Facile Synthesis and Characterization of Uniform Au Nanospheres Capped by Citrate for Biomedical Applications

We report a simple and versatile method for effectively replacing the toxic ligands, such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), on the surface of Au nanospheres with different sizes by citrate. The method involves the deposition of an ultrathin shell of fresh Au in the presence of sodium citrate at an adequate concentration. After the ligand exchange process, multiple techniques are used to confirm that the surface of the resultant Au nanospheres is covered by citrate while there is no sign of aggregation. We also demonstrate the mitigation of cell toxicity after exchanging the surface-bound CTAB/CTAC with citrate, opening the door to a range of biomedical applications.