The steep road to nonviral nanomedicines: Frequent challenges and culprits in designing nanoparticles for gene therapy

• Yao Yao,
• Yeongun Ko,
• Grant Grasman,
• Jeffery E. Raymond and
• Joerg Lahann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 351–361, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.30

• comparison within different batches, formulations, particle types, and standards. For particle systems that do not exist in a solid state, cryo-TEM or submersion AFM can offer alternative routes. These measurements will provide high-resolution particle distributions for in-solvent particles, though they may

• will be critical to obtaining detailed dosing information [66]. While tunable resistive pulse sensing will also provide similar information, it is less utilized and less understood than the methods listed above [67]. As a final note, it is also recommended that both an “as used” solvent and a reference

• solvent are used (e.g., deionized/polished deionized water or common buffer) allowing for comparison to other studies. Regarding standard practices, ASTM E3247 provides excellent advice for the assessment of monodisperse samples by DLS with a focus of accuracy, repeatability, reproducibility, and bias in

Polymer nanoparticles from low-energy nanoemulsions for biomedical applications

• Santiago Grijalvo and
• Carlos Rodriguez-Abreu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 339–350, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.29

• experimental values of dE. Nanoemulsions are versatile templates for the preparation of polymer nanoparticles [21]. To formulate nanoemulsions of predefined aqueous and solvent–polymer or monomer (oil) phases, it is crucial to choose the right surfactant. Also, a careful study of the phase behavior of

• formulate a hydrophobic (oil) phase with the polymer of choice dissolved in a volatile solvent. Then, the volatile solvent can be evaporated from the nanoemulsion droplets under vacuum (that is, at relatively low temperature), and polymer nanoparticles are obtained in the suspension. It is to be noted that

• the solvent can also be removed by selective diffusion [22]. The emulsion solvent evaporation method enables the use of biocompatible polymers, thermolabile compounds, and low-toxicity surfactants. The nanoparticle size can be tuned by formulation parameters and since the nanoparticles are directly

Bismuth-based nanostructured photocatalysts for the remediation of antibiotics and organic dyes

• Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo and
• Faisal Suleiman Mustafa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 291–321, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.26

• pure Bi2WO6 (82.8%), the dopant significantly increased the tetracycline-degrading activity, which reached 94.6% within 1 h of visible light irradiation. Additionally, Irfan et al. [148] used a bi-solvent sol–gel technique to synthesise porous bismuth ferrite nanostructures with various morphological

Biocatalytic synthesis and ordered self-assembly of silica nanoparticles via a silica-binding peptide

• Mustafa Gungormus

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 280–290, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.25

• + 1 mM SiBP had a ζ potential of −30.87 mV. At the meniscus where the solvent dries out, the decreased surface charge reduces the distance between the particles, enabling them to assemble into more ordered and close-packed structures. Angular dependence of the Bragg reflections and the uniformity of

• the solvent, and NH3 (Thermo Fischer Scientific Inc, Waltham, MA, USA) was used as the catalyst. Briefly, the Stöber process involves hydrolysis of an alkoxysilane precursor, such as TEOS, in alcohol (typically methanol or ethanol) in the presence of a catalyst. This is followed by ethanol or water

• hydrolysis of the alkoxysilane, Equation 4 is polymerization via alcohol condensation, and Equation 5 is polymerization via water condensation. The reaction solvent was prepared by mixing equal volumes of gradient grade (≥99.9%) ethanol (Sigma-Aldrich, MO, USA) and deionized water (or a solution of the

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

• solvent, namely butanone. Butanone is volatile and has a boiling point of approximately 80 °C, making it the easiest medium to remove after exfoliation of the four employed here. Also, unlike other organic solvents commonly used in LPE, for example, NMP or dimethylformamide (DMF), that have a higher

Solvent-induced assembly of mono- and divalent silica nanoparticles

• Bin Liu,
• Etienne Duguet and
• Serge Ravaine

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 52–60, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.6

• patch made of grafted polystyrene chains. The multistage synthesis allows for a fine control of the patch-to-particle size ratio from 0.23 to 0.57. The assembly of the patchy nanoparticles can be triggered by reducing the solvent quality for the polystyrene chains. Dimers or trimers can be obtained by

• by liquid bridging [23], and into a series of structures under an AC electric field [24]. The linear self-assembly of patchy gold nanorods tethered with hydrophobic polymer chains at both ends can be triggered by solvophobic attractions induced by a change in solvent quality [25]. By using post

• -assembly ligand photo-cross-linking [26] or by adding monofunctional nanospheres into a suspension of bifunctional gold nanorods [27], it has been shown that the average degree of polymerization of the resulting chains can be controlled. The reduction of solvent quality may also be employed to induce the

Two-step single-reactor synthesis of oleic acid- or undecylenic acid-stabilized magnetic nanoparticles by thermal decomposition

• Mykhailo Nahorniak,
• Pamela Pasetto,
• Jean-Marc Greneche,
• Volodymyr Samaryk,
• Sandy Auguste,
• Anthony Rousseau,
• Nataliya Nosova and
• Serhii Varvarenko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 11–22, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.2

• obtained in a solvent with a high boiling point via displacement reaction of acetylacetone with a higher acid from Fe(III) acetylacetonate during its elimination from the reaction mixture under vacuum conditions. Magnetic nanoparticles (NPM) were characterized in terms of morphology, hydrodynamic diameter

• 250–320 °C in the presence of oleic acid and a solvent with a high boiling point [22]. We found no publications about the two-step single-reactor synthesis of iron oxide NPM by thermal decomposition in which Fe(III) acetylacetonate can be used as starting compound for the synthesis of alkanoates

• followed by their thermolysis in solution. This work aims to develop the synthesis of NPM dispersions by thermolysis of Fe(III) oleate or Fe(III) undecylate in a high-boiling-point solvent. Iron oxide nanoparticle dispersions were obtained via two-stage single-reactor synthesis with Fe(III) acetylacetonate

Induced electric conductivity in organic polymers

• Konstantin Y. Arutyunov,
• Anatoli S. Gurski,
• Vladimir V. Artemov,
• Alexander L. Vasiliev,
• Azat R. Yusupov,
• Danfis D. Karamov and
• Alexei N. Lachinov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1551–1557, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.128

• amount of solvent until complete dissolution, then the solvent was added in the required amount, and the solution was kept for another day in the dark. For fabrication of films of various thicknesses, solutions of polymers in cyclohexanone with concentrations of 0.1–15 wt % were used. The polymer

• solution of specified concentration was applied onto the dielectric substrate fixed on a centrifuge holder. The rotation speed was typically 2000 rpm. The resulting polymer film was dried in air for about 45–60 min at room temperature. Then the final drying was carried out to remove solvent residues at a

Orally administered docetaxel-loaded chitosan-decorated cationic PLGA nanoparticles for intestinal tumors: formulation, comprehensive in vitro characterization, and release kinetics

• Sedat Ünal,
• Osman Doğan and
• Yeşim Aktaş

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1393–1407, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.115

• appears to be the primary problem and requires the addition of a co-solvent and/or a surfactant (ethanol/polysorbate 80) to the formulations [32][36]. However, results such as acute hypersensitivity reactions and decreased clinical efficacy have been reported due to auxiliary components such as Cremophor

Recent trends in Bi-based nanomaterials: challenges, fabrication, enhancement techniques, and environmental applications

• Vishal Dutta,
• Ankush Chauhan,
• Ritesh Verma,
• C. Gopalkrishnan and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1316–1336, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.109

• manufacturing time and the batch nature of production. For the hydrothermal technique, there is a danger of nanoparticle leakage, primarily in water, and the risk of toxic solvent emissions. Su et al. [54] reported the first hydrothermal fabrication of Bi5O7Br. Bi5O7Br rods of 50 μm length and 2 μm width were

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

• ethanol solvent. The colloidal particles in the suspension can self-assemble into two- and three-dimensional colloidal crystals of various shapes under certain conditions. In the process of self-assembly, such fibrous colloidal crystals are small in size and usually micrometer in length due to the weak

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

• techniques can be also used to prepare molds for the micromolding method. Micromolding, also known as solvent casting, is quite popular due to cost-effectiveness and simplicity. This method uses a mold usually made of silicone. The prepared mold is filled with a polymer solution or mixture. Then, air voids

• coated the microneedle matrix with a mixture of the drug with PVP and ethanol. Then, after evaporation of the solvent and solidification of the polymer with the drug, demolding was performed. In vivo studies on an animal model (rat) showed rapid in vitro drug release with 93% accumulative release at 2 h

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

• –31G diffused and polarized basis sets. An excellent agreement was found between theoretical data and experimental results [73]. An ultrasonic-assisted solvent extraction approach was employed to synthesize CDs from rice fried Codonopsis pilosula (CP). The CP-CDs possess good sensitivity and

• solvent casting process after the ACMCDs were supported by silver nanoparticles, employing them as both a reducing agent and a template. The nanocomposite antibacterial film is anticipated to have a lot of potential applications such as food packaging, water purification, and disinfecting sanitary

Design of a biomimetic, small-scale artificial leaf surface for the study of environmental interactions

• Miriam Anna Huth,
• Axel Huth,
• Lukas Schreiber and
• Kerstin Koch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 944–957, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.83

• of structures that often do not correspond to the original wax type [20][42]. Due to the ring-shaped accumulation and the resulting pattern, this effect is called the “coffee drop effect” [47][48]. This undesirable effect can be avoided by the solvent-free process of physical vapor deposition (PVD

• (ROTILABO type 113A, 110 mm diameter, Carl Roth GmbH und Co. KG, Karlsruhe, Germany). The filtrate was finally dried under a fume hood until the solvent was completely evaporated. The recrystallization of wax structures on clean glass (cover glass, 18 × 18 mm) was carried out by PVD, resulting in a wax

Optimizing PMMA solutions to suppress contamination in the transfer of CVD graphene for batch production

• Chun-Da Liao,
• Andrea Capasso,
• Tiago Queirós,
• Telma Domingues,
• Fatima Cerqueira,
• Nicoleta Nicoara,
• Jérôme Borme,
• Paulo Freitas and
• Pedro Alpuim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 796–806, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.70

• average molecular weight (AMW) and weight concentration in anisole, to be deposited by spin coating. Optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy showed that the amount of PMMA residues on transferred graphene is proportional to the AMW and concentration in the solvent. At the same time, the mechanical

Efficient liquid exfoliation of KP₁₅ nanowires aided by Hansen's empirical theory

• Zhaoxuan Huang,
• Zhikang Jiang,
• Nan Tian,
• Disheng Yao,
• Fei Long,
• Yanhan Yang and
• Danmin Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 788–795, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.69

• -red KP15 bulks were finally obtained. Liquid exfoliation For the liquid-exfoliation process, 1 mg of KP15 was mixed in 20 mL of solvent and ultrasonically processed at a power of 80 W in an ice bath for 6 h, followed by centrifugation at 2000 rpm for 20 min. For the samples with predetermined

• ; δP is the intermolecular polar force; δA,D, δA,P, δA,H are the Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs) of the solute; and δB,D, δB,P, δB,H are the HSPs of the solvent. Therefore, to get a high concentration of KP15 in dispersion, the HSPs of the solvent for the exfoliation of KP15 should be close to

• those of KP15. A weighted average method was used to calculate the HSPs of KP15. The concentration of KP15 was used as a weight factor for each suspension. This way, the HSPs of KP15 can be expressed according to Equation 2 [19]. where δi,sol are the HSPs of the solvent and C is the concentration of the

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

• 3000 HPLC System (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) with a quaternary pump, a column oven, a LichroSphere® 100 RP 18 column (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), and a UV–vis detector. The mobile phase consisted of solvent A: 10% acetonitrile, 90% MiIli-Q® water and 0.1% trifluoro acetic acid and

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

• temperature. In some parts of the photonic balls, the particles were attached tightly. However, even in this case, voids still could not be avoided. Monocrystalline coordination polymers were also dispersed in a solvent containing a polydimethylsiloxane (Figure 7b) [139]. The mixed solution was cast at liquid

• –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

• of solvent continuously arranged the particles. However, due to a non-uniform distribution of the suspension on the surface and the difference in local evaporation and flow condition, cracks could form between micrometer-sized domains (Figure 7c) [141]. The crack propagation and periodicity could be

Hierarchical Bi₂WO₆/TiO₂-nanotube composites derived from natural cellulose for visible-light photocatalytic treatment of pollutants

• Zehao Lin,
• Zhan Yang and
• Jianguo Huang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 745–762, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.66

• ultrasonically dispersed in ethanol (1.0 mL) with the addition of a PVDF solution (100.0 μL, 10.0 mg·mL−1, using N-methylpyrrolidone as the solvent), which was then spin-coated on a conducting indium tin oxide (ITO) glass, followed by the calcination process at 100 °C for 24 h, giving the relevant working

Design and selection of peptides to block the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain by molecular docking

• Kendra Ramirez-Acosta,
• Ivan A. Rosales-Fuerte,
• J. Eduardo Perez-Sanchez,
• Alfredo Nuñez-Rivera,
• Josue Juarez and
• Ruben D. Cadena-Nava

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 699–711, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.62

• the solvent-accessible surface area of SARS-CoV-2 RBD and the peptides that were docked to it. The surface area of the RBD–ligand complex was also calculated. The following equation was established to calculate the contact area between the RBD and each ligand analyzed: where Ac is the contact area of

Reliable fabrication of transparent conducting films by cascade centrifugation and Langmuir–Blodgett deposition of electrochemically exfoliated graphene

• Teodora Vićentić,
• Stevan Andrić,
• Vladimir Rajić and
• Marko Spasenović

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 666–674, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.58

• of 3, 4, and 5 krpm, further diluting the solutions in different volumes of solvent, we reliably and consistently obtained films of tunable thickness. We show that there is a limit to how thin these films can be, which is imposed by the percolation threshold. The percolation threshold is

• then break up the bulk 2D materials into mono- and few-layer nanosheets [15][16]. The choice of solvent for LPE is made based on surface energy considerations, compatible solvents include NMP, dimethylformamide (DMF), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA), γ-butyrolactone (GBL), 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone

• of solution-processed 2D materials [24][25]. The flake size can either be controlled during exfoliation or selected after exfoliation. Processing parameters that control flake size during exfoliation include the choice and concentration of solvent [25], a process control alternating sonication with

Antibacterial activity of a berberine nanoformulation

• Hue Thi Nguyen,
• Tuyet Nhung Pham,
• Anh-Tuan Le,
• Nguyen Thanh Thuy,
• Tran Quang Huy and
• Thuy Thi Thu Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 641–652, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.56

• the preparation of berberine (BBR) in nanoformulation to enhance its solubility and increase its antibacterial effectiveness against hospital-acquired infections. BBR nanoparticles (BBR NPs) were formed by antisolvent precipitation (ASP) using glycerol as a safe organic solvent. UV–vis absorption

• BBR NPs Solvent molecules strongly affect the formation of crystalline structures and the stabilization of crystal lattices [35]. To the best of our knowledge, in most published papers regarding the synthesis of BBR NPs via the ASP method ethanol or methanol were used as solvents. This study is the

• first to report that glycerol can serve as an effective green solvent for BBR NP formation. Being non-toxic, renewable, and biodegradable, and having a suitable dielectric constant to dissolve various compounds such as BBR, glycerol is a promising candidate to replace toxic organic solvents. The effect

Sodium doping in brookite TiO₂ enhances its photocatalytic activity

• Boxiang Zhuang,
• Honglong Shi,
• Honglei Zhang and
• Zeqian Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 599–609, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.52

• and solvents were used without further purification. Hydrothermal synthesis of the Na-doping brookite In a typical synthesis procedure, 1.27 g of oxalic acid dihydrate was dissolved into 50 mL of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent to obtain a colorless and transparent solution under vigorous stirring

Ciprofloxacin-loaded dissolving polymeric microneedles as a potential therapeutic for the treatment of S. aureus skin infections

• Sharif Abdelghany,
• Walhan Alshaer,
• Yazan Al Thaher,
• Maram Al Fawares,
• Amal G. Al-Bakri,
• Saja Zuriekat and
• Randa SH. Mansour

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 517–527, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.43

• and skin The analysis of ciprofloxacin was adopted from the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) and was performed using HPLC (Shimadzu HPLC, model LC-2030C PLUS 3D). The system included an integrated solvent and degasser, an analytical pump, a thermostatic autosampler, a UV detector, and a thermostatic

Design and characterization of polymeric microneedles containing extracts of Brazilian green propolis

• Camila Felix Vecchi,
• Rafaela Said dos Santos,
• Jéssica Bassi da Silva and
• Marcos Luciano Bruschi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 503–516, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.42

• alcoholic extracts is inappropriate. Propylene glycol can be used as solvent, extractant, and preservative in a variety of pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food formulations. It is compatible with several cosmetic and pharmaceutical bases, in addition to having an antiseptic capacity similar to that of ethanol

• 0.33 ± 0.01 mm in width of the base. The MNs containing GE were 1.56 ± 0.15 mm in height and 0.30 ± 0.02 mm in width of the base with smaller proportions due to the solvent affecting the formation of structures. There is a decrease of 10% and 22% in MN height, when EE and GE, respectively, are compared

• with the depth of the master mold. This is related to solvent evaporation as described in the literature for other biopolymeric MNs prepared by solvent casting [37][38]. The above sizes allow the MNs to rupture the stratum corneum but not reach the blood vessels, creating ducts that facilitate the flow