Hymenoptera and biomimetic surfaces: insights and innovations

• Vinicius Marques Lopez,
• Carlo Polidori and
• Rhainer Guillermo Ferreira

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1333–1352, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.107

• with a smaller contact area [128]. In honeybees, these pads function in response to specific drag activities, even without neuromuscular reflexes [129]. This passive mechanism is attributed to the structural characteristics of the soft pads, which work in concert with hierarchical structures supported

Photocatalytic methane oxidation over a TiO₂/SiNWs p–n junction catalyst at room temperature

• Qui Thanh Hoai Ta,
• Luan Minh Nguyen,
• Ngoc Hoi Nguyen,
• Phan Khanh Thinh Nguyen and
• Dai Hai Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1132–1141, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.92

• reactor. Plausible charge transport mechanism Figure 8 shows a schematic mechanism of the photocatalytic activity of the p–n TiO2/SiNWs hierarchical structures. According to previous studies the energy bandgaps of p-Si and n-type TiO2 were assumed to be 1.1 eV and 3.3 eV, respectively [54][55][56

Hierarchically patterned polyurethane microgrooves featuring nanopillars or nanoholes for neurite elongation and alignment

• Lester Uy Vinzons,
• Guo-Chung Dong and
• Shu-Ping Lin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1157–1168, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.96

• nerves are few and far between. Thus, further work is necessary to ascertain the potential of such structures for peripheral nerve regeneration. One of the reasons for the limited work on discrete nanostructures and hierarchical structures may be the expensive or non-versatile techniques for substrate

• ), propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, is also the main constituent of the SU-8 developer, rendering AZ1518 incompatible with the subsequent micropatterning step for the hierarchical structures. Therefore, we replicated the AZ1518 nanoholes unto SU-8 using capillary thermal imprinting and then

• and nanoholes promote neurite elongation in PC12 cells, we combined the nanostructures with microgrooves to determine their potential use in neurite guidance. Following the strategy in our previous work [16], hierarchical structures in the SU-8 master were achieved using a simple UV-LED

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

• colour is produced by the hierarchical micro- and nanostructure of the surface. The reflection of light depends on the angle of incidence. In addition to superhydrophobicity, these results suggest that the scales have another function – their hierarchical structures produce the brilliant white colour

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

• generation of Bi2WO6. It has been observed that the newly generated Bi2WO6 has a greater BET surface area and superior charge transfer kinetics. These properties point to an increase in photocatalytic activity. Other Bi-based hollow hierarchical structures, such as BiVO4, have the potential to be synthesized

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

• °), hydrophobic (90° ≤ θ < 150°), and superhydrophobic (150° ≤ θ < 180°) [27]. Due to its chemical composition, the cuticle is generally a hydrophobic surface. However, plant surfaces show a large variability of cell shapes, surface structures, and hierarchical structures (a combination of micro- and

Morphology-driven gas sensing by fabricated fractals: A review

• Vishal Kamathe and
• Rupali Nagar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1187–1208, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.88

• had minimum influence. Thus, better interaction between NO2 and the sensor surface was achieved. The SnO2 DNWs were estimated to have a fractal dimension of 1.82. In 2017, Zang et al. fabricated SnO2 leaf-like hierarchical structures by hydrothermal synthesis [67]. Figure 7a–f shows SEM images of SnO2

• showed good reproducibility, high stability, and selectivity towards ammonia over other gases. In 2015, Zhao et al. reported dandelion-like NiO hierarchical structures assembled with dendritic elements (ca. 1.8 µm) synthesized via a surfactant-free one-step hydrothermal route [86]. The dandelion-like NiO

• hierarchical structures had an incredibly rough surface and many gaps among them. These structures demonstrated a good response to 100 ppm ethanol with very quick response (2 s) and recovery time (12 s) at 240 °C. The better sensitivity and faster response and recovery times were due to the hierarchical

Solution combustion synthesis of a nanometer-scale Co₃O₄ anode material for Li-ion batteries

• Monika Michalska,
• Huajun Xu,
• Qingmin Shan,
• Shiqiang Zhang,
• Yohan Dall'Agnese,
• Yu Gao,
• Amrita Jain and
• Marcin Krajewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 424–431, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.34

• been established that the electrochemical performance of Co3O4 materials is improved when they possess either small size or appropriate pore size distribution and morphologies, such as porous or hierarchical structures, or the combination of both these features [3][4]. So far, different syntheses have

Out-of-plane surface patterning by subsurface processing of polymer substrates with focused ion beams

• Serguei Chiriaev,
• Luciana Tavares,
• Vadzim Adashkevich,
• Arkadiusz J. Goszczak and
• Horst-Günter Rubahn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1693–1703, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.151

• . Thus, the subsurface processing can be exploited either as an editing tool or as one of the patterning steps in combination with different patterning processes for the fabrication of devices containing complex hierarchical structures composed of both nano- and micropatterns. Owing to the very small ion

Label-free highly sensitive probe detection with novel hierarchical SERS substrates fabricated by nanoindentation and chemical reaction methods

• Jingran Zhang,
• Tianqi Jia,
• Yongda Yan,
• Li Wang,
• Peng Miao,
• Yimin Han,
• Xinming Zhang,
• Guangfeng Shi,
• Yanquan Geng,
• Zhankun Weng,
• Daniel Laipple and
• Zuobin Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2483–2496, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.239

• surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. Recently, in order to obtain a higher enhancement factor at a lower detection limit, hierarchical structures, including nanostructures and nanoparticles, appear to be viable SERS substrate candidates. Here we describe a novel method integrating the

• solution on the Raman intensities of the SERS substrate with hierarchical structures are experimentally studied. The intensity and distribution of the electric field of single and multiple Ag nanoparticles on the surface of a plane and with multiple micro/nanostructures are studied with COMSOL software

• stronger enhancement with three hierarchical structures including those labeled as (6), (9) and (10) as shown in Figure 6b. The “fish scale” structures are formed when the adjacent cavities are overlapped and squeezed. This generates a stronger enhancement for the “fish scale” structures than those in the

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

• ][71], biological investigation [72][73][74][75], and biomedical applications [76][77][78]. As compared with simple self-assembly processes, nanoarchitectonics is advantageous for architecting hierarchical structures and interfacing between materials and devices. In addition, the fabrication of sensor

Biocatalytic oligomerization-induced self-assembly of crystalline cellulose oligomers into nanoribbon networks assisted by organic solvents

• Yuuki Hata,
• Yuka Fukaya,
• Toshiki Sawada,
• Masahito Nishiura and
• Takeshi Serizawa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1778–1788, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.173

• nanoarchitectured crystalline oligosaccharide materials. However, the controlled self-assembly into organized hierarchical structures based on a simple method is still challenging. Herein, we demonstrate that the use of organic solvents as small-molecule additives allows for control of the oligomerization-induced

Hierarchically structured 3D carbon nanotube electrodes for electrocatalytic applications

• Pei Wang,
• Katarzyna Kulp and
• Michael Bron

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1475–1487, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.146

• series resistance to promote electron transfer. CNT–CNT composites have been successfully employed as catalyst supports. Kundu et al. reported that Pt supported on such hierarchical structures showed enhanced surface atomic concentration, indicating an improved Pt dispersion. The oxygen reduction

• the preparation of hierarchically structured CNTs on glassy carbon (GC) based on a sequential CNT growth over electrodeposited Fe nanoparticles via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with cyclohexane as the carbon precursor. Pt electrodeposition onto these hierarchical structures leads to active

• electrocatalysts. The bottom-up synthesis of these nanocomposites was monitored using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy, and it is demonstrated that the hierarchical structures can be tuned with respect to thickness, length, and density of the CNTs. The activity of the Pt-CNT/CNT/GC

Gas sensing properties of individual SnO₂ nanowires and SnO₂ sol–gel nanocomposites

• Alexey V. Shaposhnik,
• Dmitry A. Shaposhnik,
• Sergey Yu. Turishchev,
• Olga A. Chuvenkova,
• Stanislav V. Ryabtsev,
• Alexey A. Vasiliev,
• Xavier Vilanova,
• Francisco Hernandez-Ramirez and
• Joan R. Morante

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1380–1390, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.136

• show high sensitivity [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Hierarchical structures with SnO2 nanowires covered with additional nanoscale objects can be used for the improvement of electrical contacts [11][16][17]. A second direction in nanowire sensor development is the manufacturing of

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

• presence of smectites as a result of the re-stacking of the exfoliated nanosheets has been reported [84]. Due to the variety of hierarchical structures and particle locations (at the external surface or in the interlayer space), the resulting particle size distribution of ZnO NPs can be very wide

Nanoscale optical and structural characterisation of silk

• Meguya Ryu,
• Reo Honda,
• Adrian Cernescu,
• Arturas Vailionis,
• Armandas Balčytis,
• Jitraporn Vongsvivut,
• Jing-Liang Li,
• Denver P. Linklater,
• Elena P. Ivanova,
• Vygantas Mizeikis,
• Mark J. Tobin,
• Junko Morikawa and
• Saulius Juodkazis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 922–929, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.93

• properties of a material are interrelated. By using a wide spectrum of electromagnetic waves from visible light to terahertz radiation, it is possible to gain insights into complex hierarchical structures of composite materials. For materials with strong structural anisotropy, defined by the molecular

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

• strongly absorbing surfaces. Keywords: biomimetics; hierarchical structures; light absorption; light harvesting; light reflection; Introduction The outer epidermal surface of plants, the cuticle, forms the first and crucial boundary to the abiotic environment [1][2]. In most cases, this cuticle is a

Mechanism of silica–lysozyme composite formation unravelled by in situ fast SAXS

• Tomasz M. Stawski,
• Daniela B. van den Heuvel,
• Rogier Besselink,
• Dominique J. Tobler and
• Liane G. Benning

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 182–197, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.17

• of protein-sensitized biomedical devices and sensors [1][2][3][4][5][6]. In a broader perspective, many processes involving the assembly of nanoparticles to higher-level hierarchical structures are known to be directed by small organic molecules and macromolecules [7][8][9][10]. Such fundamental

Ab initio study of adsorption and diffusion of lithium on transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers

• Xiaoli Sun and
• Zhiguo Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2711–2718, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.270

• strategies have been developed to improve the electrochemical properties of MoS2 as an anode for LIBs. Three-dimensional hierarchical structures constructed by assembling two-dimensional MoS2 nanosheets can deliver a capacity of 1009 mAh/g at 500 mA/g after 500 cycles [20]. The formation of composites of

In situ controlled rapid growth of novel high activity TiB₂/(TiB₂–TiN) hierarchical/heterostructured nanocomposites

• Jilin Wang,
• Hejie Liao,
• Yuchun Ji,
• Fei Long,
• Yunle Gu,
• Zhengguang Zou,
• Weimin Wang and
• Zhengyi Fu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2116–2125, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.211

• emission scanning electron microscope (FSEM) images of the as-prepared TiB2/(TiB2–TiN) samples where the endothermic rate is 40%. It is obvious that the samples demonstrated interesting hierarchical structures which were composed of grains and short rods. In detail, these grains revealed particle sizes of

• into a scattering multibranched structure (marked with frame). Moreover, hierarchical structures were well-distributed without agglomeration. The corresponding X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) spectrum (Figure 1c) reveals significant elemental B, Ti, N and O. The existence of O could be

• attributed to the surface hydrolysis and oxidation of the hierarchical structures. Figure 1d displays the typical X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the as-prepared TiB2/(TiB2–TiN) samples where the endothermic rate is 40%. Nine peaks could be assigned to characteristic planes of TiB2 (JCPDF card No.65-1073

Advances and challenges in the field of plasma polymer nanoparticles

• Andrei Choukourov,
• Pavel Pleskunov,
• Daniil Nikitin,
• Valerii Titov,
• Artem Shelemin,
• Mykhailo Vaidulych,
• Anna Kuzminova,
• Pavel Solař,
• Jan Hanuš,
• Jaroslav Kousal,
• Ondřej Kylián,
• Danka Slavínská and
• Hynek Biederman

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2002–2014, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.200

• deposition method and the histogram in Figure 11e confirms the formation of the triple-scale surface. Thus, plasma polymer NPs produced by GAS prove to be very versatile for the design of hierarchical structures, which can be very efficient for fine tuning of optical properties, surface wettability

Collembola cuticles and the three-phase line tension

• Håkon Gundersen,
• Hans Petter Leinaas and
• Christian Thaulow

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1714–1722, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.172

• of and the mechanism behind natural water-repellent surfaces is therefore of great interest beyond the field of biology. Many natural surfaces feature hierarchical structures, which are difficult to reproduce biomimetically. Collembola cuticles feature surface structuring on a single, sub-micrometer

Characterization of ferrite nanoparticles for preparation of biocomposites

• Urszula Klekotka,
• Magdalena Rogowska,
• Dariusz Satuła and
• Beata Kalska-Szostko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1257–1265, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.127

• functionalization of nanoparticles with organic compounds are becoming the most popular due to the wide potential applications of such hierarchical structures. On demand surface characteristics allow further immobilization of proper biological structures [3], and as a result, biocomposites are obtained. Metallic

Preparation of thick silica coatings on carbon fibers with fine-structured silica nanotubes induced by a self-assembly process

• Benjamin Baumgärtner,
• Hendrik Möller,
• Thomas Neumann and
• Dirk Volkmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1145–1155, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.116

• primary building units are arranged to more complex and hierarchical structures depending on a wide range of factors. For the standard conditions, the nanotubes form a silica shell around the carbon fiber with a spatial extent of about 9 µm. The presented coating procedure using LPEI is suitable for the

Formation and shape-control of hierarchical cobalt nanostructures using quaternary ammonium salts in aqueous media

• Ruchi Deshmukh,
• Anurag Mehra and
• Rochish Thaokar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 494–505, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.53

• , in terms of shape, size and color has been observed over 15–20 days for the all samples with controlled exposure to ambient conditions. Magnetic characterization To investigate the effect of microstructure and shape on the magnetic properties, magnetization measurements of various cobalt hierarchical

• structures were carried out at room temperature in an applied magnetic field of 10 kOe. The magnetization plots for interlocked nanoplates, rods and hierarchical plates are shown in Figure 11a; the inset presents enlarged M–H loops. All nanostructures show ferromagnetic behavior. The magnetic properties of