• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Friday, October 31, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News

Gold standards for nanoparticles

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
March 28, 2017
in Science News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram
IMAGE

Credit: Reproduced with permission from ref 1. © 2017 Nature Publishing Group

Expanding the potential of gold nanoparticles for a range of uses requires methods to stabilize the clusters and control their size. Researchers at KAUST reveal how simple organic citrate ions, derived from readily available citric acid, can interact with the gold atoms to yield the stable nanoparticles needed for further research.

Such clusters of gold atoms are proving increasingly useful as catalysts, drug delivery systems, anti-cancer agents and components of solar cells among other applications.

"The potential applications of gold nanoparticles could have a huge impact on society, and understanding stabilizers like citrate might be crucial to progress," said Jean-Marie Basset, Director of the KAUST Catalysis Center and Distinguished Professor of Chemical Science, and a member of the research team, Professor Luigi Cavallo.

Along with colleagues at The University's Core Labs and coworkers in UK, Switzerland and France, the researchers have shown different ways that citrate ions can bind to gold atoms at the surface of nanoparticles1. They also discovered how to influence the binding mode by controlling the ratio of the nanoparticle/citrate ions. Different modes can influence the structures and properties of nanoparticles.

"The experimental and theoretical characterization of these systems is challenging due to the flexible nature of the interaction between citrate and gold," said Basset. He explained that collaboration between KAUST teams was essential for meeting the challenges, allowing creation of the stabilized nanoparticles and their analysis and imaging at high resolution (see image).

One reason for gold's usefulness in medical applications is its chemically stable nature. Other researchers have shown that this stability allows gold to carry drugs through the body without causing chemical side effects.

Controlling the structure of gold nanoparticles could also fine tune their interaction with light to exploit a phenomenon known as surface plasmon resonance. This may allow the energy of light to be harnessed to kill cancer cells. Attaching antibodies can guide the nanoparticles to the specific cells that need treatment. The type of interaction with light depends on nanoparticle structure and could also yield applications in solar cells and micro-electronics.

The researchers consider that the insights from this work at KAUST may also be applicable to some other metals and plan to explore this as the next phase of the research. "We want to take on that wider challenge," said Basset.

###

Media Contact

Michelle D'Antoni
[email protected]

http://kaust.edu.sa/

############

Story Source: Materials provided by Scienmag

Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Prenatal Probiotics: Boosting Neonatal Gut Development

October 31, 2025
Groundbreaking Study Reveals Harmful ‘Forever Chemicals’ Contaminating Australian Marsupials

Groundbreaking Study Reveals Harmful ‘Forever Chemicals’ Contaminating Australian Marsupials

October 31, 2025

Face DNA Influences Touch DNA on Phone Screens

October 31, 2025

Exploring Patient Safety Culture in Brazilian Teaching Hospital

October 31, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Sperm MicroRNAs: Crucial Mediators of Paternal Exercise Capacity Transmission

    1292 shares
    Share 516 Tweet 323
  • Stinkbug Leg Organ Hosts Symbiotic Fungi That Protect Eggs from Parasitic Wasps

    312 shares
    Share 125 Tweet 78
  • ESMO 2025: mRNA COVID Vaccines Enhance Efficacy of Cancer Immunotherapy

    202 shares
    Share 81 Tweet 51
  • New Study Suggests ALS and MS May Stem from Common Environmental Factor

    136 shares
    Share 54 Tweet 34

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Prenatal Probiotics: Boosting Neonatal Gut Development

Groundbreaking Study Reveals Harmful ‘Forever Chemicals’ Contaminating Australian Marsupials

Face DNA Influences Touch DNA on Phone Screens

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 67 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.