Mechanical and thermodynamic properties of Aβ₄₂, Aβ₄₀, and α-synuclein fibrils: a coarse-grained method to complement experimental studies

• Adolfo B. Poma,
• Horacio V. Guzman,
• Mai Suan Li and
• Panagiotis E. Theodorakis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 500–513, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.51

• of the individual amino-acid chains in these structures. Fibrils consisting of either 40-mer or 42-mer amyloid chains (it contains two additional hydrophobic amino acids) are particularly interesting. For example, Aβ40 typically assembles into two-fold or three-fold symmetries (see Figure 1), while

• representation for some biological fibrils as well as their native interactions. These native contacts represent hydrogen bonds (HB), and hydrophobic and ionic bridges. Moreover, we consider contacts between amino acids in individual chains with sequential distance |i − j| > 4. The parameters σij are given by

• YL, is almost one order of magnitude. In contrast, in the case of β-amyloid fibrils the anisotropy is considerably smaller. We find that this effect is due to the deformation of the hydrophobic core (segments 61–95). We have also confirmed that the large anisotropy in the case of α-syn neither

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

• attachment with respect to various surface properties was investigated by using a 2 × 3 experimental design. Traction force was measured for two different surface energies (hydrophilic vs hydrophobic) varying in roughness from smooth to micro-rough to rough. Nanotribometric tests on single legs were also

• respective surfaces [15][16][17]. Another property that influences insect adhesion is surface polarity, which can be affected by surface roughness, apparently reinforcing hydrophobic or hydrophilic surface characteristics. The testing of both of these surface properties in combination in our experiments has

• ., being either hydrophilic (treated with plasma) or hydrophobic (treated with antispread). The data were compared between and within the species. The within-species comparisons were conducted between the different surface properties such as roughness and wettability. Results Tarsus morphology At its

Ternary nanocomposites of reduced graphene oxide, polyaniline and hexaniobate: hierarchical architecture and high polaron formation

• Claudio H. B. Silva,
• Maria Iliut,
• Christopher Muryn,
• Christian Berger,
• Zachary Coldrick,
• Vera R. L. Constantino,
• Marcia L. A. Temperini and
• Aravind Vijayaraghavan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2936–2946, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.272

• (typically above 90 °C) results in the aggregation of the material due to restacking of the hydrophobic rGO layers [34][35]. This is a drawback in the preparation of rGO nanocomposites because phase segregation and/or composition heterogeneity will occur in the final materials. Although it is well known that

Time-resolved universal temperature measurements using NaYF₄:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺ upconverting nanoparticles in an electrospray jet

• Kristina Shrestha,
• Arwa A. Alaulamie,
• Ali Rafiei Miandashti and
• Hugh H. Richardson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2916–2924, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.270

• hydrophobic in nature, due to a presence of oleic acid on its surface, which was removed by adding EDTA. The synthesized particles are of an average size of 300 nm. Experimental setup for temperature measurements in an electrospray jet An experimental setup for temperature measurement in an electrospray

Layered calcium phenylphosphonate: a hybrid material for a new generation of nanofillers

• Kateřina Kopecká,
• Ludvík Beneš,
• Klára Melánová,
• Vítězslav Zima,
• Petr Knotek and
• Kateřina Zetková

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2906–2915, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.269

• /bjnano.9.269 Abstract The use of nanosheets of layered calcium phenylphosphonate as a filler in a polymeric matrix was investigated. Layered calcium phenylphosphonate (CaPhP), with chemical formula CaC6H5PO3∙2H2O, is a hybrid organic–inorganic material that exhibits a hydrophobic character due to the

• layer is formed by rather hydrophobic phenyl groups, which makes them a suitable material for incorporation into the hydrophobic polymer matrices. An epoxy resin was chosen as a polymer matrix because epoxy resins are widespread and useful in various industrial applications ranging from coatings, to

• better than in propan-2-ol; however, n-butanol is not so convenient for application in the composites due to its higher boiling point. Also, ethanol seems to be a promising solvent, however, ethanol is polar and thus less compatible with hydrophobic substances. Therefore, propan-2-ol was chosen, which is

Graphene-enhanced metal oxide gas sensors at room temperature: a review

• Dongjin Sun,
• Yifan Luo,
• Marc Debliquy and
• Chao Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2832–2844, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.264

• real environment and study the mechanism of humidity influence. A hydrophobic coating can be applied to the surface of the sensor to reduce the effects of humidity. Regarding the synthesis, it is important to quantify and control the effect of hydrothermal or solvothermal parameters on the

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

• characterization is performed via optical and scanning electron microscopy. Wetting measurements on the fabricated structures are presented, demonstrating that different wetting regimes can be achieved by a proper choice of the processing parameters, leading to the formation of hydrophilic, hydrophobic and

• from an initial superhydrophilic state to a (super-) hydrophobic state within approximately 10 days, due to the progressive attachment of carbon and its compounds to the surface [46]. After this time, the surface has stabilized chemically and also in terms of its wetting behavior. As explained in the

• ° and 150°, the surface is considered hydrophobic. In our experiments, more than half the fabricated surfaces present this wetting behavior, changing from 92 ± 2° (1 J/cm2, 1 scan) to 136 ± 6° (0.2 J/cm2, 1 scan). Surfaces that present CAs higher than 150° are considered superhydrophobic. In our case

Accurate control of the covalent functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes for the electro-enzymatically controlled oxidation of biomolecules

• Naoual Allali,
• Veronika Urbanova,
• Mathieu Etienne,
• Xavier Devaux,
• Martine Mallet,
• Brigitte Vigolo,
• Jean-Joseph Adjizian,
• Chris P. Ewels,
• Sven Oberg,
• Alexander V. Soldatov,
• Edward McRae,
• Yves Fort,
• Manuel Dossot and
• Victor Mamane

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2750–2762, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.257

• samples were used in an aqueous medium. The alkyl linker being hydrophobic while PEG linkers are hydrophilic strongly suggests also modelling the interaction between the functionalized nanotubes and the water molecules. The corresponding results are reported in the next paragraph. Determining the role of

Nanocellulose: Recent advances and its prospects in environmental remediation

• Katrina Pui Yee Shak,
• Yean Ling Pang and
• Shee Keat Mah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2479–2498, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.232

• introducing anionic, cationic, or hydrophobic functional groups to the nanocellulose surfaces through a charge neutralization mechanism. The –OH groups on the cellulose surface enables facile functionalization of nanocellulose to introduce the desired functionality and produce highly effective flocculants

Effect of electrospinning process variables on the size of polymer fibers and bead-on-string structures established with a 2³ factorial design

• Paulina Korycka,
• Adam Mirek,
• Katarzyna Kramek-Romanowska,
• Marcin Grzeczkowicz and
• Dorota Lewińska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2466–2478, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.231

• among others as: coatings with hydrophobic properties [19], membranes for fog harvesting [20], drug delivery systems with encapsulated therapeutic substances [21]. Therefore, it is fully justified to dedicate a study to the analysis of conditions in which the beads can be optimally obtained. Although a

Block copolymers for designing nanostructured porous coatings

• Roberto Nisticò

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2332–2344, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.218

• and physical modifications of the PS nanostructures, since the complete removal of PMMA phase produces a hydrophobic PS surface whereas an irradiation at a pressure of 103 Pa caused the partial decomposition of the PS matrix with the modification of the material pore size and structure. By focusing on

• were obtained using PS-b-PEO block copolymers as SDAs [103]. In this study, by modulating the starting composition (in particular, the hydrophilic/hydrophobic solvent ratio), a transition from stacked spherical pores to worm-like structures to spherical dense particles was reached due to the

• the macropore. Reprinted with permission from [64], copyright 2014 Elsevier. Schematic representation of different micellar architectures. Hydrophilic polar heads are indicated in blue, and hydrophobic non-polar tails are drawn in red. Reprinted from [22] (“Selective porous gates made from colloidal

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

• terminated glass (positively charged surface) favouring the deposit of three times more adhesive than R–CH3 (hydrophobic surface) one [2]. In the sea star A. rubens the thickness of the adhesive is also influenced by the surface on which it is deposited, where more adhesive is deposited on glass and mica

Lead-free hybrid perovskites for photovoltaics

• Oleksandr Stroyuk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2209–2235, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.207

• hydrolytic degradation of MAGeI3 HP as a function of the crystal face were examined in detail in [145]. The stability of Ge-based HPs can be enhanced in mixed-halide HPs as well as by hydrophobic cations. In particular, by introducing cations that are more bulky than MA+, such as phenylethylamine (PEA

Nanoconjugates of a calixresorcinarene derivative with methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) fragments for drug encapsulation

• Alina M. Ermakova,
• Julia E. Morozova,
• Yana V. Shalaeva,
• Victor V. Syakaev,
• Aidar T. Gubaidullin,
• Alexandra D. Voloshina,
• Vladimir V. Zobov,
• Irek R. Nizameev,
• Olga B. Bazanova,
• Igor S. Antipin and
• Alexander I. Konovalov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2057–2070, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.195

• toxicity that have sizes of ≤100 nm, increase biocompatibility, stability and circulation time of the drugs, and are sensitive to release stimuli. Nanocontainers on the base of amphiphilic compounds combine these properties and are able to increase the solubility of hydrophobic drugs due to their binding

• near the hydrophobic core, whereas the shell, which is composed of hydrophilic groups, ensures the stability of the system in solution. Examples for these amphiphilic compounds are surfactants [1], liposomes [2], polymers [3], and synthetic macrocycles [4]. Calixarenes and calixresorcinarenes are

• because of its high hydrophilicity and the lack of hydrophobic groups. The study of the hemolytic activity of 3 against human red blood cells (hRBC) demonstrates the low toxicity of its micelles in a concentration range above the cac value of 3 (Table 1). The self-association of 3 was further studied by

Recent highlights in nanoscale and mesoscale friction

• Andrea Vanossi,
• Dirk Dietzel,
• Andre Schirmeisen,
• Ernst Meyer,
• Rémy Pawlak,
• Thilo Glatzel,
• Marcin Kisiel,
• Shigeki Kawai and
• Nicola Manini

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1995–2014, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.190

• ][112][113] induced by the interplay of the surface-induced confinement and the structural correlations of charged and hydrophobic molecular sections, has potential implications for the nanoscale lubrication properties of the resulting interfaces. These properties can be affected not only by the

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

• determined. It showed a change of 21% of the polymer scaffold mass (Figure 5). This degradation rate is even slower than that of drug-free CA scaffolds. It is obvious that the presence of the hydrophobic dexamethasone as well as the size of the CA:dexam fibers, which was larger than that of the pure CA

• release pattern with an initial burst on day 1, in which 11.6% of the dexamethasone was released. This is probably due to the hydrophobicity of dexamethasone. When a hydrophobic drug forms a fibrous matrix with a polymer, a low burst release is observed. The second stage is the decay of the polymeric

Self-assembled quasi-hexagonal arrays of gold nanoparticles with small gaps for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

• Emre Gürdal,
• Simon Dickreuter,
• Fatima Noureddine,
• Pascal Bieschke,
• Dieter P. Kern and
• Monika Fleischer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1977–1985, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.188

• block [23]. The hydrophobic PS forms the shell, and the hydrophilic P2VP the core of the spherically shaped micelles [24]. Within their core gold salt can be assembled, which is bonded by protonization or complexation [25]. The loaded spherical micelles form a hexagonal array when being deposited on a

Synthesis of rare-earth metal and rare-earth metal-fluoride nanoparticles in ionic liquids and propylene carbonate

• Marvin Siebels,
• Lukas Mai,
• Laura Schmolke,
• Kai Schütte,
• Juri Barthel,
• Junpei Yue,
• Jörg Thomas,
• Bernd M. Smarsly,
• Anjana Devi,
• Roland A. Fischer and
• Christoph Janiak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1881–1894, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.180

• choosing Cu instead of Al for the current collector. RE-NPs from RE(amd)3 in [BMIm][NTf2] Compared to the IL [BMIm][BF4], which can act as a fluoride source, the hydrophobic IL [BMIm][NTf2] with C–F bound fluorine can be expected to be a more inert reaction medium. Further, this hydrophobic IL could be

A visible-light-controlled platform for prolonged drug release based on Ag-doped TiO₂ nanotubes with a hydrophobic layer

• Caihong Liang,
• Jiang Wen and
• Xiaoming Liao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1793–1801, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.170

• -layer titania nanotubes (TNTs) fabricated using by an in situ voltage up-anodization process. The visible-light photocatalytic activity is improved by loading Ag onto the TNTs by NaBH4 reduction. Then, the TNTs containing Ag nanoparticles were modified with dodecanethiol (NDM) to create a hydrophobic

• exhibit promising application as a localized, prolonged drug delivery platform. Keywords: Ag doping; drug delivery; hydrophobic layer; prolonged drug release; TiO2 nanotubes; visible-light-controlled release; Introduction Titanium dioxide nanotubes (TNTs) are often employed as drug carriers, owing to

• pH [17][18][19], illumination [14][19], ionic strength [20][21], and temperature [22][23][24]. Song et al. [14] fabricated an amphiphilic TNT structure to control the release of drugs. By using the hydrophobic organic portion to decorate the upper layer, nanotubes could hinder the hydrophilic liquid

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

• not in agreement with the large cell area seen on our gelatin pillars. PLLA pillar surfaces are hydrophobic because their contact angle is about 85°, whereas in contrast, our gelatin pillars are highly hydrophilic. For this reason, cells grown on gelatin pillars are more likely to generate a larger

Controllable one-pot synthesis of uniform colloidal TiO₂ particles in a mixed solvent solution for photocatalysis

• Jong Tae Moon,
• Seung Ki Lee and
• Ji Bong Joo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1715–1727, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.163

• the particle shape became irregular. These phenomena can be explained by not only the solubility of TBOT and the surfactant, but also by the nucleation-growth kinetics of TBOT in different solvent conditions. It is well-known that acetonitrile is more hydrophobic than ethanol [14]. As the relative ACN

Nanocomposites comprised of homogeneously dispersed magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles and poly(methyl methacrylate)

• Sašo Gyergyek,
• David Pahovnik,
• Ema Žagar,
• Alenka Mertelj,
• Rok Kostanjšek,
• Miloš Beković,
• Marko Jagodič,
• Heinrich Hofmann and
• Darko Makovec

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1613–1622, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.153

• compatible with hydrophobic polymers, such as PMMA. Usually, oleic or ricinoleic acid (RA) is bound to the surface of the nanoparticles to make them hydrophobic [17][18]. However, this is usually insufficient to prevent depletion flocculation in the polymer solution or polymer melt [19][20][21]. This problem

• specific power loss of the nanoparticles in powder form was measured using a custom-built device [28]. See the Supporting Information File 1 for more details. Results and Discussion Mixing the colloidal suspension of hydrophobic RA-coated iron-oxide nanoparticles, NP-RA, in toluene with a solution of sPMMA

• found that 58 wt % of Fe dissolved in the case of NP-RA, 33 wt % in the case of NP-RA-PMMA, and only 0.15 wt % in the case of NC-3. Despite the hydrophobic character of the NP-RA sample, the RA was insufficient to prevent the dissolution of the NPs. The dissolution was not much improved in the case of

Closed polymer containers based on phenylboronic esters of resorcinarenes

• Tatiana Yu. Sergeeva,
• Rezeda K. Mukhitova,
• Irek R. Nizameev,
• Marsil K. Kadirov,
• Polina D. Klypina,
• Albina Y. Ziganshina and
• Alexander I. Konovalov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1594–1601, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.151

• second and the third bands reveals the hydrophobic nature [49][50] of the p(SRA-B) core. A similar picture is observed for PTS@p(SRA-B). The ratio of the first and the third emission band II/IIII is much lower for PTS@p(SRA-B) than for free PTS [51] (Figure 2). SRA itself hardly interacts with the used

Photoluminescence of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in nematic liquid crystals in electric fields

• Margarita A. Kurochkina,
• Elena A. Konshina and
• Daria Khmelevskaia

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1544–1549, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.145

• change their orientation. We have studied intensity and a decay time of QD photoluminescence as well as the change of particle size and distribution of QDs and ion current in the LC matrix. Experimental We used hydrophobic CdSe/ZnS quantum dots with a core diameter of 5 nm obtained from Belarusian State

Electrostatically actuated encased cantilevers

• Benoit X. E. Desbiolles,
• Gabriela Furlan,
• Adam M. Schwartzberg,
• Paul D. Ashby and
• Dominik Ziegler

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1381–1389, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.130

• damping mechanism. The quality factor of the cantilever typically drops by a factor of 50 when immersed in water. By trapping air inside the hydrophobic encasement [26][27][28][29], the resonator maintains a high quality factor and resonance frequency. For the liquid air comparison a softer cantilever (L