The origin of black and white coloration of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

• Manuela Rebora,
• Gianandrea Salerno,
• Silvana Piersanti,
• Alexander Kovalev and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 496–508, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.41

• only in dry specimens under reflected light, while the white scales observed under transmitted light appear transparent. Moreover, the white scales immersed in oil with a refractive index close that of chitin do not appear white, but rather transparent, while the black scales appear dark due to the

• , which modulates the reflection spectra. Its contribution is about 11% (considering the refractive index of chitin of 1.56 and an illumination angle of 45°), and it is visible as faint colours on the white background in microscopic observations (Figure 5a). A similar but weaker interference is present in

• enhance this effect. Collective effects of the overlapping scales Finally, the fact that the scales overlap each other (Figure 5d) may lead to an increase of both reflection and scattering. Thus, the specular reflection from four overlapping chitin scales at 45° should be three times stronger than the

Interaction between honeybee mandibles and propolis

• Leonie Saccardi,
• Franz Brümmer,
• Jonas Schiebl,
• Oliver Schwarz,
• Alexander Kovalev and
• Stanislav Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 958–974, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.84

• mandibles is particularly strong due to bonding of long chitin chains and sclerotization (crosslinking of proteins in the cuticle) [6]. Foraging and handling of propolis Worker bees exhibit a division of labour based on age (polyethism) [9] in which duties such as brood rearing are usually performed by

Effect of sample treatment on the elastic modulus of locust cuticle obtained by nanoindentation

• Chuchu Li,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Hamed Rajabi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 404–410, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.33

• changes in the interaction of water molecules with the chitin of the cuticle after rehydration. Insect cuticle is a biological composite with a protein matrix and embedded chitin fibers [17]. It is the only biological composite that has been modelled successfully using the modified Voigt estimate of the

A comprehensive review on electrospun nanohybrid membranes for wastewater treatment

• Senuri Kumarage,
• Imalka Munaweera and
• Nilwala Kottegoda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 137–159, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.10

• , modified chitin, cellulose acetate (CA) and chitosan (CS) have been electrospun as nanohybrids and have been used in a variety of applications [7][8]. Regarding the health sector, the enhanced biocompatibility, antibacterial properties, and cell compatibility has made ENHs great candidates to deliver

• achieved. The membrane also showed antifouling properties and was reusable for several dye removing cycles [77]. Furthermore, Gopi and co-workers reported a PVDF electrospun nanomembrane functionalized with chitin nanowhiskers (ChNW) using a needleless electrospinning technique. ChNW transforms the

The role of deep eutectic solvents and carrageenan in synthesizing biocompatible anisotropic metal nanoparticles

• Nabojit Das,
• Akash Kumar and
• Raja Gopal Rayavarapu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 924–938, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.69

• for dissolving many species of high polarity, for example, amino acids, metal salts, glycerol, benzoic acid, citric acid, and glucose [26][76]. They are also promising in the dissolution of different polymers, such as starch, cellulose, lignin, chitin, and are also used in the pre-treatment of

Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications

• Sepand Tehrani Fateh,
• Lida Moradi,
• Elmira Kohan,
• Michael R. Hamblin and
• Amin Shiralizadeh Dezfuli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64

Mapping the local dielectric constant of a biological nanostructured system

• Wescley Walison Valeriano,
• Rodrigo Ribeiro Andrade,
• Juan Pablo Vasco,
• Angelo Malachias,
• Bernardo Ruegger Almeida Neves,
• Paulo Sergio Soares Guimarães and
• Wagner Nunes Rodrigues

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 139–150, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.11

• ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), Carr et al. [18] concluded that the wing layers consist of mostly chitin with an alternating content of melanin. Chitin forms the structure and melanin modulates the relative permittivity along the cross section. From the results shown in Figure 7, we can see that, in

• the crystal. The Lyddane–Sachs–Teller relation has been extended to other crystalline systems and disordered materials [24][25][26] but its application for the present case, chitin with a varying concentration of melanin, is not straightforward. There is a direct relation between the refractive index

• obtained with the refraction index profiles shown on the left. According to the results shown in Figure 8, the refraction index along the cross section of the damselfly wings varies from 1.52 ± 0.02 to 1.72 ± 0.02. The layers are essentially composed of chitin with varying melanin concentration from layer

Antimicrobial metal-based nanoparticles: a review on their synthesis, types and antimicrobial action

• Matías Guerrero Correa,
• Fernanda B. Martínez,
• Cristian Patiño Vidal,
• Camilo Streitt,
• Juan Escrig and
• Carol Lopez de Dicastillo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1450–1469, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.129

• protection to the cell against osmotic rupture and mechanical damage. It is the first barrier against any harmful particles from the environment, such as oxidative molecules. Every type of microorganism has a different cell wall composition: i) fungi and yeast are mainly composed of chitin and

Biocatalytic oligomerization-induced self-assembly of crystalline cellulose oligomers into nanoribbon networks assisted by organic solvents

• Yuuki Hata,
• Yuka Fukaya,
• Toshiki Sawada,
• Masahito Nishiura and
• Takeshi Serizawa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1778–1788, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.173

• nanoarchitectonics [1][4][11]. Achievements include nanopatterning [12], drug delivery [13], molecular sensing [14], nanodevices [15][16], and cell architectures [17][18]. On the other hand, crystalline poly- and oligosaccharides, such as cellulose and chitin, lag behind in nanoarchitectonics despite the superiority

Scavenging of reactive oxygen species by phenolic compound-modified maghemite nanoparticles

• Małgorzata Świętek,
• Yi-Chin Lu,
• Rafał Konefał,
• Liliana P. Ferreira,
• M. Margarida Cruz,
• Yunn-Hwa Ma and
• Daniel Horák

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1073–1088, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.108

• ][10][11]. To enhance the antioxidant properties of inorganic particles, they should be surface-modified with antioxidants or antioxidant-modified polymers. These types of polymers include chitosan, which is a product of chitin deacetylation and is composed of D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine

Biomimetic synthesis of Ag-coated glasswing butterfly arrays as ultra-sensitive SERS substrates for efficient trace detection of pesticides

• Guochao Shi,
• Mingli Wang,
• Yanying Zhu,
• Yuhong Wang,
• Xiaoya Yan,
• Xin Sun,
• Haijun Xu and
• Wanli Ma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 578–588, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.59

• hybrids (Ag-G.b.) by magnetron sputtering technology. The 3D surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate is fabricated from an original chitin-based nanostructure, which serves as a bio-scaffold for Ag nanofilms to be coated on. The novel crisscrossing plate-like nanostructures of 3D Ag-G.b

Review on nanoparticles and nanostructured materials: history, sources, toxicity and regulations

• Jaison Jeevanandam,
• Ahmed Barhoum,
• Yen S. Chan,
• Alain Dufresne and
• Michael K. Danquah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1050–1074, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.98

• building materials with 0.5 µm to 1 mm thickness [212]. Additionally, the insect wings are formed by a complex vein system which gives superior stability to the entire wing structure [213][214][215]. Long chain crystalline chitin polymer is the basic framework of insect wings that provides membrane support

Bioinspired self-healing materials: lessons from nature

• Joseph C. Cremaldi and
• Bharat Bhushan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 907–935, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.85

• typically from chitin, cuticle (a chitin–protein composite material), or calcium carbonate [67]. Figure 5A shows the various layers that compose the epidermis and exoskeleton [68]. Secretion of exoskeletal material adds to the exoskeleton’s thickness, growing the exoskeleton from within [26]. This very

Liquid-crystalline nanoarchitectures for tissue engineering

• Baeckkyoung Sung and
• Min-Ho Kim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 205–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.22

• DNA, collagen, chitin, viruses, as well as phospholipids and cellulose [23][24]. In test tubes, biocolloidal systems can be finely tuned to form self-organized structures by complex interplays between entropic and enthalpic driving forces, electrostatic and viscoelastic effects, and hydrophilic and

• [36] and drug delivery systems [37]. For tissue regeneration, the mostly studied biomaterials are collagen and chitin, which are, respectively, protein-based and glucose-based biopolymers [38][39]. When denatured, collagen and chitin can be transformed into gelatin and chitosan, respectively, which

• cholesteric droplets of concentrated suspensions of α-chitin and chitosan have been reported [45], and nematic order was also confirmed in the solutions of collagen type IV [46]. Similarly, the cholesteric phase behavior of cellulose fibrils is well established. For all these cases, the isotropic–nematic

Development of polycationic amphiphilic cyclodextrin nanoparticles for anticancer drug delivery

• Gamze Varan,
• Juan M. Benito,
• Carmen Ortiz Mellet and
• Erem Bilensoy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1457–1468, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.145

• bioactive cationic polysaccharide derived from deacetylation of chitin and is well-characterized for its mucosal penetration enhancer property and apoptotic activity against cancer cells [42]. To alter the surface charge of nanomaterials, chitosan can be used as coating material in nanoparticles [43][44

Cationic PEGylated polycaprolactone nanoparticles carrying post-operation docetaxel for glioma treatment

• Cem Varan and
• Erem Bilensoy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1446–1456, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.144

• polymer with optimal results. CS, which is produced commercially by deacetylation of chitin, is a linear polysaccharide. It is a biocompatible and nontoxic natural polymer [33][34][35][36][37][38][39] which is known to act as a penetration enhancer, mucoadhesive [40], antitumor [41] and immune-adjuvant

Biological and biomimetic materials and surfaces

• Stanislav Gorb and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 403–407, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.42

• siliceous teeth consist of composite materials with silica-based cap-like structures situated on chitin-bearing cuticle sockets that are connected through flexible resilient areas containing resilin protein. This composite architecture contributes to the performance of the siliceous teeth in damaging

Nano- and microstructured materials for in vitro studies of the physiology of vascular cells

• Alexandra M. Greiner,
• Adria Sales,
• Hao Chen,
• Sarah A. Biela,
• Dieter Kaufmann and
• Ralf Kemkemer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1620–1641, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.155

• . Additional examples for materials are listed in Table 1 and in some other review articles [4][5][46][47][71][86][87] Polymers from natural sources can be divided in either protein-based (e.g., collagen, fibrin, matrigel, elastin), polysaccharide-based (e.g., hyaluronic acid, chitin, agar, dextran, alginate

Functional diversity of resilin in Arthropoda

• Jan Michels,
• Esther Appel and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1241–1259, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.115

• chitin fibres. In the last decades, numerous exoskeleton structures with large proportions of resilin and various resilin functions have been described. Today, resilin is known to be responsible for the generation of deformability and flexibility in membrane and joint systems, the storage of elastic

• assumed. The properties of resilin-containing exoskeletons can strongly differ between structures and organisms. The reason is that in biological structures resilin seems to be rarely present in pure or nearly pure form but is known to commonly exist together with other proteins and/or chitin fibres in

• , which can be tested with a number of methods [5]. Resilin is colourless, transparent and amorphous. Accordingly, structures with very large resilin proportions can be easily distinguished from structures with relatively large proportions of chitin that are typically pigmented and only slightly

Green and energy-efficient methods for the production of metallic nanoparticles

• Mitra Naghdi,
• Mehrdad Taheran,
• Satinder K. Brar,
• M. Verma,
• R. Y. Surampalli and
• J. R. Valero

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2354–2376, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.243

• reaction medium [104]. Renewable feedstock: Increasing the share of renewable sources either for raw material and energy are very important. The largest renewable source for energy is biomass [129]. There are also many examples for using renewable material in synthesis of NPs including cellulose, chitin

Synthesis, characterization and in vitro biocompatibility study of Au/TMC/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites as a promising, nontoxic system for biomedical applications

• Hanieh Shirazi,
• Maryam Daneshpour,
• Soheila Kashanian and
• Kobra Omidfar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1677–1689, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.170

• fiber-like polymer is made of ß(1→4)-linked N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and derives from chitin. After cellulose, chitosan is known as the second most abundant organic compound in nature. A major disadvantage of using chitosan is its poor solubility at physiological pH, whereas it is soluble and active only

Mandibular gnathobases of marine planktonic copepods – feeding tools with complex micro- and nanoscale composite architectures

• Jan Michels and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 674–685, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.68

• siliceous teeth is consistent with the mineral α-cristobalite [33]. In nature, silica biomineralisation typically takes place on organic matrices composed of compounds such as chitin and collagen that are preferential sites for nucleation and control the formation of the silica structures [35]. Siliceous

• diatom frustules, for example, contain an internal organic network of cross-linked chitin fibres that is assumed to be a scaffold for silica deposition [36]. After chemical removal of the silica from the gnathobases or fracturing the siliceous cap-like structures, fibre networks become visible in the

Multifunctional layered magnetic composites

• Maria Siglreitmeier,
• Baohu Wu,
• Tina Kollmann,
• Martin Neubauer,
• Gergely Nagy,
• Dietmar Schwahn,
• Vitaliy Pipich,
• Damien Faivre,
• Dirk Zahn,
• Andreas Fery and
• Helmut Cölfen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 134–148, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.13

• ) showing an unchanged organic matrix structure after demineralization compared to the original mineralized nacre reference. Light microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy studies of stained samples show the presence of insoluble proteins at the chitin surface but not between the chitin layers

• . Successful and homogeneous gelatin infiltration in between the chitin layers can be shown. The hybrid material is characterized by TEM and shows a layered structure filled with MNPs with a size of around 10 nm. Magnetic analysis of the material demonstrates superparamagnetic behavior as characteristic for

• the particle size. Simulation studies show the potential of collagen and chitin to act as nucleators, where there is a slight preference of chitin over collagen as a nucleator for magnetite. Colloidal-probe AFM measurements demonstrate that introduction of a ferrogel into the chitin matrix leads to a

Real-time monitoring of calcium carbonate and cationic peptide deposition on carboxylate-SAM using a microfluidic SAW biosensor

• Anna Pohl and
• Ingrid M. Weiss

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1823–1835, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.193

• extracellular domain of the chitin synthase involved in mollusc shell formation, were also investigated in a biological buffer system. A range of experimental conditions are described that are suitable to study non-covalent molecular interactions in the presence of ionic substances, such as, mineral precursors

• below the solubility equilibrium. The peptide ES9, equal to the mollusc chitin synthase epitope, is less sensitive to changes in pH than its counterpart AS8 with a penta-lysine core, which lacks the flanking acidic residues. This study demonstrates the extraordinary potential of microfluidic surface

• . However, in the case of organic additives this may as well change. As a case study for a more complex system in biological buffers at various pH, we chose a peptide which was taken from an extracellular domain of the chitin synthases involved in biomineralization. A control peptide was designed with a

Ionic liquid-assisted formation of cellulose/calcium phosphate hybrid materials

• Ahmed Salama,
• Mike Neumann,
• Christina Günter and
• Andreas Taubert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1553–1568, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.167

• and chitin, is their abundance and favorable properties such as mechanical robustness and biocompatibility [1][2][3][4]. Moreover, the growth (mineralization) of calcium phosphate on polysaccharides may lead to composites with properties that are useful for the regeneration of hard tissue even though

• mineralization of carbohydrates with various calcium phosphates. Falini and coworkers used β-chitin from a squid pen for mineralization of octacalcium phosphate (OCP) and hydroxyapatite (HAP) [14][15]. They found a distinct change of the chitin fiber organization on OCP mineralization. Moreover, the OCP–HAP

• transition is delayed with respect to OCP grown in the absence of the carbohydrate matrix. One of the issues of chitin, however, is again its limited solubility in most mineralization media. This limits the processing and mineralization efficiencies. Chitosan, which exhibits a higher water solubility than