Bidirectional biomimetic flow sensing with antiparallel and curved artificial hair sensors

• Claudio Abels,
• Antonio Qualtieri,
• Toni Lober,
• Alessandro Mariotti,
• Lily D. Chambers,
• Massimo De Vittorio,
• William M. Megill and
• Francesco Rizzi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 32–46, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.4

Contact splitting in dry adhesion and friction: reducing the influence of roughness

• Jae-Kang Kim and
• Michael Varenberg

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1–8, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.1

• more easily to the surface waviness and by reducing the effective average peeling angle. These findings can be used to guide the development of biomimetic shear-actuated adhesives suitable for operation not only on smooth but also on rough surfaces. Keywords: biomimetics; contact splitting; gecko

• their attachment abilities are reduced if the fibril dimensions are similar to the root-mean-square roughness, the mean spacing between local peaks, and the surface waviness characteristics of the substrate [20][21][22][23]. Analogous negative effects of roughness on adhesion and friction of biomimetic

• waviness as well as by allowing it to reduce the effective average peeling angle. These findings can guide the development of biomimetic shear-actuated adhesives that are suitable for operation not only on smooth but also on rough surfaces. Experimental Microstructured surfaces with 140 µm high flaps

A new bioinspired method for pressure and flow sensing based on the underwater air-retaining surface of the backswimmer Notonecta

• Matthias Mail,
• Adrian Klein,
• Horst Bleckmann,
• Anke Schmitz,
• Torsten Scherer,
• Peter T. Rühr,
• Goran Lovric,
• Robin Fröhlingsdorf,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 3039–3047, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.282

• /bjnano.9.282 Abstract In technical systems, static pressure and pressure changes are usually measured with piezoelectric materials or solid membranes. In this paper, we suggest a new biomimetic principle based on thin air layers that can be used to measure underwater pressure changes. Submerged

• , we provide a biomimetic proof of principle to validate our hypothesis. The suggested sensory principle has never been documented before and is not only of interest for sensory biologists but can also be used for the development of highly sensitive underwater acoustic or seismographic sensory systems

• the course of about 3.7 billion years of biological evolution [1][2][3], a stunning diversity of surface architectures has evolved. Today, millions of living prototypes (species) exist, waiting to be used for the development of biomimetic technical innovations [4][5]. Well know examples are insect

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

• allows fabrication of specific micro- and nanostructures over extended areas. In this work, we exploit this approach to fabricate complex biomimetic structures on the surface of steel 1.7131 formed upon irradiation with high repetition rate femtosecond laser pulses. In particular, the fabricated

• objective to reproduce not only the geometry and morphology of structures found in natural systems, but – most importantly – their specific functionality. Biomimetic applications that aim to control the wetting properties of a material surface must take into account the surface topography, since it strongly

• much smoother than those reported in [26][27], which can possibly be attributed to heat accumulation at the high repetition rates used. From a biomimetic point of view, this type of structure resembles the integument of bark or flat bugs, found in South and Central American tropics [23][34], as

Adhesive contact of rough brushes

• Qiang Li and
• Valentin L. Popov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2405–2412, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.225

• gecko feet and structured biomimetic materials. For rigid brushes, the contact splitting does not enhance adhesion even if all pillars of the brush are positioned at the same height. Introducing statistical scatter of height leads to a further decrease of the maximum adhesive strength. At the same time

High-throughput micro-nanostructuring by microdroplet inkjet printing

• Hendrikje R. Neumann and
• Christine Selhuber-Unkel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2372–2380, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.222

• BCML can be biofunctionalized such that they serve as biomimetic anchorage sites for cell adhesion molecules, whereby their spacing has been shown to be highly decisive for cell adhesion [14]. Still, the anchorage site spacing required for cell adhesion depends on the chemistry of a particular adhesion

• be controlled at the micrometer scale. For example, the nanoparticles can serve as biomimetic anchorage sites for proteins in biosensor and biomaterial applications. Experimental Block copolymer micelle nanolithography (BCML) The samples were functionalized with gold nanoparticles using BCML [13][22

Nanoscale characterization of the temporary adhesive of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

• Ana S. Viana and
• Romana Santos

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2277–2286, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.212

• functional amyloid, suggesting that among its proteinaceous constituents there are most likely proteins with amyloid quaternary structures or rich in β-sheets. These results extend our knowledge on sea urchin adhesive composition and mechanical properties essential for the engineering of biomimetic adhesives

The structural and chemical basis of temporary adhesion in the sea star Asterina gibbosa

• Birgit Lengerer,
• Marie Bonneel,
• Mathilde Lefevre,
• Elise Hennebert,
• Philippe Leclère,
• Emmanuel Gosselin,
• Peter Ladurner and
• Patrick Flammang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2071–2086, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.196

• adhesion and might facilitate the development of biomimetic, reversible glues. Keywords: duo-gland adhesive system; lectins; marine temporary adhesion; starfish; Introduction Marine biological adhesives are environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and adhere to various surfaces in the challenging

• conditions of the sea [1]. These features make them ideal templates for biomimetic glues. However, only few marine adhesives have been characterized so far (reviewed in [2][3][4]). The best-investigated glues are produced by sessile organisms like mussels, tubeworms, and barnacles (reviewed in [5][6][7

• adhesive might help in designing new biomimetic glues. Experimental Maintenance of animals Individuals of Asterina gibbosa (Pennant, 1777) were obtained from the Biological Sample Collection Service of the Station Biologique de Roscoff, France. They were kept in a marine aquarium with closed circulation

Biomimetic and biodegradable cellulose acetate scaffolds loaded with dexamethasone for bone implants

• Aikaterini-Rafailia Tsiapla,
• Varvara Karagkiozaki,
• Veroniki Bakola,
• Foteini Pappa,
• Panagiota Gkertsiou,
• Eleni Pavlidou and
• Stergios Logothetidis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1986–1994, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.189

Preparation of micro/nanopatterned gelatins crosslinked with genipin for biocompatible dental implants

• Reika Makita,
• Tsukasa Akasaka,
• Seiichi Tamagawa,
• Yasuhiro Yoshida,
• Saori Miyata,
• Hirofumi Miyaji and
• Tsutomu Sugaya

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1735–1754, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.165

• natural tooth and periodontium, or their biomimetic equivalents. Collagen is a basic component of the periodontium and plays an important role in the function of the periodontal unit [15]. Bundles of collagen fibers in the periodontal ligament, including Sharpey’s fibers, are vertically arranged from the

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

Mechanistic insights into plasmonic photocatalysts in utilizing visible light

• Kah Hon Leong,
• Azrina Abd Aziz,
• Lan Ching Sim,
• Pichiah Saravanan,
• Min Jang and
• Detlef Bahnemann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 628–648, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.59

• could function under red-to-NIR irradiation [151]. All these studies provide new insight into using plasmonic nanoarchitectures for photocatalysis applications in the future. Similarly, biomimetic assembly methods can also be used to arrange plasmonic metals (Au and Ag) with molecular-level precision to

Review on optofluidic microreactors for artificial photosynthesis

• Xiaowen Huang,
• Jianchun Wang,
• Tenghao Li,
• Jianmei Wang,
• Min Xu,
• Weixing Yu,
• Abdel El Abed and
• Xuming Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 30–41, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.5

• interface, many defects are easily aggregated, causing the energy levels to be quasi-continuous for the ohmic contact. Besides, the biomimetic or bioinspired strategy showed the most interesting results. Zhou et al. reported a light-harvesting antenna-network inspired polymeric semiconductor-based hybrid

• photocatalytic efficiency [90][91][92][93][94]. Besides, biomimetic or bioinspired strategies for the synthesis of semiconductor materials represents a significant advancement in the development of high-efficiency and cost-effective visible-light photocatalysts for solar energy conversion [65][66][67]. Given the

Collembola cuticles and the three-phase line tension

• Håkon Gundersen,
• Hans Petter Leinaas and
• Christian Thaulow

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1714–1722, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.172

• in functional surfaces with effects like self-cleaning, drag reduction and air retention [10][11][12]. The field of superhydrophobic surfaces has made extensive use of biomimetic methods, where the imitation of natural surfaces provides the basis for artificial surfaces [9][13][14]. The exact nature

Air–water interface of submerged superhydrophobic surfaces imaged by atomic force microscopy

• Markus Moosmann,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Wilhelm Barthlott and
• Matthias Mail

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1671–1679, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.167

• of increasing interest for technical applications. Persistent air layers (the Salvinia effect) are known from biological species, for example, the floating fern Salvinia or the backswimmer Notonecta. The use of this concept opens up new possibilities for biomimetic technical applications in the

• sensory systems. Biological surfaces are the basis of the discovery and are models for the development of biomimetic surfaces. The conquest of land some 450 million years ago led to the evolution of an almost endless variety of surface structures and functionalities in plants and animals [3]. One of the

• ultimately expand the portfolio of AFM applications. They allow the analysis of various micrometer-structured air-retaining surfaces with regards to geometry, stability and depth of the maintained air layer. Since biomimetic air-retaining surfaces show a great economic potential, they have gained interest in

Preparation of thick silica coatings on carbon fibers with fine-structured silica nanotubes induced by a self-assembly process

• Benjamin Baumgärtner,
• Hendrik Möller,
• Thomas Neumann and
• Dirk Volkmer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1145–1155, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.116

• linear poly(ethylenimine), silica shells of several micrometers in thickness can be obtained and their morphology is easily controlled by a considerable number of synthesis parameters. A unique feature is the hierarchical biomimetic structure of the silica coating which surrounds the embedded carbon

• fiber by fibrillar and interconnected silica fine-structures. The high surface area of the nanostructured composite fiber may be exploited for catalytic applications and adsorption purposes. Keywords: biomimetic silicification; carbon fiber; self-assembly; silica nanotubes; sol–gel process

• addition, amines and polyamines can facilitate the silicic acid polycondensation [11][12][13]. A biomimetic system, which employs linear poly(ethylenimine) (LPEI) and was introduced recently by Jin et al., is capable of both catalyzing silicification and directing the silica morphology [14][15][16]. LPEI

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

• a modified, biomimetic investment-casting manufacturing technique [13]. The protective peel was transformed into amorphous silica by bio-templating down to the nanometre-scale, creating a biomorphous inorganic and, therefore, temperature-resistant gradient-foam material . It is well known that

Recombinant DNA technology and click chemistry: a powerful combination for generating a hybrid elastin-like-statherin hydrogel to control calcium phosphate mineralization

• Mohamed Hamed Misbah,
• Mercedes Santos,
• Luis Quintanilla,
• Christina Günter,
• Matilde Alonso,
• Andreas Taubert and
• José Carlos Rodríguez-Cabello

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 772–783, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.80

• functional performance that can be used for different applications, such as tissue engineering [1]. This perspective can be applied in one of the hottest current research fields, namely control of the formation of calcium phosphate (CP) nanostructures for the generation of biomimetic hybrid materials. Among

Phospholipid arrays on porous polymer coatings generated by micro-contact spotting

• Sylwia Sekula-Neuner,
• Monica de Freitas,
• Lea-Marie Tröster,
• Tobias Jochum,
• Pavel A. Levkin,
• Michael Hirtz and
• Harald Fuchs

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 715–722, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.75

• arrays we selected lipid–protein pairs applied in previous settings: Biotin-Cap-PE and streptavidin labeled with Cy3 dye (STV-Cy3) as a simple protein model; and DNP-cap-PE with anti-DNP IgE as a model for allergen/antibody recognition. These interactions are well-characterized for biomimetic lipid

Biological and biomimetic materials and surfaces

• Stanislav Gorb and
• Thomas Speck

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

• some biomimetic products, for example, the facade paint Lotusan® produced by Sto SEA Pte. [7] or the product Tegotop® 210 from Evonik Industries AG. The products are sold under the brand name Lotus-Effect® which has become a near synonym for functional, water-repellent surfaces in general. Without

• exaggeration one can say that Lotus-Effect® surfaces, together with fasteners inspired by gecko attachment structures, can be considered as “flagships” of contemporary surface-related biomimetic research. Still today questions related to these effects are the topic of novel state-of-the-art studies in the

• Technology (KIT) [8]. The biomimetic potential of this effect was first understood in the early 2000s by Wilhelm Barthlott. The swimming ferns of the genus Salvinia, but also other swimming and diving organisms (e.g., some spider and bug species as well as a few birds and mammals), typically possess double

Innovations from the “ivory tower”: Wilhelm Barthlott and the paradigm shift in surface science

• Christoph Neinhuis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 394–402, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.41

• components based on tree growth [48] –, biomimetic approaches are still regarded as exceptional and not suitable to serve as examples for a general approach. Although at least some of them, such as Claus Mattheck´s computer-aided optimisation and other methods, have been widely applied in engineering

Impact of surface wettability on S-layer recrystallization: a real-time characterization by QCM-D

• Jagoba Iturri,
• Ana C. Vianna,
• Alberto Moreno-Cencerrado,
• Dietmar Pum,
• Uwe B. Sleytr and
• José Luis Toca-Herrera

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 91–98, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.10

• of atomic force microscopy for topographical analysis of the resulting crystal-like films. The results are compared with the biomimetic case found in bacteria represented by the interaction of SbpA with a secondary cell-wall polymer (SCWP), which specifically recognizes the N-terminal region of the S

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

• droplet distribution. The purpose of our contribution is not to present completely new kinds of emulsion, but to use emulsions in a biomimetic context. Due to the small amounts of attainable natural tarsal secretions, it is hardly possible to determine their droplet sizes and other emulsion parameters

• . Therefore, the artificial emulsions prepared and used in the present contribution are used as rough models to indirectly deduce how the biological adhesives are probably structured and how they perform. This is the reason why we follow a typical process sequence of biomimetic research [32], i.e., we intend

• experimental approaches, our "biomimetic approach" will help to (i) understand possible structural and functional principles that make up such adhesives and (ii) develop technical protocols how to test and mimick them. On a long term perspective, such approaches will help to technically utilize insect tarsal

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

• [52], and the adhesive setae of geckos [53] the toe pads of tree frogs exhibit significant biomimetic potential to advance the technology of surface engineering. This is because they combine high friction under wet conditions [3] with self-cleaning [33]. Their main applications will likely be in the

The cleaner, the greener? Product sustainability assessment of the biomimetic façade paint Lotusan^® in comparison to the conventional façade paint Jumbosil^®

• Florian Antony,
• Rainer Grießhammer,
• Thomas Speck and
• Olga Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2100–2115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.200

• discussed among scientists, business leaders, politicians and those responsible for project funding. The objective of this paper is to contribute to this controversial debate by presenting the sustainability assessment of one of the most well-known and most successful biomimetic products: the façade paint

• Lotusan®. Results: As a first step it has been examined and verified that the façade paint Lotusan® is correctly defined as a biomimetic product. Secondly, Lotusan® has been assessed and compared to a conventional façade paint within the course of a detailed product sustainability assessment (PROSA). For

• paints arise from the respective service life, which are presented in terms of four scenario analyses. Conclusion: In summary, the biomimetic façade paint Lotusan® has been identified as a cost-effective and at the same time resource-saving product. Based on the underlying data and assumptions it could