We have designed a heterofunctionalized nanoparticle conjugate consisting of a 13-nm gold nanoparticle (Au NP) containing both antisense oligonucleotides and synthetic peptides. The synthesis of this conjugate is accomplished by mixing thiolated oligonucleotides and cysteine-terminated peptides with gold nanoparticles in the presence of salt, which screens interactions between biomolecules, yie...

We use molecular dynamics simulations to study the crystallization of spherical nucleic-acid (SNA) gold nanoparticle conjugates, guided by sequence-specific DNA hybridization events. Binary mixtures of SNA gold nanoparticle conjugates (inorganic core diameter in the 8-15 nm range) are shown to assemble into BCC, CsCl, AlB(2), and Cr(3)Si crystalline structures, depending upon particle stoichiom...

The cell selective introduction of therapeutic agents remains a challenging problem. Here we demonstrate spatially controlled cavitation instigated by laser-induced breakdown of an optically trapped single gold nanoparticle of diameter 100 nm. The energy breakdown threshold of the gold nanoparticle with a single nanosecond laser pulse at 532 nm is three orders of magnitude lower than water, whi...

nanoparticle-decorated smectic films R. Pratibha, W. Park, and I. I. Smalyukh Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA Raman Research Institute, C.V. Raman Avenue, Bangalore 560080, India Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boul...

BACKGROUND Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) can act as carriers for therapeutic molecules such as drugs and genetic constructs for medical applications. The triggered release of the molecule into the cytoplasm can be crucial to its effective delivery. Hence, we implemented and characterized laser interaction with defined gold nanoparticle agglomerates conjugated to CPPs which enables efficient ...

We investigate the dispersion relation and extinction properties of surface plasmons in an array of gold nanoparticle chains under s-polarized plane wave excitations, through experiment and simulation. Our results reveal that the dispersion and extinction properties of gold nanoparticle chains at an air/glass interface are significantly different from those in a uniform medium. Under total inte...

We investigate the optical response of a gold nanorod array coupled with a semicontinuous nanoparticle film. We find that, as the gold nanoparticle film is adjusted to the percolating regime, the nanorod-film hybrids are tuned into plasmonic Fano resonance, characterized by the coherent coupling of discrete plasmonic modes of the nanorod array with the continuum band of the percolating film. Co...

Combining gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as fluorescence quencher and aptamer as probe, we have developed protein biosensors by using DNA-modified GNPs. We examined how the experimental design, such as the type of interaction between DNA strands and GNPs, temperature, and microenvironment of aptamer, influences the recognition ability of the biosensor. Under our experimental conditions, the recognit...

In this Letter, dynamic wetting of water nano-droplets containing non-surfactant gold nanoparticles on a gold substrate is examined via molecular dynamics simulations. The results show that the addition of non-surfactant nanoparticles hinders the nano-second droplet wetting process, attributed to the increases in both surface tension of the nanofluid and friction between nanofluid and substrate...

Compared to molecular chemistry, nanochemistry is still far from being capable of tailoring particle structure and functionality at an atomic level. Numerous effective methodologies that can precisely tailor specific groups in organic molecules without altering the major carbon bones have been developed, but for nanoparticles, it is still extremely difficult to realize the atomic-level tailorin...