Determination of the radii of coated and uncoated silicon AFM sharp tips using a height calibration standard grating and a nonlinear regression function

• Perawat Boonpuek and
• Jonathan R. Felts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1200–1207, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.99

• of Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA 10.3762/bjnano.14.99 Abstract AFM sharp tips are used to characterize nanostructures and quantify the mechanical properties of the materials in several areas of research. The analytical results can show unpredicted errors if we

• nanostructured materials, for example, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanoscale semiconductors, biomaterials, and molecules. Mechanical properties such as surface stiffness, adhesion, friction, electrostatics, and electrowetting can be measured [1][2][3][4]. In contact mode scanning, the contact area between the

• than 30 or 35 nm, respectively. But these are not the true radii of the tips. Therefore, AFM users need to determine the actual tip radius before probing micro- and nanostructures and measuring the mechanical properties of a sample. In previous studies, tip shape and radius at the sharp end were

Elasticity, an often-overseen parameter in the development of nanoscale drug delivery systems

• Agnes-Valencia Weiss and
• Marc Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1149–1156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.95

• drug delivery can be achieved, are mechanical properties of nanoparticles. Even though this is often not even considered during formulation development, and it is not requested for approval, an increasing number of studies show that it is important to have knowledge about these characteristics. In this

• properties of drug carriers. Keywords: atomic force microscopy; drug delivery; elasticity; mechanical properties; nanomedicine; nanoparticles; stiffness measurement; tissue/body distribution; Introduction Drug delivery systems are developed with the aim to transport a given drug to the site of action

• properties are well investigated regarding their effect on cellular uptake and the influence on in vivo performance [3][10]. Only since the first decade of the 2000s, mechanical properties have been investigated in the development of nanoparticulate drug delivery systems. A well-known example in biology

Spatial mapping of photovoltage and light-induced displacement of on-chip coupled piezo/photodiodes by Kelvin probe force microscopy under modulated illumination

• Zeinab Eftekhari,
• Nasim Rezaei,
• Hidde Stokkel,
• Jian-Yao Zheng,
• Andrea Cerreta,
• Ilka Hermes,
• Minh Nguyen,
• Guus Rijnders and
• Rebecca Saive

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1059–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.87

• center is around 3 to 4.6 nm/V, showing notable performance of the piezo-photodiode device under low photovoltage. The strength of our approach lies in its capability to decouple the contributions of different aspects of our hybrid system effectively, as the optoelectronic and mechanical properties are

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

• 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

• molecular chains rather than optimizing crystallites. This strategy aimed to explore new chemistries that could enhance multifunctional aspects of fibers without adversely affecting fiber mechanical properties. Indeed, in developing Technora®, Teijin Ltd. had four principal aims: to manufacture a (i) cost

• -effective fiber with (ii) similar mechanical properties to Kevlar® that was (iii) heat-resistant and (iv) soluble in organic solvents [1]. A highly oriented fiber structure exhibiting these characteristics was achieved through a terpolymer chemical formulation, consisting of terephthaloyl chloride (TPA), p

Metal-organic framework-based nanomaterials for CO₂ storage: A review

• Ha Huu Do,
• Iqra Rabani and
• Hai Bang Truong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 964–970, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.79

• fabrication of MOF/graphene-based composites. Figure 5 was reproduced from [41], R. Kumar et al., “Remarkable Improvement in the Mechanical Properties and CO2 Uptake of MOFs Brought About by Covalent Linking to Graphene”, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., with permission from John Wiley and Sons. Copyright © 2016 WILEY

Biomimetics on the micro- and nanoscale – The 25th anniversary of the lotus effect

• Matthias Mail,
• Kerstin Koch,
• Thomas Speck,
• William M. Megill and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 850–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.69

• treatment on the elastic modulus of locust cuticle obtained by nanoindentation”, investigate the mechanical properties of the cuticle that builds the surface of insects and related groups of animals. The cuticle is one of the most abundant, but least studied biological composites. In their study, the

• authors use a nanoindentation technique to investigate the effect of freezing, desiccation, and rehydration on the elastic modulus of the hind tibial cuticle of locusts. All of the treatments significantly influenced the mechanical properties of the latter. Gorb et al. [7], in the paper “Hierachical

• suspension feeding in common Crustacea. The results show that a system combining long and short setae with different mechanical properties has the best performance. The numerical simulation can in future be easily adapted to other systems and therefore be used for biomimetic developments (e.g., in the field

Control of morphology and crystallinity of CNTs in flame synthesis with one-dimensional reaction zone

• Muhammad Hilmi Ibrahim,
• Norikhwan Hamzah,
• Mohd Zamri Mohd Yusop,
• Ni Luh Wulan Septiani and
• Mohd Fairus Mohd Yasin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 741–750, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.61

• . Overall, CNT/epoxy nanocomposites with superior mechanical properties are preferred [4]. Scarselli et al. [5] synthesized CNTs with a three-dimensional network using a sulfur enhancer and, thus, created a porous product capable of adsorbing oils. Furthermore, CNT networks have a high potential to be

Suspension feeding in Copepoda (Crustacea) – a numerical model of setae acting in concert

• Alexander E. Filippov,
• Wencke Krings and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 603–615, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.50

• mouth opening. By altering the parameters, it was unraveled that the system performs best when the long and short setae have different mechanical properties and different degrees of adhesion since the long setae generate the feeding current and the short ones establish the contact with the particle

• field of filtration technologies. Keywords: adhesion; confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM); feeding efficiency; feeding structures; mechanical properties; Introduction Particle capture mechanisms are common in a huge variety of aquatic animals, such as polychaetes, bryozoans, bivalves, sponges

• cuticle’s mechanical properties revealed that the setae on maxillae 1 (long setae) and 2 (short setae) possess very soft bases full of the elastic protein resilin [55][56][57]. Additionally, the tips of the short setae on maxilla 2 exhibited a blue autofluorescence signal, which strongly indicated that

Transferability of interatomic potentials for silicene

• Marcin Maździarz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 574–585, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.48

• single-layer silicon, polymorphs was examined. Structural and mechanical properties of flat, low-buckled, trigonal dumbbell, honeycomb dumbbell, and large honeycomb dumbbell silicene phases, were obtained using density functional theory and molecular statics calculations with Tersoff, MEAM, Stillinger

• –Weber, EDIP, ReaxFF, COMB, and machine-learning-based interatomic potentials. A quantitative systematic comparison and a discussion of the results obtained are reported. Keywords: 2D materials; DFT; force fields; interatomic potentials; mechanical properties; silicene; Introduction We are living in

• silicon to reproduce 2D silicon is poorly studied. There are several papers in which the quality of potentials for 3D silicon has been assessed [10][11][12], but not for silicene. The intention of this work is first to determine the structural and mechanical properties of 2D silicon using the first

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

• properties of carbon nanostructured materials with the polymer’s distinguished mechanical properties. These composites are usually non-selective and can react to various ambient stimuli [20][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. Among polymers, cellulose is the most abundant natural organic polymer on earth. It

• has resurfaced recently as a smart material because of its excellent thermal-mechanical properties, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and flexibility [22][23][30][31]. Composites based on carbon nanotubes or graphene and cellulose have been reported for, among other things, humidity and vapor

Microneedle patches – the future of drug delivery and vaccination?

• Zahra Faraji Rad,
• Philip D. Prewett and
• Graham J. Davies

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 494–495, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.40

• originally developed for the microelectronics industry; they were inevitably made from silicon. Since then, silicon MNs have been largely abandoned in favour of polymer versions because of their superior mechanical properties, biocompatibility, ease of manufacture, and ultimate scalability [5][6]. Polymer

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

• the textile support. After assessing their optical and mechanical properties, the antimicrobial properties of the functionalized textiles were tested against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Candida albicans (C. albicans) strains. In addition to being flexible and adherent to the textile substrates, the

• and plate diffusion assays) of AgNP@polymer nanocomposites-coated textiles against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Candida albicans (C. albicans) strains. The mechanical properties (flexibility, adhesion, abrasion) were also studied using a Mini-Martindale device, a standard scratch test kit, scanning

•  5). This result is of great importance because it confirms the complete photoreduction of the precursor and the absence of any oxidized form of silver in the Ag@polymer coating. Mechanical properties Flexibility and adhesion Functionalization of the textiles with the Ag@polymer does not

Liquid phase exfoliation of talc: effect of the medium on flake size and shape

• Samuel M. Sousa,
• Helane L. O. Morais,
• Joyce C. C. Santos,
• Ana Paula M. Barboza,
• Bernardo R. A. Neves,
• Elisângela S. Pinto and
• Mariana C. Prado

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 68–78, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.8

• phyllosilicate that can be exfoliated into nanoflakes with great mechanical properties. Sodium cholate at two different concentrations (below and at the critical micelar concentration), butanone, and Triton-X100 were employed as exfoliation medium for talc. Using recent published statistical analysis methods

• pharmaceutical and cosmetics uses [17]. It was shown that monolayer talc has outstanding mechanical properties of the same order of magnitude as graphene [12]. The breaking strength for uniaxial deformations ranges from 29 to 33 N·m−1, and the two-dimensional elasticity modulus is E = 181 N·m−1. Also, talc’s

Hydroxyapatite–bioglass nanocomposites: Structural, mechanical, and biological aspects

• Olga Shikimaka,
• Mihaela Bivol,
• Bogdan A. Sava,
• Marius Dumitru,
• Christu Tardei,
• Beatrice G. Sbarcea,
• Daria Grabco,
• Constantin Pyrtsac,
• Daria Topal,
• Andrian Prisacaru,
• Vitalie Cobzac and
• Viorel Nacu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1490–1504, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.123

• can induce new chemical, biological, and mechanical properties to HA-BG composites, which can be controlled by modifying glass fraction and composition. In this study, we have elaborated and investigated HA-BG composites containing a boro-silico-phosphate bioglass of the following composition: 10B2O3

• . Moreover, two more modifying factors, namely BG fraction and sintering temperature, were introduced to study their influence on structure, mechanical properties, and biological activity depending on the type of HA (HAP or HAG) used for fabricating the HA-BG composites. Materials and Methods Preparation of

• composition. Mechanical properties The mechanical properties were investigated by means of depth-sensing microindentation (MI). Before the MI measurements, the samples were polished with sandpaper with grit sizes of P1000, P2000, and P3000, consecutively, and with wet Cr2O3 powder on a cloth for final

Frequency-dependent nanomechanical profiling for medical diagnosis

• Santiago D. Solares and
• Alexander X. Cartagena-Rivera

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1483–1489, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.122

• mechanical changes in the affected tissues. Keywords: atomic force microscopy; healthcare; mechanical properties; mechanobiology; medical diagnosis; Introduction Since its invention in the early 1980s, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been extensively used for topographical, mechanical, electrical, and

• ”). Further, there is often no direct connection to specific technological applications. For example, multiple studies have shown that the mechanical properties of cancerous cells differ from those of healthy cells [15][20], but it is not clear how those measurements could be exploited for medical treatment

• . This is in sharp contrast to typical macroscale applications where, for example, the mechanical properties of steel and concrete can be directly used by engineers to design a bridge and predict its performance under real-life conditions. Finally, there is not sufficient communication between AFM

Bending and punching characteristics of aluminum sheets using the quasi-continuum method

• Man-Ping Chang,
• Shang-Jui Lin and
• Te-Hua Fang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1303–1315, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.108

• were discussed under various conditions. The stress–displacement curve and stress/strain image were used to analyze various mechanical properties. Effect of crystal orientation on the nano-punching process Before discussing the influence of different crystal orientations on the nano-punching process

• , the effect of crystal orientation on the materials will be firstly considered. The mechanical properties of single-crystal materials can be strongly affected by the crystal orientation [56], such as the elastic stress [57], thermomechanical fatigue behavior [58], and the dislocation effect of

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

• mechanical properties of the cantilever beam directly affect the performance, measurement resolution, and image quality of the AFM instrument. AFM probe tips [9][10] are generally fabricated with coatings, carbon nanotubes, magnetic nanoparticles, or even protein functionalization. A combination of probe

• probe Manufacturing nanoprobes that meet the requirements for cutting-edge mechanical properties, dimensions, and morphology is practically challenging. Modern technology has made it possible to produce macroscopic materials with certain functions by combining several components into composite materials

• (shell) covered nanotubes to produce reinforced carbon–carbon composite nanotools; combining amorphous carbon with the extreme mechanical properties of CNTs can facilitate the production of nanotools with high aspect ratios. Inappropriate properties such as vibration and flexibility can be controlled

Role of titanium and organic precursors in molecular layer deposition of “titanicone” hybrid materials

• Arbresha Muriqi and
• Michael Nolan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1240–1255, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.103

• are described as O–M–O–(CHx)y–O–M–O. Metalcones are known to be flexible in nature due to the flexible organic backbones present in their architectures and with excellent mechanical properties at the atomic and molecular level arising from the organometallic precursors [16][17]. The first metalcone

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

• fluconazole, a widely known antifungal agent, employed in this formulation for potential keratitis treatment. As justification for the use of PLA, the authors indicated poor mechanical properties of HA and the associated risk of needle deformation during production and application. PLA served both as a

• . Multiple parameters were evaluated, namely the physical and mechanical properties, ocular permeation, FS remaining in ocular tissue, dissolution time, insertion force, insertion depth, and ex vivo ocular drug delivery. The permeation studies on porcine eyeballs showed that, after application of the MN

A cantilever-based, ultrahigh-vacuum, low-temperature scanning probe instrument for multidimensional scanning force microscopy

• Hao Liu,
• Zuned Ahmed,
• Sasa Vranjkovic,
• Manfred Parschau,
• Andrada-Oana Mandru and
• Hans J. Hug

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1120–1140, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.95

• conditions are performed with tuning fork-based AFM, the vast majority of the AFM works performed under ambient conditions rely on microfabricated cantilevers that detect based on various mechanical properties and tips. Microfabricated cantilevers can be optimized for different AFM applications and

Biomimetic chitosan with biocomposite nanomaterials for bone tissue repair and regeneration

• Se-Kwon Kim,
• Sesha Subramanian Murugan,
• Pandurang Appana Dalavi,
• Sebanti Gupta,
• Sukumaran Anil,
• Gi Hun Seong and
• Jayachandran Venkatesan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1051–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.92

• matrix structure (cancellous interior) [30]. Also, the mechanical properties of cancellous bones are controlled by the structural organization of the matrix [31]. The bone microstructure mainly comprises collagen threads of lamellae coiled around layers to form a 200–250 µm diameter osteon which can vary

Bioselectivity of silk protein-based materials and their bio-inspired applications

• Hendrik Bargel,
• Vanessa T. Trossmann,
• Christoph Sommer and
• Thomas Scheibel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 902–921, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.81

• also been reported to be suitable as tissue scaffolds due to their biocompatibility and their highly tunable morphologies and mechanical properties. Exemplary, silkworm silk has been studied as a matrix material for tissue-engineered anterior cruciate ligaments [123], and silk fibroin

Gelatin nanoparticles with tunable mechanical properties: effect of crosslinking time and loading

• Agnes-Valencia Weiss,
• Daniel Schorr,
• Julia K. Metz,
• Metin Yildirim,
• Saeed Ahmad Khan and
• Marc Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 778–787, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.68

• revealed the influence of loading a macromolecular model drug (FITC-dextran) on the mechanical properties, which decreased with raising amounts of loaded drug. Loaded particles were significantly softer, with Young’s moduli between 1.06 and 5.79 MPa for the same crosslinking time, than the blank GNPs. In

• contrast to this, lysozyme as a crosslinkable macromolecule did not influence the mechanical properties. A good in vitro cell compatibility was found investigating blank GNPs and FITC-dextran-loaded GNPs in viability assays with the cancer cell line A549 and the human primary cell-derived hAELVi cell line

• optimal treatment. Therefore, the characteristics of nanoparticles regarding mechanical properties, size, surface charge, surface composition, and degradation and drug release mechanisms must be considered during formulation development [1]. Except for the mechanical properties, the research activities do

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

• steric effects. Confined environments offer geometrical confinement and local flow with shear forces, which were particularly effective for generating laminar stacking structures. The packed coordination polymers showed unique mechanical properties and performed excellent in batteries and pollutant

• Chemistry from [149] (“An X-state solid–liquid mixture with unusual mechanical properties formed by water and coordination polymer nanosheet nanoarchitectonics” by C. Shi et al., Nanoscale, vol. 14, issue 20, © 2022); permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. This content is not subject

Fabrication and testing of polymer microneedles for transdermal drug delivery

• Vahid Ebrahiminejad,
• Zahra Faraji Rad,
• Philip D. Prewett and
• Graham J. Davies

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 629–640, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.55

• fabrication of MNs. The low manufacturing cost and desirable mechanical properties of medical-grade thermoplastics such as COPs make them a particularly attractive choice of materials [15][16]. MN thermoplastic replicas are readily fabricated using injection molding or hot embossing [17]. However, process

• -made applicator with e) impact velocity of 3 m/s, and f) impact velocity of 4.5 m/s. g) Graph representation of the effects of the prototype applicator on APE (n = 3) for different impact speeds. Mechanical properties of different skin layers used in ANSYS Explicit Dynamics simulation