Facile synthesis of biocompatible gold nanoparticles with organosilicone-coated surface properties

In this study, a simple method for one-step synthesis of gold nanoparticles has been developed using an organosilicone surfactant, Silwet L-77, as both a reducing and capping agent. Synthesis of gold nanoparticles using this method is rapid and can be conducted conveniently at ambient temperature. Further refinement of the method, through the addition of sodium hydroxide and/or silver nitrate, allowed fine control over the size of spherical nanoparticles produced. Coated on the surface with organosilicone, the as-prepared gold nanoparticles were biocompatible and stable over the pH range from 5 to 12, and have been proven effective at transportation into MC3T3 osteoblast cells. The proposed method is simple, fast, and can produce size-controlled gold nanoparticles with unique surface properties for biomedical applications.