Assembly of Gold Nanoparticles Induced by Metal Ions (2022)

The interactions of functionalized gold nanoparticles with heavy metal ions have been studied to gain understanding of the nanoparticle crosslinking and assembly processes, as well as their effects on the local surface plasmon oscillations. In our work, we have applied UV-Vis spectroscopy and resonance elastic light scattering (RELS) spectroscopy. We have found that the RELS based method is very sensitive to supramolecular ensemble formation. The interactions of glutathione (GSH) with gold nanoparticles and the mechanism of assembly formation have been investigated. To determine GSH at physiologically relevant concentration levels, the RELS spectroscopy was employed which enabled us to follow GSH-mediated assembly of citrate-capped AuNP. The role of Cd⁺² and Pb⁺² ions in mediation of the assembly of networks of gold nanoparticles, capped with glutathione and other thiols, has also been investigated.