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Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

A Simple Method for the Size Controlled Synthesis of Stable Oligomeric Clusters of Gold Nanoparticles under Ambient Conditions

DOI: 10.3791/53388-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Synthesize stable gold nanoparticle oligoclusters via HAuCl4 reduction with NaSCN
  • ✓ Control oligocluster size distribution through delay-time synthesis and add-on growth
  • ✓ Derivatize oligoclusters with reduced glutathione for surface modification
  • ✓ Characterize gold oligoclusters using gel electrophoresis and transmission electron microscopy
Protocol

Biopharma Insights We describe a simple method for producing highly stable oligomeric clusters of gold nanoparticles via the reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) with sodium thiocyanate (NaSCN). The oligoclusters have a narrow size distribution and can be produced with a wide range of sizes and surface coats.

Difficulty
intermediate
Total time
~4–6 hours per synthesis batch (including synthesis, derivatization, and characterization)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Perform delay-time synthesis and add-on growth of gold oligoclusters

Reduce chloroauric acid with sodium thiocyanate under ambient conditions, controlling size distribution through timed addition protocols. This produces highly stable oligomeric clusters with narrow size ranges.

▶ 01:12
2
Derivatize concentrated oligoclusters with reduced glutathione

Modify the surface of gold oligoclusters using reduced glutathione to enable further functionalization and stabilization of the nanoparticle clusters.

▶ 02:37
3
Analyze oligoclusters by gel electrophoresis and transmission electron microscopy

Perform gel electrophoresis to separate oligoclusters by size and use transmission electron microscopy to visualize morphology and confirm narrow size distribution.

▶ 04:02
4
Interpret characterization results for oligocluster validation

Evaluate gel electrophoresis and TEM images to confirm successful synthesis, size control, and stability of the gold nanoparticle oligomers.

▶ 05:57
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