title: Dendron-like growth of silver nanoparticles using a water-soluble oligopeptide.
abstract: A dendron-like nanostructure of silver was grown in solution using a water-soluble tetrapeptide Tyr-Aib-Tyr-Val (Aib, alpha-amino isobutyric acid), silver nitrate, and methanol. These structures are composed of silver nanoparticles having a bimodal size distribution with the median diameters around 2.0 and 19.5 nm, respectively. The dendron-like growth is ascribed to the effect of the local electric field generated by the dipoles associated with the peptide molecules. The optical absorption spectra have been analyzed by Mie scattering theory, which shows that there is a metal-nonmetal transition in silver particles having diameters less than approximately 2.0 nm.
authors.affiliation: Unit on Nano Science and Technology, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India.
authors.forename: Santanu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.forename: Apurba K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Arindam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: Dipankar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chakravorty
mesh_terms: D050091:Dendrimers / Q000737:chemistry*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D012995:Solubility; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D050091:Dendrimers; D009842:Oligopeptides; D014867:Water; D012834:Silver