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

• %), followed by drying in an oven at 40 °C for three days. Foretibiae of intact and ablated insects used to evaluate the particle removal efficiency were carefully dissected under a stereomicroscope and then dried in an oven at 40 °C for three days. They were not fixed to avoid removing the talc powder present

• -recorded using a high-speed camera DMK 37BUX287 720×540, 539 FPS, global shutter mounted on a Leica MZ6 (Leica Microsystem GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany) stereomicroscope at 500 FPS. To induce grooming behavior, the insect antennae or eyes were fully covered with pink talc powder (Holi Colors Italia, Calatafimi

• carefully cut off with a scalpel blade under the stereomicroscope. The insects were left to recover for 24 h before carrying out the experiments. In each experiment, with intact or ablated insects, antennae or eyes were covered with pink talc powder (Holi Colors Italia, Calatafimi, Italy) as above described

Exfoliation of titanium nitride using a non-thermal plasma process

• Priscila Jussiane Zambiazi,
• Dolores Ribeiro Ricci Lazar,
• Larissa Otubo,
• Rodrigo Fernando Brambilla de Souza,
• Almir Oliveira Neto and
• Cecilia Chaves Guedes-Silva

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 631–637, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.53

• from graphene, prominent 2D vdW materials include hexagonal boron nitride, transition metal dichalcogenides, talc nanoflakes, and black phosphorus [2][3][4]. However, because of the inherent chemical stability of 2D vdW materials under ambient conditions, researchers have also turned their attention to

Liquid phase exfoliation of talc: effect of the medium on flake size and shape

• Samuel M. Sousa,
• Helane L. O. Morais,
• Joyce C. C. Santos,
• Ana Paula M. Barboza,
• Bernardo R. A. Neves,
• Elisângela S. Pinto and
• Mariana C. Prado

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 68–78, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.8

• ). Regarding this, it is imperative to characterize the obtained materials to tailor parameters such as exfoliation medium, duration, and mechanical energy source to the desired applications. This work presents results of statistical analyses of talc flakes obtained by LPE in four different media. Talc is a

• phyllosilicate that can be exfoliated into nanoflakes with great mechanical properties. Sodium cholate at two different concentrations (below and at the critical micelar concentration), butanone, and Triton-X100 were employed as exfoliation medium for talc. Using recent published statistical analysis methods

• applications that have specific requirements. Keywords: 2D materials; atomic force microscopy; liquid phase exfoliation; nanomaterials; talc; Introduction Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted a lot of interest due to their outstanding properties [1]. However, large-scale production is still a

Nanomechanics of few-layer materials: do individual layers slide upon folding?

• Ronaldo J. C. Batista,
• Rafael F. Dias,
• Ana P. M. Barboza,
• Alan B. de Oliveira,
• Taise M. Manhabosco,
• Thiago R. Gomes-Silva,
• Matheus J. S. Matos,
• Andreij C. Gadelha,
• Cassiano Rabelo,
• Luiz G. L. Cançado,
• Ado Jorio,
• Hélio Chacham and
• Bernardo R. A. Neves

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1801–1808, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.162

• mechanical properties of folded edges, which allows for the experimental determination of the bending stiffness (κ) of multilayered 2D materials as a function of the number of layers (n). In the case of talc, we obtain κ ∝ n3 for n ≥ 5, indicating no interlayer sliding upon folding, at least in this

• obtained interlayer adhesion energy for graphene (0.25 N/m) and talc (0.62 N/m) is in good agreement with recent experimental results and theoretical predictions. The obtained value for the adhesion energy of graphene on a silicon substrate is also in agreement with previous results. Keywords: analytical

• methods; atomic force microscopy (AFM); molecular dynamics (MD); Raman spectroscopy; nanostructured materials; Introduction Layered materials such as graphite, talc, and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), held together by strong covalent bonds within layers and relatively weak van der Waals

In situ observation of biotite (001) surface dissolution at pH 1 and 9.5 by advanced optical microscopy

• Chiara Cappelli,
• Daniel Lamarca-Irisarri,
• Jordi Camas,
• F. Javier Huertas and
• Alexander E. S. Van Driessche

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 665–673, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.67

• aluminosilicate minerals (talc, phlogopite and saponite) could precipitate (SI > 0, Table 2). Although the derivation of the surface charge of multi-oxide silicates as a function of pH is complex and requires the knowledge of all zero point charge parameters (e.g., isoelectric point, point of zero net proton