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

• gathering significant attention as highlighted by the broad clinical acceptance of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. A significant barrier to progress in this emerging area is the wild variability of approaches reported in published literature regarding nanoparticle characterizations. Here, we provide a brief

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

• , nanocarriers need to be engineered to add functionalities, both in their cores and at their surfaces. This includes therapeutic drugs and genes, targeting moieties, performance enhancers (e.g., for barrier penetration and to avoid opsonization), and imaging agents [2][3]. Core and matrix of the nanoparticles

• low-energy methods (also called thermodynamic methods [5]) overcome this energy barrier by producing low interfacial tensions, changes in the surfactant layer curvature, or gradients of chemical potential between the phases. Herein, we focus on nanoemulsification by low-energy methods. The two main

• showed that the PLGA nanoparticles functionalized with 8D3 antibody were able to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) as demonstrated by the analgesic effect of encapsulated loperamide on mice. PLGA nanoparticles prepared using Polysorbate 80 with the same formulation discussed above (diameter ca. 27 nm

Overview of mechanism and consequences of endothelial leakiness caused by metal and polymeric nanoparticles

• Magdalena Lasak and
• Karol Ciepluch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 329–338, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.28

• : endothelial leakiness; metal nanoparticles; NanoEL; nanotoxicity; vascular permeability; Review Introduction The vascular barrier is a highly selective boundary between blood and tissues. Its proper functioning is essential to maintaining homeostasis of the whole organism. Formed from mesodermal endothelial

• extracellular signals and regulate the function of the vascular barrier [3]. The endothelium is also covered by a negatively charged layer of glycocalyx, which has a protective function and is involved in the transport of molecules across the endothelium [11][12]. The degree of endothelial permeability depends

• (CNS), where endothelial cells form the tightest and the most selective blood–brain barrier (BBB) that provides protection against the penetration of harmful substances and pathogens. Other types of connections include adherens junctions, maintained primarily by transmembrane VE-cadherin, and gap

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

• semiconductor and a noble metal with an appropriate work function. A unidirectional charge transfer is enabled by the Schottky potential barrier, increasing charge density and separation [72]. Shen et al. [166] created a Schottky junction by synthesising NiSe2 nanosheets on top of BiVO4 nanosheets using a

• , the Schottky potential barrier, and efficiently separated photoinduced charge carriers. Table 8 provides a summary of the research on heterojunction photocatalysts for the degradation of antibiotics. Bismuth nanocomposites: A nanocomposite is a multiphase material (typically a solid) with one to three

Recent progress in cancer cell membrane-based nanoparticles for biomedical applications

• Qixiong Lin,
• Yueyou Peng,
• Yanyan Wen,
• Xiaoqiong Li,
• Donglian Du,
• Weibin Dai,
• Wei Tian and
• Yanfeng Meng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 262–279, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.24

• , cancer cell membranes also show excellent performance in nontumor diseases such as immune system diseases [25] and cardiovascular diseases [26] because of their rich surface functions that yield immunomodulation [22] and biological barrier penetration [27]. Here, we review recent advances and original

• exhibit unique homotypic targeting to tumor tissues, as well as excellent antiphagocytosis, immunomodulation, and biological barrier penetration abilities. Second, the application of cancer cell-based NPs in different types of diseases are discussed (i.e., malignant neoplasms, hematological malignancies

• cells have also been found to have the ability to penetrate the blood‒brain barrier (BBB) in some special cases [26][27]. As a highly specialized structure, the BBB maintains homeostasis of the central nervous system [48]. The targeted delivery of drugs to the brain is challenging because of the limited

Nanotechnology – a robust tool for fighting the challenges of drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer

• Filip Gorachinov,
• Fatima Mraiche,
• Diala Alhaj Moustafa,
• Ola Hishari,
• Yomna Ismail,
• Jensa Joseph,
• Maja Simonoska Crcarevska,
• Marija Glavas Dodov,
• Nikola Geskovski and
• Katerina Goracinova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 240–261, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.23

• barriers by the use of different groups of particles carrying various functional modalities. Tasciotti et al. proposed a multistage delivery system composed of stage-1 mesoporous silica particles with improved deposition in the vascular endothelium, optimized for crossing the endothelial barrier through

• demonstrated pH-dependent selective survivin-shRNA release in the acidic environment after endosomal escape and disassembly to single PAMAM nanoparticles showing continuous release of erlotinib and chloroquine. Chloroquine has a dual effect on the efficacy. It improves vascular barrier integrity and together

• targeting. Once in the lung microcirculation, the RBC-bound NPs are mechanically detached from the RBCs when the RBCs are squeezed through the tiny capillaries of the air–blood barrier and transferred to the endothelium by nonspecific interactions. When decorated with vascular endothelium-specific ligands

A novel approach to pulsed laser deposition of platinum catalyst on carbon particles for use in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

• Bogusław Budner,
• Wojciech Tokarz,
• Sławomir Dyjak,
• Andrzej Czerwiński,
• Bartosz Bartosewicz and
• Bartłomiej Jankiewicz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 190–204, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.19

• graphitized carbon material is a higher barrier to be overcome for the gases and the water generated in reactions occurring in the cell. Conclusion The fabrication of an efficient catalyst based on carbon particles with low Pt loading was successfully achieved by using the PLD method. The structural

A distributed active patch antenna model of a Josephson oscillator

• Vladimir M. Krasnov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 151–164, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.16

• and dielectric losses in the junction barrier and surface resistance in electrodes. According to Equation 37, Rdis is defined via the effective quality factor, Qdis, which can be written as: where QQP, Qsurf and Qdiel are determined by QP, surface, and dielectric losses, respectively. QP and surface

• , Rsurf ≪ ωL*, and , we obtain Dielectric losses in the AlOx barrier of a JJ were estimated in [43]. At f ≃ 10 GHz, Qdiel ≈ 104. Although it should decrease at f = 400 GHz, we anticipate that it is still in the range of ca. 103. Therefore, dielectric losses are negligible, compared to QP and surface loses

Intermodal coupling spectroscopy of mechanical modes in microcantilevers

• Ioan Ignat,
• Bernhard Schuster,
• Jonas Hafner,
• MinHee Kwon,
• Daniel Platz and
• Ulrich Schmid

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 123–132, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.13

• that can even break this quantum barrier by redirecting noise from one quadrature to another [9][10][11]. Yet, there is even opportunity in revitalising the accessibility of standard AFM, as performing experiments at cryogenic temperatures and under ultra-high vacuum [12][13] requires years of

Cooper pair splitting controlled by a temperature gradient

• Dmitry S. Golubev and
• Andrei D. Zaikin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 61–67, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.7

• investigated both theoretically [4][5][6][7][8][9][10] and experimentally [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] over the past decades. The process competing with CAR is the so-called elastic cotunneling (EC), where an electron is transferred from one normal metal to another across an effective barrier created by

• -transparency barriers at NS interfaces [20][21] and later extended to the case of arbitrary barrier transmissions [22][23][24][25]. Positively cross-correlated non-local shot noise was indeed observed in a number of experiments [26][27]. Real-time observation of Cooper pair splitting was also reported in a

Gap-directed chemical lift-off lithographic nanoarchitectonics for arbitrary sub-micrometer patterning

• Chang-Ming Wang,
• Hong-Sheng Chan,
• Chia-Li Liao,
• Che-Wei Chang and
• Wei-Ssu Liao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 34–44, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.4

• obtained from micrometer-scale stamp features, thus greatly lowering the technical barrier in lithographic patterning. Diverse patterns, including lines, circles, triangles, squares, hexagons, and arrayed dots sized down to 5 nm can be obtained by implementing PDMS stamps with corresponding features and

Atmospheric water harvesting using functionalized carbon nanocones

• Fernanda R. Leivas and
• Marcia C. Barbosa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1–10, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.1

• [34]. Also, it is the nanocone that achieves the highest values of water flux compared with the other apex angles. It also presents a lower energy barrier when compared with carbon nanotubes [39]. The smaller side of the nanocone ends in a hydrophilic surface, which has the same structure as the

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

• is significantly different. In particular, as the voltage increases, there is the tendency for the current flowing through the heterostructure to saturate. Previously [2], it was found that at high temperatures, the mechanism of overcoming the barrier at the metal/polymer contact is satisfactorily

• following values n0 = 1021−1023 m−3, μ = 10−15 to 10−17 m2/Vs. The analysis of the I–V characteristics within the framework of Schottky barrier formation makes it possible to estimate the height of potential barriers at the metal/polymer interfaces utilizing the Richardson expression [18]: where T is the

• -called current at zero voltage. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the non-ideality coefficient of the barrier. We chose the value of the latter from previous measurements. As the result, the value of the potential barrier calculated using Equation 3 is equal to 0.7. As expected, the

In search of cytotoxic selectivity on cancer cells with biogenically synthesized Ag/AgCl nanoparticles

• Mitzi J. Ramírez-Hernández,
• Mario Valera-Zaragoza,
• Omar Viñas-Bravo,
• Ariana A. Huerta-Heredia,
• Miguel A. Peña-Rico,
• Erick A. Juarez-Arellano,
• David Paniagua-Vega,
• Eduardo Ramírez-Vargas and
• Saúl Sánchez-Valdes

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1505–1519, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.124

• consistent with Reddy et al. [41], who reported that phytochemicals capped on nanoparticles support thermal stability upon temperature changes. The second situation is the thermal barrier that Ag/AgCl nanoparticles themselves, based on their intrinsic characteristics, provide to the system. This last

Density of states in the presence of spin-dependent scattering in SF bilayers: a numerical and analytical approach

• Tairzhan Karabassov,
• Valeriia D. Pashkovskaia,
• Nikita A. Parkhomenko,
• Anastasia V. Guravova,
• Elena A. Kazakova,
• Boris G. Lvov,
• Alexander A. Golubov and
• Andrey S. Vasenko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1418–1431, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.117

• DOS for different values of the exchange field h and the barrier transparency γB. All the scattering is assumed to be absent for simplicity αm = αx = αso = 0 in this subsection. In Figure 2, we observe the influence of an increasing exchange field h on the DOS structure calculated for γB = 5. In

• previously published findings. Geometry of the SF bilayer. We consider the SF interface to be a tunnel barrier. Here, γB is the interface transparency parameter. The evolution of the DOS plotted for increasing values of the exchange field h. Here, γB = 5, df = 0.5ξf. In plot (a), the gray dotted line

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

• vacancies in monolayered Bi2WO6 nanosheets with a thickness of 1.0 nm have recently been shown [82]. The Bi defects were shown to promote the adsorption and activation of reactant molecules, which reduced the energy barrier even more. The photocatalytic performance corroborated this. The presence of

A super-oscillatory step-zoom metalens for visible light

• Yi Zhou,
• Chao Yan,
• Peng Tian,
• Zhu Li,
• Yu He,
• Bin Fan,
• Zhiyong Wang,
• Yao Deng and
• Dongliang Tang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1220–1227, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.101

• -high-density data storage. Thus, overcoming the barrier of diffraction limit and achieve super-resolution optical imaging has become a hot topic in the research field of optics. In recent years, a variety of super-resolution optical microscopy techniques have been developed. For instance, stimulated

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

• closely packed cells equipped with tight junctions. Its thickness is approximately 50 μm [40], and it plays an important protective role. The posterior segment of the eye contains sclera, choroid, Bruch’s membrane, and blood–retinal barrier, which further prevent drug permeation. The thickness of the

• sclera, a membrane composed of randomly scattered collagen fibers, ranges from 0.5 to 1 mm, depending on the region of occurrence [41]. While the sclera is another barrier preventing drug permeation, the choroid is responsible for drug elimination. The blood–retinal barrier is connected to the retinal

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

• with its superimposed epicuticular waxes represents the barrier of all aboveground parts of higher plant primary tissues. Epicuticular waxes have multiple effects on the interaction of plants with their living and non-living environment, whereby their shape, dimension, arrangement, and chemical

• functions (Figure 1). Among other things, it protects against herbivores and pathogens, provides mechanical stability, reflects harmful UV radiation [2][3][4][5][6], and mainly protects the plant from desiccation [7][8]. The cuticular waxes contribute significantly to this barrier function. Plant waxes

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

• polymer chains against protein molecules increases, while a tightly bound water layer creates a physical and energetic barrier and renders interactions with approaching proteins or bacteria thermodynamically unfavorable [50]. The concept of steric repulsion based on a hydration layer through hydrogen

Efficiency of electron cooling in cold-electron bolometers with traps

• Dmitrii A. Pimanov,
• Vladimir A. Frost,
• Anton V. Blagodatkin,
• Anna V. Gordeeva,
• Andrey L. Pankratov and
• Leonid S. Kuzmin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 896–901, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.80

• currents may have the same nature, since they both exist due to SN-pinholes in a tunnel barrier. Actually, it is an open question whether these currents are two different components or rather the same current but calculated with different approaches. Here we work with these two currents independently. For

• tunneling barrier of the NIS junctions and smaller single-particle and double-particle components of the current. For sample C, the normal resistance per one NIS junction is 1.3 kΩ, and for sample OL-G7nn this resistance is 6.4 kΩ. These differences can be seen in the electron temperature graphs: For the

• of the tunnel barrier (larger resistance) and the corresponding decrease of the single-particle current, which withdraws hot electrons from the absorber. However, due to the lower Andreev heating current, which, when flowing through the normal metal absorber, leads to residual heating and, thus

Hierachical epicuticular wax coverage on leaves of Deschampsia antarctica as a possible adaptation to severe environmental conditions

• Elena V. Gorb,
• Iryna A. Kozeretska and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 807–816, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.71

• Bay) to 400 mm per year (South Shetland Islands) [26]. In general, a continuous epicuticular wax layer is known to serve as an transport barrier limiting the uncontrolled water loss in plants [38][41]. The presence of a thick wax coverage has been considered as one of typical xeromorphic features (i.e

Experimental and theoretical study of field-dependent spin splitting at ferromagnetic insulator–superconductor interfaces

• Peter Machon,
• Michael J. Wolf,
• Detlef Beckmann and
• Wolfgang Belzig

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 682–688, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.60

• , indicating a defect-free tunnel barrier. Spin splitting of the density of states is clearly visible. The observed splitting greatly exceeds the expected splitting due to the Zeeman energy εZ = μBB (which is about 35 μeV at B = 0.6 T). The solid lines in Figure 5a are fits with our model. We have included

• with help of the top normal contact (N), which is separated by an insulating barrier (I). (b) Circuit diagram to represent the FI–S bilayer in the quantum circuit theory. The superconductor is represented by the node, the Δ-source term, the εTh-leakage term, and its normal-state conductance G. The

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

• the MN before skin rupture. Several methods are used to estimate these critical loads and their associated stresses, including theoretical analysis, experimental investigations, and FEA simulations [21]. For example, due to the skin’s SC barrier, the normal (vertical) insertion of MN patches on the

Approaching microwave photon sensitivity with Al Josephson junctions

• Andrey L. Pankratov,
• Anna V. Gordeeva,
• Leonid S. Revin,
• Dmitry A. Ladeynov,
• Anton A. Yablokov and
• Leonid S. Kuzmin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 582–589, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.50

• rate. Therefore, its value is underestimated in dc measurements. The upper limit is given by the BCS expression 1.75kTc/(eRN) [29], which depends on the critical temperature of the electrodes and the normal resistance of the tunnel barrier only. This maximum possible critical current is difficult to

• damping values [48][49]: The used notations are the following: i = Ibias/Ic is the dimensionless bias current with the bias current Ibias and the critical current Ic, is the potential barrier height, γ = IT/Ic is the noise intensity, and IT = 2ekT/ℏ is the fluctuational current which can be calculated as

• , the probability of switching due to the absorption of 3 photons is 0.002. In Figure 2b the barrier height is compared with the energy of one photon. The potential profile is calculated for the critical current of 8.586 μA. Photon frequency and energy are, respectively, 10 GHz and 6.8 × 10−24 J. The