Environmental applications of silver nanoparticles: state-of-the-art review and emerging trends

• Soni Prajapati,
• Akash Kumar and
• Ranjana Singh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 697–736, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.49

• pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics [25]. The addition of AgNPs to a matrix may improve their efficiency in removing various contaminants via adsorption mechanisms, which can be ionic or covalent, depending on the nanocomposite surface chemistry [26]. In a study, Ag-decorated reduced graphene oxide was

• safety and the risks associated with environmental applications, in particular regarding the cytotoxicity of Ag+ ions [31]. The mechanisms underlying the toxicity of AgNPs towards various organisms, including humans, must be elucidated to inform risk assessment and mitigation strategies [32]. The AgNPs

• enhancement or quenching mechanisms. A study reported that carbon dot/AgNP-based nanosystems selectively detected Hg2+ ions with a detection limit of 2.22 × 10−8 M via a turn-on mechanism [57]. In addition, the environmental application of AgNPs can be affected by various factors, such as surface composition

Molecular engineering of individual dye-based nanoparticle photostability for ultrabright two-photon fluorescence

• Eleonore Kurek,
• Sasha Cooper,
• Alexandre Clausolles,
• Karen Perronet,
• Jonathan Daniel,
• Mireille Blanchard-Desce and
• François Marquier

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 688–696, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.48

• inorganic nanocrystals [22], remains their limited photostability. Repeated excitation inevitably leads organic molecules to undergo photobleaching, an irreversible process through which they lose their ability to fluoresce. This can occur through various mechanisms, including the cleavage of covalent bonds

Decontamination from water pollutants and pathogens by electrospun nanofibers doped with heavy-atom-free borafluorene-BODIPY photosensitizers

• Angelika Zaszczyńska,
• Paulina H. Marek-Urban,
• Karolina Wrochna,
• Agnieszka E. Kuklewska,
• Kacper Kręgielewski,
• Marta Grodzik,
• Dawid R. Natkowski,
• Jolanta Mierzejewska,
• Ewa Iwanek,
• Agata Blacha-Grzechnik,
• Paweł Sajkiewicz and
• Krzysztof Durka

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 668–682, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.46

• various cytotoxic biologically active compounds flushed to water bodies from the pharmaceutical industry and farms developed resistance mechanisms, becoming more harmful to humans, animals, and cultivations. One promising method for wastewater treatment employs photochemical processes that utilize

afspm: A framework for manufacturer-agnostic automation in scanning probe microscopy

• Nicholas J. Sullivan,
• Julio J. Valdés,
• Kirk H. Bevan and
• Peter Grutter

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 653–667, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.45

• classify the various interfacing mechanisms and show how one may implement translators for each. As we will see, the proposed solutions allow instruction set and programming language differences to be circumvented. The various scripting mechanisms are visualized in Figure 4a–c along with translator

• are also explicited (“[translator]” and “[experiment]”). When a configuration file is loaded on startup, afspm will instantiate a new process for each indicated script and set up their communication mechanisms as defined by the configuration. Note that the communication mechanisms are hidden in this

Two-step laser synthesis of Ag@TiO₂ nanomaterials for the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B

• Marija Kovačević,
• Miloš Tošić,
• Rafaela Radičić,
• Vladimir Rajić,
• Nikša Krstulović,
• Miloš Momčilović and
• Sanja Živković

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 622–634, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.43

• evidence of distinct mechanisms [30]. Similar trends, where particle size and silver loading influence the kinetic model of the reaction, have also been reported for Ag-TiO2 composites in recent studies [16]. Comparation of current research with literature data The photocatalytic efficiency of the

Recent progress in enhancing built-in electric fields of perovskite solar cells via junction engineering

• Tong Xiao and
• Ke Xu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 602–621, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.42

• profile. Thus, clarifying the degradation mechanisms enables the design of suppression strategies that are precisely matched to the spatially coupled nature of graded junctions. 2D/3D heterojunctions Interface stabilization for BEF continuity Unlike homojunctions and graded junctions, 2D/3D heterojunction

• introduce additional internal potential gradients within the material, thereby increasing the driving force for charge carrier separation and transport [87]. They also help mitigate common failure mechanisms such as nonradiative recombination and ion migration. However, the practical impact of polarization

Towards targeted drugs and next generation of nanomedicines

• Anna Salvati,
• Silvia Giordani and
• Wolfgang J. Parak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 598–601, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.41

• size in a "big" human. At the same time, recent findings suggested that nanoparticles may be able to reach tumor tissue also via active mechanisms of uptake and transport across tumor endothelial cells, potentially opening up new ways to reach tumors with drugs [20][21][22]. Next to passive targeting

Probing tribological evolution in atomically thin MoS₂ at different scales

• Xingzhong Zeng and
• Miao Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 586–597, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.40

• load-dependent transition, remaining nearly constant under low loads before increasing with higher loads, and ultimately decreasing at ultrahigh loads. This transition arises from two competing mechanisms: under low loads, the evolution of interfacial contact quality dominates the strengthening effect

• loads. We experimentally determined the sub-nanoscale stick–slip motion and quantified its dependence on load and layer thickness. The corresponding mechanisms were proposed to explain the friction behaviors. This work bridges the gap between MD simulations and experiments, advancing 2D material

• MoS2 under the same load: The interlayer stick–slip events in 4L MoS2 are restricted by the interlayer van der Waals force, leading to a smaller cumulative displacement. Mechanisms underlying the nanoscale and sub-nanoscale stick–slip friction behaviors have been systematically discussed. For the

Impacts of annealing on structural and photophysical properties of zinc phthalocyanine adsorbed on graphene

• Gautier Creutzer,
• Quentin Fernez,
• Nataliya Kalashnyk,
• Zohreh Safarzadeh,
• Lydia Sosa Vargas,
• Céline Fiorini-Debuisschert,
• Nicolas Fabre and
• Fabrice Charra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 576–585, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.39

• particular, ZnPc has been shown to present such 2D phase transitions on various substrates such as TiO2 [32], Au(111) [33][34], InSb [35], or ZnS [36]. These studies have emphasized the diversity of mechanisms involved in the relative stability of 2D phases, including intermolecular versus molecule–substrate

• forces, face-on versus edge-on molecule orientation, and planar-square versus shuttlecock molecule shape. Although the importance of thermal treatment on the interfacial structure of H2Pc [37] and ZnPc [38] on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and graphene has been demonstrated, its mechanisms

Laser–material interactions in liquids for the synthesis of nanomaterials: current status and perspectives

• Carlos Doñate Buendia,
• Bilal Gökce and
• Leonid V. Zhigilei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 571–575, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.38

• photothermal mechanisms [17]. Laser melting in liquids (LML) employs lower pulse intensities to increase particle size [18] and/or modify crystallinity and morphology through melting and resolidification [19]. At moderate laser fluences, close to or even below the melting threshold, irradiation can induce

• the underlying processes, motivating computational and experimental studies focused on the mechanisms governing nanoparticle synthesis. Theoretical and computational studies of LSPC have provided important insights into the emergence of cavitation bubble and nanoparticle formation mechanisms in LAL

• requires input from computational modeling [33][36]. At longer timescales, shadowgraphy offers valuable information on bubble evolution [37], although processes occurring within the bubble remain largely inaccessible and necessitate the use of X-ray probing to elucidate nanoparticle growth mechanisms [38

Electrochemical determination of ciprofloxacin using a MIL-101/reduced graphene oxide-modified electrode

• Nguyen Quang Man,
• Nguyen Ngoc Nghia,
• Nguyen Vinh Phu,
• Vo Thi Khanh Ly,
• Le Lam Son,
• Pham Khac Lieu,
• Le Thi Hong Phong,
• Nguyen Dinh Luyen and
• Dinh Quang Khieu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 541–554, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.35

• electrochemical oxidation of CPR at the modified electrode likely involves a two-electron, two-proton transfer process, aligning with previously reported electrochemical oxidation mechanisms of CPR [31]. The proposed oxidation pathway of CPR is schematically illustrated in Scheme 1. Optimization of DPV parameters

Defects and defect-mediated engineering of two-dimensional materials: challenges and open questions

• Arkady V. Krasheninnikov,
• Matthias Batzill,
• Anouar-Akacha Delenda,
• Marija Drndić,
• Chris Ewels,
• Katharina J. Franke,
• Mahdi Ghorbani-Asl,
• Alexander Holleitner,
• Ado Jorio,
• Ute Kaiser,
• Daria Kieczka,
• Hannu-Pekka Komsa,
• Jani Kotakoski,
• Manuel Längle,
• David Lamprecht,
• Yun Liu,
• Steven G. Louie,
• Janina Maultzsch,
• Thomas Michely,
• Katherine Milton,
• Anna Niggas,
• Hanako Okuno,
• Joshua A. Robinson,
• Marika Schleberger,
• Bruno Schuler,
• Alexander Shluger,
• Kazu Suenaga,
• Kristian S. Thygesen,
• Richard A. Wilhelm,
• E. Harriet Åhlgren and
• Carla Bittencourt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 454–488, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.31

• and the mechanisms of defect formation. This indicates that defects can also be created deliberately during exposure to the electron beam, which can be used for engineering structure and properties of materials with potentially atomic resolution [34][35][36][37]. It should be pointed out that many

• beyond a “trial and error” approach. What are the oxidation mechanisms and kinetics of defective surfaces in 2D materials? Substitutional oxygen defects are present in 2D materials synthesized via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) [51]. This can be a result of oxide precursors, which are frequently used

• ], which can propagate further the formation of larger vacancy clusters. It is expected that the mechanisms of oxidation will be similar for multilayer films and defective monolayers and driven by the effective charges of W atoms exposed by S vacancy clusters. However, changes in the positions of the

Nanocarrier-integrated multilayer films produced by 3D printing for improved skin adhesion and curcumin photostability

• Thayse Viana de Oliveira,
• Ana Paula Farias Leão,
• Júlia Leão,
• Cesar Liberato Petzhold and
• Ruy Carlos Ruver Beck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 440–453, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.30

• as antioxidant activity through reactions with free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibition of lipid peroxidation and DNA damage. These mechanisms contribute to reduced oxidative stress and enhanced wound-healing processes [17]. Consequently, curcumin is currently under investigation

First-principles study on elastic properties of Cu, (Cu_1−x,Ni_x)₃Sn and interfacial mechanical properties of (Cu_1−x,Ni_x)₃Sn/Cu in the lead-free solder joint

• Guomin Hua

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 428–439, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.29

• thermodynamic mechanisms and decrease the reliability of the lead-free solder joints. The results presented in this study will not only unveil the effects of Ni alloying on the interfacial properties of lead-free solder joints, but also will provide a guidance for high-performance lead-free solder design by

• orientation relationship of (001)ε//(111)Cu and [100]ε//[−110]Cu; the underlying mechanisms responsible for the influence of Ni alloying on the work of adhesion and interfacial toughness are demonstrated. Methods In this study, first-principles calculations within the framework of density functional theory

• /Cu increases with increasing Ni content, as the composition changes from Cu3Sn/Cu to (Cu0.8Ni0.2)3Sn/Cu. After further increase of Ni content, the interfacial toughness will decrease to 0.306 MPa·m0.5 for (Cu0.7Ni0.3)3Sn/Cu. In the following, the mechanisms responsible for the effects of Ni alloying

Nanoinformatics: spanning scales, systems and solutions

• Iseult Lynch,
• Diego S. T. Martinez,
• Kunal Roy and
• Georgia Melagraki

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 423–427, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.28

• , preferred orientations, and relative abundance of the specified molecules on the specified material surfaces giving an insight into the mechanisms of bio–nano interaction [4]. Varsou et al. demonstrated a novel approach to evaluate the performance of different models for the same endpoint (zeta potential of

• Roy constructed a quantitative structure–property relationship (QSPR) model with 132 metal oxide (MeOx) nanomaterials to understand the possible mechanisms of cell membrane damage and the role of zeta potential (a proxy for surface charge) in particular. The results showed that zeta potential, along

Biomimetic nanoparticles in cancer photodynamic therapy: a review of targeted delivery systems and therapeutic outcomes

• Valentina I. Gorbacheva,
• Alexey S. Grabovoy,
• Polina S. Marukhina,
• Anastasiia O. Syrocheva and
• Ekaterina P. Kolesova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 396–422, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.27

• nanostructured materials, significantly expanding the range of agents available for PDT applications [18]. The photochemical pathway for ROS generation involves non-radiative relaxation of the excited PS, typically occurring through two primary mechanisms [19]. Type-I reactions involve electron transfer

• and active targeting mechanisms, (iii) controlled and stimuli-responsive release profiles, (iv) overcoming of tumor hypoxia, (v) efficient light conversion, and (vi) the development of multifunctional platforms by combining PDT with other therapeutic modalities [38]. Additionally, nanoparticles enable

• coating thickness, core material, and release mechanisms. Addressing these challenges through standardized production protocols, improved characterization, and enhanced biocompatibility will be critical to advancing BNPs toward clinical application. Biomimetic nanocarriers, designed to replicate structure

Polycatecholamine nanocoatings on stainless steel: the effect on attachment of human fibroblasts and platelets

• Paulina Trzaskowska,
• Ewa Rybak,
• Maciej Trzaskowski,
• Kamil Kopeć,
• Jakub Krzemiński,
• Rafał Podgórski,
• Hatice Genc,
• Mehtap Civelek and
• Iwona Cicha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 365–380, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.25

• fibrinogen, which thereby inhibited platelet adhesion and activation [22][50][52], as observed in our study in the PTYR-coated samples. Conclusion The results of our study indicated that PDA and PTYR coating layers on steel might be formed by slightly different mechanisms, which leads to distinct effects on

Ferroelectric nanodot reservoir for neuromorphic computing

• Anna Razumnaya,
• Yuri Tikhonov,
• Dmitrii Naidenko,
• Léo Boron,
• Valerii Vinokur and
• Igor Lukyanchuk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 352–364, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.24

• architecture and processing mechanisms of the human brain to achieve energy-efficient and adaptive information processing [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Among various neuromorphic approaches, reservoir computing has emerged as a particularly promising paradigm, owing to its conceptual simplicity and hardware amenability

• establish the physical principles and theoretical framework of a charge-driven ferroelectric reservoir based on nanodot ensembles. We delineate the mechanisms that endow the system with nonlinearity, and high dimensionality, linking electrostatic coupling, hysteretic switching, and the resulting frustrated

• engineering compact, energy-efficient, and scalable ferroelectric platforms for neuromorphic information processing. The objectives of this work are to introduce a physically realizable reservoir architecture based on ferroelectric nanodots, to highlight the mechanisms enabling nonlinearity, fading memory

Beam shaping techniques for pulsed laser ablation in liquids: Unlocking tunable control of nanoparticle synthesis in liquids

• Sergio Molina-Prados,
• Nadezhda M. Bulgakova,
• Alexander V. Bulgakov,
• Jesus Lancis,
• Gladys Mínguez Vega and
• Carlos Doñate-Buendia

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 309–342, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.22

• achieved in chemical synthesis using microfluidics-based reactors [14]. PLAL mechanisms and the ablation dynamics can be described starting with the pulsed emission from the laser source [16]. The laser beam travels through the transparent liquid layer, ideally minimising energy losses due to absorption

• synthesis and the underlying optical mechanisms including its influence on ablation efficiency, size control, and colloidal stability. Refractive elements rely on the interaction of light with a transparent material with a different refractive index than air. Standard refractive optics elements such as

• lenses in PLAL can lead to the formation of nanoribbons [140], and this may be attributed to two main mechanisms. First, the initially formed Ag nanospheres could undergo nanowelding under the influence of a line-shaped light sheet produced by cylindrical focusing, leading to chain- or ribbon-like

Calculation of the dynamic stiffness of a cantilever under torsional oscillation

• Keita Nishida,
• Yuuki Yasui and
• Yoshiaki Sugimoto

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 303–308, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.21

• detailed mechanisms remain not fully understood [5]. Non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) is widely employed to investigate non-contact friction through its dissipation channel. Common techniques include pendulum AFM, bimodal AFM, and quartz tuning fork AFM [6][7][8]. Pendulum AFM uses cantilevers

Fast vortex dynamics and relaxation times in NbRe-based heterostructures

• Francesco De Chiara,
• Zahra Makhdoumi Kakhaki,
• Francesco Avitabile,
• Francesco Colangelo,
• Abhishek Kumar,
• Carmine Attanasio and
• Carla Cirillo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 292–302, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.20

• superconducting coherence. This phenomenon, known as flux-flow instability (FFI), depends on several factors such as structural disorder and defects [3], pinning mechanisms [4][5], thermal effects [6], and sample geometry [7]. FFI is effectively described by the Larkin–Ovchinnikov (LO) model [8], which relates

• ]. The enhancement of vortex dynamics and the reduction of τE are strongly linked to the optimization of quasiparticle relaxation mechanisms. Excited quasiparticles can relax primarily through two processes, namely thermal electron–phonon (e–ph) interaction and electron–electron (e–e) recombination [1

• /N [26][27][28][29][30] or S/F [31][32][33][34] systems, different mechanisms can influence the vortex dynamics depending on the thickness and conductivity of the capping layer. In particular, a sufficiently thick metallic overlayer may lead to a damping of vortex motion due to eddy currents induced

Advancing nanolithography: a comprehensive review of materials for local anodic oxidation with AFM

• Matteo Lorenzoni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 275–291, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.19

• the application of a voltage bias between a conductive AFM tip and the sample surface, resulting in localized electrochemical reactions. This section delves into the fundamental principles governing LAO, including its mechanisms, controlling factors, fabrication metrics and advancements in the

• complexities and might reduce dependency on trial-and-error methodologies. For example, numerical simulations can be employed to explore complex reaction mechanisms involved in nanomanufacturing processes at the nanoscale. This approach has recently been used to clarify the anisotropic effects observed during

Durable antimicrobial activity of fabrics functionalized with zeolite ion-exchanged nanomaterials against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli

• Perla Sánchez-López,
• Kendra Ramirez Acosta,
• Sergio Fuentes Moyado,
• Ruben Dario Cadena-Nava and
• Elena Smolentseva

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 262–274, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.18

• nanoparticles act against viruses involves the interaction with the surface of the NPs, leading to adhesion and inactivation, thereby preventing the virion from entering the host cell. NPs release ions or transfer them to microorganisms, inducing oxidative stress. Given these possible mechanisms, viral

• leaves of some plants are water- or dust-repellent, and these repellent properties can be transferred to textiles by modifying the components involved in these mechanisms [24]. Among the physicochemical methods used for fabric functionalization with nanomaterials are coatings, electrospinning, assembling

Micro- and nanoscale effects in biological and bioinspired materials and surfaces

• Thies H. Büscher,
• Rhainer Guillermo Ferreira,
• Manuela Rebora and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 214–217, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.14

• inspiration from biological solutions for technology [3]. By studying multiscale structures and mechanisms in biological systems, biomimetics enables the translation of the fundamental principles into technological solutions for practical uses. In this context, bioinspired nanotechnology plays a vital role in

Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging of contaminant species in chemical vapour deposited graphene on copper

• Barry Brennan,
• Vlad-Petru Veigang-Radulescu,
• Philipp Braeuninger-Weimer,
• Stephan Hofmann and
• Andrew J. Pollard

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 200–213, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.13

• substrate, depending on processing conditions employed and the chemical species present on the surface. This has implications for the gas permeation barrier properties of this material, graphene transfer mechanisms, as well as the effectiveness of using the oxidation of the copper foil as a rapid graphene

• directly under the graphene after post-growth exposure to atmosphere. This could have implications for better understanding transfer mechanisms that rely on oxidation of the Cu substrate [39][40], defect characterisation [41], or the heat dissipation ability of graphene on Cu [42]. Methods CVD graphene

• the same areas of the samples as in Figure 1. ToF-SIMS depth profile images of graphene grown on copper foils utilising different graphene growth mechanisms from the first 50 nm of the sample, for (a) back side oxidation + Ar annealed (BO), (b) Ar:H2 annealed (Ar:H2), (c) electro-polished + Ar:H2