Probing the electrostatic aggregation of nanoparticles with oppositely charged molecular ions

Abstract

The co‐assembly of charged nanoparticles with oppositely charged molecular ions has emerged as a promising technique in the fabrication of nanoparticle superstructures. However, the underlying mechanism behind these molecular ions in mediating the repulsion between these charged nanoparticles remains elusive. Herein, coarse‐grained molecular dynamics simulations are used to elucidate the effects of valency, shape, and size of molecular anions on their co‐assembly with gold nanoparticles coated with positively charged ligands. The findings suggest that the valency, shape, and size of molecular anions significantly influence the repulsion and aggregating dynamics among these positively charged nanoparticles. Moreover, the free energy calculations reveal that ring‐shaped molecular anions with higher valences and larger sizes are more effective at reducing the repulsion between these gold nanoparticles and thus enhance the stability of the aggregate. This study contributes to a better understanding of the critical roles of valence, shape, and size of ions in mediating the electrostatic co‐assembly of nanoparticles with oppositely charged ions, and it also guides the future design of DNA templates and DNA origami in co‐assembly with oppositely charged nanoparticles.

Construction of DNA aggregates in cell milieu for bio‐interference

“…Since pioneer Seeman proposed that DNA can be used as molecular organizer to fabricate well-designed nanomaterials, various DNA nanomaterials have been created for application in biology and materials science. [57,[79][80][81][82][83] In addition to the above mentioned forms, there are DNA nanogels, DNA origami, DNA nanoflowers, and so on. [84][85][86][87] All those DNA nanomaterials are potential to be rational designed as the DNA precursors for aggregates construction.…”

A “Transformers”-Like Nanochain for Precise Navigation and Efficient Cancer Treatment

“…To reduce the harmful side effects to normal tissues, stimuli-responsive therapy methods have been developed based on the obvious difference between the tumor microenvironment (TME) and normal tissues. 19,20 The selectivity and therapeutic efficacy can be generally improved by using endogenous substances in TME such as hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). 21,22 Plasmonic NPs exhibit distinctive characteristics of local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), demonstrating the ability to efficiently transform absorbed photon energy into thermal energy and generate sound waves.…”