Real-time monitoring of calcium carbonate and cationic peptide deposition on carboxylate-SAM using a microfluidic SAW biosensor

• Anna Pohl and
• Ingrid M. Weiss

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1823–1835, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.193

• the interaction of calcium carbonate with standard carboxylate self-assembled monolayer sensor chips. Different fluids, with and without biomolecular components, were investigated. The pH-dependent surface interactions of two bio-inspired cationic peptides, AS8 and ES9, which are similar to an

• desired break-through in terms of elucidating the structure–function relationships in biomineralization. Our possiblities to replicate biominerals, to create sustainable processes and to design bio-inspired new biocompatible materials with sophisticated structures and functions will certainly expand

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

• have been taken trying to reproduce these structures to enhance adhesion and realize bio-inspired systems that could be employed, for example, in industrial material processing or as innovative smart solutions in structural design [8]. For these reasons, the mechanism of adhesion and detachment of

Different endocytotic uptake mechanisms for nanoparticles in epithelial cells and macrophages

• Dagmar A. Kuhn,
• Dimitri Vanhecke,
• Benjamin Michen,
• Fabian Blank,
• Peter Gehr,
• Alke Petri-Fink and
• Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1625–1636, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.174

• . This study was supported by grants of the Deutsche Forschungs Gemeinschaft (DFG, SPP 1313), the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Adolphe Merkle Foundation and by the Swiss National Science Foundation through the National Centre of Competence in Research Bio-Inspired Materials.

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

• 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

• -immobilization [15], facilitating cell adhesion [16], attenuating in vivo toxicity [17], initiating bio-mineralization [18], graphene nano-composites [19], and bio-inspired adhesives [20][21]. In addition to the interface science and engineering, methods to prepare bulk materials such as poly(ethylene glycol

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

• performance on smooth surfaces matching the adhesive strengths obtained with the natural gecko foot-pads. It is possible to improve the already impressive adhesive performance of mushroom-like fibers provided that the underlying adhesion mechanism is understood. Here, the adhesion mechanism of bio-inspired

• β and θ. An analytical model for pull-off stress, which depends on the location of crack initiation as well as on θ and β, is proposed and found to agree with the simulation results. Results obtained in this work provide a geometrical guideline for designing robust bio-inspired dry fibrillar

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

• also by polymer functionalization. Lau et al. [131] favored a bio-inspired approach to the problem and mimicked designs found in nature. In certain plants such as the lotus leaf, water droplets roll on the surface and remove dust particles; this is a self-cleaning behavior and is called the Lotus

Approaches to nanostructure control and functionalizations of polymer@silica hybrid nanograss generated by biomimetic silica mineralization on a self-assembled polyamine layer

• Jian-Jun Yuan and
• Ren-Hua Jin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 760–773, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.84

• . Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies were conducted on a TEM instrument (JEOL JEM-2200FS) operating at 200 kV. The water contact angle (WCA) was measured by using an optical contact angle meter (OCA20, DataPhysics, Germany) with liquid drop of 5 μL. Schematic demonstration of the bio-inspired

Self-organizing bioinspired oligothiophene–oligopeptide hybrids

• Alexey K. Shaytan,
• Eva-Kathrin Schillinger,
• Elena Mena-Osteritz,
• Sylvia Schmid,
• Pavel G. Khalatur,
• Peter Bäuerle and
• Alexei R. Khokhlov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 525–544, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.57

• self-assembly and stimuli-responsive properties, provided by the peptide moieties combined with the semiconducting properties of the thiophene blocks, can result in novel opportunities for the design of advanced smart materials. These bio-inspired molecular hybrids are experimentally shown to form

Biomimetic materials

• Wilhelm Barthlott and
• Kerstin Koch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 135–136, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.16

• layer of our planet down to the surfaces of lotus leaves or Salvinia water ferns. And these are only two out of the 20 million species which all have secrets to be revealed: Biomimetic materials provide innovative solutions for the design of a new generation of bio inspired functional materials. Wilhelm