PEGylated Gold Nanoparticles Functionalized with beta-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes: Towards Metal Nanoparticle-Polymer-Carbohydrate Cluster Biohybrid Materials

A cholesterol-functional trithiocarbonate reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent was synthesized and employed to generate well-defined poly(polyethylene glycol) acrylate with cholesterol chain termini using RAFT polymerization. Subsequently, the polymers were grafted onto the surface of gold nanoparticles using the trithiocarbonate functionality to bind to the gold surface. The cholesterol moieties were then modified via complexation with beta-cyclodextrin. The step-by-step modification of gold nanoparticles was characterized by dynamic light scattering, attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance analysis.