Hymenoptera and biomimetic surfaces: insights and innovations

• Vinicius Marques Lopez,
• Carlo Polidori and
• Rhainer Guillermo Ferreira

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1333–1352, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.107

• materials and devices that replicate the efficiency and functionality of insect body structures, driving progress in medical technology, robotics, environmental monitoring, and beyond. Keywords: arthropods; bio-inspired surfaces; bioengineering; cuticle; nanoscale structures; Introduction The body

Functional fibrillar interfaces: Biological hair as inspiration across scales

• Guillermo J. Amador,
• Brett Klaassen van Oorschot,
• Caiying Liao,
• Jianing Wu and
• Da Wei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 664–677, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.55

• fibrillar ultrastructures on bateriophages. The hairs are categorized according to their functions, including protection (e.g., thermal regulation and defense), locomotion, feeding, and sensing. By understanding the versatile functions of biological hairs, bio-inspired solutions may be developed across

• worm to anchor tighter to the surrounding soil. Meanwhile, when the circular muscles relax, the setae deflect and interact less with the soil. This anisotropic anchoring has been realized in a bio-inspired burrowing soft robot [70]. Flying Flying organisms span about eight orders of magnitude in mass

• prey, evade obstacles, or detect potential dangers [130][137]. Airflow sensors with bio-inspired, fibrillar structures based on the working principles of cricket cerci, which, when clustered in arrays, aid in detection of oscillating flows following “viscous coupling” [138], have been developed [139

Classification and application of metal-based nanoantioxidants in medicine and healthcare

• Nguyen Nhat Nam,
• Nguyen Khoi Song Tran,
• Tan Tai Nguyen,
• Nguyen Ngoc Trai,
• Nguyen Phuong Thuy,
• Hoang Dang Khoa Do,
• Nhu Hoa Thi Tran and
• Kieu The Loan Trinh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 396–415, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.36

• glycol. From this perspective, bio-inspired nanoantioxidants could be a potential solution for safety issues. Furthermore, metal-based nanoantioxidants are still in the early stage of clinical practice and face the issue of less accurate accumulation at a specific site. In the next stage, a deep and wide

Industrial perspectives for personalized microneedles

• Remmi Danae Baker-Sediako,
• Benjamin Richter,
• Matthias Blaicher,
• Michael Thiel and
• Martin Hermatschweiler

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 857–864, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.70

• anchoring in barbed microneedles when compared to smooth microneedles [34]. Thus, it would be exciting to design microneedles, particularly those for pain management in joints, that are able to withstand a patient’s movements. Bio-inspired designs do not need to be an exact replica of their animal muse to

• realize greater efficacy while also maintaining scalability. For example, snake fangs are hollow and asymmetrically grooved teeth optimized to deliver liquid venom. Researchers can use the bio-inspired hollow design to transdermally deliver drugs that must remain in liquid form during administration [39

• ][40] (Figure 3). As with most bio-inspired microneedles, they require miniaturization, shape accuracy, and reproducibility for clinical applications. As mentioned above, light-based 3D printing (SLA, DLP, and 2PP) are the newest methods for fabricating microneedles. Each method has its own advantages

Biomimetics on the micro- and nanoscale – The 25th anniversary of the lotus effect

• Matthias Mail,
• Kerstin Koch,
• Thomas Speck,
• William M. Megill and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 850–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.69

• paper “Bioselectivity of silk protein-based materials and their bio-inspired applications” the importance of tailoring bioselective, biologically active, and multifunctional materials for biomedical applications in biomaterial research. The review was focused on two major topics, the first one being

Quercetin- and caffeic acid-functionalized chitosan-capped colloidal silver nanoparticles: one-pot synthesis, characterization, and anticancer and antibacterial activities

• Akif Hakan Kurt,
• Elif Berna Olutas,
• Fatma Avcioglu,
• Hamza Karakuş,
• Mehmet Ali Sungur,
• Cansu Kara Oztabag and
• Muhammet Yıldırım

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 362–376, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.31

• –silver [46][47], chitosan–quercetin [48][49], and silver–quercetin nanoparticles [50][51], are well known. For instance, chitosan–silver nanocomposites, which have been synthesized through bio-inspired and photosynthesis, exhibited significant antioxidant, photocatalytic, and antibacterial activities, in

Design of a biomimetic, small-scale artificial leaf surface for the study of environmental interactions

• Miriam Anna Huth,
• Axel Huth,
• Lukas Schreiber and
• Kerstin Koch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 944–957, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.83

• physicochemical properties due to the cuticle and, in particular, due to the epicuticular waxes deposited on it. In previous studies, bio-inspired technical surfaces were often used with surface properties only partially corresponding to those of the natural surfaces. In the present work, an artificial leaf

• prerequisite for the applicability of the artificial surface as bio-inspired leaf surface, it was defined that the artificial surface needs to have a homogeneous coating and uniform wettability. Previous recrystallization studies have shown that a homogeneous coating can be produced by thermal evaporation [40

Bioselectivity of silk protein-based materials and their bio-inspired applications

• Hendrik Bargel,
• Vanessa T. Trossmann,
• Christoph Sommer and
• Thomas Scheibel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 902–921, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.81

• of bio-inspired selective surface modifications The increasing knowledge on natural receptor–ligand binding mechanisms led to various approaches in the last years to increase both cellular adhesion on surfaces of biomaterials and biosensors, as well as for therapeutic drug carrier systems against

• and derived bio-inspired materials thereof. Protein-based materials are interesting candidates due to their natural origin, biological activity, and structural properties. Among them are silk materials, in particular one made of spider silk proteins [104]. These are well-studied examples characterized

A biomimetic nanofluidic diode based on surface-modified polymeric carbon nitride nanotubes

• Kai Xiao,
• Baris Kumru,
• Lu Chen,
• Lei Jiang,
• Bernhard V. K. J. Schmidt and
• Markus Antonietti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1316–1323, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.130

• Kai Xiao Baris Kumru Lu Chen Lei Jiang Bernhard V. K. J. Schmidt Markus Antonietti Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Department of Colloid Chemistry, 14476 Potsdam, Germany Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of

The effect of flexible joint-like elements on the adhesive performance of nature-inspired bent mushroom-like fibers

• Elliot Geikowsky,
• Serdar Gorumlu and
• Burak Aksak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2893–2905, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.268

• significantly lower than what has been observed with geckos, their structures exhibited very high friction in the direction along the tilt of fibers, termed here as gripping. Also, low adhesion allowed for an easily removable bio-inspired adhesive. Most of these works have featured softer fibers of monolithic

Evidence of friction reduction in laterally graded materials

• Roberto Guarino,
• Gianluca Costagliola,
• Federico Bosia and
• Nicola Maria Pugno

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2443–2456, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.229

• Roberto Guarino Gianluca Costagliola Federico Bosia Nicola Maria Pugno Laboratory of Bio-Inspired & Graphene Nanomechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy Department of Physics and Nanostructured Interfaces

• properties can be exploited to reduce static friction with respect to the corresponding non-graded material and to tune it to desired values, opening possibilities for the design of bio-inspired surfaces with tailor-made tribological properties. Keywords: bio-inspired materials; friction; functionally

• ][7]. Bio-inspired solutions have thus been proposed for the design of advanced materials that mimic the hierarchical and graded structures found in nature, for use in engineering applications [8][9]. Functionally graded materials (FGMs) display a gradient in their elastic properties along one or more

Electrospun one-dimensional nanostructures: a new horizon for gas sensing materials

• Muhammad Imran,
• Nunzio Motta and
• Mahnaz Shafiei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2128–2170, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.202

• ) with response and recovery times of 8 s and 5 s for 100 ppm of acetone [146]. SnO2 NTs have also been functionalized by bio-inspired Pt particles (2 nm diameter) at 0.16 wt % and Au particles (2.7 nm diameter) at 0.08 wt % using a protein nanocage by single-nozzle electrospinning [183] as shown

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

• [147][148]. Bio-inspired plasmonic nanostructures/architectures The pioneering works of several research groups have revealed that by mimicing biological systems, such as butterfly wings [149] and snake skin [150], systems can be designed that are cable of absorbing NIR light due to their distinctive

Involvement of two uptake mechanisms of gold and iron oxide nanoparticles in a co-exposure scenario using mouse macrophages

• Dimitri Vanhecke,
• Dagmar A. Kuhn,
• Dorleta Jimenez de Aberasturi,
• Sandor Balog,
• Ana Milosevic,
• Dominic Urban,
• Diana Peckys,
• Niels de Jonge,
• Wolfgang J. Parak,
• Alke Petri-Fink and
• Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2396–2409, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.239

• FutureNanoNeeds to W.J.P.), the Adolphe Merkle Foundation, the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant # 310030_159847/1) and by the Swiss National Science Foundation through the National Centre of Competence in Research “Bio-Inspired Materials”.

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

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

• ) and high yields [22][23]. Moreover, it provides the possibility to achieve structural complexity by using various bio-inspired materials with distinct mechanical, chemical or biological properties. Biomaterials that can be readily controlled using this approach include the so-called elastin-like

Biological and biomimetic materials and surfaces

• Stanislav Gorb and
• Thomas Speck

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

• , Germany, Freiburg Institute for Interactive Materials & Bioinspired Technologies (FIT), 79104 Freiburg, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.8.42 Keywords: adhesion; bio-inspired materials; biomimetics; interfaces; lotus effect; surfaces; This Thematic Series is a tribute to Wilhem Barthlott, a famous German botanist

• potential significance of the results for the development of branched and unbranched bio-inspired fibre-reinforced systems with enhanced properties is discussed. The hydrated mucilage of the Plantago lanceolata seed causes specific adhesive and frictional properties, playing an important role in seed

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

• normative claim rather than a descriptive one that biomimetic innovations ought to deliver sustainable solutions [16][17][18]. This leads to the question as to whether bio-inspired innovations also have a specific quality in terms of sustainability [18]. Figuratively speaking, this means that sustainability

• may be a by-product of knowledge transfer from biology to technology. A much safer approach is the definition of sustainability as an initial objective and its explicit knowledge transfer in the course of the development of bio-inspired and biomimetic innovations [17][18]. However, Raibeck et al

Biomechanics of selected arborescent and shrubby monocotyledons

• Tom Masselter,
• Tobias Haushahn,
• Samuel Fink and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1602–1619, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.154

• . Additionally we shortly discuss the potential significance of such studies for the development of branched and unbranched bio-inspired fibre-reinforced materials and structures with enhanced properties. Keywords: arborescent monocotyledons; biomechanics; biomimetics; Dracaena; functional morphology

Comparative kinematical analyses of Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) snap traps

• Simon Poppinga,
• Tim Kampowski,
• Amélie Metzger,
• Olga Speck and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 664–674, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.59

• Centre for Interactive Materials and Bio-Inspired Technologies (FIT), Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, 79110 Freiburg, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.7.59 Abstract Although the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) can be considered as one of the most extensively investigated carnivorous plants, knowledge is still scarce

Bacteriorhodopsin–ZnO hybrid as a potential sensing element for low-temperature detection of ethanol vapour

• Saurav Kumar,
• Sudeshna Bagchi,
• Senthil Prasad,
• Anupma Sharma,
• Ritesh Kumar,
• Rishemjit Kaur,
• Jagvir Singh and
• Amol P. Bhondekar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 501–510, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.44

• sensor design [1][2][3][4]. Novel approaches towards sensor design that employ biological material as the active element or associated active element have been widely explored [5][6]. Over the last few decades, the research in this domain has been directed towards the bio-inspired, self-assembly of

Peptide-equipped tobacco mosaic virus templates for selective and controllable biomineral deposition

• Klara Altintoprak,
• Axel Seidenstücker,
• Alexander Welle,
• Sabine Eiben,
• Petia Atanasova,
• Nina Stitz,
• Alfred Plettl,
• Joachim Bill,
• Hartmut Gliemann,
• Holger Jeske,
• Dirk Rothenstein,
• Fania Geiger and
• Christina Wege

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1399–1412, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.145

• mineral deposition in living organisms known also as “biologically controlled mineralization” [12][13]. Such bio-inspired mineralization approaches can accomplish precise coating processes and offer several benefits such as environmentally friendly fabrication routes and reaction parameters compatible

Morphology control of zinc oxide films via polysaccharide-mediated, low temperature, chemical bath deposition

• Florian Waltz,
• Hans-Christoph Schwarz,
• Andreas M. Schneider,
• Stefanie Eiden and
• Peter Behrens

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 799–808, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.83

• such as polysaccharides for the preparation of technologically relevant materials and devices. In bio-inspired synthetic approaches, such polymers can act in a similar way as in biomineralization processes, influencing the growth and controlling the morphology and arrangement of the resulting

Multifunctional layered magnetic composites

• Maria Siglreitmeier,
• Baohu Wu,
• Tina Kollmann,
• Martin Neubauer,
• Gergely Nagy,
• Dietmar Schwahn,
• Vitaliy Pipich,
• Damien Faivre,
• Dirk Zahn,
• Andreas Fery and
• Helmut Cölfen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 134–148, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.13

• certain increase in the stiffness of the composite material. Keywords: bio-inspired mineralization; biomineralization; chitin; ferrogel; hybrid materials; magnetite; nacre; Introduction Biominerals, which are organic–inorganic hybrids and highly sophisticated materials with optimal assimilated

• species for magnetite thus boosting composite growth along the chitin fibers. In summary, we have managed to synthesize a bio-inspired organic–inorganic hybrid material, which combines the structural features of nacre and chiton teeth. Swelling studies and preliminary mechanical measurements indicate a

Nanobioarchitectures based on chlorophyll photopigment, artificial lipid bilayers and carbon nanotubes

• Marcela Elisabeta Barbinta-Patrascu,
• Stefan Marian Iordache,
• Ana Maria Iordache,
• Nicoleta Badea and
• Camelia Ungureanu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2316–2325, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.240

• , and also decreased the mobility in the bilayers. The bio-coating of CNTs with bio-inspired membranes may be an effective method of increasing the biocompatibility of the CNTs, giving rise to bionanocomposites with good physical stability, having both antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Schematic