Probing the potential of rare earth elements in the development of new anticancer drugs: single molecule studies

• Josiane A. D. Batista,
• Rayane M. de Oliveira,
• Carlos H. M. Lima,
• Milton L. Lana Júnior,
• Virgílio C. dos Anjos,
• Maria J. V. Bell and
• Márcio S. Rocha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 187–194, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.15

• , Minas Gerais, Brazil Departamento de Ciências Naturais, Universidade Federal do Acre, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil 10.3762/bjnano.16.15 Abstract We use optical tweezers and atomic force microscopy to investigate the potential of rare earth elements to be used as anticancer agents in the development of new

• what occurs with classical DNA condensing agents such as polycations and depletants. Keywords: DNA; optical tweezers; rare earth elements; single molecule force spectroscopy; Introduction The development of new drugs to treat human diseases is a field of singular importance that usually involves

• -molecule force spectroscopy using optical tweezers (OT) on DNA complexes formed with the three rare earths at various concentrations. The mechanical properties of these complexes were then determined as a function of the element concentration. From these data, the physical chemistry of the interaction was

Level set simulation of focused ion beam sputtering of a multilayer substrate

• Alexander V. Rumyantsev,
• Nikolai I. Borgardt,
• Roman L. Volkov and
• Yuri A. Chaplygin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 733–742, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.61

• devices including Fresnel zone plates [4], X-ray lenses [5], optical tweezers [6], and plasmonic antennas [7]. The application of the FIB method is not limited to patterning single-component targets. This technique can also be employed for the modification of multilayer substrates. Depending on the task

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

• , the dry pretarsal arolium and tarsal euplantulae were dissected at the centre using two fine tweezers to achieve a clean breaking edge. The samples were mounted on aluminium stubs and sputter-coated with a 10 nm layer of gold–palladium (Leica BalTec SCD 500, Leica, Wetzlar, Germany). The images were

Investigations on the optical forces from three mainstream optical resonances in all-dielectric nanostructure arrays

• Guangdong Wang and
• Zhanghua Han

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 674–682, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.53

• , the scattering force is along the direction of light propagation, which is not conducive for object capturing. The gradient force is along the gradient direction of the non-uniform distribution of the light intensity in space, and is well-known for its application in optical tweezers [2]. Therein a

• strong laser beam generates a piconewton level of force, which can be used to manipulate small dielectric particles, including biological entities such as DNA, enzymes, and cells. The underlying physics of nanoparticle manipulation by optical tweezers can be interpreted as the trend of the particle to

• move to a region of high field strength to reduce its energy [3]. Unfortunately, due to the diffraction limit, light cannot be focused onto the subwavelength volume; so it is very difficult for optical tweezers to capture nanoscale objects. Recently, plasmonic nanotweezers have proved their capability

Design and characterization of polymeric microneedles containing extracts of Brazilian green propolis

• Camila Felix Vecchi,
• Rafaela Said dos Santos,
• Jéssica Bassi da Silva and
• Marcos Luciano Bruschi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 503–516, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.42

• in a desiccator for 48 h for complete casting. Subsequently, the MNs were carefully recovered from the molds with the help of tweezers and stored in desiccators until future use. Experimental design The 32 full factorial design (two blocks) was utilized to determine the influence of P407 (X1) and PRP

Recent progress in actuation technologies of micro/nanorobots

• Ke Xu and
• Bing Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 756–765, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.59

• cancer, Wang et al. [22] developed a new type of micro/nanorobot, which can observe the state of cancer. This robot uses multi-stage magnetic tweezers for manipulation, which can precisely move in living cells. The multi-stage magnetic tweezers are composed of six magnetic poles and six coils, installed

Thermophoretic tweezers for single nanoparticle manipulation

• Jošt Stergar and
• Natan Osterman

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1126–1133, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.97

• modeling gives a quantitative prediction of the effect. Traps can be dynamically created and relocated, which we demonstrate by the controlled independent manipulation of two nanoparticles. Keywords: laser; microfluidics; nano-manipulation; thermophoresis; trapping; tweezers; Introduction In science and

• heating. While it is also possible to trap atoms and molecules in vacuum using electromagnetic traps, thermal noise is a governing factor when particles are under biological conditions, namely at room temperature in an aqueous medium. Laser tweezers [1][2][3], invented long ago and recognized with the

• refraction between the particle and the surrounding solvent is also required. For manipulation of smaller particles and molecules, typically, electrophoretic [4] and electrokinetic [5] forces are used, but they need sophisticated electrode geometries. A combination of optical tweezers and an array of

Integrated photonics multi-waveguide devices for optical trapping and Raman spectroscopy: design, fabrication and performance demonstration

• Gyllion B. Loozen,
• Arnica Karuna,
• Mohammad M. R. Fanood,
• Erik Schreuder and
• Jacob Caro

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 829–842, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.68

• LOC devices are on-chip versions of a laser-tweezers Raman spectroscopy (LTRS) setup, which is a free space optics instrument. In LTRS, optical trapping and Raman spectroscopy of a particle are carried out using a focused laser beam, enabling the label-free analysis of single cells in an aqueous

• coupled out by the second fiber is collimated to a free space beam and expanded to properly overfill the objective (Olympus water immersion objective, 60×/1.2 NA) of a home-built LTRS setup. This objective can be placed just above the coverslip on the chip. Using the tweezers functionality of the LTRS, a

• -chip beams that induce the trapping of the bead. Using shutters, we can quickly switch between the tweezers functionality and the chip functionality. The particles we use for trapping and Raman spectroscopy are polystyrene beads (Nanosphere, ThermoFisher) with diameters of 1 and 3 μm. We prepare bead

Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic performance of heterostructured CuO–ZnO-loaded composite nanofiber membranes

• Wei Fang,
• Liang Yu and
• Lan Xu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 631–650, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.50

• electrothermal oven (DHG-9030A, Shanghai Shenxian Constant Temperature Equipment Factory, China). At the end of the set reaction time, the fabricated heterostructured CuO–ZnO-loaded CNFMs were taken out with tweezers, and were rinsed repeatedly with deionized water for several times. Next, the rinsed CNFMs were

Examination of the relationship between viscoelastic properties and the invasion of ovarian cancer cells by atomic force microscopy

• Mengdan Chen,
• Jinshu Zeng,
• Weiwei Ruan,
• Zhenghong Zhang,
• Yuhua Wang,
• Shusen Xie,
• Zhengchao Wang and
• Hongqin Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 568–582, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.45

• cells could be detected biomechanically. At present, a variety of research technologies, such as optical tweezers, micropipette aspiration, magnetic twisting cytometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM), have been developed to characterize the mechanical properties of biological samples [7][8][9][10

Materials nanoarchitectonics at two-dimensional liquid interfaces

• Katsuhiko Ariga,
• Michio Matsumoto,
• Taizo Mori and
• Lok Kumar Shrestha

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1559–1587, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.153

• by using solely very common apparatuses such as beaker, stirrer, and tweezers. Therefore, the proposed method can be more generalized and extended even to industrial applications. For the bottom-up fabrication of nanocarbon materials through self-assembly processes, the use of fullerene (especially

Features and advantages of flexible silicon nanowires for SERS applications

• Hrvoje Gebavi,
• Vlatko Gašparić,
• Dubravko Risović,
• Nikola Baran,
• Paweł Henryk Albrycht and
• Mile Ivanda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 725–734, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.72

• from 60 to 100 nm. This thickness allows for the flexibility of the several micrometers long, horizontally placed and randomly oriented SiNWs. The strong SERS enhancement mechanism relies on bringing the SiNWs to nanogap-vicinity, which creates a system comparable to optical tweezers and allows for

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

• coefficient n in the indentation curves measuring the force as a function of hn. We found n = 3/2 in the linear regime, which corresponds to the Hertzian theory [12]. Tensile deformation The experimental calculation of the stress–strain data at the nanoscale can be done by using optical tweezers (OT) [50

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

• checked at each step. Once the contact is obtained, a small droplet of glue is applied to the area between stem and the back of the glass slide using needle-like tweezers (Figure 11b). The glue is allowed to dry for 10 min (Figure 11c). By using the custom Labview software, the stage is brought up in the

Fabrication of photothermally active poly(vinyl alcohol) films with gold nanostars for antibacterial applications

• Mykola Borzenkov,
• Maria Moros,
• Claudia Tortiglione,
• Serena Bertoldi,
• Nicola Contessi,
• Silvia Faré,
• Angelo Taglietti,
• Agnese D’Agostino,
• Piersandro Pallavicini,
• Maddalena Collini and
• Giuseppe Chirico

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2040–2048, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.193

• . It can also be seen that blank PVA films did not show any temperature increase under the same irradiation conditions. Once irradiated, the inoculated membranes were transferred to solid or liquid Luria–Bertani (LB) by sterile tweezers and incubated at 37 °C and the growth of the inoculated medium was

• unit of area of ≈4 W/cm2 at the sample position. Sterile tweezers were used to transfer the membranes to LB agar plates or to LB broth and left to grow at 37 °C. The LB antibacterial effect was estimated on images acquired on LB agar plates, while the bacteria concentration from LB broth was calculated

A simple extension of the commonly used fitting equation for oscillatory structural forces in case of silica nanoparticle suspensions

• Sebastian Schön and
• Regine von Klitzing

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1095–1107, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.101

• instruments, e.g., surface force apparatus (SFA) [2][4][5][6], thin film pressure balance (TFPB) [7][8][9][10][11], total internal reflection microscope (TIRM) [12][13][14][15][16], optical tweezers [17] or colloidal probe atomic force microscope (CP-AFM) [18][19][20][21]. Oscillatory forces have been

Application of visible-light photosensitization to form alkyl-radical-derived thin films on gold

• Rashanique D. Quarels,
• Xianglin Zhai,
• Neepa Kuruppu,
• Jenny K. Hedlund,
• Ashley A. Ellsworth,
• Amy V. Walker,
• Jayne C. Garno and
• Justin R. Ragains

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1863–1877, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.187

• prepared by a previously reported procedure [52]. Glass discs were glued to freshly prepared gold films using an epoxy (EPO-TEK, Billerica, MA) and cured at 150 °C for 1–2 h. The glass discs (12 mm diameter, purchased from Ted Pella, Inc.) were stripped from mica using a pair of tweezers to expose a clean

Evaluation of preparation methods for suspended nano-objects on substrates for dimensional measurements by atomic force microscopy

• Petra Fiala,
• Daniel Göhler,
• Benno Wessely,
• Michael Stintz,
• Giovanni Mattia Lazzerini and
• Andrew Yacoot

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1774–1785, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.179

• mm, Merck Millipore, Darmstadt, Germany) and a suspension volume between 0.01–0.1 mL was dropped. The filtration was carried out with a vacuum pump producing an under pressure of 60 kPa. After membrane drying the filter unit was vented, the membrane carefully removed with tweezers and fixed on a

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

• equal to 3. Preparation of cross sections The porous PMMA films were fractured perpendicular to the surface in the middle of the sample. In order to obtain a surface of sufficient quality for nanoindentation testing, the samples were cooled with liquid nitrogen for 180 s, then broken with tweezers

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

• were fractured mechanically using tweezers prior to mounting on the SEM stub. Images were recorded in low-vacuum mode (7–15 keV, working distance 7.9–13.2 mm), with water as the auxiliary gas. The Ca/P ratios were obtained by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX Genesis with an Apollo SDD

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

• mode was utilized in order to provide an optimal performance. OTESPA AFM tips (manufactured by Bruker) were used. To measure thickness of films, they were scratched with stainless steel tweezers and the step height of the scratch was measured. To ensure that only the film was scratched away (and not

Fast diffusion of silver in TiO₂ nanotube arrays

• Wanggang Zhang,
• Yiming Liu,
• Diaoyu Zhou,
• Hui Wang,
• Wei Liang and
• Fuqian Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1129–1140, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.105

• @TiO2 nanotube arrays using a pair of sharp tweezers, were treated ultrasonically in ethanol for 5–8 min to form a suspension. A drop of the suspension was then drippled on a carbon film supported by a copper grid and dried in air before the TEM analysis. Schematic of the facile route for the

Development of highly faceted reduced graphene oxide-coated copper oxide and copper nanoparticles on a copper foil surface

• Rebeca Ortega-Amaya,
• Yasuhiro Matsumoto,
• Andrés M. Espinoza-Rivas,
• Manuel A. Pérez-Guzmán and
• Mauricio Ortega-López

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1010–1017, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.93

• Ar atmosphere for 1 h. For characterization, the rGO films were peeled off with stainless steel tweezers. Characterization The structure and morphology were studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM, JEOL 2010 and HR-TEM, JEOL ARM 200F), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM

Active multi-point microrheology of cytoskeletal networks

• Tobias Paust,
• Tobias Neckernuss,
• Lina Katinka Mertens,
• Ines Martin,
• Michael Beil,
• Paul Walther,
• Thomas Schimmel and
• Othmar Marti

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 484–491, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.42

• motion of embedded beads. To exert a sinusoidal motion onto the reference bead an optical tweezers setup in combination with a microscope is used to investigate the motion of the response beads. From the lock-in data the so called transfer tensor can be calculated, which is a direct measure for the

• ability of the network to transmit mechanical forces. We also take a closer look at the influence of noise on lock-in measurements and state some simple rules for improving the signal-to-noise ratio. Keywords: cytoskeleton; intermediate filaments; lock-in technique; microrheology; optical tweezers

• server [20]. Results and Discussion Theoretical aspects In this section we have a deeper look at the theory behind the lock-in technique and show how to calculate the transfer tensor. Prior to the determination of the lock-in amplitude one particle has to be trapped and excited by optical tweezers. Then

Single-molecule mechanics of protein-labelled DNA handles

• Vivek S. Jadhav,
• Dorothea Brüggemann,
• Florian Wruck and
• Martin Hegner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 138–148, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.16

• under varying physiological conditions are lacking in literature. Here, optical tweezers are used to investigate different protein-labelled DNA handles in a microfluidic environment under different physiological conditions. Digoxigenin (DIG)-dsDNA-biotin handles of varying sizes (1000, 3034 and 4056 bp

• here demonstrate that handles produced with our protein–DNA labelling procedure are excellent candidates for grasping single molecules exposing tags suitable for molecular recognition in time-critical molecular motor studies. Keywords: DNA handles; optical tweezers; protein labels; single molecule

• ; Introduction Most mechano-enzyme and protein–DNA interaction studies using optical tweezers (OT) are performed in a dumbbell configuration, where a single or double-stranded DNA molecule or protein is tethered between two optically trapped beads. Alternatively, one of the two beads can be held by a