Stable Au–C bonds to the substrate for fullerene-based nanostructures

• Taras Chutora,
• Jesús Redondo,
• Bruno de la Torre,
• Martin Švec,
• Pavel Jelínek and
• Héctor Vázquez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1073–1079, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.109

• energies of these two structures is (in the absence of van der Waals forces) close to zero. This indicates that changes in the electronic structure arising from the vacancy when it is oriented towards vacuum do not significantly affect the metal–molecule contact. In contrast to the value of the defect-down

• structure, previous calculations on C60/Au(111) have established that the binding energy results almost solely from van der Waals interactions [43]. Finally, we also considered the case of a double vacancy. Calculations for the binding of a C58 molecule with the defect pointing towards the metal result in a

Scaling law to determine peak forces in tapping-mode AFM experiments on finite elastic soft matter systems

• Horacio V. Guzman

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 968–974, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.98

• these theoretical approximations have been applied to derive a parametrical equation for determining the peak force based on the addition of repulsive Hertzian and attractive van der Waals interactions in low-damping environments [21]. Here we have conceived a multivariate regression analysis to obtain

Triptycene-terminated thiolate and selenolate monolayers on Au(111)

• Jinxuan Liu,
• Martin Kind,
• Björn Schüpbach,
• Daniel Käfer,
• Stefanie Winkler,
• Wenhua Zhang,
• Andreas Terfort and
• Christof Wöll

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 892–905, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.91

• nature of the backbones of the SAM-building molecules [1][4]. It is well-known that long-chained alkyl moieties [9] promote the formation of well-ordered thiolate monolayers on gold via van der Waals forces. Another example for highly crystalline monolayers are biphenyl [10][11][12] and terphenyl [13][14

Investigation of growth dynamics of carbon nanotubes

• Marianna V. Kharlamova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 826–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.85

Modeling adsorption of brominated, chlorinated and mixed bromo/chloro-dibenzo-p-dioxins on C₆₀ fullerene using Nano-QSPR

• Piotr Urbaszek,
• Agnieszka Gajewicz,
• Celina Sikorska,
• Maciej Haranczyk and
• Tomasz Puzyn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 752–761, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.78

• method with partially implemented experimental parameters from different databases. Since it is recognized as one of the best existing methods for showing weak interactions like Van der Waals forces and π–π interactions [53][54][55][56], it was applied in the presented study. The 6-31++G(d,p) basis set

Synthesis of graphene–transition metal oxide hybrid nanoparticles and their application in various fields

• Arpita Jana,
• Elke Scheer and
• Sebastian Polarz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 688–714, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.74

• tendency to agglomerate due to van der Waals interaction between the graphene layers, which inhibits its application is various fields – this drawback can be eliminated by hybridising graphene with NPs. Graphene is a zero band gap material and the main disadvantage of using graphene alone as a catalyst is

• theoretical lithium storage capacity of 744 mAh·g−1, but graphene has a tendency to stack due to van der Waals interactions between graphene layers [24]. The incorporation of TMO NPs inhibits the aggregation of graphene layers [25]. Poizot et al. first introduced the concept of utilising electrodes made of

Dispersion of single-wall carbon nanotubes with supramolecular Congo red – properties of the complexes and mechanism of the interaction

• Anna Jagusiak,
• Barbara Piekarska,
• Tomasz Pańczyk,
• Małgorzata Jemioła-Rzemińska,
• Elżbieta Bielańska,
• Barbara Stopa,
• Grzegorz Zemanek,
• Janina Rybarska,
• Irena Roterman and
• Leszek Konieczny

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 636–648, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.68

• engineering [10][11][12]. Pristine CNTs exist in form of bundles composed of hundreds of single tubes bound by van der Waals interactions. Most applications of carbon nanotubes require their dispersion (solubilization) which can be achieved by either covalent or noncovalent functionalization [8][13][14

Analysis and modification of defective surface aggregates on PCDTBT:PCBM solar cell blends using combined Kelvin probe, conductive and bimodal atomic force microscopy

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

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 579–589, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.62

• electrostatic [22] and van der Waals forces and topography can be avoided. On the other hand, aged samples stored for several weeks under ambient conditions show topographical features corresponding to the structures found in the phase and potential measurements (see Figure S3, Supporting Information File 1

• ), it is very difficult to determine the final destination of the material removed. We speculate that it is likely attached to the tip by attractive interactions such as van der Waals or chemical adhesion, following contact breaking and exfoliation. The effect of the bimodal AFM modification is observed

Graphene functionalised by laser-ablated V₂O₅ for a highly sensitive NH₃ sensor

• Margus Kodu,
• Artjom Berholts,
• Tauno Kahro,
• Mati Kook,
• Peeter Ritslaid,
• Helina Seemen,
• Tea Avarmaa,
• Harry Alles and
• Raivo Jaaniso

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 571–578, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.61

• charged atoms on the surface. Consequently, the adsorption energy is due to van der Waals forces, and may be less or comparable to kBT (where kB is the Boltzmann constant and T the absolute temperature) for gases at room temperature. The introduction of defects and dopant atoms into graphene can

In-situ monitoring by Raman spectroscopy of the thermal doping of graphene and MoS₂ in O₂-controlled atmosphere

• Aurora Piazza,
• Filippo Giannazzo,
• Gianpiero Buscarino,
• Gabriele Fisichella,
• Antonino La Magna,
• Fabrizio Roccaforte,
• Marco Cannas,
• Franco Mario Gelardi and
• Simonpietro Agnello

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 418–424, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.44

• ]. Especially the possibility to produce van der Waals heterostructures combining Gr and MoS2, is pushing the study of this subject [1]. Indeed, the non-zero band gap, good chemical sensitivity and photo response of MoS2 pave the way for its application in optoelectronics, sensing and photovoltaic devices [22

Methods for preparing polymer-decorated single exchange-biased magnetic nanoparticles for application in flexible polymer-based films

• Laurence Ourry,
• Delphine Toulemon,
• Souad Ammar and
• Fayna Mammeri

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 408–417, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.43

• of the resulting hybrid, namely polymer chains and inorganic NPs (e.g., covalent, ionic, van der Waals). Several halogenated coupling agents can be used to covalently graft an organic group onto the surface of oxide NPs, e.g., organosilanes [21][22][23], carboxylate [24][25] or phosphonate/phosphate

Tailoring bifunctional hybrid organic–inorganic nanoadsorbents by the choice of functional layer composition probed by adsorption of Cu²⁺ ions

• Veronika V. Tomina,
• Inna V. Melnyk,
• Yuriy L. Zub,
• Aivaras Kareiva,
• Miroslava Vaclavikova,
• Gulaim A. Seisenbaeva and
• Vadim G. Kessler

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 334–347, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.36

• surface layer inserting instead different hydrolytically stable hydrophobic functions, hindering the formation of H-bonds. We have applied two types of such groups, namely small ones with considerably reduced capacity to van der Waals bonding such as methyl groups, and rather large and long ones with

• potentially strong van der Waals bonding such as fluorinated groups. We also aimed to test the availability and reactivity of the amino function via Cu2+-cation adsorption as a probe, using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron spectroscopy of diffuse reflectance (ESDR) spectroscopy. This

Impact of contact resistance on the electrical properties of MoS₂ transistors at practical operating temperatures

• Filippo Giannazzo,
• Gabriele Fisichella,
• Aurora Piazza,
• Salvatore Di Franco,
• Giuseppe Greco,
• Simonpietro Agnello and
• Fabrizio Roccaforte

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 254–263, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.28

• 373 K, which was explained in terms of electron trapping at MoS2/SiO2 interface states. Keywords: contact resistance; mobility; MoS2; temperature dependence; threshold voltage; Introduction Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are compound materials formed by the Van der Waals stacking of MX2

Nanocrystalline TiO₂/SnO₂ heterostructures for gas sensing

• Barbara Lyson-Sypien,
• Anna Kusior,
• Mieczylaw Rekas,
• Jan Zukrowski,
• Marta Gajewska,
• Katarzyna Michalow-Mauke,
• Thomas Graule,
• Marta Radecka and
• Katarzyna Zakrzewska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 108–122, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.12

• well known that oxygen vacancies act as water adsorption centers. Moreover, in the case of SnO2 water adsorption takes place because of the formation of weak van der Waals bonds between water dipoles and lattice ions (Sn4+ and O2−) [19]. This facilitates water desorption from the surface of SnO2-rich

Streptavidin-coated gold nanoparticles: critical role of oligonucleotides on stability and fractal aggregation

• Roberta D'Agata,
• Pasquale Palladino and
• Giuseppe Spoto

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1–11, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.1

• that is polymer-depleted because of increased steric hindrance. Non-specific protein-DNA interactions are mediated by electrostatic interactions with the charged DNA backbone, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces and hydrophobic interactions [62][63][64]. The whole non-specific interaction can push

When the going gets rough – studying the effect of surface roughness on the adhesive abilities of tree frogs

• Niall Crawford,
• Thomas Endlein,
• Jonathan T. Pham,
• Mathis Riehle and
• W. Jon P. Barnes

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2116–2131, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.201

• situation where capillary forces would be absent. Additionally, since toe pads make close contact to surfaces, a role for van der Waals forces cannot be excluded [3]. However, little evidence was found for such forces in a recent AFM study of the toe pads of Litoria [24]. Capillary forces are highest when

Solvent-mediated conductance increase of dodecanethiol-stabilized gold nanoparticle monolayers

• Patrick A. Reissner,
• Jean-Nicolas Tisserant,
• Antoni Sánchez-Ferrer,
• Raffaele Mezzenga and
• Andreas Stemmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2057–2064, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.196

• dependence can be expected if the decrease in lattice constant is driven by an energy minimization process. Attractive van-der-Waals forces between adjacent nanoparticles can cause agglomeration of nanoparticles, which we observed after removing the alkane ligands by UV/ozone treatment. However, van-der

• -Waals forces rather decrease slightly in a liquid medium in comparison to air. A slow compaction of the nanoparticle monolayer as we observed may be caused either by a collapse of alkyl tails or by partial interdigitation of alkyl tails between nanoparticles. The good solubility of 1-dodecanethiol in

Effect of Anderson localization on light emission from gold nanoparticle aggregates

• Mohamed H. Abdellatif,
• Marco Salerno,
• Gaser N. Abdelrasoul,
• Ioannis Liakos,
• Alice Scarpellini,
• Sergio Marras and
• Alberto Diaspro

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2013–2022, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.192

• : where s is the interparticle distance and VT is the total interaction potential, which according to the classical model of DLVO theory [32][33] is made of is two parts [25]: where Velec is the electrostatic repulsion potential due to Coulomb force, and VVdW is the Van der Waals interaction potential

Morphology of SiO₂ films as a key factor in alignment of liquid crystals with negative dielectric anisotropy

• Volodymyr Tkachenko,
• Antigone Marino,
• Eva Otón,
• Noureddine Bennis and
• Josè Manuel Otón

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1743–1748, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.167

• homeotropically, respectively. Such behavior can be explained by induced dipole–dipole interaction between LC and a smoothed oxide surface derived from van der Waals forces [3][8]. When α increases from 60° to 85°, the preferred orientation of LC with positive Δε switches from orthogonal to parallel to the plane

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

• surface. The bonding between the first and second monolayers is of a weaker van der Waals type. Strong interactions of the molecules in the first layer with the substrate are unfavourable in possible solar cell applications [47]. However, the molecules in the second layer seem to be decoupled from the

Filled and empty states of Zn-TPP films deposited on Fe(001)-p(1×1)O

• Gianlorenzo Bussetti,
• Alberto Calloni,
• Rossella Yivlialin,
• Andrea Picone,
• Federico Bottegoni and
• Marco Finazzi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1527–1531, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.146

• limited to weak van der Waals forces [11]. Consequently, changes in the energy position of the different spectroscopic features of the 1 ML film with respect to the reference layer are usually interpreted in terms of intensity strength of the molecule–substrate interaction. In Figure 2, we report the

Surface roughness rather than surface chemistry essentially affects insect adhesion

• Matt W. England,
• Tomoya Sato,
• Makoto Yagihashi,
• Atsushi Hozumi,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Elena V. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1471–1479, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.139

• (Figure 4a,b). In the latter case, it is presumably due to wetting reduction by the pad fluid (Figure 4c,d). Additionally, at the sites of solid–solid contact between insect pads and substrates, the true contact area and contribution of van der Waals forces are believed to be effectively reduced for both

Three-gradient regular solution model for simple liquids wetting complex surface topologies

• Sabine Akerboom,
• Marleen Kamperman and
• Frans A. M. Leermakers

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1377–1396, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.129

• Very famous is the extension of the regular solution theory to the description of the L/V interface. In the footsteps of van der Waals [39] we like to find the density profile across a L/V interface φ(z). Here z is a (lattice) coordinate running perpendicular to the interface. We set z = 0 at the

• optimisation then leads to the famous tanh-profile already known by van der Waals. We do not go into these details and mention that fully in line with the numerical results presented in Figure 3B the scaling exponents as found by this analytical route are in line with the numerical results: For the surface

• the surface S. By means of a van der Waals loop the isotherm then returns to the binodal and approaches the infinite adsorbed amount upon the final approach towards the bulk binodal. We refer to this adsorbed amount as the “macroscopically thick film” on the surface. Such situation is typical for

Influence of ambient humidity on the attachment ability of ladybird beetles (Coccinella septempunctata)

• Lars Heepe,
• Jonas O. Wolff and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1322–1329, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.123

• [14], and geckos, revealed in measurements with living animals [11] and with isolated setae [10]. This is particularly interesting since both types of adhesive systems (wet and dry) are supposed to be based on different physical interactions (capillarity versus van der Waals forces). For the dry

• affect the attachment ability in this case, since the contact is mediated by the tarsal secretion and not by a solid–solid contact. Coming back to the abovementioned mechanisms of capillary forces and/or changes in the effective short-range van der Waals interaction, which might influence the humidity

Fabrication and characterization of branched carbon nanostructures

• Sharali Malik,
• Yoshihiro Nemoto,
• Hongxuan Guo,
• Katsuhiko Ariga and
• Jonathan P. Hill

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1260–1266, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.116

• load only the outermost layers of MWCNTs are involved as the relatively weak (van der Waals) bonding between the outer layers and the inner layers leads to slippage – the so called “sword in sheath” failure mechanism, which reduces the load-bearing capacity [1][7]. However, under compressive load this