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

• the decomposition of gas pollutants are still being developed. In addition, previous studies have shown that the photocatalytic activity regarding NOx decomposition of SnO2 and other materials depends on many factors, such as physical structure and band energies, surface and defect states, and

• reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) [35][36][37][38][39][40]. This promotes a new avenue for diverse analyses of semiconductor photocatalysts in addition to the traditional theories and conclusions. Previous studies have shown that the photocatalytic activity of NOx decomposition of materials in general and SnO2

• quantum dots (SQDs) were heated from 200 to 700 °C, which indicated that the bandgap of the SQDs decreased from 3.49 to 2.52 eV (for SQD-700) as shown in Figure 3. These results demonstrated that the redshift is favorable for a photocatalytic activity in the visible light region. Meanwhile, Fan et al. [47

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

• regulation of cell activity, and hence to the health level of organisms. Here, the morphology and mechanical properties of normal pancreatic cells (HDPE6-C7) and pancreatic cancer cells (AsPC-1, MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3) were studied by atomic force microscopy. In addition, the mechanical properties of MIA PaCa-2

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

• spheroid diameter and up to 74 ± 8.9% of cell death after two weeks. In addition, they also inhibited multidrug resistance (MDR) pump activity in both cell lines suggesting effectivity in MDR cancers. Among the tested MFe2O4 NPs, CFO nanocarriers were the most favorable for targeted cancer therapy due to

• showed viability up to 80%, indicating excellent biocompatibility of amphiphilic polymers at a lower dose in vitro. IC50 concentrations of functionalized MFe2O4 NPs in cancer cells To determine IC50 concentrations of drug-loaded NPs and their effect on the metabolic activity of HepG2 and HT144 cells, MTT

• ligand used for functionalization may contribute to a genotoxic activity. Smaller NPs (<50 nm) have large surface area which increases their biological interactions and hence genotoxic potential [54]. Polymeric coatings, on the other hand, are aimed to enhance colloidal stability and facilitate the

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

• the point of leaf unrolling until adult leaf stages of S. calyptrata, the cuticular structure may influence the attachment and, thus, the activity of herbivores or pollinators (associated with the order, Coleoptera [45]). During young stages, however, the S. calyptrata leaves remain rolled-up, a type

Identifying diverse metal oxide nanomaterials with lethal effects on embryonic zebrafish using machine learning

• Richard Liam Marchese Robinson,
• Haralambos Sarimveis,
• Philip Doganis,
• Xiaodong Jia,
• Marianna Kotzabasaki,
• Christiana Gousiadou,
• Stacey Lynn Harper and
• Terry Wilkins

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1297–1325, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.97

• last decade has seen a significant number of published studies present quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSARs) for predicting the biological effects of ENMs, commonly known as nano-QSARs, based upon calculated and/or measured variables (descriptors) related to their intrinsic or extrinsic

• assumption that a small perturbation in structure, corresponding to a small perturbation in descriptors, will lead to a small change in biological activity [36]. In the current context, it is assumed that the toxicity classes would be unchanged for these small perturbations. Descriptors corresponding to

• File 1, Figures S1–S10. The failure of the “noised training set replication” paradigm to improve model performance (Figure 7) is surprising, given that this has been successfully applied in various other scenarios [36]. It is possible that the presence of activity cliffs may have contributed to this

Morphology-driven gas sensing by fabricated fractals: A review

• Vishal Kamathe and
• Rupali Nagar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1187–1208, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.88

• hydrogen adsorption [64][65]. Figure 5d depicts the response of fab-fracs with D = 2.43 and 2.49 for different gases. Pt decoration can be seen to improve the sensing performance for all analyte vapors, and this can be attributed to the higher catalytic activity due to Pt 5d electrons and the fractal

The effect of cobalt on morphology, structure, and ORR activity of electrospun carbon fibre mats in aqueous alkaline environments

• Markus Gehring,
• Tobias Kutsch,
• Osmane Camara,
• Alexandre Merlen,
• Hermann Tempel,
• Hans Kungl and
• Rüdiger-A. Eichel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1173–1186, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.87

• mechanically stable scaffold for an air electrode with an inherent catalytic activity, due to their nitrogen content [10][11][12]. The inherent nitrogen leads to nitrogen-doped carbon, which is a known electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction [13]. The carbonisation temperature determines the degree

• of graphitisation, the amount of incorporated nitrogen, and the nature of its incorporation [10][11][12][14]. However, the overall performance of the electrodes is typically not high [15], thus enhancing the activity by addition of dedicated catalytic components is required. Cobalt and its compounds

• cobalt salt to the spinning solution [19][20][21][22]. Li et al. [19] investigated the activity of the material using a rotating ring disc and dilute 0.1 M KOH electrolyte. They found that the cobalt species were active in both oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and ORR. They also found that increasing

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

• various nanostructures, such as nanowires [17], nanofibers [18], nanospheres [19], nanovesicles [20], nanogels [21], nanobelts [22], and nanotubes [23]. Self-assembly not only conveys higher stability and mechanical strength to proteins and peptides, but also further enhances their natural activity and

• properties [27] and good antibacterial activity [44]. Hydrogels of other amino acids modified by Fmoc, such as Fmoc-tryptophan, Fmoc-methionine, and Fmoc-tyrosine have also been shown to have antimicrobial activity and to be selectively resistant to Gram-positive bacteria [45]. The combined self-assembly

• bacteria and aztreonam-encapsulated Fomc-F hydrogels antagonize Pseudomonas aeruginosa and enhance Fomc-F antimicrobial activity. Salicylic acid is loaded in Fmoc-ʟ-phenylalanine hydrogel, which can play a role against Gram-positive bacteria, and the drug release behavior changes at different temperature

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

• with stabilizing agents. We hypothesize that, zwitterionic drugs like norfloxacin (NOR, a fluoroquinolone) can manifest dual functionality – nanoparticle stabilization and antibiotic activity, eliminating the need of a separate stabilizing agent. Since these drugs have different charges, depending on

• permeabilization [10], in turn improving the bactericidal activity of the drug, too. For biological applications, it is essential for IONPs to be stabilized with the help of stabilizing agents [11][12]. This helps to reduce the nanoparticle toxicity and facilitates the synthesis of stable nanoparticle dispersions

• release, too [15]. Fluoroquinolones, a class of broad-spectrum DNA gyrase inhibiting antibiotics, are used as therapeutics for many intracellular pathogens [16][17][18][19][20]. Recently, they have been explored for their activity as an anti-TB drug [16][17]. Currently, they are used as second-line anti

Use of nanosystems to improve the anticancer effects of curcumin

• Andrea M. Araya-Sibaja,
• Norma J. Salazar-López,
• Krissia Wilhelm Romero,
• José R. Vega-Baudrit,
• J. Abraham Domínguez-Avila,
• Carlos A. Velázquez Contreras,
• Ramón E. Robles-Zepeda,
• Mirtha Navarro-Hoyos and
• Gustavo A. González-Aguilar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1047–1062, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.78

• anticancer activity, including liposomes, nanoemulsions, nanocrystals, nanosuspensions, and polymeric nanoparticles, as well as dual effect nanosystems which respond to external stimuli (mainly magnetic nanoparticles and photodynamic therapy), in addition to internal ones. Furthermore, key design factors

• highly dependent on angiogenesis [25], making this process a likely target to prevent, mitigate, or treat some types of cancer. Previous studies have reported the antiangiogenic activity of CUR against cancerous cells [26][27]. In fact, CUR has been shown to hinder proliferation and invasion of non-small

• characteristic of the tumor microenvironment (pH 6.5) and subcellular endosomes (pH 5.0). Regarding its apoptotic effects, a high anticancer activity was found when assayed against a breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231), an effect that was accompanied by an enhanced cellular uptake in cells that overexpressed

Progress and innovation of nanostructured sulfur cathodes and metal-free anodes for room-temperature Na–S batteries

• Marina Tabuyo-Martínez,
• Bernd Wicklein and
• Pilar Aranda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 995–1020, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.75

• sodium polysulfide species are directly exposed to the electrolyte. Additionally, the hollow structure provides space to accommodate the volume expansion of sulfur during the discharge processes. This cathode composite limits the shuttle effect, increases utilization and activity of sulfur, and prevents

A Au/CuNiCoS₄/p-Si photodiode: electrical and morphological characterization

• Adem Koçyiğit,
• Adem Sarılmaz,
• Teoman Öztürk,
• Faruk Ozel and
• Murat Yıldırım

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 984–994, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.74

• p-type Si by measuring I–V and C–V characteristics. The fabricated Au/CuNiCoS4/p-Si device exhibited good rectifying properties, high photoresponse activity, low series resistance, and high shunt resistance. The C–V characteristics revealed that capacitance and conductance of the photodiode are

Molecular assemblies on surfaces: towards physical and electronic decoupling of organic molecules

• Sabine Maier and
• Meike Stöhr

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 950–956, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.71

• molecules, offering unique opportunities for the bottom-up assembly of novel carbon-based materials using on-surface chemistry [48][49]. However, the significantly reduced catalytic activity on non-metallic substrates requires exploring alternative reaction mechanisms beyond thermal activation, for example

The role of deep eutectic solvents and carrageenan in synthesizing biocompatible anisotropic metal nanoparticles

• Nabojit Das,
• Akash Kumar and
• Raja Gopal Rayavarapu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 924–938, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.69

• -galactopyranose (unit G) and (1→4)-linked α-ᴅ-galactopyranose (unit D) alternatively. Some of the reports in the literature showed that carrageenan has several pharmacological properties such as antiviral and antitumor activity that can add pharmaceutical value to the nanomaterials synthesized using them [30][31

• ]. The difference between the electrochemical double layers and a differential activity of chloride ions (i.e., preferential facet binding during crystal growth restricting the lattice growth in a particular direction) were responsible for the observed morphological difference. The lower surface tension

• nanocrystals with high-index {771} facets. The nanoparticles with high-index planes exhibited higher catalytic activity due to high density of atoms with low coordination number compared to nanoparticles with low-index facets such as {100}, {111}, or {110}. Chirea et al. synthesized polycrystalline gold

Modification of a SERS-active Ag surface to promote adsorption of charged analytes: effect of Cu²⁺ ions

• Bahdan V. Ranishenka,
• Andrei Yu. Panarin,
• Irina A. Chelnokova,
• Sergei N. Terekhov,
• Peter Mojzes and
• Vadim V. Shmanai

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 902–912, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.67

• adsorb different molecules and give rise to their SERS signal. High specific affinity of Ag to the analytes could also promote SERS activity enhancement for the anionic analytes described in [23]. We also studied the SERS activity increase for negatively charged analytes using multicharged cations [20

• Mg sulfate solution for 30 min with subsequent washing and drying. Lithium chloride treatment was performed according to [23]. Preparation of samples for SERS analysis To assess the SERS substrate activity, water solutions of cationic CuTMPyP4 (1 µM), anionic CuTSPP4 (1 µM), or oligonucleotide (10 µM

Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications

• Sepand Tehrani Fateh,
• Lida Moradi,
• Elmira Kohan,
• Michael R. Hamblin and
• Amin Shiralizadeh Dezfuli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64

• , Tehran, Iran 10.3762/bjnano.12.64 Abstract The field of theranostics has been rapidly growing in recent years and nanotechnology has played a major role in this growth. Nanomaterials can be constructed to respond to a variety of different stimuli which can be internal (enzyme activity, redox potential

• %, respectively [207]. Liao et al. fabricated epidermal growth factor-coated lysozyme MBs responsive to US waves, which showed good antimicrobial activity, promoting neovascularization and significantly reducing the time needed for wound healing

Silver nanoparticles nucleated in NaOH-treated halloysite: a potential antimicrobial material

• Yuri B. Matos,
• Rodrigo S. Romanus,
• Mattheus Torquato,
• Edgar H. de Souza,
• Rodrigo L. Villanova,
• Marlene Soares and
• Emilson R. Viana

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 798–807, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.63

• matrix and additive was tested through coating the Ag-NPs with dodecanethiol, a non-polar surfactant. The resulting composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and in terms of surface antimicrobial activity. The results demonstrate that the Ag-NPs synthesized in this work are indeed

• antimicrobial, and that it is possible to imbue a polymeric matrix with the antimicrobial properties of Ag-NPs. Keywords: antimicrobial activity; DIO coating; halloysite; nanocomposites; silver nanoparticles; Introduction The number of people dying from bacterial infections has been significantly reduced with

• then evaluated in terms of surface antimicrobial activity. Experimental Halloysite (>99%), silver nitrate (AgNO3(s), >99%), and dodecanethiol were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich; sodium hydroxide (NaOH(s), >99%) was purchased from Alpha Quimica; low-density polyethylene (LDPE) was purchased from Braskem

Silver nanoparticles induce the cardiomyogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells via telomere length extension

• Khosro Adibkia,
• Ali Ehsani,
• Asma Jodaei,
• Ezzatollah Fathi,
• Raheleh Farahzadi and
• Mohammad Barzegar-Jalali

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 786–797, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.62

• ) [15]. Previous reports have shown that telomerase activity diminished when cells are exposed to stimuli that inhibit cell proliferation and promote differentiation [16]. Studies on the role of telomeres and telomerase in cardiac cells, cardiac differentiation, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases

• expression as telomerase catalytic subunit, TL, and telomerase activity [39]. Thus, in addition to the TL, the TERT protein expression was also investigated. It was previously reported that the differentiation efficiency of stem cells into cardiomyocytes correlates positively with the TL. More specifically

• and the fluorescent cells were visualized under a fluorescence microscope. Cell proliferation assay by MTT The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay measures the mitochondrial activity of the cells [45]. After the BM-MSCs grew to 70–80% confluence, they were washed

9.1% efficient zinc oxide/silicon solar cells on a 50 μm thick Si absorber

• Rafal Pietruszka,
• Bartlomiej S. Witkowski,
• Monika Ozga,
• Katarzyna Gwozdz,
• Ewa Placzek-Popko and
• Marek Godlewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 766–774, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.60

• ; Introduction The constantly increasing emission of greenhouse gases creates a growing environmental problem. Burning of fossil fuels leads to an increase of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The effect of this activity is global warming [1]. Fortunately, public awareness of the ecological problem

Recent progress in magnetic applications for micro- and nanorobots

• Ke Xu,
• Shuang Xu and
• Fanan Wei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 744–755, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.58

• to the human body or the environment caused by other materials such as lead. In addition, Gopal et al. [48] pointed out that boron exhibits diamagnetic properties in B-doped anatase TiO2 nanoparticles and showed photocatalytic activity in the visible-light range. Magnetic MNRs were applied to the

Prediction of Co and Ru nanocluster morphology on 2D MoS₂ from interaction energies

• Cara-Lena Nies and
• Michael Nolan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 704–724, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.56

• of surface to bulk is of great importance in promoting catalytic activity. Therefore, 3D growth (agglomeration) is essential when creating a supported metal catalyst [44][45][46][47]. In this work we aim to determine the atomic-scale interactions that control the stability of small Con and Run

Nanogenerator-based self-powered sensors for data collection

• Yicheng Shao,
• Maoliang Shen,
• Yuankai Zhou,
• Xin Cui,
• Lijie Li and
• Yan Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 680–693, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.54

• can monitor the training status of athletes in real time and provide training suggestions [83]. TENGs have high sensitivity, and a slight strain can cause the output signal of TENGs to change. Self-powered sensors based on TENGs are feasible signal monitoring sensors for facial activity, breathing

• , vocal cord vibration, heartbeat, and other small physiological activities. Small physiological signals, such as facial activity data, can be used for monitoring the driver status to prevent non-hazardous driving and improve driving safety. In 2018, Meng et al. [10] proposed a TENG-based self-powered

• with good biocompatibility can used for implantable self-powered physiological sensors. The sensors can be powered by the mechanical energy from the biological activity of the organism, and provide physiological data. An implantable heart monitoring sensor based on a TENG can work stably for a long

A review of defect engineering, ion implantation, and nanofabrication using the helium ion microscope

• Frances I. Allen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 633–664, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.52

• irradiation in the HIM, this time using a defocused beam to irradiate larger areas, has also been used to generate defects in exfoliated flakes of molybdenum dichalcogenides (MoS2 and MoSe2) to activate the catalytic activity of the basal planes of the crystal for hydrogen evolution reactions [69]. Thermal

Nanoporous and nonporous conjugated donor–acceptor polymer semiconductors for photocatalytic hydrogen production

• Zhao-Qi Sheng,
• Yu-Qin Xing,
• Yan Chen,
• Guang Zhang,
• Shi-Yong Liu and
• Long Chen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 607–623, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.50

• generate hydrogen under visible-light irradiation, for the first time. After that, g-C3N4 triggered substantial research interest [12][13][14]. Various strategies have been developed to improve the PHP activity of g-C3N4, such as introducing heterojunctions [15][16][17], copolymerization [18][19][20

• functional groups and geometries of the polymer framework, the influence of different factors on the photocatalytic activity can be systematically investigated and, consequently, the structure–performance relationships are unveiled. Herein, the donor and acceptor fragments in the polymer structures are

• bandgaps of the CTFs can be easily tuned to optimize the photocatalytic activity by introducing different functional groups. Besides using a single kind of electron acceptor, researchers also attempted to incorporate multiple electron acceptors to construct CPs for PHP. For instance, Thomas et al. [48