Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shinichiro Ido, Kei Kobayashi, Noriaki Oyabu, Yoshiki Hirata, Kazumi Matsushige, Hirofumi Yamada
Summary: Water structuring on the outer surface of protein molecules, known as the hydration shell, is crucial for the biological activities of protein molecules in vivo. The three-dimensional force mapping technique has been successfully used to investigate the molecular-scale hydration structure of native purple membrane patches.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Seongoh Kim, Yunkyung Lee, Manhee Lee, Sangmin An, Sang-Joon Cho
Summary: Utilizing the newly developed PinPoint(TM) nanomechanical mode, AFM can quickly and accurately measure the Young's modulus of a sample's entire scan surface. This approach allows for simultaneous measurements of topographical and force-distance data at each pixel within the scan area, enabling quantitative visualization of pixel-by-pixel topographical height and Young's modulus of the entire scan surface.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Qin Ling, Qing Dai, Liu Yang, Like Huang, Xiaohui Liu, Houcheng Zhang, Jing Zhang, Yuejin Zhu, Ziyang Hu
Summary: This study investigates the spatial response of quasi-two-dimensional perovskites using complementary methods. The results reveal variations in the photovoltage across grains and grain boundaries, providing insight into the performance-limiting mechanisms and the development of efficient and stable 2D perovskite-based devices.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Levente Juhasz, Roberto D. Ortuso, Kaori Sugihara
Summary: The study utilized quantitative friction force microscopy to measure the response of polydiacetylene to lateral forces, revealing the necessity of applying shear forces to characterize it at the nanoscale. The experiment confirmed the erroneous nature of the hypothesis regarding the higher force sensitivity at the edges and discovered a correlation between mechanochromism and thermochromism.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Ryota Fukuzawa, Daichi Kobayashi, Takuji Takahashi
Summary: Electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) is used to examine the electrostatic force between an AFM tip and sample surface, allowing evaluation of their capacitance and surface potential. The dependences of the electrostatic force on dc voltage and ac voltage frequency can be used to investigate carrier density, carrier type, and deep-level states in a semiconductor. Proper distance control is necessary in EFM to ensure accurate measurements, and the oscillation amplitude of a cantilever can be effectively used for feedback control. The 1 A-mode operation in EFM shows good robustness against the strong electrostatic force and allows proper measurements of tip-sample capacitance.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Ryota Fukuzawa, Jianbo Liang, Naoteru Shigekawa, Takuji Takahashi
Summary: A method for quantitative capacitance measurements using frequency modulation EFM was proposed and demonstrated on n- and p-type Si samples. The results showed that the obtained capacitance values were consistent with the expected ones and carrier densities evaluated were in good agreement with those by conventional Hall effect measurements.
JAPANESE JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Angela Pizzuto, Enrique Castro-Camus, William Wilson, Wonsik Choi, Xiuling Li, Daniel M. Mittleman
Summary: The combination of s-SNOM techniques with short pulse durations has opened new possibilities in characterizing nanosystems with high spatial and temporal resolution, particularly in the long wavelength regime.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ryan M. Khan, Martin Rejhon, Yanxiao Li, Nitika Parashar, Elisa Riedo, Ryan R. Wixom, Frank W. DelRio, Remi Dingreville
Summary: As the field of low-dimensional materials continues to grow, there is a need for techniques to characterize the mechanical properties of these materials at the nanoscale. This paper presents a modulated nanomechanical measurement technique based on atomic-force microscopy, which enables non-destructive measurements of the elasticity of ultra-thin materials with high resolution. The technique is used to study the stiffness dependence of graphene thin films and discover a peak transverse modulus in two-layer graphene.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Stefano Villa, Paolo Edera, Matteo Brizioli, Veronique Trappe, Fabio Giavazzi, Roberto Cerbino
Summary: Rheo-microscopy experiments aim to observe the microscopic material structure and dynamics directly, shedding light on the underlying mechanisms that determine the macroscopic mechanical properties. This article presents a flexible rheo-microscopy setup that can be used with various waveforms and imaging methods, making it easier to perform rheo-microscopy in interested laboratories.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Rishi Maiti, Md Abid Shahriar Rahman Saadi, Rubab Amin, Veli Ongun Ozcelik, Berkin Uluutku, Chandraman Patil, Can Suer, Santiago Solares, Volker J. Sorger
Summary: Strain engineering provides unique control over the electronic band structure of 2D materials, leading to effective tuning of physical properties for advanced photonic devices. Investigating strain-induced variations in conductivity using atomic force microscopy allows for a deeper understanding fundamental material properties and opens up exciting possibilities for nanoscale electronic behavior control.
ACS APPLIED ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Alfred Nguyen, Matthias Brandt, Till M. Muenker, Timo Betz
Summary: A novel method for frequency-dependent microrheology on cells using acoustic forces is presented, allowing multiplexed measurements of several cells in parallel and continuous measurement of complex shear modulus G*(omega). The experimental results are consistent with fractional viscoelastic models, showing the correlation between power-law shear moduli and cellular structures. Thorough calibration and careful data analysis are crucial for performing viscoelastic measurements with acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS), with protocols and guidelines provided.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhong Li, Jianing Qi, Zhuangzhuang Li, Hongxia Li, Hui Xu, Guohua Bai, Xianguo Liu, Xuefeng Zhang
Summary: The magnetic domain structure and soft magnetic properties of high-entropy alloys FeCoNi(AlSi)x (0.1 <= x <= 0.7) are influenced by grain and phase boundaries. The variations in grain and phase boundaries in different alloys affect their magnetic properties differently.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shannon W. Boettcher, Meikun Shen, Aaron J. Kaufman, Jiawei Huang, Celsey Price
Summary: This study reveals the heterogeneity in charge carrier selectivity of semiconductor photocatalyst particles using a combination of ex situ and in situ conducting atomic force microscopy experiments and new test structures. The presence of the water/electrolyte interface is found to be critical for inducing hole selectivity, and pH-dependent measurements suggest the importance of negative surface charge on the semiconductor in inducing hole selectivity.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Binyu Zhao, Elmar Bonaccurso, Guenter K. Auernhammer, Longquan Chen
Summary: Capillarity and elasticity play crucial roles in determining elastocapillary deformations on soft solids induced by nanodroplets. Experimental observations reveal that the substrate's capillarity dominates deformations when the elastocapillary length is larger than the droplet contact radius. This study provides insights into nanoscale elastocapillarity and has the potential to advance future research in solid mechanics.
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Nada Alharbi, Supontep Teerakanok, Julian D. Satterthwaite, Russel Giordano, Nick Silikas
Summary: This in vitro investigation compared the surface characteristics and nanomechanics of model polymer infiltrated ceramic network (PICN) materials and CAD/CAM resin composite blocks. The results showed that CAD/CAM resin composite blocks had smoother surfaces compared to PICN materials. PICN materials exhibited variation in terms of nanomechanical mapping and had at least two different phases. The sintering temperature had a significant effect on material topography and nanomechanical properties.
Article
Polymer Science
Saud Hashmi, Saad Nadeem, Alberto Garcia-Penas, Rafiq Ahmed, Awan Zahoor, Mohammad Vatankhah-Varnoosfaderani, Florian J. Stadler
Summary: Hybrid hydrogel systems of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes and zwitterionic sulfobetaine copolymer of PNIPAM were synthesized and tested against different diffusion kinetic models in various environments. The study found that changing pH can tailor the diffusion mechanism of the hydrogels, while not affecting their diffusion kinetics. Furthermore, the study revealed that diffusion kinetics and diffusion mechanisms are two distinct phenomena in supramolecular hybrid hydrogel systems.
MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Mechanics
Florian J. Stadler, Shuming Cui, Saud Hashmi, Stephan Handschuh-Wang, Wenqiang Li, Shichang Wang, Zhi-Chao Yan, Guangming Zhu
Summary: The 3iTT protocol and multiple interval thixotropic test protocol (miTT) are used to monitor changes in material behavior, with G' and G showing sensitivity to shear rate variations. Pickering emulsions with graphene oxide exhibit reversible changes in G' and G.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mehdihasan I. Shekh, Guangming Zhu, Wei Xiong, Weiling Wu, Florian J. Stadler, Dijit Patel, Chengtian Zhu
Summary: By forming multi-dynamic interactions and strong covalent interactions, stretchable, self-recoverable, conductive, and tough nanocomposite hydrogels (NCHGs) were successfully synthesized. These NCHGs exhibited high mechanical strength, toughness, stretchability, elasticity, and conductivity. The presence of Fe(III) ions and conducting fillers endowed excellent repeatability and stability in resistance change, along with ultra-broad sensitivity and minimal resistance change.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ashkan Bahadoran, Massimiliano Galluzzi, Basim Al-Qargholi, Mohammad Hosein Sabzalian, Farag M. A. Altalbawy, Ibrahem Waleed, Salema K. Hadrawi, Ali Abdul Kadhim Ruhaima, Wael dheaa Kadhim, Davood Toghraie
Summary: Air pollution is a major cause of death worldwide, and reducing pollution for clean air has gained attention. This study investigates the effect of the number of graphene nano-pores on the separation of SiO2 from H2O vapor in the presence of an electric field. The results show that increasing the number of graphene nano-pores increases the passage of water molecules, while the electric field prevents the passage of SiO2 nanoparticles, suggesting potential applications for efficient air purification and monitoring.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Saud Hashmi, Rafiq Ahmed, Adeel ur Rehman, Alberto Garcia-Penas, Awan Zahoor, Firoz Khan, Mohammad Vatankhah-Varnosfaderani, Thamraa Alshahrani, Florian J. Stadler
Summary: Hybrid hydrogels based on n-isopropylacrylamide, zwitterionic comonomer, and graphene oxide were synthesized to study their physical and mechanical properties. The compositional variation greatly affected the swelling characteristics of the hybrid hydrogels, while the mechanical properties such as elongation and compression were less influenced. Rheometric swelling measurements showed a strong covalent network, which increased with increasing content of zwitterions and GO. Kinetics of swelling followed Fickian dynamics and 2-step swelling pattern was observed for zwitterion-containing gels. The study also observed differences in swelling mechanism between hydrogels with 2D GO nano-fillers and 1D CNT nano-fillers, and differences in mechanical properties between elongation and compression modes.
Review
Energy & Fuels
Amit Kumar, Atul Khosla, Sunil Kumar Sharma, Pooja Dhiman, Gaurav Sharma, Lalitha Gnanasekaran, Mu. Naushad, Florian J. Stadler
Summary: This article provides a review on the transition from Z-scheme to S-scheme photocatalytic materials, discussing different types of heterojunctions and charge transfer mechanisms. It also presents the synthetic routes to S-scheme heterojunctions and highlights their current applications in pollutant degradation, hydrogen production, and CO2 conversion. The commercialization status and existing readiness and bottlenecks of S-scheme heterojunctions are also discussed.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shu-Ming Cui, Saud Hashmi, Wen-Qiang Li, Stephan Handschuh-Wang, Cheng-Tian Zhu, Shi-Chang Wang, Pian-Pian Yang, Yan-Fei Huang, Guang-Ming Zhu, Florian J. Stadler
Summary: This study investigates the effects of the dispersibility of flexible polymer chains on the rheology and dielectric properties of cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-based Pickering emulsions. By systematically varying the CNF and auxiliary surfactant contents, it is found that the droplet size and system viscosity are influenced by the composition of the emulsifiers and surfactants.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jun-Feng Liu, Zhan-Yu Wu, Florian J. Stadler, Yan-Fei Huang
Summary: The incorporation of ionic liquids (ILs) in solid-state polymer electrolytes (iono-SPEs) greatly enhances Li+ transport in polymer phases. By using a poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene) (PTC) as the framework of ILs, non-uniform Li+ transport among different phases is reduced. This is achieved through weaker adsorption energy of IL cations on PTC chains compared to PVDF and the higher dielectric constant of PTC facilitating the dissociation of Li-anions clusters. The LiFePO4/PTC iono-SPE/Li cells show stable cycling performance with high capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 1 C and 25 degrees C. This work provides a novel approach to induce uniform Li+ flux in iono-SPEs through polarity and dielectric design of the polymer matrix.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Stephan Handschuh-Wang, Muhammad Rauf, Tao Wang, Tiansheng Gan, Florian J. Stadler
Summary: This article introduces liquid metals as materials that can visually demonstrate extreme modulation of interfacial tension and possess a high degree of sustainability. Therefore, we recommend the use of liquid metals in chemical education in schools and universities.
CHEMIE IN UNSERER ZEIT
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shi-Chang Wang, Shu-Tong Du, Saud Hashmi, Shu-Ming Cui, Ling Li, Stephan Handschuh-Wang, Xuechang Zhou, Florian J. Stadler
Summary: This study investigates the rheological properties of dual-network hydrogels based on acrylamide and sodium alginate under large deformations. The concentration of calcium ions affects the nonlinear behavior, and all gel samples exhibit strain hardening, shear thickening, and shear densification. The paper focuses on the systematic variation of the alginate concentration and the Ca2+ concentration in order to understand their impact on the hydrogel's properties.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hao Wu, Lei Zhang, Banglei Zhao, Wenjie Yang, Massimiliano Galluzzi
Summary: This study combines the biomechanical sensitivity of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with the automation and performance of a deep neural network (DNN) to distinguish and classify different activation states of immune cells. The algorithm demonstrated high performance in predicting the phenotype of immune cells and unveiled the importance of different biophysical properties and their correlation with the local density of the cytoskeleton.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Gaurav Sharma, Alberto Garcia-Penas, Yaksha Verma, Amit Kumar, Pooja Dhiman, Florian J. Stadler
Summary: This study successfully designed shape-oriented hydrogel nanospheres using a facile ultrasonication-supported crosslinked copolymerization technique. The chitosan-cl-poly(MMA) hydrogel nanospheres were characterized and found to have optimal rhodamine B dye adsorption capacity at pH 5. Nanohydrogel concentration also affected the adsorption capacity and percentage.
Article
Materials Science, Composites
Ge-Ge Zheng, Xin Lin, Zhen-Xing Wen, Yu-Hao Ding, Rui-Hui Yun, Gaurav Sharma, Amit Kumar, Florian J. Stadler
Summary: Photocatalytic degradation is crucial for wastewater treatment, and efficient degradation relies on photocatalytic systems with excellent light absorption, carrier separation efficiency, and surface-active sites. S-type heterojunctions, especially the BiFeO3/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction, show remarkable potential for efficient degradation. This study focuses on enhancing the photocatalytic degradation performance by introducing sulfur vacancy defects and morphology modifications to ternary indium metal sulfide and bismuth ferrite nanofibers. The optimized 30% BiFeO3/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction exhibits superior photocatalytic performance, with high sulfur vacancy concentration and enhanced electron transport efficiency. It achieved a remarkable 99% degradation of Evans blue within 45 minutes and a significant 68% degradation of ciprofloxacin within 90 minutes. These results provide a feasible approach for developing photocatalysts to address water pollution issues under practical conditions.
JOURNAL OF COMPOSITES SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Stephan Handschuh-Wang, Florian J. Stadler
Summary: New experiments on redox reactions at the liquid metal (Galinstan) interface are presented in this article. These experiments link redox reactions with standard potentials and metallurgy. The experiments offer a simple setup, easy handling without hazardous chemicals, a quick visual and memorable access to redox reactions, as well as the ability to reclaim and reuse the liquid metal (Galinstan).
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shu-Ming Cui, Saud Hashmi, Wen-Qiang Li, Stephan Handschuh-Wang, Cheng-Tian Zhu, Shi-Chang Wang, Yan-Fei Huang, Guang-Ming Zhu, Florian J. Stadler
Summary: This paper investigates Pickering emulgels stabilized by graphene oxide (GO) with didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) as an auxiliary surfactant and liquid paraffin as the oil phase, which are proved to be excellent 3D printable ink. The structure of these emulgels is elucidated by microscopy, broadband dielectric spectroscopy and rheology analysis. It is found that the increase of DDAB surfactant and GO-contents results in an increase of modulus and viscosity, a reduction of nonlinear regime limits, and a complex variation of normal forces.