Effect of sample treatment on the elastic modulus of locust cuticle obtained by nanoindentation

• Chuchu Li,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Hamed Rajabi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 404–410, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.33

• : biomimetics; cuticle; locust; material properties; mechanical testing; nanoindentation; water content; Introduction Cuticle is a lightweight material that forms the whole exoskeleton of insects, from the flexible intersegmental membrane to the stiff jaws and claws. Cuticle of each insect body part has

• content can significantly influence cuticle properties and, thereby, the obtained results [6][7][8]. Mechanical testing of fresh cuticle samples, in contrast, is not always possible. For example, when insects are not locally available, or when they cannot be kept in a laboratory, insect specimens must be

• controlled temperature (25–30 °C) and humidity (30%–40%), kept under natural day/night light and fed with fresh vegetables. Prior to any experiment, insects were euthanized with CO2. We used only adult individuals, 21 days after imaginal molt. Hind leg tibiae were cut off directly below the femur–tibia joint

Polarity in cuticular ridge development and insect attachment on leaf surfaces of Schismatoglottis calyptrata (Araceae)

• Venkata A. Surapaneni,
• Tobias Aust,
• Thomas Speck and
• Marc Thielen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1326–1338, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.98

• .12.98 Abstract The plant cuticle is a multifunctional barrier that separates the organs of the plant from the surrounding environment. Cuticular ridges are microscale wrinkle-like cuticular protrusions that occur on many flower and leaf surfaces. These microscopic ridges can help against pest insects by

• ridge progression occurs basipetally with a specific inclination to the midrib on Schismatoglottis calyptrata leaves. Using Colorado potato beetles as model species, we performed traction experiments on freshly unrolled and adult leaves and found low walking frictional forces of insects on both of these

• ][6]. The cuticular structures together with the epidermal cell shape and the cuticle chemistry provide the leaf surface with multiple functions [7]. In particular, cuticular ridges on some leaf surfaces have been found to reduce the frictional forces of insects during walking and may increase the

Physical constraints lead to parallel evolution of micro- and nanostructures of animal adhesive pads: a review

• Thies H. Büscher and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 725–743, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.57

• principles of attachment pads with a special focus on insects, describe micro- and nanostructures, surface patterns, origin of different pads and their evolution, discuss the material properties (elasticity, viscoelasticity, adhesion, friction) and basic physical forces contributing to adhesion, show the

• micro- and nanoscales at different phylogenetic levels, focus on insects as the largest animal group on earth, and subsequently zoom into the attachment pads of the stick and leaf insects (Phasmatodea) to explore convergent evolution of attachment pads at even smaller scales. Since convergent events

• terrestrial locomotion. The morphological and ultrastructural backgrounds on the ability of animals to attach to and walk on vertical surfaces and ceilings have been studied in detail in many animal taxa, including insects [1][2][3][4], arachnids [5][6][7][8][9], tree frogs [10][11], arboreal salamanders [12

A review on the biological effects of nanomaterials on silkworm (Bombyx mori)

• Sandra Senyo Fometu,
• Guohua Wu,
• Lin Ma and
• Joan Shine Davids

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 190–202, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.15

• function of cytokines in the immune response of insects using the Bombyx mori silkworm as a model. It was shown that the activation of a paralytic peptide resulted in cellular and humoral immune responses, which contribute to the host defense in the silkworm Bombyx mori [96]. It was also reported that β

Mapping the local dielectric constant of a biological nanostructured system

• Wescley Walison Valeriano,
• Rodrigo Ribeiro Andrade,
• Juan Pablo Vasco,
• Angelo Malachias,
• Bernardo Ruegger Almeida Neves,
• Paulo Sergio Soares Guimarães and
• Wagner Nunes Rodrigues

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 139–150, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.11

• different strategies found in nature, is astonishing [5][6]. Studies of the origin of physical colors in insects are numerous in the literature and the most commonly used tools are non-local optical reflectance, electron microscopy, and scanning probe microscopy techniques, which give support to theoretical

Review of advanced sensor devices employing nanoarchitectonics concepts

• Katsuhiko Ariga,
• Tatsuyuki Makita,
• Masato Ito,
• Taizo Mori,
• Shun Watanabe and
• Jun Takeya

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2014–2030, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.198

• large-scale climate monitoring. Although various living creatures, including bacteria, insects, birds, and sharks, can sense magnetic fields for orientation and navigation, humans are basically insensitive to magnetic fields. The human detection of magnetic fields can be realized using electro-skin-type

Biomimetic synthesis of Ag-coated glasswing butterfly arrays as ultra-sensitive SERS substrates for efficient trace detection of pesticides

• Guochao Shi,
• Mingli Wang,
• Yanying Zhu,
• Yuhong Wang,
• Xiaoya Yan,
• Xin Sun,
• Haijun Xu and
• Wanli Ma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 578–588, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.59

• -effective and time-efficient to apply diatom frustules as a template for SERS-based investigations [22]. Meanwhile, natural wings of insects such as butterfly wing [23], cicada wing [24] and some special shells [25] are also known to comprise periodic and large-scale micro/nanostructures. Notably, a novel

Ultraviolet patterns of flowers revealed in polymer replica – caused by surface architecture

• Anna J. Schulte,
• Matthias Mail,
• Lisa A. Hahn and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 459–466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.45

• are adapted in a close co-evolution. For both the plants and pollinators, the functioning of the visual signaling system is highly relevant for survival. As the frequency range of visual perception in many insects extends into the ultraviolet (UV) region, UV-patterns of plants play an important role

A comparison of tarsal morphology and traction force in the two burying beetles Nicrophorus nepalensis and Nicrophorus vespilloides (Coleoptera, Silphidae)

• Liesa Schnee,
• Benjamin Sampalla,
• Josef K. Müller and
• Oliver Betz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 47–61, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.5

• the genus Nicrophorus have recently awakened the interest of scientists in the field of bioadhesion with regard to their tarsal secretion [2][3]. So far, the measurement of the physical strength and the description of the morphological traits of the attachment devices of various insects in the context

• hairs. The precise way in which the viscosity of the adhesion-mediating tarsal secretion of insects influences friction performance remains the subject of debate. Nevertheless, subtle differences in the hydrocarbon profiles of the tarsal secretion, probably leading to a decreased fluidity in N

• . nepalensis, have recently been proposed as a potential reason for these observed differences, especially on smooth surfaces [3]. Surface roughness is known to affect attachment performance in insects, spiders and geckos [9][10][11][12][13][14], whereby often so-called critical roughness values have been

Biomimetic surface structures in steel fabricated with femtosecond laser pulses: influence of laser rescanning on morphology and wettability

• Camilo Florian Baron,
• Alexandros Mimidis,
• Daniel Puerto,
• Evangelos Skoulas,
• Emmanuel Stratakis,
• Javier Solis and
• Jan Siegel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2802–2812, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.262

• structures show similarities to the skin of certain reptiles and integument of insects. Different irradiation parameters are investigated to produce the desired structures, including laser repetition rate and laser fluence, paying special attention to the influence of the number of times the same area is

• surface morphology. We present experimental results of complex self-organized structures produced in commercial steel that resemble the morphology of the skin of certain reptiles and insects, which are of great interest due to their exceptional fluid transport and friction reduction properties. Surface

Characterization of the microscopic tribological properties of sandfish (Scincus scincus) scales by atomic force microscopy

• Weibin Wu,
• Christian Lutz,
• Simon Mersch,
• Richard Thelen,
• Christian Greiner,
• Guillaume Gomard and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2618–2627, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.243

• unusually high compared to other reptiles or insects and do not suggest low surface energy or low adhesion. We, therefore, examined the adhesion of sandfish scales in more detail. Adhesion properties Several different types of AFM probes were utilised to measure the adhesion force on dorsal scales. Figure

Friction reduction through biologically inspired scale-like laser surface textures

• Johannes Schneider,
• Vergil Djamiykov and
• Christian Greiner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2561–2572, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.238

• lizards and insects [39][40][45]. There are four effects that are classically used to argue why laser surface texturing has a beneficial influence on tribological properties – the trapping of wear debris [46], changes in the contact angle [47], the storage of lubricant [48] and an additional micro

Review on nanoparticles and nanostructured materials: history, sources, toxicity and regulations

• Jaison Jeevanandam,
• Ahmed Barhoum,
• Yen S. Chan,
• Alain Dufresne and
• Michael K. Danquah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1050–1074, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.98

• produced nanomaterials, which can be found in the bodies of organisms, insects, plants, animals and human bodies. However, the distinctions between naturally occurring, incidental, and manufactured NPs are often blurred. In some cases, for example, incidental NMs can be considered as a subcategory of

• produced nanomaterials Apart from incidental and engineered nanomaterials, nanoparticles and nanostructures are present in living organisms ranging from microorganisms, such as bacteria, algae and viruses, to complex organisms, such as plants, insects, birds, animals and humans. Recent developments in the

• beneficial biomedical applications. Insects have nanostructures that are formed via an evolutionary process which helps them to survive in harsh living conditions. Plants also utilize the nutrients available in soil and water for their growth which leads to the accumulation of these biominerals in nano-form

Bioinspired self-healing materials: lessons from nature

• Joseph C. Cremaldi and
• Bharat Bhushan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 907–935, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.85

• about 95% of all species, vastly outnumbering their vertebrate counterparts [1][5]. Well-known invertebrate species include insects, crustaceans, snails, clams, octopuses, spiders, jellyfish, starfish, worms, and coral. Within the invertebrates, the subset of arthropods is of particular interest and

• accounts for approximately 85% of species variation [1][2][5]. Arthropods are characterized by segmented bodies, exoskeletons, and appendages occurring in pairs. This includes all insects, arachnids (spiders), myriapods (e.g., millipedes and centipedes), and crustaceans (e.g., crabs and shrimp) [25]. Using

Effect of microtrichia on the interlocking mechanism in the Asian ladybeetle, Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

• Jiyu Sun,
• Chao Liu,
• Bharat Bhushan,
• Wei Wu and
• Jin Tong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 812–823, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.75

• preventing the formation of turbulent eddies [27]. The microtrichia also function as anti-wetting structures [28]. Previous studies have shown that the anti-wetting function of microtrichia enables flying insects to easily overcome difficulties caused by getting wet during flight. The results presented here

• °). Some studies of dragonfly and damselfly wings have demonstrated that CAs are in the range of 120–136° [29]. The results of these studies demonstrate that insect wings have hydrophobic activities. Some insects can perform normal flapping flight in the rain, and their wings are kept dry, allowing them to

• bionic design, many artificial hydrophobic structures imitating the microtrichia of insects have been successfully manufactured. A model was established based on the folding of the hindwings and the microstructural characteristics of the VS of the elytra, the DS and VS of the hindwings, and the surface

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

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

• 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

• facilitated their successful exploration of a huge diversity of habitats. In this context, insects have evolved two distinctly different mechanisms to attach themselves to a variety of substrates, i.e., hairy surfaces and smooth flexible pads [1]. Usually, both types of adhesive devices involve supplementary

• . [21]. Although the analysis of the structure and the function of the emulsion-like adhesives of insects is still in its infancy, these adhesives combine interesting properties relevant for possible commercial applications and the development of biomimetically inspired lipid-based adhesives. We have

When the going gets rough – studying the effect of surface roughness on the adhesive abilities of tree frogs

• Niall Crawford,
• Thomas Endlein,
• Jonathan T. Pham,
• Mathis Riehle and
• W. Jon P. Barnes

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2116–2131, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.201

• slipperiness repels all insects except their specific ant partners [12]. Rough surfaces could also be abrasive and therefore potentially damaging to adhesive surfaces. Despite extensive research on the adhesive abilities of tree frogs, most studies have involved testing their climbing capabilities on smooth

• difficult. The pads of tree frogs are very soft and so should deform to mould around rough surfaces, as is seen in smooth padded insects [17]. The Young’s modulus of the toe pads has been measured in several studies, an elastic modulus of 40–55 kPa based on AFM indentation being the most recent estimate [18

• possess claws as well as adhesive pads. Additionally, there are studies of plant surfaces that have evolved to be anti-adhesive as far as insects are concerned. The effects of surface roughness on animals with hairy pads (geckos, spiders, insects such as beetles) are reasonably predictable. When the

Surface roughness rather than surface chemistry essentially affects insect adhesion

• Matt W. England,
• Tomoya Sato,
• Makoto Yagihashi,
• Atsushi Hozumi,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Elena V. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1471–1479, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.139

• . Certain of these natural surfaces can effectively prevent wetting by water, while simultaneously protecting against attachment by insects by taking advantage of the same or very similar surface features [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. Unfortunately, these natural anti-attachment properties have received

• is primarily responsible for natural anti-attachment properties has also not been fully resolved. Therefore, a comparative study of the attachment behavior of insects on artificially designed (low/high surface energy) surfaces of varying surface roughness, has been postulated as an effective strategy

• to identify the most important parameters influencing insect attachment. Many insects, including beetles, can attach to inverted surfaces using specific hairy adhesive pads, covered with tenent setae, which secrete an adhesive fluid which typically consists of a mixture of alcohols, fatty acids, and

Influence of ambient humidity on the attachment ability of ladybird beetles (Coccinella septempunctata)

• Lars Heepe,
• Jonas O. Wolff and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1322–1329, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.123

• , Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia 10.3762/bjnano.7.123 Abstract Many insects possess adhesive foot pads, which enable them to scale smooth vertical surfaces. The function of these organs may be highly affected by environmental conditions. Ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) possess dense

• niche occupation of plant-dwelling insects, since it is substantial for resting and locomotion in a complex environment. Consequently, a high diversity of friction and adhesion enhancing structures has evolved among insects [1][2]. Several studies showed that not only the intrinsic structure of an

• by ambient humidity [16][17]. Due to its polarity it can work as a bonding agent between two surfaces, and therefore have a substantial effect on adhesion [18][19][20][21]. In insects the terminal contact elements of tenent setae are not dry, but rather wetted by a fluid secretion that is usually a

Functional diversity of resilin in Arthropoda

• Jan Michels,
• Esther Appel and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1241–1259, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.115

• (rec1-resilin) was developed and has been shown to be cross-reactive and to label resilin in different insects [12][13][41][42]. Until today, this immunohistochemical method has been tested for only a small number of insects and only within the studies mentioned above. If it proves efficient in tests

• . For example, resilin plays an important role in flight systems of insects, in particular in insects that use a wing beat with a low frequency (10–50 Hz) (see below). Resilin-containing exoskeleton structures have been described for various mechanical systems including leg joints [40][50], vein joints

• function [61][62]. For insects, two different types of membranes have previously been reported. The first type is a highly extensible membrane found in the locust abdomen that can extend up to ten times its original length [63][64][65]. This cuticle is highly specialised in its protein composition [66

The hydraulic mechanism in the hind wing veins of Cybister japonicus Sharp (order: Coleoptera)

• Jiyu Sun,
• Wei Wu,
• Mingze Ling,
• Bharat Bhushan and
• Jin Tong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 904–913, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.82

• , flexibility, low cost, and portability. There are three main flight modes: fixed wing, rotor, and flapping. Insects possess a remarkable ability to fly, far superior to what humans achieved in the production of MAVs with a low Reynolds number. In general, the hind wings of a beetle are larger than its

• pattern [2]. The folding of the hind wings provides the following functionality: (1) flapping wings can change shape, giving them better aerodynamic characteristics [3]; (2) pleated wings are more rigid in flexion than planar ones; (3) when insects are not flying, the folding structure allows the hind

• the veins was a unidirectional flow. In adult Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Diptera, and perhaps in some other insects, the blood is shunted backwards and forwards between the thorax and abdomen, rather than circulated [1]. During the deployment of the hind wings, the blood pressure in the veins of the

Functional fusion of living systems with synthetic electrode interfaces

• Oskar Staufer,
• Sebastian Weber,
• C. Peter Bengtson,
• Hilmar Bading,
• Joachim P. Spatz and
• Amin Rustom

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 296–301, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.27

• hygroreceptors from various insects [15][16]), our observations demonstrate that even complex cell functions may be technologically implemented by an appropriate interface and interpretation of their characteristic signal patterns. The remarkable delay in the appearance of the monophasic electrical response due

NanoE-Tox: New and in-depth database concerning ecotoxicity of nanomaterials

• Katre Juganson,
• Angela Ivask,
• Irina Blinova,
• Monika Mortimer and
• Anne Kahru

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1788–1804, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.183

• , fish, plants and bacteria. Those organisms included yeasts, protists, amphibians, bivalves, cnidarians, echinoderms, insects, nematodes, rotifers, snails and worms (Table S5, Supporting Information File 1). Hence, quite a wide range of test organisms has already been included in the evaluation of

Mandibular gnathobases of marine planktonic copepods – feeding tools with complex micro- and nanoscale composite architectures

• Jan Michels and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 674–685, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.68

• systems of sea ice. Copepods are assumed to contribute the largest amount of individuals to the metazoans, even larger than those contributed by insects and nematodes [2][3]. In the marine pelagial the abundance of copepods is particularly pronounced. As a result of this, in all ocean areas worldwide