Single-molecule mechanics of protein-labelled DNA handles

• Vivek S. Jadhav,
• Dorothea Brüggemann,
• Florian Wruck and
• Martin Hegner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 138–148, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.16

• approx. 2 min. For proof-of-concept that the PDH end remains freely accessible in liquids, the biotin end of the DH was labelled with streptavidin–Qdot conjugates. Then, they were anchored to anti-DIG beads (Figure 1f), and the position of individual Qdots under varying fluid flow velocities was

Sonochemical co-deposition of antibacterial nanoparticles and dyes on textiles

• Ilana Perelshtein,
• Anat Lipovsky,
• Nina Perkas,
• Tzanko Tzanov and
• Aharon Gedanken

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1–8, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.1

• One of the key factors of classifying the quality of coating technique is the stability of the active phase while exposed to liquids. In the current research, the stability of sonochemically deposited MO and dye was evaluated by soaking the coated textiles in saline solution at 40 °C for 72 h. There

Nanostructured surfaces by supramolecular self-assembly of linear oligosilsesquioxanes with biocompatible side groups

• Maria Nowacka,
• Anna Kowalewska and
• Tomasz Makowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2377–2387, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.244

• ≈1700 cm−1 and emergence of diffuse bands in the formed PSAMs was observed). Surface energy of LPSQ-COOH/X coated on native mica The surface free energy (γS) of each studied PSAM sample was determined by measuring the contact angle of water and glycerol as reference liquids (sessile drop technique and

• groups (e.g., SH, NH, OH and COOH). Their ability for the formation of hydrogen bonds with probe liquids (H2O and glycerol) defines the wettability and chemical specificity of the modified supports (Figure 10a). The results are in accordance with ATIR-FTIR data (Figure 3). Citric acid, which was shown to

Au nanoparticle-based sensor for apomorphine detection in plasma

• Chiara Zanchi,
• Andrea Lucotti,
• Matteo Tommasini,
• Sebastiano Trusso,
• Ugo de Grazia,
• Emilio Ciusani and
• Paolo M. Ossi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2224–2232, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.228

• colloids synthesized by laser ablation in liquids, suitably functionalized and tagged with Raman reporters, have effectively revealed specific biomolecules, even in chemically complex environments such as cells [9][10][11][12]. On the other hand, silver and gold colloids produced by chemical routes can be

Fabrication of hybrid nanocomposite scaffolds by incorporating ligand-free hydroxyapatite nanoparticles into biodegradable polymer scaffolds and release studies

• Balazs Farkas,
• Marina Rodio,
• Ilaria Romano,
• Alberto Diaspro,
• Romuald Intartaglia and
• Szabolcs Beke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2217–2223, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.227

• ], combustion preparation [11] and various wet chemistry techniques [12][13]. However, these routes have drawbacks regarding the synthesis attributed to the use of hazardous surfactants that are not suitable for biomedical applications [14]. Pulsed laser ablation of solid targets in liquids (PLAL) for the

Self-assembly mechanism of Ni nanowires prepared with an external magnetic field

• Xiaoyu Li,
• Hu Wang,
• Kenan Xie,
• Qin Long,
• Xuefei Lai and
• Li Liao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2123–2128, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.217

• investigate the self-assembly mechanism, a series of experiments similar to the above were accomplished, and the only difference was that these reaction liquids were poured into 400 mL of cooled, distilled water after the reaction progressed for 30 s, 60 s, 120 s, 180 s, 200 s, 220 s, 240 s and 300 s. These

Nanostructured superhydrophobic films synthesized by electrodeposition of fluorinated polyindoles

• Gabriela Ramos Chagas,
• Thierry Darmanin and
• Frédéric Guittard

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2078–2087, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.212

• Interference (PSI) working mode, the objective 50× and the field of view (FOV) 0.5×. The scanning electron microscopy images were obtained by using a 6700F microscope of JEOL. The contact angles were determined by using a DSA30 goniometer of Krüss. Liquids of different surface tension were chosen to

• the four probe liquids (water, diiodomethane, sunflower oil and hexadecane) for the polymers as a function of the normalized deposition charge. Dynamic water contact angles (hysteresis H and sliding angle α) for PIndole-6-F6 as a function of the normalized deposition charge. Arithmetic roughness (Ra

• ), quadratic roughness (Rq) and apparent contact angles (θ) for the four probe liquids (water, diiodomethane, sunflower oil and hexadecane) for the “smooth” polymers. Acknowledgements This work was supported by CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - Brazil (Process No. 202280

Conductance through single biphenyl molecules: symmetric and asymmetric coupling to electrodes

• Karthiga Kanthasamy and
• Herbert Pfnür

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1690–1697, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.171

• like vacuum [28][29], or in liquids [30]. Extensions of this method by addition of a third electrode allow even for electrical gating on the nanoscale [31]. The use of tunneling microscopy [6] or atomic force microscopy or a combination of both are further interesting and partly complementary

Materials for sustainable energy production, storage, and conversion

• Maximilian Fichtner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1601–1602, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.163

• density. At the same time, any long term option for energy storage must be based on sustainable materials involving abundant elements in the Earth’s crust. For the reconversion of hydrogen or organic liquids (energy carriers), efficient fuel cells are needed as converters, preferably those based on non

Improved optical limiting performance of laser-ablation-generated metal nanoparticles due to silica-microsphere-induced local field enhancement

• Zheren Du,
• Lianwei Chen,
• Tsung-Sheng Kao,
• Mengxue Wu and
• Minghui Hong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1199–1204, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.122

• (>1 μm) microspheres were not stable in the nanoparticle dispersion. The microspheres settle to the bottom of the cuvette after tens of seconds after introducing them in the dispersion. Since the local field enhancement can be increased by larger sized microspheres, high viscosity liquids need to be

From lithium to sodium: cell chemistry of room temperature sodium–air and sodium–sulfur batteries

• Philipp Adelhelm,
• Pascal Hartmann,
• Conrad L. Bender,
• Martin Busche,
• Christine Eufinger and
• Juergen Janek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1016–1055, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.105

• have been made including ionic liquids [55][56][57], sulfoxides (DMSO) [58][59][60], amides [61][62], and others [62][63][64]. The ether-based glyme solvents with the general structure CH3–O–(CH2–CH2–O)n–CH3 with n = 1–4 are the current state-of-the-art solvents [65][66][67][68][69], although they are

• electrode. Black et al. exposed battery components to potassium superoxide dissolved in aprotic liquids and found that polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a common binder material, decomposes while lithium fluoride (LiF) is formed [81]. They suggest that LiO2, a strong base that is formed as an intermediate in

Multiscale modeling of lithium ion batteries: thermal aspects

• Arnulf Latz and
• Jochen Zausch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 987–1007, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.102

• lattice. Different derivations are necessary for ionic liquids (mixture of positive and negative charges only) and solid electrolytes (ionic conductors). In a liquid electrolyte these are positive cations, negative anions and a neutral solvent. In conventional Li ion batteries under normal operating

Nanostructuring of GeTiO amorphous films by pulsed laser irradiation

• Valentin S. Teodorescu,
• Cornel Ghica,
• Adrian V. Maraloiu,
• Mihai Vlaicu,
• Andrei Kuncser,
• Magdalena L. Ciurea,
• Ionel Stavarache,
• Ana M. Lepadatu,
• Nicu D. Scarisoreanu,
• Andreea Andrei,
• Valentin Ion and
• Maria Dinescu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 893–900, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.92

• during the laser pulse action, which is characteristic for liquids, cannot be reached in a viscous matrix. Our experiments show that the diffusivity of atomic and molecular species such as Ge and GeO is very much enhanced in the presence of the laser pulse field. Consequently, the fast diffusion drives

Stiffness of sphere–plate contacts at MHz frequencies: dependence on normal load, oscillation amplitude, and ambient medium

• Jana Vlachová,
• Rebekka König and
• Diethelm Johannsmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 845–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.87

• shown in the four panels at the top and the four panels at the bottom were acquired in air and in water, respectively. In liquids, the maximum achievable amplitude is lower than in air because of damping. Δf and ΔΓ decrease and increase with amplitude, respectively, as is characteristic for partial slip

Influence of gold, silver and gold–silver alloy nanoparticles on germ cell function and embryo development

• Ulrike Taylor,
• Daniela Tiedemann,
• Christoph Rehbock,
• Wilfried A. Kues,
• Stephan Barcikowski and
• Detlef Rath

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 651–664, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.66

• where produced by laser ablation in liquids [52][53], which allows for the synthesis of highly pure particles free of any stabilisers or reducing agents which might exert a toxicological impact of their own. In addition, laser ablation of solid noble metal alloy targets in water results in homogenous

Raman spectroscopy as a tool to investigate the structure and electronic properties of carbon-atom wires

• Alberto Milani,
• Matteo Tommasini,
• Valeria Russo,
• Andrea Li Bassi,
• Andrea Lucotti,
• Franco Cataldo and
• Carlo S. Casari

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 480–491, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.49

• and structures, embedded in cold gas matrices, in free carbon clusters in the gas phase, as pure sp-sp2 systems, in liquids, inside carbon nanotubes and connecting graphene sheets [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. The research on sp carbon dates back to the last century when the carbon community was in

• carbon solid targets or suspensions in liquids and particularly in the polyyne-like form with an even number of carbon atoms [7][46]. With reference to polyynes in solution, an easy-to-use and cost-effective technique is the arc discharge in liquids developed by Cataldo [52]. This technique also allows

• (i.e., poly(vinyl alcohol)) containing polyynes stabilized by Ag nanoparticles [61]. Due to their high stability, polyynes in liquids (up to 14–16 carbon atoms) can now be synthesized even in the form of size-selected samples [5][62][63] and with well-defined end groups [54]. Solid-state samples have

Influence of spurious resonances on the interaction force in dynamic AFM

• Luca Costa and
• Mario S. Rodrigues

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 420–427, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.42

• permits measurements both in air and in liquids. Despite the success of this method, the cantilever transfer function presents a forest of spurious peaks particularly when measuring in liquid media. As a consequence, a quantitative estimation of the interaction between the probe and the sample is

• complicated. Moreover, it has already been observed that the motion of the cantilever base due to the acoustic excitation is not negligible in situations in which the Q factor is low – a typical situation when measuring in liquids. The same holds if the cantilever is not excited close to its resonance

• ]. Consistent efforts have been made to properly quantify the conservative and dissipative interactions when using acoustically excited cantilevers in liquids [15][16]. Here we show that direct excitation is not needed if the position of the cantilever is detected instead of the cantilever bending angle. We

Nanoparticle shapes by using Wulff constructions and first-principles calculations

• Georgios D. Barmparis,
• Zbigniew Lodziana,
• Nuria Lopez and
• Ioannis N. Remediakis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 361–368, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.35

• . The quantity γhkl is the energy required to create a surface of unit area normal to the [hkl] vector, and is the analogous of the surface tension for liquids. This process is repeated for all sets of Miller indexes, (hkl). The space that lies inside all these planes defines the equilibrium shape for

Kelvin probe force microscopy in liquid using electrochemical force microscopy

• Liam Collins,
• Stephen Jesse,
• Jason I. Kilpatrick,
• Alexander Tselev,
• M. Baris Okatan,
• Sergei V. Kalinin and
• Brian J. Rodriguez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 201–214, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.19

• to biological systems. However, the operation of KPFM implicitly relies on the presence of a linear lossless dielectric in the probe–sample gap, a condition which is violated for ionically-active liquids (e.g., when diffuse charge dynamics are present). Here, electrostatic and electrochemical

• measurements are demonstrated in ionically-active (polar isopropanol, milli-Q water and aqueous NaCl) and ionically-inactive (non-polar decane) liquids by electrochemical force microscopy (EcFM), a multidimensional (i.e., bias- and time-resolved) spectroscopy method. In the absence of mobile charges (ambient

• and non-polar liquids), KPFM and EcFM are both feasible, yielding comparable contact potential difference (CPD) values. In ionically-active liquids, KPFM is not possible and EcFM can be used to measure the dynamic CPD and a rich spectrum of information pertaining to charge screening, ion diffusion

Materials and characterization techniques for high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

• Roswitha Zeis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 68–83, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.8

• acid and not intrinsic to HT-PEMFCs. Alternative electrolytes such as ionic liquids or solid acids might solve the problem and accelerate the oxygen reduction reaction kinetics. The benefits of operating the fuel cell at elevated temperatures include improved catalyst activity, higher tolerance to

• temperatures. Very recently, many advances have been made in this field. This came relatively late because material testing at high temperatures is generally very challenging and the presence of corrosive liquids such as phosphoric acid complicates it even further. Many standard test methods and procedures for

High-frequency multimodal atomic force microscopy

• Adrian P. Nievergelt,
• Jonathan D. Adams,
• Pascal D. Odermatt and
• Georg E. Fantner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2459–2467, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.255

• optical beam deflection (OBD) systems with a sufficiently small focus spot to use small cantilevers [12][19], two key practical aspects have limited the widespread use of AFM imaging at frequencies beyond 2 MHz: cantilever drive and deflection readout. In liquids, traditional piezo-based cantilever

Inorganic Janus particles for biomedical applications

• Isabel Schick,
• Steffen Lorenz,
• Dominik Gehrig,
• Stefan Tenzer,
• Wiebke Storck,
• Karl Fischer,
• Dennis Strand,
• Frédéric Laquai and
• Wolfgang Tremel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2346–2362, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.244

• amphiphilic particle. Kumacheva et al. reported a microfluidic method for fast continuous synthesis of Janus particles as well as three-phase particles with narrow size distribution by emulsification of monomer liquids and in situ photoinitiated polymerization of multiphase droplets (Figure 3e) [27]. Another

Gas sensing properties of nanocrystalline diamond at room temperature

• Marina Davydova,
• Pavel Kulha,
• Alexandr Laposa,
• Karel Hruska,
• Pavel Demo and
• Alexander Kromka

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2339–2345, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.243

• sensitive to surrounding gases and/or liquids. Our previous works have shown that interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) capped with nanostructured, hydrogen-terminated, nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) were very sensitive and selective, especially towards phosgene gas [9][10]. In addition, we observed that the

Liquid-phase exfoliated graphene: functionalization, characterization, and applications

• Mildred Quintana,
• Jesús Iván Tapia and
• Maurizio Prato

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2328–2338, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.242

• exfoliation of graphite in water or polar solvents. This procedure yields stable solutions of negatively charged graphene sheets [13]. As charged, intercalating species, ionic liquids are considered a green alternative. The negligible vapour pressure, thermal stability, wide electrochemical potential window

• , good conductivity, recyclability, and the high dielectric constant of ionic liquids induce the exfoliation of graphite by weakening the π–π stacking interactions. Indeed, the use of ionic liquids is considered a highly versatile and industrially scalable method for the preparation of graphene

Biopolymer colloids for controlling and templating inorganic synthesis

• Laura C. Preiss,
• Katharina Landfester and
• Rafael Muñoz-Espí

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2129–2138, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.222

• example of a heterogeneous catalyst was reported by Taubert’s group with gold/cellulose nanocrystal hybrids produced in the presence of ionic liquids [88]. Also for catalytic applications, nanoparticles of silver, gold, and platinum were synthesized by using a cellulose aerogel [89]. Cellulose has been