The effect of age on the attachment ability of stick insects (Phasmatodea)

• Marie Grote,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Thies H. Büscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 867–883, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.72

• individuals were more active, whereas the old animals took longer to recover from anesthesia (not quantified). Ridgel and Ritzmann [5] also detected a decrease of around 50% in walking speed of aged cockroaches. This matches the proposed loss of muscle fibers with age, leading to muscle atrophy [16

Electrospun polysuccinimide scaffolds containing different salts as potential wound dressing material

• Veronika Pálos,
• Krisztina S. Nagy,
• Rita Pázmány,
• Krisztina Juriga-Tóth,
• Bálint Budavári,
• Judit Domokos,
• Dóra Szabó,
• Ákos Zsembery and
• Angela Jedlovszky-Hajdu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 781–796, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.65

• , and fibers can be produced with uniform diameters in a controlled way [13][14]. Electrospun fibers are similar to macromolecule networks (e.g., collagen, fibrinogen, elastin) around the cells, which are called extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM has fiber diameters in the size range of 50–500 nm and

• adhesion, growth, proliferation, and differentiation. The electrospinning technique offers the possibility of using the formed scaffold as a wound dressing with fibers of proper size and morphology. The porous nature of the scaffold enables the drainage of wound fluids and facilitates the entry of oxygen

• scaffolds [18][19][20][21]. The antibacterial effectiveness of the fibrous structure is significantly influenced by incorporating salts or nanoparticles. When electrospun fibers are combined with inorganic nanoparticles [22], they can become resistant to bacteria. However, their ability to enhance

Functional fibrillar interfaces: Biological hair as inspiration across scales

• Guillermo J. Amador,
• Brett Klaassen van Oorschot,
• Caiying Liao,
• Jianing Wu and
• Da Wei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 664–677, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.55

• length scales. Keywords: adhesion; fibers; fluid–structure interactions; mastigonemes; mechanosensing; setae; wettability; Introduction Given the bottom-up approach that biology uses to create materials, fibrous structures formed by molecular chains are found everywhere. For example, internally in the

• biological hairs, or fibrillar structures, contribute to those functions across 20 orders of magnitude in organism mass and six orders of magnitude in hair thickness, from the nanometer-thick fibers on bacteriophages to the millimeter-thick hair and fur on mammals. Review Protection Plants and animals often

• spider (Argyroneta aquatica), and insects, such as aquatic bugs and beetles, use hydrophobic hairs to trap air and form an air bubble that encompasses their body [49][50]. Insects, such as the green dock beetle (Gastrophysa viridula), trap air between the adhesive fibers on their footpads when walking

Comparative analysis of the ultrastructure and adhesive secretion pathways of different smooth attachment pads of the stick insect Medauroidea extradentata (Phasmatodea)

• Julian Thomas,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Thies H. Büscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 612–630, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.52

• , possibly attributed to residual adhesive secretions within the cuticle layers, or to underlying epidermal cells (Figure 5C). The finer fibers of the branching rod layer ultimately terminate in the superficial layer (Figure 5A,B,D). The thin superficial layer is the outermost layer of the euplantulae

Berberine-loaded polylactic acid nanofiber scaffold as a drug delivery system: The relationship between chemical characteristics, drug-release behavior, and antibacterial efficiency

• Le Thi Le,
• Hue Thi Nguyen,
• Liem Thanh Nguyen,
• Huy Quang Tran and
• Thuy Thi Thu Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 71–82, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.7

• the surface of the fibers. In addition, the reduction in the hydrophobicity of the nanofiber network also caused a faster release of the drug. Meanwhile, the hydrophobic PLA nanofiber carrier showed a sustained release behavior of the Dox-base. This was because hydrophobic Dox-base significantly

• positively charged quaternary ammonium groups of BBR, increasing the charge density of the blend solution. As the higher charged solution jet, the elongation force imposed on the jet was higher, forming smaller fibers [3][34]. Interestingly, although the same amount of BBR drug was incorporated in the BBR

Hierarchically patterned polyurethane microgrooves featuring nanopillars or nanoholes for neurite elongation and alignment

• Lester Uy Vinzons,
• Guo-Chung Dong and
• Shu-Ping Lin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1157–1168, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.96

• as fibers and grooves, in nerve guidance conduits facilitate axonal elongation and guidance and accelerate functional recovery [4]. Aside from continuous structures, different types of discrete micro- and nanostructures in the form of pillars, wires, tubes, holes, and cones have also been shown to

A visible-light photodetector based on heterojunctions between CuO nanoparticles and ZnO nanorods

• Doan Nhat Giang,
• Nhat Minh Nguyen,
• Duc Anh Ngo,
• Thanh Trang Tran,
• Le Thai Duy,
• Cong Khanh Tran,
• Thi Thanh Van Tran,
• Phan Phuong Ha La and
• Vinh Quang Dang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1018–1027, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.84

• development of many technologies in the future, such as solar cells [1][2], light-emitting diodes (LEDs) [3][4], laser diodes [5], and optical fibers [6]. Optoelectronics devices contribute to meeting requirements in telecommunications, medical equipment, sensors, and military services. Among those

Exploring internal structures and properties of terpolymer fibers via real-space characterizations

• Michael R. Roenbeck and
• Kenneth E. Strawhecker

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1004–1017, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.83

• investigated the processing and properties of high-performance terpolymer fibers, much remains to be understood about the internal nano- and microstructures of these fibers, and how these morphologies relate to fiber properties. Here we use a focused ion beam notch technique and multifrequency atomic force

• microscope mapping to characterize the internal structure and local mechanical properties within Technora® fibers. We find a highly fibrillated structure that appears to connect with both the fiber’s molecular chemistry and full-fiber mechanical properties. In addition, through detailed comparisons with

• Kevlar® K29 fibers, we find remarkable differences between the internal structures of the two fibers, and posit connections between our measurements and multifunctional performance studies from the literature. Keywords: atomic force microscopy; correlative characterization; high-performance fibers

A wearable nanoscale heart sound sensor based on P(VDF-TrFE)/ZnO/GR and its application in cardiac disease detection

• Yi Luo,
• Jian Liu,
• Jiachang Zhang,
• Yu Xiao,
• Ying Wu and
• Zhidong Zhao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 819–833, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.67

• . Composition and β-phase content of the piezoelectric composite films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction. The morphology of the composite film fibers was observed through scanning electron microscopy. Finally, the P(VDF-TrFE)/ZnO/graphene composite film was encapsulated in a sandwich-structure heart sound

• . SEM images of a pure PVDF film in Figure 8a and Figure 8b exhibit filamentous fibers with a relatively smooth surface. In contrast, Figure 8c and Figure 8d show that the addition of ZnO to the P(VDF-TrFE) filaments leads to a rough and granular surface, caused by the aggregation of ZnO particles that

• 2016 database] which is made available under the Open Data Commons Attribution License v1.0, https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/by/1-0/. Wavelet packet decomposition and optimal basis selection diagram. Validation confusion matrix of heart sound classification model (fine KNN). Diameter of fibers for

Silver-based SERS substrates fabricated using a 3D printed microfluidic device

• Phommachith Sonexai,
• Minh Van Nguyen,
• Bui The Huy and
• Yong-Ill Lee

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 793–803, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.65

• and the type of resin [31]. With particular resins, SLA can fabricate features with lateral dimensions of 100 µm and a mold-printed resolution of 50 µm. Over the past decade, numerous SERS substrates based on various materials, including paper [32][33], polymers [34][35], fibers [36], dielectrics [37

Carbon nanotube-cellulose ink for rapid solvent identification

• Tiago Amarante,
• Thiago H. R. Cunha,
• Claudio Laudares,
• Ana P. M. Barboza,
• Ana Carolina dos Santos,
• Cíntia L. Pereira,
• Vinicius Ornelas,
• Bernardo R. A. Neves,
• André S. Ferlauto and
• Rodrigo G. Lacerda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 535–543, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.44

• and MFC are distributed within the ink, AFM measurements were performed on the isolated materials (MFC and MWCNTs) and on the MFC/MWCNT composite (see Figure 1d–f). Pure MFC fibers form bundles (ca. 250 nm thick), and the functionalized tubes also form small bundles. Interestingly, Figure 1f shows

• that the carbon nanotubes tend to twine around the MFC fiber when mixed. Thus, one can visualize that the composite ink is composed of an insulating matrix of MFC fibers intertwined by a conductive CNT network. To analyze the data, principal components analysis (PCA) was performed. PCA is a

Conjugated photothermal materials and structure design for solar steam generation

• Chia-Yang Lin and
• Tsuyoshi Michinobu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 454–466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.36

• on conjugated organic materials. Conjugated organic materials are processed into fibers, membranes, and porous structures. Therefore, nanostructure design based on the concept of nanoarchitectonics is crucial to achieve high SSG efficiency. We discuss the considerations for designing SSG absorbers

• films. Optical microscopy was employed to observe the surface structure of the films (Figure 10a–d). Figure 10a shows the filter paper. In the photothermal films, the filter paper is the supporting layer. The filter paper is indeed suitable for this purpose because the cellulose fibers are randomly

Batch preparation of nanofibers containing nanoparticles by an electrospinning device with multiple air inlets

• Dong Wei,
• Chengwei Ye,
• Adnan Ahmed and
• Lan Xu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 141–150, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.15

• promising materials, such as conductive fibers [6], phase change fibers [7], antistatic fibers [8], and antibacterial fibers [9]. Therefore, the batch preparation of high-performance functional nanofibers by electrospinning has become a current research hotpot [10]. The properties of spinning solutions used

• easily sink down, resulting in an uneven distribution of nanoparticles in the obtained fibers [17]. Due to their stable physical and chemical properties, good biocompatibility, excellent photoelectric properties, non-toxicity, strong antibacterial activity and low price, ZnO nanoparticles can be used in

• . It was found that, when the applied voltage was 40 kV (Figure 2e), less jet formation and low spinning efficiency were achieved. When the voltage was 60 kV (Figure 2f), more but unstable jets were formed due to too high electric field intensity, which would result in coarser fibers and fiber bundles

Antimicrobial and mechanical properties of functionalized textile by nanoarchitectured photoinduced Ag@polymer coating

• Jessica Plé,
• Marine Dabert,
• Helene Lecoq,
• Sophie Hellé,
• Lydie Ploux and
• Lavinia Balan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 95–109, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.11

• forces, which ultimately extends the lifetime of the functionalized textile. The antimicrobial properties of MNP-polymer composites have been extensively investigated [42][43][44] and research has gone into functionalizing textile fibers with the nanocomposites in situ [45][46]. Few studies seem to have

Structural studies and selected physical investigations of LiCoO₂ obtained by combustion synthesis

• Monika Michalska,
• Paweł Ławniczak,
• Tomasz Strachowski,
• Adam Ostrowski and
• Waldemar Bednarski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1473–1482, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.121

• produced in the form of powders, fibers, and films by using various processing techniques including wet chemical synthesis, such as the sol–gel method [33][34][35], precipitation [36], hydrothermal [37][38][39] and spray pyrolysis [40][41]. Also, solid-state synthesis methods, such as mechanical synthesis

Laser-processed antiadhesive bionic combs for handling nanofibers inspired by nanostructures on the legs of cribellate spiders

• Sebastian Lifka,
• Kristóf Harsányi,
• Erich Baumgartner,
• Lukas Pichler,
• Dariya Baiko,
• Karsten Wasmuth,
• Johannes Heitz,
• Marco Meyer,
• Anna-Christin Joel,
• Jörn Bonse and
• Werner Baumgartner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1268–1283, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.105

• product in the form of a random network of fibers, referred to as nonwoven fabric, the stickiness of the freshly produced and thus fragile nanofiber nonwoven remains a problem. This is mainly because nanofibers strongly adhere to any surface because of van der Waals forces. In nature, there are animals

• ; nanostructures; Introduction Nanofibers have a diameter of approximately 10 to 800 nm, whereas their length is much greater than their diameter, which is why the term fiber or thread is used. These fibers are constantly drawing the attention of engineers because their surface-to-volume ratio is favorable for

• by the area moment of inertia J, is proportional to the fourth power of the radius, J ∼ R4. Hence, the fiber gains more contact area much faster than the force decreases. (2) With a smaller radius, more fibers can attach simultaneously to the surface, which leads to a further increase in the total

Studies of probe tip materials by atomic force microscopy: a review

• Ke Xu and
• Yuzhe Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1256–1267, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.104

• stabilize carbon nanotube fibers. Slattery et al. [41] prepared carbon nanotube probes by solvent evaporation or dielectrophoresis, the first time a solvent evaporation method was used. From the 13 probes produced using these methods, the CNT-modified nanomaterials showed very high aspect ratios and good

• alignment. Due to the poor stability of the carbon nanotube fibers, many probes were initially not possible for AFM imaging with the prepared carbon nanotube probes modified. However, Slattery et al. developed a method to straighten, shorten, and strengthen carbon nanotube fibers for thorough AFM imaging

• interaction forces between colloidal particles, and the introduction of templates requires precise operating conditions, leading to higher preparation costs, so it is necessary to find a template-free method to prepare regular large-size colloidal fibers. Xie et al. [57] reported a convenient and

Application of nanoarchitectonics in moist-electric generation

• Jia-Cheng Feng and
• Hong Xia

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1185–1200, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.99

• available in MEGs, such as polymers, proteins, and natural fibers, poly(4-vinylphenol) (PVP) [75], polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) [76][77], fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) [21], and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). These materials show good performance in the application of hydropower conversion. In addition

• , normal breaths, and deep breaths. The sweat detector delivers voltage signals a function of the amount of sweat when the human body is exercising (Figure 10g). A novel and promising application of MEGs has also been demonstrated recently, namely, the use of MEG materials to prepare textile fibers [76][77

• ) Image of laser-processed asymmetric graphene fibers. Figure 5c was reprinted from [62]. This article was published in Nano Energy, vol. 32, by Y. Liang; F. Zhao; Z. Cheng; Q. Zhou; H. Shao; L. Jiang; L. Qu, “Self-powered wearable graphene fiber for information expression“, pages 329–335, Copyright

Microneedle-based ocular drug delivery systems – recent advances and challenges

• Piotr Gadziński,
• Anna Froelich,
• Monika Wojtyłko,
• Antoni Białek,
• Julia Krysztofiak and
• Tomasz Osmałek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1167–1184, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.98

• sclera, a membrane composed of randomly scattered collagen fibers, ranges from 0.5 to 1 mm, depending on the region of occurrence [41]. While the sclera is another barrier preventing drug permeation, the choroid is responsible for drug elimination. The blood–retinal barrier is connected to the retinal

Recent advances in green carbon dots (2015–2022): synthesis, metal ion sensing, and biological applications

• Aisha Kanwal,
• Naheed Bibi,
• Sajjad Hyder,
• Arif Muhammad,
• Hao Ren,
• Jiangtao Liu and
• Zhongli Lei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1068–1107, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.93

• core, whereas, green fluorescence may correspond to n–π* transitions of the edge states [48][49]. The “top-down” approach involves breaking down bulky carbonaceous materials, such as carbon fibers, carbohydrates, proteins, and carbon soot, through chemical or physical methods. The carbon containing

Recent advances in nanoarchitectures of monocrystalline coordination polymers through confined assembly

• Lingling Xia,
• Qinyue Wang and
• Ming Hu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 763–777, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.67

• –liquid or air–liquid interfaces. After evaporation of the solvent, the monocrystalline coordination polymers were packed by the condensed polymer, forming free-standing films. The coordination polymers could also be grown on 1D polyimide fibers first [140]. Then, the 1D fibers could self-assemble into

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

• composite elastic modulus [15]. According to the Voigt model, the effective elastic modulus parallel to the fibers in a unidirectional fiber composite, such as locust hind tibial cuticle [11], can be estimated by [15] where Ef and Vf are, respectively, elastic modulus and volume fraction of the fibers, and

• rehydrated states. The elastic modulus of fibers, however, is affected by the density of effective hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) [18]. Addition or removal of water can presumably disrupt these structural H-bonds and, therefore, affect the elastic modulus of cuticle [15]. This effect, based on the results of our

Micro- and nanotechnology in biomedical engineering for cartilage tissue regeneration in osteoarthritis

• Zahra Nabizadeh,
• Mahmoud Nasrollahzadeh,
• Hamed Daemi,
• Mohamadreza Baghaban Eslaminejad,
• Ali Akbar Shabani,
• Mehdi Dadashpour,
• Majid Mirmohammadkhani and
• Davood Nasrabadi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 363–389, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.31

• responsible for the synthesis and maintenance of hyaline cartilage matrix [8]. Chondrocytes are embedded in a dense ECM composed mainly of water, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and collagen fibers. Collagen comprises 60–85% of adult articular cartilage and has a fibrous structure, which extensively contributes to

• gathering and aggregating proteoglycans due to the high affinity of aggrecan for it [10] (Figure 2). Hence, articular cartilage is a negatively charged complex of collagen fibers and HA conjugated proteoglycans highly organized into a stratified structure, which can withstand mechanical stresses [6]. The

• concomitantly regulated by fiber mechanics and adhesivity such that softer fibers and lower RGD densities improved chondrogenesis (Figure 3). In addition to providing the building blocks for the construction of fibrous scaffolds, nanofibers can be used as promising reinforcing agents to enhance the mechanical

Effects of drug concentration and PLGA addition on the properties of electrospun ampicillin trihydrate-loaded PLA nanofibers

• Tuğba Eren Böncü and
• Nurten Ozdemir

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 245–254, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.19

• to the greater distance required for the drug to diffuse and lower specific surface areas relative to fibers with a smaller diameter [16][25][26]. ii) The structure of PLGA is different than that of PLA. The type of polymer changes the release properties as it has a significant effect on the

• deformation behavior as fibers with a larger diameter tend to display bulk-like properties and have a compact arrangement and stable structure [8][32]. ii) An increase in diameter causes a decrease in porosity [8]. iii) PLGA has more enhanced mechanical properties that those of PLA [33]. In addition, Zhang et

Piezoelectric nanogenerator for bio-mechanical strain measurement

• Zafar Javed,
• Lybah Rafiq,
• Muhammad Anwaar Nazeer,
• Saqib Siddiqui,
• Muhammad Babar Ramzan,
• Muhammad Qamar Khan and
• Muhammad Salman Naeem

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 192–200, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.14

• fluoride (PVDF) and other piezoelectric polymers are used in the form of fibers, filaments, and composites. In this research, PVDF nanofibers were developed and integrated onto a knitted fabric to fabricate a piezoelectric device for human body angle monitoring. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray

• diffraction analyses were used to study the morphology and to confirm the beta phase in fibers. The results reveal that the nanofibers made from solutions with high concentration were smooth and defect-free, compared to the fibers obtained from solutions with low concentration, and possess high crystallinity

• 2020. The integration of electronically active fibers or yarns in textile substrates is the basis of smart textiles [3]. Textile-based sensors and electrodes are composed of conductive fibers, threads, or fabrics [4]. Their use for physiological and medical examination has been rising rapidly in the