The capillary adhesion technique: a versatile method for determining the liquid adhesion force and sample stiffness

• Daniel Gandyra,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Stanislav Gorb,
• Wilhelm Barthlott and
• Thomas Schimmel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 11–18, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.2

• for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany, Institute of Nanotechnology (INT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.6.2 Abstract We report a novel, practical technique for the concerted, simultaneous determination of both the

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

• pressure difference at vacuum conditions can be ameliorated under water, due to the increasing pressure with water depth. Keywords: adhesion; biofilm; friction; hooks; suction; Introduction Attachment in animals, plants and microorganisms serves a variety of functions: the interconnection of body parts

• interplay with the substrate, and the properties of the substrate also must be taken into account [17]. Common solid substrates in aquatic systems are stones, plants, wood pieces, artificial substrates and even other animals. Stones (Figure 2), artificial substrates and plants have large variation in

Review of nanostructured devices for thermoelectric applications

• Giovanni Pennelli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1268–1284, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.141

• domestic plants for air conditioning or heating. However, with the current state-of-the-art technology, the applications of TEGs are limited because their thermal to electrical conversion efficiency is still quite low. This is mainly due to the limitations of the materials currently available for the

• differences at about room temperature, as for example in cooling/generating systems for domestic plants, a material with = 2.0 can be thought to be a very good one because Z = 7 × 10−3. However, the temperature difference is very small, hence the the expected efficiency will be very low. For these reasons

Insect attachment on crystalline bioinspired wax surfaces formed by alkanes of varying chain lengths

• Elena Gorb,
• Sandro Böhm,
• Nadine Jacky,
• Louis-Philippe Maier,
• Kirstin Dening,
• Sasha Pechook,
• Boaz Pokroy and
• Stanislav Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1031–1041, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.116

• ][7][8]. Due to such an elaborate system, insects are able to attach successfully and move efficiently on a variety of substrates (e.g., [9][10][11]) by using a broad range of physical interactions. In nature, most insect species are associated with plants. During the long period of co-evolution

• between plants and insects, plants have developed surfaces that enable pollinators and symbiotic insects to attach to and walk on, as well as surface structures that reduce insect attachment [11]. The impeding effects of plant surfaces on insect attachment ability depend on the concrete plant–insect

• system and may serve as a defence mechanism against herbivores and nectar robbers or as a mechanism preventing the escape of insects from traps of carnivorous plants and kettle trap flowers. Plant surface features such as particular cell arrangements, shapes, and orientation, as well as the presence of

Molecular biology approaches in bioadhesion research

• Marcelo Rodrigues,
• Birgit Lengerer,
• Thomas Ostermann and
• Peter Ladurner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 983–993, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.112

• containing dsRNA. Another strategy is ingestion, by inducing target organisms to feed on other organisms like bacteria expressing the desirable dsRNA [69][82][83][84], or transgenic plants for feeding insects [85]. Also the combination of methods like the enrichment of natural diets, for example, liver paste

Measuring air layer volumes retained by submerged floating-ferns Salvinia and biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces

• Matthias J. Mayser,
• Holger F. Bohn,
• Meike Reker and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 812–821, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.93

• Matthias J. Mayser Holger F. Bohn Meike Reker Wilhelm Barthlott Microfluidics Lab, GRASP, University of Liege, Chemin des Chevreuils 1, 4000 Liege, Belgium Nees-Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University Bonn, Venusbergweg 22, 53115 Bonn, Germany Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg, University

• of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.5.93 Abstract Some plants and animals feature superhydrophobic surfaces capable of retaining a layer of air when submerged under water. Long-term air retaining surfaces (Salvinia-effect) are of high interest for

• height at the edge is negligible, this should almost equal the trichome height on the plants. Comparing the theoretical values with the values measured on Salvinia leaves shows different results for the different species (Figure 3). All measured values are below the calculated theoretical ones. Most of

Applicability and costs of nanofiltration in combination with photocatalysis for the treatment of dye house effluents

• Wolfgang M. Samhaber and
• Minh Tan Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 476–484, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.55

• usefully adjusted and designed plants range from 1 to 6 US$/m3 treated effluent. Combination concepts will have a good precondition for further development and upscaling, if the NF costs discussed here in detail will be, together with the costs of photocatalysis, economically acceptable. Keywords: dye

• to 270 m3 of wastewater has to be treated prior to the release into the environment [1]. Conventional biological treatment plants are not effective in the removal of colour dye effluents, because of the aromatic structure of the large dye molecules, which provides chemical stability and, thus, also a

• disposal, possibly with a prior on-site storage. The drawbacks of all chemical methods are an additional usage of chemicals, an increased sludge production and often the need to remove additional colour and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Unconventional membrane separation plants with NF filters, in

Large-scale atomistic and quantum-mechanical simulations of a Nafion membrane: Morphology, proton solvation and charge transport

• Pavel V. Komarov,
• Pavel G. Khalatur and
• Alexei R. Khokhlov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 567–587, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.65

• large energy loss [1]. The earliest fuel cells based on proton exchange membrane (PEM), consisting of a copolymer of sulfonated polystyrene and divinylbenzene, served as the power plants for the Gemini space missions in the early 1960s. Now, PEM fuel cells show the greatest, most immediate, and most

• widespread potential applications and are considered as a promising power source for portable devices, home power plants and vehicles. Typically, PEM is a polymer material, which is a key component of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). The polymer membrane provides a conducting medium for transferring

Apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy of sparsely labeled tobacco mosaic viruses and the intermediate filament desmin

• Alexander Harder,
• Mareike Dieding,
• Volker Walhorn,
• Sven Degenhard,
• Andreas Brodehl,
• Christina Wege,
• Hendrik Milting and
• Dario Anselmetti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 510–516, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.60

• assembly buffer (200 mM NaCl, 45 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7) to a desmin solution with a concentration of 0.55g/L and incubated for one hour at 37 °C. TMV particles are isolated from systemically infected Nicotiana tabacum 'Samsun' nn plants according to Gooding and Hebert [35]. A TMV mutant, which presents a

Functionalization of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes

• Eloise Van Hooijdonk,
• Carla Bittencourt,
• Rony Snyders and
• Jean-François Colomer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 129–152, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.14

• also by polymer functionalization. Lau et al. [131] favored a bio-inspired approach to the problem and mimicked designs found in nature. In certain plants such as the lotus leaf, water droplets roll on the surface and remove dust particles; this is a self-cleaning behavior and is called the Lotus

Zeolites as nanoporous, gas-sensitive materials for in situ monitoring of DeNO_x-SCR

• Thomas Simons and
• Ulrich Simon

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 667–673, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.76

• this purpose, the zeolite-mediated DeNOx-SCR (selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3) may serve as a model reaction, and is of great relevance in the after treatment of diesel exhaust gas as well as in NOx-emitting technical plants. It relies on the conversion of NH3 with NO/NO2 and is catalysed

Impact of cell shape in hierarchically structured plant surfaces on the attachment of male Colorado potato beetles (Leptinotarsa decemlineata)

• Bettina Prüm,
• Robin Seidel,
• Holger Florian Bohn and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 57–64, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.7

• interaction; papillae; structure–function relationship; Introduction In plants the cuticle constitutes the outermost layer of the plant body and provides the direct interface to the environment. The cuticle is known to show multifaceted surface structuring and to serve different functions. Besides

• shown to be superhydrophobic and anti-adhesive for water. Other petals showing papillate cells covered with cuticular folds, such as petals of roses, were hydrophobic but of high adhesion for water [10][11]. Hierarchical structuring of different characteristics has also been found in carnivorous plants

• and kettle trap flowers. Plant species from different systematic groups were investigated and classified as to their surface design by Poppinga et al. [12]. Surface structuring, showing anisotropic papillate cells pointing downwards are frequently found in carnivorous plants and kettle trap flowers

Synthesis and catalytic applications of combined zeolitic/mesoporous materials

• Jarian Vernimmen,
• Vera Meynen and
• Pegie Cool

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 785–801, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.87

• stems of plants [119], have been put forward as relatively inexpensive and abundantly available templates. Soft templating route: When synthesizing combined zeolitic/mesoporous materials by the soft templating route, mesopores are formed by using, in most cases, the same surfactants (MOS/POS) as for

The effect of surface anisotropy in the slippery zone of Nepenthes alata pitchers on beetle attachment

• Elena V. Gorb and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 302–310, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.35

• characteristic for carnivorous plants from the genus Nepenthes [1][2]. These traps, using a passive pitfall mechanism for capturing, mainly, invertebrates, consist of several functional zones specialized for prey attraction, capture, retention, digestion, and uptake of nutrients [3][4][5][6]. During the past few

• slenderness ratios can break under the weight of middle-sized or even small-sized insects [38]. These results can also be applied to platelet-shaped crystals in Nepenthes plants. Force measurements on insects running in different directions (upward versus downward) on the intact pitcher surface were performed

• pitcher plant N. alata were harvested from plants grown in the greenhouse of the Botanical Garden at the University of Hohenheim (Stuttgart, Germany) and kept in plastic bags in a refrigerator for the duration of the experiments. Seven-spotted ladybird beetles C. septempunctata were used in traction

Recrystallization of tubules from natural lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) wax on a Au(111) surface

• Sujit Kumar Dora and
• Klaus Wandelt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 261–267, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.30

• leaf surfaces. Experimental The nonacosan-10-ol wax materials, which were extracted with chloroform from lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) leaves, were obtained from the Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants at Bonn University. These wax materials, which were used in all our experiments, are actually a

Hierarchically structured superhydrophobic flowers with low hysteresis of the wild pansy (Viola tricolor) – new design principles for biomimetic materials

• Anna J. Schulte,
• Damian M. Droste,
• Kerstin Koch and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 228–236, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.27

• Anna J. Schulte Damian M. Droste Kerstin Koch Wilhelm Barthlott Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 170, Bonn, Germany Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Landwehr 4, Kleve, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.2.27 Abstract Hierarchically structured flower

• leaves (petals) of many plants are superhydrophobic, but water droplets do not roll-off when the surfaces are tilted. On such surfaces water droplets are in the “Cassie impregnating wetting state”, which is also known as the “petal effect”. By analyzing the petal surfaces of different species, we

• covered with a dense layer of small hydrophobic wax tubules. In plants, surface waxes occur as thin films (two-dimensional waxes) or as wax tubules, platelets, rodlets or other three-dimensional waxes [1][10]. In lotus leaves, air remains trapped below a water droplet and the contact area between the

Moisture harvesting and water transport through specialized micro-structures on the integument of lizards

• Philipp Comanns,
• Christian Effertz,
• Florian Hischen,
• Konrad Staudt,
• Wolfgang Böhme and
• Werner Baumgartner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 204–214, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.24

• system is filled, water is ingested and thus sucked through the capillary system from all over the body, similar to the capillary system in plants where transport takes place via vessels due to evaporation of the water at the leaves which serve as a sink. However, as depicted in Figure 9B the velocity

Functional morphology, biomechanics and biomimetic potential of stem–branch connections in Dracaena reflexa and Freycinetia insignis

• Tom Masselter,
• Sandra Eckert and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 173–185, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.21

• plants is one of the most important assets for developing large arborescent growth forms with complex crowns. While the form and development of branching in gymnosperms and dicotyledonous trees is widely understood, very little is known about branching patterns and the structure of branch–stem-junctions

• determination of the maximal force, stress and strain at rupture as well as the fracture toughness. Functional morphology was correlated with the mechanical behaviour of these plants and compared to data of other dicotyledonous trees. The high energy absorption found in the rupture process of lateral branches

• woody plants is their ability to form branches and canopies. Some of these branches can grow continuously and be as long-lived as the stems. This has always intrigued naturalists and botanists, and therefore, branching in woody plants has been the subject of scientific studies for centuries. These

Superhydrophobicity in perfection: the outstanding properties of the lotus leaf

• Hans J. Ensikat,
• Petra Ditsche-Kuru,
• Christoph Neinhuis and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 152–161, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.19

• become an icon for superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning surfaces, and have led to the concept of the ‘Lotus effect’. Although many other plants have superhydrophobic surfaces with almost similar contact angles, the lotus shows better stability and perfection of its water repellency. Here, we compare the

• with contact angles >150° and their surface morphologies. Many studies, in which the properties of lotus leaves were compared with those of other superhydrophobic plants, have shown the superiority of the upper side of the lotus leaf. A standard tool for the determination of wettability or water

• repellency is the measurement of the static contact angle by the ‘sessile drop’ method. Neinhuis and Barthlott (1997) [7] for example, measured contact angles on the lotus leaf of 162°, which are among the highest of the compared species, but many other (43%) of the tested superhydrophobic plants also showed

Superhydrophobic surfaces of the water bug Notonecta glauca: a model for friction reduction and air retention

• Petra Ditsche-Kuru,
• Erik S. Schneider,
• Jan-Erik Melskotte,
• Martin Brede,
• Alfred Leder and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 137–144, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.17

• Petra Ditsche-Kuru Erik S. Schneider Jan-Erik Melskotte Martin Brede Alfred Leder Wilhelm Barthlott Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 170, Bonn, 53115, Germany Department of Zoology: Functional Morphology and

• Biomechanics, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1–9, Kiel, 24098, Germany Lehrstuhl Strömungsmechanik, Universität Rostock, Albert Einstein Str. 2, Rostock, 18051, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.2.17 Abstract Superhydrophobic surfaces of plants and animals are of great interest for

• the air film on most superhydrophobic surfaces usually lasts no longer than a few days, a few semi-aquatic plants and insects are able to hold an air film over a longer time period. Currently, we found high air film persistence under hydrostatic conditions for the elytra of the backswimmer Notonecta

Biomimetic materials

• Wilhelm Barthlott and
• Kerstin Koch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 135–136, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.16

• Wilhelm Barthlott Kerstin Koch Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 170, 53115 Bonn, Germany Rhine-Waal-University of Applied Sciences, Landwehr 4, 47533 Kleve, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.2.16 Life is a specific characteristic

• of our planet. The diversity of life, biodiversity, is one of the most fascinating phenomena. We know some 1.8 million different species, but all extrapolations show that probably 20 million or more species exist: We know less than 10% of the plants, animals and micro-organisms living on the planet

Biomimetics inspired surfaces for drag reduction and oleophobicity/philicity

• Bharat Bhushan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 66–84, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.9

• , nanodevices, and processes which provide desirable properties. Hierarchical structures with dimensions of features ranging from the macroscale to the nanoscale are extremely common in nature and possess properties of interest. There are a large number of objects including bacteria, plants, land and aquatic

• behavior of oil droplets on various superoleophobic surfaces created in the lab. Keywords: aquatic animals; biomimetics; drag; lotus plants; shark skin; superhydrophobicity; superoleophobicity; Introduction Biologically inspired design, adaptation, or derivation from nature is referred to as ‘biomimetics

• understanding of the functions provided by objects and processes found in nature can guide us to imitate and produce nanomaterials, nanodevices, and processes [2]. There are a large number of objects (bacteria, plants, land and aquatic animals, seashells etc.) with properties of commercial interest. Natural