbon nanotubes [5], and in molecular nanostructures [6][7][8][9]. Besides the spin, also other degrees of freedom, for example, orbital [10] or charge [11][12] can give rise to Kondo correlations. For systems with higher

• degeneracy, for example, in the case of fourfold spin–orbital degeneracy not only spin, but also orbital pseudo-spin can be screened. Such SU(4) Kondo effect resonances have been observed in vertical QDs [10], in capacitively coupled dots [13], and in carbon nanotubes [14][15][16][17]. There is currently

• in the linear conductance [23][24][27][28]. There are also reports on T-shaped carbon nanotube structures [29][30] and similar carbon devices engineered by attaching C60 buckyballs onto the sidewall of a single-walled carbon nanotube (carbon nanobud [31]). Many experiments showed that Kondo and Fano

Morphology-driven gas sensing by fabricated fractals: A review

• Vishal Kamathe and
• Rupali Nagar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1187–1208, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.88

• , carbon monoxide, ammonia, nitrous oxide, and ethanol (Figure 10e,f) at 250 °C. The estimated fractal dimensions were 1.82 for the pore network and 1.72 for the foam sensor. Titanium oxide-based fractals Fusco et al. modified dielectric titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles with fractal structure with a

• fractal dimension of 1.79. Tungsten oxide-based fractals A very recent study on the sensing of NO2, acetone, and carbon monoxide was reported by Simon and co-workers. They used Ni nanoparticles to decorate a reduced graphene oxide/WO3 nanocomposite [78]. The WO3 sample annealed at 600 °C shows the

• –Bi2O3 porous fractal structures contained abundant active sites for the adsorption of carbon dioxide and other VOCs. An improvement of the electron density was attributed to gold nanoparticles. The resulting fractal structures showed excellent sensing properties towards VOCs (100 ppm at room temperature

The effect of cobalt on morphology, structure, and ORR activity of electrospun carbon fibre mats in aqueous alkaline environments

• Markus Gehring,
• Tobias Kutsch,
• Osmane Camara,
• Alexandre Merlen,
• Hermann Tempel,
• Hans Kungl and
• Rüdiger-A. Eichel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1173–1186, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.87

• temperatures. As a result of cobalt migration in the material the resulting overall morphology is that of turbostratic carbon. Nitrogen removal and nitrogen-type distribution are enhanced by the cobalt additives. At lower carbonisation temperatures cobalt is distributed over the surface of the fibres, whereas

• at an overpotential of 100 mV and low overpotentials at current densities of 333 μA·cm−2 were found for all electrodes made from cobalt-decorated fibre mats carbonised at temperatures between 800 and 1000 °C. Keywords: carbon fibres; cobalt-decorated fibres; electrospinning; metal–air batteries

• , electrodes intended for mass production need to be composed of cheap materials, ideally from sustainable sources, and to be produced in a way that is scalable. Carbonised polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibre mats, which are a promising alternative to pressed carbon powders, are one such approach. These mats are a

Irradiation-driven molecular dynamics simulation of the FEBID process for Pt(PF₃)₄

• Alexey Prosvetov,
• Alexey V. Verkhovtsev,
• Gennady Sushko and
• Andrey V. Solov’yov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1151–1172, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.86

• , and amorphous carbon. A choice of the substrate affects the adsorption, desorption, and diffusion of precursor molecules on the surface as well as the yields of secondary and backscattered electrons. These quantities affect the fragmentation rate of the adsorbed precursor molecules and, hence, the

• amorphous substrates, for example, amorphous silica or amorphous carbon, which are commonly used in FEBID and surface science experiments. The structure of precursor molecules, their interaction with a substrate, and the dynamics of nanostructure formation and growth are influenced by interatomic

Assessment of the optical and electrical properties of light-emitting diodes containing carbon-based nanostructures and plasmonic nanoparticles: a review

• Keshav Nagpal,
• Erwan Rauwel,
• Frédérique Ducroquet and
• Protima Rauwel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1078–1092, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.80

• employed in display applications and lighting systems. Further research on LED that incorporates carbon nanostructures and metal nanoparticles exhibiting surface plasmon resonance has demonstrated a significant improvement in device performance. These devices offer lower turn-on voltages, higher external

• quantum efficiencies, and luminance. De facto, plasmonic nanoparticles, such as Au and Ag have boosted the luminance of red, green, and blue emissions. When combined with carbon nanostructures they additionally offer new possibilities towards lightweight and flexible devices with better thermal management

• . This review surveys the diverse possibilities to combine various inorganic, organic, and carbon nanostructures along with plasmonic nanoparticles. Such combinations would allow an enhancement in the overall properties of LED. Keywords: carbon nanotubes (CNT); graphene; light-emitting diodes (LED

Revealing the formation mechanism and band gap tuning of Sb₂S₃ nanoparticles

• Maximilian Joschko,
• Franck Yvan Fotue Wafo,
• Christina Malsi,
• Danilo Kisić,
• Ivana Validžić and
• Christina Graf

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1021–1033, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.76

• to the expected stoichiometric ratio of Sb2S3. The reason for this possibly lies in the formation of an oxygen- or carbon-containing intermediate during the seeding process. Afterward, the type I nanoparticles aggregated into larger amorphous nanoparticles (type II) in a second hierarchical assembly

• Sb2S3. This species could act as an intermediate for the particles formed at later stages or as an intermediate species formed parallel to the main reaction. It is also possible that, initially, a species that contained antimony, sulfur, and carbon residues from the precursors formed, as it has been

• = 1.5–2 g/L) of the particles in IPA was dried on a carbon-coated copper grid (carbon-coating type A, 6–10 nm thickness, Cu 200 mesh, Plano GmbH). The software FIJI was used to evaluate the particle size for 200–300 particles per synthesis on several images [51]. TEM A Zeiss EM 109 was used at 80 kV

Progress and innovation of nanostructured sulfur cathodes and metal-free anodes for room-temperature Na–S batteries

• Marina Tabuyo-Martínez,
• Bernd Wicklein and
• Pilar Aranda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 995–1020, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.75

• design a cathode material that improves the conductivity of the system [4][11]. Common approaches are based on the incorporation of conductive carbon nanomaterials [23]. The volume expansion of sulfur during the discharge process is caused by the formation of the discharge product Na2S. This expansion is

• to the expansion of these batteries into wider consumer markets, for which hard carbon, Si, Sn and Sb alloys, as well as phosphorous compounds are currently investigated [25][26][27]. This review focuses on the most recent designs of cathode materials for RT Na–S batteries, which attempt to overcome

• this technology has currently developed and where future research could be directed at. Review Conventional sulfur–carbon cathode materials Sulfur–carbon composites are the most widely studied cathode materials because carbon increases the cathode conductivity and also improves the reactivity of sulfur

Molecular assemblies on surfaces: towards physical and electronic decoupling of organic molecules

• Sabine Maier and
• Meike Stöhr

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 950–956, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.71

• molecules, offering unique opportunities for the bottom-up assembly of novel carbon-based materials using on-surface chemistry [48][49]. However, the significantly reduced catalytic activity on non-metallic substrates requires exploring alternative reaction mechanisms beyond thermal activation, for example

• molecular conformation by planarizing the carbon backbone as well as the self-assembly. Hurdax et al. [89] suggested that work function measurements before and after the adsorption of molecules should give insight into the electronic and physical decoupling. It should be noted that metal oxide thin films

Self-assembly of Eucalyptus gunnii wax tubules and pure ß-diketone on HOPG and glass

• Miriam Anna Huth,
• Axel Huth and
• Kerstin Koch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 939–949, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.70

• , Hamburg, Germany) and conductive carbon cement (Leit-C, Plano, Wetzlar, Germany) was applied. The samples were sputter coated (108 auto/SE, Cressington, Watford, UK) with gold (t: 60 s, I: 30 mA, p: 0.1 mbar), resulting in a gold layer of approximately 8 nm. Recrystallized structures were then

The role of deep eutectic solvents and carrageenan in synthesizing biocompatible anisotropic metal nanoparticles

• Nabojit Das,
• Akash Kumar and
• Raja Gopal Rayavarapu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 924–938, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.69

• cytotoxicity of quaternary ammonium surfactants in which cytotoxicity increased with the increase in carbon chain length of the surfactants [47]. Several reports have shown that the toxicity of CTAB-capped gold nanorods depends on nanoparticle size, shape, particle concentration, surface modification, and

• application. For example, Gutiérrez et al. synthesized porous carbon using p-toluenesulfonic acid and choline chloride in a molar ratio of 1:1 [88]. The DES used served as solvent and catalyst for the condensation of furfuryl alcohol, followed by carbonization resulting in the formation of pores. Oh et al

• alternative to CTAB yielding less toxic nanorods. The lower toxicity can be attributed to the shorter carbon tail length of the surfactant compared to CTAB. Moreover, an excellent study reported the interaction between surfactants and carrageenan. The SO3− group present in carrageenan interacts with the

Effects of temperature and repeat layer spacing on mechanical properties of graphene/polycrystalline copper nanolaminated composites under shear loading

• Chia-Wei Huang,
• Man-Ping Chang and
• Te-Hua Fang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 863–877, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.65

• . Keywords: dislocation; graphene/Cu; molecular dynamics; shear; self-healing; Introduction Graphene is a monolayered hexagonal thin film composed of sp2-bonded carbon atoms and has extraordinary properties for applications in nanoelectronics [1][2][3][4][5][6]. However, because of the two-dimensional

• the mechanical properties of carbon materials [31]. In this study, graphene with zigzag and armchair chirality is considered while simulating different properties of graphene monolayers and copper layers, including stress–strain curve variations, the distribution of von Mises stress, the evolution of

• . Figure 8 shows the von Mises stress in graphene along the armchair direction at 300 K. As shown in Figure 8b and Figure 8c, for the armchair direction, the self-healing phenomenon at the crack is observed after fracture. Self-healing is caused by the bonding of carbon atoms in graphene. At γ = 0.3, there

Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications

• Sepand Tehrani Fateh,
• Lida Moradi,
• Elmira Kohan,
• Michael R. Hamblin and
• Amin Shiralizadeh Dezfuli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64

• (conventional and echogenic), niosomes, nanoemulsions, polymeric nanoparticles, chitosan nanocapsules, dendrimers, hydrogels, nanogels, gold nanoparticles, titania nanostructures, carbon nanostructures, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, fuel-free nano/micromotors. Keywords: smart nanomaterials; sonodynamic

• , dendrimers, and capsules), lipid-based carriers (including liposomes and solid lipid NP), and non-polymer-based structures (including nanomachines, gold NPs, titanium, carbon, and silica nanostructures) along with some other novel NPs which can trigger drug release after US activation. A discussion on these

Silver nanoparticles nucleated in NaOH-treated halloysite: a potential antimicrobial material

• Yuri B. Matos,
• Rodrigo S. Romanus,
• Mattheus Torquato,
• Edgar H. de Souza,
• Rodrigo L. Villanova,
• Marlene Soares and
• Emilson R. Viana

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 798–807, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.63

• behaviour is most certainly due to the presence of DIO, a very hydrophobic substance itself. DIO is an organic molecule made of a long carbon chain “tail” attached to a thiol “head” (R-SH), which forms covalent bonds with silver via the sulfur atom. So, by mixing DIO and Ag/HNT-8 one is able to create a

• thin layer of carbon chains coming out from the Ag/HNT-8 surface (as shown in Figure 8). This yields hydrophobic properties, which result in better dispersability into the LDPE matrix and, consequently, in better antimicrobial surface activity of plastics doped with the DIO-coated sample. Conclusion

Reducing molecular simulation time for AFM images based on super-resolution methods

• Zhipeng Dou,
• Jianqiang Qian,
• Yingzi Li,
• Rui Lin,
• Jianhai Wang,
• Peng Cheng and
• Zeyu Xu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 775–785, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.61

• schematic of the AM mode simulation model with conical tip apex is illustrated in Figure 1. The bottom layer atoms of the substrate are fixed to keep the sample stable. For the graphite substrate, the carbon–carbon interactions within each graphene layer are described by the AIREBO potential [55]. The

9.1% efficient zinc oxide/silicon solar cells on a 50 μm thick Si absorber

• Rafal Pietruszka,
• Bartlomiej S. Witkowski,
• Monika Ozga,
• Katarzyna Gwozdz,
• Ewa Placzek-Popko and
• Marek Godlewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 766–774, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.60

• ; Introduction The constantly increasing emission of greenhouse gases creates a growing environmental problem. Burning of fossil fuels leads to an increase of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The effect of this activity is global warming [1]. Fortunately, public awareness of the ecological problem

Recent progress in actuation technologies of micro/nanorobots

• Ke Xu and
• Bing Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 756–765, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.59

• FRET imaging while propelling the switches. The entire self-actuation process is realized by urease-mediated conversion of urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide. Unlike traditional nanoprobes, DNA nanoswitches can perform pH value measurements within a few microseconds. This research is a big step

Recent progress in magnetic applications for micro- and nanorobots

• Ke Xu,
• Shuang Xu and
• Fanan Wei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 744–755, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.58

• FMSM had a two-layer nanoparticle coating. In order to drive the FMSM by an external magnetic field, Yang et al. coated magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles onto the outside surface of the spores for magnetization, and conjugated carbon dots onto the outside and inside walls of the magnetic spores. The MagDisk

Physical constraints lead to parallel evolution of micro- and nanostructures of animal adhesive pads: a review

• Thies H. Büscher and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 725–743, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.57

• coverage. Similar data have been obtained for the chrysomelid beetle Hemisphaerota cyanea (Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae) [261]. In smooth insect pads, the pad secretion consists of a water-soluble and a lipid-soluble part [254]. Data obtained from shock-freezing, carbon–platinum coating, and replica

• Clearance Center, Inc.. This content is not subject to CC BY 4.0. Fluid micro- and nanodrops in animal attachment pads. (A) Carbon–platinum replica of frozen and coated droplets of the fly Calliphora vicina in SEM (black arrow indicates the direction of coating). Please note the pattern of nanodrops on the

Nanogenerator-based self-powered sensors for data collection

• Yicheng Shao,
• Maoliang Shen,
• Yuankai Zhou,
• Xin Cui,
• Lijie Li and
• Yan Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 680–693, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.54

• sensor that uses mechanical energy and biochemical energy. The fiber nanogenerator (FNG) and the fiber biofuel cell (FBFC) are fully integrated on a single carbon fiber. The FNG converts the periodically applied pressure in the liquid into an alternating current (AC) output, and the FBFC converts glucose

• . Lee et al. proposed a based Hg2+ ion sensor based on ZnO nanowires and carbon nanotubes for detecting toxic pollutants [17]. The ZnO nanowire (NW) array acted as power source. When Hg2+ ions were detected, the system powered a light-emitting diode (LED). Li et al. designed a self-powered heavy metal