Functionalization of Gold Nanoparticles by Inorganic Entities

Abstract

The great affinity of gold surface for numerous electron-donating groups has largely contributed to the rapid development of functionalized gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs). In the last years, a new subclass of nanocomposite has emerged, based on the association of inorganic molecular entities (IME) with Au-NPs. This highly extended and diversified subclass was promoted by the synergy between the intrinsic properties of the shell and the gold core. This review—divided into four main parts—focuses on an introductory section of the basic notions related to the stabilization of gold nanoparticles and defines in a second part the key role played by the functionalizing agent. Then, we present a wide range of inorganic molecular entities used to prepare these nanocomposites (NCs). In particular, we focus on four different types of inorganic systems, their topologies, and their current applications. Finally, the most recent applications are described before an overview of this new emerging field of research.

Ion shuttling between emulsion droplets by crown ether modified gold nanoparticles

“…40 nm in size and to modulate their dispersibility and phase transfer between water and oil. [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] When shaking the emulsion, the chloroform sublayers immediately adopted a reddish brown (4 nm GNPs) or pink (7 nm GNPs) color, which we attribute to the transfer of some GNPs to the chloroform phase (see Fig. ESI1 †).…”

Air-Filled Bubbles Stabilized by Gold Nanoparticle/Photodynamic Dye Hybrid Structures for Theranostics

“…For instance, in articles [25,26], gold nanorods were obtained and introduced into the structure of bubbles as a double PA/US contrast agent. Subsequently, the application can be extended for diagnostic purposes if gold surface can be modified with targeted functional ligands [27]. The hybrid method can simultaneously display anatomical and functional information, and show images with fair spatiotemporal resolution.…”

Air-Filled Microbubbles Based on Albumin Functionalized with Gold Nanocages and Zinc Phthalocyanine for Multimodal Imaging

“…Mohamedi et al described theoretically and proved experimentally that the microbubbles prepared from a liquid suspension of gold nanoparticles were found to have significantly enhanced stability over time and size compared with bubbles coated only with surfactant [ 34 ]. Furthermore, by functionalizing the surface of gold nanoparticles with specific ligands, microbubbles-based contrast agents can target certain organs or tissues, offering opportunities to monitor the course of various diseases and disorders [ 35 ].…”