Enhancing mechanical properties of chitosan/PVA electrospun nanofibers: a comprehensive review

• Nur Areisman Mohd Salleh,
• Amalina Muhammad Afifi,
• Fathiah Mohamed Zuki and
• Hanna Sofia SalehHudin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 286–307, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.22

The effect of age on the attachment ability of stick insects (Phasmatodea)

• Marie Grote,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Thies H. Büscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 867–883, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.72

• Marie Grote Stanislav N. Gorb Thies H. Buscher Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9, D-24118 Kiel, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.15.72 Abstract Many insect species have found their way into ageing research as small and easy-to-keep model organisms. A major

• sign of ageing is the loss of locomotory functions due to neuronal disorders or tissue wear. Soft and pliable attachment pads on the tarsi of insects adapt to the substrate texture to maximize their real contact area and, thereby, generate attachment during locomotion. In the majority of stick insects

• , adhesive microstructures covering those pads support attachment. Stick insects do not molt again after reaching the imaginal stage; hence, the cuticle of their pads is subject to continuous ageing. This study aims to quantify how attachment ability changes with age in the stick insect Sungaya aeta

Fluorescent bioinspired albumin/polydopamine nanoparticles and their interactions with Escherichia coli cells

• Eloïse Equy,
• Jordana Hirtzel,
• Sophie Hellé,
• Béatrice Heurtault,
• Eric Mathieu,
• Morgane Rabineau,
• Vincent Ball and
• Lydie Ploux

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1208–1224, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.100

• ) were calculated as described in the Experimental section. The stability of the fluorescent labelling was tested after four months of ageing of FITC- and RhBITC-BSA/PDA NPs. Dialysis was performed on the four months old NP suspensions to retrieve FITC or RhBITC molecules possibly released from the

• BSA/PDA NPs may be related to proteins since fluorescent dyes such as RhBITC can interact with proteins in a non-covalent manner [39]. In addition, proteins can aggregate at the poles or in the cytosol of E. coli (and other bacterial species) during cell division or as the result of cellular ageing or

• under external stressors [40][41]. This may match the distribution patterns observed with FITC- and RhBITC-BSA/PDA NPs. Moreover, by themselves or by the excitation light used to reveal them, the labelled NPs may be the external stressor leading to cell ageing and subsequent protein aggregation as

Nanostructured lipid carriers containing benznidazole: physicochemical, biopharmaceutical and cellular in vitro studies

• Giuliana Muraca,
• María Esperanza Ruiz,
• Rocío C. Gambaro,
• Sebastián Scioli-Montoto,
• María Laura Sbaraglini,
• Gisel Padula,
• José Sebastián Cisneros,
• Cecilia Yamil Chain,
• Vera A. Álvarez,
• Cristián Huck-Iriart,
• Guillermo R. Castro,
• María Belén Piñero,
• Matias Ildebrando Marchetto,
• Catalina Alba Soto,
• Germán A. Islan and
• Alan Talevi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 804–818, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.66

• , hemolytic activity could be caused by several reasons, including the ageing of the blood sample after 48 h of incubation with the concomitant release of hemoglobin, but also by the presence of surfactants that could destabilized the erythrocyte membrane [47]. On the other hand, the differences between NLC

Characterisation of a micrometer-scale active plasmonic element by means of complementary computational and experimental methods

• Ciarán Barron,
• Giulia Di Fazio,
• Samuel Kenny,
• Silas O’Toole,
• Robin O’Reilly and
• Dominic Zerulla

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 110–122, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.12

• , in contrast to simulations, the experimental measurements reveal additional peaks on the leading edge of the main peak about 45.0°. Detailed analyses reveal this is due to ageing of the silver and surface modifications. There are others at about 45.5°, which, altogether, will be discussed in a

Analysis of catalyst surface wetting: the early stage of epitaxial germanium nanowire growth

• Owen C. Ernst,
• Felix Lange,
• David Uebel,
• Thomas Teubner and
• Torsten Boeck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1371–1380, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.121

• surface has to be determined: However, this equation is only valid for equilibrium states on ideal surfaces. Defects on the substrate can lead to hysteresis effects that change the contact wetting angle [38]. Other surface effects, such as coarsening, ageing, or ripening can additionally lead to

Atomic layer deposition for efficient oxygen evolution reaction at Pt/Ir catalyst layers

• Stefanie Schlicht,
• Korcan Percin,
• Stefanie Kriescher,
• André Hofer,
• Claudia Weidlich,
• Matthias Wessling and
• Julien Bachmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 952–959, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.79

• conditions. For example, in vanadium–air redox flow batteries the crossover of vanadium ions through the ion exchange membrane renders the electrolyte even more corrosive. To simulate electrode ageing under accelerated conditions, we study the activity loss of catalyst-coated electrodes after soaking for one

Comparison of fresh and aged lithium iron phosphate cathodes using a tailored electrochemical strain microscopy technique

• Matthias Simolka,
• Hanno Kaess and
• Kaspar Andreas Friedrich

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 583–596, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.46

• storage materials. Here we compare the changes in commercial LiFePO4 cathodes due to ageing and its influence on the measured ESM signal. Additionally, the ESM signal dynamics are analysed to generate characteristic time constants of the diffusion process, induced by a dc-voltage pulse, which changes the

• ionic concentration in the material volume under the AFM tip. The ageing of the cathode is found to be governed by a decrease of the electrochemical activity and the loss of available lithium for cycling, which can be stored in the cathode. Keywords: activity; ageing; cathode; electrochemical strain

• but further improvements are necessary. These improvements are not only focused on higher energy and power density, but also the need to offer a longer product life with a stable capacity and power capability. For the analysis of ageing mechanisms, a variety of techniques are available. In the

Lipid nanostructures for antioxidant delivery: a comparative preformulation study

• Elisabetta Esposito,
• Maddalena Sguizzato,
• Markus Drechsler,
• Paolo Mariani,
• Federica Carducci,
• Claudio Nastruzzi,
• Giuseppe Valacchi and
• Rita Cortesi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1789–1801, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.174

• ][3]. In the last two decades, the noxious effect of CS on skin has been well demonstrated [4][5][6]. For instance, the chronic exposure of skin to CS induces premature skin ageing, delayed wound healing, psoriasis and inflammatory skin diseases [3]. CS increases the risk of squamous cell carcinoma

Tuning the performance of vanadium redox flow batteries by modifying the structural defects of the carbon felt electrode

• Ditty Dixon,
• Deepu Joseph Babu,
• Aiswarya Bhaskar,
• Hans-Michael Bruns,
• Joerg J. Schneider,
• Frieder Scheiba and
• Helmut Ehrenberg

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1698–1706, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.165

• the presence of functional groups [8]. Thus, it is extremely important to optimize and maintain the amount of functional groups on the surface of the carbon felt especially when used as a negative electrode in VRFB. However, it has been found that due to electrochemical as well as chemical ageing

• than a basal carbon [13]. Therefore, to obtain reasonable VRFB performance, the carbon edge sites of the carbon felt electrode should be preserved or the functional group formed on this site by chemical or electrochemical ageing should promote the redox reaction. Another possible way to create a

• process of the PAN fibers or simply the atmospheric ageing of the felt. It is already known from the literature that graphitization or atmospheric ageing can leave some aliphatic or polyaromatic tar-like residues on the surface of the felt [6][23]. Thus, it can be concluded that apart from inducing N

Alloyed Pt₃M (M = Co, Ni) nanoparticles supported on S- and N-doped carbon nanotubes for the oxygen reduction reaction

• Stéphane Louisia,
• Yohann R. J. Thomas,
• Pierre Lecante,
• Marie Heitzmann,
• M. Rosa Axet,
• Pierre-André Jacques and
• Philippe Serp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1251–1269, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.125

• electrochemical characterization of the MEA containing washed and unwashed catalysts validated this new protocol. The ageing tests (AST), characterizing the catalyst support degradation, showed better resistance toward degradation of the Pt3Co/N-CNT than the reference Pt3Co/CB catalyst. Beyond these results, our

Towards rare-earth-free white light-emitting diode devices based on the combination of dicyanomethylene and pyranine as organic dyes supported on zinc single-layered hydroxide

• Jeff L. Nyalosaso,
• Rachod Boonsin,
• Pierre Vialat,
• Damien Boyer,
• Geneviève Chadeyron,
• Rachid Mahiou and
• Fabrice Leroux

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 760–770, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.75

• . After 1 h of agitation, the solution was cooled down to room temperature (RT) [14]. Then 12.22 mol of ultrapure milli-Q water was added to the solution under vigorous agitation. Hydrolysis occurs immediately and a white precipitate is formed progressively. After 1 h of ageing under magnetic stirring

Outstanding chain-extension effect and high UV resistance of polybutylene succinate containing amino-acid-modified layered double hydroxides

• Adam A. Marek,
• Vincent Verney,
• Christine Taviot-Gueho,
• Grazia Totaro,
• Laura Sisti,
• Annamaria Celli and
• Fabrice Leroux

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 684–695, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.68

• ). These results were compared to data found in the literature. Moreover, HIS and PHE anions embedded into the LDH structure can successfully prevent the chain scission reactions that usually occur during photo-ageing of PBS under UV radiation exposure. This highlights the outstanding performance of the

• NaOH solution. When the addition of salts was finished, the reaction mixture was aged for 3.5 h at room temperature. Both the reaction and ageing processes were performed under nitrogen atmosphere to avoid contamination by carbonate. The final products were centrifuged, washed several times with

• LDHs show absorption in the UV range (Figure 5), they should be more or less efficient as UV stabilizers. PBS and PBS nanocomposites with Mg2Al LDHs were exposed to UV irradiation in an accelerated ageing chamber under aerobic conditions at 60 °C for 100 h. The variation in Newtonian viscosity η0 as a

Advanced scanning probe lithography using anatase-to-rutile transition to create localized TiO₂ nanorods

• Julian Kalb,
• Vanessa Knittel and
• Lukas Schmidt-Mende

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 412–418, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.40

• report shows the proof of principle of this technique, and there are certainly many features that have to be improved for commercial applications. A need for improvement is required with respect to the rapid ageing of expensive probes, non-linearities of the scanned field, and patterning of large areas

New micro/mesoporous nanocomposite material from low-cost sources for the efficient removal of aromatic and pathogenic pollutants from water

• Emmanuel I. Unuabonah,
• Robert Nöske,
• Jens Weber,
• Christina Günter and
• Andreas Taubert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 119–131, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.11

• effective, the preparation of these materials still often involves metakaolinization, dealumination, ageing, and autoclave heating for several days [15][16]. In some cases, silica, alumina, and structure-directing agents have to be added to the metakaolin to tune the properties of the resulting materials

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

• such as contact ageing [30][31][32][33] or the dependence of friction on the scan direction over crystalline surfaces [34][35][36][37][38] were explored. To address many properties over a broad range of experimental conditions it is sufficient to use simple theoretical models that describe

• sliding nanostructures. A first indication stems from nanomanipulation experiments performed for Sb nanoparticles on HOPG, where distinct contact-ageing effects were demonstrated. By characterizing the ageing dynamics as a function of the temperature, of the sliding velocity, and of the hold time in

• nanoparticle stick–slip experiments [85][86], contact ageing was characterized as a thermally activated process [87]. Atomic-scale interface relaxations, either by single-atom displacements or by the formation and growth of commensurate patches at the interface [88], can serve as a likely explanation for the

The role of the Ge mole fraction in improving the performance of a nanoscale junctionless tunneling FET: concept and scaling capability

• Hichem Ferhati,
• Fayçal Djeffal and
• Toufik Bentrcia

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1856–1862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.177

• applications. Moreover, this study can be extended by investigating the impact of other parameters such as the interfacial defects between both Si and SiGe materials and the degradation-related ageing effects including stress. To do so, new complex models and numerical simulations need to be developed

Friction force microscopy of tribochemistry and interfacial ageing for the SiO_x/Si/Au system

• Christiane Petzold,
• Marcus Koch and
• Roland Bennewitz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1647–1658, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.157

• ultrahigh vacuum. We measured very low friction forces compared to adhesion forces and found a modulation of lateral forces reflecting the atomic structure of the surfaces. Holding the force-microscopy tip stationary for some time did not lead to an increase in static friction, i.e., no contact ageing was

• observed for these pairs of tip and surface. Passivating layers from tip or surface were removed in order to allow for contact ageing through the development of chemical bonds in the static contact. After removal of the passivating layers, tribochemical reactions resulted in strong friction forces and tip

• wear. Friction, wear, and the re-passivation by oxides are discussed based on results for the temporal development of friction forces, on images of the scanned area after friction force microscopy experiments, and on electron microscopy of the tips. Keywords: contact ageing; friction; nanotribology

The role of ligands in coinage-metal nanoparticles for electronics

• Ioannis Kanelidis and
• Tobias Kraus

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2625–2639, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.263

• . Sintering has been achieved by thermal decomposition of the ligands [35][36], light [37][38], plasma treatment [39], microwaves [40], electrical voltage applied to the film [41], chemical agents [42], or ageing [43]. Thermal decomposition, the conventional method for welding metal nanoparticles together

• removal of capping ligands from AuNW using an ageing process. In a typical experiment, a freshly prepared dispersion of AuNW was left to stand at room temperature for 12 h and then drop-cast onto an air–water interface. The nanowires self-assembled into bundles, forming a continuous network. Transferring

• the mesh film onto PET substrates led to transparent electrodes that were flexible with a resistance increase of 7.2% upon substrate deformation [43]. A similar ageing process was used to create AuNW membranes. The dispersion was left to age for two days at room temperature, spread on the air–water

Preparation and characterization of polycarbonate/multiwalled carbon nanotube nanocomposites

• Claudio Larosa,
• Niranjan Patra,
• Marco Salerno,
• Lara Mikac,
• Remo Merijs Meri and
• Mile Ivanda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2026–2031, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.203

• [2][3]. PC is an amorphous polymer with very low crystalline content, estimated at 1–2 wt %. Not only does UV exposure induce PC ageing, leading to crystallization, but also some solvents as well. They are thought to cause changes in chain conformation, which is associated with the presence of

(Metallo)porphyrins for potential materials science applications

• Lars Smykalla,
• Carola Mende,
• Michael Fronk,
• Pablo F. Siles,
• Michael Hietschold,
• Georgeta Salvan,
• Dietrich R. T. Zahn,
• Oliver G. Schmidt,
• Tobias Rüffer and
• Heinrich Lang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1786–1800, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.180

• substrates over a period of nine months. A long-term study showed that also the optical spectra of H2TPP(OMe)4 change after ageing in air. Not only the ratio of in-plane to out-of-plane extinction coefficient changes with time, but also the roughness of the samples stored in air increases more rapidly

Fluorination of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes: from CF₄ plasma chemistry to surface functionalization

• Claudia Struzzi,
• Mattia Scardamaglia,
• Jean-François Colomer,
• Alberto Verdini,
• Luca Floreano,
• Rony Snyders and
• Carla Bittencourt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1723–1733, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.173

• investigate the evolution of the electronic properties as a function of the fluorine content at the vCNT surface. The samples suffer a limited ageing effect, with a small loss of fluorine functionalities after two weeks in ambient conditions. Keywords: carbon nanotubes; CF4 plasma; fluorination; plasma

• electronic properties of fluorinated vCNT is discussed as a function of the fluorine content and ageing effects are verified after storing the samples for two weeks under ambient conditions. Results and Discussion In the present work, we combine the study of the CF4 plasma chemistry with the analysis of the

• interatomic distances when comparing the functionalized vCNT [39]. A set of four samples, being representative of all fluorine amounts, is finally selected to verify the possibility of ageing effects, the parameters used to functionalize these samples are listed in Table S1 in Supporting Information File 1

CVD transfer-free graphene for sensing applications

• Chiara Schiattarella,
• Sten Vollebregt,
• Tiziana Polichetti,
• Brigida Alfano,
• Ettore Massera,
• Maria Lucia Miglietta,
• Girolamo Di Francia and
• Pasqualina Maria Sarro

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1015–1022, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.102

• a low density of defects. This evidence confirms the non-degradation of the material even during ageing. The analysis of the I(D)/I(D′) ratio allows one to discriminate the type of defects in the film. Indeed, as reported by Eckmann et al., the value of the slope of the I(D)/I(G) vs I(D′)/I(G) curve

Formation and shape-control of hierarchical cobalt nanostructures using quaternary ammonium salts in aqueous media

• Ruchi Deshmukh,
• Anurag Mehra and
• Rochish Thaokar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 494–505, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.53

• within the growth solution and, more importantly, form the basis for the generation of anisotropic particles [34]. Micrographs captured after further ageing for 15 min show that the particle size is reduced to 8–10 nm. The seeds ultrasonicated with TMAH undergo size reduction from 30 nm to 15 nm, and

• preferred at high-driving forces because of oriented aggregation of monomers. Black arrows indicate the growth direction, dotted red arrow show deposition of monomer by diffusion. Cobalt structures formed in the presence of NH4OH. (a,b) FEGTEM and FEGSEM micrographs captured after 15 min of ageing show

• spindles with length l = 900 nm and diameter d = 200 nm; (c) FEGSEM micrograph captured after 45 min of ageing shows spindles with length l = 1100 nm and diameter d = 230 nm; (d) FEGSEM micrograph of a single spindle standing on its tip; the figure shows irregular corrugations on the surface of the spindle

Colorimetric gas detection by the varying thickness of a thin film of ultrasmall PTSA-coated TiO₂ nanoparticles on a Si substrate

• Urmas Joost,
• Andris Šutka,
• Meeri Visnapuu,
• Aile Tamm,
• Meeri Lembinen,
• Mikk Antsov,
• Kathriin Utt,
• Krisjanis Smits,
• Ergo Nõmmiste and
• Vambola Kisand

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 229–236, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.25

• during spin coating was 3000 rpm and coating time was 0.5 min. The obtained NP-based precursor films were aged at room temperature under ambient conditions for four days. The purpose of this ageing was to allow the remaining solvent to evaporate slowly, in order to prevent the cracking of the films

• . After ageing, the films consisted of PTSA-covered TiO2 NPs. PTSA could have been removed by annealing, but the aged films were not heated up, to maintain the ability of the films to swell. A Sopra GES-5E variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometer was used to determine the thickness (d) and optical