Separation of nanoparticles by gel electrophoresis according to size-and shape

We demonstrate the separation of gold and silver nanoparticles according to their size and shape by agarose gel electrophoresis after coating them with a charged polymer layer. The separation is monitored optically using the size- and shape-dependent plasmon resonance of noble metal particles and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electrophoretic mobilities are quantitatively explained by a model based on the Henry formula; providing a theoretical framework for predicting gel mobilities of polymer coated nanoparticles.