title: Linker-mediated assembly of gold nanoparticles into multimeric motifs.
abstract: We present a theoretical description of linker-mediated self-assembly of gold nanoparticles (Au-NP). Using mesoscale simulations with a coarse-grained model for the Au NPs and dirhenium-based linker molecules, we investigate the conditions under which large clusters can grow and construct a phase diagram that identifies favorable growth conditions in terms of floating and bound linker concentrations. The findings can be considered as generic, as we expect other NP-linker systems to behave in a qualitatively similar way. In particular, we also discuss the case of antibody-functionalised Au NPs connected by the C-reactive proteins (CRPs). We extract some general rules for NP linking that may aid the production of size- and shape-specific NP clusters for technology applications.
authors: Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland. mc@ifpan.edu.pl
authors: Mateusz
authors: M
authors: Sikora
authors: Piotr
authors: P
authors: Szymczak
authors: Damien
authors: D
authors: Thompson
authors: Marek
authors: M
authors: Cieplak