反相微乳液中憎水性纳米金的原位还原法合成

利用十八胺(C18NH2)/正丁醇/正庚烷/HAuCl4(aq)W/O型微乳液体系,在常温的碱促进条件下由正丁醇原位还原氯金酸合成了具有高度单分散的憎水性金纳米粒子。由C18NH2稳定的金纳米颗粒运用紫外可见光谱(UV-vis)、透射电镜(TEM)和X射线衍射(XRD)等分别进行了表征和分析,并探讨了微乳液体系各组分对形成金纳米粒子形貌、尺寸和单分散性的影响。结果显示,随十八胺/氯金酸摩尔比的增加,金粒子的尺寸逐渐减小而单分散性逐渐提高。在正丁醇原位慢还原氯金酸的过程中,实验所选W/O型微乳液模板和表面活性剂十八胺分子对憎水性金纳米粒子的形貌和尺寸仍具有良好的控制作用。     

Quantitative and reversible lectin-induced association of gold nanoparticles modified with alpha-lactosyl-omega-mercapto-poly(ethylene glycol)

Gold nanoparticles (1-10 nm size range) were prepared with an appreciably narrow size distribution by in situ reduction of HAuCl(4) in the presence of heterobifunctional poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) derivatives containing both mercapto and acetal groups (alpha-acetal-omega-mercapto-PEG). The alpha-acetal-PEG layers formed on gold nanoparticles impart appreciable stability to the nanoparticles in aqueous solutions with elevated ionic strength and also in serum-containing medium. The PEG acetal terminal group was converted to aldehyde by gentle acid treatment, followed by the reaction with p-aminophenyl-beta-D- lactopyranoside (Lac) in the presence of (CH(3))(2)NHBH(3). Lac-conjugated gold nanoparticles exhibited selective aggregation when exposed to Recinus communis agglutinin (RCA(120)), a bivalent lectin specifically recognizing the beta-D-galactose residue, inducing significant changes in the absorption spectrum with concomitant visible color change from pinkish-red to purple. Aggregation of the Lac-functionalized gold nanoparticles by the RCA(120) lectin was reversible, recovering the original dispersed phase and color by addition of excess galactose. Further, the degree of aggregation was proportional to lectin concentration, allowing the system to be utilized to quantitate lectin concentration with nearly the same sensitivity as ELISA. This simple, yet highly effective, derivatization of gold nanoparticles with heterobifunctional PEG provides a convenient method to construct various colloidal sensor systems currently applied in bioassays and biorecognition.     

16-n-16型双子表面活性剂稳定纳米金的制备及其催化性能

双子表面活性剂由于其特殊的两亲结构可以作为纳米金颗粒(AuNPs)的表面稳定剂,但双子表面活性剂结构中的连接基团对AuNPs的粒径大小及稳定性有显著影响。本文制备了16-n-16(n=2,3,4和6)型双子表面活性剂稳定的金纳米溶胶,考察了体系pH对AuNPs稳定性的影响,并测试了其对4-硝基苯酚加氢还原体系的催化效果。结果表明,16-4-16和16-3-16对AuNPs的稳定性效果较好,所制备的AuNPs中,16-3-16-AuNPs在不同pH的环境中稳定性最好,而16-4-16-AuNPs在4-硝基苯酚加氢还原反应中的催化活性最佳。     

新型双链表面活性剂DDOBA的合成与高单分散性憎水纳米金的制备

自行设计合成了新颖的苄胺型双链表面活性剂3,4-双十二烷氧基苄胺(DDOBA). 利用DDOBA/正丁醇/正庚烷/甲酸/HAuCl₄·4H₂O自发形成的水/油(W/O)型微乳液作为微反应器, 通过微波辐射下的甲酸还原法成功制备了DDOBA保护的憎水性金纳米粒子, 并通过紫外-可见(UV-Vis)光谱、透射电镜(TEM)、高分辨透射电镜(HR-TEM)和X射线衍射(XRD)等方法进行了表征和分析. 结果显示, DDOBA既可参与形成稳定的W/O型(油包水型)微乳液, 又可作为金纳米粒子的良好保护剂. 在合适的微乳液体系组成范围内, 用本实验方法可以获得高单分散性的憎水性金纳米粒子, 并能在空气/水界面上自动形成大面积短程有序的纳米金二维自组装膜.     

Biomolecule induced nanoparticle aggregation: effect of particle size on interparticle coupling

Gold nanoparticles of variable sizes have been prepared by reducing HAuCl(4) with trisodium citrate by Frens' method. It has been found that the gold particles under consideration produce well-ordered aggregates upon interaction with a biomolecule, glutathione in variable acidic pH condition and exhibit pronounced changes in their optical properties arising due to electromagnetic interaction in the close-packed assembly. The effect of nanoparticle size on the nature of aggregation as well as the variation in the optical response due to variable degree of interparticle coupling effects amongst the gold particles have been investigated. The optical properties of the gold aggregates have been accounted in the light of Maxwell-Garnett effective medium theory considering the changes in the filling factor in different aggregates produced by variable sizes of gold colloids. The aggregates have been characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, FTIR, Raman, XRD and TEM studies. It has been observed that a new peak appearing at a longer wavelength intensifies and shifts further to the red from the original peak position depends on the particle size, concentration of glutathione and pH of the solution. On the basis of the first appearance of a clearly defined new peak at longer wavelength, a higher sensitivity of glutathione detection has been achieved with gold nanoparticles of larger dimension.     

Facile synthesis of highly biocompatible poly(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine)-coated gold nanoparticles in aqueous solution

Diblock copolymers comprising a highly biocompatible poly(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) block and a poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMA) block were evaluated for the synthesis of sterically stabilized gold nanoparticles in aqueous solution. The PDMA block becomes partially protonated on addition of HAuCl4, and the remaining nonprotonated tertiary amine groups reduce the AuCl4- counterion to zerovalent gold in situ. This approach results in the adsorption of the PDMA block onto the gold nanoparticle surface while the PMPC chains serve as a stabilizing block, producing highly biocompatible gold sols in aqueous solution at ambient temperature without any external reducing agent. The size and shape of gold nanoparticles could be readily controlled by tuning synthesis parameters such as the block composition and the relative and absolute concentrations of the PMPC-PDMA diblock copolymer and HAuCl4. These highly biocompatible gold sols have potential biomedical applications.     

Efficient synthesis of isoxazolidine-tethered monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles (MPGNs) via 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions under high-pressure conditions

A maleimide-modified 2.5 +/- 0.5 nm mixed monolayer protected gold nanoparticle (2-C(12)MPGN) containing approximately 30% maleimide-terminated dodecanethiolate/dodecanethiolate ligands was prepared. The 2-C(12)MPGN was reacted with a series of nitrones (a-i) at both atmospheric and hyperbaric (11 000 atm) conditions to form the corresponding isoxazolidine-modified nanoparticles (3-C(12)MPGN) via an interfacial 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. At atmospheric pressures, the reaction proceeds slowly (if at all) and makes this reaction impractical for the synthetic modification of the nanoparticles. However, by performing the reaction under the high-pressure conditions, the reaction proceeds efficiently and quantitatively. TEM shows that the use of high pressure does not affect the size of the gold nanoparticle core. The 3-C(12)MPGNs were characterized by (1)H NMR spectroscopy by comparing the spectra obtained with those of model reactions utilizing N-dodecylmaleimide (4) with the same nitrones (a-i) to form 5. Additionally, the cycloaddition reaction also occurs more readily with 4 than with 2-C(12)MPGN with all nitrones, indicating that the environment of the latter affects the cycloaddition reaction.     

Effect of size and shape controlled biogenic synthesis of gold nanoparticles and their mode of interactions against food borne bacterial pathogens

In this study, size and shape controlled biogenic synthesis of gold nanoparticles and their antibacterial activity against food borne bacterial pathogens were investigated. Synthesis of gold nanoparticles was carried out using two medicinally important plants Cucurbita pepo and Malva crispa and the size and shape of the nanoparticles were controlled by altering various parameters in the reaction medium. Results obtained from UV–Vis, FE-SEM, EDS and HR-TEM analyses supported the nanoparticles formation. FT-IR analysis confirmed the presence of biomolecules in the plant leaves extracts responsible for reducing and capping agents. Interestingly, the plant extract synthesized gold nanoparticles showed effective inhibition zone against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of synthesized gold nanoparticles at 400 μg/ml concentration showed effective inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. Conductivity of the medium continuously increased during the nanoparticles treatment with food borne bacterial pathogens resulting in indirect indication of the disruption of bacterial cell membranes. In addition, mode of interactions of gold nanoparticles against food borne bacterial pathogens was demonstrated using Bio-TEM analysis which is clear evident for the disruption of bacterial cell membranes.     

Chemometric and microscopic analyses for the size growth of monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles during their superlattice formation

Superlattices of gold nanoparticles have been produced at an air/solution interface under a highly acidic condition. The nanoparticle surface is protected by N-acetylglutathione (NAG). During the course of the superlattice formation, size growth of nanoparticles was observed: The superlattices were composed of nanoparticles of 6.6 nm in core diameter, whereas the as-prepared nanoparticles had the core diameter of 1.4 nm. The growth kinetics was pursued by the time evolution of the UV-vis absorption spectra for the sample solution. The change in the absorption spectral profiles was so small that we conducted principal-component analysis (PCA), which is known as a chemometric technique to resolve (or extract) spectra of minute chemical species submerged in the original spectra. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) corroborated the PCA results, yielding a successful explanation of the growth scheme of the NAG-protected gold nanoparticles.     

Binding of chloroquine-conjugated gold nanoparticles with bovine serum albumin

We have conjugated chloroquine, an anti-malarial, antiviral and anti-tumor drug, with thiol-functionalized gold nanoparticles and studied their binding interaction with bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein. Gold nanoparticles have been synthesized using sodium borohydride as reducing agent and 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid as thiol functionalizing ligand in aqueous medium. The formation of gold nanoparticles was confirmed from the characteristic surface plasmon absorption band at 522 nm and transmission electron microscopy revealed the average particle size to be ~7 nm. Chloroquine was conjugated to thiolated gold nanoparticles by using EDC/NHS chemistry and the binding was analyzed using optical density measurement and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The chloroquine-conjugated gold nanoparticles (GNP-Chl) were found to interact efficiently with BSA. Thermodynamic parameters suggest that the binding is driven by both enthalpy and entropy, accompanied with only a minor alteration in protein's structure. Competitive drug binding assay revealed that the GNP-Chl bind at warfarin binding site I in subdomain IIA of BSA and was further supported by Trp212 fluorescence quenching measurements. Unraveling the nature of interactions of GNP-Chl with BSA would pave the way for the design of nanotherapeutic agents with improved functionality, enriching the field of nanomedicine.     

Biodistribution of colloidal gold nanoparticles after intravenous administration: effect of particle size

Purpose of the present research work was to evaluate the biological distribution of differently size gold nanoparticles (NP) up on intravenous administration in mice. Another objective was to study effect of particle size on biological distribution of gold NP to enable their diverse applications in nanotechnology. Gold NP of different particle sizes, mainly 15, 50, 100 and 200nm, were synthesized by modifying citrate ion concentration. Synthesized gold nanoparticles were characterized by SEM and their size distribution was studied by particle size analyzer. Gold NP was suspended in sodium alginate solution (0.5%, w/v) and administered to mice (1g/kg, intravenously) [n=3]. After 24h of administration of gold NP, blood was collected under light ether anesthesia, mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and various tissues/organs were removed. The tissues were then washed with saline, homogenized and lysed with aqua regia. The determination of gold in samples was carried out quantitatively by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). SEM study revealed spherical morphology of gold NP with narrow particle size distribution. Biodistribution study revealed gold NPs of all sizes were mainly accumulated in organs like liver, lung and spleen. The accumulation of gold NP in various tissues was found to be depending on particle size. 15nm gold NP revealed higher amount of gold and number of particles in all the tissues including blood, liver, lung, spleen, kidney, brain, heart, stomach. Interestingly, 15 and 50nm gold NP were able to pass blood-brain barrier as evident from gold concentration in brain. Two-hundred nanometers gold NP showed very minute presence in organs including blood, brain, stomach and pancreas. The results revealed that tissue distribution of gold nanoparticles is size-dependent with the smallest 15nm nanoparticles showing the most widespread organ distribution.     

Synthetically Versatile Nitrogen Acyclic Carbene Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles

N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have received significant attention as gold nanoparticle stabilizers due to their strong binding affinity towards gold. However, their tunability is limited by the difficulty in obtaining nonsymmetric NHCs. In this regard, N-acyclic carbenes (NACs) are attractive alternatives due to their high synthetic versatility, allowing easy tuning of their steric and electronic properties towards specific applications. This work reports the first series of stable and monodisperse NAC-functionalized gold nanoparticles. These particles with sizes ranging 3.8 to 11.6 nm were characterized using NMR, UV/Vis and TEM. The nanoparticles display good stability at elevated temperatures and for extended periods both dried or dispersed in a medium, as well as in the presence of exogenous thiols. Importantly, these NAC-stabilized gold nanoparticles offer a promising and versatile alternative to NHC-stabilized gold nanoparticles.     

Screen Printed Carbon Electrode Modified with Poly(L‐Lactide) Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles for Sensitive As(III) Detection

Poly(L ‐lactide) stabilized gold nanoparticles (designated as PLA–Au^NP) with an average particle size of ca. 10 nm were used to modify a disposable screen‐printed carbon electrode (SPE) for the detection of As(III) by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. Gold modification was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, whereas scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy revealed the size and distribution of gold nanoparticles. The PLA–Au^NP/SPE was applied effectively to detect toxic As(III) in HCl medium. Under the optimal experimental conditions, a linear calibration curve up to 4 ppm with a detection limit (S/N=3) of 0.09 ppb was obtained. The sensitivity was good enough to detect As(III) at levels lower than the current EPA standard (10 ppb). Most importantly, the PLA–Au^NP/SPE can be tolerable from the interference of Cu, Cd, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Ni and hence provides a direct and selective detection method for As(III) in natural waters. Practical utility of the PLA–Au^NP/SPE was demonstrated to detect As(III) in “Blackfoot” disease endemic village groundwater from southwestern coast area of Taiwan (Pei‐Men).     

An in situ quick XAFS spectroscopy study on the formation mechanism of small gold nanoparticles supported by porphyrin-cored tetradentate passivants

We previously reported that a porphyrin-cored tetradentate passivant, which has two disulfide straps over one face of the porphyrin plane, can produce monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles, 2-4 nm in size, by the one-pot reduction of HAuCl(4) in DMF. The resulting nanoparticles are smaller than those prepared using the same S/Au molar ratio of a monodentate passivant. To examine the formation mechanism of small gold nanoparticles, the formation of gold nanoparticles in the presence of porphyrin-cored tetradentate passivants or a structurally related monodentate passivant was studied by time-resolved quick X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that all of Au ions in solution are reduced to compose small Au clusters, i.e. nuclei, just after the NaBH(4) reduction of HAuCl(4) in both cases, but their size varied with the initial S/Au molar ratios and structure of the passivants. Thus, the size of Au nuclei was kinetically controlled by the passivants. Interestingly, the porphyrin-cored tetradentate passivant could stabilize smaller gold nanoparticles, 2-4 nm in size, but it was less efficient in trapping the Au nuclei formed at a very early stage, in comparison to the monodentate passivant.     

Synthesis of gold nanoparticles stabilized with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-co-poly(4-vinyl pyridine) colloid and their application in responsive catalysis

The copolymer of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-co-poly(4-vinylpyridine) was synthesized by free radical copolymerization of 4-vinylpyridine and N-isopropylacrylamide. The copolymer synthesized with the feed monomer ratio of 4-vinylpyridine/N-isopropylacrylamide equal to 1/3 was associated to form thermoresponsive colloid in neutral water at room temperature, the average size and the cloud-point temperature of which were 40 nm and 32 °C, respectively. The thermoresponsive colloid was used as scaffold to load 2-nm Au nanoparticles to form the responsive catalyst of colloid-stabilizing gold nanoparticles. The catalysis in the model reduction of 4-nitrophenol with NaBH₄ suggested that the catalytic reduction could be modulated due to the thermoresponsive phase-transition of the colloid-stabilizing gold nanoparticles. That was, the catalytic reduction firstly accelerated with the increase in temperature below the cloud-point temperature and then decelerated with the increase in temperature above the cloud-point temperature of the thermoresponsive colloid-stabilizing Au nanoparticles.     

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.     

Janus particles with a functional gold surface for control of surface plasmon resonance

We report in this study the presence of Janus particles, which are candidates for use with electronic color papers. We used negatively charged polystyrene particles (370 nm) as the core particles, and gold was then sputtered onto their packed monolayer under several conditions. The sputtered particles were next redispersed into the aqueous medium by gentle sonication. Gold nanoparticles localized on one side of the cores could also serve as seeds for subsequent shell growth by electroless gold plating. Through these treatments, a series of well-dispersed Janus particles were obtained with gold nanostructures of different size and shape only on one side. Their dispersions showed different colors originating from the surface plasmon resonance absorption of gold nanoparticles localized on the hemisphere. The particles obtained by this approach have potential applications such as in sensors and electronic color paper.     

Poly(ethyleneimine) as reducing and stabilizing agent for the formation of gold nanoparticles in w/o microemulsions

This paper is focused on the use of branched poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) as reducing as well as stabilizing agent for the formation of gold nanoparticles in different media. The process of nanoparticle formation was investigated, in the absence of any other reducing agents, in microemulsion template phase in comparison to the nucleation process in aqueous polymer solution.

On the one hand, it was shown that the polyelectrolyte can be used for the controlled single-step synthesis and stabilization of gold nanoparticles via a nucleation reaction and particles with an average diameter of 7.1 nm can be produced.

On the other hand, it was demonstrated that the polymer can also act as reducing and stabilizing agent in much more complex systems, i.e. in water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion droplets. The reverse microemulsion droplets of the quaternary system sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS)/toluene–pentanol (1:1)/water were successfully used for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles. The polymer, incorporated in the droplets, exhibits reducing properties, adsorbs on the surface of the nanoparticles and prevents their aggregation. Consequently, nanoparticles of 8.6 nm can be redispersed after solvent evaporation without a change of their size.

Nevertheless, the polymer acts already as a “template” during the formation of the nanoparticles in water and in microemulsion, so that an additional template effect of the microemulsion is not observed.

The particle formation for both methods is checked by means of UV–vis spectroscopy and the particle size and size distribution are investigated via dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).     

Biosynthesis of Au nanoparticles using olive leaf extract: 1st Nano Updates

The biological synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of various shapes (triangle, hexagonal, and spherical) using hot water olive leaf extracts as reducing agent is reported. The size and the shape of Au nanoparticles are modulated by varying the ratio of metal salt and extract in the reaction medium. Only 20 min were required for the conversion into gold nanoparticles at room temperature, suggesting a reaction rate higher or comparable to those of nanoparticles synthesis by chemical methods. The variation of the pH of the reaction medium gives AuNPs nanoparticles of different shapes. The nanoparticles obtained are characterized by UV–Vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The TEM images showed that a mixture of shapes (triangular, hexagonal and spherical) structures was formed at lower leaf broth concentration and high pH, while smaller spherical shapes were obtained at higher leaf broth concentration and low pH.     

Optimization of high-yield biological synthesis of single-crystalline gold nanoplates

In this work, single-crystalline gold nanoplates were obtained by reducing aqueous chloroauric acid solution with the extract of Sargassum sp. (brown seaweed) at room temperature. The gold nanoplates so obtained were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The formation of gold nanoplates was found to depend on a number of environmental factors, such as the time taken to age the seaweed extract, pH of the reaction medium, reaction temperature, reaction time, and initial reactant concentrations. The size of the gold nanoplates could be controlled to between 200 and 800 nm by manipulating the initial reactant concentrations. The yield of the flat gold nanocrystals relative to the total number of nanoparticles formed was as high as approximately 80-90%.