Recent advances in photothermal nanomaterials for ophthalmic applications

• Jiayuan Zhuang,
• Linhui Jia,
• Chenghao Li,
• Rui Yang,
• Jiapeng Wang,
• Wen-an Wang,
• Heng Zhou and
• Xiangxia Luo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 195–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.16

• adjacent healthy cells [109]. After eliminating tumor cells, small gold nanorods can penetrate the blood–brain barrier and be effectively excreted from the body through renal excretion, thereby avoiding the production of VNBs near non-cancerous cells. 3.2 Posterior capsule opacity after cataract surgery

• PAI contrast agents [195][196]. Gold nanorods [197], gold nanostars [198], hollow gold nanocages [199], chains of gold nanoparticles [200], and ultraminiature chain-like gold nanoparticle clusters [201] have been used for the detection of ocular structures such as retinal blood vessels, choroidal

Probing the potential of rare earth elements in the development of new anticancer drugs: single molecule studies

• Josiane A. D. Batista,
• Rayane M. de Oliveira,
• Carlos H. M. Lima,
• Milton L. Lana Júnior,
• Virgílio C. dos Anjos,
• Maria J. V. Bell and
• Márcio S. Rocha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 187–194, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.15

• fact that some metals have been successfully used, or are being investigated, as components of chemotherapeutic drugs [9][10], especially platinum [11][12][13][14][15][16] or, alternatively, ruthenium [17], titanium [18], gold, and copper. Here we report the high potential of three rare earth elements

Nanocarriers and macrophage interaction: from a potential hurdle to an alternative therapeutic strategy

• Naths Grazia Sukubo,
• Paolo Bigini and
• Annalisa Morelli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 97–118, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.10

• such as iron and gold [4][5]. Each material is chosen for its unique properties, such as size, hydrophilicity, and charge, that make it suitable for acting as a drug carrier. NCs can be functionalized on their surface to improve the stability and solubility of high-payload encapsulated cargos, promote

• normal liver tissue [98]. This targeted approach allows for the selective delivery of therapeutic agents to cancer cells, sparing healthy cells and reducing systemic toxicity. For example, gold NPs functionalized with antibodies against GPC3 have been used in photothermal therapy to selectively kill

• ultrastructural changes in macrophages, providing nanoscale insights into inflammation. The efficiency of gold NP (AuNP)-loaded macrophages as a targeted delivery system was tested in an ovalbumin-induced asthma mouse model. Findings showed significant macrophage–NP interactions, highlighting the potential of

Advanced atomic force microscopy techniques V

• Philipp Rahe,
• Ilko Bald,
• Nadine Hauptmann,
• Regina Hoffmann-Vogel,
• Harry Mönig and
• Michael Reichling

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 54–56, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.6

• carry out a more detailed characterization of the optoelectronic properties. Rothhardt et al. map the local work function on graphene nanoribbons [7]. They experimentally investigate the charge transfer between a gold substrate and graphene nanoribbons and compare that to DFT calculations. Indeed, the

Precursor sticking coefficient determination from indented deposits fabricated by electron beam induced deposition

• Alexander Kuprava and
• Michael Huth

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 35–43, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.4

• growth regime has to be assessed. Using the parameters reported in [10][11], an estimation of the secondary electron (SE) surface flux of 5.4 × 105 nm−2·s−1 at the BIR center with a 1400 nm wide beam at 5 keV and 400 nA on a gold-covered substrate and precursor flux estimation of 1900 nm−2·s−1, the

Orientation-dependent photonic bandgaps in gold-dust weevil scales and their titania bioreplicates

• Norma Salvadores Farran,
• Limin Wang,
• Primoz Pirih and
• Bodo D. Wilts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1–10, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.1

• 10.3762/bjnano.16.1 Abstract The scales of the gold-dust weevil Hypomeces squamosus are green because of three-dimensional diamond-type chitin–air photonic crystals with an average periodicity of about 430 nm and a chitin fill fraction of about 0.44. A single scale usually contains one to three

• complex biological structures and obtaining photonic crystals with desired optical properties [23][24]. In this work, we characterized natural photonic crystals found in the scales of the gold-dust weevil, Hypomeces squamosus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae; Herbst 1795), a pest of several crops [25][26][27

• orientations, we obtained a uniform diffuse green scatterogram, confirming the mechanism producing the dull, unsaturated overall coloration found on the gold-dust weevil and several other weevils [19][21][28]. Subsequently, using plasma etching, we removed the scale cortex and made negative titania replicas of

Attempts to preserve and visualize protein corona on the surface of biological nanoparticles in blood serum using photomodification

• Julia E. Poletaeva,
• Anastasiya V. Tupitsyna,
• Alina E. Grigor’eva,
• Ilya S. Dovydenko and
• Elena I. Ryabchikova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1654–1666, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.130

• regarding the presence of a protein corona in TEM. Isolation of bio-NPs using ultracentrifugation UC is still a gold standard for the isolation of EVs from biological fluids [11][25], and we started the isolation of corona-bearing bio-NPs using this method (Figure 2d1). The same procedure was used to

Biomimetic nanocarriers: integrating natural functions for advanced therapeutic applications

• Hugo Felix Perini,
• Beatriz Sodré Matos,
• Carlo José Freire de Oliveira and
• Marcos Vinicius da Silva

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1619–1626, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.127

• nanotechnology, introduced by Richard Feynman in 1959 during an American Physical Society meeting [1][2], involves the manipulation of matter at the atomic level. The term "nanometer" was initially proposed by Richard Zsigmondy in the context of measuring gold colloids. Nanotechnology is generally defined as the

• neuronal mitochondria, as evidenced by fluorescence intensities identified in brain homogenates, and reduced Aβ1 deposition, demonstrating the ability of the nanocomposite to cross the BBB [71]. Inorganic nanoparticles exhibit unique optical, magnetic, and chemical properties and stability. Gold

Facile synthesis of size-tunable L-carnosine-capped silver nanoparticles and their role in metal ion sensing and catalytic degradation of p-nitrophenol

• Akash Kumar,
• Ridhima Chadha,
• Abhishek Das,
• Nandita Maiti and
• Rayavarapu Raja Gopal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1576–1592, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.124

• al., where different shapes of gold nanoparticles had varying efficiencies in the catalytic degradation of nitrophenol compounds, with spherical nanoparticles being highly effective [48]. Kinetic analysis was performed based on pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics for the concentration of 0.25 mM P

Ultrablack color in velvet ant cuticle

• Vinicius Marques Lopez,
• Wencke Krings,
• Juliana Reis Machado,
• Stanislav Gorb and
• Rhainer Guillermo-Ferreira

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1554–1565, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.122

• characteristics of cuticle cross sections, we prepared the samples by sectioning, allowing for the visualization of the underlying structures. Prior to SEM imaging, a thin layer of gold–palladium, 10 nm thick, was applied to the samples. We utilized a Hitachi S-4800 SEM, operating at 3 kV. Images were captured at

Effect of radiation-induced vacancy saturation on the first-order phase transformation in nanoparticles: insights from a model

• Aram Shirinyan and
• Yuriy Bilogorodskyy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1453–1472, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.117

• film through in situ ion irradiation, observed using atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy [16]. The gold sample was irradiated with 2.8 MeV Au4+ ions at 200 °C with a fluence of approximately 1014 ions·cm−2 (equivalent to a dose of 10 dpa). A combination of surface- and radiation-induced

A biomimetic approach towards a universal slippery liquid infused surface coating

• Ryan A. Faase,
• Madeleine H. Hummel,
• AnneMarie V. Hasbrook,
• Andrew P. Carpenter and
• Joe E. Baio

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1376–1389, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.111

• Microscopy Sciences). Samples were sputter-coated with gold/palladium (Cressington 108A) and imaged on a scanning electron microscope (SEM) (FEI Quanta 600F). ImageJ was used to measure fiber diameter and clot density. Clot density was determined by drawing a line through the image and counting the number of

Green synthesis of carbon dot structures from Rheum Ribes and Schottky diode fabrication

• Muhammed Taha Durmus and
• Ebru Bozkurt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1369–1375, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.110

• steady-state fluorescence measurements. In the second part of the study, CDs were dripped onto silicon substrates, and a CDs thin film was formed by evaporation. A diode structure was obtained by evaporating gold with the shadow mask technique on the CDs film, and the current–voltage characteristics of

• dried to synthesize CDs. Acetone, methanol, silicon, gold powder, and aluminum were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich, Merck, and Alfa Aesar. All studies were carried out at room temperature. Instruments Various devices were used for the structural, morphological, and optical characterization of the CDs. FEI

• and diluted with 5 mL of pure water; 100 μL of this solution was dripped onto the silicon substrate and evaporated at room temperature. In the last stage, the diode structure was obtained by evaporating gold onto the created CDs film using the shadow mask technique (Figure 1). The size of the diode

Investigation of Hf/Ti bilayers for the development of transition-edge sensor microcalorimeters

• Victoria Y. Safonova,
• Anna V. Gordeeva,
• Anton V. Blagodatkin,
• Dmitry A. Pimanov,
• Anton A. Yablokov and
• Andrey L. Pankratov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1353–1361, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.108

• temperature to the required values because of the proximity effect. One of the most common pairs is titanium with gold [1][8]. Moreover, there are at least two materials that in pure form already possess TC close to the required value, iridium with a critical temperature of 112 mK [9] and hafnium with one of

• in different transition temperatures at heating and cooling. The presumed reason is the heating of the film sample C1 through the measuring pogo pin contacts made of gold-coated brass and the contact resistance between the contacts and the film. Samples A1–A4 and B1 were measured through the same

Nanoarchitectonics with cetrimonium bromide on metal nanoparticles for linker-free detection of toxic metal ions and catalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol

• Akash Kumar and
• Raja Gopal Rayavarapu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1312–1332, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.106

• metals and efficient degradation of 4-NP. For enabling linker-free/ligand-free detection of heavy metal ions and catalytic degradation of 4-NP, CTAB was engineered as a versatile capping agent on gold and silver nanoparticles. Various factors, including nanoparticle characteristics such as shape, size

• degrading 94.37% of 4-NP within 1 min. In contrast, silver nanospheres effectively detected Hg2+, Cu2+, and Fe3+ at concentrations as low as 1 ppm and degraded 90.78% of 4-NP within 30 min. Moreover, anisotropic gold nanorods (CTAB-AuNR1 and CTAB-AuNR2) showed promising sensing capabilities towards Cu2

• protection. Keywords: catalysis; CTAB; heavy metal; nanoparticles; 4-nitrophenol; sensing; Introduction Metal nanoparticles are widely used for a great number of applications owing to their excellent optochemical properties and high surface-to-volume ratio in comparison to bulk materials. Noble metal (gold

Functional morphology of cleaning devices in the damselfly Ischnura elegans (Odonata, Coenagrionidae)

• Silvana Piersanti,
• Gianandrea Salerno,
• Wencke Krings,
• Stanislav Gorb and
• Manuela Rebora

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1260–1272, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.102

• on the grooming structures. The specimens were deposited on aluminum stubs using double-sided adhesive tape. Before the analysis, the samples were sputter-coated with a thin layer of gold (8 nm) using a Q150 T ES (Quorum, Laughton, UK) for 30 s. The samples were then analyzed in a field-emission

Enhanced catalytic reduction through in situ synthesized gold nanoparticles embedded in glucosamine/alginate nanocomposites

• Chi-Hien Dang,
• Le-Kim-Thuy Nguyen,
• Minh-Trong Tran,
• Van-Dung Le,
• Nguyen Minh Ty,
• T. Ngoc Han Pham,
• Hieu Vu-Quang,
• Tran Thi Kim Chi,
• Tran Thi Huong Giang,
• Nguyen Thi Thanh Tu and
• Thanh-Danh Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1227–1237, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.99

• synthesizing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) within a glucosamine/alginate (GluN/Alg) nanocomposite via an ionotropic gelation mechanism in aqueous environment. The resulting nanocomposite, AuNPs@GluN/Alg, underwent thorough characterization using UV–vis, EDX, FTIR, SEM, TEM, SAED, and XRD analyses. The spherical

• nanocomposite as a versatile catalyst with promising applications across various industrial sectors. Keywords: catalysis; gold nanoparticles; organic dyes; organometallic nanocomposites; reduction; Introduction Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have garnered significant attention because of their exceptional

• Materials The study utilized reagents and chemicals without additional purification. Glucosamine, gold(III) chloride, calcium acetate hydrate, sodium alginate, sodium tetrahydroborate, 2-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol, and methyl orange were procured from Acros Scientific (Belgium). Distilled water was used

Realizing active targeting in cancer nanomedicine with ultrasmall nanoparticles

• André F. Lima,
• Giselle Z. Justo and
• Alioscka A. Sousa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1208–1226, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.98

• modalities of actively targeted usNPs and their current applications in cancer diagnosis and treatment. 2 Inorganic ultrasmall NPs in cancer nanomedicine Important classes of inorganic usNPs under investigation for cancer nanomedicine include metallic usNPs (gold, silver), oxide and sulfide usNPs (silica

• ][32][33][34][35]. Additionally, certain types of usNPs, especially gold nanoclusters (AuNCs), manifest molecule-like physical and chemical properties, such as luminescence [36][37]. Simultaneously, usNPs – whether used alone or conjugated to drugs, diagnostic probes, and targeting ligands – can

• inorganic core, exemplified by the S–Au bond formed between cysteine-containing molecules and gold NPs [90][91][92]. Actively targeted AuNCs can also be prepared using bioactive peptides or proteins via a one-step biomineralization process, in which case the peptide or protein serves the purpose of both

A low-kiloelectronvolt focused ion beam strategy for processing low-thermal-conductance materials with nanoampere currents

• Annalena Wolff,
• Nico Klingner,
• William Thompson,
• Yinghong Zhou,
• Jinying Lin and
• Yin Xiao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1197–1207, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.97

• Xiamen Medical College, Fujian, China School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast QLD 4222, Australia 10.3762/bjnano.15.97 Abstract Ion beam-induced heat damage in thermally low conductive specimens such as biological samples is gaining increased interest within the scientific

Synthesis, characterization and anticancer effect of doxorubicin-loaded dual stimuli-responsive smart nanopolymers

• Ömür Acet,
• Pavel Kirsanov,
• Burcu Önal Acet,
• Inessa Halets-Bui,
• Dzmitry Shcharbin,
• Şeyda Ceylan Cömert and
• Mehmet Odabaşı

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1189–1196, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.96

• . Scanning electron microscopy (SEM, Leo 440) was utilized for morphological characterizations of the SNPs; lyophilized SNPs were coated with gold, and the samples were placed in the SEM. The zeta potential the of DOX-SNPs was measured by using a Nano Zetasizer (NanoS, Malvern Instruments, London, UK

Local work function on graphene nanoribbons

• Daniel Rothhardt,
• Amina Kimouche,
• Tillmann Klamroth and
• Regina Hoffmann-Vogel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1125–1131, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.91

• difference (LCPD) between a probe tip and a surface, related to the work function. Here we use this technique to map the LCPD of graphene nanoribbons grown on a Au(111) substrate. The LCPD data shows charge transfer between the graphene nanoribbons and the gold substrate. Our results are corroborated with

• gold layer was fixed using the optimized bulk lattice constant (aAu = 0.2897 nm). The initial positions for the geometry optimizations were chosen according to the structure reported in [35]. Section I of Supporting Information File 1 shows further details about the geometry of the calculations. We

• and Discussion A topographic image of GNRs on the Au surface is shown in Figure 1a. While most GNRs are attached to gold step edges or to other ribbons, we additionally observe isolated individual ribbons. When the tip and the GNR are brought close together, electrostatic forces between tip and sample

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

• functionality [23][24]. Here, skin depth refers to the penetration depth of an electromagnetic field into a (non-transparent) metallic material. While pure metal deposition by direct electron beam writing was demonstrated for gold precursors with inorganic ligands [25][26], high purity comes often at the

• density of silver particles with a transition to continuous silver towards the bottom. Similar non-uniform deposit structures were observed earlier. For pillar deposition of gold using Me2Au(acac) in a water atmosphere at about 1 Pa pressure, a solid metallic core surrounded by a carbon-rich shell was

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

• , liver-targeted nanocarriers are needed to increase the drug concentration in the liver with minimum off-target effects. For this purpose, both passive and active targeting strategies of nanomedicine-based drug deliveries have been studied. Liposomes, micelles, solid lipid NPs, and gold NPs are examples

• hydrophilicity [25]. For instance, the passive liver targeting strategy highly depends on the size of nanocarriers as the endothelial fenestrations of liver sinusoids span approximately 50–200 nm in diameter (Figure 2a). In their study, Hirn and co-workers revealed that 50% of small gold NPs (around 1.4 nm) were

• accumulated in the liver after systemic administration. As the size was increased into 200 nm, the fraction of gold NPs accumulated in the liver was further increased to 99% [26]. The fact that around 80–90% of all macrophage population resides in the liver also contributes to the passive accumulation of NPs

Unveiling the potential of alginate-based nanomaterials in sensing technology and smart delivery applications

• Shakhzodjon Uzokboev,
• Khojimukhammad Akhmadbekov,
• Ra’no Nuritdinova,
• Salah M. Tawfik and
• Yong-Ill Lee

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1077–1104, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.88

• , leading to superior functionality and enhanced metal sensing capabilities [111]. He et al. developed fluorescent fibers from alginate reinforced with gold (Au) nanoclusters by using a wet-spinning technique [112]. The fluorescent fibers exhibited good selectivity and sensitivity towards Cu2+ and Hg2

• detecting H2O2. The researchers obtained broad linearity between 5 and 1000 M H2O2, a low limit of detection (LOD) of 1.0 M, good accuracy (3.5%), recovery (95–105%), and high selectivity. Gold nanoparticles loaded on a hydrogel based on alginate (Alg) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) showed excellent

Effect of wavelength and liquid on formation of Ag, Au, Ag/Au nanoparticles via picosecond laser ablation and SERS-based detection of DMMP

• Sree Satya Bharati Moram,
• Chandu Byram and
• Venugopal Rao Soma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1054–1069, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.86

• Abstract The present study investigates the effects of input wavelength (1064, 532, and 355 nm) and surrounding liquid environment (distilled water and aqueous NaCl solution) on the picosecond laser ablation on silver (Ag), gold (Au), and Ag/Au alloy targets. The efficacy of the laser ablation technique

• investigated the impact of 355, 532, and 1064 nm wavelengths on picosecond laser ablation of silver, gold, and silver/gold alloy samples within two distinct liquid media: distilled water (DW) and aqueous NaCl solution. Significant variations in the productivity and size of NPs were observed across different

• . Stability tests revealed that NPs in the electrolyte (NaCl) solution displayed a quicker decline in SERS signal than those obtained in DW, despite satisfactory initial signal strengths. However, gold NPs in DW demonstrated optimal long-term stability, maintaining uniform SERS intensities over 60 days