Assembling PNIPAM-Capped Gold Nanoparticles in Aqueous Solutions.

ACS Macro Lett

Ames National Laboratory, and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, United States.

Published: December 2023


Category Ranking

98%

Total Visits

921

Avg Visit Duration

2 minutes

Citations

20

Article Abstract

Employing small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we explore the conditions under which assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) grafted with the thermosensitive polymer poly(-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) emerges. We find that short-range order assembly emerges by combining the addition of electrolytes or polyelectrolytes with raising the temperature of the suspensions above the lower-critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM. Our results show that the longer the PNIPAM chain is, the better organization in the assembled clusters. Interestingly, without added electrolytes, there is no evidence of AuNPs assembly as a function of temperature, although untethered PNIPAM is known to undergo a coil-to-globule transition above its LCST. This study demonstrates another approach to assembling potential thermosensitive nanostructures for devices by leveraging the unique properties of PNIPAM.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.3c00617DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

gold nanoparticles
8
pnipam
5
assembling pnipam-capped
4
pnipam-capped gold
4
nanoparticles aqueous
4
aqueous solutions
4
solutions employing
4
employing small-angle
4
small-angle x-ray
4
x-ray scattering
4

Similar Publications

Development of smartphone-based AIE fluorescence-quenching immunochromatographic sensors for the detection of illicit drugs in various complex sample matrices.

Anal Bioanal Chem

September 2025

GuangDong Engineering Technology Research Center of Antibody Drug and Immunoassay, Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.

Illicit drug abuse poses a significant global threat to public health and social security, highlighting the urgent need for rapid, sensitive, and versatile detection technologies. To address the limitations of traditional chromatographic techniques-such as high costs and slow response times-and the drawbacks of conventional immunochromatographic sensors (ICS), including low sensitivity and non-intuitive signal outputs, a fluorescence-quenching ICS (FQICS) was developed. This sensor leverages fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between aggregation-induced emission fluorescent microspheres (AIEFMs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The development of antiviral nanotherapeutics remains a formidable challenge due to the structural diversity and rapid evolution of viral surface glycoconjugates. Here, we report a rationally engineered multivalent Galectin-1 (Gal-1) nanoplatform based on 13-nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for high-affinity glycan targeting and therapeutic inhibition of influenza virus. By leveraging site-specific conjugation and molecular orientation control, the AuNP/Gal-1 nanocomplex maximizes the exposure of carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) while preserving Gal-1's tertiary structure, as confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations and spectroscopic analyses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rational Hapten Design for the Immunochromatographic Assay of Yohimbine, an Emerging Adulterant in Food.

J Agric Food Chem

September 2025

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety/Nation-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Machining and Safety of Livestock and Poultry Products, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.

Adulterated yohimbine (YHB) in food poses a risk to public health, making it imperative to develop fast and sensitive detection methods. In this study, computational-chemistry-based prediction was employed to design YHB haptens for generating the high-affinity monoclonal antibody Yohi-4A7, which exhibited an optimal half-inhibitory concentration (IC) of 1.69 ng/mL against YHB.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Electroactive bacteria (EAB) hold great promise for the development of electrochemical biosensors given their unique ability to transfer electrons extracellularly via specialized pathways, a process termed extracellular electron transfer (EET). Ongoing research aims to overcome current limitations and fully harness the potential of EABs for high-performance biosensing applications. Herein, we report the fabrication of an electrochemical microsensor based on biomineralized electroactive bacteria, specifically MR-1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Another approach to improve the dose conformity is to use charged particles like protons instead of the conventional X- and γ-rays. Protons exhibit a specific depth-dose distribution which allows to achieve a more targeted dose deposition and a significant sparing of healthy tissue behind the tumor. In particular, proton therapy has, therefore, become a routinely prescribed treatment for tumors located close to sensitive structures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF