Preparation of poly(ethylene glycol)-modified poly(amido amine) dendrimers encapsulating gold nanoparticles and their heat-generating ability

Loading of HAuCl4 in poly(amido amine) G4 dendrimers having poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) grafts at all chain ends and subsequent reduction with NaBH4 yielded PEG-modified dendrimers encapsulating gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) of ca. 2 nm diameter. The Au NPs held in the dendrimers were stable in aqueous solutions and dissolved readily, even after freeze-drying. Despite their small particle size, the heat-generating ability of Au NPs held in the dendrimer was comparable to that of widely used Au NPs with ca. 11 nm diameter under visible light irradiation. The observed excellent colloidal stability, high heat-generating ability and their biocompatible surface confirm that the PEG-modified dendrimers encapsulating Au NPs are a promising tool for photothermal therapy and imaging.     

Synthesis, characterization, and self-assembly of protein lysozyme monolayer-stabilized gold nanoparticles

Lysozyme monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) which are hydrophilic and biocompatible and show excellent colloidal stability (at low temperature, ca. 4 degrees C), were synthesized in aqueous medium by chemical reduction of HAuCl4 with NaBH4 in the presence of a familiar small enzyme, lysozyme. UV-vis spectra, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization of the as-prepared nanoparticles revealed the formation of well-dispersed Au NPs of ca. 2 nm diameter. Moreover, the color change of the Au NP solution as well as UV-vis spectroscopy and TEM measurements have also demonstrated the occurrence of Ostwald ripening of the nanoparticles at low temperature. Further characterization with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and dynamic light scattering indicated the formation of a monolayer of lysozyme molecules on the particle surface. FTIR data also indicated the intactness of the protein molecules coated on Au NPs. All the characterization results showed that the monodisperse Au NPs are well-coated directly with lysozyme. Driven by the dipole-dipole attraction, the protein-stabilized Au NPs self-assembled into network structures and nanowires upon aging under ambient temperature. On the basis of their excellent colloidal stability, controlled self-assembly ability, and biocompatible surface, the lysozyme monolayer-stabilized Au NPs hold great promise for being used in nanoscience and biomedical applications.     

Sensing colorimetric approaches based on gold and silver nanoparticles aggregation: Chemical creativity behind the assay. A review

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is one of the most remarkable features of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). Due to these inherent optical properties, colloidal solutions of Au and Ag NPs have high extinction coefficients and different colour in the visible region of the spectrum when they are well-spaced in comparison with when they are aggregated. Therefore, a well-designed chemical interaction between the analyte and NPs surroundings leads to a change of colour (red to blue for Au NPs and yellow to brown for Ag NPs from well-spaced to aggregated ones, respectively) allowing the visual detection of the target analyte.     

Controllable synthesis and catalysis application of hierarchical PS/Au core-shell nanocomposites

Polystyrene (PS)/gold (Au) core-shell nanocomposites with tunable size, high stability, and excellent catalytic activity have been synthesized by a facile method that combines the ionic self-assembly with the in situ reduction. The composition and stoichiometry, as well as its morphology and optical properties of these nanocomposites have been examined and verified by various characterization techniques. The size and the coverage of gold nanoparticles (NPs) can be simply tailored by changing the amount of 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTES), the functionalization time, the protonation time, and the amount of chloroauric acid (HAuCl₄). The continuous red shifts of the localized surface plasmon resonance absorption of the Au NPs on the PS spheres are observed. Importantly, the obtained Au NPs with controllable and uniform size on the surfaces of amino-functionalized PS spheres exhibit excellent size-dependent catalytic properties for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) by NaBH₄.     

Synthesis and characterization of Au core-Au-Ag shell nanoparticles from gold seeds: impacts of glycine concentration and pH

This paper describes the preparation of Au core-Au-Ag shell nanoparticles (NPs) in different morphologies by controlling both the pH and the glycine concentration. Using a seed-growth method, we prepared high-quality Au core-Au-Ag shell NPs from a glycine solution under alkaline conditions (pH>8.5). By controlling both the pH and the glycine concentration, we prepared dumbbell-shaped and peanut-shaped Au core-Au-Ag shell NPs readily by depositing gold and silver, reduced by ascorbate, onto the gold nanorods. We have found that the glycine concentration that is optimal for preparing high-quality Au core-Au-Ag shell NPs differs at the various values of pH. At pH<8.5, the glycine concentration is not important, but, when preparing dumbbell- and peanut-shaped Au core-Au-Ag shell NPs, it should be greater than 50 mM and greater than 20 mM at pH 9.5 and 10.5, respectively. Glycine plays a number of roles during the synthesis of the Au core-Au-Ag shell NPs by controlling the solution pH, altering the reduction potentials of gold and silver ions through forming complexes with metal ions (Au(+) and Ag(+)), minimizing the formation of Ag(2)O, AgCl, and AgBr precipitates, and stabilizing the thus-prepared NPs. At pH 9.7, we observed the changes in the morphologies of the Au core-Au-Ag shell NPs-from regular (rectangular) to peanut- and dumbbell-shaped, and finally to jewel-, diamond-, and/or sphere-shaped-that occurred during the course of a 60-min reaction. In addition, we were able to affect the shapes and sizes of the Au core-Au-Ag shell NPs by controlling the reaction time.     

Water‐Soluble Gold Nanoparticles: From Catalytic Selective Nitroarene Reduction in Water to Refractive Index Sensing

Water‐soluble gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) stabilized by a nitrogen‐rich poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)‐tagged substrate have been prepared by reduction of HAuCl₄ with NaBH₄ in water at room temperature. The morphology and size of the nanoparticles can be controlled by simply varying the gold/stabilizer ratio. The nanoparticles have been fully characterized by TEM, high‐resolution (HR) TEM, electron diffraction (ED), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), UV/Vis, powder XRD, and elemental analysis. The material is efficient as a recyclable catalyst for the selective reduction of nitroarenes with NaBH₄ to yield the corresponding anilines in water at room temperature. Furthermore, the potential ability of the Au NPs as a refractive index sensor owing to their localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect has also been assessed.     

Boosting Hydrogen Evolution at Visible Light Wavelengths by Using a Photocathode with Modal Strong Coupling between Plasmons and a Fabry-Pérot Nanocavity

Hot-hole injection from plasmonic metal nanoparticles to the valence band of p-type semiconductors and reduction by hot electrons should be improved for efficient and tuneable reduction to obtain beneficial chemical compounds. We employed the concept of modal strong coupling between plasmons and a Fabry-Pérot (FP) nanocavity to enhance the hot-hole injection efficiency. We fabricated a photocathode composed of gold nanoparticles (Au−NPs), p-type nickel oxide (NiO), and a platinum film (Pt film) (ANP). The ANP structure absorbs visible light over a broad wavelength range from 500 nm to 850 nm via hybrid modes based on the modal strong coupling between the plasmons of Au−NPs and the FP nanocavity of NiO on a Pt film. All wavelength regions of the hybrid modes of the modal strong coupling system promoted hot-hole injection from the Au−NPs to NiO and proton/water reduction by hot electrons. The incident photon-to-current efficiency based on H₂ evolution through water/proton reduction by hot electrons reached 0.2 % at 650 nm and 0.04 % at 800 nm.     

金属载体强相互作用增强Au/TiO2催化剂在3-硝基苯乙烯选择性加氢反应的活性

自Haruta与Hutchings于上世纪八十年代末发现金纳米催化剂优异的反应活性以来,科研人员对金催化的应用领域进行了广泛而深入地研究.对金催化科学和应用领域的研究一直在进行.大量的研究表明,金催化剂在各种选择性氧化反应中具有优异的催化性能(高活性和高选择性).然而,在催化加氢反应中,尽管金催化剂相比于铂族金属显示出优越的选择性,但是由于金催化剂选择性加氢反应的活性较差,使其在选择性催化加氢反应中的应用受到了极大的限制.研究表明,金催化剂较弱的活化氢气能力是其催化加氢反应活性低的主要原因.研究发现,氢气活化的活性中心可能是界面、负价金、低配位的金原子等.金催化剂具有明显的载体效应,金属-载体之间的相互作用能够显著地改变金催化剂的催化性能.Tauster等研究发现,铂族金属与还原性载体之间存在强相互作用,能够引发载体包覆金属表面,并且使得电子从载体向金属迁移,导致金属带负电.受金属-载体强相互作用(SMSI)效应的启发,本文探究了Au/TiO2催化剂中SMSI对金催化剂加氢性能的影响.在H2或O2气氛下高温焙烧Au/TiO2,获得一系列金催化剂(Au/TiO2-TA,T为焙烧温度(oC):300、400、500和600;A为气氛:H2或O2).对比在3-硝基苯乙烯(3-NS)选择性加氢反应中的活性发现,Au/TiO2-500H的TOF值是Au/TiO2-500O的3.3倍;动力学测试表明,Au/TiO2-500H和Au/TiO2-500O的反应表观活化能分别为79.5和105.1 kJ/mol.这表明两类催化剂催化活性中心的结构存在差异.X射线光电子能谱测试结果表明,Au/TiO2-H样品中Au带部分负电,而Au/TiO2-O中Au显示为金属态.HAADF-STEM和EELS显示,Au/TiO2-H中Au NPs的表面有TiOx物种,增加了Au-TiO2的界面.EPR结果表明,Au/TiO2-H中存在表面Ti3+物种,而Au/TiO2-O样品中则没有.为确认加氢反应的活性中心到底是界面还是负价金物种,本文探究了不同温度下氢气处理的Au/TiO2的结构与性能的关系,发现Au/TiO2-300H/400H/500H催化剂都显示出较好的催化3-NS加氢活性,而Au/TiO2-600H虽然具有更多的负价金物种,但是3-NS选择性加氢反应的活性反而降低,因此,负价金不是活性中心.这是因为不同温度处理的Au/TiO2-H样品中,SMSI的强弱不同,在300、400、500 oC下,SMSI能够增加Au-TiO2的界面长度,从而增强了3-NS加氢反应的活性;而温度达到600 oC,SMSI效应太强,Au NPs被包覆更密实,导致Au/TiO2-600H的3-NS选择性加氢反应的活性下降.密度泛函理论计算表明,Au/TiO2-H样品具有更低的H2解离活化能以及氢转移活化能.氢氘交换反应也进一步验证了SMSI有利于H2的活化.     

Effect of composition on the conductivity and morphology of poly(3-hexylthiophene)/gold nanoparticle composite Langmuir-Schaeffer films

Ultrathin Langmuir-Schaeffer (LS) films were fabricated from blends of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and highly monodispersed dodecanethiolate-capped gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) mixed in varying weight ratios. The morphology of the ultrathin films was investigated by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The results of the structural investigations were correlated with the lateral conductivity of the films, with P3HT in its unintentionally doped state, probed by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), which proved to be a very sensitive technique. Control over the P3HT/Au NP ratio led to remarkable changes in the morphology and lateral conductivity of the films. Inclusion of Au NPs into P3HT was found to influence the ordering of P3HT, which ultimately determined the macroscopic charge transport characteristics of the films. Composite films with ca. 33% by weight of Au NPs were found to be the most ordered and exhibited the highest conductivity, substantially higher than P3HT alone. To provide insight into the film formation process, LS composite films comprising equal quantities of P3HT and Au NPs (by weight) were transferred at several surface pressures and investigated by SECM, AFM and FE-SEM.     

Ternary Ag/Polyaniline/Au nanocomposites: Preparation,characterization and electrochemical properties

Ternary Ag/Polyaniline/Au nanocomposites were synthesized successfully by immobilizing of Au nanoparticles (NPs) on the surface of Ag/Polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites. Ag/PANI nanocomposites were prepared via in situ chemical polymerization of aniline in the presence of 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) capped silver colloidal NPs. Then, uniform gold (Au) NPs were assembled on the surface of resulted Ag/PANI nanocomposites through electrostatic interaction to get Ag/Polyaniline/Au nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Moreover, Ag/PANI/Au nanocomposites were immobilized on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode and showed enhanced electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of H₂O₂ compared with Ag/PANI.     

Wavelength Dependence of the Fluorescence Quenching Efficiency of Nearby Dyes by Gold Nanoclusters and Nanoparticles: The Roles of Spectral Overlap and Particle Size

The efficiency of the glutathione monolayer-protected gold nanocluster (NC) Au(25) (1.2 nm metal core diameter (d)) in quenching the emission of dyes intercalated into DNA is compared to that of 2 and 4 nm gold nanoparticles (NPs). In all cases, the DNA/dye moieties and the gold particles are not covalently attached but rather form non-covalent ground state complexes. Under these conditions, steady-state measurements reveal that the quenching efficiency of Au(25) is a factor of 10 lower than that of plasmonic 4 nm gold NPs but comparable to that of 2 nm particles which do not show a distinct plasmon band. Nonetheless, significant emission quenching is observed even at very low (nM) concentrations of Au(25). The quenching efficiency of the 4 nm NPs is significantly higher for dyes emitting near the wavelength of the plasmon peak whereas that of the 2 nm gold NPs is well described by the nano-surface energy transfer (NSET) model proposed by the Strouse group (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 127, 3115 2005). Interestingly, for Au(25) the maximum quenching efficiency occurs for dyes emitting in the same wavelength range as that of the 2 and 4 nm NPs (490-560 nm), where it shows no discrete absorption features, rather than for wavelengths coincident with its HOMO-LUMO, intra-band or inter-band transitions. The fluorescence quenching properties of Au(25) NCs are therefore found to be distinct from those of larger NCs and NPs but do not appear to conform to theoretical predictions advanced thus far.     

负载金纳米粒子的聚苯乙烯/聚丙烯酸微球的合成及pH响应性能

以两步聚合法合成的聚苯乙烯(PS)/聚丙烯酸(PAA)核-壳结构复合微凝胶为载体, 硼氢化钠为还原剂, 柠檬酸钠为稳定剂, 通过原位控制性还原获得pH敏感性微凝胶负载纳米金粒子的PS/PAA-Au复合材料. 研究发现, 不同酸碱条件时, 复合微凝胶壳层高分子链的溶胀/收缩变化, 不仅可以调节纳米金粒子的表面等离子吸收, 还可以调节反应底物的扩散传质, 即借助载体微环境的变化来调控纳米金光学性能和催化性能, 从而实现复合纳米金材料的pH调控性.     

On the stabilization of gold nanoparticles over silica-based magnetic supports modified with organosilanes

The immobilization of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) on silica is made possible by the functionalization of the silica surfaces with organosilanes. Au NPs could only be stabilized and firmly attached to silica-support surfaces that were previously modified with amino groups. Au NPs could not be stabilized on bare silica surfaces and most of the NPs were then found in the solution. The metal-support interactions before and after the Au NP formation, observed by X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS), indicate a stronger interaction of gold(III) ions with amino-modified silica surfaces than with the silanol groups in bare silica. An amino-modified, silica-based, magnetic support was used to prepare an active Au NP catalyst for the chemoselective oxidation of alcohols, a reaction of great interest for the fine chemical industry.     

Gold nanoparticle size controlled by polymeric Au(I) thiolate precursor size

We developed a method in preparing size-controllable gold nanoparticles (Au NPs, 2-6 nm) capped with glutathione by varying the pH (between 5.5 and 8.0) of the solution before reduction. This method is based on the formation of polymeric nanoparticle precursors, Au(I)-glutathione polymers, which change size and density depending on the pH. Dynamic light scattering, size exclusion chromatography, and UV-vis spectroscopy results suggest that lower pH values favor larger and denser polymeric precursors and higher pH values favor smaller and less dense precursors. Consequently, the larger precursors led to the formation of larger Au NPs, whereas smaller precursors led to the formation of smaller Au NPs. Using this strategy, Au NPs functionalized with nickel(II) nitriloacetate (Ni-NTA) group were prepared by a mixed-ligand approach. These Ni-NTA functionalized Au NPs exhibited specific binding to 6x-histidine-tagged Adenovirus serotype 12 knob proteins, demonstrating their utility in biomolecular labeling applications.     

Improving the yield of mono-DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles through dual steric hindrance

A novel strategy of dual steric hindrance, which was obtained by Janus modification of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and volume exclusion of DNA, was adopted to prepare mono-DNA-modified Au NPs. The yield of mono-DNA-functionalized Au NPs significantly improved from 44 to 70% in the reaction between Au NPs and thiolated DNA. Furthermore, the specificity of mono-DNA-functionalized Au NPs was enhanced from 57 to 95%. The as-prepared Au NPs without postsynthetic treatment showed good controllability in self-assembly fabrication of complex nanostructures.     

金纳米颗粒在不同包裹介质中的超快等离子体动力学

Herein, we prepared four samples, namely gold/poly(sodium-p-styrenesulfonate) (Au/PSS), gold/silicon dioxide (Au/SiO₂), gold/titanium dioxide (Au/TiO₂), and gold/cuprous oxide (Au/Cu₂O) core/shell nanocomposites, to investigate how the surrounding medium affects the ultrafast plasmon dynamics of Au nanoparticles (NPs). We recorded femtosecond transient absorption spectra of Au NPs in Au/PSS, Au/SiO₂, Au/TiO₂, and Au/Cu₂O core/shell nanocomposites at various time delays. We found that the spectral features in the femtosecond transient absorption spectra of Au NPs in Au/TiO₂ and Au/Cu₂O core/shell nanocomposites were dramatically different from those of Au NPs in Au/PSS and Au/SiO₂ core/shell nanocomposites. A comprehensive analysis of the ultrafast plasmon dynamics of Au NPs in the core/shell nanocomposites revealed that following excitation of the resonance plasmon band of Au NPs, the exited electrons could be efficiently transferred into the conduction bands of TiO₂ and Cu₂O in Au/TiO₂ and Au/Cu₂O core/shell nanocomposites.     

Pep-1 Peptide-modified liposomal carriers for intracellular delivery of gold nanoparticles

A Pep-1 peptide-modified liposomal (Pep1-Lipo) carrier system was investigated to increase the intracellular delivery of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). Au NPs with a mean diameter of 13 nm were successfully encapsulated into the inner aqueous compartment of the novel carrier using an ethanol injection technique, reserving the distinctive optical characteristics of the surface plasmon resonance peak around 530 nm. The Au NP-loaded liposomal carrier was physically characterized as 150-170 nm in size and 45 mV in zeta potential. Dark field microscopic observation demonstrated that in vitro cellular association and/or translocation of the nanoprobes into the cells was increased by Pep1-Lipo carriers compared to bare Au NPs. In conclusion, this novel liposomal formulation is a promising platform for the intracellular delivery of metallic nanoprobes including Au NPs.     

Effect of Pluronic P103 Concentration on the Simple Synthesis of Ag and Au Nanoparticles and Their Application in Anatase-TiO2 Decoration for Its Use in Photocatalysis

Silver and gold nanoparticles were synthesized under environmentally-friendly reaction conditions by using a biodegradable copolymer and water as a solvent. The triblock copolymer Pluronic P103 was utilized as a stabilizing agent or soft template to produce Ag and Au nanoparticles (NPs) of different sizes. Moreover, in the synthesis of Au NPs, the polymer acted as a reducing agent, decreasing the number of reagents used and consequently the residues produced, hence, rendering the procedure less complicated. It was observed that as the concentration of the polymer increased, the size of the metallic NPs augmented as well. However, AgNPs and AuNPs prepared with 1 and 10 wt% Pluronic P103, respectively, showed a significant decrease in particle size due to the presence of polymeric soft templates. The hybrid materials (metal/polymer) were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, DLS, and TEM. The pre-synthesized nanoparticles were employed to decorate anatase-TiO₂, and the composites were characterized by DRS, XRD, BET surface area measurements, the TEM technique with the EDS spectrum, and XPS spectroscopy to demonstrate NPs superficial incorporation. Finally, methylene blue was used as a probe molecule to evidence the effect of NPs decoration in its photocatalytic degradation. The results showed that the presence of the NPs positively affected methylene blue degradation, achieving 96% and 97% removal by utilizing TAg0.1 and TAu10, respectively, in comparison to bare anatase-TiO₂ (77%).     

Amphiphilic gold nanoparticles with V-shaped arms

Here we describe a very efficient method to produce well-defined amphiphilic gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with an equal number of hydrophobic and hydrophilic arms which are distributed along the surface of a 2-nm gold core in an alternating fashion. The strategy involves direct coupling of V-shaped block copolymer amphiphile 2 with a carboxylic group at its junction point to mercaptophenol-terminated Au NPs. The reaction proceeds under mild esterification conditions and yields the product with a molecular weight of 40 kDa, high grafting density (2.9 chains/nm2), and extremely low polydispersity (1.07). The big advantage of this approach is the opportunity to avoid the use of expensive and often inaccessible polymeric thiols. The method described here is applicable to any carboxyl-terminated molecules and can be used for the preparation of complex, yet well-defined, macromolecular hybrid structures such as 1 (Au(PB-PEG)n). The new product, which was characterized by a combination of SEC, NMR, UV-vis, DLS, and TEM, represents a unique example of gold nanoparticles soluble in any conventional solvent.     

Preparation of gold-tellurium hybrid nanomaterials for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

We report a simple method for preparing three different SERS-active substrates. Concentrated hydrazine solution as the reducing agent and tellurium dioxide as the precursor were used to prepare Te nanowires (NWs). The as-prepared Te NWs have an average length of 547.7 +/- 111.6 nm and an average width of 15.1 +/- 2.7 nm. Through the reaction of Te NWs with sodium tetrachloroaurate in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) over reaction times of 10, 20, and 60 min, gold-tellurium nanodumbbells, gold-tellurium nanopeapods, and gold pearl-necklace nanomaterials (Au PNNs) were obtained, respectively. By controlling the reaction time, the distance between adjacent gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) in each Te nanowire was tunable, allowing us to investigate its effect on the SERS signals. Having shorter distances among Au NPs (greater electromagnetic fields), the Au PNNs provided a reproducible enhancement factor of 5.6 x 10(9).