LAUSR

The use of peptides to nucleate, grow, and stabilize nanoparticles in aqueous media via noncovalent interactions offers new possibilities for creating functional, water-dispersed inorganic/organic hybrid materials, particularly for Au nanoparticles. Numerous previous studies have identified peptide sequences that both possess a strong binding affinity for Au surfaces and are capable of supporting nanoparticle growth in water. However, recent studies have shown that not all such peptide sequences can produce stable dispersions of these nanoparticles. Here, via integrated experiments and molecular modeling, we provide new insights into the many factors that influence Au nanoparticle growth and stabilization in aqueous media. We define colloidal stability by the absence of visible precipitation at least 24 h after synthesis. We use binding affinity measurements, nanoparticle synthesis, characterization and stabilization assays, and molecular modeling to investigate a set of sequences based on two known pepti...