Mechanical stability of individual bacterial cells under different osmotic pressure conditions: a nanoindentation study of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

• Lizeth García-Torres,
• Idania De Alba Montero,
• Eleazar Samuel Kolosovas-Machuca,
• Facundo Ruiz,
• Sumati Bhatia,
• Jose Luis Cuellar Camacho and
• Jaime Ruiz-García

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1171–1183, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.86

• specific molecular agents is critical in generating strategies to control their undesired propagation. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a powerful, sensitive technique that scans the surface topography of a sample with an ultra-sharp tip while monitoring the interaction forces between this tip and the

• force–separation curve analyzed in real time by the software. A color-coded map is obtained according to the physical parameters extracted from the curve, as shown in Figure 1B,C. Figure 2 shows an FV image of the topography or height channel for several individual PA bacteria on the substrate. An

• hypertonic conditions. Force–volume AFM demonstrated its capacity for testing the mechanical properties of multiple bacteria at once. This mechanical nanoscale mapping allowed us to successfully discriminate the minute variations in the surface topography of bacteria (h), their mechanical resistance to

Influence of ion beam current on the structural, optical, and mechanical properties of TiO₂ coatings: ion beam-assisted vs conventional electron beam evaporation

• Agata Obstarczyk and
• Urszula Wawrzaszek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1097–1112, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.81

• properties tests. The results of surface topography measurements before and after abrasion tests for the annealed TiO2 thin films are included in Figure 9. Before the abrasion test, all coatings were homogeneous and had low roughness values from 2.0 to 2.5 nm. However, after the steel wool tests, the film

• surface topography measurements before and after abrasion tests of TiO2 thin films deposited by EBE (a) without and with IBAD with ion beam gun currents of (b) Iibg = 3 A and (c) Iibg = 4 A. Results of surface topography measurements before and after abrasion tests of TiO2 thin films deposited by EBE (a

Shape, membrane morphology, and morphodynamic response of metabolically active human mitochondria revealed by scanning ion conductance microscopy

• Eric Lieberwirth,
• Anja Schaeper,
• Regina Lange,
• Ingo Barke,
• Simone Baltrusch and
• Sylvia Speller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 951–967, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.73

• topography is acquired. SICM is particularly well suited for biological applications, as it is a non-contact method with minimal interaction forces, preserving the native state of the sample [27]. To date, SICM investigations of mitochondria have been limited to subsarcolemmal mitochondria, specifically in

• this work, we employ SICM to investigate the shape, dynamics, and nanomorphology of metabolically active, isolated mitochondria, with a specific focus on the outer mitochondrial membrane. Furthermore, we identify and characterise two distinct dynamic effects observed in time-dependent topography data

• . Apparent heights varied between 0.2 and 2.8 μm, with an average of 1.2 μm. The topography shows shallow irregular undulations with an amplitude and spatial dimension of approximately 100 nm. Statistical analyses comparing the spherical or ellipsoidal with the irregular mitochondria are provided in Figure

Tendency in tip polarity changes in non-contact atomic force microscopy imaging on a fluorite surface

• Bob Kyeyune,
• Philipp Rahe and
• Michael Reichling

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 944–950, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.72

• acquiring data in the constant height mode, we invert Δf images so that a steeper force gradient appears as a brighter feature corresponding to an elevation in an image of the same feature taken in the constant frequency shift (topography) mode. Arrows in the upper right corner of Δf images represent the

Ar⁺ implantation-induced tailoring of RF-sputtered ZnO films: structural, morphological, and optical properties

• Manu Bura,
• Divya Gupta,
• Arun Kumar and
• Sanjeev Aggarwal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 872–886, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.66

• using a WITec alpha300 RA Raman spectrometer under excitation with a 532 nm solid-state diode laser operated at 10 mW. The topography of the films is examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM) with a Bruker Multimode 8 instrument. The surface morphology of pristine and implanted films is further

Thickness dependent oxidation in CrCl₃: a scanning X-ray photoemission and Kelvin probe microscopies study

• Shafaq Kazim,
• Rahul Parmar,
• Maryam Azizinia,
• Matteo Amati,
• Muhammad Rauf,
• Andrea Di Cicco,
• Seyed Javid Rezvani,
• Dario Mastrippolito,
• Luca Ottaviano,
• Tomasz Klimczuk,
• Luca Gregoratti and
• Roberto Gunnella

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 749–761, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.58

• ) AFM images of mechanically exfoliated CrCl3 flakes on the native Si (1 nm SiO2) substrate. (c) AFM thickness profile scans along the various flakes as denoted in Figure 1b. Optical contrast on ITO substrates (a) before and (b) after the SPEM measurements. (c, d) AFM topography images of CrCl3 on the

• SiO2/Si substrate. (a) Topography from non-contact mode AFM of two flakes with different thicknesses; (b) Kelvin surface potential of the samples on SiO2; (c) z-profiles of the two flakes; (d) Kelvin surface potential scans along the profiles of (a). A Pt-coated tip was used. (a)Topography from non

The impact of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane hole transport layer doping on interfacial charge extraction and recombination

• Konstantinos Bidinakis and
• Stefan A. L. Weber

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 678–689, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.52

• during the amplitude modulation topography scan. Supporting Information File 1, Figure S4 and Table S1, show the layered structure and layer thickness for each of the ion polished devices from the four batches. An important note that is highlighted by these measurements is that the optimal HTL thickness

Nanoscale capacitance spectroscopy based on multifrequency electrostatic force microscopy

• Pascal N. Rohrbeck,
• Lukas D. Cavar,
• Franjo Weber,
• Peter G. Reichel,
• Mara Niebling and
• Stefan A. L. Weber

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 637–651, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.49

• parts [93], leading to a strong nanoscale contrast in the dielectric signal. On the silicon substrate, F14H20 formed groups of spherical particles with a diameter of 40 ± 5 nm (Figure 7a) [94][95]. Simultaneously with the topography, we recorded the C″ amplitude and phase at electrical excitation

• the Pt/Ir-coated conductive cantilevers (NuNano SPARK-150Pt and MikroMasch HQ:NSC18/Pt) was ≈75 kHz; the levers had a spring constant of 2–3 N·m−1, a tip radius of 18 nm, and a tip height of 10–18 μm. The topography feedback measurements were performed with amplitude modulation on the first eigenmode

• part shows the excitation frequencies () and the detection frequencies () of the applied frequencies. The red arrow corresponds to topography, and the blue arrow corresponds to the electrical signal. The representation of Figure 1 was inspired by [18][26]. A comparison of heterodyne Kelvin probe force

Electron beam-based direct writing of nanostructures using a palladium β-ketoesterate complex

• Chinmai Sai Jureddy,
• Krzysztof Maćkosz,
• Aleksandra Butrymowicz-Kubiak,
• Iwona B. Szymańska,
• Patrik Hoffmann and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 530–539, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.41

• topography and overall uniformity of the deposit (Figure 2a). The thickness profile extracted from the AFM data (Figure 2b) shows a dip at the center of the deposit. This shape is typical of the spiral scanning method when the rate of adsorbate dissociation exceeds the rate of adsorbate supply. The resulting

Performance optimization of a microwave-coupled plasma-based ultralow-energy ECR ion source for silicon nanostructuring

• Joy Mukherjee,
• Safiul Alam Mollick,
• Tanmoy Basu and
• Tapobrata Som

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 484–494, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.37

• the transformative impact of nanopatterning through low-energy inert ions. Keywords: optimization of ion current; surface topography; TEM; ultralow-energy ECR-based ion source; UV–vis spectroscopy; Introduction Ion sources serve as fundamental components in numerous scientific and industrial

• ions at different incidence angles and for various irradiation times is investigated using AFM in tapping mode. Si cantilevers with tip radii of 10 nm were employed, with scan rate of 1 µm/s and a fixed scan size of 5 µm × 5 µm. Quantitative analysis of the surface topography was conducted using WSxM

• formation of well-defined parallel ripples at off-normal incidence. Figure 7 illustrates the surface topography after 450 eV Ar-ion bombardment of the silicon surface at an angle of 72.5° as function of the bombardment time. 3D AFM images are presented along with 2D surface topography images. Generally, the

ReactorAFM/STM – dynamic reactions on surfaces at elevated temperature and atmospheric pressure

• Tycho Roorda,
• Hamed Achour,
• Matthijs A. van Spronsen,
• Marta E. Cañas-Ventura,
• Sander B. Roobol,
• Willem Onderwaater,
• Mirthe Bergman,
• Peter van der Tuijn,
• Gertjan van Baarle,
• Johan W. Bakker,
• Joost W. M. Frenken and
• Irene M. N. Groot

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 397–406, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.30

• the same color contrast as in Figure 5c). By observing the root-mean-squared (RMS) surface roughness (Rq) under UHV conditions of 0.17 nm in topography and 50 pA in the current signal, we determine that the surface is rather smooth and flat. In contrast, under oxidation conditions, the surface

• roughness in topography is increased to 0.63 nm because of the more challenging scanning conditions. However, the current signal surface roughness increases by an order of magnitude to 760 pA with respect to Figure 5c. This significant increase in surface roughness, which can be observed as the appearance

• images are topography images, and the bottom two images show the simultaneous current signal. (a) and (c) were taken under UHV conditions with dF = 7 Hz and bias voltage of −500 mV applied to the sample. (b) and (d) show the surface under 0.5 bar of O2 pressure and were taken with dF = 5 Hz and bias

Development of a mucoadhesive drug delivery system and its interaction with gastric cells

• Ahmet Baki Sahin,
• Serdar Karakurt and
• Deniz Sezlev Bilecen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 371–384, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.28

• ) nanoparticles, topography, surface composition, size, and charge distribution of the delivery system were determined. The topography of the nanoparticles was studied with SEM (Figure 1). Both Alg and EudAlg nanoparticles are spherical with smooth surfaces (Figure 1A,B). It should be noted that during SEM

Tailoring of physical properties of RF-sputtered ZnTe films: role of substrate temperature

• Kafi Devi,
• Usha Rani,
• Arun Kumar,
• Divya Gupta and
• Sanjeev Aggarwal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 333–348, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.25

• ) spectrophotometer under 320 nm excitation produced by a xenon arc lamp. For investigating the surface topography, atomic force microscopy (AFM) micrographs of ZnTe/Qz films were recorded (scan area 2 × 2 µm2) using a Bruker multimode-8 AFM in the ScanAsyst mode at the Ion Beam Centre, Kurukshetra University. The

Graphene oxide–chloroquine conjugate induces DNA damage in A549 lung cancer cells through autophagy modulation

• Braham Dutt Arya,
• Sandeep Mittal,
• Prachi Joshi,
• Alok Kumar Pandey,
• Jaime E. Ramirez-Vick,
• Govind Gupta and
• Surinder P. Singh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 316–332, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.24

• ][51]. Further, the morphology and topography of GO nanosheets were analyzed employing atomic force microscopy. Supporting Information File 1, Figure S2 reveals the appearance of few layered interlocked GO nanosheets, and the topographical analysis reveals the thickness in the range of 0.6 to 1.06 nm

Advanced atomic force microscopy techniques V

• Philipp Rahe,
• Ilko Bald,
• Nadine Hauptmann,
• Regina Hoffmann-Vogel,
• Harry Mönig and
• Michael Reichling

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 54–56, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.6

• monolayers (SAMs) and conducting AFM [10]. The authors find that rougher surfaces lead to stronger variations in conductivity, and it is suggested that a correlation of topography and conductivity maps is carried out to identify suitable areas for a representative averaging of conductivity values. Müller et

Ultrablack color in velvet ant cuticle

• Vinicius Marques Lopez,
• Wencke Krings,
• Juliana Reis Machado,
• Stanislav Gorb and
• Rhainer Guillermo-Ferreira

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1554–1565, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.122

• underlying cuticle features a microstructured topography [26]. These concave structures scatter light and enhance absorption by melanin, serving as an antireflective feature and creating ultrablack colors [26]. In another beetle species, Euprotaetia inexpectata (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), a complex

A biomimetic approach towards a universal slippery liquid infused surface coating

• Ryan A. Faase,
• Madeleine H. Hummel,
• AnneMarie V. Hasbrook,
• Andrew P. Carpenter and
• Joe E. Baio

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1376–1389, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.111

• with a fluid similar to blood [24]. AFM is a technique that provides topographical information through a nanoscale probe [25]. After each successive layer of the coating the topography of the surface will change and can be measured via AFM. SFG is a surface-sensitive non-linear spectroscopic technique

• substrates and were representative of a covalent carbon-sulfur bond [43]. AFM highlighted the level of roughness at each stage of the coating to show a rougher topography for the final layer. Results for each layer of the coating are shown in Supporting Information File 1, Figure S1 and reported as root mean

Hymenoptera and biomimetic surfaces: insights and innovations

• Vinicius Marques Lopez,
• Carlo Polidori and
• Rhainer Guillermo Ferreira

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1333–1352, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.107

• , bioabsorbable surgical clamps modeled after the morphology and topography of the A. laevigata mandible, characterized by smooth internal regions and rougher external surfaces, could significantly improve grip and functionality [65]. Furthermore, the unique kinematic features of ant mandibles, such as the mobile

Interaction of graphene oxide with tannic acid: computational modeling and toxicity mitigation in C. elegans

• Romana Petry,
• James M. de Almeida,
• Francine Côa,
• Felipe Crasto de Lima,
• Diego Stéfani T. Martinez and
• Adalberto Fazzio

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1297–1311, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.105

• possible to identify interactions between these groups and GO’s carbon structure and between carbon atoms of both structures. Furthermore, we analyzed the maximum heights of TA-plus-GO conformations among the snapshots. The values range from 1.5 to 3.0 nm, which corroborates with AFM topography results and

The role of a tantalum interlayer in enhancing the properties of Fe₃O₄ thin films

• Hai Dang Ngo,
• Vo Doan Thanh Truong,
• Van Qui Le,
• Hoai Phuong Pham and
• Thi Kim Hang Pham

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1253–1259, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.101

• substrates (referred to as samples 1, 2, and 3, recpectively). Topography images, with dimensions of 1 × 1 μm2, are shown in Figure 1. They show spherical particles with rather consistent grain sizes. In particular, samples 1 and 2 present grain size values of 7.6 ± 0.5 nm and 9.9 ± 0.6 nm, respectively

Local work function on graphene nanoribbons

• Daniel Rothhardt,
• Amina Kimouche,
• Tillmann Klamroth and
• Regina Hoffmann-Vogel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1125–1131, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.91

• difference of graphene nanoribbons fabricated by on-surface synthesis on Au(111). The GNRs can be clearly discerned from the substrate through their topography, but also through their contact potential difference. GNRs have a measured contact potential that is about 100 meV smaller than that of a Au

• irregularities such as kinks or defects at the edge are observed in the topography measurement. For example for the GNR where the cross section has been taken, marked by a black line, there is a kink associated with a darker region in the local work function, and in the topography image there are some small

• properties in nanoelectronics. (a) Topography image of GNRs on Au, measured with a Si tip, f0 = 170.91 kHz, cL = 40 N/m, A = 1 nm, Q = 20,000, and Δf = −21 Hz. (b) In KPFM, local variations in contact potential (CPD) can be measured by applying a voltage between the sample and the AFM tip so that the

Direct electron beam writing of silver using a β-diketonate precursor: first insights

• Katja Höflich,
• Krzysztof Maćkosz,
• Chinmai S. Jureddy,
• Aleksei Tsarapkin and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1117–1124, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.90

• fluorine in the halo region but showed a significant amount of both in the carbon-rich deposit (cf. Supporting Information File 1 for more details). Of note is that the surrounding of the deposit as well as the surface topography changed after deposition. Tiny particles of few nanometers in size appeared

The effect of age on the attachment ability of stick insects (Phasmatodea)

• Marie Grote,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Thies H. Büscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 867–883, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.72

• different attachment mechanisms evolved in insects, namely, hairy pads consisting of flexible setae, which adapt to the surface topography, and smooth pads possessing a soft and deformable cuticle to comply with the substrate profile [9]. Both pad types, hairy and smooth, aim to maximize contact area with

• could also be due to contamination. SEM revealed most of such cases as not being caused by contaminations. They rather arose from a strong alteration of the cuticle (Figure 8E), also including changes of the surface topography of the terminal layer of the attachment pad cuticle. Profound hardening of

• . (A, G) Stereomicroscopy images showing the appearance of the attachment pads. (B, C, H, K, M) WMF images showing native bluish regions and those stiffened due to the ageing. (D–F, I, J, K) SEM images showing the topography of the surface. Scale bars: (A) 1 mm, (B–M) 500 µm. Supporting Information

Exploring surface charge dynamics: implications for AFM height measurements in 2D materials

• Mario Navarro-Rodriguez,
• Andres M. Somoza and
• Elisa Palacios-Lidon

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 767–780, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.64

• monolayer flakes of 2D materials is the inaccurate height derived from topography images, often attributed to capillary or electrostatic forces. Here, we show the existence of a Joule dissipative mechanism related to charge dynamics and supplementing the dissipation due to capillary forces. This particular

• addition, it can be integrated with classical optical spectroscopy methods such as Raman and fluorescence [20][28][29], enabling a multidimensional characterization approach. A well-recognized issue within the AFM community is the inaccurate height determination derived from topography images on

• [30]. This issue can be addressed with Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Under ambient conditions, the most common mode is amplitude modulation (AM-AFM), which uses the oscillation amplitude reduction as the input for the topography feedback. Its main aspects are summarized in [31]. At large free

Effect of repeating hydrothermal growth processes and rapid thermal annealing on CuO thin film properties

• Monika Ozga,
• Eunika Zielony,
• Aleksandra Wierzbicka,
• Anna Wolska,
• Marcin Klepka,
• Marek Godlewski,
• Bogdan J. Kowalski and
• Bartłomiej S. Witkowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 743–754, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.62

• , which allowed for the investigation of both topography and electrical properties of the films. Surface topography analysis was performed by utilizing an atomic force microscopy (AFM) operating in Peak Force Tapping mode. The surface was scanned at a resolution of 1024 × 1024 measurement points using a

• as-grown films, the distribution of carriers is homogeneous and does not show any correlation with the surface topography. The results obtained for the sequenced samples are different. With each successive cycle there is an increasing differentiation of the values of capacitance changes. In the case

• × samples, as well as topography profiles along the marked lines (every 500 nm) presented at the same scale. (A) Diffractograms and (B) variations in crystallite sizes and dislocation density determined for as-grown and HT+RTA films. Raman spectra of as-grown (B), 2× (C), and 3× (D) CuO/Si structures along