title: Au nanoparticles stabilised by PEGylated low generation PAMAM dendrimers: design, characterisation and properties.
abstract: The preparation and characterisation of a series of well-defined low generation (poly)amidoamine (PAMAM)-based dendrimers with end-grafted ethylene glycol ether moieties of type N(CH(2)CH(2)C(O)NHCH(2)CH(2)NR(2))(3) (3a, R=CH(2)CH(2)C(O)OCH(2)CH(2)OCH(3); 3b, R=CH(2)CH(2)C(O)O(CH(2)CH(2)O)(2)C(2)H(5); 3c, R=CH(2)CH(2)C(O)O(CH(2)CH(2)O)(9)CH(3)), [CH(2)N(CH(2)CH(2)C(O)NHCH(2)CH(2)NR(2))(2)](2) (4, R=CH(2)CH(2)C(O)O(CH(2)CH(2)O)(2)C(2)H(5)) and (R(2)NCH(2)CH(2)NHC(O)CH(2)CH(2))N[CH(2)CH(2)N(CH(2)CH(2)C(O)NHCH(2)CH(2)NR(2))(2)](2) (5a, R=CH(2)CH(2)C(O)OCH(2)CH(2)OCH(3); 5b, R=CH(2)CH(2)C(O)O(CH(2)CH(2)O)(2)C(2)H(5); 5c, R=CH(2)CH(2)C(O)O(CH(2)CH(2)O)(9)CH(3)) and their application for the stabilisation of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) is described. These dendrimers were prepared by a consecutive divergent synthesis methodology including Michael addition and amidation cycles. For comparison, amidoamine related model compounds N(C(3)H(7))R(2) (1, R=CH(2)CH(2)C(O)O(CH(2)CH(2)O)(2)C(2)H(5)) and [CH(2)NR(2)](2) (2, R=CH(2)CH(2)C(O)O(CH(2)CH(2)O)(2)C(2)H(5)) were also synthesised to estimate the minimum required donating capabilities of the stabiliser. Loading the appropriate dendritic templates with H[AuCl(4)] (12) and subsequent reduction of the respective metallodendrimers with Na[BH(4)] produced dendrimer encapsulated gold colloids. The dendrimeric scaffold, the length of the ethylene glycols, the adjusted stabilizer:gold ratio and the duration of reaction time affects the average Au particle diameter in a range of 4.0 (±0.9) to 58.5 (±14.5) nm. Furthermore, depending on the nature of the stabiliser, nanoparticles were formed having spherical or multiple morphologies. Characterisation by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV/vis, and IR spectroscopy revealed that Au NPs are formed and protected inside the dendrimer scaffold.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Natural Science, Institute of Chemistry, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany.
authors.forename: Sascha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hietschold
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lang
mesh_terms: D050091:Dendrimers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010316:Particle Size; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D050091:Dendrimers; C104700:PAMAM Starburst; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D006046:Gold