Soft materials nanoarchitectonics: liquid crystals, polymers, gels, biomaterials, and others

• Katsuhiko Ariga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1025–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.77

• involved the sequential organization of a colloidal suspension comprising polyaniline/polystyrene sulfonate and ZIF-8 MOF nanocrystals coated with polyallylamine hydrochloride (Figure 14). This functional electrode was designed to combine two key elements, that is, high surface area and porosity with

Time-resolved probing of laser-induced nanostructuring processes in liquids

• Maximilian Spellauge,
• David Redka,
• Mianzhen Mo,
• Changyong Song,
• Heinz Paul Huber and
• Anton Plech

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 968–1002, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.74

• Bragg peaks (in wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) geometry) to specifically reconstruct the distribution of crystallinity and lattice strain [74]. In pump–probe configuration, photoinduced strain field oscillations in single Au nanocrystals [75] have been resolved. These studies revealed large-scale NP

Synthesis of biowaste-derived carbon-dot-mediated silver nanoparticles and the evaluation of electrochemical properties for supercapacitor electrodes

• Navya Kumari Tenkayala,
• Chandan Kumar Maity,
• Md Moniruzzaman and
• Subramani Devaraju

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 933–943, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.71

• phase composition could be classified according to the face-centered cubic structure of silver. The XRD spectrum showed that the formed PG-CDs-AgNPs were nanocrystals, as confirmed by the peaks at 2θ ≈ 28.20°, 32.66°, 38.61°, 46.60°, and 57.86°. These Bragg diffraction peaks are equivalent to the (110

• crystalline nature. The ring-like diffraction suggests the (111) plane. The symmetry in the diffraction spots indicates that the spherical particles possess a high degree of crystallinity. Thus, both the SAED pattern and HRTEM image suggest that the synthesized spherical PG-CDs-AgNPs are nanocrystals

Insights into the electronic and atomic structures of cerium oxide-based ultrathin films and nanostructures using high-brilliance light sources

• Paola Luches and
• Federico Boscherini

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 860–871, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.65

• + sites within the probed depth. The authors found evidence for electron polaron formation within 0.7 ps, followed by fast decay within a few picoseconds and remnant effects persisting for longer than 1000 ps. In nanocrystals, the holes were found to have longer lifetimes than in single crystals, and they

Supramolecular hydration structure of graphene-based hydrogels: density functional theory, green chemistry and interface application

• Hon Nhien Le,
• Duy Khanh Nguyen,
• Minh Triet Dang,
• Huyen Trinh Nguyen,
• Thi Bang Tam Dao,
• Trung Do Nguyen,
• Chi Nhan Ha Thuc and
• Van Hieu Le

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 806–822, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.61

• exhibited sharp characteristic peaks of the Zn(OH)2 crystal at 2θ = 20.2°, 20.94°, 25.07°, 27.23°, 27.83°, and 32.97° [40][41][42]. Zinc hydroxide nanocrystals (ZH) were formed on the nanocomposite during the precipitation by alkaline ammonia in the synthesis process (see Methods section). The constituents

Morphology and properties of pyrite nanoparticles obtained by pulsed laser ablation in liquid and thin films for photodetection

• Akshana Parameswaran Sreekala,
• Bindu Krishnan,
• Rene Fabian Cienfuegos Pelaes,
• David Avellaneda Avellaneda,
• Josué Amílcar Aguilar-Martínez and
• Sadasivan Shaji

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 785–805, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.60

• , which demonstrated a detectivity of 1011 Jones. Phase-pure pyrite nanocrystals produced using a hydrothermal polymer-assisted technique had a broad photoresponse in the UV–vis spectral region, with normalized photocurrents as high as 1 to 100 A·cm–2 when a voltage between 0 and 3 V was applied [69]. In

High-temperature epitaxial growth of tantalum nitride thin films on MgO: structural evolution and potential for SQUID applications

• Michelle Cedillo Rosillo,
• Oscar Contreras López,
• Jesús Antonio Díaz,
• Agustín Conde Gallardo and
• Harvi A. Castillo Cuero

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 690–699, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.53

• still present (33.8 atom % O), along with tantalum oxynitride. Shi et al. [16] synthesized TaN nanocrystals and reported that the TaN 4f7/2 XPS peak appears at 23.5 eV. Similarly, Bayer and collaborators [17] identified the TaC 4f7/2 XPS peak at 23.3 eV, and Yang et al. [18] reported a photoemission

TiO₂ immobilized on 2D mordenite: effect of hydrolysis conditions on structural, textural, and optical characteristics of the nanocomposites

• Marina G. Shelyapina,
• Rosario Isidro Yocupicio-Gaxiola,
• Gleb A. Valkovsky and
• Vitalii Petranovskii

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 128–140, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.12

• hierarchical micro- and mesoporosity [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Zeolites with hierarchical porous structures can be synthesized using different strategies [4], for example, aggregation of nanocrystals, use of templates, and creation of mesoporosity by forming pillars between 2D lamellae of zeolites separated by

Comparison of organic and inorganic hole transport layers in double perovskite material-based solar cell

• Deepika K and
• Arjun Singh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 119–127, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.11

• transported to ETL and HTL, respectively, without recombining [7]. Ozturk et al. [8] addressed the role of a passivation agent at grain boundaries and the surface of perovskite films, namely, quinary kesterite nanocrystals Cu2NiSn(S,Se)4 (CNTSSe) obtained through a facile hot-casting method. Through

Various CVD-grown ZnO nanostructures for nanodevices and interdisciplinary applications

• The-Long Phan,
• Le Viet Cuong,
• Vu Dinh Lam and
• Ngoc Toan Dang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1390–1399, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.112

• annealing Zn powder under atmospheric pressure conditions, we collected nanocrystals with various morphologies, including rods, pencils, sheets, combs, tetrapods, and multilegs. Raman scattering study reveals that the samples are monophasic with a hexagonal structure, and fall into the P63mc space group

Direct electron beam writing of silver using a β-diketonate precursor: first insights

• Katja Höflich,
• Krzysztof Maćkosz,
• Chinmai S. Jureddy,
• Aleksei Tsarapkin and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1117–1124, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.90

• rectangles. Electron micrographs of deposition results using (hfac)AgPMe3 in a commercial gas injection system and a field-emission microscope. (a) Pillar with smooth side walls and without noticeable halo, (b) dark-field STEM image of the pillar with silver nanocrystals appearing as bright spots with

Recent updates in applications of nanomedicine for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis

• Damai Ria Setyawati,
• Fransiska Christydira Sekaringtyas,
• Riyona Desvy Pratiwi,
• A’liyatur Rosyidah,
• Rohimmahtunnissa Azhar,
• Nunik Gustini,
• Gita Syahputra,
• Idah Rosidah,
• Etik Mardliyati,
• Tarwadi and
• Sjaikhurrizal El Muttaqien

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1105–1116, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.89

• , inhibition of profibrogenic cytokine and growth factors secretion, and induction of ECM degradation [70]. A summary of liver-targeted delivery systems is shown in Table 1. Passive and active delivery strategies were combined by Luo and co-workers, who prepared silibinin–human serum albumin nanocrystals [71

• ]. The prepared nanocrystals displayed enhanced solubility and in vivo bioavailability of silibinin, which is known for its low solubility and low permeability. The relatively small silibinin nanocrystals (ca. 60 nm) also could passively extravasate through pores of ca. 100 nm diameter in LSECs before

• targeting activated HSCs. The presence of HSA on the surface of the nanocrystals may facilitate active targeting to activated HSCs via secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPRAC)-mediated endocytosis. It was reported that the activated HSCs overexpressed SPRAC, which is known as classic albumin

When nanomedicines meet tropical diseases

• Eder Lilia Romero,
• Katrien Van Bocxlaer and
• Fabio Rocha Formiga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 830–832, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.69

• , Morilla and collaborators presented a critical review on nanomedicines and Chagas disease, highlighting the potential of oral nanocrystals and parenteral nano-immunostimulants to treat this NTD [3]. Moving to leishmaniases, Verçoza et al. evaluated the therapeutic potential of green superparamagnetic iron

Synthesis of silver–palladium Janus nanoparticles using co-sputtering of independent sources: experimental and theorical study

• Maria J. Martínez-Carreón,
• Francisco Solís-Pomar,
• Abel Fundora,
• Claudio D. Gutiérrez-Lazos,
• Sergio Mejía-Rosales,
• Hector N. Fernández-Escamilla,
• Jonathan Guerrero-Sánchez,
• Manuel F. Meléndrez and
• Eduardo Pérez-Tijerina

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 808–816, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.67

• –palladium alloyed nanocrystals are currently materials of high interest in electronics, specifically because they can be used in the building of electrodes for multilayer ceramic capacitors, exhibiting better thermal performance than silver nanocrystals, partly, because Pd has a relatively high critical

• melting temperature and, partly, because the appearance of moisture delays the diffusion of silver atoms. The synthesis of AgPd nanocrystals with sizes ranging from 2.46 to 6.65 nm has been reported for applications in the manufacturing of electronic components [6]. Chu et al. [7] synthesized Pd–Ag

Fabrication of nanocrystal forms of ᴅ-cycloserine and their application for transdermal and enteric drug delivery systems

• Hsuan-Ang Tsai,
• Tsai-Miao Shih,
• Theodore Tsai,
• Jhe-Wei Hu,
• Yi-An Lai,
• Jui-Fu Hsiao and
• Guochuan Emil Tsai

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 465–474, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.42

• warrants further investigation for the development of CNS therapeutics. Nanocrystals play an important role in pharmaceutic design and development. The properties of nanocrystals are remarkably different from their bulk material counterpart, attributed to the large surface-area-to-volume ratio which can

• improve the bioavailability. In this study, for the first time, DCS, a highly water-soluble compound, has formed nanocrystals and this was confirmed by scanning electronic microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. Furthermore, DCS nanocrystals were applied to several formulations to test their stability

• and then to the in vitro Franz diffusion test with reservoir patch formulation as well as in vivo pharmacokinetics study with enteric capsules. We tested these formulations regarding their nanocrystal physical properties, size effect, and dissolution rate, respectively. We found that DCS nanocrystals

Classification and application of metal-based nanoantioxidants in medicine and healthcare

• Nguyen Nhat Nam,
• Nguyen Khoi Song Tran,
• Tan Tai Nguyen,
• Nguyen Ngoc Trai,
• Nguyen Phuong Thuy,
• Hoang Dang Khoa Do,
• Nhu Hoa Thi Tran and
• Kieu The Loan Trinh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 396–415, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.36

• ]. Similarly, GPx-mimicking nanomaterials use two GSH molecules as cofactors to generate redox cycles for H2O2 degradation. In GPx-mimicking V2O5 nanocrystals, H2O2 first binds to the surface of V2O5 converting V=O into V-peroxido intermediates. The V-peroxido intermediates then react with GSH to V−OH

• : (1) nanoliposomes, which are a nanoscale bilayer lipid vesicle [132]; (2) nanocapsules, which consist of an inner aqueous core surrounded by a nontoxic polymeric membrane [133]; (3) solid lipid nanoparticles, which consist of a solid lipid core stabilized by a surfactant [134]; and (4) nanocrystals

Nanomedicines against Chagas disease: a critical review

• Maria Jose Morilla,
• Kajal Ghosal and
• Eder Lilia Romero

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 333–349, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.30

• that structurally simpler formulations with minimal production cost, such as oral nanocrystals and/or parenteral nano-immunostimulants, have the highest chances of making it to the market to treat CD. Nonetheless, substantive political and economic decisions, key to facing technological challenges, are

• still required regarding a realistic use of nanomedicines effective against CD. Keywords: benznidazole; liposomes; nanocrystals; nanomedicines; nanoparticles; Trypanosoma cruzi; Introduction Nanomedicines are used to solve the problems posed by poor solubility and/or permeability and high toxicity of

• the cumulative dose of BNZ would reduce its toxicity without losing effectiveness [48], BNZ has recently been formulated as nanocrystals (NCs). The solubility of BNZ formulated as nanocrystals prepared by nanoprecipitation using the non-ionic surfactant poloxamer 188 as a stabilizer (BNZ-NC) was

CdSe/ZnS quantum dots as a booster in the active layer of distributed ternary organic photovoltaics

• Gabriela Lewińska,
• Piotr Jeleń,
• Zofia Kucia,
• Maciej Sitarz,
• Łukasz Walczak,
• Bartłomiej Szafraniak,
• Jerzy Sanetra and
• Konstanty W. Marszalek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 144–156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.14

• –COOH groups, they can be easily labeled for chemical and biological applications. Low-molecular-weight organic molecules coat highly luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals. Materials and Methods Thin films, the intended active layers, were fabricated using the spin-coating method. The layers were a

Berberine-loaded polylactic acid nanofiber scaffold as a drug delivery system: The relationship between chemical characteristics, drug-release behavior, and antibacterial efficiency

• Le Thi Le,
• Hue Thi Nguyen,
• Liem Thanh Nguyen,
• Huy Quang Tran and
• Thuy Thi Thu Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 71–82, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.7

• , iron oxide, and mesoporous silica nanoparticles) [4]. Additionally, nanocarrier-free systems, such as drug nanocrystals, are also used to improve the delivery of poorly soluble drugs [5][6]. In our previous study, the saturation concentration of BBR in water was 2.0 mg/mL, while BBR nanoparticles

Curcumin-loaded nanostructured systems for treatment of leishmaniasis: a review

• Douglas Dourado,
• Thayse Silva Medeiros,
• Éverton do Nascimento Alencar,
• Edijane Matos Sales and
• Fábio Rocha Formiga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 37–50, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.4

• systems [19], nanoparticles [20], nanoliposomes [21], micelles [22], and nanocrystals [23] have been utilized. These systems can promote (i) protection of the drug against degradation in physiological media, (ii) increase in drug solubility, and (iii) modification/targeting of the drug enabling transport

Nanotechnological approaches in the treatment of schistosomiasis: an overview

• Lucas Carvalho,
• Michelle Sarcinelli and
• Beatriz Patrício

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 13–25, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.2

• used in the future [8]. In another work, Gonzalez et al. [48] increased the dissolution of PZQ by producing nanocrystals through high-pressure homogenization, followed by drying through spray-drying. After that, they resuspended the powder in Oral plus® and Oral Sweet®, which are suspension vehicles

• use known drugs which have its effectivity attested, and aim to increase the dissolution of the drug in vitro [48][94]. Yang et al. [94] verified that PZQ nanocrystals had a more significant dissolution rate than that of the conventional drug due to the particle size and, consequently, it also showed

• nanoparticles, nanostructure lipid carriers, nanoemulsions, nanocrystals, solid lipid nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, noisomes, and others. Percentage of administration routes used in the 65 selected articles. The routes were: oral, subcutaneous, or intramuscular. In some cases, this information was

Dual-heterodyne Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Benjamin Grévin,
• Fatima Husainy,
• Dmitry Aldakov and
• Cyril Aumaître

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1068–1084, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.88

• to this, they are very promising for the use in many applications, such as LEDs, solar cells, and photodetectors. Reducing their size down to the nanoscale by synthesizing colloidal nanocrystals in solution can allow high control over the perovskite crystallinity and access to various morphologies

• . Thus, cubic lead halide perovskite nanocrystals have been widely studied and used for various optoelectronic applications [22][23]. More recently, ultra-thin nanoplatelets or nanosheets (several nm thick and hundreds nm large) with very appealing properties were reported [24]. Due to the 2D quantum

Fragmentation of metal(II) bis(acetylacetonate) complexes induced by slow electrons

• Janina Kopyra and
• Hassan Abdoul-Carime

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 980–987, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.81

• nanocrystals [13][14]. The popularity of these compounds is related to their volatile nature, ease of preparation, and often lower air sensitivity and toxicity in comparison to organometallic compounds containing carbon–metal bonds (e.g., metallocenes). In the context of a potential use of these organometallic

Isolation of cubic Si₃P₄ in the form of nanocrystals

• Polina K. Nikiforova,
• Sergei S. Bubenov,
• Vadim B. Platonov,
• Andrey S. Kumskov,
• Nikolay N. Kononov,
• Tatyana A. Kuznetsova and
• Sergey G. Dorofeev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 971–979, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.80

• calculations; semiconductor nanocrystals; silicon phosphide; Introduction Advancements in electronics and related fields are calling for new ways of synthesizing compounds. Subsequently, recognizing and utilizing the special properties of nanoparticles (NPs) of new materials using emerging methods offers a

Antibody-conjugated nanoparticles for target-specific drug delivery of chemotherapeutics

• Mamta Kumari,
• Amitabha Acharya and
• Praveen Thaggikuppe Krishnamurthy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 912–926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.75

• interaction between surface of the antibody and surface of the NP, which are oppositely charged [40]. This method is widely used for antibody conjugation because it is simple and less time-consuming. Recently, Choi et al. used an adsorption method to coat the surface of docetaxel nanocrystals (DTX-NCs) with