Treatment of fly ash from power plants using thermal plasma

• Sulaiman Al-Mayman,
• Ibrahim AlShunaifi,
• Abdullah Albeladi,
• Imed Ghiloufi and
• Saud Binjuwair

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1043–1048, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.105

• glassy. Keywords: fly ash; power plant; stabilization/solidification; surface characterization; thermal plasma; Introduction Fly ash is a residue material produced in power plants. This fly ash contains a high level of residual carbon [1], and it contains also transition metals (Fe, Mn, and Co) and

Dispersion of single-wall carbon nanotubes with supramolecular Congo red – properties of the complexes and mechanism of the interaction

• Anna Jagusiak,
• Barbara Piekarska,
• Tomasz Pańczyk,
• Małgorzata Jemioła-Rzemińska,
• Elżbieta Bielańska,
• Barbara Stopa,
• Grzegorz Zemanek,
• Janina Rybarska,
• Irena Roterman and
• Leszek Konieczny

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 636–648, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.68

• , Poland Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Science, Niezapominajek 8, Kraków 30-239, Poland Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology

Biological and biomimetic materials and surfaces

• Stanislav Gorb and
• Thomas Speck

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

• Stanislav Gorb Thomas Speck Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute of the University of Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany Plant Biomechanics Group & Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg

• , an observant naturalist, and a truly outstanding personality, on the occasion of his 70th birthday. One of his most important achievements was building a bridge between systematic studies of plant surfaces and the nano-/microtechnology of superhydrophobic, self-cleaning, and air-holding technical

• reason for this physicochemical “self-cleaning behaviour” is the double-structured water-repellent surface of the plant leaves which is comprised of micro- and nanostructured wax on dome-shaped papillose epidermis cells. Dirt particles as well as microorganisms and fungus spores are attached only via a

Innovations from the “ivory tower”: Wilhelm Barthlott and the paradigm shift in surface science

• Christoph Neinhuis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 394–402, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.41

• , the unique natural history of isolated rocky outcrops called inselbergs, or the global distribution of biodiversity), plant surfaces and especially the tremendous diversity of minute structures on leaves, fruits, seeds and other parts of plants represent a common thread through 40 years of scientific

• compiling, to our knowledge, the largest dataset on plant epicuticular surface features. Epicuticular waxes are made up of various soluble lipids and, at least most of them, originate from self-assembly, again a topic studied in various different types of crystals accompanied by recrystallization

• experiments and modern microscopy techniques [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. Examining plant surfaces, especially fine structures of micrometre size and smaller, through scanning electron microscopy needed careful preparation, including cleaning of the surfaces. After repeating these procedures

Association of aescin with β- and γ-cyclodextrins studied by DFT calculations and spectroscopic methods

• Ana I. Ramos,
• Pedro D. Vaz,
• Susana S. Braga and
• Artur M. S. Silva

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 348–357, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.37

• for over two decades, being first reported as a sequestering agent and sweetness inhibitor for strognin, a natural sweetener found in the Malaysian plant Staurogyne merguensi [15]. With glycemnic acid, a sweetness suppressing agent, γ-CD also acts as inhibitor, thus restoring one’s ability to taste

When the going gets rough – studying the effect of surface roughness on the adhesive abilities of tree frogs

• Niall Crawford,
• Thomas Endlein,
• Jonathan T. Pham,
• Mathis Riehle and
• W. Jon P. Barnes

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2116–2131, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.201

• require low fluid contact angles), and deprive the pads of adhesive ability. Indeed, many plant surfaces are hydrophobic, as this reduces water loss [5]. Turning to surface roughness, this affects the ability of the pad surface to form close contact with the surface. With fine-scale roughness, the volume

• possess claws as well as adhesive pads. Additionally, there are studies of plant surfaces that have evolved to be anti-adhesive as far as insects are concerned. The effects of surface roughness on animals with hairy pads (geckos, spiders, insects such as beetles) are reasonably predictable. When the

The cleaner, the greener? Product sustainability assessment of the biomimetic façade paint Lotusan^® in comparison to the conventional façade paint Jumbosil^®

• Florian Antony,
• Rainer Grießhammer,
• Thomas Speck and
• Olga Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2100–2115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.200

• Florian Antony Rainer Griesshammer Thomas Speck Olga Speck Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany Öko-Institut e.V., Institute for Applied Ecology, 79017 Freiburg, Germany Competence Network Biomimetics, Germany Freiburg

• developments were derived from biological examples over the last years [5][6][7]. The analysis of plant surfaces as contribution to the systematics of plants lead to the discovery of the operating principle of the self-cleaning effect of plant surfaces. This was brought into the construction market as

• paint with self-cleaning properties. Results and Discussion Test of the criterion: Biomimetic product yes or no As suggested by Antony et al. [16], clarifying whether the superhydrophobic properties of double-structured rough plant surfaces like the one of the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) have been

“Sticky invasion” – the physical properties of Plantago lanceolata L. seed mucilage

• Agnieszka Kreitschitz,
• Alexander Kovalev and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1918–1927, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.183

• Agnieszka Kreitschitz Alexander Kovalev Stanislav N. Gorb Department of Plant Developmental Biology, Institute of Experimental Biology, University of Wrocław, ul. Kanonia 6/8, 50-328 Wrocław, Poland Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, University of Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 9

• characteristic of plants that grow in dry or disturbed habitats [1][3]. The presence of mucilage results in different benefits for the plant including (1) fixation of diaspores to the ground, (2) water supply essential for germinating an embryo or (3) egzo- and endozoochoric dispersal by animals [1][2][3

• kind of nanobiomaterial. Cellulose is well known as natural and renewable plant polymer. Nano-cellulose is used in biomedicine, cosmetics and food industry [30]. Mucilage, which contains diverse polysaccharides, among them cellulose, exhibits a high cohesive and adhesive properties. Due to this

Biomechanics of selected arborescent and shrubby monocotyledons

• Tom Masselter,
• Tobias Haushahn,
• Samuel Fink and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1602–1619, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.154

• Tom Masselter Tobias Haushahn Samuel Fink Thomas Speck Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, D-79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.7.154 Abstract Main aims of the study are a deepened understanding of the

• properties concentrate on two hierarchical levels: On a first level, the radial and axial Young’s moduli of stem tissues in the five “woody” monocotyledon species are analysed (Figure 2A). In addition, in stems of Dracaena marginata, which was chosen as a representative model plant for “woody” monocotyledons

• structural and mechanical requirements of Dracaena marginata, which was chosen as a representative model organism for arborescent monocotyledonous plants with lignified vascular bundles and anomalous secondary growth. Morphology and anatomy of monocotyledons The model plant Dracaena marginata was chosen for

Surface roughness rather than surface chemistry essentially affects insect adhesion

• Matt W. England,
• Tomoya Sato,
• Makoto Yagihashi,
• Atsushi Hozumi,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Elena V. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1471–1479, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.139

• hydrocarbons [26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. Several hypotheses exist on how plant surfaces prevent insect attachment. These are typically based on (1) the reduction of the contact area between the substrate and the insect adhesive pad through surface micro-roughness, (2) a decrease in substrate surface energy

• ]. However, recent studies on insect attachment have yielded contradicting results. For example, a previous experimental study on attachment of the beetle Gastrophysa viridula to the leaf surface of its host plant Rumex obtusifolius, and artificial micro-roughened and smooth (hydrophobic and hydrophilic

• pronounced reduction. Prüm et al. [17] measured the traction force of the beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata on different plant surfaces and their artificial replicas, and reported that surface roughness exerted a strong influence on attachment, whereas surface chemistry was found to have no significant

Influence of ambient humidity on the attachment ability of ladybird beetles (Coccinella septempunctata)

• Lars Heepe,
• Jonas O. Wolff and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1322–1329, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.123

• niche occupation of plant-dwelling insects, since it is substantial for resting and locomotion in a complex environment. Consequently, a high diversity of friction and adhesion enhancing structures has evolved among insects [1][2]. Several studies showed that not only the intrinsic structure of an

• geckoes [10][11][12][13] and spiders [14]. For small arthropods these conditions may highly vary micro-spatially, especially in the boundary layer of plant leaves [15]. Furthermore, on most surfaces there is an adsorbed film of water molecules, with a thickness and mechanical properties highly influenced

• species is a generalist, living on diverse plant surfaces [38][39]. In their natural environment, beetles are exposed to various humidities, hence, their adhesive system must be well adapted to changing environmental conditions. Beetles were collected from bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) in the New

Fabrication and characterization of branched carbon nanostructures

• Sharali Malik,
• Yoshihiro Nemoto,
• Hongxuan Guo,
• Katsuhiko Ariga and
• Jonathan P. Hill

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1260–1266, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.116

• experiments [12][13][14] that branched fibers can greatly enhance interfacial bonding and dispersability. Such an approach is exemplified by the process of adding straw (branched plant fibers) to mud to make stronger bricks which has been used since the Neolithic period, i.e., before 3400 BC [15]. More

Experimental and simulation-based investigation of He, Ne and Ar irradiation of polymers for ion microscopy

• Lukasz Rzeznik,
• Yves Fleming,
• Tom Wirtz and
• Patrick Philipp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1113–1128, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.104

• microbiology [9] and plant biology [10][11]. In studies of this kind, elemental mapping by dynamic SIMS has the advantage of high lateral resolution and better chemical sensitivity than many other techniques. To get valuable information from samples, it is important to control the interactions between primary

Templated green synthesis of plasmonic silver nanoparticles in onion epidermal cells suitable for surface-enhanced Raman and hyper-Raman scattering

• Marta Espina Palanco,
• Klaus Bo Mogensen,
• Marina Gühlke,
• Zsuzsanna Heiner,
• Janina Kneipp and
• Katrin Kneipp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 834–840, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.75

• environment supports the generation of silver nanostructures in two ways. The plant tissue delivers reducing chemicals for the initial formation of small silver clusters and their following conversion to plasmonic particles. Additionally, the natural morphological structures of the onion layers, in particular

• nanoparticles using many very different pre-treated plant materials, such as extracts collected from leafs or vegetables and fruits has been demonstrated in numerous publications [15][16][17][18][19]. The diversity of bioorganic molecules available in plants provides many combinations of reducing and

• stabilizing agents. This gives rise to a broad variety of parameters in the green preparation process, resulting in metal nanoparticles of different sizes and shapes. While pre-treated plant materials such as extract and juice have been used in former studies [14][15][18][19][20]. In this article, we

Comparative kinematical analyses of Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) snap traps

• Simon Poppinga,
• Tim Kampowski,
• Amélie Metzger,
• Olga Speck and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 664–674, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.59

• Simon Poppinga Tim Kampowski Amelie Metzger Olga Speck Thomas Speck Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF), University of Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Straße 21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany Freiburg

• context. Keywords: biomechanics; carnivorous plant; Droseraceae; fast plant movement; functional morphology; Introduction The terrestrial Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is certainly the most iconic carnivorous plant [1][2][3], but the spectacular movement of its snap traps (Figure 1) is not yet fully

• a firmly sealed digestion chamber [2] that acts similar to an animal stomach. Knowledge about the functionality of the traps under various, naturally occurring environmental conditions and in the different developmental stages of the plant is scarce at best. Dionaea grows in habitats that become

Novel roles for well-known players: from tobacco mosaic virus pests to enzymatically active assemblies

• Claudia Koch,
• Fabian J. Eber,
• Carlos Azucena,
• Alexander Förste,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Alexander M. Bittner,
• Holger Jeske,
• Hartmut Gliemann,
• Sabine Eiben,
• Fania C. Geiger and
• Christina Wege

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 613–629, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.54

• Claudia Koch Fabian J. Eber Carlos Azucena Alexander Forste Stefan Walheim Thomas Schimmel Alexander M. Bittner Holger Jeske Hartmut Gliemann Sabine Eiben Fania C. Geiger Christina Wege Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems, Department of Molecular Biology and Plant Virology

• Nanogune, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, E-20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain, and Ikerbasque, Maria Díaz de Haro 3, E-48013 Bilbao, Spain 10.3762/bjnano.7.54 Abstract The rod-shaped nanoparticles of the widespread plant pathogen tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) have been a matter of intense debates and cutting-edge

• research for more than a hundred years. During the late 19th century, their behavior in filtration tests applied to the agent causing the 'plant mosaic disease' eventually led to the discrimination of viruses from bacteria. Thereafter, they promoted the development of biophysical cornerstone techniques

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

• -toxic reagents remains a challenge for researchers and more studies are needed to achieve high quality products with sustainable commercial viability [6][13][14][19][20]. Recently, biological systems including microbes and fungi as reactors and plant extracts as precursors have been intensively explored

• applications. Plant-derived components Leela and Vivekanandan investigated the capability of leaf extracts of different plants including Helianthus annus, Basella alba, Oryza sativa, Saccharum officinarum, Sorghum bicolour and Zea mays for the reduction of Ag precursor. They found that H. annus has strong

• potential for the reduction of Ag ions and is therefore promising in the development of Ag NPs [50]. Also Song and Kim used five plant leaf extracts including Pinus desiflora, Diopyros kaki, Gingko biloba, Magnolia kobus and Platanus orientalis for the synthesis of Ag NPs from AgNO3. They found that the

Green synthesis, characterization and catalytic activity of natural bentonite-supported copper nanoparticles for the solvent-free synthesis of 1-substituted 1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazoles and reduction of 4-nitrophenol

• Akbar Rostami-Vartooni,
• Mohammad Alizadeh and
• Mojtaba Bagherzadeh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2300–2309, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.236

• recent research on tetrazoles, 1-substituted 1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazoles was found to be a special category due to their biological activity [16]. The plant biosynthesis of nanoparticles immobilized on natural supports is a subject of new research as little has been published on this topic [17][18]. Therefore

• reagents All reagents were purchased from the Merck and Sigma-Aldrich and used without further purification. The bentonite and Thymus vulgaris plant used in this paper were collected from the Vartoon region (Isfahan, Iran). The IR spectra were recorded on a JASCO, FT/IR-6300 instrument in KBr pellets. The

• NPs/bentonite The Cu NPs/bentonite composite was prepared by a simple and inexpensive method involving the immobilization of Cu NPs on bentonite using an aqueous extract of Thymus vulgaris without the usage of any special capping agents or surfactant template. The plant not only functioned as a

Analysis of soil bacteria susceptibility to manufactured nanoparticles via data visualization

• Rong Liu,
• Yuan Ge,
• Patricia A. Holden and
• Yoram Cohen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1635–1651, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.166

• legume roots to fix atmospheric N2 into ammonium for plant growth [48]. One can also explore the effect of treatment on bacterial taxa (treatment → bacterial taxon). For example, the relative abundances of the 14 order taxa displayed in Figure 4 illustrates treatment with ZnO MNPs at the dose of 0.1 mg/g

Peptide-equipped tobacco mosaic virus templates for selective and controllable biomineral deposition

• Klara Altintoprak,
• Axel Seidenstücker,
• Alexander Welle,
• Sabine Eiben,
• Petia Atanasova,
• Nina Stitz,
• Alfred Plettl,
• Joachim Bill,
• Hartmut Gliemann,
• Holger Jeske,
• Dirk Rothenstein,
• Fania Geiger and
• Christina Wege

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1399–1412, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.145

• Klara Altintoprak Axel Seidenstucker Alexander Welle Sabine Eiben Petia Atanasova Nina Stitz Alfred Plettl Joachim Bill Hartmut Gliemann Holger Jeske Dirk Rothenstein Fania Geiger Christina Wege Department of Molecular Biology and Plant Virology, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems

• weight polymers [15], carbon nanotubes [16], peptide nanotubes [17], certain plant viruses [18][19][20][21], filamentous bacteriophages [22][23], and bacterial flagellae [24] have been evaluated for their applicability on a technical scale. To achieve control over mineral precipitation, the modification

• virus (TMV) were used as templates for coating with inorganic materials including Pt, Au [28], Ag [29][30], Pd [31][32], TiO2 [33], SiO2 [34], NiO [35], CdS [21], CoPt, FePt, ZnS [27][36] and ZnO [37][38][39]. Among the virus-based templates, plant viruses are especially suitable nanostructured

Natural and artificial binders of polyriboadenylic acid and their effect on RNA structure

• Giovanni N. Roviello,
• Domenica Musumeci,
• Valentina Roviello,
• Marina Pirtskhalava,
• Alexander Egoyan and
• Merab Mirtskhulava

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1338–1347, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.138

• helix poly(rA) structures induced at low pH conditions. Recent reports on poly(rA) binding activity of the plant alkaloid chelerythrine (Figure 3) indicated that this natural compound was also able to induce poly(rA) self-structures with the formation of a poly(rA) helix that showed a cooperative

• showed a strong and specific binding to triple helical as well as double helical complexes of poly(rA) with poly(rU). Aristololactam-β-D-glucoside alkaloid: Aristololactam-β-D-glucoside (Figure 4) is another plant alkaloid whose structure also contains a sugar moiety which is able to interact, even if

Microwave assisted synthesis and characterisation of a zinc oxide/tobacco mosaic virus hybrid material. An active hybrid semiconductor in a field-effect transistor device

• Shawn Sanctis,
• Rudolf C. Hoffmann,
• Sabine Eiben and
• Jörg J. Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 785–791, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.81

• Biology and Plant Virology, University of Stuttgart, 70550 Stuttgart, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.6.81 Abstract Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) has been employed as a robust functional template for the fabrication of a TMV/zinc oxide field effect transistor (FET). A microwave based approach, under mild conditions

• variety of inorganic materials under mild fabrication conditions. With its well-defined tube-like structure, the tobacco mosaic virus is one the most widely studied plant virus consisting of ≈2130 identical protein units, a length of 300 nm and an outer and inner diameter of 18 nm and 4 nm, respectively

Mapping of elasticity and damping in an α + β titanium alloy through atomic force acoustic microscopy

• M. Kalyan Phani,
• Anish Kumar,
• T. Jayakumar,
• Walter Arnold and
• Konrad Samwer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 767–776, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.79

• films [8], NiMnGa films [9], Arabidopsis plant [10], polystyrene–propylene blends [11], nickel base alloys [12][13], ferritic steels [13], and metallic glasses [14]. Besides contact-resonance based methods, multi-frequency AFM techniques have also been used for measurement of elastic and damping

Exploiting the hierarchical morphology of single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotube films for highly hydrophobic coatings

• Francesco De Nicola,
• Paola Castrucci,
• Manuela Scarselli,
• Francesca Nanni,
• Ilaria Cacciotti and
• Maurizio De Crescenzi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 353–360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.34

• of water [9]. In particular, hierarchical surface morphologies are a recent concept introduced to explain the wetting properties of surfaces such as plant leaves [2][3], bird feathers [10], and insect legs [11]. These surfaces are made of a hierarchical micro- and nanomorphology which improves their

• SWCNT/MWCNT samples are comparable with those of micropapillae in hydrophobic plant leaves. (ii) The hierarchical surface morphology lead to the formation of a consistent amount of air pockets, as a consequence of the transition from the hydrophobic Wenzel state to the hydrophobic Cassie–Baxter

Green preparation and spectroscopic characterization of plasmonic silver nanoparticles using fruits as reducing agents

• Jes Ærøe Hyllested,
• Marta Espina Palanco,
• Nicolai Hagen,
• Klaus Bo Mogensen and
• Katrin Kneipp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 293–299, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.27

• process. The most popular process among the bottom up methods might be the preparation of silver and gold nanoparticles in aqueous solution by the reduction of silver and gold salts using sodium citrate or sodium borohydride as reducing agent [9]. Recently it has been identified that also plant extracts

• reducing and also stabilizing agents [11]. Overall, using plant materials offers an eco-friendly way to prepare silver- and gold nanoparticles. Moreover, the diversity of chemical composition of plants, i.e., the combination of various reducing and stabilizing agents results in a broad variety of

• behavior of the green silver nanoparticles might be explained by the presence of other molecules on the surface of the particles related to plant materials introduced due to the green preparation, which prevent that particles come very close together and even touch each other. Moreover, these residual