Enhanced erosion resistance and radiation stability of WC–WO₃ nanocomposite films under 100 keV Kr⁺ ion irradiation

• Shristi Bist,
• Parswajit Kalita,
• Ratnesh K. Pandey,
• Sejal Shah,
• Richa Krishna,
• Umapathy G. R.,
• Sunil Ojha and
• Devesh K. Avasthi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 922–934, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.65

• experimental sputtering trends. Furthermore, preferential sputtering of lower-Z elements (C and O) was observed in both material systems. Glancing incidence X-ray diffraction analysis revealed post-irradiation grain growth in WC–WO3 films, while scanning electron microscopy results show morphological changes

• , Netherlands) in the 2θ range from 20° to 80°. Scanning electron microscopy measurements of pristine and irradiated S1 films were performed using a MIRA Tescan II SEM at a high voltage of 25 kV using detector working in secondary-emission mode. Results and Discussion Phase and compositional studies of the

Supramolecular one-dimensional conducting nanofibers from a C₃-symmetric tetrathiafulvalene derivative

• Yoko Tatewaki,
• Fumiya Hirose,
• Sadafumi Nishihara,
• Tomoyuki Akutagawa,
• Takayoshi Nakamura and
• Tsuyoshi Minami

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 872–881, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.63

• resulting morphologies. Furthermore, MeS-TTF-Ts was combined with the strong electron acceptor F4TCNQ to form a charge-transfer complex, (MeS-TTF-Ts)(F4TCNQ)3, which yielded well-defined one-dimensional nanofibers. UV–vis and FTIR spectroscopic analyses confirmed substantial charge transfer from MeS-TTF-Ts

• interactions with iodine or strong electron acceptors, thereby generating TTF radical cation species that serve as charge transport pathways. As a result, their electrical properties can be tuned from semiconducting to metallic behavior, depending on the doping level [21][22][23][24]. The realization of

• marked differences in the observed morphologies. In addition to AFM observations, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements were performed for representative samples deposited on HOPG substrates. Representative SEM images are provided in Supporting Information File 1 (Figures S2–S4). The

He⁺ FIBID-fabricated 3D AFM tip architectures: an exploratory study of hollow pillars, helices, and spirals

• Alba Arroyo-Fructuoso,
• Ana Galet,
• Gregor Hlawacek and
• Rosa Córdoba

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 863–871, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.62

• examined by electron microscopy before and after AFM use. The main degradation modes were geometric deformation of the apex or shaft and mechanical fracture, most frequently at the tip–cantilever interface. While a few structures remained operational through repeated measurement cycles, others failed

• composition of the probe can be tailored beyond the constraints of standard conical or pyramidal commercial tips. Among direct-write methods, focused ion beam-induced deposition (FIBID) [8][9] and focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID) [10][11] provide a route to grow three-dimensional (3D

• measurements from commercial reference probes serving as a step height baseline. Importantly, each printed structure was also inspected by electron microscopy before and after AFM use in order to document morphology changes, degradation pathways and architecture-dependent failure modes. In this way, the work

Light-driven ammonia electrooxidation via carbon nitride–ruthenium molecular interfaces

• Jan Holub and
• Pablo Jiménez-Calvo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 854–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.61

• : C3N4 absorbs visible light, separates charge carriers, and provides a structurally tunable aromatic surface, while the metal complexes, e.g., RuBda, RuTda, or RuTpyBpy, accept photogenerated holes and drive the demanding six-electron oxidation of ammonia through well-defined coordination chemistry. Two

• dissolved in solution faces a fundamental limitation: Only a tiny fraction of dissolved molecules is ever close enough to an electrode surface to participate in electron transfer at any given moment. The rest drifts idly in solution, increasing precious metal loading without contributing to the reaction

• absorbed excitation drives the oxidation of water (a thermodynamically demanding four-electron, four-proton process) at an inorganic cluster containing four manganese ions and one calcium ion (Mn4CaO5). The electrons extracted from water are passed along the electron transport chain to Photosystem I, where

Cross-scale design of chemosensor arrays: from molecular self-assembly in water to paper-based devices for metal ion detection

• Yui Sasaki and
• Tsuyoshi Minami

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 828–838, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.59

• , the catechol dye 1 showed blueshifts in the UV–vis absorption spectra with an increase in concentration of 5, which supported the spontaneous formation of a boronate ester (Figure 4A). The nitrophenyl moiety acting as an electron-withdrawing group of 5 increases the Lewis acidity of boronic acid and

Sustainable fabrication of 2D-based devices through reuse of substrates with microfabricated electrodes

• Ying Zhang,
• Yigit Sozen,
• Esteban Zamora-Amo,
• Thomas Pucher,
• Nuria Jiménez-Arévalo,
• Zdenek Sofer,
• Yong Xie and
• Andres Castellanos-Gomez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 818–827, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.58

• in this work employed a 5 nm Ti/45 nm Au stack deposited by electron-beam evaporation. The interdigitated electrodes on glass were supplied from Micrux Technologies and also employed a 50 nm Ti/150 nm Au stack. The interdigitated ITO electrodes on glass were purchased from Ossila (S161-20). Materials

Glycerol photoelectrochemical oxidation reaction at carbon nitrides/BiVO₄ materials

• Charles Garcia da Cunha,
• Isabelle M. D. Gonzaga,
• Cristian Hessel,
• Izadora F. Reis,
• Ivo F. Teixeira,
• Lucia H. Mascaro and
• Elton Sitta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 806–817, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.57

• acetylacetonate at 500 °C for 2 h. The CN/BiVO4 heterojunctions presented bandgap energy values, Eg, similar to pure BiVO4. X-ray diffraction analysis also revealed that the BiVO4 phase was not altered by the presence of the CN. However, scanning electron microscopy analysis coupled to energy-dispersive X-ray

• been pointed out as a promising material, as it presents high chemical stability and a wide absorption range of solar radiation [8][9][10]. To overcome the limitations associated with the low electrical conductivity of BiVO4, sluggish surface kinetics and the recombination of electron–hole pairs [11

• occurs by the following pathway: (i) Photon absorption by BiVO4, (ii) electron–hole (e-–h+) separation, (iii) electron(s) transfer from glycerol molecule to h+, and (iv) glycerol deprotonation yielding oxidized products as shown in Equation 1. The products usually described in the literature for this

Tuning the electronic properties of defect-rich MoS₂

• Eric Juriatti,
• Martina Binninger,
• Carolin Schüle,
• Maren Zirwick,
• Katarina Margetic,
• Erika Giangrisostomi,
• Marcus Scheele and
• Heiko Peisert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 796–805, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.56

• investigated by XAS and (angle-resolved) PES using an angle-resolved time-of-flight detector (ARTOF). For XAS, the total electron yield of the sample current was measured. The energy resolution for the Co L edges was 263 meV at a photon energy of 790 eV. For photoemission at excitation energies of 900, 500

• levels or valence band features in photoemission can be attributed to different origins including a change of the electron density at the considered atom, different screening of the remaining photo-hole, or shifts of the reference (Fermi) level. Screening effects by additional adsorbates depend strongly

• previously documented interactions of CoPcF16 with relatively inert metals including oxygen-terminated copper or graphene-covered Ni [11][33][34]. Based on these similarities, we suggest that charge transfer and/or electron redistribution at the Co atom in the vicinity of such defect-rich MoS2 is responsible

Restorative potential of laser-synthesized silver nanoparticles with Salvia officinalis for periodontal disease treatment: an in vitro study

• Jelena Filipović Tričković,
• Sanja Živković,
• Bojana Ilić,
• Miloš Tošić,
• Jelena Marinković,
• Ana Valenta Šobot and
• Miloš Momčilović

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 781–795, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.55

• . AgNPs were synthesized at two laser pulse energies (2 and 6 mJ), in sage extract and deionized water, and characterized by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Synthesis at 6 mJ in sage extract (SageAgNPs6mJ) yielded

• polystyrene cuvettes (DTS0012, Malvern Panalytical, UK) at ambient temperature (25 ± 0.1 °C). The selected AgNPs that displayed antimicrobial effects were further analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), to evaluate their size, shape, and dispersity. An FEI Talos F200X microscope, operating at 200

Substrate-dependent pore formation in molybdenum disulfide monolayers under ion irradiation

• Yossarian Liebsch,
• Umair Javed,
• Lucia Skopinski,
• Leon Daniel,
• Franziska Appel,
• Radia Rahali,
• Clara Grygiel,
• Henning Lebius,
• Carolin Frank,
• Lars Breuer,
• Leon Kirsch,
• Frieder Koch,
• Jani Kotakoski and
• Marika Schleberger

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 769–780, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.54

• highly charged ions (HCIs) and swift heavy ions (SHIs) – two types of ions that, despite having vastly different kinetic energies, both interact primarily with the electronic system of the target. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy, we quantify pore radii and pore formation efficiencies for

• under both HCI and SHI irradiation conclusively demonstrate the central role of substrate and interface-dependent electronic dissipation pathways regarding damage under these types of ion irradiation. Keywords: defects; MoS2; nanopores; SiO2; scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM

• , high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) generally requires freestanding membranes, while atomic-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) demand exceptionally clean surfaces; also, substrate effects can further complicate interpretation

Tailoring Ag–Pt nanoalloys through solid-state dewetting: structural and optical insights

• Marcin Łapiński,
• Piotr Okoczuk,
• Blaž Grobiša,
• Ewa Pawlikowska,
• Amelia Rozwadowska,
• Wojciech Sadowski and
• Barbara Kościelska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 748–759, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.52

• under an argon atmosphere. The process induced the transformation of continuous bilayers into isolated nanoislands through solid-state dewetting. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed the formation of well-defined, nearly spherical nanoislands with a

• -electron contribution of platinum, which suppresses plasmonic oscillations. The obtained results demonstrate that thermally activated dewetting enables the synthesis of homogeneous Ag–Pt nanoalloys at the nanoscale, both in volume and on the surface of nanostructures, overcoming miscibility limitations of

• by a few experimental studies [40][41]. However, in this work, we address the question of the threshold Pt content at which its influence on the resonance position remains observable. Upon addition of Pt to the Ag nanostructures, intense d-electron excitations of Pt increase the dielectric function

Oxidative atmosphere-driven formation of single-phase spinel CuRh₂O₄ nanofibers for alkaline water oxidation

• Namhee Kim,
• Sumin Ko,
• Sohyeon Choi,
• Seoyoon Jang,
• Myung Hwa Kim and
• Dasol Jin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 737–743, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.50

• 609.6 cm−1 (A1g), which are consistent with the spinel CuRh2O4 lattice [17][18], supporting the XRD-based phase assignment (vide supra). As shown in Figure 4b, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis of the electrospun CuRh2O4 nanofibers reveals clear lattice fringes with an

• interplanar spacing of 0.494 nm, corresponding to the (101) plane [19]. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns display ring-like diffraction features consistent with polycrystalline spinel CuRh2O4, further verifying the formation of the intended crystalline phase. As shown in Figure 5, scanning

• electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to investigate the surface morphology and structural uniformity of the electrospun nanofibers after post-annealing. In the as-spun state prior to annealing, the fibers containing PVP exhibit smooth surfaces with an average diameter of approximately 300 nm (Supporting

Environmental applications of silver nanoparticles: state-of-the-art review and emerging trends

• Soni Prajapati,
• Akash Kumar and
• Ranjana Singh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 697–736, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.49

• needed before engineering AgNPs for particular applications. AgNPs are characterised using optical spectroscopy, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) to measure plasmonic absorbance, size, shape, structure, and stability [49]. Optical spectroscopy is a rapid and

• , which calculated the AgNP concentration as particles per millilitre [53]. Microscopic techniques, such as transmission electron microscopy, provide high-resolution images of individual nanoparticles, confirming morphology, size distribution, and elemental composition when coupled with energy-dispersive

• X-ray analysis [49]. TEM analysis is performed on copper grids with varying mesh sizes and coatings, with carbon/formvar-coated copper grids commonly preferred. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) provides information on the silver nanoparticles’ surface properties and the aggregation state of dried

Molecular engineering of individual dye-based nanoparticle photostability for ultrabright two-photon fluorescence

• Eleonore Kurek,
• Sasha Cooper,
• Alexandre Clausolles,
• Karen Perronet,
• Jonathan Daniel,
• Mireille Blanchard-Desce and
• François Marquier

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 688–696, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.48

• ) Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and size distribution of dFONs(1), data reused from [20]. (d) TEM and size distribution of dFONs(2). (e) Normalized absorption spectra of dFONs(1) (green) and dFONs(2) (red). (f) Normalized emission spectra of dFONs(1) (green) and dFONs(2) (red). (g) Two-photon absorption

Decontamination from water pollutants and pathogens by electrospun nanofibers doped with heavy-atom-free borafluorene-BODIPY photosensitizers

• Angelika Zaszczyńska,
• Paulina H. Marek-Urban,
• Karolina Wrochna,
• Agnieszka E. Kuklewska,
• Kacper Kręgielewski,
• Marta Grodzik,
• Dawid R. Natkowski,
• Jolanta Mierzejewska,
• Ewa Iwanek,
• Agata Blacha-Grzechnik,
• Paweł Sajkiewicz and
• Krzysztof Durka

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 668–682, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.46

• ) and acceptor (dipyrromethene ligand) sites (Figure 1a) [32][33][34][35]. Importantly, the proposed systems produce triplet states via an alternative to the SOC-ISC mechanism, that is, through a spin–orbit charge transfer intersystem crossing (SOCT-ISC, Figure 1b) resulting from the electron hopping

• 30 µm, Rotilabo®, Roth Selection, Germany), which was attached to the collector. After the electrospinning process, all mats were placed under a fume hood for 48 h to evaporate solvents in the fibers. Morphology analysis The morphological properties of samples were examined through scanning electron

• Beam microscope (ThermoFisher) equipped with a focused electron beam and a Xe ion beam. The EDS experiments were performed with a working distance of 4 mm, an accelerating voltage of 15 kV, a probe current of 0.2 nA, a magnification of 15000×, and a collection time of 30 min. Prior to ToF SIMS

afspm: A framework for manufacturer-agnostic automation in scanning probe microscopy

• Nicholas J. Sullivan,
• Julio J. Valdés,
• Kirk H. Bevan and
• Peter Grutter

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 653–667, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.45

• instruments’ communication interfaces, and may benefit from similar frameworks. We particularly highlight optical and electron microscopy as these instruments share common experimental workflows (e.g., searching a wider region to determine where to image) and may benefit from direct repurposing of automation

Cellulose as a photocatalyst support material: extraction, structural features, and environmental applications

• Yee Teng Lim,
• Nur Farhana Jaafar,
• Azizul Hakim Lahuri and
• Endang Tri Wahyuni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 635–652, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.44

• materials that can absorb light energy and generate electron–hole pairs, which then participate in redox reactions to produce ROS that degrade organic pollutants. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) are the common catalysts that have been used [18][19]. Figure 3 illustrates the general mechanism of

• enhancing photocatalytic performance by promoting charge separation, supporting surface functionalization, and improving light absorption, while one of its most valuable contributions lies in reducing the recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Its large surface area further helps stabilize

• tend to clump together to reduce their surface energy, thus reducing active surface area, they are difficult to filter out of water after use, and their photogenerated charges often recombine before they can do any useful work [92]. For a photocatalyst to work, light must excite an electron, leaving

Two-step laser synthesis of Ag@TiO₂ nanomaterials for the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B

• Marija Kovačević,
• Miloš Tošić,
• Rafaela Radičić,
• Vladimir Rajić,
• Nikša Krstulović,
• Miloš Momčilović and
• Sanja Živković

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 622–634, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.43

• suppression of electron–hole recombination, allowing for more effective utilization of the solar spectrum. Accordingly, Ag@TiO2 nanostructures, especially those obtained through controlled synthesis, represent highly promising candidates for photocatalytic environmental remediation processes induced by

• characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), aiming to establish a clear correlation between synthesis parameters, nanostructure features, and photocatalytic activity. In our previous studies [6][7][21

• the titanium plate are given in Figure 2a and Figure 3a alongside the distribution of titanium (pink) and oxygen (blue), and silver (yellow) according to the elemental mapping obtained from the EDS analysis. SEM-SE images generated using a focused electron beam to image sample surfaces at high

Recent progress in enhancing built-in electric fields of perovskite solar cells via junction engineering

• Tong Xiao and
• Ke Xu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 602–621, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.42

• efficiency [5][6][7]. In PSCs, moderate enhancement of the BEF can effectively promote the separation and extraction of electron–hole pairs, reducing recombination losses and leading to higher open-circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF) [8][9][10][11][12]. However, excessive enhancement of the BEF may

• natural vitamin C into the SnO2 ETL to reduce defects and improve electron transport. They also exploited the antioxidant and passivation effects of vitamin D2 to convert the perovskite surface from n-type to p-type, thereby forming a p-region approximately 80 nm thick at the top and spontaneously

• barrier, driving the band bending at the interface along the BEF and producing a continuous potential drop. As a result, the barrier for electron injection into the carbon electrode is reduced, bulk-to-electrode extraction is accelerated, and interfacial recombination is suppressed. Consequently, the

Synthesis of Cu–Mo/TiO₂ and Co–Mo/TiO₂ photocatalysts for the efficient degradation of organic pollutants in water

• Ilse Acosta,
• Brenda Zermeño,
• Edgar Moctezuma,
• Luis F. Garay-Rodríguez and
• Isaías Juárez-Ramírez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 559–570, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.37

• can improve light absorption and photocatalytic activity of the material through the generation of oxygen vacancies, which act as electron traps [12]. The Mo6+ ion has a radius similar to that of Ti4+; thus, it is ideal for introduction into the TiO2 lattice without causing significant disturbances

• labeled as 0.2 Cu–Mo/TiO2, 0.5 Cu–Mo/TiO2, 0.2 Co–Mo/TiO2, and 0.5 Co–Mo/TiO2. Characterization The structural characterization was carried out using a Panalytical Empyrean diffractometer with Cu Ka radiation (λ = 1.5406 Å), scanning from 10° to 70°. The morphology was observed with a scanning electron

• with 2 g·L−1 of catalyst under dark conditions for 30 min to reach the adsorption–desorption equilibrium. At this time, the amount of ketoprofen adsorbed by each catalyst was evaluated by a mass balance. Then, the UV light lamps were turned on to induce the simultaneous formation of electron holes (hvb

Electrochemical determination of ciprofloxacin using a MIL-101/reduced graphene oxide-modified electrode

• Nguyen Quang Man,
• Nguyen Ngoc Nghia,
• Nguyen Vinh Phu,
• Vo Thi Khanh Ly,
• Le Lam Son,
• Pham Khac Lieu,
• Le Thi Hong Phong,
• Nguyen Dinh Luyen and
• Dinh Quang Khieu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 541–554, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.35

• strong π–π interactions with aromatic compounds like ciprofloxacin [14][15]. Integrating MIL-101 with rGO aims to combine the high surface area and adsorption capacity of MIL-101 with the excellent electrical conductivity and electron-transfer ability of rGO, creating a synergistic effect that boosts the

• particles are dispersed on the wrinkled rGO sheets. The rGO sheets serve as a supporting scaffold, helping to separate the MIL-101 particles and reduce their aggregation to some extent. This structural characteristic benefits the dispersion of the MOF particles and enhances electron transfer within the

• oxidation peak is observed at the bare GCE, indicating sluggish electron-transfer kinetics. Upon modification with MIL-101 or rGO, the anodic peak current increases noticeably, reflecting improved adsorption and conductivity. The obtained peak potentials (Ep) for GCE, GO/GCE, rGO/GCE, MIL-101/GCE, MIL-101

Fractional shot noise of an SU(N) Kondo system

• Damian Krychowski and
• Stanisław Lipiński

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 515–540, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.34

• . However, we demonstrate that for occupation regions distant from the electron–hole symmetry point, the role of three-body correlations must be considered. Keywords: Fermi liquid; Kondo effect; quantum dots; shot noise; Introduction Quantum dot (QD) structures are being intensively investigated regarding

• of a single excess charge on the dot increases. Strong dynamic correlations start to play a dominant role when Coulomb interaction exceeds electron kinetic energy. For dots weakly coupled to the leads, many-body resonances build up at low temperatures, opening new paths for coherent transport. Due to

• systems. We address our calculations to multilevel two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) quantum dots [49] and to single-walled and multiwalled carbon nanotube QDs [50][51]. It is worth mentioning that these symmetries are of a fundamental nature and concern systems from various, sometimes very distant

Probing internal continua and atomic ultrafast charge transfer within size-controlled nanoparticles by post-collision interaction in core-hole clock spectroscopy

• Johannes Lütgert,
• Erika Giangrisostomi,
• Nomi L. A. N. Sorgenfrei and
• Alexander Föhlisch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 505–514, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.33

• the existence of a faster charge transfer channel toward the CdSe core, only accessible for the inner-most shell layers, rather than a quantum confinement effect. By extending the traditional PCI model from free-electron systems to bound-state continua, we further establish a framework for

• -collision-interaction; quantum dots; resonant Auger spectroscopy; Introduction The interplay of electron localization, itinerance, and charge transfer is essential to functional nanoparticles and quantum dots (QDs) [1][2][3][4][5][6]. In terms of electronic structure properties, materials on the nanoscale

• distribution. As indicated below in Figure 1, resonant Auger electron spectra are used to determine atomic charge transfer times based on the branching into localized and delocalized final states during the core-hole lifetime. We observe a significant reduction of charge transfer times within the ZnS shell for

Upcycling agroindustrial waste into graphene oxide supports for gold nanoparticles: toward sustainable nanomaterials

• Juan Marcos Castro-Tapia,
• Selene Acosta,
• Hiram Joazet Ojeda-Galván,
• Elsie Evelyn Araujo-Palomo,
• Edgar Giovanni Villabona-Leal and
• Mildred Quintana

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 489–504, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.32

• = 1486.6 eV). The pass energy was set to 10 eV for high-resolution scans and to 40 eV for survey spectra. All binding energies were referenced to the C=C peak at 284.4 eV. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was carried using a JEOL JEM-2100 microscope operating at an accelerating voltage of 200 kV. TEM

• organic pollutants, including nitroaromatic compounds and dye molecules, under mild reaction conditions [57][58][59]. The synergistic interaction between AuNPs and GO enhances electron transfer, enabling lower noble-metal loading while maintaining high catalytic performance. Furthermore, AuNPs@GO

Defects and defect-mediated engineering of two-dimensional materials: challenges and open questions

• Arkady V. Krasheninnikov,
• Matthias Batzill,
• Anouar-Akacha Delenda,
• Marija Drndić,
• Chris Ewels,
• Katharina J. Franke,
• Mahdi Ghorbani-Asl,
• Alexander Holleitner,
• Ado Jorio,
• Ute Kaiser,
• Daria Kieczka,
• Hannu-Pekka Komsa,
• Jani Kotakoski,
• Manuel Längle,
• David Lamprecht,
• Yun Liu,
• Steven G. Louie,
• Janina Maultzsch,
• Thomas Michely,
• Katherine Milton,
• Anna Niggas,
• Hanako Okuno,
• Joshua A. Robinson,
• Marika Schleberger,
• Bruno Schuler,
• Alexander Shluger,
• Kazu Suenaga,
• Kristian S. Thygesen,
• Richard A. Wilhelm,
• E. Harriet Åhlgren and
• Carla Bittencourt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 454–488, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.31

• with low-dimensional targets, and defect-mediated engineering of the properties of 2D systems. We further discuss possible solutions to these problems or suggest “work-arounds”, which should accelerate the progress in the field. Keywords: 2D materials; defects; electron irradiation; ion bombardment

• created by impacts of energetic particles [18][19][20][21] by foreign atoms. Lots of insights into the structure and properties of defective 2D materials have been obtained using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), including conventional TEM and scanning TEM (STEM). These techniques, along with

• and the mechanisms of defect formation. This indicates that defects can also be created deliberately during exposure to the electron beam, which can be used for engineering structure and properties of materials with potentially atomic resolution [34][35][36][37]. It should be pointed out that many