Influence of surface chemical properties on the toxicity of engineered zinc oxide nanoparticles to embryonic zebrafish

• Zitao Zhou,
• Jino Son,
• Bryan Harper,
• Zheng Zhou and
• Stacey Harper

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1568–1579, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.160

• used to calculate the surface properties. Zebrafish mortality at 120 hpf following exposure to: (A) ZnO NPs with and (B) without surface modification. Individual variance for each of the principal components (PCs). Black dots represent the accumulated variance explained by each PC, while the solid line

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

• nanoparticles were observed to be toxic to spermatozoa in a concentration dependent manner, in case the nanoparticles possess surface properties that allow direct contact with the sperm plasma membrane. Protein coronas seem to inhibit such contact. Gold nanoparticles also elicited a toxic response on embryos if

Self-assembled anchor layers/polysaccharide coatings on titanium surfaces: a study of functionalization and stability

• Ognen Pop-Georgievski,
• Dana Kubies,
• Josef Zemek,
• Neda Neykova,
• Roman Demianchuk,
• Eliška Mázl Chánová,
• Miroslav Šlouf,
• Milan Houska and
• František Rypáček

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 617–631, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.63

• –6.2 [5][6][7]. Different surface modifications have been proposed to take the advantage of the titanium surface properties and to promote beneficial interactions at tissue–titanium implant interfaces. Established techniques use modifications of the titanium surface morphology and variations in the

Tm-doped TiO₂ and Tm₂Ti₂O₇ pyrochlore nanoparticles: enhancing the photocatalytic activity of rutile with a pyrochlore phase

• Desiré M. De los Santos,
• Javier Navas,
• Teresa Aguilar,
• Antonio Sánchez-Coronilla,
• Concha Fernández-Lorenzo,
• Rodrigo Alcántara,
• Jose Carlos Piñero,
• Ginesa Blanco and
• Joaquín Martín-Calleja

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 605–616, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.62

• scattering, this technique is sensitive to the atomic composition, valence and conduction band electronic properties, surface properties and chemical bonding. The latter allows for the characterization of the structural properties of the lattice traversed by the electron beam and, thus, determination of the

Silica micro/nanospheres for theranostics: from bimodal MRI and fluorescent imaging probes to cancer therapy

• Shanka Walia and
• Amitabha Acharya

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 546–558, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.57

Pulmonary surfactant augments cytotoxicity of silica nanoparticles: Studies on an in vitro air–blood barrier model

• Jennifer Y. Kasper,
• Lisa Feiden,
• Maria I. Hermanns,
• Christoph Bantz,
• Michael Maskos,
• Ronald E. Unger and
• C. James Kirkpatrick

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 517–528, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.54

• . Furthermore, different surface functionalisations (plain-unmodified, amino, carboxylate) of the aSNPs were compared in order to study the impact of chemical surface properties on aSNP cytotoxicity in combination with lung surfactant. The alveolar epithelial cell line A549 was used in mono- and in coculture

• depend on the chemical surface properties of the aSNPs. Reactive silanol groups seem to play a crucial role for an augmented toxicity of aSNPs. The A549 cells in the coculture seem to be more robust towards aSNPs, which might be a result of a higher differentiation and polarization state due the longer

• protective alveolar surfactant lining layer (10–20 nm in thickness), that covers the entire alveolar surface [2]. It has already been shown that regardless of the NP surface properties they will be submerged in the aqueous phase of the alveolar lining layer after crossing the pulmonary surfactant layer [3][4

Conformal SiO₂ coating of sub-100 nm diameter channels of polycarbonate etched ion-track channels by atomic layer deposition

• Nicolas Sobel,
• Christian Hess,
• Manuela Lukas,
• Anne Spende,
• Bernd Stühn,
• M. E. Toimil-Molares and
• Christina Trautmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 472–479, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.48

• adjust specific surface properties such as hydrophilicity or catalytic activity. Conform ALD coatings have been reported for various porous materials including powders [18] and porous membranes such as anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) [19][20][21][22][23][24] and track-etched membranes [25][26][27][28]. For

Strain distribution due to surface domains: a self-consistent approach with respect to surface elasticity

• Javier Fuhr and
• Pierre Müller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 321–326, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.30

• surface properties are properly considered, the strain field induced by the surface domains may be expressed as the solution of a self-consistent integro-differential equation. Results and Discussion Let us consider (see Figure 1a) a semi-infinite body whose surface contains two domains (two infinite

Oxygen-plasma-modified biomimetic nanofibrous scaffolds for enhanced compatibility of cardiovascular implants

• Anna Maria Pappa,
• Varvara Karagkiozaki,
• Silke Krol,
• Spyros Kassavetis,
• Dimitris Konstantinou,
• Charalampos Pitsalidis,
• Lazaros Tzounis,
• Nikos Pliatsikas and
• Stergios Logothetidis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 254–262, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.24

• may lead to improved surface properties without affecting the morphology or the mechanical behaviour of the system. In depth nanoindentation measurements were conducted for the scaffolds under optimal conditions to assess the mechanical performance. MTT assay along with imaging techniques were used to

• the O2-plasma did not degrade the mechanical properties of the PCL, in contrary the nanomechanical behavior of the PCL appears to be more homogeneous after the treatment, possibly due to the alternation/homogenization of the PCL surface properties. Cellular performance of the plasma-treated scaffolds

• cytocompatible, oxygen-plasma treatment was used to modify the surface chemistry along with its nanotopography without causing any deterioration of the structure or the integrity of the scaffold and without affecting its mechanical and physical bulk properties. This approach, of controlling the surface

Tailoring the ligand shell for the control of cellular uptake and optical properties of nanocrystals

• Johannes Ostermann,
• Christian Schmidtke,
• Christopher Wolter,
• Jan-Philip Merkl,
• Hauke Kloust and
• Horst Weller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 232–242, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.22

• based on specific chemical groups like amines, carboxyl and hydroxyl functions [31]. Functional groups are not only useful for typical coupling strategies of biomolecules, but also for the determination of the surface properties of the final nanocontainers. Differently charged particles show different

Synthesis of boron nitride nanotubes and their applications

• Saban Kalay,
• Zehra Yilmaz,
• Ozlem Sen,
• Melis Emanet,
• Emine Kazanc and
• Mustafa Çulha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 84–102, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.9

• a variety of fields including medicine and biomedical applications. Two approaches to alter the surface properties of BNNTs are commonly employed: one is through covalent attachment of a molecule or molecular structure, and the other involves the physical adsorption of a molecular structure or a

• assess the toxicity of the BNNTs. Similar to CNTs, one of the major problems in toxicity assessment of BNNTs is their low dispersibility in aqueous media, due to their high hydrophobicity. In order to increase the dispersion, either a surfactant or hydrophilic polymer is used to alter the surface

• properties. However, this process adds further uncertainties to the assessment since another material is introduced into the system. For example, polyethylenimine (PEI) is a cytocompatible polymer and principally used for DNA transfection and cell permeabilization. The BNNTs were coated with PEI for

Size-dependent density of zirconia nanoparticles

• Agnieszka Opalinska,
• Iwona Malka,
• Wojciech Dzwolak,
• Tadeusz Chudoba,
• Adam Presz and
• Witold Lojkowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 27–35, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.4

• as a luminescent material, the luminescence intensity increases with crystallite size [17]. The size and surface properties of NPs are also important for toxicology and health applications. The size of the NPs can influence their distribution in the human body and the mechanism of their penetration

Aquatic versus terrestrial attachment: Water makes a difference

• Petra Ditsche and
• Adam P. Summers

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2424–2439, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.252

• invertebrates [20][21][22][23][24][25], but they also change the surface properties of the primary substrate considerably and by this can affect the attachment forces significantly [26][27]. While biofilms can vary greatly in composition and thickness, they are usually softer than the primary substrate, and

Synthesis and characterization of fluorescence-labelled silica core-shell and noble metal-decorated ceria nanoparticles

• Rudolf Herrmann,
• Markus Rennhak and
• Armin Reller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2413–2423, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.251

• original non-annealed NP were used for biomedical [46] and uptake studies [47], both articles in this issue. What cannot be avoided must be controlled. Since agglomeration is a question of surface properties, it should be possible to control it by surface-active reagents. Consequently, we tried to

Functionalized polystyrene nanoparticles as a platform for studying bio–nano interactions

• Cornelia Loos,
• Tatiana Syrovets,
• Anna Musyanovych,
• Volker Mailänder,
• Katharina Landfester,
• G. Ulrich Nienhaus and
• Thomas Simmet

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2403–2412, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.250

• to size or surface properties of nanoparticles. By using polystyrene particles, it is possible to explore the effect of the size, the surface charge, and the hydrophobicity of the particles on cells. These studies show that, although, polystyrene has been claimed to be nontoxic, functionalized

• nonspecific cellular interactions, or by replacement of reactive amine groups with amphiphilic head groups [51]. Nanoparticles manufactured from inert biocompatible polystyrene can be used to explore the effects of different surface properties on various biomedical parameters and enable the rational design of

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

• , synthesis, and properties of multifunctional nanoparticles owing to their special structure–property relationship [1]. Due to their distinct surface properties, these nanomaterials can be modified by various ligands to introduce the desired surface characteristics ranging from solubility in selected

Advanced atomic force microscopy techniques II

• Thilo Glatzel,
• Ricardo Garcia and
• Thomas Schimmel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2326–2327, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.241

• and clearly shows a route for development for the next years. All of the new applications and experiments are strongly dependent on theoretical and technical developments. Virtual AFMs used to simulate AFM measurements [18][19][20] and to deconvolute complex correlations between various surface

• properties [21] are based on the implementation of proportional-integral controllers to give realistic feedback behaviours. Stirling proposed a theoretical model for studying the SPM feedback in the context of control theory providing the possibility to understand and model the performance from SPM systems

Nanoencapsulation of ultra-small superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide into human serum albumin nanoparticles

• Matthias G. Wacker,
• Mahmut Altinok,
• Stephan Urfels and
• Johann Bauer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2259–2266, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.235

• charged core particles were embedded into the HSA matrix by ethanolic desolvation of the protein [9]. By adjusting the reaction conditions of the desolvation procedure, particles of optimal size distribution and surface properties for drug targeting applications have been achieved. The USPIO load

Influence of stabilising agents and pH on the size of SnO₂ nanoparticles

• Olga Rac,
• Patrycja Suchorska-Woźniak,
• Marta Fiedot and
• Helena Teterycz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2192–2201, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.228

• stabilising agents significantly affect the size, shape and surface properties of nanomaterials synthesised in their presence [18]. In 1718, Helcher applied a natural polymer (starch) to stabilise gold nanoparticles [19]. Today, synthetic polymers are commonly used to stabilise different types of

Rapid degradation of zinc oxide nanoparticles by phosphate ions

• Rudolf Herrmann,
• F. Javier García-García and
• Armin Reller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2007–2015, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.209

• solubility. The morphology of the zinc oxide particles has only a minor influence on the kinetics of this reaction. Surface properties related to different production methods and the presence and absence of labelling with a perylene fluorescent dye are more important. Particles prepared under acidic

Silicon and germanium nanocrystals: properties and characterization

• Ivana Capan,
• Alexandra Carvalho and
• José Coutinho

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1787–1794, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.189

• not a shallow acceptor, but rather a deep acceptor with levels that can edge the conduction band minimum of the Si NC film. In fact, this dopant was used to increase the conductivity of the films by more than two orders of magnitude, although the majority carriers were electrons. III.2.3 Surface

• properties: The NC surface is one of the most important variables in the engineering of its shape, intrinsic properties and stability in air and interaction with solvents and other substances. For nanoparticles with a clean surface or with a hydrogen-covered surface, the orientation dependence of the surface

The surface properties of nanoparticles determine the agglomeration state and the size of the particles under physiological conditions

• Christoph Bantz,
• Olga Koshkina,
• Thomas Lang,
• Hans-Joachim Galla,
• C. James Kirkpatrick,
• Roland H. Stauber and
• Michael Maskos

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1774–1786, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.188

• applied. The investigated particle systems were (i) negatively charged silica particles and (ii) poly(organosiloxane) particles offering variable surface modification opportunities (positively charged, polymer coated). It is shown that the surface properties primarily determine the agglomeration state of

• the particles and therefore their effective size, especially under physiological conditions. Thus, the biological identity of a nanomaterial is clearly influenced by differentiating surface properties. Keywords: nanomaterial characterization; physiological conditions; surface properties; silica

• hydrodynamic radius was observed. The distinctly higher μ2 values of 0.29 and 0.27 for the quaternized samples are presumably caused by a minor fraction of agglomerates. Agglomeration might be induced here by the change of the surface properties during the quaternization procedure. Thus, the higher μ2 values

Controlling the dispersion of supported polyoxometalate heterogeneous catalysts: impact of hybridization and the role of hydrophilicity–hydrophobicity balance and supramolecularity

• Gijo Raj,
• Colas Swalus,
• Eglantine Arendt,
• Pierre Eloy,
• Michel Devillers and
• Eric M. Gaigneaux

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1749–1759, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.185

• surface, the alkyl chains of DODA are known to orient with a tilt angle of θ ≈ 30° with respect to the normal of the surface [30]. As expected, no epitaxial arrangement of DODA was observed. The conformation of the DODA surfactant, as shown here, can thus be tuned as a function of the surface properties

In vitro and in vivo interactions of selected nanoparticles with rodent serum proteins and their consequences in biokinetics

• Wolfgang G. Kreyling,
• Stefanie Fertsch-Gapp,
• Martin Schäffler,
• Blair D. Johnston,
• Nadine Haberl,
• Christian Pfeiffer,
• Jörg Diendorf,
• Carsten Schleh,
• Stephanie Hirn,
• Manuela Semmler-Behnke,
• Matthias Epple and
• Wolfgang J. Parak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1699–1711, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.180

• discrepancy suggests that the Ag dissociation during aging of the AgNP suspension is more complex than just forming Ag+ ions. Conclusion Upon contact with body fluids such as blood serum NP bind soluble proteins according to their physicochemical surface properties and the protein affinity and/or the

Probing viscoelastic surfaces with bimodal tapping-mode atomic force microscopy: Underlying physics and observables for a standard linear solid model

• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1649–1663, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.176

• observables and calculated quantities from the AFM measurement (frequency, phase, amplitude, quality factor, etc.) to the surface properties. In contact resonance typically the Kelvin–Voigt model [40] is used, which consists of a linear spring in parallel with a damper (dashpot). It is incorporated into the