“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

• envelope that also influence the dispersal of seeds. To determine the physical properties of Plantago lanceolata seed mucilage we studied (1) composition, (2) desiccation, (3) adhesion, and (4) friction properties of the mucilage under different hydration conditions. We revealed the presence of cellulose

• water loss from the cellulose mucilage was more rapid. The obtained different values can result from the presence of cellulose fibrils and their interaction with pectins in the mucilage. Because of this feature the mucilage of P. lanceolata may represent a more regularly ordered and stabile system than

• the pectic mucilage of flax, which lacks cellulose. In spite of the fact that P. lanceolata mucilage revealed different adhesive and frictional properties than the pectic mucilage, it still demonstrates an effective system promoting zoochoric seed dispersal. Cellulose may additionally prevent the

Functionalized platinum nanoparticles with surface charge trigged by pH: synthesis, characterization and stability studies

• Giovanna Testa,
• Laura Fontana,
• Iole Venditti and
• Ilaria Fratoddi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1822–1828, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.175

• reducing agents such as nanocrystalline cellulose from cotton or bacterial cellulose matrixes are currently being studied [23][24]. Thiol ligands have been thoroughly investigated [25][26][27] and particular attention has been devoted to hydrophilic ligands that confer to the PtNP stability in water

The effect of dry shear aligning of nanotube thin films on the photovoltaic performance of carbon nanotube–silicon solar cells

• Benedikt W. Stolz,
• Daniel D. Tune and
• Benjamin S. Flavel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1486–1491, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.141

• supernatant by vacuum filtration onto mixed cellulose ester (MCE) membranes (0.45 μm, HAWP, Merck Millipore) and rinsed thoroughly with copious DI water as per Wu et al. [46] and Hu et al. [47]. For the DSA preparation, a cylindrical Teflon stir bar (8 × 30 mm) was used as the aligner. The membranes were

pH-Triggered release from surface-modified poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles

• Manuel Häuser,
• Klaus Langer and
• Monika Schönhoff

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2504–2512, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.260

• filtered (0.22 µm, cellulose acetate filter unit) directly before use. Additionally, 500 mg of PLGA were dissolved in 5 mL ethyl acetate. Polyelectrolyte solutions were diluted to concentrations of 10 mmol/L (PAA and PDADMAC) and 20 mmol/L (PEI), respectively. All polyelectrolyte concentrations were

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

• reaction medium [104]. Renewable feedstock: Increasing the share of renewable sources either for raw material and energy are very important. The largest renewable source for energy is biomass [129]. There are also many examples for using renewable material in synthesis of NPs including cellulose, chitin

• cellulose hydrogels to synthesize and stabilize Ag, Au, and Pt NPs through hydrothermal process. They found that by increasing AgNO3 concentration, the particles size increases gradually from 8 to 11.4 nm at 80 °C and 24 h. Also, reaction time and temperature had direct influence on particle size. The

• average sizes of Ag, Au and Pt NPs, calculated by Scherrer equation, were 12.3, 6.5, and 4.4 nm respectively. The particle sizes, obtained by TEM analysis, were in good agreement with Scherrer equation [37]. Chen et al. employed carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMS) both as reducing and stabilizing agent

Synthesis, characterization and in vitro biocompatibility study of Au/TMC/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites as a promising, nontoxic system for biomedical applications

• Hanieh Shirazi,
• Maryam Daneshpour,
• Soheila Kashanian and
• Kobra Omidfar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1677–1689, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.170

• fiber-like polymer is made of ß(1→4)-linked N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and derives from chitin. After cellulose, chitosan is known as the second most abundant organic compound in nature. A major disadvantage of using chitosan is its poor solubility at physiological pH, whereas it is soluble and active only

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

Novel ZnO:Ag nanocomposites induce significant oxidative stress in human fibroblast malignant melanoma (Ht144) cells

• Syeda Arooj,
• Samina Nazir,
• Akhtar Nadhman,
• Nafees Ahmad,
• Bakhtiar Muhammad,
• Ishaq Ahmad,
• Kehkashan Mazhar and
• Rashda Abbasi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 570–582, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.59

• addition to achieve pH 8.0. The resulting precipitates were heated at 80 °C for 2 h, and filtrated through a cellulose membrane. The resulting material was thoroughly washed, dried, ground into fine powder and sieved. The nanocomposites were heated in a tube furnace under an argon (Ar) atmosphere (flow

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

• ice-bath for an hour and the unbundled supernatant was collected through a pipette. The result was a well-dispersed suspension that is stable for several months. Carbon nanotube films were fabricated by a vacuum filtration process of 1 mL in volume of the dispersion cast on mixed cellulose ester

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

• find starch [13][14], different cellulose derivatives [15], dextran [16], pectin [17], alginate [18], and poly(amino acids) or proteins [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. Researchers in the biomineralization field very often extract proteins from biological matter and use them for the ex

• 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

• further used for silicates. Zhang et al. [90] presented the in situ formation of silica in a cellulose aerogel (Figure 8). The addition of the silicate precursor (TEOS) takes place first, followed by a sol–gel process and the cellulose/silica composite formation. The aerogel is formed by drying with

Ionic liquid-assisted formation of cellulose/calcium phosphate hybrid materials

• Ahmed Salama,
• Mike Neumann,
• Christina Günter and
• Andreas Taubert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1553–1568, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.167

• Ahmed Salama Mike Neumann Christina Gunter Andreas Taubert Institute of Chemistry, University of Potsdam, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany Cellulose and Paper Department, National Research Center, El-Tahrir Street, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Potsdam, D

• -14476 Potsdam, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.5.167 Abstract Cellulose/calcium phosphate hybrid materials were synthesized via an ionic liquid-assisted route. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and

• thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis show that, depending on the reaction conditions, cellulose/hydroxyapatite, cellulose/chlorapatite, or cellulose/monetite composites form. Preliminary studies with MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts show that the cells proliferate on the hybrid materials suggesting that

Surface topography and contact mechanics of dry and wet human skin

• Alexander E. Kovalev,
• Kirstin Dening,
• Bo N. J. Persson and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1341–1348, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.147

• cellulose fibers. In fact, cellulose fibers exhibit elastoplastic properties very similar to the stratum corneum: Both absorb water strongly and swell by wetting, both have elastic moduli of the order of 10 MPa in the wet state and of the order of 1 GPa in the dry state [11]. The swelling (and elastic

AFM as an analysis tool for high-capacity sulfur cathodes for Li–S batteries

• Renate Hiesgen,
• Seniz Sörgel,
• Rémi Costa,
• Linus Carlé,
• Ines Galm,
• Natalia Cañas,
• Brigitta Pascucci and
• K. Andreas Friedrich

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 611–624, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.68

• ]. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) binders were used to test the influence of the binders on the battery performance. The suspension-spraying technique is advantageous because it can be used in mass production processes. In a first step the focus was on the preparation of a porous

• measurements (see below). The sprayed cathodes prepared with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) binders (SC-CMC) show discharge capacities of 136 mAh·g−1 after 50 cycles, which is inferior to other values (Figure 1). One of the reasons for the low initial discharge capacity compared to the theoretical capacity

• significant differences were found for the deformation values with the exception of cellulose as a binder material. The adhesion force was smallest for the fluorine containing PVDF binder. For the identification of sulfur the stiffness values were used. During the stiffness measurements the tip puts a

Porous polymer coatings as substrates for the formation of high-fidelity micropatterns by quill-like pens

• Michael Hirtz,
• Marcus Lyon,
• Wenqian Feng,
• Andrea E. Holmes,
• Harald Fuchs and
• Pavel A. Levkin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 377–384, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.44

• illumination and a CoolSNAP HQ2 camera (Photometrics). Phloxine B patterns were observed in Texas Red filter (Nikon Y-2E/C) with exposure times ranging from 10 ms (HEMA substrates) over 40 ms (nitro cellulose substrate) to 50 ms (plain paper and nylon). The fluorescent spectra were recorded on the same

Mechanical and thermal properties of bacterial-cellulose-fibre-reinforced Mater-Bi^® bionanocomposite

• Hamonangan Nainggolan,
• Saharman Gea,
• Emiliano Bilotti,
• Ton Peijs and
• Sabar D. Hutagalung

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 325–329, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.37

• Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia 10.3762/bjnano.4.37 Abstract The effects of the addition of fibres of bacterial cellulose (FBC) to commercial

• FBC into Mater-Bi. FBC is easily incorporated in Mater-Bi matrix and produces homogeneous Mater-Bi/FBC composite. The crystallinity of the Mater-Bi/FBC composites decrease in relation to the increase in the volume fraction of FBC. Keywords: bacterial cellulose; bio-nanocomposites; Mater-Bi

• ; mechanical; thermal; Introduction Farm products offer a wide range of commodities such as cellulose, starch, rubber, and other materials that are environmentally friendly. Starch, one of the promising natural materials, most abundantly available after cellulose, has been considered a good candidate in

Paper modified with ZnO nanorods – antimicrobial studies

• Mayuree Jaisai,
• Sunandan Baruah and
• Joydeep Dutta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 684–691, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.78

• ]. Cellulose fibers used for papermaking are hygroscopic in nature [9][10] and this property was used to our advantage when developing the antimicrobial paper. The adsorbed moisture can be utilized for the production of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and/or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) through photocatalysis. Both ·OH

• grown on glass substrates [25]. The proper attachment of the ZnO nanorods to the paper is crucial for commercial applications. Cellulose, the major ingredient of softwood pulp, is a long-chain polymer with hydroxyl groups that can form hydrogen bonds with the surface oxygen atoms of ZnO nanoparticles

• the inhibition zone. Growth of A. niger in the presence of (a) untreated paper and (b) paper with ZnO nanorods, after 72 h of growth. Schematic diagram showing possible hydrogen bonding of the hydroxy groups on the cellulose molecule with surface oxygen atoms of the ZnO nanoparticles. Scanning

Fabrication and spectroscopic studies on highly luminescent CdSe/CdS nanorod polymer composites

• Jana Bomm,
• Andreas Büchtemann,
• Angela Fiore,
• Liberato Manna,
• James H. Nelson,
• Diana Hill and
• Wilfried G. J. H. M. van Sark

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2010, 1, 94–100, doi:10.3762/bjnano.1.11

• resulting nanocomposites show high transparency of up to 93%. A photoluminescence quantum efficiency of 70% was obtained, with an optimum combination of nanorod (0.05 wt %) and at a UV-initiator concentration of 0.1 wt % for poly(lauryl methacrylate). Nanorods tend to agglomerate in cellulose triacetate

• amount of cross-linker either flexible (<20 wt % EGDM) or rigid nanocomposites could be fabricated. In our second method we fabricated thin polymer films using a radical free drop-casting process. Cellulose triacetate (CTA) was chosen as polymer because of its high transparency, hydrophobicity and