The effect of age on the attachment ability of stick insects (Phasmatodea)

• Marie Grote,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Thies H. Büscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 867–883, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.72

• , adhesive microstructures covering those pads support attachment. Stick insects do not molt again after reaching the imaginal stage; hence, the cuticle of their pads is subject to continuous ageing. This study aims to quantify how attachment ability changes with age in the stick insect Sungaya aeta

• observations in locusts walking on abrasive sandpaper, leading to the formation of scars in older animals. Scars and stiffened cuticle likely conflict with the functionality of soft adhesive pads as the contact formation of the cuticle is hampered by the reduced material compliance. Phasmatodea, also known as

• attachment pads is assumed to result from adaptations towards these plant surfaces [23][29]. Phasmids possess smooth adhesive pads on their tarsomeres, the euplantulae, and one larger pad at the pretarsus, the arolium [30]. Investigations of the specific functionality of both euplantulae and the arolium by

Functional fibrillar interfaces: Biological hair as inspiration across scales

• Guillermo J. Amador,
• Brett Klaassen van Oorschot,
• Caiying Liao,
• Jianing Wu and
• Da Wei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 664–677, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.55

• the fact that, with respect to certain characteristics, organisms are scaled copies of each other [6]. For example, as expected from isometry, the total surface area of a salamander was found to scale with [7], and the same scaling was found for the total area of adhesive pads of animals within the

• providing low adhesion. Such structures are typically found on body parts where contamination is common, such as adhesive pads [40], or where cleanliness is crucial for survival, such as insect wings [41]. Hairs provide more ways to prevent or clean contamination. For a dedicated review on the topic, please

• spider (Argyroneta aquatica), and insects, such as aquatic bugs and beetles, use hydrophobic hairs to trap air and form an air bubble that encompasses their body [49][50]. Insects, such as the green dock beetle (Gastrophysa viridula), trap air between the adhesive fibers on their footpads when walking

Comparative analysis of the ultrastructure and adhesive secretion pathways of different smooth attachment pads of the stick insect Medauroidea extradentata (Phasmatodea)

• Julian Thomas,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Thies H. Büscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 612–630, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.52

• euplantulae. They are both supported by an adhesive secretion delivered into the interspace between the attachment pads and the substrate. In this study, we analysed and compared internal morphology, material composition and ultrastructure, as well as the transportation pathways in both adhesive organs in the

• delineate a potential pathway for adhesive secretions, originating from exocrine epidermal cells and traversing various layers before reaching the surface. Within the attachment pad, the fluid may influence the viscoelastic properties of the pad and control the attachment/detachment process. Understanding

• the material composition of attachment pads and the distribution process of the adhesive secretion can potentially aid in the development of more effective artificial attachment systems. Keywords: adhesion; arolium; biomechanics; euplantulae; friction; functional morphology; tarsal secretion

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

• contamination of insect adhesive pads with three-dimensional epicuticular waxes of different plant species contributes to the reduction of insect attachment. We measured traction forces of tethered Chrysolina fastuosa male beetles having hairy adhesive pads on nine wax-bearing plant surfaces differing in both

• shape and dimensions of the wax structures and examined insect adhesive organs after they have contacted waxy substrates. For comparison, we performed the experiments with the same beetle individuals on a clean glass sample just before (gl1) and immediately after (gl2) the test on a plant surface. The

• 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

Ultrasensitive and ultrastretchable metal crack strain sensor based on helical polydimethylsiloxane

• Shangbi Chen,
• Dewen Liu,
• Weiwei Chen,
• Huajiang Chen,
• Jiawei Li and
• Jinfang Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 270–278, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.25

• ion beam sputtering was obtained from Fuzhou Yingfei Xun Photoelectric Tech Co., Ltd, China; it possessed a density of 19.3 g·cm−3 and a conductivity of 4.52 × 107 S·m−1. Silver conductive adhesive, which was procured from Shenzhen Ausbond Co., LTD. (Guangdong, China), was employed to affix copper

TEM sample preparation of lithographically patterned permalloy nanostructures on silicon nitride membranes

• Joshua Williams,
• Michael I. Faley,
• Joseph Vimal Vas,
• Peng-Han Lu and
• Rafal E. Dunin-Borkowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1–12, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.1

• . Substrate and mask were fixed using Kapton® foil with an adhesive layer. After deposition, the foil can be removed and the mask can be detached. The mask can still be used, but the resulting nanodots will be smaller than those obtained from the previous deposition because the aperture size on the mask is

Exploring internal structures and properties of terpolymer fibers via real-space characterizations

• Michael R. Roenbeck and
• Kenneth E. Strawhecker

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1004–1017, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.83

• extracted from a 65 decitex yarn. Fibers were mounted onto cardstock specimen holders, fixed with adhesive at two points approximately 15 mm apart from one another, and conductively coated with a gold–palladium mixture to mitigate sample drift, for example, due to sample charging effects inside the FIB

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

• bees to seal their hive and protect the colony against pathogens. Since propolis is quite a sticky substance, the authors analysed whether the mandibles of the bees show specific anti-adhesive properties, enabling them to manipulate the propolis. Adhesion experiments with propolis and bee mandibles

• also reflected in the adhesive forces the animals are able to produce on surfaces of varying roughness. These observations make specific predictions about the behavioural ecology of this species in the wild. They also remind us to keep looking at the archetypes and closely related species for further

• properties: an adhesive elastomeric film with mushroom-shaped surface microstructures that mimic the adhesion system of animals. They show that this elastomer foil provides good air retention capabilities and is a promising material for the development of an economically and efficient biomimetic air

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

• adhesive forces to retain particles. In contrast to organisms, which collect particles at the nano- to millimeter scale, most industrial cross-flow filtration systems can capture material only in more limited size ranges, highlighting the necessity to investigate particle retention in biological systems

• numerical simulations, one can integrate an angle to which every seta can rotate toward the mouth, ϕmin. For the first simulations with ϕmin, we excluded the long setae and only simulated the system with short setae (with the optimal configuration, i.e., with soft adhesive tips). The results of this

• system or different food items. It also could serve as an inspiration to develop new filtering techniques with adhesive elements retaining particles on the micro- to millimeter scale. Experimental Specimens studied As a model organism, we chose Centropages hamatus (Crustacea, Copepoda, Calanoida). The

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

• spot was one millimetre in diameter. The illuminated area was calculated based on the microscopy image of the leg (similar to Figure 1f). The mosquito hind leg was fixed using double-sided adhesive tape (Tesa®, Hamburg, Germany) so that the tarsus was parallel to the horizontal plane with the dorsal

Conjugated photothermal materials and structure design for solar steam generation

• Chia-Yang Lin and
• Tsuyoshi Michinobu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 454–466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.36

• : Polyaniline (PANI) has proven to be an efficient water evaporation material because it is inexpensive, easy to synthesize, flexible, chemically stable, light absorbing, and adhesive [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]. PANI cross-linked to hydrophilic soft polymers makes the material as tough and flexible as an

Antimicrobial and mechanical properties of functionalized textile by nanoarchitectured photoinduced Ag@polymer coating

• Jessica Plé,
• Marine Dabert,
• Helene Lecoq,
• Sophie Hellé,
• Lydie Ploux and
• Lavinia Balan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 95–109, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.11

• and varnishes, a scratch test was performed by first creating a grid (1 mm evenly spaced incisions) in the surface of the coating. Then a standard-approved 8.75 N adhesive tape was applied and taken off. Depending on the amount of coating remaining after the scratch test, a value of 0 to 5 is

• KinexusUltra rheometer (Malvern, Great Britain) was used to perform rheometry measurements in dry conditions (25 °C). A plate-plate geometry (20 mm parallel plates) was set up. PEG600DA and Ag@PEG600DA disks of 20 mm in diameter were compressed under 20 N, after being fixed with double-sided adhesive tape on

Gap-directed chemical lift-off lithographic nanoarchitectonics for arbitrary sub-micrometer patterning

• Chang-Ming Wang,
• Hong-Sheng Chan,
• Chia-Li Liao,
• Che-Wei Chang and
• Wei-Ssu Liao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 34–44, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.4

• ) was obtained from the ELGA PURELAB classic system (Taipei, Taiwan). CLL operation processes and bioactive substrates preparation In a manner similar to a previous study [26], silicon substrates with 100 nm thick Au and 5 nm Cr adhesive layers were prepared by thermal evaporation. To prepare a SAM

Frequency-dependent nanomechanical profiling for medical diagnosis

• Santiago D. Solares and
• Alexander X. Cartagena-Rivera

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1483–1489, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.122

• property approximations, for example in the study of arterial degeneration [34][35]. Besides the above frequency-dependent representation, other important measurements can be recorded, such as general topography and morphology, cell or tissue adhesive properties, internal hydrostatic pressure, and surface

Double-layer symmetric gratings with bound states in the continuum for dual-band high-Q optical sensing

• Chaoying Shi,
• Jinhua Hu,
• Xiuhong Liu,
• Junfang Liang,
• Jijun Zhao,
• Haiyan Han and
• Qiaofen Zhu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1408–1417, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.116

• substrate in an adhesive bonding process. Next, another bare SOI chip was bonded to the previously fabricated recipient substrate as a donor substrate, which is spin-coated using SU-8 on both the recipient and donor substrates. The silicon handle of the donor substrate is then removed by mechanical

Dry under water: air retaining properties of large-scale elastomer foils covered with mushroom-shaped surface microstructures

• Matthias Mail,
• Stefan Walheim,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Wilhelm Barthlott,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Lars Heepe

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1370–1379, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.113

• effective large scale production. Meanwhile, a novel biomimetic surface is commercially available and produced on a large scale: an adhesive elastomeric film with mushroom-shaped surface microstructures that mimic the adhesion system of animals. In this study, we show that these films, which have been

• and that the biomimetic elastomer foil is a promising base for the development of an economically and efficient biomimetic air retaining surface for a broad range of technical applications. Keywords: adhesive tape; air layer; air retention; bionics; fouling; gecko tape; mushroom structures; passive

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

• internal and external elements. The vast majority of studies have examined the performance of the adhesive system using adults and engineered materials and substrates (e.g., acrylic glass). Almost nothing is known about how the system changes with body size, nor how these changes would influence the

• ability to adhere to surfaces in nature. Using Tokay geckos (Gekko gecko), we examined the post-hatching scaling of morphology and frictional adhesive performance in animals ranging from 5 to 125 grams in body mass. We quantified setal density, setal length, and toepad area using SEM. This was then used

• to estimate the theoretical maximum adhesive force. We tested performance with 14 live geckos on eight surfaces ranging from extremely smooth (acrylic glass) to relatively rough (100-grit sandpaper). Surfaces were attached to a force transducer, and multiple trials were conducted for each individual

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

• special fingerprint-like surface nanostructure. In this work, we present a theoretical model of the interaction of linear nanofibers with a sinusoidally corrugated surface. This model allows for a prediction of the adhesive interaction and, thus, the design of a suitable surface structure to prevent

• quite significantly from spider silk fibers regarding diameter and material properties (e.g., Young’s modulus). In this work, we present a theoretical model of the interaction of nanofibers with a sinusoidal surface based on an energy approach. This model allows for a prediction of the adhesive

• state B, and Figure 3e,f shows state C. State B only exists in a very narrow parameter window and, thus, can be neglected. We were able to find a solution for the transition from state C, in the following also called the adhesive state, into an anti-adhesive state A, in dependence on only a few

Studies of probe tip materials by atomic force microscopy: a review

• Ke Xu and
• Yuzhe Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1256–1267, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.104

• dropwise to a clean mica flake surface and dried naturally. This experiment used a DNP-10 AFM probe without a tip (Bruker, USA) to prepare the colloidal probe. Then a small amount of epoxy resin adhesive mixed with a 1:1 ratio was glued to the tip of the AFM probe under the high optical field of the AFM

Roll-to-roll fabrication of superhydrophobic pads covered with nanofur for the efficient clean-up of oil spills

• Patrick Weiser,
• Robin Kietz,
• Marc Schneider,
• Matthias Worgull and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1228–1239, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.102

• each (Figure 8b, Figure 9a). After punching fifteen times, every circular nanofur film had about 600 holes. Afterwards two films are loosely connected with adhesive tape. This step simplifies filling the pad with a predetermined amount of oil-absorbing material (see Figure 9b). For the nanopads

Biomimetic chitosan with biocomposite nanomaterials for bone tissue repair and regeneration

• Se-Kwon Kim,
• Sesha Subramanian Murugan,
• Pandurang Appana Dalavi,
• Sebanti Gupta,
• Sukumaran Anil,
• Gi Hun Seong and
• Jayachandran Venkatesan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1051–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.92

• was reproduced from [68], (© 2018 S. Sharmeen et al., published by Elsevier, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). This content is not subject to CC BY 4.0. Adhesive

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

• hypothetically could have developed evolutionary anti-adhesive strategies. The honeybee (Apis mellifera) was identified as an analogue model since it collects and processes propolis, which largely consists of collected tree resin. Propolis is a sticky substance used by bees to seal their hive and protect the

• colony against pathogens. In spite of its stickiness, honeybees are able to handle and manipulate propolis with their mandibles. We wanted to know if beneficial anti-adhesive properties of bee mandibles reduce propolis adhesion. The anatomy of bee mandibles was studied in a (cryo-)scanning electron

• microscope. Adhesion experiments were performed with propolis on bee mandibles to find out if bee mandibles have anti-adhesive properties that enable bees to handle the sticky material. A scale-like pattern was found on the inside of the mandible. Fresh mandibles were covered with a seemingly fluid substance

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

• into small pieces (approx. 0.3 × 0.5 cm) using a scalpel and attached to aluminium SEM sample holders (diameter 2.4 cm, Plano, Wetzlar, Germany) with conductive double-sided adhesive tape (Leit-Tabs, Plano, Wetzlar, Germany). The samples were coated with a thin gold layer (99.9% purity, approx. 8 nm

• recrystallized wax layer on the glass was partially removed with a razor blade. The sample was then attached to a microscope slide with double-sided adhesive tape. The AFM recordings were performed in tapping mode (amplitude: 0.05 V; frequency: 302.9 kHz, line rate: 0.3 Hz, set point: 940 mV) with tapping

Bioselectivity of silk protein-based materials and their bio-inspired applications

• Hendrik Bargel,
• Vanessa T. Trossmann,
• Christoph Sommer and
• Thomas Scheibel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 902–921, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.81

• interactions (e.g., van der Waals forces), and adhesive chemistry of biopolymers (various types of glues) [5]. On the level of tissues, multiple cell types work together to perform complex tasks, based on their hierarchical arrangement governing the exchange of information between different cell types. To

• interactions plays a critical role in many biological processes including embryogenesis, development of neuronal tissue, hemostasis, immune response, and inflammation [9]. The adhesive interactions of cells between each other and with ECM proteins (often of specific molecular nature), have important key

• and adhesion mechanisms of various CAM can be found in dedicated reviews [9][10][12][13]. Cadherins are associated with cell–cell adhesive interactions in solid tissues and are involved in processes such as embryonic development, formation of the epithelial layers of the skin and intestine, and axonal

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

• was attached with AB glue (Epoxy Resin Liquid Adhesive Strong Adhesive, HOU-FC220) to the bracket, which was connected to the force balance (load cell) after adjustment. Flight behavior and body angles of each beetle were ensured to be the same in flight (Figure 1). The selected load cell (LH-SZ-02