Nanoarchitectonics to entrap living cells in silica-based systems: encapsulations with yolk–shell and sepiolite nanomaterials

• Celia Martín-Morales,
• Jorge Fernández-Méndez,
• Pilar Aranda and
• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 522–534, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.43

• microorganisms, that is, cyanobacteria and yeast cells, have been immobilized in silica and silicate-based substrates organized as nanostructured materials. In a first attempt, matrices based on bionanocomposites of chitosan and alginate incorporating sepiolite clay mineral and shaped as films, beads, or foams

• bionanocomposites that display biomimetic and bioinspired characteristics, derived from their biological components (e.g., polysaccharides, proteins, nucleic acids, enzymes and viruses, etc.) and the inorganic network (e.g., silica and silicates, clay minerals and phosphates) [5][6][7][8]. More complex biohybrid

• cyanobacteria and yeast cells. On the one hand, sepiolite clay mineral was used for the immobilization of these microorganisms taking into account that this natural microfibrous Mg silicate presents a wide range of porosity, the ability to generate very viscous stable dispersions, and the capability to form

Molecular nanoarchitectonics: unification of nanotechnology and molecular/materials science

• Katsuhiko Ariga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 434–453, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.35

• . Functional exploration through material accumulation and organization has also been widely conducted. The manipulation of precise molecular alignments and photochemical properties through multiple electrostatic interactions with two-dimensional clay mineral nanosheets has been summarized by Ishida [102]. Yue

Growing up in a rough world: scaling of frictional adhesion and morphology of the Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko)

• Anthony J. Cobos and
• Timothy E. Higham

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1292–1302, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.107

• removed from the specimen and the ventral side was mounted on a glass slide using a clay putty on the dorsal side to secure the digit. A stereoscope with a mounted camera was then used to take images of each toe that were then used to measure toepad area using imageJ (version 1.53q; National Institutes of

Biomimetic chitosan with biocomposite nanomaterials for bone tissue repair and regeneration

• Se-Kwon Kim,
• Sesha Subramanian Murugan,
• Pandurang Appana Dalavi,
• Sebanti Gupta,
• Sukumaran Anil,
• Gi Hun Seong and
• Jayachandran Venkatesan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1051–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.92

• osteogenic properties of the produced biocomposite [89]. Chitosan–zinc oxide nanocomposites Zinc was utilized as a trace element in composites for bone tissue engineering applications since it improves bone density and minimizes bone loss. In this study, montmorillonite clay was modified with chitosan

Micro- and nanotechnology in biomedical engineering for cartilage tissue regeneration in osteoarthritis

• Zahra Nabizadeh,
• Mahmoud Nasrollahzadeh,
• Hamed Daemi,
• Mohamadreza Baghaban Eslaminejad,
• Ali Akbar Shabani,
• Mehdi Dadashpour,
• Majid Mirmohammadkhani and
• Davood Nasrabadi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 363–389, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.31

• carbon, silicon, boron, and halloysite clay sheets and possess unique physicochemical properties. Among nanotube structures, much attention has been paid to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) because of their excellent mechanical and tensile strength properties, thermal and electrical conductivity, and high surface

• , poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) nanocomposites containing BNNTs showed increased mechanical reinforcement, higher adsorption of collagen I protein, excellent cell attachment as well as ECM deposition compared to the PPF control [144]. Halloysite clay, a natural aluminosilicate material, is an

A comprehensive review on electrospun nanohybrid membranes for wastewater treatment

• Senuri Kumarage,
• Imalka Munaweera and
• Nilwala Kottegoda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 137–159, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.10

• incorporation of 1.0 wt % SiO2 rendered optimum water permeability and dye rejection. A 98% dye rejection of DR23 was shown by the optimum nanofiber composite when operated for 20 min under 1711 LMH (under 0.4 bar applied pressure) of high water flux [76]. The same group fabricated a clay-based electrospun

Silver nanoparticles nucleated in NaOH-treated halloysite: a potential antimicrobial material

• Yuri B. Matos,
• Rodrigo S. Romanus,
• Mattheus Torquato,
• Edgar H. de Souza,
• Rodrigo L. Villanova,
• Marlene Soares and
• Emilson R. Viana

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 798–807, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.63

• + ions or growing up to the micrometer scale. Some routes stabilize Ag-NPs by nucleating silver into clay substrates [15][16], such as kaolinite [17][18][19], montmorillonite [18][19][20][21], and halloysite nanotubes [22][23][24]. The advantages are, for instance, preventing particle agglomeration

• , improving dispersability into polymeric matrices, keeping good biocompatibility with the human body, and immobilizing Ag-NPs on a substrate, which provides better interaction with bacteria and is a more eco-friendly way to obtain antimicrobial agents. Halloysite (HNT) is a natural clay, consisting of an

• with NaOH to improve Ag-NP nucleation into the clay substrate. The resulting nanocomposite was evaluated in terms of chemical composition, morphology, and antimicrobial properties, while the nucleation process was characterized in terms of thermal behaviour and structural changes. We also investigated

Adsorptive removal of bulky dye molecules from water with mesoporous polyaniline-derived carbon

• Hyung Jun An,
• Jong Min Park,
• Nazmul Abedin Khan and
• Sung Hwa Jhung

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 597–605, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.47

• because of functional carbon materials (graphene [16] or porous carbon [17]), mesoporous materials [18] and MOFs [19][20][21][22]. For example, MOFs [23][24][25], carbonaceous materials (such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, biochar and activated carbon) [26] and clay [27] have been applied in adsorptive

Nanoarchitectonics: bottom-up creation of functional materials and systems

• Katsuhiko Ariga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 450–452, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.36

• spectroscopy [37], bio-nanocomposites with clay nanoarchitectures for electrochemical devices [38], a biomimetic nanofluidic diode with polymeric carbon nitride nanotubes [39], and a unique Janus-micromotor applied as a luminescence sensor for sensitive TNT detection [40]. The variety of nanoarchitectonics

Review of advanced sensor devices employing nanoarchitectonics concepts

• Katsuhiko Ariga,
• Tatsuyuki Makita,
• Masato Ito,
• Taizo Mori,
• Shun Watanabe and
• Jun Takeya

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2014–2030, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.198

• detection using clay materials intercalated with silacrown ethers, dimethylsila-14-crown-5 and dimethylsila-17-crown-6 [93]. The nanoengineered montmorillonite-based intercalation materials were included in poly(vinyl chloride)-based electrodes for potentiometric sensors towards alkali-metal ions in

Nanoarchitectonics meets cell surface engineering: shape recognition of human cells by halloysite-doped silica cell imprints

• Elvira Rozhina,
• Ilnur Ishmukhametov,
• Svetlana Batasheva,
• Farida Akhatova and
• Rawil Fakhrullin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1818–1825, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.176

• detection of human cells. We used HeLa cells to template silica inorganic shells doped with halloysite clay nanotubes. The shells were destroyed by sonication resulting in the formation of polydisperse hybrid imprints that were used to recognise HeLa cells in liquid media supplemented with yeast. We believe

• developed a nanoarchitectonics-based technology to produce imprints recognising human cells. To do so, we resorted on forming silica-based solid shells and reinforcing these shells with halloysite nanotubes. Halloysite, a naturally occurring biocompatible clay, is a promising candidate for the fabrication

• fillers, drug-delivery vehicles and tissue engineering scaffolds [27]. Halloysite nanotubes derived from various geological deposits differ in their mesoscopic structures [28], allowing to choose the clay nanotubes most suitable for a desired application. The positively charged nanotube lumen can be

Layered double hydroxide/sepiolite hybrid nanoarchitectures for the controlled release of herbicides

• Ediana Paula Rebitski,
• Margarita Darder and
• Pilar Aranda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1679–1690, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.163

• coprecipitation step by assembling magnesium–aluminum layered double hydroxides (MgAl-LDH) and a sepiolite fibrous clay, with the simultaneous encapsulation of the herbicide 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) as the MgAl-LDH retains its ion exchange properties. The synthetic procedure was advantageous in

• materials, and macromolecular systems of DNA and cells [2][3][4][5]. In this context, clay-based nanoarchitectonic materials have been developed over the years, starting from classical pillared clays and porous clay heterostructures (PCH) to more innovative materials involving the assembly of different

• fields [13][14][15]. Sepiolite (Figure 1A) is a natural hydrated magnesium silicate with the ideal formula [Si12O30Mg8(OH,F)4](H2O)4·8H2O [16][17], which exhibits high surface area and adsorption capacity due to the presence of silanol groups on the external surface of the clay fibers. These ≡SiOH groups

Materials nanoarchitectonics at two-dimensional liquid interfaces

• Katsuhiko Ariga,
• Michio Matsumoto,
• Taizo Mori and
• Lok Kumar Shrestha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1559–1587, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.153

• systems fabricated with low-dimensional materials are actively investigated. For example, Lvov and co-workers reported the immobilization of small functional materials such as metal clusters and metal catalysts within one-dimensional halloysite clay nanotubes to make them work under appropriate protection

Multicomponent bionanocomposites based on clay nanoarchitectures for electrochemical devices

• Giulia Lo Dico,
• Bernd Wicklein,
• Lorenzo Lisuzzo,
• Giuseppe Lazzara,
• Pilar Aranda and
• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1303–1315, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.129

• recent years, the “nanoarchitectonics” concept has helped to develop a large variety of materials with new functionalities [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Among them, different types of functional materials based on clay minerals have been also prepared; pillared clays and polymer–clay nanocomposites are the best

• attracting increasing attention in the development of nanoarchitectured materials in applications such as catalysis or biomedicine [8]. The presence of silanol groups at the external surface of the clay fibers allows for the easy assembly with different species facilitating the design and the build up of

• obtain homogeneous dispersions within different polymeric matrices [22][23][24]. Therefore, other and more efficient colloidal stabilizers are needed to fully exploit the potential of HNTs. It has been recently observed that fibrous sepiolite clay mineral of rheological grade (see Experimental section

Photoactive nanoarchitectures based on clays incorporating TiO₂ and ZnO nanoparticles

• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky,
• Pilar Aranda,
• Marwa Akkari,
• Nithima Khaorapapong and
• Makoto Ogawa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1140–1156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.114

• , Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), 555 Moo 1 Payupnai, Wangchan, Rayong 21210, Thailand 10.3762/bjnano.10.114 Abstract Thought as raw materials clay minerals are often disregarded in the development of advanced materials. However, clays of natural and synthetic origin constitute

• dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles with clay minerals to give diverse clay–semiconductor nanoarchitectures are summarized and critically discussed in this review article. The possibility to use clay minerals as starting components showing different morphologies, such as layered, fibrous, or tubular

• transformation and for improved overall reaction efficiency. This article tries also to present new steps towards more sophisticated but efficient and highly selective functional nanoarchitectures incorporating photosensitizer elements for tuning the semiconductor–clay photoactivity. Keywords: clays

Tailoring the stability/aggregation of one-dimensional TiO₂(B)/titanate nanowires using surfactants

• Atiđa Selmani,
• Johannes Lützenkirchen,
• Kristina Kučanda,
• Dario Dabić,
• Engelbert Redel,
• Ida Delač Marion,
• Damir Kralj,
• Darija Domazet Jurašin and
• Maja Dutour Sikirić

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1024–1037, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.103

• different solution and interfacial behavior compared to corresponding conventional monomeric surfactants [32][33][34]. The interaction of gemini surfactants with solid (nano)surfaces such as clay [35], calcium phosphate [36], silica [37][38][39][40], TiO2 [41], ZnO [42] and carbon NTs [43] have been

Topochemical engineering of composite hybrid fibers using layered double hydroxides and abietic acid

• Liji Sobhana,
• Lokesh Kesavan,
• Jan Gustafsson and
• Pedro Fardim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 589–605, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.60

• high melting temperature. These properties can yield improved hydrophobicity and mechanical strength to the fibers. Layered double hydroxides are hydroxylated mixed metal salts (clay minerals) that have unique fascinating three-dimensional structures in which positively and negatively charged ions are

New micro/mesoporous nanocomposite material from low-cost sources for the efficient removal of aromatic and pathogenic pollutants from water

• Emmanuel I. Unuabonah,
• Robert Nöske,
• Jens Weber,
• Christina Günter and
• Andreas Taubert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 119–131, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.11

• Science), Theodor-Körner-Allee 16, 02763 Zittau, Germany Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.10.11 Abstract A new micro/mesoporous hybrid clay nanocomposite prepared from kaolinite clay, Carica papaya seeds, and ZnCl2 via calcination

• matter. The new composite is stable up to 900 °C and is an efficient adsorbent for the removal of a water micropollutant, 4-nitrophenol, and a pathogen, E. coli, from an aqueous medium, suggesting applications in water remediation are feasible. Keywords: 4-nitrophenol; Carica papaya seeds; clay; E. coli

• are reports of the use of clay/carbon materials for the removal of toxic micropollutants from water. In some cases, sugars have been used as starting compounds [17][18], while in other cases, dyes and other organic molecules have been loaded into the clay interlayer and calcined together with the clay

Layered calcium phenylphosphonate: a hybrid material for a new generation of nanofillers

• Kateřina Kopecká,
• Ludvík Beneš,
• Klára Melánová,
• Vítězslav Zima,
• Petr Knotek and
• Kateřina Zetková

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2906–2915, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.269

• to improve their stiffness, melt behavior, mechanical characteristic, durability and other properties of polymer products is a well-known process and has been studied for decades. Platelets of clay minerals are suitable and widespread fillers. In addition, some clays can be exfoliated thanks to their

• structure or by a surface modification [3][4] by grafting organophilic functional groups onto the clay surface, leading to the synthesis of hybrid organic–inorganic materials [5]. Layered metal organophosphonates are a class of materials which exhibit a hybrid character by their nature. They are generally

Review on nanoparticles and nanostructured materials: history, sources, toxicity and regulations

• Jaison Jeevanandam,
• Ahmed Barhoum,
• Yen S. Chan,
• Alain Dufresne and
• Michael K. Danquah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1050–1074, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.98

• the world. In the mid-19th century, a similar technique was used to produce the famous Satsuma glass in Japan. The absorption properties of Cu NPs were helpful in brightening the Satsuma glass with ruby color [30]. Furthermore, clay minerals with a thickness of a few nanometers are the best examples

• of natural NM usage since antiquity. It was reported that even in 5000 BC, clay was used to bleach wools and clothes in Cyprus [31]. In 1857, Michael Faraday reported the synthesis of a colloidal Au NP solution, which is the first scientific description to report NP preparation and initiated the

Photocatalytic and adsorption properties of TiO₂-pillared montmorillonite obtained by hydrothermally activated intercalation of titanium polyhydroxo complexes

• Mikhail F. Butman,
• Nikolay L. Ovchinnikov,
• Nikita S. Karasev,
• Nataliya E. Kochkina,
• Alexander V. Agafonov and
• Alexandr V. Vinogradov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 364–378, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.36

• mineral carriers such as natural clay minerals [2], particularly montmorillonite (MM) [3]. The structure of MM is characterized by a three-layer package (2:1): two layers of silicon–oxygen tetrahedron (T) turned towards each other by their vertices, covering a layer of aluminum hydroxyl octahedra (O) on

• increase in the distance between aluminosilicate layers in the structure of the clay mineral and the emergence of additional micro- and mesopores. The TiO2-pillared MM possesses a highly developed specific surface area and improved sorptive capacity, and exhibits high activity in various photocatalytic

• 100 minutes. The kinetics of dye adsorption on all pillared materials under study is amenable to the pseudo-first order kinetic model. The electrostatic interaction (negative charge of modified clay particles) was found to be related to a high adsorption capacity in removing cationic dyes as compared

High-stress study of bioinspired multifunctional PEDOT:PSS/nanoclay nanocomposites using AFM, SEM and numerical simulation

• Alfredo J. Diaz,
• Hanaul Noh,
• Tobias Meier and
• Santiago D. Solares

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2069–2082, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.207

• the AFM probe diameter. No pressure-induced changes in conductivity were observed in the clay-free polymer either. Keywords: biomimetics; conductive AFM; conductive nanocomposites; contact-resonance force microscopy; multifrequency AFM; transparent coatings; Introduction Bioinspired material designs

• to produce artificial nacre is usually based on a self-assembly process involving clay nanosheets (nanoclays) and polymers. In general, the dispersed polymer-coated nanoclays naturally organize by liquid removal, leading to an organic-inorganic multi-layered assembly, the so-called brick-and-mortar

• 768642, abbreviated as PPSS), a high-conductivity grade polymer, in 1.0 wt % solution in water was used as received. The core/shell nanoplatelets were prepared by slowly adding the nanoclay dispersion to a stirred polymer solution with a 33:67 (clay/polymer) weight ratio, which was further stirred for

Organoclay hybrid materials as precursors of porous ZnO/silica-clay heterostructures for photocatalytic applications

• Marwa Akkari,
• Pilar Aranda,
• Abdessalem Ben Haj Amara and
• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1971–1982, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.188

• Bizerte, University of Carthage, 7021 Zarzouna, Tunisia 10.3762/bjnano.7.188 Abstract In this study, ZnO/SiO2-clay heterostructures were successfully synthesized by a facile two-step process applied to two types of clays: montmorillonite layered silicate and sepiolite microfibrous clay mineral. In the

• ultrasound irradiation to the silica–organoclay hybrid heterostructures dispersed in 2-propanol, and finally, the resulting solids were calcinated to eliminate the organic matter and to produce ZnO nanoparticles (NP) homogeneously assembled to the clay–SiO2 framework. In the case of montmorillonite the

• resulting materials were identified as delaminated clays of ZnO/SiO2-clay composition, whereas for sepiolite, the resulting heterostructure is constituted by the assembling of ZnO NP to the sepiolite–silica substrate only affecting the external surface of the clay. The structural and morphological features

Controlled supramolecular structure of guanosine monophosphate in the interlayer space of layered double hydroxide

• Gyeong-Hyeon Gwak,
• Istvan Kocsis,
• Yves-Marie Legrand,
• Mihail Barboiu and
• Jae-Min Oh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1928–1935, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.184

• nanocomposites [5]. Post-synthetic thermal treatment resulted in polymerization of amino acids in LDH. It was also reported that amino acids such as arginine and glutamate were polymerized via peptidic condensation both on the surface and in the interlayer space of clay [6]. In that literature, peptidic

• condensation of amino acids was determined to favor heteropeptide rather than homopeptide. Besides polymerization of amino acids, it was reported that abiotic oligomerization of RNA nucleotides was catalyzed by montmorillonite clay [7]. In the presence of clay, the length of polymerized RNA oligonucleotides

• was three times longer than without clay. Among biological molecules, guanosine derivatives are known to have various supramolecular assembly routes through intermolecular interactions. For instance, telomere in chromosome consists of stacks of guanosine quartets (G4), in which four guanosines are

Effective intercalation of zein into Na-montmorillonite: role of the protein components and use of the developed biointerfaces

• Ana C. S. Alcântara,
• Margarita Darder,
• Pilar Aranda and
• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1772–1782, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.170

• , intercalate into montmorillonite and other smectite clay minerals, producing biohybrid materials [2]. Montmorillonite is a 2:1 phyllosilicate characterized by a colloidal particle size, high specific surface area and large cation exchange capacity (CEC) around 70–100 milliequivalents/100 g of clay

• intercalation of gelatin into montmorillonite [4], other biohybrids also based on the assembly of smectite clays and proteins (e.g., bovine serum albumin, gelatin, casein or soy) have been vastly studied [5][6][7][8][9][10]. However, protein adsorption on montmorillonite clay can be considered a complex process

• hydrophobic residues may be also a key factor in order to achieve their intercalation in montmorillonite [11][12]. Thus, depending on the type of protein involved, it is possible to obtain different interaction mechanisms between the clay and the biomacromolecule, generating the need to investigate possible