Visualization of Swift Ion Tracks in Suspended Local Diamondized Few-Layer Graphene.

In the present study we investigated the nanostructuring processes in locally suspended few-layer graphene (FLG) films by irradiation with high energy ions (Xe, 26-167 MeV). For such an energy range, the main channel of energy transfer to FLG is local, short-term excitation of the electronic subsystem. The irradiation doses used in this study are 1 × 10-5 × 10 ion/cm.

The Nature of Ferromagnetism in a System of Self-Ordered α-FeSi Nanorods on a Si(111)-4° Vicinal Surface: Experiment and Theory.

In this study, the appearance of magnetic moments and ferromagnetism in nanostructures of non-magnetic materials based on silicon and transition metals (such as iron) was considered experimentally and theoretically. An analysis of the related literature shows that for a monolayer iron coating on a vicinal silicon surface with (111) orientation after solid-phase annealing at 450-550 °C, self-ordered two-dimensional islands of α-FeSi displaying superparamagnetic properties are formed. We studied the transition to ferromagnetic properties in a system of α-FeSi nanorods (NRs) in the temperature range of 2-300 K with an increase in the iron coverage to 5.

Fluorinated graphene nanoparticles with 1-3 nm electrically active graphene quantum dots.

A new approach to creating a new and locally nanostructured graphene-based material is reported. We studied the electric and structural properties of partially fluorinated graphene (FG) films obtained from an FG-suspension and nanostructured by high-energy Xe ions. Local shock heating in ion tracks is suggested to be the main force driving the changes.

A new approach to the fabrication of VO nanoswitches with ultra-low energy consumption.

A new approach for the formation of free-standing vertical resistive nanoswitches based on VO2 nanocrystals (NCs) with embedded conductive nanosharp Si tips is demonstrated in the present article. This approach consists in the chemical vapor deposition synthesis of VO2 NCs on the apices of sharp conductive nanotips formed on a Si substrate by the standard methods of planar silicon technology. The amplification of the electric field and current density at the tip apex inside a high-quality VO2 NC leads to a record-breaking reduction of switching voltage (by a factor of 20-70) in comparison with conventional geometry devices with planar contacts.

Bimetallic Pt,Ir-containing coatings formed by MOCVD for medical applications.

Biocompatible PtIr layers combining high mechanical strength of the iridium component and outstanding corrosion resistance of the platinum component providing reversible charge transfer reactions in the living tissue are one of the important materials required for implantable medical electrodes. The modern trend to complicate the shape and reduce the electrode dimensions includes the challenge to develop precise methods to obtain such bimetallic coatings with enhanced surface area and advanced electrochemical characteristics. Herein, PtIr coatings were firstly obtained on cathode and anode pole tips of endocardial electrodes for pacemakers using chemical vapor deposition technique.

Formation of a Thin Continuous GaSb Film on Si(001) by Solid Phase Epitaxy.

Nanocrystalline GaSb films were grown on Si(001) from the stoichiometric Ga⁻Sb mixture using solid-phase epitaxy at temperatures of 200⁻500 °C. Use of the solid-phase epitaxy method allowed the suppression of Ga surface diffusion and prevention of intense Sb desorption. At the annealing temperature of 300 °C, a 14-nm-thick GaSb film aggregates, while a 20-nm-thick GaSb film remains continuous with a roughness of 1.

Charge Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in superconducting NbTiN films.

Three decades after the prediction of charge-vortex duality in the critical vicinity of the two-dimensional superconductor-insulator transition (SIT), one of the fundamental implications of this duality-the charge Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition that should occur on the insulating side of the SIT-has remained unobserved. The dual picture of the process points to the existence of a superinsulating state endowed with zero conductance at finite temperature. Here, we report the observation of the charge BKT transition on the insulating side of the SIT in 10 nm thick NbTiN films, identified by the BKT critical behavior of the temperature and magnetic field dependent resistance, and map out the magnetic-field dependence of the critical temperature of the charge BKT transition.

The convenient preparation of stable aryl-coated zerovalent iron nanoparticles.

A novel approach for the in situ synthesis of zerovalent aryl-coated iron nanoparticles (NPs) based on diazonium salt chemistry is proposed. Surface-modified zerovalent iron NPs (ZVI NPs) were prepared by simple chemical reduction of iron(III) chloride aqueous solution followed by in situ modification using water soluble arenediazonium tosylate. The resulting NPs, with average iron core diameter of 21 nm, were coated with a 10 nm thick organic layer to provide long-term protection in air for the highly reactive zerovalent iron core up to 180 °C.

The mechanism of {113} defect formation in silicon: clustering of interstitial-vacancy pairs studied by in situ high-resolution electron microscope irradiation.

We report the direct visualization of point defect clustering in {113} planes of silicon crystal using a transmission electron microscope, which was supported by structural modeling and high-resolution electron microscope image simulations. In the initial stage an accumulation of nonbonded interstitial-vacancy (I-V) pairs stacked at a distance of 7.68 Å along neighboring atomic chains located on the {113} plane takes place.