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- ItemAnalysis of catalyst surface wetting: The early stage of epitaxial germanium nanowire growth(Frankfurt, M. : Beilstein-Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften, 2020) Ernst, Owen C.; Lange, Felix; Uebel, David; Teubner, Thomas; Boeck, TorstenThe dewetting process is crucial for several applications in nanotechnology. Even though not all dewetting phenomena are fully understood yet, especially regarding metallic fluids, it is clear that the formation of nanometre-sized particles, droplets, and clusters as well as their movement are strongly linked to their wetting behaviour. For this reason, the thermodynamic stability of thin metal layers (0.1-100 nm) with respect to their free energy is examined here. The decisive factor for the theoretical considerations is the interfacial energy. In order to achieve a better understanding of the interfacial interactions, three different models for estimating the interfacial energy are presented here: (i) fully theoretical, (ii) empirical, and (iii) semi-empirical models. The formation of nanometre-sized gold particles on silicon and silicon oxide substrates is investigated in detail. In addition, the strengths and weaknesses of the three models are elucidated, the different substrates used are compared, and the possibility to further process the obtained particles as nanocatalysts is verified. The importance of a persistent thin communication wetting layer between the particles and its effects on particle size and number is also clarified here. In particular, the intrinsic reduction of the Laplace pressure of the system due to material re-evaporation and Ostwald ripening describes the theoretically predicted and experimentally obtained results. Thus, dewetting phenomena of thin metal layers can be used to manufacture nanostructured devices. From this point of view, the application of gold droplets as catalysts to grow germanium nanowires on different substrates is described. © 2020 Ernst et al.
- ItemHigh-temperature annealing of AlN films grown on 4H-SiC(New York, NY : American Inst. of Physics, 2020) Brunner, F.; Cancellara, L.; Hagedorn, S.; Albrecht, M.; Weyers, M.The effect of high-temperature annealing (HTA) at 1700 °C on AlN films grown on 4H-SiC substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy has been studied. It is shown that the structural quality of the AlN layers improves significantly after HTA similar to what has been demonstrated for AlN grown on sapphire. Dislocation densities reduce by one order of magnitude resulting in 8 × 108 cm-2 for a-type and 1 × 108 cm-2 for c-type dislocations. The high-temperature treatment removes pits from the surface by dissolving nanotubes and dislocations in the material. XRD measurements prove that the residual strain in AlN/4H-SiC is further relaxed after annealing. AlN films grown at higher temperature resulting in a lower as-grown defect density show only a marginal reduction in dislocation density after annealing. Secondary ion mass spectrometry investigation of impurity concentrations reveals an increase of Si after HTA probably due to in-diffusion from the SiC substrate. However, C concentration reduces considerably with HTA that points to an efficient carbon removal process (i.e., CO formation). © 2020 Author(s).
- ItemCharacterization of Bathyarchaeota genomes assembled from metagenomes of biofilms residing in mesophilic and thermophilic biogas reactors(London : BioMed Central Ltd., 2018) Maus, I.; Rumming, M.; Bergmann, I.; Heeg, K.; Pohl, M.; Nettmann, E.; Jaenicke, S.; Blom, J.; Pühler, A.; Schlüter, A.; Sczyrba, A.; Klocke, M.Background: Previous studies on the Miscellaneous Crenarchaeota Group, recently assigned to the novel archaeal phylum Bathyarchaeota, reported on the dominance of these Archaea within the anaerobic carbohydrate cycle performed by the deep marine biosphere. For the first time, members of this phylum were identified also in mesophilic and thermophilic biogas-forming biofilms and characterized in detail. Results: Metagenome shotgun libraries of biofilm microbiomes were sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq system. Taxonomic classification revealed that between 0.1 and 2% of all classified sequences were assigned to Bathyarchaeota. Individual metagenome assemblies followed by genome binning resulted in the reconstruction of five metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Bathyarchaeota. MAGs were estimated to be 65-92% complete, ranging in their genome sizes from 1.1 to 2.0 Mb. Phylogenetic classification based on core gene sets confirmed their placement within the phylum Bathyarchaeota clustering as a separate group diverging from most of the recently known Bathyarchaeota clusters. The genetic repertoire of these MAGs indicated an energy metabolism based on carbohydrate and amino acid fermentation featuring the potential for extracellular hydrolysis of cellulose, cellobiose as well as proteins. In addition, corresponding transporter systems were identified. Furthermore, genes encoding enzymes for the utilization of carbon monoxide and/or carbon dioxide via the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway were detected. Conclusions: For the members of Bathyarchaeota detected in the biofilm microbiomes, a hydrolytic lifestyle is proposed. This is the first study indicating that Bathyarchaeota members contribute presumably to hydrolysis and subsequent fermentation of organic substrates within biotechnological biogas production processes.
- ItemHigh temperature behavior of rual thin films on piezoelectric CTGS and LGS substrates(Basel : MDPI AG, 2020) Seifert, M.This paper reports on a significant further improvement of the high temperature stability of RuAl thin films (110 nm) on the piezoelectric Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 (CTGS) and La3Ga5SiO14 (LGS) substrates. RuAl thin films with AlN or SiO2 cover layers and barriers to the substrate (each 20 nm), as well as a combination of both were prepared on thermally oxidized Si substrates, which serve as a reference for fundamental studies, and the piezoelectric CTGS, as well as LGS substrates. In somefilms, additional Al layers were added. To study their high temperature stability, the samples were annealed in air and in high vacuum up to 900 °C, and subsequently their cross-sections, phase formation, film chemistry, and electrical resistivity were analyzed. It was shown that on thermally oxidized Si substrates, all films were stable after annealing in air up to 800 °C and in high vacuum up to 900 °C. The high temperature stability of RuAl thin films on CTGS substrates was improved up to 900 °C in high vacuum by the application of a combined AlN/SiO2 barrier layer and up to 800 °C in air using a SiO2 barrier. On LGS, the films were only stable up to 600 °C in air; however, a single SiO2 barrier layer was sufficient to prevent oxidation during annealing at 900 °C in high vacuum.
- ItemPhase formation and high-temperature stability of very thin co-sputtered Ti-Al and multilayered Ti/Al films on thermally oxidized si substrates(Basel : MDPI AG, 2020) Seifert, M.; Lattner, E.; Menzel, S.B.; Oswald, S.; Gemming, T.Ti-Al thin films with a thickness of 200 nm were prepared either by co-sputtering from elemental Ti and Al targets or as Ti/Al multilayers with 10 and 20 nm individual layer thickness on thermally oxidized Si substrates. Some of the films were covered with a 20-nm-thick SiO2 layer, which was used as an oxidation protection against the ambient atmosphere. The films were annealed at up to 800 °C in high vacuum for 10 h, and the phase formation as well as the film architecture was analyzed by X-ray diffraction, cross section, and transmission electron microscopy, as well as Auger electron and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results reveal that the co-sputtered films remained amorphous after annealing at 600 °C independent on the presence of the SiO2 cover layer. In contrast to this, the γ-TiAl phase was formed in the multilayer films at this temperature. After annealing at 800 °C, all films were degraded completely despite the presence of the cover layer. In addition, a strong chemical reaction between the Ti and SiO2 of the cover layer and the substrate took place, resulting in the formation of Ti silicide. In the multilayer samples, this reaction already started at 600 °C.
- ItemPatterning and control of the nanostructure in plasma thin films with acoustic waves: mechanical vs. electrical polarization effects(Cambridge : RSC Publ., 2021) GarcÃa-Valenzuela, Aurelio; Fakhfouri, Armaghan; Oliva-RamÃrez, Manuel; Rico-Gavira, Victor; Rojas, Teresa Cristina; Alvarez, Rafael; Menzel, Siegfried B.; Palmero, Alberto; Winkler, Andreas; González-Elipe, AgustÃn R.Nanostructuration and 2D patterning of thin films are common strategies to fabricate biomimetic surfaces and components for microfluidic, microelectronic or photonic applications. This work presents the fundamentals of a surface nanotechnology procedure for laterally tailoring the nanostructure and crystalline structure of thin films that are plasma deposited onto acoustically excited piezoelectric substrates. Using magnetron sputtering as plasma technique and TiO2 as case example, it is demonstrated that the deposited films depict a sub-millimetre 2D pattern that, characterized by large lateral differences in nanostructure, density (up to 50%), thickness, and physical properties between porous and dense zones, reproduces the wave features distribution of the generated acoustic waves (AW). Simulation modelling of the AW propagation and deposition experiments carried out without plasma and under alternative experimental conditions reveal that patterning is not driven by the collision of ad-species with mechanically excited lattice atoms of the substrate, but emerges from their interaction with plasma sheath ions locally accelerated by the AW-induced electrical polarization field developed at the substrate surface and growing film. The possibilities of the AW activation as a general approach for the tailored control of nanostructure, pattern size, and properties of thin films are demonstrated through the systematic variation of deposition conditions and the adjustment of AW operating parameters.
- ItemSwitchable double-sided micropatterned adhesives for selective fixation and detachment(Amsterdam : Elsevier, 2019) Tinnemann, V.; Arzt, E.; Hensel, R.Micropatterned dry adhesives are promising candidates for the development of innovative adhesive platforms. Their reversible adhesion to various materials and surfaces has been reported over more than a decade. Switching between a strong and a weak adhesive state can be introduced by elastic buckling instabilities of the microstructure. In this work, we report on novel adhesive pads that exhibit micropatterned pillars on both sides. In double-sided PDMS micropatterns, the dimensions of the pillar structures were tuned by modulating the critical force for buckling during compressive loading. In this way, selective detachment of glass substrates was induced from one side of the pad. Our results indicate a significant switching efficiency of up to 83% between the strong and weak adhesive state. The new structures have high potential for emerging applications where temporary, double-sided fixations in combination with a predetermined detachment location are required. © 2018
- ItemTuning the magneto-optical response of TbPc2 single molecule magnets by the choice of the substrate(London [u.a.] : RSC, 2015) Robaschik, Peter; Fronk, Michael; Toader, Marius; Klyatskaya, Svetlana; Ganss, Fabian; Siles, Pablo F.; Schmidt, Oliver G.; Albrecht, Manfred; Hietschold, Michael; Ruben, Mario; Zahn, Dietrich R.T.; Salvan, GeorgetaIn this work, we investigated the magneto-optical response of thin films of TbPc2 on substrates which are relevant for (spin) organic field effect transistors (SiO2) or vertical spin valves (Co) in order to explore the possibility of implementing TbPc2 in magneto-electronic devices, the functionality of which includes optical reading. The optical and magneto-optical properties of TbPc2 thin films prepared by organic molecular beam deposition (OMBD) on silicon substrates covered with native oxide were investigated by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) and magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) spectroscopy at room temperature. The magneto-optical activity of the TbPc2 films can be significantly enhanced by one to two orders of magnitude upon changing the molecular orientation (from nearly standing molecules on SiO2/Si substrates to nearly lying molecules on perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) templated SiO2/Si substrates) or by using metallic ferromagnetic substrates (Co).
- ItemImportance of substrates for the visibility of "dark" plasmonic modes(Washington, DC : Soc., 2020) Fiedler, Saskia; Raza, Søren; Ai, Ruoqi; Wang, Jianfang; Busch, Kurt; Stenger, Nicolas; Mortensen, N. Asger; Wolff, ChristianDark plasmonic modes have interesting properties, including longer lifetimes and narrower linewidths than their radiative counterpart, and little to no radiative losses. However, they have not been extensively studied yet due to their optical inaccessibility. In this work, we systematically investigated the dark radial breathing modes (RBMs) in monocrystalline gold nanodisks, specifically their outcoupling behavior into the far-field by cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. Increasing the substrate thickness resulted in an up to 4-fold enhanced visibility. This is attributed to breaking the mirror symmetry by the high-index substrate, creating an effective dipole moment. Furthermore, the resonance energy of the dark RMBs can be easily tuned by varying the nanodisk diameter, making them promising candidates for nanophotonic applications. © 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement
- ItemRolled-up tubes and cantilevers by releasing SrRuO 3-Pr 0.7Ca 0.3MnO 3 nanomembranes(New York, NY [u.a.] : Springer, 2011) Deneke, C.; Wild, E.; Boldyreva, K.; Baunack, S.; Cendula, P.; Mönch, I.; Simon, M.; Malachias, A.; Dörr, K.; Schmidt, O.G.Three-dimensional micro-objects are fabricated by the controlled release of inherently strained SrRuO 3/Pr 0.7Ca 0.3MnO 3/SrRuO 3 nanometer-sized trilayers from SrTiO 3 (001) substrates. Freestanding cantilevers and rolled-up microtubes with a diameter of 6 to 8 μm are demonstrated. The etching behavior of the SrRuO3 film is investigated, and a selectivity of 1:9,100 with respect to the SrTiO3 substrate is found. The initial and final strain states of the rolled-up oxide layers are studied by X-ray diffraction on an ensemble of tubes. Relaxation of the sandwiched Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3 layer towards its bulk lattice parameter is observed as the major driving force for the roll-up of the trilayers. Finally, μ-diffraction experiments reveal that a single object can represent the ensemble proving a good homogeneity of the rolled-up tubes.