Speaker: Sebastian Franco-Ulloa (Visitor from the Italian Institute of Technology)
Title: State dependency on the aggregation of citrate-capped metallic nanoparticles
Abstract: Functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are at the frontier of nanoscience. These nanosized objects hold promise in numerous fields of pharmaceutical significance including bioimaging, photothermal therapy, marker chemosensing, and enzyme-mimicking. AuNPs are typically synthesized from a two-step process, the first of which corresponds to the preparation of a stable gold colloid from auric salts and citric acid. Employing molecular dynamics simulations and free energy techniques, we herein investigate the conditions under which such suspensions are stable enough for their posterior usage. The aggregation of the metallic nano-bodies is described as a function of their concentration and surface charge, and the medium’s ionic strength. Getting a detailed molecular description of this coalescence process will aid in the synthesis of customizable AuNPs.
The Hylleraas seminars alternate between Oslo (Room V205) and Tromsø (Room C329), and are broadcasted by video conference to the other place.