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Flood marks are rarely utilized in hazard assessment, mainly because of a lack of data availability and accessibility and mistrust in their reliability. Challenging these common assumptions, we present an approach for evaluation and practical utilization of flood marks by the example of the Kinzig River, a Rhine tributary from the Black Forest with a history of severe floods. We combined written documents describing flood marks with field mapping at three study sites and collected information relating to 89 marks – about 50 % of them still preserved – which refer to ≥15 large floods between 1824 and 1991. The inclusion of a detailed historical-mark survey enabled an assessment of changes through time for each flood mark: they extend from small (±15 cm) imprecisions in mark heights to considerable uncertainties in position, height, and displayed date for some modified marks. Plausibility checks with further data nevertheless demonstrated good overall consistency. We then juxtaposed these marks with the current, modeled flood hazard maps. A wide agreement is apparent, in that the large majority of marks are situated at probable heights and within the modeled flooding area associated with extreme floods. For the few exceptions, we see plausible and historically sound reasons in changed local hydraulic conditions by flood protection walls, exceptional processes during a massive ice jam, and possibly also a local underestimation of hazard along Kinzig River tributaries. Overall, this study highlights (1) the broad availability of flood mark data, both on a larger spatial scale and with regard to already vanished marks, and (2) the significance of the marks, verified by further data, and also demonstrates (3) the possibility of a straightforward inclusion in hazard assessment. We thus encourage the systematic collection, maintenance, and integration of flood marks as responsible risk management, not least regarding their value in the wider context of risk awareness and memory.

Passive icephobic surfaces can provide a cost and energy efficient solution to many icing problems that are currently handled with expensive active strategies. Water-repellent surface treatments are promising candidates for this goal, but commonly studied systems, such as superhydrophobic surfaces and Slippery Liquid Infused Porous Surfaces (SLIPS), still face challenges in the stability and durability of their properties in icing environments. In this work, environmental icing conditions are simulated using an Icing Wind Tunnel, and ice adhesion is evaluated with a Centrifugal Adhesion Test. We show that superhydrophobic coral-like Silicone Nanofilament (SNF) coatings exhibit extremely low ice adhesion, to the point of spontaneous ice detachment, and good durability against successive icing cycles. Moreover, SNFs-based SLIPS show stably low ice adhesion for the whole duration of the icing test. Stability of surface properties in a cold environment is further investigated with water wettability at sub-zero surface temperature, highlighting the effect of surface chemistry on superhydrophobicity under icing conditions.

Tree water uptake processes and ecohydrological travel times have gained more attention in recent ecohydrological studies. In situ measurement techniques for stable water isotopes offer great potential to investigate these processes but have not been applied much to tree xylem and soils so far. Here, we used in situ probes for stable water isotope measurements to monitor the isotopic signatures of soil and tree xylem water before and after two deuterium-labeled irrigation experiments. To show the potential of the method, we tested our measurement approach with 20-year-old trees of three different species (Pinus pinea, Alnus incana and Quercus suber). They were planted in large pots with homogeneous soil in order to have semi-controlled experimental conditions. Additional destructive sampling of soil and plant material allowed for a comparison between destructive (cryogenic vacuum extraction and direct water vapor equilibration) and in situ isotope measurements. Furthermore, isotope-tracer-based ecohydrological travel times were compared to travel times derived from sap flow measurements. The time to first arrival of the isotope tracer signals at 15 cm stem hight were ca. 17 h for all tree species and matched well with sap-flow-based travel times. However, at 150 cm stem height tracer-based travel times differed between tree species and ranged between 2.4 and 3.3 d. Sap-flow-based travel times at 150 cm stem hight were ca. 1.3 d longer than tracer-based travel times. The isotope signature of destructive and in situ isotope measurements differed notably, which suggests that the two types of techniques sampled water from different pools. In situ measurements of soil and xylem water were much more consistent between the three tree pots (on average standard deviations were smaller by 8.4 ‰ for δ2H and by 1.6 ‰ for δ18O for the in situ measurements) and also among the measurements from the same tree pot in comparison to the destructive methods (on average standard deviations were smaller by 7.8 ‰ and 1.6 ‰ for δ2H and δ18O, respectively). Our study demonstrates the potential of semi-controlled large-scale pot experiments and very frequent in situ isotope measurements for monitoring tree water uptake and ecohydrological travel times. It also shows that differences in sampling techniques or sensor types need to be considered when comparing results of different studies and within one study using different methods.

Summary Conventional polyolefin separators suffer from poor wettability to liquid electrolytes (LEs). Although some modified separators exhibit improved wettability, they are hydrophilic, causing inevitable moisture uptake. Trace water could result in poor performance and safety hazard of Li metal batteries. Here, we report a design idea of superLEphilic/superhydrophobic and thermostable separators by modifying the Celgard separator using silicone nanofilaments. The separator features low moisture uptake (∼0%), fast LE diffusion (454 ms), and high LE uptake (287.8%), LE retention rate, and Li+ conductivity. Consequently, the Li/LiFePO4 cells show high cycling stability (96.05% after 350 cycles), good rate performance (125 mA h g−1 at 5.0 C), low resistance, and stable open circuit voltage at 160°C. Moreover, the separator could improve performance of the other Li metal batteries with high-voltage cathodes and the LiFePO4/graphite pouch cells. This work provides an avenue for designing advanced separators by using bioinspired superwetting surfaces., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • A superLEphilic/superhydrophobic separator is first reported for Li metal batteries • The separator has low moisture uptake and could improve performance of Li/Li cells • The separator features fast LE diffusion, high LE uptake, and Li+ conductivity • The separator could enhance performance of high-voltage Li metal batteries, Chemistry; Electrochemistry; Nanoelectrochemistry; Materials Science; Energy Materials

Many novel icephobic coatings have been shown to exhibit low adhesion strength to ice grown at null or low velocity. Of these, few have been shown to also exhibit low adhesion strength to ice grown by impacting high velocity supercooled water droplets. Even fewer of these have been shown to exhibit low adhesion strength to ice grown over a range of environmental conditions. Those that have shown such behavior have been held back by their susceptibility to certain bands of UV-exposure. Here, icephobic coatings made from Silicone Nanofilament (SNF) networks grown on anodic metal oxide surfaces are presented. They show low ice adhesion strength for a range of impact icing conditions and exhibit good durability against the tested conditions. Additionally, their nano-porous structure provides enhanced lubricant retention when infused with oil. The described coatings are a promising candidate for supporting hybrid ice protection systems on aircraft, thereby reducing the energy needed for anti−/de-icing.

Quantitative chemical analysis of airborne particulate matter (PM) is vital for the understanding of health effects in indoor and outdoor environments, as well as for enforcing EU air quality regulations. Typically, airborne particles are sampled over long time periods on filters, followed by lab-based analysis, e.g., with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). During the EURAMET EMPIR AEROMET project, cascade impactor aerosol sampling is combined for the first time with on-site total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectroscopy to develop a tool for quantifying particle element compositions within short time intervals and even on-site. This makes variations of aerosol chemistry observable with time resolution only a few hours and with good size resolution in the PM10 range. The study investigates the proof of principles of this methodological approach. Acrylic discs and silicon wafers are shown to be suitable impactor carriers with sufficiently smooth and clean surfaces, and a non-destructive elemental mass concentration measurement with a lower limit of detection around 10 pg/m3 could be achieved. We demonstrate the traceability of field TXRF measurements to a radiometrically calibrated TXRF reference, and the results from both analytical methods correspond satisfactorily.

(IF 6.44; Q1); International audience; Karst aquifers provide drinking water for 10% of the world’s population, support agriculture, groundwater-dependent activities, and ecosystems. These aquifers are characterised by complex groundwater-flow systems, hence, they are extremely vulnerable and protecting them requires an in-depth understanding of the systems. Poor data accessibility has limited advances in karst research and realistic representation of karst processes in large-scale hydrological studies. In this study, we present World Karst Spring hydrograph (WoKaS) database, a community-wide effort to improve data accessibility. WoKaS is the first global karst springs discharge database with over 400 spring observations collected from articles, hydrological databases and researchers. The dataset’s coverage compares to the global distribution of carbonate rocks with some bias towards the latitudes of more developed countries. WoKaS database will ensure easy access to a large-sample of good quality datasets suitable for a wide range of applications: comparative studies, trend analysis and model evaluation. This database will largely contribute to research advancement in karst hydrology, supports karst groundwater management, and promotes international and interdisciplinary collaborations.

By reactive magnetron sputtering from a ceramic SnO2:Ta target onto unheated substrates, X-ray amorphous SnO:Ta films were prepared in gas mixtures of Ar/O2(N2O, H2O). The process windows, where the films exhibit the lowest resistivity values, were investigated as a function of the partial pressure of the reactive gases O2, N2O and H2O. We found that all three gases lead to the same minimum resistivity, while the width of the process window is broadest for the reactive gas H2O. While the amorphous films were remarkably conductive ( &asymp, 5 &times, 10&minus, 3 &Omega, cm), the films crystallized by annealing at 500 &deg, C exhibit higher resistivities due to grain boundary limited conduction. For larger film thicknesses (d ≳ 150 nm), crystallization occurs already during the deposition, caused by the substrate temperature increase due to the energy influx from the condensing film species and from the plasma (ions, electrons), leading to higher resistivities of these films. The best amorphous SnO2:Ta films had a resistivity of lower than 4 &times, cm, with a carrier concentration of 1.1 &times, 1020 cm&minus, 3, and a Hall mobility of 16 cm2/Vs. The sheet resistance was about 400 &Omega, / for 100 nm films and 80 &Omega, / for 500 nm thick films. The average optical transmittance from 500 to 1000 nm is greater than 76 % for 100 nm films, where the films, deposited with H2O as reactive gas, exhibit even a slightly higher transmittance of 80 %. These X-ray amorpous SnO2:Ta films can be used as low-temperature prepared transparent and conductive protection layers, for instance, to protect semiconducting photoelectrodes for water splitting, and also, where appropriate, in combination with more conductive TCO films (ITO or ZnO).

Since the discovery of silicone nanofilaments a decade ago, room temperature droplet assisted growth and shaping using silanes has been used to synthesize various silicone-based nanostructures. In the present work, we report an extension of this synthesis technique to synthesize nanostructures of new materials. We have successfully synthesized one-dimensional assemblies of beads or necklaces based on alumina (Al) and mixed alumina-silicone (AlSi) nanostructures exhibiting a similar structure as silicone nanofilaments. The characterization of the synthesized nanostructures was performed using different tools, including scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and infrared and NMR spectroscopy. Selected area electron diffraction revealed that the nanostructures are amorphous in nature, and the growth behavior and thermal stability of nanostructures are also discussed.

The understanding of the interaction between the membrane of neurons and amyloid-β peptides is of crucial importance to shed light on the mechanism of toxicity in Alzheimer's disease. This paper describes how supercritical angle fluorescence spectroscopy was applied to monitor in real-time the interaction between a supported lipid bilayer (SLB) and the peptide. Different forms of amyloid-β (40 and 42 amino acids composition) were tested, and the interfacial fluorescence was measured to get information about the lipid integrity and mobility. The results show a concentration-dependent damaging process of the lipid bilayer. Prolonged interaction with the peptide up to 48 h lead to an extraction and clustering of lipid molecules from the surface and a potential disruption of the bilayer, correlated with the formation of peptide aggregates. The natural diffusion of the lipid was slightly hindered by the interaction with amyloid-β(1-42) and closely related to the oligomerization of the peptide. The adsorption and desorption of Amyloid-β was also characterized in terms of affinity. Amyloid-β(1-42) exhibited a slightly higher affinity than amyloid-β(1-40). The former was also more prone to aggregate and to adsorb on the bilayer as oligomer.

Superhydrophobic surfaces hold tremendous potential in a wide range of applications owing to their multifaced functionalities. However, the mechanochemical susceptibility of such materials hinders their widespread usage in practical applications. Here, we present a simple, solvent-free, and environmentally friendly approach to fabricate flexible and robust superhydrophobic composite films with durable self-cleaning functionality. The obtained composite film features unexpected but surprising hierarchical micro/nanoscopic structures as well as robust superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of ∼170° and a sliding angle below 4°. Notably, the composite film exhibits mechanical robustness under cyclic abrasion, tape peeling, flexing, intensive finger wiping, and knife cutting; maintains excellent superhydrophobicity after long-time exposure to a high-humidity environment; and sustains exposure to highly corrosive species, such as strong acid/base solutions and organic solvents. The robust superhydrophobicity is ascribed to the induced micro/nanohierarchical surface structures, resulting in the trapped dual-scale air pockets, which could largely reduce the solid/liquid interface. In addition, even after oil contamination, the composite film maintains its water repellency and self-cleaning functionality. The robust superhydrophobic composite film developed here is expected to extend the application scope of superhydrophobic materials and should find potential usage in various industries and daily life.

We determined the streamflow transit time and the subsurface water storage volume in the glacierized high-elevation catchment of the Rofenache (Oetztal Alps, Austria) with the lumped parameter transit time model TRANSEP. Therefore we enhanced the surface energy-balance model ESCIMO to simulate the ice melt, snowmelt and rain input to the catchment and associated &delta, 18O values for 100 m elevation bands. We then optimized TRANSEP with streamflow volume and &delta, 18O for a four-year period with input data from the modified version of ESCIMO at a daily resolution. The median of the 100 best TRANSEP runs revealed a catchment mean transit time of 9.5 years and a mobile storage of 13,846 mm. The interquartile ranges of the best 100 runs were large for both, the mean transit time (8.2&ndash, 10.5 years) and the mobile storage (11,975&ndash, 15,382 mm). The young water fraction estimated with the sinusoidal amplitude ratio of input and output &delta, 18O values and delayed input of snow and ice melt was 47%. Our results indicate that streamflow is dominated by the release of water younger than 56 days. However, tracers also revealed a large water volume in the subsurface with a long transit time resulting to a strongly delayed exchange with streamflow and hence also to a certain portion of relatively old water: The median of the best 100 TRANSEP runs for streamflow fraction older than five years is 28%.

Self-cleaning materials, which are inspired and derived from natural phenomena, have gained significant scientific and commercial interest in the past decades as they are energy- and labor-saving and environmentally friendly. Several technologies are developed to obtain self-cleaning materials. The combination of superhydrophobic and photocatalytic properties enables the efficient removal of solid particles and organic contaminations, which could reduce or damage the superhydrophobicity. However, the fragility of the nanoscale roughness of the superhydrophobic surface limits its practical application. Here, a hierarchical structure approach combining micro- and nanoscale architectures is created to protect the nanoscale surface roughness from mechanical damage. Glass beads of 75 mu m are partially embedded into a low-density polyethylene film. This composite surface is coated with silicone nanofilaments (SNFs) via the droplet-assisted growth and shaping approach, providing the nanoscale surface roughness as well as the support for the photocatalyst with enlarged surface area. TiO2 nanoparticles, which serve as the photocatalyst, are synthesized in situ on SNFs through a hydrothermal reaction. The self-cleaning effect is proved using wettability measurements for various liquids, degradation of organic contamination under UV light, and antibacterial tests. The enhanced mechanical durability of the hierarchical structure of the composite material is verified with an abrasion test.

In the coming decades humanity will be confronted with a number of complex challenges affecting the prosperity and livelihood of billions of people around the globe. The root of these challenges lies in the downright explosion in global population over the last decades combined with a staggering increase of urbanization rates leading to an unprecedented level of demand for food, water, materials and space. Consequently, growing scarcity of essential resources are an ever increasing threat towards global peace and stability. This conflict potential is exacerbated by global warming and the associated sea level rise, which can once again be traced back to the rapidly growing demand for energy and food of the world’s economies. In this paper we develop a comprehensive chain of cause and effect surrounding these global developments. Furthermore, we discuss how floating infrastructure, through its application to renewable energy generation, food production, flood protection and even urban expansion, is capable of decoupling multiple linkages in the chain, thus presenting itself as a promising mid- to long-term strategy for addressing these global challenges.

Germanium oxide nanofilaments (GNFs) have been synthesized under ambient conditions from the gas phase using germanium tetrachloride as a precursor. Non-crystalline GNFs synthesized by this procedure are 1-10 μm in length and 80-110 nm in diameter applying Droplet Assisted Growth and Shaping (DAGS) Chemistry. The relative humidity has been adjusted at various values in order to demonstrate the crucial role of humidity in the gas phase for the nanofilament synthesis. The novel GNFs show a strong luminescence emission in the ultra-violet and light blue region. In addition, a self-cleaning and superhydrophobic properties could be introduced in the luminescent GNF nanofilaments by simple treatment with silane molecules.

Bacterial adhesion on silicone nano- and microstructures is investigated in stagnant and flow experiments. Static adhesion tests are performed in 0.9% NaCl solution. These experiments reveal that the number of Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) adhering to glass surfaces can significantly be reduced if silicone nanofilament and rod coatings are present. Further, flow experiments are conducted in a parallel-plate flow chamber using 0.9% NaCl solution and artificial urine as medium. Silicone nanofilament coated surfaces are compared to uncoated glass surfaces. E. coli colonisation on filament coated surfaces is reduced for at least 24 h in 0.9% NaCl solution, while in artificial urine no reduction is observed after 24 h. S. epidermidis shows converse adhesion behaviour. Here, initial adhesion on nanofilaments is promoted but the number of adherent S. epidermidis seems to decrease after extended contact time. The obtained results demonstrate that superhydrophobic silicone surfaces significantly reduce bacterial colonisation under stagnant and dynamic conditions. However, the bacterial adhesion behaviour depends on the architecture of the silicone nano- and microstructures and the bacterial species investigated.

In this paper we present a comparative life cycle assessment of two processes for the industrial production of methansulfonic acid. The conventional multi-step process for the production of methansulfonic acid is based on the reaction of methanol and hydrogen sulfide to form methanthiol which is used to produce dimethyldisulfate. The dimethyldisulfate reacts further with nitric acid to form methanesulfonic acid. A newly developed process presents the possibility to form methanesulfonic acid directly from methane and sulfur trioxide in a single step at mild conditions. Thus this process enables for the first time the production of a high value chemical through direct activation of methane on an industrial scale. The cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment conducted with the ReCiPe Method revealed that this direct process has a total environmental impact that is 3 times lower than that of the conventional process. The differences resulted from lower energy requirements and alternative reactants used in the direct process. The results therefore demonstrate the potential for methane extracted from natural gas as a greener alternative to oil as a chemical feedstock in the medium term.

Synthesis of silicone nanofilaments (SNF) on substrates is a successful approach to fabricate superantiwetting surfaces. However, the yield of SNF is usually very low (<< 1 %). After coating reactions, excessive organosilane residues become wastes and are released to the environment. Here, we report a facile, sustainable, high yield strategy to prepare silicone nanofilament coatings by simply exposing trifunctional silane/toluene solution to air. When toluene is exposed to air with relative humidity between 30% and 45%, it can trap a suitable amount of water which enables fast and continuous growth of SNF on different substrates. This new finding not only simplifies the fabrication procedure but also enables the preparation of SNF coatings in a sustainable, high-yield manner. Such a novel technique allows the preparation of superhydrophobic samples on a large scale-hundreds of samples can be prepared in less than 1 day by simply using a mother solution containing a small amount of trifunctional silane.

In pursuit of designing novel biocompatible scaffold for hydroxyapatite (HA) growth, silicone nanofilaments coated surfaces have been investigated. High surface area of these 1-D nanofilaments offers large density of nucleation sites for biomineralization. The study shows that the amine and carboxylic acid functionalized SNFs enhance mineralization of HA particles whereas monolayer modified glass substrate did not show HA nucleation during the same period of time. Further investigation demonstrated the growth kinetics of HA particles and revealed that a dense and uniform coating of HA could be achieved after 7 days of immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF). This fast and facile approach could open up a new avenue for bone mineralization.

The transit time of water is a fundamental property of catchments, revealing information about the flow pathways, source of water and storage in a single integrated measure. While several studies have investigated the relationship between catchment topography and transit times, few studies expanded the analysis to a wide range of catchment properties and assessed the influence of the selected transfer function (TF) model. We used stable water isotopes from mostly baseflow samples with lumped convolution models of time-invariant TFs to estimate the transit time distributions of 24 meso-scale catchments covering different geomorphic and geologic regions in Switzerland. The sparse network of 13 precipitation isotope sampling sites required the development of a new spatial interpolation method for the monthly isotopic composition of precipitation. A point-energy-balance based snow model was adapted to account for the seasonal water isotope storage in snow dominated catchments. Transit time distributions were estimated with three established TFs (exponential, gamma distribution and two parallel linear reservoirs). While the exponential TF proved to be less suitable to simulate the isotopic signal in most of the catchments, the gamma distribution and the two parallel linear reservoirs transfer function reached similarly good model fits to the fortnightly observed isotopic compositions in discharge, although in many catchments the transit time distributions implied by equally well fitted models differed markedly from each other and in extreme cases, the resulting mean transit time (MTT) differed by orders of magnitude. A more thorough comparison showed that equally suited models corresponded to agreeing values of cumulated transit time distributions only between 3 and 6 months. The short-term (< 30 days) component of the transit time distributions did not play a role because of the limited temporal resolution of the available input data. The long-term component (> 3 years) could hardly be assessed by means of stable water isotopes, resulting in ambiguous MTT and hence questioning the relevance of an MTT determined with stable isotopes. Finally we investigated the relation between MTT estimates based on the three different TF types as well as other transit time properties and a range of topographical catchment characteristics. Depending on the selected transfer model, we found a weak correlation between transit time properties and the ratio between flow path length over the flow gradient, drainage density and the mean discharge. The catchment storage derived from MTTs and mean discharge did not show a clear relation to any catchment properties, indicating that in many studies the mean annual discharge may bias the MTT estimates.

The separation of oil from oily water is an important pursuit because of increasing worldwide oil pollution. Separation by the use of materials with selective oil/water absorption is a relatively recent area of development, yet highly promising. Owing to their selective superantiwetting/superwetting properties towards water and oil, superhydrophobic/superoleophilic surfaces and underwater superoleophobic surfaces have been developed for the separation of oil/water-free mixtures and emulsions. In this Review, after a short introduction to oil/water separation, we describe the principles of materials with selective oil/water absorption and outline recent advances in oil/water separation with superwetting/superantiwetting materials, including their design, their fabrication, and models of experimental setups. Finally, we discuss the current state of this new field and point out the remaining problems and future challenges.

Research and development (R&D) collaborations represent one approach chosen by the pharmaceutical industry to tackle current challenges posed by declining internal R&D success rates and fading of the blockbuster model. In recent years, a flexible concept to collaborate in R&D has emerged: virtual pharmaceutical companies (VPCs). These differ from other R&D companies, such as biotech start-ups, collaborating with big pharmaceutical companies, because they solely comprise experienced teams of managers. VPCs have only been described anecdotally in literature. Thus, we present here the characteristics of a VPC and suggest how big pharma can leverage the concept of VPCs by introducing five possible modes of collaboration. We find that one mode, investing, is particularly promising for big pharma.

Superamphiphobicity is an effect where surface roughness and surface chemistry combine to generate surfaces which are both superhydrophobic and superoleophobic, i.e., contact angles (θCA) greater than 150° along with low contact angle hysteresis (CAH) not only towards probing water but also for low-surface-tension 'oils'. In this review, we summarize the research on superamphiphobic surfaces, including the characterization of superamphiphobicity, different techniques towards the fabrication of surface roughness and surface modification with low-surface-energy materials as well as their functional applications.

Nepenthes pitcher inspired anti-wetting coatings, fluoro-SNs/Krytox, are successfully fabricated by the combination of fluoro-silicone nanofilaments (fluoro-SNs) and Krytox liquids, perfluoropolyethers. Fluoro-SNs with different microstructure are grown onto glass slides using trichloromethylsilane by simply repeating the coating step, and then modified with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane. Subsequently, the Krytox liquid is spread on the fluoro-SNs coatings via capillary effect. The fluoro-SNs/Krytox coatings feature ultra-low sliding angle for various liquids, excellent stability, and transparency. The sliding speed of liquid drops on the fluoro-SNs/Krytox coating is obviously slower than on the lotus inspired superhydrophobic and superoleophobic coatings, and is controlled by composition of the coating (e.g., morphology of the fluoro-SNs, type of Krytox and its thickness) and properties of the liquid drops (e.g., density and surface tension). In addition, the self-cleaning property of the fluoro-SNs/Krytox coating is closely related to properties of liquid drops and dirt.

Nanotechnology plays a central role in both academic research and industrial applications. Nanoenabled products are not only found in consumer markets, but also importantly in business to business markets (B2B). One of the oldest application areas of nanotechnology is nanocatalysis—an excellent example for such a B2B market. Several existing reviews illustrate the scientific developments in the field of nanocatalysis. The goal of the present review is to provide an up-to-date picture of academic research and to extend this picture by an industrial and economic perspective. We therefore conducted an extensive search on several scientific databases and we further analyzed more than 1,500 nanocatalysis-related patents and numerous market studies. We found that scientists today are able to prepare nanocatalysts with superior characteristics regarding activity, selectivity, durability, and recoverability, which will contribute to solve current environmental, social, and industrial problems. In industry, the potential of nanocatalysis is recognized, clearly reflected by the increasing number of nanocatalysis-related patents and products on the market. The current nanocatalysis research in academic and industrial laboratories will therefore enable a wealth of future applications in the industry.

A sensing interface for specific protein capture was fabricated using a novel molecular imprinting (MIP) process. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ovalbumin (OVA) were imprinted on a quartz substrate with modified alkyl groups, and target protein capture was detected using a deep-UV fluorescence image microscope (UVFLIM). The imprinted protein was immobilized to silica beads (diameter: 15 μm) using a phospholipid polymer containing both active ester groups and silane coupling groups, which were used as protein stamps to prepare the imprinting surface. Protein recognition sites were constructed by integrating sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as the ligand, which was immobilized with a biocompatible photoreactive phospholipid polymer. When BSA solution was added to the BSA-based MIP substrate, strong fluorescence was observed from the tryptophan residue of BSA. In contrast, for the OVA-based MIP substrate and non-MIP substrate, no fluorescence was observed. The surface showed good selectivity of BSA against OVA. The phospholipid polymer layer prevented non-specific protein adsorption, resulting in highly selective protein recognition. Further, when the protein-imprinted substrate was constructed without ligands, neither protein was captured on the substrate. We demonstrated the importance of ligand integration for capturing target proteins at specific positions. UVFLIM can be used to detect biomolecules at the single-molecule level by using intrinsic fluorescence without molecular labeling. Our new protein-imprinted surface used with UVFLIM is a versatile tool for capturing biomolecules.

The aggregation of α-synuclein (α-Syn) is believed to be one of the key steps driving the pathology of Parkinson's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders. One of the present hypotheses is that the onset of such pathologies is related to the rise of α-Syn levels above a critical concentration at which toxic oligomers or mature fibrils are formed. In the present study, we find that α-Syn aggregation in vitro is a spontaneous process arising at bulk concentrations as low as 1 nM and below in the presence of both hydrophilic glass surfaces and cell membrane mimicking supported lipid bilayers (SLBs). Using three-dimensional supercritical angle fluorescence (3D-SAF) microscopy, we observed the process of α-Syn aggregation in situ. As soon as α-Syn monomers were exposed to the surface, they started to adsorb and aggregate along the surface plane without a prior lag phase. However, at a later stage of the aggregation process, a second type of aggregate was observed. In contrast to the first type, these aggregates showed an extended structure being tethered with one end to the surface and being mobile at the other end, which protruded into the solution. While both types of α-Syn aggregates were found to contain amyloid structures, their growing mechanisms turned out to be significantly different. Given the clear evidence that surface-induced α-Syn aggregation in vitro can be triggered at bulk concentrations far below physiological concentrations, the concept of a critical concentration initiating aggregation in vivo needs to be reconsidered.

Not much is known so far about the amounts of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) that are produced but this information is crucial for environmental exposure assessment. This paper provides worldwide and Europe-wide estimates for the production and use of ten different ENM (TiO2, ZnO, FeO x , AlO x , SiO2, CeO2, Ag, quantum dots, CNT, and fullerenes) based on a survey sent to companies producing and using ENM. The companies were asked about their estimate of the worldwide or regional market and not about their company-specific production, information that they would be less likely to communicate. The study focused on the actual production quantities and not the production capacities. The survey also addressed information on distribution of the produced ENM to different product categories. The results reveal that some ENM are produced in Europe in small amounts (less than 10 t/year for Ag, QDs and fullerenes). The most produced ENM is TiO2 with up to 10,000 t of worldwide production. CeO2, FeO x , AlO x , ZnO, and CNT are produced between 100 and 1000 t/year. The data for SiO2 cover the whole range from less than 10 to more than 10,000 t/year, which is indicative of problems related to the definition of this material (is pyrogenic silica considered an ENM or not?). For seven ENM we have obtained the first estimates for their distribution to different product categories, information that also forms the base for life-cycle based exposure analysis.

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) using biotinylated β-galactosidase (βGAL) as a donor and Alexa Fluor 350 (AF350) labeled avidin as an acceptor has been investigated by means of steady-state fluorescence and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The donors are readily paired with acceptors through the well-established binding affinity of biotin and avidin. The fluorescence energy transfer efficiency was determined by the donor fluorescence emission and lifetime changes in the presence and absence of acceptor. The theoretical energy transfer efficiency and theoretical average distance between donor and acceptor after noncovalent binding was calculated by taking the distribution of tryptophan residues in βGAL and avidin as well as the location of AF350 in avidin into account, which agree with the experimental data. It is shown how information of the location of the acceptor can be obtained. Further, the fluorescence intensity image of AF350 on a biotinylated βGAL-coated quartz surface through UV FRET has been recorded using deep UV laser-based fluorescence lifetime microscopy. The results demonstrate that (a) deep UV laser-based fluorescence lifetime microscopy is a simple and useful method to study UV FRET of proteins using intrinsic fluorescence, (b) structural information even in complex multidonor systems can be obtained, and (c) FRET signals can be obtained to detect binding events using the native fluorescence of proteins as multidonor systems.

Nanotechnology is one of the key research areas of the 21st century affecting several different disciplines and industries. Amongst leading scientists there is growing awareness about the tremendous impact this field will have on society and the economy. It is forecast to become possibly even more important than for example the invention of the steam engine or the discovery of penicillin. However, the vast amount of research projects associated with nanotechnology makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish between promises for future products and real applications that are already in the market. The situation is even more complicated by the fact that nano is not a protected and well-defined term. Therefore it is also misused for marketing purposes of non-nano products. This paper is intended to contribute to a clearer picture about scientific developments and subsequently commercialised nanotechnological applications. In order to deliver a cohesive review, the focus was laid on six nanotechnology fields relevant for end-consumers (pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, textile, automotive and construction). For the database search, a working definition was devised to discriminate nano from non-nano applications. In the present paper both scientific background information and market data about the nano-enabled products are presented, to reach the goal of combining economic analyses and chemical insights into nanotechnology. The results show that some commercialised technologies have several application fields, whereas others are only found in one market. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that regarding turnovers the pharmaceutical sector is currently the most important of the six considered nanotechnology markets, but all of them are expected to grow significantly in the future.

A new microscope objective is presented for the parallel fluorescence detection below and above the critical angle of total internal reflection with single molecule sensitivity. The collection of supercritical angle fluorescence (SAF) leads to a strongly surface confined detection volume whereas the collection of undercritical angle fluorescence (UAF) allows for the observation of deeper axial sections of the specimen. By simultaneous detection of the near-field-mediated SAF and the far-field UAF emission modes the z-position of emitters can be obtained on the nanometer scale. We investigate the point spread function of the optics and demonstrate nanoscopic z-localization of single molecules. The oil immersion objective, developed for use on common microscope bodies, opens up new possibilities for the study of topographies and dynamics at surfaces and on membranes.

We demonstrate that a recently developed coating composed of superhydrophobic silicone nanofilaments can be selectively functionalized to yield well defined micron-scale patterns of contrasting wettabilities (superhydrophobic/hydrophilic and amphiphobic/amphiphilic). Nanofilament ablation was performed using a near-ultraviolet (UV) laser with a wavelength of 355 nm and a repetition rate of 10 kHz. This is a highly promising approach for open channel microfluidics and microarray analysis due to its simplicity, the chemical and environmental stability of the coating, and the low cost.

A new technique is introduced to evaluate the wetting properties of superhydrophobic textiles which are not accessible by classical contact angle measurement techniques. The principle behind the new water shedding angle technique is the ability of a superhydrophobic surface to repel drops of water upon impact. In this sense it shows a strong reference to application and its results are easily understood in terms of water protection. The procedure is simple and straightforward and the experimental setup can be easily built or adapted to most available contact angle measurement systems. In view of the significant potential of superhydrophobic coatings for textile applications, the water shedding angle provides a reliable and comparable measure to judge the quality of a superhydrophobic textile in terms of water repellency. It constitutes a useful addition to existing techniques and has proven to be better suited to evaluate the wetting properties of superhydrophobic textiles than the contemporary methods presently in use.

We present a simple and versatile technique of tailoring functionalized surface structures for protein enrichment and purification applications based on a superhydrophobic silicone nanofilament coating. Using amino and carboxyl group containing silanes, silicone nanofilament templates were chemically modified to mimic anionic and cationic exchange resins. Investigations on the selectivity of the functionalized surfaces toward adsorption of charged model proteins were carried out by means of fluorescence techniques. Due to a high contact area resulting from the nanoroughness of the coating, excellent protein retention characteristics under various conditions were found. The surfaces were shown to be highly stable and reusable over several retention-elution cycles. Especially the full optical transparency and the possibility to use glass substrates as support material open new opportunities for the development of optical biosensors, open geometry microfluidics, or lab-on-a-chip devices.

We demonstrate that a recently developed coating comprised of silicone nanofilaments can be selectively functionalized to yield well defined superhydrophobic, superhydrophilic, superoleophobic or superoleophilic domains on a single substrate, constituting a simple and versatile toolbox for surface scientists to create and study surfaces with extreme wetting properties.