Emerging strategies in the sustainable removal of antibiotics using semiconductor-based photocatalysts

• Yunus Ahmed,
• Keya Rani Dutta,
• Parul Akhtar,
• Md. Arif Hossen,
• Md. Jahangir Alam,
• Obaid A. Alharbi,
• Hamad AlMohamadi and
• Abdul Wahab Mohammad

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 264–285, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.21

• tungstate (Bi2WO6) is also an n-type semiconductor that belongs to the Aurivillius phases. The material exhibits two distinct crystallographic phases, namely monoclinic and orthorhombic. Orthorhombic Bi2WO6 has alternating layers of (Bi2O2)2+ and WO6 octahedrons. It comprises perovskite layers and has a

Comparison of organic and inorganic hole transport layers in double perovskite material-based solar cell

• Deepika K and
• Arjun Singh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 119–127, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.11

• Deepika K Arjun Singh Department of Applied Sciences, The Northcap University, Gurugram, India 10.3762/bjnano.16.11 Abstract Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are in the focus of the photovoltaic industry. Lead-free double perovskite solar cells (DPSCs) have become an essential alternative of lead

• -based PSCs as a promising photovoltaic material. The double perovskite layer is a remarkable choice as active layer because of intrinsic carrier stability, low exciton binding energy, and low toxicity. Herein, the optimization of a planar DPSC with a multifunctional double perovskite absorber layer

• , that is, La2NiMnO6 (LNMO), is studied with the organic and inorganic hole transport layers (HTLs) Cu2O and PEDOT:PSS. Our study yields a significant improvement in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells with two types of HTLs. The optimized devices achieved a maximum PCE of

The round-robin approach applied to nanoinformatics: consensus prediction of nanomaterials zeta potential

• Dimitra-Danai Varsou,
• Arkaprava Banerjee,
• Joyita Roy,
• Kunal Roy,
• Giannis Savvas,
• Haralambos Sarimveis,
• Ewelina Wyrzykowska,
• Mateusz Balicki,
• Tomasz Puzyn,
• Georgia Melagraki,
• Iseult Lynch and
• Antreas Afantitis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1536–1553, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.121

• -across and QSPR, has been recently introduced and applied to the prediction of NM cytotoxicity [44], power conversion efficiency of organic dyes in dye-sensitized solar cells [45][46], detonation heat for nitrogen containing compounds [47], and to the prediction of surface area of perovskite materials

Quantum-to-classical modeling of monolayer Ge₂Se₂ and its application in photovoltaic devices

• Anup Shrivastava,
• Shivani Saini,
• Dolly Kumari,
• Sanjai Singh and
• Jost Adam

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1153–1169, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.94

• in the last few decades has led to many successful breakthroughs in terms of the stability, efficiency, and cost of PV technology. In the past few decades, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a groundbreaking technology in the field of renewable energy because of their remarkable efficiency

• and relatively low manufacturing cost [3][4]. These solar cells are based on perovskite-structured compounds, which have demonstrated excellent light absorption, charge-carrier mobilities, and tunable bandgaps [5]. Despite the rapid advancements in PSC technology, some critical issues, such as long

• ]. Integrating 2D materials in PSCs can improve their performance. The 2D materials can provide protective layers that work like a shield to the perovskite materials to protect them from environmental degradation caused by moisture and oxygen and provide better device scalability to the PSCs, which makes large

CdSe/ZnS quantum dots as a booster in the active layer of distributed ternary organic photovoltaics

• Gabriela Lewińska,
• Piotr Jeleń,
• Zofia Kucia,
• Maciej Sitarz,
• Łukasz Walczak,
• Bartłomiej Szafraniak,
• Jerzy Sanetra and
• Konstanty W. Marszalek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 144–156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.14

• ; organic solar cells; quantum dots; Introduction Organic solar cells have been intensively developed in recent years as the third generation [1][2] of photovoltaic cells, next to dye-synthesized solar cells and perovskite cells. One of the relatively novel concepts of organic solar cells that yield higher

• PTB7-Th/FOIC based OSCs [69]. Perovskite cells with PbS QDs reached more than 10% [70][71]. For other types of QDs, perovskite cell technologies are also intensively developed [72][73]. QD-assisted organic cells also achieve better and better (even 15%) performance [68][69]. Nevertheless, understanding

Dual-heterodyne Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Benjamin Grévin,
• Fatima Husainy,
• Dmitry Aldakov and
• Cyril Aumaître

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1068–1084, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.88

• reference substrate, a bulk organic photovoltaic heterojunction thin film, and an optoelectronic interface obtained by depositing caesium lead bromide perovskite nanosheets on a graphite surface. The conclusion provides perspectives for future improvements and applications. Keywords: heterodyne

• optoelectronic interfaces formed between caesium lead bromide perovskite nanosheets and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy Background, Amplitude-Modulated Heterodyne KPFM Many KPFM modes rely on the detection of a modulated component of the electrostatic force proportional to the

• depositing caesium lead halide perovskite nanosheets (NSs) on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrate. Lead halide perovskites have emerged recently as materials with unique optical and electronic properties, such as high absorption coefficients, high defect tolerance, and charge mobility. Due

Isolation of cubic Si₃P₄ in the form of nanocrystals

• Polina K. Nikiforova,
• Sergei S. Bubenov,
• Vadim B. Platonov,
• Andrey S. Kumskov,
• Nikolay N. Kononov,
• Tatyana A. Kuznetsova and
• Sergey G. Dorofeev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 971–979, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.80

• number of potential benefits to both science and industry. These methods often employ new strategies for the synthesis of specific classes of substances. For example, the widely known development of perovskite synthesis through ion exchange reactions has attracted attention in scientific as well as

Molecular nanoarchitectonics: unification of nanotechnology and molecular/materials science

• Katsuhiko Ariga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 434–453, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.35

• ) method [95][96] and layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly [97][98] are used to organize materials from molecules. Oishi and co-workers have used the LB method to create layered perovskite films with a uniform surface [99]. Similarly, LbL assembly is a simple and convenient way to create a wide range of materials

Bismuth-based nanostructured photocatalysts for the remediation of antibiotics and organic dyes

• Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo and
• Faisal Suleiman Mustafa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 291–321, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.26

• distorted rhombohedral perovskite structure (ABO3), where A is a corner cation, B is a body-centred middle atom, and O is an oxygen atom or anions attached to the crystal faces. BiFeO3 has strong magnetic and multiferroic, and sufficient photocatalytic properties due to this unique structure. BiFeO3 is an

• properties, a lot of researchers [90] have used bismuth ferrite to efficiently degrade organic pollutants, as shown in Table 2. Bi2WO6 is a typical Aurivillius-phase material, that is, a type of perovskite denoted by Bi2Xn–1YnO3n+3, where X is a large (12-coordinate, such as Ba, Bi, Sr, or Ca) cation and Y

Comparing the performance of single and multifrequency Kelvin probe force microscopy techniques in air and water

• Jason I. Kilpatrick,
• Emrullah Kargin and
• Brian J. Rodriguez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 922–943, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.82

• the surface potential [53][76][86] and has enhanced our understanding of perovskite solar cells [10][87][88] and patch potentials in the Casimir force [89][90]. Implementations of Het-KPFM to date have primarily focused on the measurement of the first harmonic of the electrostatic force [57][58

Solar-light-driven LaFe_xNi_1−xO₃ perovskite oxides for photocatalytic Fenton-like reaction to degrade organic pollutants

• Chao-Wei Huang,
• Shu-Yu Hsu,
• Jun-Han Lin,
• Yun Jhou,
• Wei-Yu Chen,
• Kun-Yi Andrew Lin,
• Yu-Tang Lin and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 882–895, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.79

• ), Chengalpattu district, Kelambakkam, Tamil Nadu, 603103, India 10.3762/bjnano.13.79 Abstract LaFexNi1−xO3 perovskite oxides were prepared by the sol–gel method under various conditions, including different pH values (pH 0 and pH 7) and different calcination temperatures (500–800 °C) as well as different Fe/Ni

• ratios (1/9, 3/7, 5/5, 7/3, 9/1). The samples were examined by XRD, DRS, BET, and SEM to reveal their crystallinity, light-absorption ability, specific surface area, and surface features, respectively. The photocatalytic Fenton reaction was conducted using various LaFexNi1−xO3 perovskite oxides to

• decompose the methylene blue molecules. Accordingly, the synthesis condition of pH 0, calcination temperature at 700 °C, and Fe/Ni ratio = 7/3 could form LaFe0.7Ni0.3O3 perovskite oxides as highly efficient photocatalysts. Moreover, various conditions during the photocatalytic degradation were verified

Hierarchical Bi₂WO₆/TiO₂-nanotube composites derived from natural cellulose for visible-light photocatalytic treatment of pollutants

• Zehao Lin,
• Zhan Yang and
• Jianguo Huang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 745–762, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.66

• photocorrosion [20]. Among them, the Aurivillius phase bismuth tungstate (Bi2WO6) material is applied in visible-light photocatalysis due to its effective response to visible light and stable physicochemical properties [21]. Bi2WO6 is formed by the alternating growth of (Bi2O2)2+ and perovskite-structured (WO4)2

Measurement of polarization effects in dual-phase ceria-based oxygen permeation membranes using Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Kerstin Neuhaus,
• Christina Schmidt,
• Liudmila Fischer,
• Wilhelm Albert Meulenberg,
• Ke Ran,
• Joachim Mayer and
• Stefan Baumann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1380–1391, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.102

• -conductive phase and 40 vol % FeCo2O4 as electron-conductive phase was synthesized. TEM measurements showed a relatively pure dual-phase material with only minor amounts of a tertiary (Sm,Ce)(Fe,Co)O3 perovskite phase and isolated residues of a rock salt phase at the grain boundaries. The obtained material

• spinel or perovskite phase applicable in membrane reactors for partial oxidation reactions. Dual-phase membranes with FeCo2O4, or its iron-rich pendant Fe2CoO4, and Gd-doped ceria as an ion conductor have already been successfully applied as oxygen permeation membranes with high permeability in the

• mainly of Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9 and FeCo2O4 with only minor amounts of the perovskite phase (Sm,Ce)(Fe,Co)O3. SFO is thought to be a mainly electron-conductive material, as the related phase (Gd,Ce)(Fe,Co)O3, which develops in composites of Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 and FeCo2O4 is an electron conductor as well [16]. The

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

• terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 International License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/). Figure 9b was adapted from [57], Z. Shi et al., “Localized Surface Plasmon Enhanced All-Inorganic Perovskite Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Coaxial Core/Shell Heterojunction

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

• during manufacture [5]. Moreover, thin films of zinc oxide, aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO), and/or gallium-doped ZnO (GZO) have been successfully used in organic [6], perovskite [7], and CIGS [8] solar cells. Thanks to excellent electrical and optical parameters of AZO and GZO, these films are

Interface interaction of transition metal phthalocyanines with strontium titanate (100)

• Reimer Karstens,
• Thomas Chassé and
• Heiko Peisert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 485–496, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.39

• theoretical approaches [6]. Possible applications of STO/organic interfaces include FETs [7][8], photodiodes [9], and organic spin valves[10]. Strontium titanate is a semiconductor with an indirect band gap of 3.25 eV [11] crystallizing in a perovskite structure with cubic unit cell. The conductivity can be

Atomic layer deposited films of Al₂O₃ on fluorine-doped tin oxide electrodes: stability and barrier properties

• Hana Krýsová,
• Michael Neumann-Spallart,
• Hana Tarábková,
• Pavel Janda,
• Ladislav Kavan and
• Josef Krýsa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 24–34, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.2

• ), at sites that were not covered by the semiconductor, was blocked. This blocking layer (also called electron-selective layer) is a key component of dye-sensitized [19] and perovskite solar cells [21]. The blocking function consists in supporting vectorial electron transport from a photoexcited light

• absorber (sensitizing dye or perovskite) to the negative terminal of the solar cell, usually an FTO or a similar transparent conducting oxide. At the same time, this layer blocks the back electron transfer from the current collector (FTO) to the electrolyte redox mediator, to the hole-transporting medium

• , or to the perovskite (depending on the device type). This parasitic effect occurs through defects, such as pinholes and cracks in the blocking layer. Their presence is identified by the occurrence of anodic currents assigned to the oxidation of [Fe(CN)6]4− at FTO areas exposed by these defect sites

Nanocasting synthesis of BiFeO₃ nanoparticles with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

• Thomas Cadenbach,
• Maria J. Benitez,
• A. Lucia Morales,
• Cesar Costa Vera,
• Luis Lascano,
• Francisco Quiroz,
• Alexis Debut and
• Karla Vizuete

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1822–1833, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.164

• results regarding the formation of crystalline BiFeO3. Approximately 50.5% of the crystalline products seen in the diffraction patterns correspond to BiFeO3 (Figure 2). The peak splitting of the (104) and (110) peaks confirm the formation of a rhombohedral BiFeO3 perovskite structure (R3c) [19][33][50

• rhombohedral BiFeO3 perovskite structure (R3c) as evidenced by the peak splitting of the (104) and (110) peaks (see above). The formation of a rhombohedral structure is in agreement with BiFeO3 ceramics, while crystalline BiFeO3 films were shown to have a tetragonal structure [52]. TEM images (Figure 5a) show

• , monodisperse 5.5 ± 1 nm BiFeO3 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by a nanocasting technique using SBA-15 as hard template. The structural analysis by XRD reveals pure-phase rhombohedral perovskite BiFeO3 with the space group R3c. In the synthesis, tartaric acid as complexing reagent and acidified 2

A self-powered, flexible ultra-thin Si/ZnO nanowire photodetector as full-spectrum optical sensor and pyroelectric nanogenerator

• Liang Chen,
• Jianqi Dong,
• Miao He and
• Xingfu Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1623–1630, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.145

• , idark, and Pin represent the pyroelectric current, the dark current, and the input power, respectively. The calculated photoresponsivity R is up to 1200 mA/W, which is more ten times than that of Perovskite/ZnO and Si/ZnO PDs [22][23]. The detectivity D* is one of the key parameters of a PD, which

High permittivity, breakdown strength, and energy storage density of polythiophene-encapsulated BaTiO₃ nanoparticles

• Adnanullah Khan,
• Amir Habib and
• Adeel Afzal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1190–1197, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.103

• °, which corresponds to the intermolecular π–π stacking structure and amorphous packing of the polymer [19]. The XRD pattern of hydrothermally prepared BTO nanoparticles shows good agreement with the tetragonal perovskite structure (JCPDS No. 05-0626) with the P4mm space group [20][21]. The major

• core–shell BTO-PTh nanoparticles is slightly affected by the amorphousness of the PTh coating, the tetragonal perovskite structure (indicated by #) is still dominant. The additional diffraction peaks (indicated by *) are attributed to orthorhombic BaSO4 [23]. It is a consequence of the leaching of Ba2

• + ions from BTO nanoparticles during the polymerization reaction [24], which can react with SO42− ions in the solution to form insoluble BaSO4. Nevertheless, XRD patterns of BTO and BTO-PTh nanoparticles confirm the dominant tetragonal perovskite structure of the BTO lattice. Figure 4a shows a SEM image

Observation of unexpected uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ films by a BaTiO₃ overlayer in an artificial multiferroic bilayer

• John E. Ordóñez,
• Lorena Marín,
• Luis A. Rodríguez,
• Pedro A. Algarabel,
• José A. Pardo,
• Roger Guzmán,
• Luis Morellón,
• César Magén,
• Etienne Snoeck,
• María E. Gómez and
• Manuel R. Ibarra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 651–661, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.51

• ; magnetic anisotropy; Introduction In recent years, enormous interest has been shown in the multiferroic properties of the multilayered system based on La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 (LSMO) and BaTiO3 (BTO) films [1][2][3][4][5]. Each perovskite material has a particular ferroic order at room temperature, i.e

Interfacial charge transfer processes in 2D and 3D semiconducting hybrid perovskites: azobenzene as photoswitchable ligand

• Nicole Fillafer,
• Tobias Seewald,
• Lukas Schmidt-Mende and
• Sebastian Polarz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 466–479, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.38

• synthesis of 2D and 3D hybrid perovskite phases. The energy transfer mechanisms are influenced by the length of the molecular spacer moiety, which determines the distance between the π system and the semiconductor surfaces. We find huge differences in the photoswitching behaviour between the free, surface

• -coordinated and integrated ligands between the perovskite layers. Photoswitching of azobenzene ligands incorporated in 2D phases is nearly quenched, while the same mechanism for surface-coordinating ligands is greatly improved, compared to the free ligands. The improvement originates from an energy transfer

• from perovskite to azobenzene, which is strongly distance-dependent. This study provides evidence for the photoswitching of azobenzenes as ligands of hybrid perovskites, which depends on the spacing between the chromophore and the perovskite phase. Keywords: interface design; molecular switches

Implementation of data-cube pump–probe KPFM on organic solar cells

• Benjamin Grévin,
• Olivier Bardagot and
• Renaud Demadrille

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 323–337, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.24

• -processed organic donor–acceptor blends called bulk heterojunctions (BHJ), for polycrystalline direct bandgap semiconductors such as CdTe, CuInxGa(1−x)Se2 and Cu2ZnSnS4 and for hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells. Whatever material used, improving the performance of the solar cell requires a

• -based devices, hybrid perovskite thin films and single crystals as well as type-II van der Waals heterojunctions based on transition metal dichalcogenides. Experimental Nc-AFM and pp-KPFM Noncontact-AFM (nc-AFM) experiments were performed with a ScientaOmicron VT-AFM setup in UHV at room temperature (RT

Recent progress in perovskite solar cells: the perovskite layer

• Xianfeng Dai,
• Ke Xu and
• Fanan Wei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 51–60, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.5

• Xianfeng Dai Ke Xu Fanan Wei School of Information & Control Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, China School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China 10.3762/bjnano.11.5 Abstract Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are set to be game changing

• components in next-generation photovoltaic technology due to their high efficiency and low cost. In this article, recent progress in the development of perovskite layers, which are the basis of PSCs, is reviewed. Achievements in the fabrication of high-quality perovskite films by various methods and

• techniques are introduced. The reported works demonstrate that the power conversion efficiency of the perovskite layers depends largely on their morphology and the crystalline quality. Furthermore, recent achievements concerning the scalability of perovskite films are presented. These developments aim at

Semitransparent Sb₂S₃ thin film solar cells by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis for use in solar windows

• Jako S. Eensalu,
• Atanas Katerski,
• Erki Kärber,
• Lothar Weinhardt,
• Monika Blum,
• Clemens Heske,
• Wanli Yang,
• Ilona Oja Acik and
• Malle Krunks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2396–2409, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.230

• building electricity demand can be produced on site [1]. Solar windows can be split into two groups: perforated grids of opaque solar cells, such as silicon, or one continuous semitransparent thin film solar cell (dye-sensitized, perovskite, quantum dot, etc.) [1]. Perforated solar windows, comprised of

• following for reference: dye-sensitized – PCE of 9.2% at 60% AVT [5]; polymer – PCE of 4.0% at 66% AVT [6]; halide perovskite – PCE of 6.4% at 30% AVT [7]. Dye-sensitized, organic, and halide perovskite absorbers are generally sensitive to moisture, especially in combination with sunlight and air [8][9][10