Gold Nanoparticle Product Selection Guide

Choose a Gold Nanoparticle Product Based on Your Particular Application

 Application Gold Nanoparticle Size Range Surface Chemistry Benefits
Protein Conjugation 5nm-100nm Standard (citrate) Quick
NHS Covalent conjugation to primary amines, increased conjugate stability, less non-specific protein binding.
Maleimide
Covalent conjugation to thiols, increased conjugate stability, less non-specific protein binding.
Carboxyl
Covalent conjugation to primary amines, increased conjugate stability, less non-specific protein binding.
Amine Conjugation of NHS and carboxyl ligands.
Ni-NTA Conjugation to histidine tags. Also useful for purification of histidine-tagged proteins and other ligands.
Azide Covalent conjugation to alkyne ligands through click chemistry.
Alkyne Covalent conjugation to azide ligands through click chemistry.
20nm-100nm DBCO Covalent conjugation to azide ligands through click chemistry without the need for a copper catalyst. More biologically compatible than typical alkyne click chemistry.
Streptavidin Conjugation to biotinylated ligands.
Modification with thiolated ligands 5nm-100nm Standard (citrate-coated) Classic starting material, no additional stabilizers added.
Stabilized (surfactant) Increased stability during functionalization but reduced binding kinetics.
Oligonucleotide Conjugation 5nm-40nm Standard (citrate) Ideal for conjugation of thiol-modified oligos to small particle sizes (5nm-40nm). Does not work well for larger particles.
5nm-100nm OligoREADY Ideal for conjugation of thiol-modified oligos directly to the gold surface. 
5nm-100nm NHS Ideal for covalent conjugation of amine-modified oligos. Final conjugate will have a PEG-linker between oligo and gold surface.
5nm-100nm Maleimide Ideal for covalent conjugation of thiol-modified oligos. 
Final conjugate will have a PEG-linker between oligo and gold surface.
5nm-100nm Azide Ideal for covalent conjugation to alkyne-modified oligos through click chemistry. High yield and no non-specific binding.
5nm-100nm Alkyne Ideal for covalent conjugation to azide-modified oligos through click chemistry. High yield and no non-specific binding.
20nm-100nm DBCO Ideal for covalent conjugation to azide-modified oligos through click chemistry. Much better suited for biological conditions than typical alkyne click chemistry.
Aptamer Conjugation 5nm-40nm Standard (citrate) Ideal for conjugation of thiol-modified aptamer to small particle sizes (5nm-40nm). Does not work well for larger particles.
5nm-100nm AptamerREADY Ideal for conjugation of thiol-modified aptamer directly to the gold surface. 
5nm-100nm NHS Ideal for covalent conjugation of amine-modified aptamer. Final conjugate will have a PEG-linker between oligo and gold surface.
5nm-100nm Maleimide Ideal for covalent conjugation of thiol-modified aptamer. 
Final conjugate will have a PEG-linker between oligo and gold surface.
5nm-100nm Azide Ideal for covalent conjugation to alkyne-modified aptamer through click chemistry. High yield and no non-specific binding.
5nm-100nm Alkyne Ideal for covalent conjugation to azide-modified aptamer through click chemistry. High yield and no non-specific binding.
20nm-100nm DBCO Ideal for covalent conjugation to azide-modified aptamer through click chemistry. Much better suited for biological conditions than typical alkyne click chemistry.
Immunoblotting/Western Blot 5nm-20nm Secondary Antibody Gold Conjugates Colorimetric detection. Permanent label
Immunohistochemistry 5nm-40nm Secondary Antibody Gold Conjugates High contrast label
Flow Cytometry 70nm-400nm
Cellular Uptake  30nm-80nm Transferrin Gold Conjugates Active uptake through endocytosis
Standard (citrate-coated) Non-specific cellular uptake
Darkfield Microscopy 50nm-100nm Gold Conjugates
Lateral Flow/Dip-Stick Assays 20nm-80nm Standard (citrate-coated) Ideal for generation of gold conjugates through passive adsorption of antibodies to the gold nanoparticle surface.
NHS Ideal for covalent conjugation of antibodies to gold nanoparticles.
Maleimide Ideal for conjugation of thiol-modified ligands to gold nanoparticles.
Gold Conjugates Pre-made secondary antibody conjugates
Vertical Flow 20nm-40nm Standard (citrate-coated)
Ideal for generation of gold conjugates through passive adsorption of antibodies to the gold nanoparticle surface.
NHS
Ideal for covalent conjugation of antibodies to gold nanoparticles.
Maleimide
Ideal for conjugation of thiol-modified ligands to gold nanoparticles.
Gold Conjugates Pre-made secondary antibody conjugates.
Tumor Targeting 20nm-80nm Methyl (methoxy) Gold Nanoparticles Can in some cases be used for passive targeting of certain tumors in vivo. Inert material with low non-specific protein binding in serum.
Light Microscopy 5nm-10nm Gold Conjugates Ability to label tissue sections for both light and electron microscopy. Alternative to peroxidase and PAP-based stains. Sensitivity can be enhanced with silver enhancement techniques.
ELISA 5nm-30nm Gold Conjugates Colorimetric Detection