Studies of probe tip materials by atomic force microscopy: a review

• Ke Xu and
• Yuzhe Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1256–1267, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.104

• properties, and thus the fluorescence emission can be tuned by controlling different sizes. Due to their unique electronic, physical, and optical properties, metal nanoclusters have attracted great interest in recent years for electronic devices, catalysis, bioimaging, and chemical sensing [18][19][20][21

• , dimethoate, and phorate were broken. The hydrolysis products contain sulfhydryl groups that bind to the silver atoms on the surface of the silver nanoclusters. The formation of non-fluorescent polymers resulted in a significant quenching of the fluorescence of the silver nanoclusters. Cu2+ effectively

• quenched the fluorescence of DNA-templated silver nanoclusters (DNA-AgNCs), while the strong chelation between glyphosate and Cu2+ restored the fluorescence of the nanoclusters. The method showed good linearity in the concentration range of 1 ng/mL–50 ng/mL, and the detection limit reached 0.2 ng/mL. In

A super-oscillatory step-zoom metalens for visible light

• Yi Zhou,
• Chao Yan,
• Peng Tian,
• Zhu Li,
• Yu He,
• Bin Fan,
• Zhiyong Wang,
• Yao Deng and
• Dongliang Tang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1220–1227, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.101

• emission depletion microscopy (STED) can realize the localization of single fluorescent molecules with 1 nm accuracy [2], albeit with the disadvantages of required fluorescence labeling and slow image reconstruction. Super-resolution microscopy based on structured light illumination (SIM) can realize a

Rapid fabrication of MgO@g-C₃N₄ heterojunctions for photocatalytic nitric oxide removal

• Minh-Thuan Pham,
• Duyen P. H. Tran,
• Xuan-Thanh Bui and
• Sheng-Jie You

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1141–1154, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.96

• (HR-XPS). The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the materials was carried out in the form of fluorescence analysis with an excitation wavelength range of 200–900 nm. Finally, the photocatalytic mechanism was determined by trapping tests and ESR measurements. Photocatalytic performance The

• strongly depends on the optical properties. Photoluminescence Fluorescence spectra of MgO and 3% MgO@g-C3N4 are shown in Figure 10a and Figure 10b, respectively. MgO shows strong fluorescence at 270 nm with an excitation wavelength (270 nm) in the UV range. MgO also shows another emission wavelength at 380

• nm with an excitation wavelength (770 nm) in the visible range, which could be caused by the native structural defects in MgO [18]. 3% MgO@g-C3N4 shows intense fluorescence at 420 nm via excitation at 850 nm, due to the recombination of charge carriers. The photogenerated electrons from the valance

Recent advances in green carbon dots (2015–2022): synthesis, metal ion sensing, and biological applications

• Aisha Kanwal,
• Naheed Bibi,
• Sajjad Hyder,
• Arif Muhammad,
• Hao Ren,
• Jiangtao Liu and
• Zhongli Lei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1068–1107, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.93

• . Surface passivation with different functional groups generates surface defects, which produces fluorescence and also generates new active sites for modification for specific applications. CDs can be chemically modified by many heteroatoms, including N, P, and S, and many other chemicals that increase

• applications [36], tumor marker detection [37], bioanalytical studies [38], biomedical [39][40] and biotechnological applications [3], biosensing and bioimaging [31][32], and fluorescence [41] and photoluminescence processes [42]. Many reviews about CDs obtained from natural resources have been published

• contrast, provides homogenous and effective heating and speed up the reaction to merely a few minutes. Hence, this approach is considered the fastest and simplest amongst the synthesis methodologies and has become widely used. The fluorescence emissions of CDs are usually blue and green (i.e., in the low

Biomimetic chitosan with biocomposite nanomaterials for bone tissue repair and regeneration

• Se-Kwon Kim,
• Sesha Subramanian Murugan,
• Pandurang Appana Dalavi,
• Sebanti Gupta,
• Sukumaran Anil,
• Gi Hun Seong and
• Jayachandran Venkatesan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1051–1067, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.92

• were identified by fluorescence imaging. Cells adhered on nanofibers show a better cell phenotype, and this was corroborated by morphological characterisation via SEM [72] (Figure 6). Misra and colleagues developed chitosan–graphene nanocomposite scaffolds that modify cell–scaffold interactions

Gelatin nanoparticles with tunable mechanical properties: effect of crosslinking time and loading

• Agnes-Valencia Weiss,
• Daniel Schorr,
• Julia K. Metz,
• Metin Yildirim,
• Saeed Ahmad Khan and
• Marc Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 778–787, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.68

• primary amine functions, and, therefore, it cannot be crosslinked into the particle matrix by glutaraldehyde. FITC-dextran 70 kDa was loaded into nanoparticles by incorporation during precipitation and subsequent crosslinking of the nanoparticles. The fluorescence intensity was measured after enzymatic

• loading of FITC-dextran was determined by dissolving the gelatin network using enzymatic degradation. The fluorescence intensity of the resulting solution was measured [18]. Therefore, 5 mg of freeze-dried GNPs were dispersed in 5 mL PBS containing 2.5 mg trypsin at room temperature. After 6 h of

• incubation, samples were centrifuged. The fluorescence intensity of supernatants was measured with the spectrofluorometer Duetta™ (Horiba Europe GmbH, Oberursel, Germany) using an excitation wavelength of 493 nm and an emission wavelength of 519 nm. Concentrations were calculated using a calibration row made

Recent advances in nanoarchitectures of monocrystalline coordination polymers through confined assembly

• Lingling Xia,
• Qinyue Wang and
• Ming Hu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 763–777, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.67

• realized, showing an anisotropic alignment of fluorescent guest molecules and directional fluorescence [122]. To match with the lattice structure, the grown coordination polymer sometimes may rotate to find the best lattice match with the substrate [123]. In most cases, the lattices of the substrate and

Hierarchical Bi₂WO₆/TiO₂-nanotube composites derived from natural cellulose for visible-light photocatalytic treatment of pollutants

• Zehao Lin,
• Zhan Yang and
• Jianguo Huang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 745–762, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.66

• reference standard for solid samples. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra were obtained on a Shimadzu RF-5301PC fluorescence spectrometer under a laser excitation of 360 nm. In order to observe the microstructures of the samples, a small amount of a given sample was dispersed in ethanol to generate a

A nonenzymatic reduced graphene oxide-based nanosensor for parathion

• Sarani Sen,
• Anurag Roy,
• Ambarish Sanyal and
• Parukuttyamma Sujatha Devi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 730–744, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.65

• (mass, absorption, fluorescence) techniques are time-consuming, laborious, costy, require specific and sophisticated instruments and trained personnel, and most often are not portable to enable on-site detection [5][6]. Electrochemical nanosensors are one of the preferred methodologies due of their fast

Antibacterial activity of a berberine nanoformulation

• Hue Thi Nguyen,
• Tuyet Nhung Pham,
• Anh-Tuan Le,
• Nguyen Thanh Thuy,
• Tran Quang Huy and
• Thuy Thi Thu Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 641–652, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.56

• . MRSA is a Gram-positive bacterium that has a thick and smooth peptidoglycan layer in the cell wall. Furthermore, the above results also revealed that the antibacterial activity of BBR NPs against MRSA is higher than that against E. coli O157:H7. Figure 7a shows an unclear fluorescence stereomicroscopy

• image of MRSA. The image is unclear because the bacterial cells are not self-fluorescent under excitation. In contrast, after incubation with BBR NPs, the BBR molecules adhered to the bacterial cell walls exhibited fluorescence (Figure 7b) upon UV excitation [44]. In our experiment, the samples used for

• observation under the fluorescence microscope were all centrifuged and washed three times in bi-distilled water. However, due to the limited resolution of the stereomicroscope, the interaction of BBR NPs and bacterial cell walls could not be clearly observed. Therefore, the samples were processed by ultrathin

Effects of substrate stiffness on the viscoelasticity and migration of prostate cancer cells examined by atomic force microscopy

• Xiaoqiong Tang,
• Yan Zhang,
• Jiangbing Mao,
• Yuhua Wang,
• Zhenghong Zhang,
• Zhengchao Wang and
• Hongqin Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 560–569, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.47

• treatment with 20 µM of blebbistatin for 30 min revealed disorganised microfilament bundles on stiff substrates and weaker fluorescence intensity in PC-3 cells rather than in non-blebbistatin-treated cells (Supporting Information File 1, Figure S4b–d). The Young's modulus of HPV-PZ-7 and PC-3 cells on stiff

• washed with PBS and fluorescence images were obtained using an inverted optical microscope (Leica, Germany) with 488 laser lines. The obtained images were linearly analysed and pseudo-coloured using the ImageJ analysis software. Blebbistatin treatment assay To inhibit myosin II, cells were incubated with

• imaging and cell contour maps. (d) Quantitative statistics of the average surface roughness (Ra). (e) Quantification plot of cell height; “ns” means no difference, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001. Cytoskeletal microfilaments respond to changes in substrate stiffness on prostate cancer cells. (a) Fluorescence

Detection and imaging of Hg(II) in vivo using glutathione-functionalized gold nanoparticles

• Gufeng Li,
• Shaoqing Li,
• Rui Wang,
• Min Yang,
• Lizhu Zhang,
• Yanli Zhang,
• Wenrong Yang and
• Hongbin Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 549–559, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.46

• hydrolysis of the spirolactam ring of Rh6G2, leading to a significant change in the fluorescence of GNPs-GSH-Rh6G2 from an “OFF” to an “ON” state. This strategy is an effective tool to detect Hg2+ ions. In cytotoxicity experiments, GNPs-GSH-Rh6G2 could penetrate living cells and detect mercury ions through

• the fluorescent “ON” form. Keywords: cell imaging; fluorescence probes; glutathione; gold nanoparticles; mercury ions; rhodamine 6G derivatives; Introduction Metal nanoparticles have been widely used in the development and construction of sensor systems and drug carriers due to their excellent

• molecular release system. After adding Cu(II), we observed a switching of the GNP–ʟ-Cys–Rh6G2 fluorescence from “OFF” to “ON” with high stability. Furthermore, it is worth noting that glutathione (GSH) contains a thiol and an amino group. It can not only conjugate to the nanoparticle surfaces through the

Zinc oxide nanostructures for fluorescence and Raman signal enhancement: a review

• Ioana Marica,
• Fran Nekvapil,
• Maria Ștefan,
• Cosmin Farcău and
• Alexandra Falamaș

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 472–490, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.40

• fluorescence (SEF), these techniques have shown huge potential for applications in biomedicine, biotechnology, and optical sensors. Both methods rely on the high electromagnetic fields created at locations on the surface of plasmonic metal nanoparticles, depending on the geometry of the nanoparticles, their

• surface features, and the specific location of analyte molecules. Lately, ZnO-based nanostructures have been exploited especially as SERS substrates showing high enhancement factors and increased charge transfer effect. Additionally, applications focused on enhancing the fluorescence of analyte molecules

• as well as on tuning the photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanostructures through combination with metal nanoparticles. This review covers the major recent results of ZnO-based nanostructures used for fluorescence and Raman signal enhancement. The broad range of ZnO and ZnO–metal nanostructures

A non-enzymatic electrochemical hydrogen peroxide sensor based on copper oxide nanostructures

• Irena Mihailova,
• Vjaceslavs Gerbreders,
• Marina Krasovska,
• Eriks Sledevskis,
• Valdis Mizers,
• Andrejs Bulanovs and
• Andrejs Ogurcovs

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 424–436, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.35

• pharmaceuticals [16][17][18], environmental protection [19], and industrial areas (especially food production) [20][21][22][23][24][25]. Measurement techniques including fluorescence [26][27], luminescence [28], spectrometry [29][30], and electrochemistry [31][32][33] are widely used for H2O2 determination

Micro- and nanotechnology in biomedical engineering for cartilage tissue regeneration in osteoarthritis

• Zahra Nabizadeh,
• Mahmoud Nasrollahzadeh,
• Hamed Daemi,
• Mohamadreza Baghaban Eslaminejad,
• Ali Akbar Shabani,
• Mehdi Dadashpour,
• Majid Mirmohammadkhani and
• Davood Nasrabadi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 363–389, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.31

• , osteogenic, and chondrogenic potentials of the hMSCs [124]. However, the migration of SWCNTs through the cell wall to the nucleus was detected using fluorescence-labeled CNTs. In line with these results, the long term exposure of chondrocytes to COOH- and PEG-functionalized SWCNTs in 2D cultures, 3D pellet

Coordination-assembled myricetin nanoarchitectonics for sustainably scavenging free radicals

• Xiaoyan Ma,
• Haoning Gong,
• Kenji Ogino,
• Xuehai Yan and
• Ruirui Xing

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 284–291, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.23

• was used to incubate these cells for 5 min and the fluorescence intensity of the cells was recorded via confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results and Discussion Synthesis and characterization of MZG We chose Zn2+, a typical essential metal, to effectively bond Myr and GSH via coordination

• to effectively protect cells from damage. DCFH-DA was used to probe ROS in cells, which showed no fluorescence signal without ROS, while it turned to highly fluorescent 2′7′-dichlorofluorescein after interacting with ROS in cells. As shown in the confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images, the

• fluorescence intensity of cells treated with H2O2 and MZG nanoparticles was weaker than that of cells only treated with H2O2 (Figure 4e). The fluorescence intensity of cells was further measured, indicating that the fluorescence intensity of cells treated with a combination of MZG nanoparticles and H2O2 was

A comprehensive review on electrospun nanohybrid membranes for wastewater treatment

• Senuri Kumarage,
• Imalka Munaweera and
• Nilwala Kottegoda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 137–159, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.10

• acid (DTPA)-modified CS membranes electrospun in combination with PEO [60]. The maximum adsorption capacities according to the Langmuir model were found to be 177, 142, and 56 mg/g for Cu2+, Pb2+, and Ni2+, respectively. Li and co-workers reported on an electrospun magnetic fluorescence nanofiber

• reached equilibrium within 100 min. Moreover, the authors developed a simplistic method for real-time and non-invasive tracking of adsorption, based on the linear relationship between adsorption and fluorescence intensity of the membranes. Yari et al. fabricated a novel mesoporous nanohybrid sorbent

Tin dioxide nanomaterial-based photocatalysts for nitrogen oxide oxidation: a review

• Viet Van Pham,
• Hong-Huy Tran,
• Thao Kim Truong and
• Thi Minh Cao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 96–113, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.7

• spectroscopy (EIS) data, and the nanosecond-level time-resolved fluorescence decay spectra (Figure 11) demonstrated that the SnO2/NCDs/ZHS nanohybrid achieved low charge carrier recombination, high photoactivity, and excellent photoinduced charge transfer to the surface of the semiconductor. This study enables

• of ZHS, SnO2/ZHS, NCDs/ZHS and SnO2/NCDs/ZHS samples, and (d) PL spectra (inset: transient fluorescence decay spectra). Figure 11 was republished with permission of The Royal Society of Chemistry from [76] (“Constructing Z-scheme SnO2/N-doped carbon quantum dots/ZnSn(OH)6 nanohybrids with high redox

Theranostic potential of self-luminescent branched polyethyleneimine-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

• Rouhollah Khodadust,
• Ozlem Unal and
• Havva Yagci Acar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 82–95, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.6

• exact reason behind this luminescence is not known, but it seems like there is not a single mechanism that explains the intrinsic fluorescence of these “periodically amine” containing species. Different factors including delocalization of nonbonding electrons in highly repeating systems, the rigidity of

• in many in vitro studies including, for example, flow cytometry or fluorescence imaging, since the luminescence of the polymer was not detected [18][33][34]. Unfortunately, the luminescence of the fluorophores (dye or quantum dots) that are active in the visible range is usually significantly reduced

• as well as its targeted delivery to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-positive cancer cell lines, in vitro. Initially, the dose dependent cytotoxicity of the nanoparticles was determined. Then, using a fluorescence microscope, the ability of these nanoparticles to generate intracellular optical

Sputtering onto liquids: a critical review

• Anastasiya Sergievskaya,
• Adrien Chauvin and
• Stephanos Konstantinidis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 10–53, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.2

Alteration of nanomechanical properties of pancreatic cancer cells through anticancer drug treatment revealed by atomic force microscopy

• Xiaoteng Liang,
• Shuai Liu,
• Xiuchao Wang,
• Dan Xia and
• Qiang Li

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1372–1379, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.101

• development of anticancer drugs. The laser confocal fluorescence images of MIA PaCa-2 before and after treating with DOX in different concentrations are shown in Figure 5. The results show that the cell morphologies are not affected significantly by DOX. The quantitative analysis of the average fluorescence

• pancreatic cell characterized by AFM. Laser confocal fluorescence images (a–d) and deflection maps (e–h) of (a, e) HDPE6-C7; (b, f) AsPC-1; (c, g) MIA-PaCa-2, and (d, h) BxPC-3. Nanomechanical mapping, FDCs, and corresponding Young's modulus distribution of (a) HDPE6-C7, (b) AsPC-1, (c) BxPC-3, and (d) MIA

• -PaCa-2. Statistics of (a) Young's modulus and (b) energy dissipation for AsPC-1, MIA-PaCa-2, BxPC-3, and HDPE6-C7. Laser confocal fluorescence images of MIA PaCa-2 before and after DOX treatment. (a–c) Without DOX treatment; (d–f) treated with 10 µg/mL DOX; (g–i) treated with 30 µg/mL DOX; (j–l

Biocompatibility and cytotoxicity in vitro of surface-functionalized drug-loaded spinel ferrite nanoparticles

• Sadaf Mushtaq,
• Khuram Shahzad,
• Tariq Saeed,
• Anwar Ul-Hamid,
• Bilal Haider Abbasi,
• Nafees Ahmad,
• Waqas Khalid,
• Muhammad Atif,
• Zulqurnain Ali and
• Rashda Abbasi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1339–1364, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.99

• HT144) were quantitatively determined by fluorescence microscopy using acridine orange and propidium iodide (AOPI) staining. Cells were treated with drug-loaded NPs for 3 h at concentration values of 5 and 10 μg/mL. NTC, NPs-PMA (10 μg/mL) and free drugs (DOX and MTX, 5 μM each) were included as

• controls. After treatment and staining with AOPI, cells were observed under a fluorescence microscope where viable cells appeared green, apoptotic cells appeared orange/yellow, and necrotic cells appeared red in color (Figure 5a). Percentage fractions of live, necrotic, and apoptotic cells were calculated

• was used to determine cellular ROS production in HepG2 and HT144 cells upon treatment with NPs over a period of time. Cells were exposed to NPs+DOX and NPs+MTX at IC50 concentrations and the increase in fluorescence was determined relative to untreated control cells over a time interval (0–45 min

Plasmon-enhanced photoluminescence from TiO₂ and TeO₂ thin films doped by Eu³⁺ for optoelectronic applications

• Marcin Łapiński,
• Jakub Czubek,
• Katarzyna Drozdowska,
• Anna Synak,
• Wojciech Sadowski and
• Barbara Kościelska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1271–1278, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.94

• composition, layers were etched for 2, 6, and 8 min. Optical transmittance spectra of all prepared structures were measured using an Evolution 220 UV–visible spectrophotometer in the range of 200–1000 nm. Luminescence excitation and emission spectra were recorded using a Scinco FluoroMate FS-2 fluorescence

Self-assembly of amino acids toward functional biomaterials

• Huan Ren,
• Lifang Wu,
• Lina Tan,
• Yanni Bao,
• Yuchen Ma,
• Yong Jin and
• Qianli Zou

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1140–1150, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.85

• crystalline sheet-like assembly. Interestingly, their group also identified the optical properties of single amino acids during assembly, demonstrating the intrinsic fluorescence of amyloid structures of metabolites such as adenine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine which can be used to detect living

• pharmacokinetic model. To investigate the in vivo distribution of metal nanoparticles in tumor-bearing mice, mice injected with metal nanoparticles or unencapsulated Ce6 had strong fluorescence signals throughout the body 2 h after injection. Fmoc-H/Zn2+/Ce6 or Z-HF/Zn2+/Ce6 showed strong fluorescence at the

• tumor site 24 h after injection. In contrast, no significant fluorescence was observed in mice injected with unencapsulated Ce6 12 h after injection. In addition, metal nanoparticles induce an effective tumor ablation, while unencapsulated Ce6 only partially inhibits tumor growth. Curcumin is a

pH-driven enhancement of anti-tubercular drug loading on iron oxide nanoparticles for drug delivery in macrophages

• Karishma Berta Cotta,
• Sarika Mehra and
• Rajdip Bandyopadhyaya

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1127–1139, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.84

• correcting the volume reduction due to sampling loss. The concentration of NOR released was estimated fluorometrically (Ex/Em: 280/420 nm) (SpectraMax M5, Molecular Devices) using a known NOR concentration versus fluorescence standard, prepared with dilution in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) (same as the