Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Residue-Free Fabrication of van der Waals Heterostructures of Two-Dimensional Materials
Published on: July 18, 2025
Nanoparticles without and with protein corona: van der Waals and hydration interaction
1Section of Biological Physics, Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. zhdanov@chalmers.se.
Abstract:
The van der Waals (vdW) interaction between nanoparticles (NPs) in general, and especially between metal NPs, may be appreciable, and may result in nanoparticle aggregation. In biofluids, NPs become rapidly surrounded by a protein corona (PC). Here, the vdW and hydration interaction of NPs with and without PC are compared in detail. The focus is on two widely used types of NPs fabricated of SiO2 and Au and possessing weak and strong vdW interactions, respectively. For SiO2, the presence of PC increases the vdW interaction, but it remains relatively weak and insufficient for aggregation. For Au, the presence of PC decreases the vdW interaction, and in the case of small NPs (≤ 40 nm in diameter) it may become insufficient for aggregation as well while the larger NPs can aggregate.
Related Concept Videos
Van der Waals Interactions
Van der Waals Equation
First, the attractive forces between molecules, which are stronger at higher densities and reduce the pressure, are considered by adding to the pressure a term equal to the square of the molar density multiplied by a positive coefficient a. Second, the volume...
Real Gases: Effects of Intermolecular Forces and Molecular Volume Deriving Van der Waals Equation
Protein Folding
Noncovalent Attractions in Biomolecules
Four types of noncovalent interactions are hydrogen bonds, van der Waals forces, ionic bonds, and hydrophobic interactions.
Hydrogen bonding results from the electrostatic attraction of a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a strong-electronegative atom like oxygen,...
Aqueous Solutions and Heats of Hydration
When ionic compounds dissolve in water, the ions in the solid separate and disperse uniformly throughout the solution because water molecules surround and solvate the ions, reducing the strong electrostatic forces between them. This process...

