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

Level set simulation of focused ion beam sputtering of a multilayer substrate

• Alexander V. Rumyantsev,
• Nikolai I. Borgardt,
• Roman L. Volkov and
• Yuri A. Chaplygin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 733–742, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.61

• possible to deterministically produce a nanoscale topography on the surface of almost any substrate [1]. FIB milling was originally established in semiconductor technology [2] and materials science applications [3]. Now it is increasingly used for fabrication of complex micro- and nanoscale structures and

• application of the FIB method requires the creation and optimization of scanning patterns [16][17] as well as the quantitative prediction of ion-induced surface topography [18], which is a challenging task even for single-component substrates. A straightforward analytical description of surface topography is

Elastic modulus of β-Ga₂O₃ nanowires measured by resonance and three-point bending techniques

• Annamarija Trausa,
• Sven Oras,
• Sergei Vlassov,
• Mikk Antsov,
• Tauno Tiirats,
• Andreas Kyritsakis,
• Boris Polyakov and
• Edgars Butanovs

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 704–712, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.58

• the length and width of NWs for three-point bending were measured in SEM, the heights were taken from the topography data obtained by AFM in the adhered parts of the NW at each end. In Figure 5a, an SEM image captures the morphology of a Ga2O3 NW positioned over an inverted pyramid structure. Notably

• , both ends of the NW are fixed, laying the foundation for a controlled three-point bending experiment. Figure 5b presents the AFM topography of the Ga2O3 NW. The loading and unloading spectra, illustrating one instance of the three-point bending test, is shown in Figure 5c. Since the elastic modulus

• (resonance). Elastic modulus plotted with respect to the width of Ga2O3 NWs: a) obtained via SEM resonance tests; b) obtained via AFM three-point bending tests. a) SEM image of Ga2O3 NW suspended over the inverted pyramid with both ends fixed. b) AFM topography image of Ga2O3 NW suspended over the inverted

Enhancing higher-order modal response in multifrequency atomic force microscopy with a coupled cantilever system

• Wendong Sun,
• Jianqiang Qian,
• Yingzi Li,
• Yanan Chen,
• Zhipeng Dou,
• Rui Lin,
• Peng Cheng,
• Xiaodong Gao,
• Quan Yuan and
• Yifan Hu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 694–703, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.57

• resonant mode tracking the sample topography and the higher-order resonant mode providing information about mechanical properties [5][6]. Bimodal AFM is relatively simple to operate and offers improved imaging quality. Hence, it is widely applicable in diverse fields such as physics, chemistry, and biology

Gold nanomakura: nanoarchitectonics and their photothermal response in association with carrageenan hydrogels

• Nabojit Das,
• Vikas,
• Akash Kumar,
• Sanjeev Soni and
• Raja Gopal Rayavarapu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 678–693, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.56

• their 3D topography, which were performed to confirm the nanomakura shape from a three-dimensional view. Table 2 represents average length, width, and aspect ratio of the nanoparticles where DTAB-AuNM showed the lowest aspect ratio of 1.73. CTAB-AuNM and MTAB-AuNM showed aspect ratios of 2.34 and 1.98

• images were captured using AFM as shown in Figure 4d–f confirming the topography of AuNMs. Therefore, it was clearly observed from the complementing results obtained through TEM and AFM that the shape of the nanoparticles is makura. It can be assumed that the breaking of nanorod-shape symmetry into a

• , and (c) DTAB-AuNM, respectively; (d), (e), and (f) showed AFM images of CTAB-AuNM, MTAB-AuNM, and DTAB-AuNM, respectively, along with their 3D topography. (a) FTIR spectra of CTAB-AuNM, MTAB-AuNM, and DTAB-AuNM, respectively. (b) XRD diffractogram showing diffraction peaks of CTAB-AuNM, MTAB-AuNM, and

Comparative analysis of the ultrastructure and adhesive secretion pathways of different smooth attachment pads of the stick insect Medauroidea extradentata (Phasmatodea)

• Julian Thomas,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Thies H. Büscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 612–630, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.52

• the ventral side of the euplantulae revealed a dense hull (lighter grey) and a more X-ray transparent body (darker grey) (Figure 4A). Toluidine blue staining detected a darker blue stained hull and a lighter blue body (Figure 4B). The SEM images unveiled a rather smooth surface topography (Figure 4C

AFM-IR investigation of thin PECVD SiO_x films on a polypropylene substrate in the surface-sensitive mode

• Hendrik Müller,
• Hartmut Stadler,
• Teresa de los Arcos,
• Adrian Keller and
• Guido Grundmeier

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 603–611, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.51

• image of the sample with the 50 nm SiOx layer (Figure 4a), a column-like grown SiOx film is visible. The surface became rougher. In addition to that, small cracks in the SiOx layer are recognizable. These cracks were induced by uniaxial stretching of about 10%. The topography of the 5 nm sample (Figure

• topography image in Figure 7a shows a surface with elevations and valleys. The hyperspectral measurement of this area indicates an overall signal of the Si–O–Si stretching band at 1080 cm−1 with some islands with a higher intensity. These can originate from small differences in the film thickness. The

Investigating ripple pattern formation and damage profiles in Si and Ge induced by 100 keV Ar⁺ ion beam: a comparative study

• Indra Sulania,
• Harpreet Sondhi,
• Tanuj Kumar,
• Sunil Ojha,
• G R Umapathy,
• Ambuj Mishra,
• Ambuj Tripathi,
• Richa Krishna,
• Devesh Kumar Avasthi and
• Yogendra Kumar Mishra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 367–375, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.33

• samples were studied via AFM for the surface topography and change in root-mean-square (RMS) surface roughness. Figure 1 shows AFM images of pristine and 100 keV Ar+ ion-irradiated Si samples. Pristine samples show a smooth surface with a surface roughness of ≈0.5 nm as observed in Figure 1A (a). Figure

•  1A (b–e) shows the surface topography of the irradiated samples at respective ion fluences of (b) 3 × 1017, (c) 5 × 1017, (d) 7 × 1017, and (e) 9 × 1017 ions/cm2. The surface roughness (Rq) is found to be increased with ion fluence from ≈1.0 nm to 1.6 nm due to ion-induced sputtering at a 60

Quantitative wear evaluation of tips based on sharp structures

• Ke Xu and
• Houwen Leng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 230–241, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.22

• nanotechnology [1][2][3][4][5]. Compared to optical and electron microscopy, AFM enables three-dimensional (3D) measurements of nanostructures in air and liquid environments [6]. The interaction between the tip and sample influences the measurement results of AFM by convoluting the tip topography with the sample

• surface topography [7]. A sharper needle tip leads to more accurate measurements [8]. During the scanning process, tip and sample come into mutual contact, causing wear on the tip [9]. Tip wear or damage in practical applications can have severe consequences, including reduced image quality and erroneous

• topography images of standard nanoscale spherical particles and rectangular parallelepiped nanostructures of known shapes and to quantitatively estimate the shape of the tip by measuring the known nanostructures in advance. However, tip characterizers with fixed bodies present significant cost and