The family of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) materials provides a playground for tuning structural and magnetic interactions to create a wide variety of spin textures. *
Of particular interest is the ferromagnetic compound #Fe5GeTe2 that Ajesh K. Gopi et al. show displays a range of complex spin textures as well as complex crystal structures. *
In the article “Thickness-Tunable Zoology of Magnetic Spin Textures Observed in Fe5GeTe2”, using a high-brilliance laboratory X-ray source, Ajesh K. Gopi, Abhay K. Srivastava, Ankit K. Sharma, Anirban Chakraborty, Souvik Das, Hakan Deniz, Arthur Ernst, Binoy K. Hazra, Holger L. Meyerheim and Stuart S.P. Parkin show that the majority (1 × 1) Fe5GeTe2 (FGT5) phase exhibits a structure that was previously considered as being centrosymmetric but rather lacks inversion symmetry. *
In addition, FGT5 exhibits a minority phase that exhibits a long-range ordered (√3 × √3)-R30° superstructure. This superstructure is highly interesting in that it is innately 2D without any lattice periodicity perpendicular to the vdW layers, and furthermore, the superstructure is a result of ordered Te vacancies in one of the topmost layers of the FGT5 sheets rather than being a result of vertical Fe ordering as earlier suggested. *
Ajesh K. Gopi et al. show, from direct real-space magnetic imaging, evidence for three distinct magnetic ground states in lamellae of FGT5 that are stabilized with increasing lamella thickness, namely, a multidomain state, a stripe phase, and an unusual fractal state.*
In the stripe phase the authors also observe unconventional type-I and type-II bubbles where the spin texture in the central region of the bubbles is nonuniform, unlike conventional bubbles.
In addition, they find a #bobber or a cocoon-like spin texture in thick (∼170 μm) FGT5 that emerges from the fractal state in the presence of a magnetic field.
Among all the #2DvdW magnets Ajesh K. Gopi et al. have thus demonstrated that FGT5 hosts perhaps the richest variety of magnetic phases that, thereby, make it a highly interesting platform for the subtle tuning of magnetic interactions.
Durable and conductive interfaces that enable chronic and high-resolution recording of neural activity are essential for understanding and treating #neurodegenerativedisorders. These #chronicimplants require long-term stability and small contact areas. Consequently, they are often coated with a blend of conductive #polymers and are crosslinked to enhance durability despite the potentially deleterious effect of crosslinking on the mechanical and electrical properties.
In the article “Surface-Grafted Biocompatible Polymer Conductors for Stable and Compliant Electrodes for Brain Interfaces” by Rachel Blau, Samantha M. Russman, Yi Qie, Wade Shipley, Allison Lim, Alexander X. Chen, Audithya Nyayachavadi, Louis Ah, Abdulhameed Abdal, Guillermo L. Esparza, Samuel J. Edmunds, Ritwik Vatsyayan, Sean P. Dunfield, Moumita Halder, Jesse V. Jokerst, David P. Fenning, Andrea R. Tao, Shadi A. Dayeh and Darren J. Lipomi (2024) https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/…/adhm.202402215
Describe the grafting of the poly(3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene) scaffold, poly(styrenesulfonate)-b-poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate #blockcopolymerbrush to gold, in a controlled and tunable manner, by surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). This “#blockbrush ” provides high volumetric capacitance (120 F cm─3), strong adhesion to the metal (4 h ultrasonication), improved surface hydrophilicity, and stability against 10 000 charge–discharge voltage sweeps on a multiarray neural electrode. In addition, the block-brush film showed 33% improved stability against current pulsing. This approach can open numerous avenues for exploring specialized polymer brushes for bioelectronics research and application.
The thickness of the brush for the model fitting was found by scraping away an area of brush in air with a MikroMasch HQ:NSC14/Hard/Al BS #AFMtiphttps://www.nanoandmore.com/AFM-Probe-hq-nsc14-hard-al-bs , leaving behind the bare gold substrate, washing, and measuring the height of the neighboring brushes in tapping mode after equilibration in water for 1 h.
In particular, the conditions of the cargo delivery entail tailoring the escape of the molecular payload when the #virusparticle is disassembled. What happens to the internalized molecules when the #nanocage is opened? *
To this end, it is necessary to control the cargo–container interaction which, in turn, would tune the retention of cargo when the disassembly of the #nanocarrier takes place. Thus, it is necessary to develop nanocarrier systems that facilitate the control of the cargo retention conditions as a function of its interaction with the #nanocontainer. *
In the article “Mechanical disassembly of human picobirnavirus like particles indicates that cargo retention is tuned by the RNA–coat protein interaction” María J. Rodríguez-Espinosa, Javier M. Rodríguez, José R. Castón and Pedro J. de Pablo describe how they designed three mutants of human #picobirnavirus where the #RNA–coat protein interaction, observed previously via cryo-electron microscopy, is modified by changing the N-terminal end of the coat protein.
The authors used #atomicforcemicroscopy ( #AFM) for inducing the mechanical unpacking of the #RNA internalized in particles of each mutant. *
Their experiments crack-opened individual particles in real time to monitor the cargo release. Among other results, María J. Rodríguez-Espinosa et al. have measured that an increment in the N-terminal length by just 8% increases the cargo retention of partially disrupted particles by a factor of 10 with respect to the wild type. *
What do geckos and our non-contact AFM probes Tap300Al-G have in common? They both take advantage of van der Waals forces. For a refresher on these weak intermolecular forces, check here:
The ESCRT-III-like protein #Vipp1 couples filament polymerization with #membraneremodeling. It assembles planar sheets as well as 3D rings and helical polymers, all implicated in mitigating plastid-associated membrane stress. The architecture of Vipp1 planar sheets and helical polymers remains unknown, as do the geometric changes required to transition between polymeric forms. *
In the article “Mechanism for Vipp1 spiral formation, ring biogenesis, and membrane repair” Souvik Naskar et al. (2024) show how cyanobacterial Vipp1 assembles into morphologically-related sheets and spirals on #membranes in vitro.*
The spirals converge to form a central ring similar to those described in membrane budding. Cryo-EM structures of helical filaments reveal a close geometric relationship between Vipp1 helical and planar lattices. Moreover, the helical structures reveal how filaments twist—a process required for Vipp1, and likely other #ESCRTIII filaments, to transition between planar and 3D architectures. *
Overall, the authors’ results provide a molecular model for Vipp1 ring biogenesis and a mechanism for Vipp1 #membranestabilization and repair, with implications for other ESCRT-III systems. *
We are happy to announce that all our large-diameter microspheres are now available on the soft, quartz-like AFM cantilevers of the “qp” series by NANOSENSORS™. Check out our catalog to see our expanded product line!
We would like to thank all users of our #AFMprobes, our partners and clients worldwide for their trusting cooperation in the last year and are looking forward to another year with you.
May the new #yearofthesnake bring happiness, health, opportunities for growth and success to all of you!
Investigation of the experimental parameters of the Sader Method formula for calculating the force constants of AFM cantilevers using micro Laser Doppler Velocimetry and MikroMasch HQ:NSC14/Al BS AFM probes
Since the discovery of #graphene, extensive studies have revealed various types of novel two-dimensional #polymers such as transition metal dichalcogenides, covalent organic frameworks, and carbon allotropes. *
Coordination nanosheets (CONASHs) are bottom-up-type, two-dimensional polymers woven through coordination reactions of molecular, ionic, or atomic components. *
Due to the diversity of their chemical and physical properties arising from an infinite variety of ligand and metal ions, CONASHs have attracted considerable attention. Functional CONASHs tethering 1,2-dithiolate and its analogues, carboxylate, dipyrromethine, and polypyridyl ligands have been developed. *
In the article “A Bis(terpyridine)nickel(II)-Based Coordination Nanosheet: A Redox-Active Material with Flexibility and Transparency” Kenji Takada, Hiroaki Maeda and Hiroshi Nishihara report a novel functional bis(terpyridine)metal(II) complex coordination #nanosheet (CONASH) comprising a three-armed terpyridine ligand and Ni2+ ion. *
The colourless Ni-terpyridine CONASH was synthesized by the method of interfacial coordination reaction at an interface of two immiscible liquids. *
The synthesized CONASH was characterized with various microscopic observations such as TEM, SEM, and #AFM, and spectroscopic measurements such as XPS, IR, SEM/EDS, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. *
The bis(terpyridine)nickel(II) complex nanosheet demonstrated redox-activity stemming from terpyridine complexes without distinctive colour change. Thus, the bis(terpyridine)nickel(II) coordination nanosheet is a potential redox-active material with colourlessness and flexibility, necessary for future transparent electronics.*
Our platinum coated ElectriMulti75-G AFM probes support the research of two-dimensional silk.
“Despite the promise of silk-based devices, the inherent disorder of native silk limits performance. Here, we report highly ordered two-dimensional silk fibroin (SF) films grown epitaxially on van der Waals (vdW) substrates… Scanning Kelvin probe measurements show that these films substantially alter the surface potential; thus, they provide a platform for silk-based electronics on vdW solids.”
The optimization of nonradiative recombination losses through interface engineering is key to the development of efficient, stable, and hysteresis-free #perovskite#solarcells ( #PSCs ). *
In the article “Interfacial Engineering with One-Dimensional Lepidocrocite TiO2-Based Nanofilaments for High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells” Shrabani Panigrahi, Hussein O. Badr, Jonas Deuermeier, Santanu Jana , Elvira Fortunato, Rodrigo Martins and Michel W. Barsoum, for the first time in #solarcelltechnology, present a novel approach to #interfacemodification by employing one-dimensional lepidocrocite (henceforth referred to as 1DL) TiO2-based #nanofilaments, NFs, between the mesoporous TiO2 (mp TiO2) and halide perovskite film in PSCs to improve both the efficiency and stability of the devices. *
The #1DLs can be easily produced on the kilogram scale starting with cheap and earth-abundant precursor powders, such as TiC, TiN, TiB2, etc., and a common organic base like tetramethylammonium hydroxide. Notably, the 1DL deposition influenced perovskite grain development, resulting in a larger grain size and a more compact perovskite layer. Additionally, it minimized trap centers in the material and reduced charge recombination processes, as confirmed by the photoluminescence analysis. *
The overall promotion led to an improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 13 ± 3.2 to 16 ± 1.8% after interface modification. The champion PCE for the 1DL-containing devices is 17.82%, which is higher than that of 16.17% for the control devices. *
The passivation effect is further demonstrated by evaluating the stability of PSCs under ambient conditions, wherein the 1DL-containing PSCs maintain ∼87% of their initial efficiency after 120 days. *
The article not only presents cost-effective, novel, and promising materials for cathode interface engineering but also an effective approach to achieve high-efficiency PSCs with long-term stability devoid of encapsulation. *
To get a deeper understanding of the enhanced photocurrent production within the perovskite layer, the authors used #photoconductiveatomicforcemicroscopy ( #pcAFM) to map the photocurrent distribution at the #nanoscale for the same perovskite layers on both types of ETLs. *
Traditional Joule dissipation omnipresent in today’s electronic devices is well understood while the energy loss of the strongly interacting electron systems remains largely unexplored. #Twistedbilayergraphene ( #tBLG) is a host to interaction-driven correlated insulating phases, when the relative rotation is close to the magic angle (1.08∘). *
In the article “Energy dissipation on magic angle twisted bilayer #graphene” Alexina Ollier, Marcin Kisiel, Xiaobo Lu, Urs Gysin, Martino Poggio, Dmitri K. Efetov and Ernst Meyer report on low-temperature (5K) nanomechanical energy dissipation of tBLG measured by #pendulumatomicforcemicroscopy ( #p_AFM). *
Owing to high force sensitivity, pendulum geometry Atomic Force Microscopy (p-AFM), oscillating like a tiny pendulum over the surface, is perfectly suited to measure tiny amounts of energy loss.*
The ultrasensitive cantilever tip acting as an oscillating gate over the quantum device shows dissipation peaks attributed to different fractional fillings of the flat energy bands. Local detection allows to determine the twist angle and spatially resolved dissipation images showed the existence of hundred-nanometer domains of different doping. *
Application of magnetic fields provoked strong oscillations of the dissipation signal at 3/4 band filling, identified in analogy to Aharonov-Bohm oscillations, a wavefunction interference present between domains of different doping and a signature of orbital ferromagnetism.*
During the Pendulum #AFM energy dissipation measurements, series of insulating states of tBLG were detected under ultra high vacuum (UHV) conditions with highly n-doped silicon NANOSENSORS AdvancedTEC ATEC-CONT tip-view #AFMprobes. * https://www.nanosensors.com/advanced-tip-at-the-end-of-the…
The #AFMcantilever with resistivity ρ = 0.01 − 0.02 Ωcm, spring constant k = 0.18 N/m and frequency f0 = 13 kHz was coupled capacitively to the quantum device, and the #AFMtip oscillation amplitude A = 1 nm was parallel to the sample surface (pendulum geometry). The sensor was annealed before experiment at 700∘ under UHV conditions for 12h. The process leads to removal of water and weakly bounded molecules from the cantilever surface and the tip. Moreover, the long-term annealing minimizes the amount of the static charges localized at the AFM tip. *
Please have a look at the NANOSENSORS blog for the full citation and a direct link to the full article.
Check out this amazing study presenting a programmable flexoelectric engineering platform for nanoconfined conductive filaments in free-standing 2D ferro-ionic memristors!
“In conclusion, we envision that our universal free-standing platform can provide the extendable geometric solution for ultra-efficient self-powered system and reliable neuromorphic device.”
Our platinum coated ElectriMulti75-G AFM probes have been used extensively throughout this work for PFM, EFM, C-AFM and 3D topography imaging.