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Ultra-Simple and Cost-Effective Synthesis of Highly Stable, Biocompatible, Carboxylic-Functionalized Gold
Syed Shaheen Shah1, Hamid Zentou2, M Nasiruzzaman Shaikh2
1Socio-Environmental Energy Science Department, Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
Chemical Record (New York, N.Y.)
|November 10, 2025
Summary
Pamoic acid (PA) offers a simple, cost-effective method for synthesizing stable gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with tunable sizes. These biocompatible PA-AuNPs show promise for applications in catalysis, sensing, and energy, with potential for industrial scale-up.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Materials Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Traditional gold nanoparticle (AuNP) synthesis often involves complex procedures, thiolated linkers, and limited long-term stability.
- Achieving reproducible size control and functionalization for diverse applications remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel, one-pot synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using pamoic acid (PA) as a capping agent.
- To evaluate the physicochemical properties, stability, biocompatibility, and application performance of PA-capped AuNPs.
- To assess the techno-economic feasibility and scalability of the PA-AuNP synthesis route.
Main Methods:
- One-pot, room-temperature synthesis of AuNPs using pamoic acid.
- Characterization of AuNP size, shape, and stability via pH and seed tuning.
- In vitro and in vivo biocompatibility assays.
- Performance evaluation in catalysis (4-nitrophenol reduction), electroanalysis (ketoconazole), and fluorescence sensing (levofloxacin).
- Techno-economic analysis and industrial flowsheet design.
Main Results:
- PA-capped AuNPs exhibit decade-scale colloidal stability and tunable sizes (10-75 nm spheres, anisotropic shapes).
- Demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, high catalytic activity (turnover frequencies ~10^3 h^-1), sensitive electroanalysis (low-μM detection), and fluorescence sensing (tens of nM detection).
- Bench-scale production cost is ~$2.26 per 100 mL of high-concentration dispersion, with potential for cost reduction.
Conclusions:
- Pamoic acid provides an eco-friendly, simple, and cost-effective alternative for AuNP synthesis compared to conventional methods.
- PA-AuNPs possess significant commercial potential across various fields including biosensing, drug delivery, catalysis, and energy applications.
- Further research is needed to address ligand fate, scale-up controls, and standardized reporting for industrial translation.
