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New types of functional material structures will emerge if the shape and properties are controlled in three-dimensional nanodevices. Possible applications of these would be nanoelectronics and medical systems. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are especially important in electronics such as magnetic storage, sensors, and spintronics. Also, in those that are used as magnetic resonance imaging contrasts, and tissue specific therapeutic agents, as well as in the labeling and sorting of cells, drug delivery, separation of biochemical products, and in other medical applications. Most of these applications require MNPs to be chemically stable, uniform in size, and controllable in terms of their magnetic properties and shape. In this paper three new functions of iron (Fe)-based nanoparticles are reported: shape transformation, oxidation prevention, and self-alignment. The shape of the Fe nanoparticles could be controlled by changing their oxidation states and properties by using a nanocarbon coating. Full field X-ray microscopy using synchrotron radiation revealed controllable magnetic properties of MNPs at the L3 edge which depended on the oxidation states. Then, inkjet printing was successfully performed to deposit a uniform layer of MNPs by the size.

The continuous scaling down of semiconductor devices has significantly benefited consumers by enhancing the device performance, portability, power efficiency, and affordability. Recently, chip makers have embraced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography to spearhead the market leadership of sub-10 nm patterning. This surge in EUV adoption has sparked extensive research on EUV photoresists, focusing on materials with various metallic elements to improve the EUV sensitivity and advance nanolithography. Previous studies explored the determinants of sensitivity and pattern formation. Recently, interest has shifted toward dry photoresists and innovative techniques, such as resistless lithography. This review summarizes the research on inorganic EUV photoresists and outlines strategies to boost the lithographic performance and tackle future challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulator is a novel two-dimensional quantum state of matter that features quantized Hall conductance in the absence of a magnetic field, resulting from topologically protected dissipationless edge states that bridge the energy gap opened by band inversion and strong spin-orbit coupling. By investigating the electronic structure of epitaxially grown monolayer 1T'-WTe 2 using angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) and first-principles calculations, we observe clear signatures of topological band inversion and bandgap opening, which are the hallmarks of a QSH state. Scanning tunnelling microscopy measurements further confirm the correct crystal structure and the existence of a bulk bandgap, and provide evidence for a modified electronic structure near the edge that is consistent with the expectations for a QSH insulator. Our results establish monolayer 1T'-WTe 2 as a new class of QSH insulator with large bandgap in a robust two-dimensional materials family of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs).

Topological nodal semimetal (TNS), characterized by its touching conduction and valence bands, is a newly discovered state of quantum matter which exhibits various exotic physical phenomena. Recently, a new type of TNS called topological nodal line semimetal (TNLS) is predicted where its conduction and valence band form a degenerate one-dimension line which is further protected by its crystal symmetry. In this work, we systematically investigated the bulk and surface electronic structure of the non-symmorphic, TNLS in InBi (which is also a type II Dirac semimetal) with strong spin-orbit coupling by using angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy. By tracking the crossing points of the bulk bands at the Brillouin zone boundary, we discovered the nodal-line feature along the kz direction, in agreement with the ab initio calculations and confirmed it to be a new compound in the TNLS family. Our discovery provides a new material platform for the study of these exotic topological quantum phases and paves the way for possible future applications.

MoS2 has attracted intense interest in many applications. Natural MoS2 and field-effect transistors made of it generally exhibit n-type characteristics, but its origin is unknown. Herein, we show that C is the origin of the universal n-type doping of natural MoS2. Photoemission spectroscopies reveal that while many MoS2 samples with C detected are n-type, some without C exhibit p-type characteristics. The C-free, p-type MoS2 changes to n-type over time with the concurrent appearance of C that is out-diffused from bulk, indicating that C induces the n-type doping. The C-origin is verified by C-deposition and supported by theoretical calculations. This carbon appears as nanometer-scale defects frequently observed in scanning tunneling microscopy. In addition, we propose, based on the calculations, that S vacancies are responsible for the p-type characteristics, which contrasts with the widespread belief. This work provides new perspectives on MoS2 doping and presents a new direction for fabricating reliable MoS2 devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoluminescence (PL) properties have been studied for Ge-doped ZnO films grown on Si wafers by RF-magnetron sputtering. A PL line, named as G line, appears at 3.324 eV by Ge doping and is attributed to Ge suboxide states including GeO color centers. As Ge concentration (nGe) increases, the intensities of free-exciton-, and neutral-donor-bound-exciton-, two-electron-satellite-, and G-PL lines increase, while those of their phonon replicas decrease. By Ge doping, no-phonon line deconvoluted from the near-band-edge (NBE) PL at 300 K is enhanced, but its LO phonon replicas are reduced, resulting in the enhancement of the NBE PL with its reduced bandwidth. It is suggested that these results are due to the increase of the Ge suboxide states with increasing nGe, which is also confirmed by the analysis of the Ge 3d core-level spectra by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has recently been observed that benzoic acid strongly reacts with OH group on the silicon surface. Here, by defining the area in which OH group is adsorbed on the Si surface, the selective adsorption of benzoic acid species was attempted. The patterned OH/Si surface was prepared by irradiating the zeroth order beam from the bending magnet of the synchrotron facility through the gold mesh placed in front of the OH/Si sample. For discerning the selectively adsorbed molecule by x-ray photoelectron emission microscopy (X-PEEM) at N k edge, 4-nitrobenzoic acid was utilized instead of benzoic acid. Near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectra at carbon and oxygen k edges were in good accord with the previous results obtained from the benzoic acid system. The X-PEEM images around N k edge clearly showed that the molecules adsorb only on the area in which OH groups remain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]