Insect attachment on waxy plant surfaces: the effect of pad contamination by different waxes

• Elena V. Gorb and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 385–395, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.35

• tested insects showed a strong reduction of the maximum traction force on all waxy plant surfaces compared to the reference experiment on glass (gl1). After beetles have walked on waxy plant substrates, their adhesive pads were contaminated with wax material, however, to different extents depending on

• the plant species. The insects demonstrated significantly lower values of both the maximum traction force and the first peak of the traction force and needed significantly longer time to reach the maximum force value in the gl2 test than in the gl1 test. These effects were especially pronounced in

• experimentally supports the contamination hypothesis. Keywords: adhesion; Chrysolina fastuosa; Chrysomelidae; Coleoptera; epicuticular wax projections; tenent setae; traction force; Introduction It has been shown in numerous experimental studies that insects possessing hairy adhesive pads (i.e., specialized

Sulfur nanocomposites with insecticidal effect for the control of Bactericera cockerelli

• Lany S. Araujo-Yépez,
• Juan O. Tigrero-Salas,
• Vicente A. Delgado-Rodríguez,
• Vladimir A. Aguirre-Yela and
• Josué N. Villota-Méndez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1106–1115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.91

• significant income for producers and population [6]. The main problems for producers are pests and diseases that severely affect crops [7]. High densities of insects feeding on potatoes prior to flowering can result in a large number of unmarketable tubers [8]. Additionally, combined infestation with the

• formulations, and reduce the amount of insecticide required for pest control [22]. Nanoparticles are known for their insecticidal properties; they interact with the cell membranes of the insects, causing the denaturation of organelles and enzymes, oxidative stress, and cell death [23][24]. Essential oils are

• potential botanical sources for developing new insecticides [25]. Their active components act against pest species through toxicant and repellent effects, developmental and behavioral alterations, and induction of sterility or infertility of insects [26]. Technologies such as nanoformulations or

Industrial perspectives for personalized microneedles

• Remmi Danae Baker-Sediako,
• Benjamin Richter,
• Matthias Blaicher,
• Michael Thiel and
• Martin Hermatschweiler

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 857–864, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.70

• millennia. For instance, inspiration can come from insects [33][34], especially the approximately 100 species that have developed a preference for human hosts [35]. For example, mosquitos have an approximately 2 mm long proboscis that diverges into six stylets and easily penetrates skin [36][37], and there

Biomimetics on the micro- and nanoscale – The 25th anniversary of the lotus effect

• Matthias Mail,
• Kerstin Koch,
• Thomas Speck,
• William M. Megill and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 850–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.69

• pest insects by reducing the frictional forces experienced when they walk on the leaves. This structure might also provide mechanical stability to the growing plant organs and has an impact on the wettability of the leaves. Using polymer replicas of adaxial leaf surfaces at various scales, the surface

• frictional forces on both, freshly unrolled leaves as well as adult leaves. These results extend the understanding of the mechanisms used by plants to defend themselves against herbivorous insects by changes in the leaf morphology on the macro- and microscale. Li et al. [6], in the paper “Effect of sample

• treatment on the elastic modulus of locust cuticle obtained by nanoindentation”, investigate the mechanical properties of the cuticle that builds the surface of insects and related groups of animals. The cuticle is one of the most abundant, but least studied biological composites. In their study, the

A graphene quantum dots–glassy carbon electrode-based electrochemical sensor for monitoring malathion

• Sanju Tanwar,
• Aditi Sharma and
• Dhirendra Mathur

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 701–710, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.56

• insecticide is malathion, which kills insects such as fleas and ants that attack plants. Malathion has been detected so far using chromatography [4][5], colorimetry [6], and mass spectrometry [7], although these methods are complicated and time-consuming and require expensive equipment with specialized

Suspension feeding in Copepoda (Crustacea) – a numerical model of setae acting in concert

• Alexander E. Filippov,
• Wencke Krings and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 603–615, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.50

• these tips are also rather soft and flexible, similar to attachment hairs in insects showing high adhesion at the tips [58]; for in-depth reviews, see [59][60][61]. In contrast, the tips of the long setae did not emit blue signals. The simulation presented here takes into account the actual physical

The origin of black and white coloration of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

• Manuela Rebora,
• Gianandrea Salerno,
• Silvana Piersanti,
• Alexander Kovalev and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 496–508, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.41

• ; insects; nanostructure; scales; structural white; Introduction Body color (coloration) and light signals (bioluminescence) have a fundamental role in insect inter- and intra-specific visual communication allowing for species recognition, mating, prey capture, and predator avoidance [1]. Insect colours

• used in the species determination [14][15]. Notwithstanding such scales are rather similar to those of butterfly wings [16], the mosquito scale nanostructures have not been deeply investigated so far regarding the structural colours they generate. Structural colours are common in insects [4] and have

• 100 most invasive species in the world being an aggressive day-biting species. It is of high medical importance as a vector of chikungunya virus, dengue virus, and dirofilariasis [18]. Detailed studies regarding the optical properties of the body surface of insects, such as Ae. albopictus can be

Quercetin- and caffeic acid-functionalized chitosan-capped colloidal silver nanoparticles: one-pot synthesis, characterization, and anticancer and antibacterial activities

• Akif Hakan Kurt,
• Elif Berna Olutas,
• Fatma Avcioglu,
• Hamza Karakuş,
• Mehmet Ali Sungur,
• Cansu Kara Oztabag and
• Muhammet Yıldırım

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 362–376, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.31

• as crabs, and shrimps. It is also found in the skeleton of insects and the structure of cell walls of fungi [11][12]. Chitosan, which was defined as an antimicrobial agent for the first time by Allan and Hadwiger, exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity [13][14]. In the last decade, chitosan

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

• and the adhesion energy between a sphere and the surface. More recent studies use the JKR model to determine the role of setal density in adhesion from insects to geckos [5]. Despite many advancements in our understanding of adhesion across organisms, few studies have incorporated ecologically

Laser-processed antiadhesive bionic combs for handling nanofibers inspired by nanostructures on the legs of cribellate spiders

• Sebastian Lifka,
• Kristóf Harsányi,
• Erich Baumgartner,
• Lukas Pichler,
• Dariya Baiko,
• Karsten Wasmuth,
• Johannes Heitz,
• Marco Meyer,
• Anna-Christin Joel,
• Jörn Bonse and
• Werner Baumgartner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1268–1283, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.105

• “construction elements” surrounded by a wool of nanofibers. This wool is used to capture prey, deploying van der Waals forces and additionally embedding the fibers into the viscous waxy layer of the insects’ cuticle [12][13]. One thread typically consists of 5000 to 30000 single fibers with a thickness of 10–30

Interaction between honeybee mandibles and propolis

• Leonie Saccardi,
• Franz Brümmer,
• Jonas Schiebl,
• Oliver Schwarz,
• Alexander Kovalev and
• Stanislav Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 958–974, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.84

• anatomy of bee mandibles were characterized, it was possible to test whether propolis adhesion is indeed reduced on bee mandibles. Therefore, adhesion experiments with propolis were performed on bee mandibles. Materials and Methods Propolis and insects Propolis Raw propolis provided by private beekeeper

• extract [21]. To prevent contamination, propolis was only handled wearing gloves cleaned with ethanol (Rotipuran®, ≥99.8%, p.a., Carl Roth GmbH & Co. KG, Karlsruhe, Germany). Insects Adult worker bees (Apis mellifera) were collected in gardens in Kiel (Germany) in July 2019 and immediately used for

• propolis adhesion on mandibles Insect preparation for adhesion tests After insects for experiments were caught, they were placed and stored in the freezer at −20 °C for a minimum of 15 min and up to many months. The mandibles were prepared as described above (Figure 2). Without further treatment a mandible

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

• phenomena of plant surfaces such as the splash behavior of liquids or the adhesion of insects under laboratory conditions [38][39]. In the past, long-chain hydrocarbons as well as native wax extract were recrytallized to mimic the native leaf structures and their associated properties [21][39][40][41][42

Micro-structures, nanomechanical properties and flight performance of three beetles with different folding ratios

• Jiyu Sun,
• Pengpeng Li,
• Yongwei Yan,
• Fa Song,
• Nuo Xu and
• Zhijun Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 845–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.75

• , lighter, and harder to detect [12][13]. Insects can hover, fly in any direction, turn quickly in the air, and resist interference caused by the external environment, showing strong agility, maneuverability, and stability. This has raised great interest to study the mechanism of the high lift generated by

• insects in flight and to imitate the flight of insects [14][15]. Insect wings play a major role here. Hence, examining their flight parameters is crucially important to design biomimetic FMAVs [16][17]. It is increasingly clear that most insects obtain useful force with the help of aerodynamic mechanisms

• body width was 23.74 ± 1.53 mm, and the body weight was 5.27 ± 0.16 g. All insects were acclimated under standard laboratory conditions (ventilation room, 25 ± 1 °C, 60% ± 5% humidity, 12 h light/dark cycle) and had free access to standard water and food. All procedures were conducted in accordance

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

• . macrophylla Jebb and Cheek, N. mirabilis (Lour.) Druce, and N. rafflesiana Jack [16][17]. The waxy (slippery) zone located inside the pitchers is highly specialized for trapping and retaining of insect prey mainly due to contamination of attachment organs of insects [16], reduction of the real contact area

A nonenzymatic reduced graphene oxide-based nanosensor for parathion

• Sarani Sen,
• Anurag Roy,
• Ambarish Sanyal and
• Parukuttyamma Sujatha Devi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 730–744, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.65

• ; graphene oxide; nonenzymatic approach; parathion; pesticides; square-wave voltammetry; Introduction Crop production is constantly increasing to fulfil the demands of the growing population. The protection of crops against insects is a big challenge for our society. Pesticides have indiscriminately been

Effect of sample treatment on the elastic modulus of locust cuticle obtained by nanoindentation

• Chuchu Li,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Hamed Rajabi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 404–410, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.33

• : biomimetics; cuticle; locust; material properties; mechanical testing; nanoindentation; water content; Introduction Cuticle is a lightweight material that forms the whole exoskeleton of insects, from the flexible intersegmental membrane to the stiff jaws and claws. Cuticle of each insect body part has

• content can significantly influence cuticle properties and, thereby, the obtained results [6][7][8]. Mechanical testing of fresh cuticle samples, in contrast, is not always possible. For example, when insects are not locally available, or when they cannot be kept in a laboratory, insect specimens must be

• controlled temperature (25–30 °C) and humidity (30%–40%), kept under natural day/night light and fed with fresh vegetables. Prior to any experiment, insects were euthanized with CO2. We used only adult individuals, 21 days after imaginal molt. Hind leg tibiae were cut off directly below the femur–tibia joint

Polarity in cuticular ridge development and insect attachment on leaf surfaces of Schismatoglottis calyptrata (Araceae)

• Venkata A. Surapaneni,
• Tobias Aust,
• Thomas Speck and
• Marc Thielen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1326–1338, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.98

• .12.98 Abstract The plant cuticle is a multifunctional barrier that separates the organs of the plant from the surrounding environment. Cuticular ridges are microscale wrinkle-like cuticular protrusions that occur on many flower and leaf surfaces. These microscopic ridges can help against pest insects by

• ridge progression occurs basipetally with a specific inclination to the midrib on Schismatoglottis calyptrata leaves. Using Colorado potato beetles as model species, we performed traction experiments on freshly unrolled and adult leaves and found low walking frictional forces of insects on both of these

• ][6]. The cuticular structures together with the epidermal cell shape and the cuticle chemistry provide the leaf surface with multiple functions [7]. In particular, cuticular ridges on some leaf surfaces have been found to reduce the frictional forces of insects during walking and may increase the

Physical constraints lead to parallel evolution of micro- and nanostructures of animal adhesive pads: a review

• Thies H. Büscher and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 725–743, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.57

• principles of attachment pads with a special focus on insects, describe micro- and nanostructures, surface patterns, origin of different pads and their evolution, discuss the material properties (elasticity, viscoelasticity, adhesion, friction) and basic physical forces contributing to adhesion, show the

• micro- and nanoscales at different phylogenetic levels, focus on insects as the largest animal group on earth, and subsequently zoom into the attachment pads of the stick and leaf insects (Phasmatodea) to explore convergent evolution of attachment pads at even smaller scales. Since convergent events

• terrestrial locomotion. The morphological and ultrastructural backgrounds on the ability of animals to attach to and walk on vertical surfaces and ceilings have been studied in detail in many animal taxa, including insects [1][2][3][4], arachnids [5][6][7][8][9], tree frogs [10][11], arboreal salamanders [12

A review on the biological effects of nanomaterials on silkworm (Bombyx mori)

• Sandra Senyo Fometu,
• Guohua Wu,
• Lin Ma and
• Joan Shine Davids

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 190–202, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.15

• function of cytokines in the immune response of insects using the Bombyx mori silkworm as a model. It was shown that the activation of a paralytic peptide resulted in cellular and humoral immune responses, which contribute to the host defense in the silkworm Bombyx mori [96]. It was also reported that β

Mapping the local dielectric constant of a biological nanostructured system

• Wescley Walison Valeriano,
• Rodrigo Ribeiro Andrade,
• Juan Pablo Vasco,
• Angelo Malachias,
• Bernardo Ruegger Almeida Neves,
• Paulo Sergio Soares Guimarães and
• Wagner Nunes Rodrigues

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 139–150, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.11

• different strategies found in nature, is astonishing [5][6]. Studies of the origin of physical colors in insects are numerous in the literature and the most commonly used tools are non-local optical reflectance, electron microscopy, and scanning probe microscopy techniques, which give support to theoretical

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

• large-scale climate monitoring. Although various living creatures, including bacteria, insects, birds, and sharks, can sense magnetic fields for orientation and navigation, humans are basically insensitive to magnetic fields. The human detection of magnetic fields can be realized using electro-skin-type

Biomimetic synthesis of Ag-coated glasswing butterfly arrays as ultra-sensitive SERS substrates for efficient trace detection of pesticides

• Guochao Shi,
• Mingli Wang,
• Yanying Zhu,
• Yuhong Wang,
• Xiaoya Yan,
• Xin Sun,
• Haijun Xu and
• Wanli Ma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 578–588, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.59

• -effective and time-efficient to apply diatom frustules as a template for SERS-based investigations [22]. Meanwhile, natural wings of insects such as butterfly wing [23], cicada wing [24] and some special shells [25] are also known to comprise periodic and large-scale micro/nanostructures. Notably, a novel

Ultraviolet patterns of flowers revealed in polymer replica – caused by surface architecture

• Anna J. Schulte,
• Matthias Mail,
• Lisa A. Hahn and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 459–466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.45

• are adapted in a close co-evolution. For both the plants and pollinators, the functioning of the visual signaling system is highly relevant for survival. As the frequency range of visual perception in many insects extends into the ultraviolet (UV) region, UV-patterns of plants play an important role

A comparison of tarsal morphology and traction force in the two burying beetles Nicrophorus nepalensis and Nicrophorus vespilloides (Coleoptera, Silphidae)

• Liesa Schnee,
• Benjamin Sampalla,
• Josef K. Müller and
• Oliver Betz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 47–61, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.5

• the genus Nicrophorus have recently awakened the interest of scientists in the field of bioadhesion with regard to their tarsal secretion [2][3]. So far, the measurement of the physical strength and the description of the morphological traits of the attachment devices of various insects in the context

• hairs. The precise way in which the viscosity of the adhesion-mediating tarsal secretion of insects influences friction performance remains the subject of debate. Nevertheless, subtle differences in the hydrocarbon profiles of the tarsal secretion, probably leading to a decreased fluidity in N

• . nepalensis, have recently been proposed as a potential reason for these observed differences, especially on smooth surfaces [3]. Surface roughness is known to affect attachment performance in insects, spiders and geckos [9][10][11][12][13][14], whereby often so-called critical roughness values have been

Biomimetic surface structures in steel fabricated with femtosecond laser pulses: influence of laser rescanning on morphology and wettability

• Camilo Florian Baron,
• Alexandros Mimidis,
• Daniel Puerto,
• Evangelos Skoulas,
• Emmanuel Stratakis,
• Javier Solis and
• Jan Siegel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2802–2812, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.262

• structures show similarities to the skin of certain reptiles and integument of insects. Different irradiation parameters are investigated to produce the desired structures, including laser repetition rate and laser fluence, paying special attention to the influence of the number of times the same area is

• surface morphology. We present experimental results of complex self-organized structures produced in commercial steel that resemble the morphology of the skin of certain reptiles and insects, which are of great interest due to their exceptional fluid transport and friction reduction properties. Surface