Nanostructured materials characterized by scanning photoelectron spectromicroscopy

• Matteo Amati,
• Alexey S. Shkvarin,
• Alexander I. Merentsov,
• Alexander N. Titov,
• María Taeño,
• David Maestre,
• Sarah R. McKibbin,
• Zygmunt Milosz,
• Ana Cremades,
• Rainer Timm and
• Luca Gregoratti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 700–710, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.54

• energy and spatial resolution. The first one, which defines the chemical sensitivity of the instrument, is notably higher than what is generally available at spectroscopy stations. The new generations of light sources will dramatically improve the optical transmission of X-rays allowing more photons at

Electrical and optical enhancement of ITO/Mo bilayer thin films via laser annealing

• Abdelbaki Hacini,
• Ahmad Hadi Ali,
• Nurul Nadia Adnan and
• Nafarizal Nayan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1589–1595, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.133

• significantly improve the electrical properties without affecting the optical transmission [9]. Several metals have been used for such thin layers, including silver [10], aluminium [11], copper [12], and gold [13]. Molybdenum thin films are another choice for the application in solar cells because of good

• roughness of the bilayer structure were studied utilizing an atomic force microscope (AFM, Bruker Dimension Edge) and the Gwyddion software. The optical transmission was measured using an UV–vis spectrophotometer (UV-3600i Plus, SHIMADZU) in the range of λ = 300–800 nm. Finally, the electrical properties

• increase in the transmittance with the increase of laser energy until they attain a maximum of 94% for 120 mJ. Above 120 mJ, the optical transmission decreases with the increase of the energy up to 240 mJ. This increase in transmittance is due to the improvement in crystallinity caused by the laser. The

Reliable fabrication of transparent conducting films by cascade centrifugation and Langmuir–Blodgett deposition of electrochemically exfoliated graphene

• Teodora Vićentić,
• Stevan Andrić,
• Vladimir Rajić and
• Marko Spasenović

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 666–674, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.58

• of the other three films, as SEM operation quickly leads to surface charging effects. Optoelectronic properties UV–vis spectra of the deposited graphene films at different centrifugation rates, redispersed in specified volumes of NMP, are given in Figure 5. The optical transmission spectra are

Selected properties of Al_xZn_yO thin films prepared by reactive pulsed magnetron sputtering using a two-element Zn/Al target

• Witold Posadowski,
• Artur Wiatrowski,
• Jarosław Domaradzki and
• Michał Mazur

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 344–354, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.29

• devices (e.g., touch screens, light emitting diodes, optoelectronics, and photovoltaic organic devices) [1][2][3][4][5]. AZO has good long-term stable electrical and optical parameters, including high electrical conductivity and high optical transmission in the visible range. For the purpose of

• increased optical transmission [10][20][21]. In the magnetron sputtering process, it is possible to influence the properties of deposited films by varying the composition of the sputtering gas atmosphere, the total gas pressure, substrate temperature and bias, the target–substrate distance, the target power

• of magnetron powering (dc, rf, or dc with rf support) or the type of target used (sintered powders or metallic), a target power density of about 4 W/cm2 is typical for the deposition of AZO films with comparable properties (resistivity and optical transmission). The objective of the research reported

Investigation of a memory effect in a Au/(Ti–Cu)Ox-gradient thin film/TiAlV structure

• Damian Wojcieszak,
• Jarosław Domaradzki,
• Michał Mazur,
• Tomasz Kotwica and
• Danuta Kaczmarek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 265–273, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.21

• approximately 5 nm. To determine the type of electrical conductivity, thermoelectrical Seebeck effect measurements were conducted using a setup consisting of an INSTEC chamber equipped with four electrical probes and two hot chucks, an INSTEC MK1000 temperature controller, and an INSTEC LN2-P pump. The optical

• transmission coefficient in the visible part of the optical spectrum was measured using a scientific grade CCD QE65000 spectrophotometer (Ocean Optics). For DC current-to-voltage electrical measurements, a Keithley SCS4200 semiconductor characterization system and a M100 Cascade Microtech probe station were

Structural and optical characteristics determined by the sputtering deposition conditions of oxide thin films

• Petronela Prepelita,
• Florin Garoi and
• Valentin Craciun

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 354–365, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.29

• +90°. Therefore, the dynamic focusing with tilt angle was successfully used. The thickness was measured by the cross-section technique of the SEM analysis, with a margin of error of ±5% (2–5 nm) compared to a standard 100 nm thick sample. Optical transmission spectra were acquired using a UV–vis–NIR

Excitonic and electronic transitions in Me–Sb₂Se₃ structures

• Nicolae N. Syrbu,
• Victor V. Zalamai,
• Ivan G. Stamov and
• Stepan I. Beril

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1045–1053, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.89

• μm) could also be obtained from the crystal with the aid of adhesive tape. X-ray diffraction was performed in order to verify the quality of the crystalline sheets and their spatial crystalline groups. Optical transmission and reflection spectra were obtained on a double-grating spectrometer SDL-1

Highly sensitive detection of estradiol by a SERS sensor based on TiO₂ covered with gold nanoparticles

• Andrea Brognara,
• Ili F. Mohamad Ali Nasri,
• Beatrice R. Bricchi,
• Andrea Li Bassi,
• Caroline Gauchotte-Lindsay,
• Matteo Ghidelli and
• Nathalie Lidgi-Guigui

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1026–1035, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.87

• ), 6 nm (c), and 15 nm (e) of Au, and of TiO2 12 Pa with 3 nm (b), 6 nm (d), and 15 nm (f) of Au. All micrographs were acquired after annealing. Optical transmission spectra of TiO2/Au 8 Pa (a) and 12 Pa (b) samples before and after annealing. SERS measurements. The red, green and blue lines show SERS

Growth dynamics and light scattering of gold nanoparticles in situ synthesized at high concentration in thin polymer films

• Corentin Guyot,
• Philippe Vandestrick,
• Ingrid Marenne,
• Olivier Deparis and
• Michel Voué

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1768–1777, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.172

• mass percentages of gold were also tested (1–3 wt %). At the end of the annealing, the films became reddish. The optical transmission was measured showing a plasmon resonance near 530 nm (data not shown). On the basis of these experiments, in order to achieve AuNP synthesis within reasonable time, 2

Rapid thermal annealing for high-quality ITO thin films deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

• Petronela Prepelita,
• Ionel Stavarache,
• Doina Craciun,
• Florin Garoi,
• Catalin Negrila,
• Beatrice Gabriela Sbarcea and
• Valentin Craciun

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1511–1522, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.149

• optical transmission by 52.8% (from 34.2% to 87% at 550 nm) due to heat treatment at 850 °C in nitrogen atmosphere was reported [24]. Thermal treatments become important when the application of ITO films on a large scale can be demonstrated with excellent performance for various applications [7][8][9][10

• ) with Cu Kα radiation (λ = 1.5418 Å) at a power of 40 kV/40 mA. The scan was performed between 20° and 60° with a 2 s/step scan speed and 0.04° step. Optical transmission spectra of the deposited thin films were measured with a UV–vis–NIR Perkin Elmer 950 spectrophotometer (190–3300 nm). The electrical

• from as-deposited and RTA-treated ITO samples of thickness 230 nm, 300 nm and 370 nm. Optical transmission spectra for the as-deposited and RTA-treated ITO samples with interference maxima and minima for film thickness of 230 nm, 300 nm, and 370 nm. a) Refractive index dependence on the wavelength

Hydrogen-induced plasticity in nanoporous palladium

• Markus Gößler,
• Eva-Maria Steyskal,
• Markus Stütz,
• Norbert Enzinger and
• Roland Würschum

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 3013–3024, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.280

• ][2][3], resistance [4][5][6], magnetic moment [5][7], optical transmission [8] and selective chemical transport [9] have been reported in recent years, apart from the mechanical properties described below. Dealloying, a selective dissolution process, has become an established technique to produce

Electromigrated electrical optical antennas for transducing electrons and photons at the nanoscale

• Arindam Dasgupta,
• Mickaël Buret,
• Nicolas Cazier,
• Marie-Maxime Mennemanteuil,
• Reinaldo Chacon,
• Kamal Hammani,
• Jean-Claude Weeber,
• Juan Arocas,
• Laurent Markey,
• Gérard Colas des Francs,
• Alexander Uskov,
• Igor Smetanin and
• Alexandre Bouhelier

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1964–1976, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.187

• gap (not distinguishable in the optical transmission image of Figure 5a). The electrical characteristics (Figure 5c) feature a value of = 69 μS = 0.9G0. Figure 5d shows the emission spectrum of the device taken at Vdc = 900 mV. In the framework of inelastic electron tunneling, no light should be

• simply radiated in free-space but partially coupled to waveguiding architectures. Here, the objective is to implement a first technological step to integrate compact transducing tunnel optical antennas directly at the input port of photonic links to provide for an electronically driven optical

• transmission line with broadband spectral characteristics. This asset may help at increasing the bandwidth via wavelength-division multiplexing. Integrated broadband sources are also utilized in photonic sensing chips [57] or to command non-classical secondary photon sources [58]. There is thus a demand for

Cathodoluminescence as a probe of the optical properties of resonant apertures in a metallic film

• Kalpana Singh,
• Evgeniy Panchenko,
• Babak Nasr,
• Amelia Liu,
• Lukas Wesemann,
• Timothy J. Davis and
• Ann Roberts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1491–1500, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.140

• ]. Interest in sub-wavelength metallic apertures increased significantly after Ebbesen et al. reported optical transmission, enhanced relative to an equivalent hole–area fraction of randomly arranged apertures, through periodic arrangements of holes in a silver film [12]. This enhancement is strongly

• opportunity to elucidate the role played by the thickness of the film, if significant, in various resonances. Although challenging, studying the optical transmission through these apertures may similarly yield interesting results. Conclusion We have investigated ensembles of rectangular slots in a gold film

A novel copper precursor for electron beam induced deposition

• Caspar Haverkamp,
• George Sarau,
• Mikhail N. Polyakov,
• Ivo Utke,
• Marcos V. Puydinger dos Santos,
• Silke Christiansen and
• Katja Höflich

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1220–1227, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.113

• . Optical transmission/reflection measurements of deposited pads showed a dielectric behavior of the material in the optical spectral range. The general behavior of the permittivity could be described by applying the Maxwell–Garnett mixing model to amorphous carbon and copper. The dielectric function

Electrical properties of a liquid crystal dispersed in an electrospun cellulose acetate network

• Doina Manaila Maximean,
• Octavian Danila,
• Pedro L. Almeida and
• Constantin Paul Ganea

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 155–163, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.18

• spectroscopy; liquid crystal; optical transmission; Introduction The widely known polymer dispersed-liquid crystals (PDLCs) are a class of liquid crystal (LC)-based electro-optical devices, formed by LC droplets dispersed in a solid polymeric matrix [1][2][3][4][5]. The optical transmission of such devices is

• relaxation process. The values of the determined electric parameters have an appropriate temperature variation (Table 2). Electro-optical measurements The optical transmission was measured using the setup described in the Experimental section of this paper and in [21][22][28]. The transmission coefficient is

• -element equivalent model, which permits the estimation of the equivalent resistances and capacity, necessary in practical applications. To test the efficiency of the electro-optic device, optical transmission measurements in external ac fields were performed. Experimental Sample preparation The non-woven

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

• smaller grains near the Ag surface. Annealing at different temperatures and various durations allowed for a controlled distribution of crystal dimensions, thus influencing the segregation rate. Furthermore, using ellipsometric and optical transmission measurements we determined the time-dependent

• transmission spectra. Two months after deposition, the slope of the silver layer density profile derived from the XRR spectra was found to be inverted due to the completed segregation process, and the optical transmission spectra increased uniformly due to the roughened surfaces, corrosion of silver and

• number of silver grain boundaries accessible to Ge atoms. Therefore, at a certain time, the influence of the segregation on the optical transmission spectra becomes noticeable and after that, the changes occur at a higher rate, which is what we have observed. After a certain amount of time, all of the Ge

Refractive index sensing and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy using silver–gold layered bimetallic plasmonic crystals

• Somi Kang,
• Sean E. Lehman,
• Matthew V. Schulmerich,
• An-Phong Le,
• Tae-woo Lee,
• Stephen K. Gray,
• Rohit Bhargava and
• Ralph G. Nuzzo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2492–2503, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.249

• that would otherwise degrade their performance in use. Efforts in this field have been directed particularly toward the unique optical properties of periodic nanostructures because of their capacities for extraordinary optical transmission, visual wavelength responsiveness, and high optical sensitivity

Au nanostructure fabrication by pulsed laser deposition in open air: Influence of the deposition geometry

• Rumen G. Nikov,
• Anna Og. Dikovska,
• Nikolay N. Nedyalkov,
• Georgi V. Avdeev and
• Petar A. Atanasov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2438–2445, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.242

• mobility of gold [29]. Physical properties of the samples Figure 5 shows the optical transmission spectra of the samples produced at different PLD geometries. As can be seen, the transmission is characterized by a difference in intensity in the spectral range presented. The difference observed is related

• coverage. It should be mentioned that a feedback between the optical and electrical properties of the nanostructures was observed. Higher optical transmission of the nanostructures was associated with a predominantly discrete morphology, as was discussed above. The conductivity of the samples was found to

• using (a) geometry 1, (b) geometry 2, (c) geometry 3, and (d) geometry 4. The insets show a top view of the structures. Optical transmission spectra of the Au nanostructures deposited at different geometries. Modification of the Au nanostructure resistance by irradiation with infrared light. Deposition

Colorimetric gas detection by the varying thickness of a thin film of ultrasmall PTSA-coated TiO₂ nanoparticles on a Si substrate

• Urmas Joost,
• Andris Šutka,
• Meeri Visnapuu,
• Aile Tamm,
• Meeri Lembinen,
• Mikk Antsov,
• Kathriin Utt,
• Krisjanis Smits,
• Ergo Nõmmiste and
• Vambola Kisand

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 229–236, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.25

• ethanol vapor by placing them in a Petri dish and dropping ethanol in the vicinity of the sample. Optical transmission and reflection measurements were conducted with a Cary 5000 (UV–vis–NIR) spectrometer (Agilent Technologies) during the exposure of the film in a gas flow cell. The spectrometer was

Manufacturing and investigation of physical properties of polyacrylonitrile nanofibre composites with SiO₂, TiO₂ and Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles

• Tomasz Tański,
• Wiktor Matysiak and
• Barbara Hajduk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1141–1155, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.106

• equation shows that the dielectric constant is a complex value, but its real and imaginary parts can be written as: Using the relation connecting the refractive index and the dielectric constant, n = ε1/2, for expressing the real and imaginary part of the optical transmission, takes the form of [39]: The

Optical absorption signature of a self-assembled dye monolayer on graphene

• Tessnim Sghaier,
• Sylvain Le Liepvre,
• Céline Fiorini,
• Ludovic Douillard and
• Fabrice Charra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 862–868, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.78

• paper, we explore the changes in the optical transmission spectrum of an alkylated derivative of PTCDI upon its self-assembly onto a CVD graphene monolayer, and analyse the results based on STM data taken on the very same sample. Results Scanning tunnelling microscopy The self-assembly was probed on two

• , we have realised the self-assembly of alkylated PTCDI molecules onto a monolayer CVD graphene transferred on a transparent substrate. The molecules form a well-organized dense assembly, the parameters of which being accurately determined by STM. The polarized optical transmission spectra have been

Polymer blend lithography for metal films: large-area patterning with over 1 billion holes/inch²

• Cheng Huang,
• Alexander Förste,
• Stefan Walheim and
• Thomas Schimmel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1205–1211, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.123

• Al templates were fabricated in this work by metal PBL. The wavelength-selective optical transmission spectra due to the localized surface plasmonic effect of the holes in perforated Al films were investigated and compared to the respective hole diameter histograms. Keywords: localized surface

• plasmonic resonance; metal islands; metal nanostructures; metal polymer blend lithography (metal PBL); nano-patterned template; nanoscale discs; optical transmission; perforated metal film; polymer phase separation; poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA); polystyrene (PS); self-assembly; spin-coating; surface

• perforated Al films The size of the holes in the fabricated perforated metal films is in the range of the wavelength of visible light. Therefore it is interesting to investigate their optical transmission properties. It has been published in 2003 by Barnes et al. that ordered hole arrays fabricated by e-beam

Patterning technique for gold nanoparticles on substrates using a focused electron beam

• Takahiro Noriki,
• Shogo Abe,
• Kotaro Kajikawa and
• Masayuki Shimojo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1010–1015, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.104

• plasmon resonance (LSPR) are attracting attention for future optical transmission, sensor, and data processing devices. The development of these LSPR-based structures would lead to a reduction in the size of optical circuits and devices [1][2]. Light energy can be propagated through nanometer-sized wires

Hole-mask colloidal nanolithography combined with tilted-angle-rotation evaporation: A versatile method for fabrication of low-cost and large-area complex plasmonic nanostructures and metamaterials

• Jun Zhao,
• Bettina Frank,
• Frank Neubrech,
• Chunjie Zhang,
• Paul V. Braun and
• Harald Giessen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 577–586, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.68

• total thickness of these nanostructures of 200 nm, the clogging effect is clearly visible and leads to a vertical tapering which results in a strongly decreasing structure width. The optical transmission spectrum shows three resonances, probably due to the three different gold disks of different size

Applicability and costs of nanofiltration in combination with photocatalysis for the treatment of dye house effluents

• Wolfgang M. Samhaber and
• Minh Tan Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 476–484, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.55

• membrane fouling. The challenge of this concept can further be seen in its highly efficient oxidation. The following NF acts almost solely as a polishing step and possibly for the recovery or recycling of the catalysts. A clear effluent stream with less complex constituents together with a high optical

• transmission is favourable for such a concept. Finally, it must be kept in mind that the further quality improvements through NF and RO will have to justify the costs of the additional membrane steps down-stream. Another way of combining NF and photocatalysis is shown in Figure 3. In this schematic block