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One step alkaline synthesis of biocompatible gold nanoparticles using dextrin as capping agent

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Abstract

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are used in sensing methods as tracers and transducers. The most common AuNP synthesis techniques utilize citrate under acidic reaction conditions. The synthesis described in this article generates glyco-AuNPs under mild alkaline conditions providing a “greener” alternative to Brust and Turkevich methodologies. This biologically compatible one-step technique uses dextrin as a capping agent and sodium carbonate as the reducing agent for chloroauric acid. The generated particles were relatively mono-dispersed and water soluble with a range of controllable mean diameters from 5.9 to 16.8 ± 1.6 nm. The produced AuNPs were stable in water for more than 6 months stored at room temperature (21 °C) in generation solution without protection from light. This article shows the effect of temperature, pH, and dextrin concentration on the synthesis procedure and AuNP diameter. These factors were found to control the reaction speed. The produced glyco-AuNPs were successfully functionalized with DNA oligonucleotides, and the functionalization efficiency was similar to citrate-generated AuNPs. The alkaline synthesis allows future exploration of simultaneous synthesis and functionalization procedures, which could significantly reduce the time of current ligand exchange methodologies.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) México and the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship Programs for PhD funding. This work was supported under DHS Science and Technology Assistance Agreement No. DHS-2007-ST-061-000003 awarded by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It has not been formally reviewed by DHS. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the US Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security does not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned in this publication. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Alicia Pastor of the Center for Advanced Microscopy at Michigan State University for her valuable suggestions and guidance on Transmission Electron Microscopy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University, 115 Farrall Hall, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Michael J. Anderson, Edith Torres-Chavolla, Brian A. Castro & Evangelyn C. Alocilja

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  1. Michael J. Anderson
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  2. Edith Torres-Chavolla
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  3. Brian A. Castro
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  4. Evangelyn C. Alocilja
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Correspondence to Evangelyn C. Alocilja.

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Michael J. Anderson and Edith Torres-Chavolla contributed equally to the article.

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Anderson, M.J., Torres-Chavolla, E., Castro, B.A. et al. One step alkaline synthesis of biocompatible gold nanoparticles using dextrin as capping agent. J Nanopart Res 13, 2843–2851 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-010-0172-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-010-0172-3

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