Bioinspired nanofilament coatings for scale reduction on steel

• Siad Dahir Ali,
• Mette Heidemann Rasmussen,
• Jacopo Catalano,
• Christian Husum Frederiksen and
• Tobias Weidner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 25–34, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.3

• maintenance costs. By understanding and replicating the nanostructured [3][7][8][9], liquid-repelling features of Collembola skin, we propose a novel approach to mitigate this issue. Figure 1 displays the cuticle micro- and nanostructure which leads to effective water repellency [5]. It has been shown how the

• multiscale structuring, from micron-sized hair-like structures all the way to nanometer-scale spikes and indentations can maintain the layer of air between the cuticle and water, which is needed for Collembola survival (Figure 1C,D). Inspired by the intricate nanostructures found on Collembola skin, we

• taken afterwards. Bioinspired SNF coatings. (A) Springtails (Collembola) have micro- and nanostructured skin for effective water repellence. (B) High water contact angle on Collembola cuticle demonstrates natural super-hydrophobicity. (C,D) Multiscale structuring of the Collembola skin renders the

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles derived from algae and their larvicidal properties to control Aedes aegypti

• Matheus Alves Siqueira de Assunção,
• Douglas Dourado,
• Daiane Rodrigues dos Santos,
• Gabriel Bezerra Faierstein,
• Mara Elga Medeiros Braga,
• Severino Alves Junior,
• Rosângela Maria Rodrigues Barbosa,
• Herminio José Cipriano de Sousa and
• Fábio Rocha Formiga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1566–1575, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.123

• of toxicity of AgNPs in mosquito larvae has recently been reported (Figure 3). The small size of AgNPs is linked to two pathways of action. First, AgNPs can pass through the insect cuticle and penetrate individual cells. The second way is the ingestion of AgNPs by larvae through their generalist

Ultrablack color in velvet ant cuticle

• Vinicius Marques Lopez,
• Wencke Krings,
• Juliana Reis Machado,
• Stanislav Gorb and
• Rhainer Guillermo-Ferreira

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1554–1565, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.122

• of the ultrablack cuticle in Traumatomutilla bifurca, an enigmatic and visually striking species of velvet ants (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae). Using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and optical

• spectroscopy, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the cuticle to elucidate its unique optical properties. SEM imaging provided a detailed surface morphology, while TEM provided insights into the internal structure. CLSM showed that the cuticle exhibits no autofluorescence. Our findings reveal a highly

• specialized cuticle, characterized by microstructures that effectively minimize reflectance and enhance light absorption. Optical spectrometry confirmed the ultrablack nature of the cuticle, with the measured reflectance approaching minimal levels across a broad spectrum of wavelengths. Therefore, our study

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

• morphological features and the principles behind their functionality, we aim to identify key characteristics that can inspire innovative materials and technologies. Review General features of body cuticle The cuticle of Hymenoptera exhibits several fascinating properties. Cuticle roughness The cuticle surfaces

• sculptured and thick cuticle of some hymenopterans is also associated with increased resistance to fractures and high pressures [16] and may also potentially reduce water loss [17][18]. Alternative hypotheses yet to be tested for the function of such complex cuticle sculpturing is the air drag reduction

Interaction of graphene oxide with tannic acid: computational modeling and toxicity mitigation in C. elegans

• Romana Petry,
• James M. de Almeida,
• Francine Côa,
• Felipe Crasto de Lima,
• Diego Stéfani T. Martinez and
• Adalberto Fazzio

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1297–1311, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.105

• measurements were performed in the head, pharynx, intestine, gonad, and egg regions. At each point, the upper cuticle was considered as the distance 0 μm, and to differentiate GO’s internal and external signals, Raman spectra were acquired from −30 to 120 μm, with steps of 5 µm. The intensity of the G band at

• the entire nematode cuticle. Furthermore, GO was found internally in the head, intestine, and pharynx of nematodes, regardless of the presence of TA. Internalization of GO in the gonads was also observed and to some extend in eggs, although in the latter the occurrence of GO signal decreased after the

• , and eggs. To differentiate between internal and external signals of GO, depth profiles ranging from −30 to 120 μm (assuming 0 μm as the upper cuticle) were acquired at each position, with steps of 5 µm [85][86]. Raman spectra were acquired using a confocal Raman spectrometer equipped with an optical

Functional morphology of cleaning devices in the damselfly Ischnura elegans (Odonata, Coenagrionidae)

• Silvana Piersanti,
• Gianandrea Salerno,
• Wencke Krings,
• Stanislav Gorb and
• Manuela Rebora

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1260–1272, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.102

• , situated on the foreleg tibiae, were observed using scanning electron microscopy, and the presence and distribution of resilin, an elastomeric protein that enhances cuticle flexibility, were analyzed using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Eye and antennal grooming behavior were analyzed to evaluate the

• represent a starting point to develop advanced biomimetic cleaning tools. Keywords: antennae; cuticle; eyes; grooming; legs; resilin; Introduction Self-grooming, defined as any behavior related to the maintenance and care of body surfaces, is an innate behavior found across a wide range of animal species

• tasks through the presence of micro- and nanostructures located on its cuticular surface, serving functions from sensory reception to surface adhesion, air retention, food grinding, thermoregulation, and color production (reviews in [4][5]). The insect cuticle is frequently exposed to a variety of

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

• , 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

• extending over a larger time frame. Ageing effects on the morphology of the attachment pads and the autofluorescence of the cuticle were documented using light, scanning electron, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The results show that both adhesion and friction forces decline with age. Deflation of

• the pads, scarring of the cuticle, and alteration of the autofluorescence, likely indicating stiffening of the cuticle, were observed to accumulate over time. This would reduce the attachment ability of the insect, as pads lose their pliant properties and cannot properly maintain sufficient contact

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

• structures on their limbs, which help them locomote on the water surface [47]. Similarly, groups of ants form rafts to float on water and escape flooded regions [48]. This function relies on the wetting properties of their cuticle and its substructures. When underwater, spiders, such as the diving bell

• , also known as a peg-in-pit sensillum [154]. The protruding hair-like receptors help to absorb thermal radiation, since the penetration depth of infrared radiation into insect cuticle is quite shallow [155]. Additionally, the hair-like sensillum possesses electron-dense filaments that may improve

Comparative analysis of the ultrastructure and adhesive secretion pathways of different smooth attachment pads of the stick insect Medauroidea extradentata (Phasmatodea)

• Julian Thomas,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Thies H. Büscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 612–630, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.52

• metachromatic dye, which selectively stains basophilic tissue components and has a high affinity to acidic tissue (nucleic acids are stained blue and polysaccharides purple). Previous experiments have also shown that the dye stains soft parts of the cuticle dark blue, and sclerotized parts of the cuticle light

• ) at their distal ends. The pretarsus features the arolium (ar) situated between a pair of claws (cl). The euplantulae, the cuticle between them, and the arolium bear a rather smooth surface structure. The remaining surface of the tarsomeres, where no attachment pads are situated, is covered with setae

• (Figure 1C). The CLSM images revealed that both types of attachment pads and the cuticle between the euplantulae and between the tarsomeres show a low degree of sclerotization (blue coloration). In contrast, the cuticle of the remaining tarsomeres has a higher degree of sclerotization (green/yellow

Insect attachment on waxy plant surfaces: the effect of pad contamination by different waxes

• Elena V. Gorb and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 385–395, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.35

• tarsal attachment devices) are able to establish a highly reliable contact and adhere successfully to a great variety of substrates having both smooth and microrough topographies [1][2][3]. However, in cases of waxy plant surfaces, where the plant cuticle is covered by micro/nanoscopic three-dimensional

• [8] tests up to precise measurements of attachment forces with different experimental techniques, such as pulling [9] and centrifugal [10] setups. It has been demonstrated that not only the presence of wax projections on the plant cuticle surface, but also their size, distribution, and density

• to [19][36]), show very high aspect ratios (ca. 100 [34] and ca. 33 [19][36], respectively). These wax structures have relatively small contact area with the underlying cuticle (A. negundo) or with wax tubules (B. oleracea). Cylindrical wax tubules in both A. vulgaris (Figure 1c) and C. majus (Figure

Sulfur nanocomposites with insecticidal effect for the control of Bactericera cockerelli

• Lany S. Araujo-Yépez,
• Juan O. Tigrero-Salas,
• Vicente A. Delgado-Rodríguez,
• Vladimir A. Aguirre-Yela and
• Josué N. Villota-Méndez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1106–1115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.91

• to improve the insecticidal efficacy because the higher surface area and specificity provide stronger contact of the active substance with the insects [45]. The working mechanism of the nanocomposites may be the effective penetration through pores and microfibrils of the insects’ cuticle [45] and the

• larvae, pupae, and adults of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster [48]. In addition, nanoencapsulated essential oils have chemical activity and increased mobility, allowing for the penetration into insect tissues through the cuticle or by ingestion through the digestive tract [49]. Essential oils are

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

• treatment on the elastic modulus of locust cuticle obtained by nanoindentation”, investigate the mechanical properties of the cuticle that builds the surface of insects and related groups of animals. The cuticle is one of the most abundant, but least studied biological composites. In their study, the

• authors use a nanoindentation technique to investigate the effect of freezing, desiccation, and rehydration on the elastic modulus of the hind tibial cuticle of locusts. All of the treatments significantly influenced the mechanical properties of the latter. Gorb et al. [7], in the paper “Hierachical

The origin of black and white coloration of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

• Manuela Rebora,
• Gianandrea Salerno,
• Silvana Piersanti,
• Alexander Kovalev and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 496–508, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.41

• may be due to pigments (e.g., melanins, carotenoids, ommochromes, and pteridins situated in the cuticle or under a transparent cuticle) [2] able to absorb visible electromagnetic radiation in a selective way, or due to various physical phenomena, such as reflection, refraction, interference

• µm in the white scales. The cuticle between longitudinal ridges is decorated with anisotropically situated nanostructures with a herringbone pattern (Figure 3e). The ridges show overlapping lamellae from which fine folds or microribs run down the sides, along the sides of the ridges (Figure 3d). The

• (Figure 4b–d,h). Such nanovoids originate from the rests of epidermal cells and appear in TEM as white or light grey areas inside the scales, together with electron-dense debris (Figure 4h). Their occurrence is higher at the bases of microribs, because the cuticle thickness is higher there (Figure 4h

Laser-processed antiadhesive bionic combs for handling nanofibers inspired by nanostructures on the legs of cribellate spiders

• Sebastian Lifka,
• Kristóf Harsányi,
• Erich Baumgartner,
• Lukas Pichler,
• Dariya Baiko,
• Karsten Wasmuth,
• Johannes Heitz,
• Marco Meyer,
• Anna-Christin Joel,
• Jörn Bonse and
• Werner Baumgartner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1268–1283, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.105

• “construction elements” surrounded by a wool of nanofibers. This wool is used to capture prey, deploying van der Waals forces and additionally embedding the fibers into the viscous waxy layer of the insects’ cuticle [12][13]. One thread typically consists of 5000 to 30000 single fibers with a thickness of 10–30

Interaction between honeybee mandibles and propolis

• Leonie Saccardi,
• Franz Brümmer,
• Jonas Schiebl,
• Oliver Schwarz,
• Alexander Kovalev and
• Stanislav Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 958–974, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.84

• transversely [7][8]. Mandibles of worker bees are spoon-shaped and differ from those of the queen and drones, which have a more pointed apex and a subapical notch [7][8]. The medial surface of the mandible has not been studied in detail before but has been described as concave and ridged [8]. The cuticle of

• mandibles is particularly strong due to bonding of long chitin chains and sclerotization (crosslinking of proteins in the cuticle) [6]. Foraging and handling of propolis Worker bees exhibit a division of labour based on age (polyethism) [9] in which duties such as brood rearing are usually performed by

• that anti-adhesive properties minimize adhesion of resins and propolis to their body parts. Various anti-adhesive strategies have been found in nature. Different mechanisms can lead to low adhesion. Possible strategies to reduce adhesion on the insect cuticle, as suggested in [16], are specific surface

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

• Miriam Anna Huth Axel Huth Lukas Schreiber Kerstin Koch Faculty of Life Sciences, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Marie-Curie-Str. 1, 47533 Kleve, Germany IZMB, Department of Ecophysiology, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.13.83 Abstract The cuticle

• wetting properties of a natural leaf surface. Keywords: recrystallization; surface properties; wax composition; wetting; wheat; Introduction Cuticle One of the largest interfaces on earth is formed by thin layers that are a few nanometers to micrometers thin, namely the wax layers of the plant cuticle

• [1]. The plant cuticle is a thin extracellular membrane superimposed on the epidermal cells of all higher, non-woody, aboveground plant surfaces. It is basically composed of an insoluble polymeric matrix, cutin, and soluble hydrophobic waxes. The plant cuticle is known to have a variety of vital

Hierachical epicuticular wax coverage on leaves of Deschampsia antarctica as a possible adaptation to severe environmental conditions

• Elena V. Gorb,
• Iryna A. Kozeretska and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 807–816, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.71

• thawing, water drops flow off the surface and therefore cannot be potentially re-frozen. The study demonstrated the following effects caused by the wax coverage: (i) Air pockets between wax projections prevent direct contact between the plant cuticle and ice crystals, and (ii) after thawing, the fluid

• the wax on both epidermis and stomata contributes to the resistance of water vapor diffusion from the mesophyll to the outside and to the control of cuticle transpiration, reducing in this way the water loss by the leaf blade [9]. Also, authors associated the epicuticular wax on leaves along with

• . antarctica provides interesting data about surface adaptations in the plant adapted to low temperatures of Antarctica. Two layers of particulate wax observed here may potentially lead to an increase of the freezing time due to the shift of ice nucleation from the cuticle surface to the tips of wax

Effect of sample treatment on the elastic modulus of locust cuticle obtained by nanoindentation

• Chuchu Li,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Hamed Rajabi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 404–410, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.33

• Chuchu Li Stanislav N. Gorb Hamed Rajabi Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Institute of Zoology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany Division of Mechanical Engineering and Design, School of Engineering, London South Bank University, London, UK 10.3762/bjnano.13.33 Abstract Cuticle is one of the

• most abundant, but least studied, biological composites. As a result, it has contributed very little to the field of biomimetics. An important step to overcome this problem is to study cuticle biomechanics by means of accurate mechanical measurements. However, due to many reasons, mechanical testing on

• fresh cuticle specimens is not always possible. Hence, researchers often use stored specimens to measure properties of arthropod cuticle. Our knowledge about the influence of different treatment methods on cuticle properties is currently very limited. In this study, we investigated the effect of

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

• .12.98 Abstract The plant cuticle is a multifunctional barrier that separates the organs of the plant from the surrounding environment. Cuticular ridges are microscale wrinkle-like cuticular protrusions that occur on many flower and leaf surfaces. These microscopic ridges can help against pest insects by

• cuticle is a thin non-cellular membrane that covers most of the above-ground organs of land plants. It is a composite matrix consisting of cutin and cutan as its main components, contains intracuticular waxes, and typically is covered by an outer layer of epicuticular waxes. The cuticle and the underlying

• epidermal cell wall are linked by a transition region that is rich in cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin [1][2][3][4][5]. The outer peripheral layer of the cuticle may show various microscopic morphological structures such as cuticular ridges, epicuticular wax crystals, trichomes, and hairy structures [4

Self-assembly of Eucalyptus gunnii wax tubules and pure ß-diketone on HOPG and glass

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

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 939–949, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.70

• that ß-diketone tubules are formed by self-assembly and confirmed that ß-diketone is the shape-determining component for this type of tubules. Keywords: ß-diketone tubules; eucalyptus; plant wax; recrystallization; self-assembly; Introduction The plant cuticle, which is the largest biological

• into the cutin matrix and the latter is deposited on the cutin layer, building the outermost layer of the cuticle. The two types of waxes may also differ in chemical composition [8][9]. Epicuticular waxes form various three-dimensional structures with different sizes (0.5–100 µm) and morphologies [5

Physical constraints lead to parallel evolution of micro- and nanostructures of animal adhesive pads: a review

• Thies H. Büscher and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 725–743, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.57

• spatula, terminating tips of the cuticle outgrowths in hairy systems form the superficial film. These films are responsible for proper contact formation with the substrate due to their low bending stiffness at a minimum load [239]. The film/spatula is able to adapt to the surface profile and to replicate

• . It contains a non-volatile, lipid-like substance that can be observed in footprints stained with Sudan black. It has been shown that the pad adhesive secretion of ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) consists of hydrocarbons and true waxes [80][259], which correspond to the composition of the cuticle

• surface of the major droplets (Figure 8A is from [3] and was adapted by permission from Springer Nature from “Attachment devices of insect cuticle” by S. N. Gorb, Copyright 2001 Springer Nature. This content is not subject to CC BY 4.0). (B) Menisci formed around single terminal contact elements of the

Bio-imaging with the helium-ion microscope: A review

• Matthias Schmidt,
• James M. Byrne and
• Ilari J. Maasilta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1–23, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.1

• milling and imaging. Plant imaging was done on the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. The HIM images of the uncoated cuticle samples showed fine textures and minute ridges not discernible in the low-voltage field-emission SEM images of the same samples. Arabidopsis samples were also HIM-imaged by Curtin

Ultraviolet patterns of flowers revealed in polymer replica – caused by surface architecture

• Anna J. Schulte,
• Matthias Mail,
• Lisa A. Hahn and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 459–466, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.45

• strongly absorbing surfaces. Keywords: biomimetics; hierarchical structures; light absorption; light harvesting; light reflection; Introduction The outer epidermal surface of plants, the cuticle, forms the first and crucial boundary to the abiotic environment [1][2]. In most cases, this cuticle is a

• also be considered that the cuticle will interact with many different environmental influences, for example, wetting, contamination, and electromagnetic radiation [3][4] as well. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the wavelength range 280–380 nm is particularly crucial for plants, for example, when

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

• . vespilloides beetles, we found tiny pores on the ventral cuticle between the adhesive setae (Figure 1, inset: white arrows). Such pores could not be detected in N. nepalensis. A pair of flexibly hinged claws was seen to insert at the distal end of the fifth tarsus. The ventral side of the T1-T4 mainly bore two

• effects are less relevant in smooth systems that can obviously better compensate a wide range of roughness by their pliable pad cuticle in interaction with the fluid surface film [32]. In order to separate the effect of surface polarity from structuring, tests were conducted on hydrophilized and

A new bioinspired method for pressure and flow sensing based on the underwater air-retaining surface of the backswimmer Notonecta

• Matthias Mail,
• Adrian Klein,
• Horst Bleckmann,
• Anke Schmitz,
• Torsten Scherer,
• Peter T. Rühr,
• Goran Lovric,
• Robin Fröhlingsdorf,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 3039–3047, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.282

• the hemelytra of N. glauca. a–d) Clavus. a) Tubular body (tb) at the base of the seta. Note the joint membrane (jm). b) Outer dendritic segment with the dendritic sheath (ds) sectioned below the cuticle. c) Part of the dendrite in the outer receptor lymph cavity of the sensillum. The base of the seta

• through the clavus of a hemelytron of N. glauca (dorsal surface is up). Arrows mark mechanoreceptors. a) Lower part of a dendritic canal running through the cuticle with an inner dendrite. b) Socket region of the seta with outer dendritic tip at its base. cu = cuticle. a) Image of a water droplet

• cuticle (orange) at the base of each seta should enable monitoring of the setal deflection. The pins (dark gray) most likely penetrate the air–water interface. If so they should be deflected (light gray, dashed outline) by water flow. This deflection most likely is sensed by cuticular mechanoreceptors