Miniemulsion copolymerization of (meth)acrylates in the presence of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes for reinforced coating applications

• Bertha T. Pérez-Martínez,
• Lorena Farías-Cepeda,
• Víctor M. Ovando-Medina,
• José M. Asua,
• Lucero Rosales-Marines and
• Radmila Tomovska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1328–1337, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.134

• surfactant on the kinetics of miniemulsion polymerization of butyl acrylate (BA) in the presence of CNTs. Waterborne polymer dispersions are mainly used for coatings and adhesives, which involve the formation of films directly cast from the dispersion, usually at ambient temperature [22][24]. This limits the

Bio-inspired micro-to-nanoporous polymers with tunable stiffness

• Julia Syurik,
• Ruth Schwaiger,
• Prerna Sudera,
• Stephan Weyand,
• Siegbert Johnsen,
• Gabriele Wiegand and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 906–914, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.92

• potential for impact-resistant components [2] and might also be beneficial to other functional surfaces that, for example, require a stiffness gradient. The recent review by Sahay et al. [5] on synthetic dry adhesives postulates that achieving stiffness gradients is one of the most important goals in

• impact-resistant components [2], as an active layer for local softening of the surface of dry adhesives [5] or as a separation membrane for various chemical syntheses [42]. A schematic of the foaming process showing the critical steps to obtain a sample with a controlled gradient of pore size. The pore

Biological and biomimetic materials and surfaces

• Stanislav Gorb and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 403–407, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.42

• with the prey spectra between the taxa studied. This study opens an interesting possibility of combining surface microstructures with adhesive fluids to enhance dynamical performance of the next generation of adhesives. The majority of insects bear adhesive foot pads, which are used in locomotion on

• rheological properties were tested. The authors have clearly demonstrated that by varying their chemical composition, synthetic heterogeneous emulsions can be adjusted to have diverse consistencies and mimic certain rheological and tribological properties of natural tarsal insect adhesives [23]. In one of the

Structural and tribometric characterization of biomimetically inspired synthetic "insect adhesives"

• Matthias W. Speidel,
• Malte Kleemeier,
• Andreas Hartwig,
• Klaus Rischka,
• Angelika Ellermann,
• Rolf Daniels and
• Oliver Betz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 45–63, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.6

• Background: Based on previous chemical analyses of insect tarsal adhesives, we prepared 12 heterogeneous synthetic emulsions mimicking the polar/non-polar principle, analysed their microscopical structure and tested their adhesive, frictional, and rheological properties. Results: The prepared emulsions

• able to mimic certain rheological and tribological properties of natural tarsal insect adhesives. Keywords: adhesion; bionics; emulsion; friction; insects; Introduction During evolution, insects have developed the ability to move vertically and upside-down on various kinds of surface, a feat that has

• adhesive fluids produced by glandular systems underlying the adhesive cuticular structures [2][3][4]. One major function of these liquid adhesives is to wet and maximize the contact area with the substrate by filling its surface irregularities [5][6]. In addition, viscous and capillary forces are conveyed

Prediction of the mechanical properties of zeolite pellets for aerospace molecular decontamination applications

• Guillaume Rioland,
• Patrick Dutournié,
• Delphine Faye,
• T. Jean Daou and
• Joël Patarin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1761–1771, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.169

• decontamination; operating optimums; zeolite pellets; Introduction Molecular contamination is of great concern in aerospace-based applications. Once satellites are in orbit, molecules contained in paints, adhesives or glues can outgas and form films or droplets on the surface of mirrors, lenses, solar cells or

Filling of carbon nanotubes and nanofibres

• Reece D. Gately and
• Marc in het Panhuis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 508–516, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.53

• is in the field of repair (healing) of polymer materials [106]. Traditionally crack healing, which can repair the detrimental effects of mechanical degradation and fatigue in polymer adhesives, was primarily investigated this field. One application of this concept could be in the area of polymer

Increasing throughput of AFM-based single cell adhesion measurements through multisubstrate surfaces

• Miao Yu,
• Nico Strohmeyer,
• Jinghe Wang,
• Daniel J. Müller and
• Jonne Helenius

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 157–166, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.15

• mechanical stress applied or non-existent. (D) To improve the throughput of SCFS experiments, a four-segmented coating mask is used, allowing adhesion force measurements of one cell to different adhesives substrates. Technical details of the PDMS coating mask. (A) For the production of the PDMS masks, an

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

• [19][39]. If a fluid film is present, we have the conditions of wet adhesion. In wet adhesion two other forces contribute considerably to adhesion: (vi) capillary forces, and (vii) viscous forces. The latter is often called Stefan adhesion. A special case of wet adhesion is the secretion of adhesives

• developed. Glue Many organisms use adhesive polymers to glue themselves to a substrate. Biological adhesives can vary widely in structure and capability, be remarkably complex and involve a large range of interactions and components with different functions [40]. The strength of the adhesive bond is

• determined by the biochemical nature of the adhesive secretion [52]. Many adhesives are non-specific and can adhere to many different types of substrates. Many of these glues form strong attachments under water, a process that is complicated by the difficulty in replacing water from the adhesive interface

Equilibrium states and stability of pre-tensioned adhesive tapes

• Carmine Putignano,
• Luciano Afferrante,
• Luigi Mangialardi and
• Giuseppe Carbone

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1725–1731, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.182

• reproducing such properties in artificial bio-mimetic adhesives [1][2][3]. In nature, many adhesive systems consist of arrays of hierarchical hairs or setae, enabling large contact areas and hence high adhesion owing to the van der Waals interaction forces [4]. This morphology enables many insects, spiders

Physical principles of fluid-mediated insect attachment - Shouldn’t insects slip?

• Jan-Henning Dirks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1160–1166, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.127

• [2][3][4][5][6][7]. In recent years more elaborate microscopes and better analytical tools have become available and the interest of biologists and engineers in biological and biomimetic adhesives has increased [8][9][10][11][12][13]. Imaging techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) and

• and smooth surfaces by maximizing the contact area and achieving close contact [27][28]. In contrast to the hairy adhesives, smooth pads of insects increase the contact area by adapting as a whole to the surface roughness (Figure 1F, [29][30][31][32]). Smooth adhesive organs can be found in many

Dry friction of microstructured polymer surfaces inspired by snake skin

• Martina J. Baum,
• Lars Heepe,
• Elena Fadeeva and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1091–1103, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.122

• been previously shown that the attachment ability of insects [62][63][64][65] and geckos [66] is strongly dependent on the surface roughness. Yu et al. [67] demonstrated that surface roughness also strongly affects the performance of gecko-inspired adhesives. All these authors have shown that there is

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

• function of adhesion-related genes can be studied in most organisms. These tools will improve our understanding of the diversity of molecules used for adhesion in different organisms and these findings will help to develop innovative bio-inspired adhesives. Keywords: bioadhesion; differential gene

• ][2][3]. Information on how animals solve problems of adhesion in diverse environments can lead to the development of novel bio-inspired adhesives [4] with major applicability in the fields of surface engineering and biomedicine. Molecular biology is helpful in bioadhesion research with respect to the

• molecular biology such as mussels [5], barnacles [6][7], sandcastle worms [8], starfishes [9], and flatworms [10]. Efforts to develop bio-inspired adhesives are most effective when guided by a detailed understanding of the key features and mechanisms of natural adhesives [11]. Here, we intend to provide a

Direct observation of microcavitation in underwater adhesion of mushroom-shaped adhesive microstructure

• Lars Heepe,
• Alexander E. Kovalev and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 903–909, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.103

• .; Gorb, S. N. Underwater adhesion of mushroom-shaped adhesive microstructure: An air-entrapment effect. In Biological and biomimetic adhesives: Challenges and opportunities; Santos, R.; Aldred, N.; Gorb, S. N.; Flammang, P., Eds.; The Royal Society of Chemistry: Cambridge, U.K., 2013; pp 65–71] rather

• in predominantly liquid environments. Keywords: bio-inspired; biomimetic; cavitation; contact mechanics; gecko; interface; negative pressure; pull-off; surface; tribology; Introduction During the past two decades, bio-inspired microstructured adhesives became a new class of adhesive materials with

• pull-off force aimed at testing the cavitation hypothesis, an effect that have never been experimentally observed in artificial bio-inspired microstructured adhesives. Experimental Experimental setup In the experiments, two individual MSAMSs, denoted by sample 1 and sample 2, were detached from a

Controlling mechanical properties of bio-inspired hydrogels by modulating nano-scale, inter-polymeric junctions

• Seonki Hong,
• Hyukjin Lee and
• Haeshin Lee

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 887–894, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.101

• Womans University, Seoul 120–750, South Korea 10.3762/bjnano.5.101 Abstract Quinone tanning is a well-characterized biochemical process found in invertebrates, which produce diverse materials from extremely hard tissues to soft water-resistant adhesives. Herein, we report new types of catecholamine PEG

• properties of bulk hydrogels. Keywords: catechols; hydrogels; poly(ethylene glycol)s; quinone tanning; Introduction Water-resistant adhesives secreted by marine mussels, stiff cuticles synthesized by insects, and sharp beaks found in squids appear to be drastically different biomaterials (Figure 1a–c) [1

• ][2][3][4][5][6]. Not only their mechanical properties, but also their biological functions are distinct: The adhesives anchor mussels in place for survival and colonization, the cuticles securely protect insects from predators, pathogens, and environmental stresses, and the beaks act as a non

The optimal shape of elastomer mushroom-like fibers for high and robust adhesion

• Burak Aksak,
• Korhan Sahin and
• Metin Sitti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 630–638, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.74

• adhesives. Keywords: gecko; mushroom-like fibers; adhesion; Introduction We need to look no further than nature to find inspiration for many of the technologies we work on today. One such field that observations on natural systems have impacted significantly in the recent years is adhesive technologies

• . While conventional adhesives rely on very soft materials or viscous liquids, nature offers a unique system composed of adhesive elements made of relatively rigid materials. These adhesive elements are comprised of millions of tiny fibers varying in size and geometrical complexity depending on the animal

• the adhesion contribution of every fiber in contact is capable of generating adhesive strengths up to 100 kPa [9] as observed for the gecko lizard. A great deal of research has been performed to analyze the structure of natural fibrillar adhesives and measure their performance [2][3][6][8][9][10][11

Hairy suckers: the surface microstructure and its possible functional significance in the Octopus vulgaris sucker

• Francesca Tramacere,
• Esther Appel,
• Barbara Mazzolai and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 561–565, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.66

• supported by a grant from COST Action TD0906 “Biological Adhesives: from Biology to Biomimetics” (COST-STSM-TD0906-11884).

Fullerenes as adhesive layers for mechanical peeling of metallic, molecular and polymer thin films

• Maria B. Wieland,
• Anna G. Slater,
• Barry Mangham,
• Neil R. Champness and
• Peter H. Beton

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 394–401, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.46

• conventional adhesives and, in addition, have unknown solubilities in solvents which might be used to remove the adhesive layers in subsequent process steps. Furthermore, the application of adhesive layers is not easily compatible with the controlled environments, such as ultra-high vacuum, under which many on

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

• demonstration of writing, using patterned aligned nanotubes (Figure 4) [63]. An interesting example of patterned aligned carbon nanotubes is the engineering of gecko-foot-mimetic dry adhesives. Patterning is employed to effectively reproduce the setae of gecko composed of many lobes, aimed at obtaining the