July 2024

Happy Swiss National Holiday 2024 with Smallest Swiss Cross

by NANOSENSORS
31 July 202431 July 2024
News & Events

20 bromine atoms positioned on a sodium chloride surface using the tip of an atomic force microscope at room temperature, creating a Swiss cross with the size of 5.6nm. The structure is stable at room temperature and was achieved by exchanging chlorine with bromine atoms. (Fig: University of Basel, Department of Physics) The image was taken using a NANOSENSORS PointProbePlus PPP-NCL AFM probe

We are celebrating tomorrow’s Swiss National Holiday courtesy of Basel University with the Smallest Swiss Cross – Made of 20 Single Atoms ( a NANOSENSORS… Read More »Happy Swiss National Holiday 2024 with Smallest Swiss Cross

The interface between ice and alcohols analyzed by atomic force microscopy

by NANOSENSORS
29 July 202429 July 2024
Science & Technology

Ice plays a crucial role in our environment, with natural ice formations, such as glaciers, permafrost, river ice, and snow, strongly influencing the temperature, humidity,… Read More »The interface between ice and alcohols analyzed by atomic force microscopy

Magnetic control of self-assembly and disassembly in organic materials

Figure 3 from You-jin Jung et al. 2023 “Magnetic control of self-assembly and disassembly in organic materials”: a MNP-helix rod-coils containing positively charged amino acid residues, Rx-α10-PEG16 (x = 1–4). The building blocks have two to five positive charges. b A linear plasmid DNA (7.5 kb). c Self-assembled nanostructures of R1-α10-PEG16. d EMSA on agarose gel. e The PD complexes (intermediates). Left: an AFM image, right: a TEM image. The charge ratio (+/−) was 0.7. f The PD complexes (nanoribbons). g The PD complexes (nanoribbons + artificial chromosomes). h The PD complexes (artificial chromosomes). i The molecular mechanism responsible for the formation of the nanoribbon. Atomic Force Microscopy was preformed in non-contact mode using NANOSENSORS PointProbe Plus PPP-NCHR AFM probes.

Magnetically responsive materials are highly valuable for biological and medical uses because the magnetic field is non-invasive, radiation-free, and safe for humans.* DNA and some… Read More »Magnetic control of self-assembly and disassembly in organic materials

Teaching an old dog new tricks: Ti-doped ZnFe2O4 as active material in zinc ion batteries – a proof of concept

Fig. 5 from “Teaching an old dog new tricks: Ti-doped ZnFe2O4 as active material in zinc ion batteries – a proof of concept” by Susanna Krämer et al. 2024: (a) Work function (Φ) measurements of ZFO, ZFTO7 and ZFTO13 (black squares) and data for the band gap energies (Eg) calculated from the Tauc plot for all samples except ZFTO25 (red circles). Error bars of work function are standard deviation from the average value. (b) Exemplary KPFM image of ZFO with grain boundaries showing lower surface potential (blue) than grain interior (green). Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) measurements were performed in an Ar atmosphere using a commercially available atomic force microscopy with conductive NANOSENSORS PPP-NCSTPt AFM tips. *

ZnFe2O4 is a well-investigated, versatile material with a spinel structure, which reportedly shows electrical conductivity in the range of 5 to 10 mS cm−1, a… Read More »Teaching an old dog new tricks: Ti-doped ZnFe2O4 as active material in zinc ion batteries – a proof of concept