Preparation of antibody-conjugated gold nanoparticles

We here describe a method for the simple synthesis of gold nanoparticles (~ 10 nm in diameter) conjugated with antibody to E. coli O157:H7. Gold nanoparticles with pendant carboxylic acid and alcohol functional groups were synthesized and characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and infrared spectroscopy. These nanoparticles were then reacted with anti-E. coli O157:H7, using EDC coupling chemistry, and the product was characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Furthermore, binding of the antibody-gold conjugates to E. coli O157:H7 was demonstrated using transmission electron microscopy.     

Kinetic study of gold nanoparticle growth in solution by Brust-Schiffrin reaction

Nanoparticle growth in solution is a rather complicated process governed by many thermodynamic and kinetics factors. A better understanding of nanoparticle growth kinetics is of primary importance leading to a better control on the nanoparticle size and size distribution. In this work we conducted both experimental and theoretical study on the kinetics of Brust-Schiffrin reaction for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles. Using an excessive amount of thiol ligands, the nanoparticle growth was stopped at different intermediate stages. Our study revealed and confirmed that the reproducibility of Brust-Schiffrin reaction for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles with diameters around 2 nm is rather poor due to the intrinsic complexity of this two-phase reaction. The analysis results of each intermediate product by TEM showed that nanoparticles grew very rapidly at the early stage of reaction and reached a maximum value of 2.6 nm at reaction time of around 10 minutes. Further increase of reaction time led to a decrease of nanoparticle size. In addition to the experimental study, we proposed a kinetic model for nanoparticle growth in solution by assuming that the nanoparticle core expands through incremental addition of gold atoms to the existing nanoparticle nuclei. This model not only gave a relatively good fitting to the experimental data, but also provided further insight into the nucleation and core expansion stage of the nanoparticle growth, which had not been revealed in previous modeling studies.     

Au/Ag芯-壳复合结构纳米颗粒的制备和表征

利用二步液相还原法制备了 Au/Ag 芯 壳复合结构的纳米颗粒。用 TEM对反应液中金离子和银离子的摩尔比分别为1∶2和1∶1时所制备的 Au/Ag芯 壳复合结构的纳米颗粒的尺寸和形貌进行了表征。其紫外 可见吸收光谱具有 2 个可区分的吸收带,与纯金和纯银纳米颗粒的光学吸收特性对比后认为:随着反应液中银离子摩尔份数的增加,等离子体共振吸收峰始终位于 410nm附近的吸收带为银纳米颗粒的等离子体吸收带;另一个将随之产生蓝移的吸收带为Au/Ag芯 壳复合结构纳米颗粒的等离子体吸收带,蓝移是由于银壳厚度的增加而引起的。     

Preparation of gold nanoparticles (GNP) aqueous suspensions by a new method involving Tiron

A new method is proposed to produce gold nanoparticles (GNP) by in situ reduction of a gold salt dissolved in water. The reducing agent used is Tiron instead of the citrate anion most often mentioned in literature. The influence of various parameters has been investigated, such as the content of Tiron with respect to that of the precursor of gold HAuCl₄, or the initial pH of the solution after mixing of reactants. It is shown that Tiron also exerts a positive influence as a dispersant, which impedes agglomeration of gold nanoparticles. The typical average size of GNP synthesized in the present work is close to 7 nm.     

Preparation of continuous gold nanowires by electrospinning of high-concentration aqueous dispersions of gold nanoparticles

Gold nanowires are prepared by the electrospinning of highly concentrated aqueous dispersions of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol) and subsequent annealing at higher temperatures. Continuous wires of sintered AuNPs are obtained as a result of this process. The Au wires are characterized by transmission electron microscopy, helium ion microscopy, optical microscopy, and X-ray diffractometry.     

A simple microemulsion based method for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles

The production of gold nanoparticles and nanoplates by enzymatically-synthesized lauroyl glucose, lauroyl fructose and lauroyl ascorbate is described. These emulsifiers formed oil-in-water microemulsions with toluene and the available reducing groups brought about a rapid reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl₄). Gold nanoparticles could thus be synthesized without the use of an additional reducing agent. Optical images, UV–visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectra (SEM–EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the presence of gold nanoparticles, which on further incubation aggregated into nanoplates. This paper thus describes a novel application of the enzymatically-synthesized esters.     

微乳液法制备纳米NiO颗粒

以Triton X-100/环己烷/正己醇/水为反相微乳体系,氯化镍和氨水为原料,利用微乳液法成功地制备出了纳米NiO颗粒.并以TG-DTA、XRD,FTIR和TEM对所制备的NiO纳米颗粒进行了表征.结果表明,所制备的氧化镍颗粒为立方结构,粒径约为14nm的球形,颗粒分散均匀,无明显团聚现象.     

Preparation of freestanding palladium nanosheets modified with gold nanoparticles at edges

Electronic adjustment is one of the most commonly used strategies to improve the catalytic performance of heterogeneous catalysts. We prepared hexagonal ultrathin Pd nanosheets with edges modified by gold nanoparticles (Au@Pd nanosheets) using galvanic replacement method. By virtue of the electronic interactions between the Pd nanosheets and Au nanoparticles, the Au@Pd nanosheets exhibited excellent catalytic performances in the carbonylation of iodobenzene by carbon monoxide. The novel nanocomposites could be applied as model catalysts to explore electronic effects in catalysis.

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Preparation of gold nanoparticles on silica substrate by radio frequency sputtering

Radio frequency sputtering of gold on amorphous silica substrates was used for the preparation of Au nanoparticles on SiO2. Deposition experiments were carried out in Ar plasmas under mild conditions (RF power = 5/10 W, total pressure = 0.38 mbar, substrate temperature < or = 210 degrees C), focusing in particular on the effect of sputtering time (5/30 min) and substrate temperature on gold nucleation and coalescence, with the aim of obtaining SiO2-supported Au nanoparticles characterized by precise structural and morphological features. To this aim, several analytical techniques were employed for a thorough characterization of the systems properties, including glancing incidence X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. In particular, the evolution of optical spectra, i.e., of the surface plasmon resonance peak, was used as a probe for the structural features and was related to the results obtained by other characterization techniques. Gold nanoclusters (phi approximately 4/10 nm) dispersed uniformly on silica matrices were obtained under soft conditions, with morphology ranging from island to cluster like. The obtained results make possible a careful modulation of substrate coverage and gold nanoparticle size.     

Preparation of azithromycin nanosuspensions by reactive precipitation method

Purpose: The aim of this work was to prepare azithromycin (AZI) nanosuspensions to increase the solubility and dissolution rate.

Method: AZI nanosuspensions were prepared by the combination of reactive precipitation and freeze-drying in presence of biocompatible stabilizer. Formulation and process variables affecting the characteristics of nanosuspensions were optimized. Various tests were carried out to study the physicochemical characteristics of AZI nanosuspensions.

Results: The nanosuspensions were parenterally acceptable and autoclavable, because soybean lecithin was the stabilizer of choice and no organic solvents were used during the preparation. The mean particle size and zeta potential of the AZI nanosuspensions were about 200?nm (±20?nm) and ?36.7 mV (±7.6 mV), respectively. Solid nanoparticles were obtained by lyophilization of the nanosuspensions and nanosuspensions rapidly reconstituted when the nanoparticles were dispersed in water. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that the crystal state of nanoparticles was amorphous. Solubility and in vitro release studies indicated that the saturated solubility and dissolution rate increased obviously in comparison of raw AZI. The nanoparticles were physically stable over a period of 5 months as demonstrated by unchanged crystallinity and stable particle size when stored at room temperature and protected from humidity.

Conclusion: The results suggested that reactive precipitation is an effective way to prepare AZI nanosuspensions with increased solubility and dissolution rate.     

Preparation and properties of cotton stalk carbon/gold nanoparticles composite

In this paper, cotton stalk is used as a low-cost raw material source to prepare activated carbon with a unique porous structure with the assistance of chemical treatment. Gold nanoparticles as a multifunction building block were in situ assembled onto the carbon material, endowing this hybrid more promising applications. The as-fabricated CS carbon/AuNPs hybrid materials have been demonstrated to behave with catalytic and photothermal conversion properties, indicating that AuNPs successfully functionalise the activated carbon. The catalytic activity of the hybrid showed a glucose concentration-dependent effect (as low as 5 × 10^?6 M). The water temperature of the sample containing the CS carbon/Au NPs increased rapidly, and even reached 55 °C, only exposed to light for 5 min. When used as catalyst of reduction of p-nitrophenol, the hybrid showed a good reusability up to10 cycles.     

Preparation of gold nanoparticles modified with tetrathiafulvalene via direct sulfur bridge

A new tetrathiafulvalene-modified gold colloid was prepared. The modification or coordination of 2-[4,5-ethylenedisulfanyl-1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene]-1,3-dithiole-4-thiolate to the surface of gold nanoparticles was characterized by UV-Vis and Raman spectra, and cyclic voltammograms. The most valuable point of the modified gold nanoparticles is their redox activities. The cyclic voltammogram of the tetrathiafulvalene-modified gold colloid on a Pt electrode showed two pair of redox peaks, at E1/2 = +0.67 V and at +0.87 V (vs. a saturated calomel electrode, in MeCN-0.1 M Bu4NClO4), corresponding to TTF/TTF*+ and TTF*+/TTF2+, respectively. A gold electrode modified with a self-assembled monolayer of the tetrathiafulvalene was also prepared and its cyclic voltammogram behaviors were in accordance with those of the nano-Au system. The E1/2 data are higher than those of the neutral mother precursor and the separation of E1/2(1) to E1/2(2) becomes very narrow. The data of E1/2 also revealed that electrochemical behavior of the no-spacer system (TTF-S-Au) are different from that of a spacer system (TTF-S-(CH2)n-Au).     

A new and clean method on synthesis of gold nanoparticles from bulk gold substrates

In this work, we report a new pathway to prepare clean gold nanoparticles in neutral solutions with aid of natural chitosan. First, an Au substrate was cycled in a deoxygenated aqueous solution containing 0.1N NaCl and 1 g L^?1 chitosan from ?0.28 to +1.22 V vs. Ag/AgCl at 500 mV s^?1 for 200 scans. The durations at the cathodic and anodic vertices are 10 and 5 s, respectively. After this process, positively charged Au- and chitosan-containing complexes were produced in the solution. Then the solution was heated from room temperature to boiling at a heating rate of 6 °C min^?1 to prepare Au nanoparticles. The particle sizes of prepared Au (1 1 1) nanoparticles are ca. 10 nm. Moreover, the prepared Au nanoparticles in solutions are capable for anti-oxidation and stable in an ambient atmosphere for at least three months.     

Chrominance to dimension: a real-time method for measuring the size of single gold nanoparticles

Noble metal nanoparticles have excellent optical and chemical properties and are widely used in optics, sensors, and biomedicines. The inherent characteristics of metal nanoparticles, particularly their size, play important roles in their applications. The ability to readily measure the size of single nanomaterials on-site is crucial to the rapid development of single-particle sensors. In this study, we developed a facile and real-time method for estimating the diameter of single gold nanoparticles (GNPs) that range from 35 to 110 nm in diameter; this technique uses the chrominance of the GNP's plasmon resonance scattering light that is captured by a dark-field microscope (DFM). The RGB (three primary colors, red, green, and blue) chrominance information from the dark-field image can be directly converted into the diameters of the GNPs using the relationship between the particle size and the scattering light peak wavelength; this conversion was carried out using Matlab program based on an RGB-To-Wavelength (RTW) process. This approach is more convenient, less time-consuming, and enables observation under arbitrary conditions compared to the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique. The differences between the diameters of the GNPs that were calculated using this method and those that were measured using SEM were less than 5 nm. The RTW method has also been applied in the monitoring of the refractive index of the media surrounding the GNPs, and their dynamic acting within cells in real-time.     

Preparation of hollow TiC nanoparticles by the two-stage refluxing method

The two-stage refluxing method was applied to prepare hollow TiC nanoparticles. In this method, after refluxing the hydrous TiO₂ and ethanol, the precipitate and n-dedocane were refluxed to obtain the refluxing-derived precursor. The precursor was heat-treated at 1300 °C for 1 h and hollow TiC nanoparticles could be achieved. It is found that the pore size of the hollow TiC nanoparticles ranges from 3 to 76 nm and the mean pore size is 26.776 nm. The formation of the hollow structure is due to that the mesoporous channels of the precursor confine the carbide's growth inside it. In comparison with commercial TiC nanocrystals, the hollow TiC nanoparticles have higher specific surface area and pore volume significantly.     

Preparation of silver nanoparticles via a non-template method

Silver nanoparticles have been prepared by a non-template method. Silver nitrate can be easily decomposed into silver nanosized materials. Small nanoparticles (less than 2 nm) can be formed in aqueous solution. Larger silver particles of about 100 nm can be formed in ethanol solution. By rationally adjusting the experimental conditions we finally obtain silver particles of about 20 nm with a relatively narrow distribution in ethanol solution. Differing from the previous reports, we find that silver nanoparticles can be formed by direct decomposition of AgNO₃ under UV light irradiation. No catalyst like TiO₂ is needed at all. We believe that it is a further step to precede the preparation of silver nanometer sized materials.     

Preparation of thermosensitive gold nanoparticles by plasma pretreatment and UV grafted polymerization

This work is to develop an easy method of plasma treatment and graft polymerization to prepare thermosensitive gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles (Nano-Au) were reduced by trisodium citrate combined with hydrogen tetrachloroaurate(III) tetrahydrate (chloroauric acid) and modified with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) by the self-assembly monolayers (SAM). The surface graft polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) was carried out by two steps, using O₂ plasma pretreatment of the surface on MUA SAM modified Nano-Au to form the peroxide groups on Nano-Au(MUA), and then subsequently using UV light to induce grafting with thermosensitive polymer. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to direct investigation of the particle size and morphology in situ. The diameters of the gold nanoparticles measured from the TEM images are in good agreement with data measured at room temperature which is about 15 nm. The thermosensitive gold nanoparticles were characterized by chemical structure of surface (ESCA) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). ESCA result suggests that plasma treatments can be employed to generate peroxides on the Nano-Au(MUA) for the subsequent UV graft polymerization of PNIPAAm.     

Electrophoretic analysis of gold nanoparticles: size-dependent electrophoretic mobility of nanoparticles

Efforts were made to realise a two-dimensional, on-line-coupled isotachophoresis-capillary zone electrophoresis system. The electrophoretic behaviour of gold nanoparticles was investigated with the idea that they could be used to improve the control of this electrophoretic set-up. The well-known citrate-ligated gold nanoparticles were not suitable for this application, because the ligand was desorbed, and the nanoparticle solutions were degraded. Therefore mercaptocarboxylic acids were used, because the chemisorption of thiols on the gold surface was improved. Isotachophoretic measurements were carried out with these nanoparticles. A size-dependent electrophoretic mobility was found according to theoretical predictions, and the surface and zeta-potential were discussed for the small particle range. A new method for concentration measurements of nanoparticles is presented by means of isotachophoresis.