Nanometer-sized gold-loaded gelatin/silica nanocapsules

Electrostatic-force-driven self-assembling behavior of gelatin polypeptides has been investigated through the predominantly seeded-aggregation growth of denatured gelatin molecules on citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles (see Figure). The resulting self-assembled gelatin aggregates have been used as soft templates to prepare nanometer-sized gold-loaded silica/gelatin nanocapsules. This synthetic approach has been extended to various silica-coated biomolecules and provides further insight for creating novel smart bionanostructures.