Raman spectroscopy as a tool to investigate the structure and electronic properties of carbon-atom wires

• Alberto Milani,
• Matteo Tommasini,
• Valeria Russo,
• Andrea Li Bassi,
• Andrea Lucotti,
• Franco Cataldo and
• Carlo S. Casari

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 480–491, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.49

• spectrum. A shift in the main Raman peak locations is accompanied by the appearance of new spectral features at lower wavenumbers (below 2000 cm−1), as shown in Figure 6 for the case of silver nanoparticles. This occurs also in the case of gold nanoparticles for different excitation wavelengths ranging

Comparative evaluation of the impact on endothelial cells induced by different nanoparticle structures and functionalization

• Lisa Landgraf,
• Ines Müller,
• Peter Ernst,
• Miriam Schäfer,
• Christina Rosman,
• Isabel Schick,
• Oskar Köhler,
• Hartmut Oehring,
• Vladimir V. Breus,
• Thomas Basché,
• Carsten Sönnichsen,
• Wolfgang Tremel and
• Ingrid Hilger

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 300–312, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.28

• nanoparticles on endothelial cells. Our findings will help to design new nanoparticles with optimized properties concerning biocompatibility and uptake behavior with respect to the respective intended application. Keywords: cell viability; gold nanoparticles; internalization; Janus particles; quantum dots

• positive). Gold nanoparticles exhibit strong light scattering and absorption at their resonance wavelength due to their plasmonic properties [1][2]. Thus, these particles are used for optical imaging approaches [3][4]. Moreover, applications as contrast media for CT [5][6] and for selective cell targeting

• [7] are suggested. Gold nanorods were shown to have better optical imaging properties compared to spherical gold nanoparticles [8][9][10]. Importantly, the cytotoxicity of gold nanoparticles depends on the surface coating. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), an important material during synthesis

Green preparation and spectroscopic characterization of plasmonic silver nanoparticles using fruits as reducing agents

• Jes Ærøe Hyllested,
• Marta Espina Palanco,
• Nicolai Hagen,
• Klaus Bo Mogensen and
• Katrin Kneipp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 293–299, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.27

• capability to reduce silver and gold salts and to create silver and gold nanoparticles. We report the preparation of silver nanoparticles with sizes between 10 and 300 nm from silver nitrate using fruit extract collected from pineapples and oranges as reducing agents. The evolvement of a characteristic

• process. The most popular process among the bottom up methods might be the preparation of silver and gold nanoparticles in aqueous solution by the reduction of silver and gold salts using sodium citrate or sodium borohydride as reducing agent [9]. Recently it has been identified that also plant extracts

• have the capability to reduce silver and gold salts and to create silver and gold nanoparticles [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Many different chemical compounds are present in various parts of different plants. Polysaccharides, phenolics, flavoids to mention only a few, could serve as

Mechanical properties of MDCK II cells exposed to gold nanorods

• Anna Pietuch,
• Bastian Rouven Brückner,
• David Schneider,
• Marco Tarantola,
• Christina Rosman,
• Carsten Sönnichsen and
• Andreas Janshoff

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 223–231, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.21

• /bjnano.6.21 Abstract Background: The impact of gold nanoparticles on cell viability has been extensively studied in the past. Size, shape and surface functionalization including opsonization of gold particles ranging from a few nanometers to hundreds of nanometers are among the most crucial parameters

• CTAB coated rods suggesting an increase in acoustic load corresponding to a larger stiffness (storage modulus). Keywords: atomic force microscopy; CTAB; gold nanorods; membrane tension; MDCK II cells; QCM; Introduction The interest in gold nanoparticles (NP) for biomedical applications in the field

• simultaneously the resonance frequency and dissipated energy of the quartz crystal covered with cells and reveals information about the viscoelastic properties of these cells as well as the distance from the quartz surface [24]. In the work presented here we investigated the influence of gold nanoparticles on

Caveolin-1 and CDC42 mediated endocytosis of silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles in HeLa cells

• Nils Bohmer and
• Andreas Jordan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 167–176, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.16

• was chosen as a model cell line. Hela cells are a well-established malignant cell line, which was widely used to study the uptake of iron oxide nanoparticles [18][21][24][32], gold nanoparticles [33][34] and other particle systems like quantum dots [35] or polymer particles [36][37]. To gain insights

• of nanoparticles by HeLa cells is consistent with the literature. It was shown, that polyethyleneimine gold nanoparticles around 40 nm [33], gold nanoparticles of 4.5 nm [34] and conjugated polymer nanoparticles [36] are internalized through Caveolin dependent pathways. The same was observed for

• human alveolar epithelial cells and polystyrene nanoparticles around 100 nm [38] as well as polymer coated gold nanoparticles with a core size around 13 nm [39]. On the other hand there are studies showing the uptake of different nanoparticles by HeLa cells such as quantum dots [35], PEG-PLA particles

Functionalization of α-synuclein fibrils

• Simona Povilonienė,
• Vida Časaitė,
• Virginijus Bukauskas,
• Arūnas Šetkus,
• Juozas Staniulis and
• Rolandas Meškys

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 124–133, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.12

• -synuclein that contains an additional cysteine residue. The fibrils have been biotinylated via thiol groups and subsequently joined with neutravidin-conjugated gold nanoparticles. Atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the expected structure – nanoladders. The ability of

• fibrils (and of the additional components) to assemble into such complex structures offers new opportunities for fabricating novel hybrid materials or devices. Keywords: α-synuclein; atomic force microscopy; gold nanoparticles; nanostructures; self-assembly; Introduction Due to their ability to form

• modification of the target protein. Novel well-ordered multicomponent nanoderivatives have been constructed by labelling α-SynC141 fibrils with biotin. The biotinylated fibrils have been further assembled with neutravidin-conjugated gold nanoparticles. The resulting structures were evaluated by AFM and TEM

Bright photoluminescence from ordered arrays of SiGe nanowires grown on Si(111)

• D. J. Lockwood,
• N. L. Rowell,
• A. Benkouider,
• A. Ronda,
• L. Favre and
• I. Berbezier

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2498–2504, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.259

• positioned [28]. We have evolved an efficient and simple electrochemical process that joins focused-ion-beam (FIB) lithography and galvanic reaction to selectively prepare gold nanoparticles in well-defined locations. Afterwards these nanoparticles are used for the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth of

Mammalian cell growth on gold nanoparticle-decorated substrates is influenced by the nanoparticle coating

• Christina Rosman,
• Sebastien Pierrat,
• Marco Tarantola,
• David Schneider,
• Eva Sunnick,
• Andreas Janshoff and
• Carsten Sönnichsen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2479–2488, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.257

• ; gold; nanoparticles; Introduction Over the last decade, the biomedical applications for gold nanoparticles have become increasingly diverse due to their small size and plasmonic nature [1]. The plasmon resonance wavelength of the nanoparticle, which exhibits strong light scattering and absorption, can

• be controlled by synthesis conditions [2] in order to match the “optical window” of biological tissue in the wavelength region of 650–900 nm [3]. Therefore, gold nanoparticles can be used, for example, as biosensors [4][5], as delivery systems [6][7], as contrast agents in imaging [8][9], and as

• special functionality), this study is focused on the impact of basolateral exposure of gold nanoparticles on epithelial cells. Here, epithelial cells were exposed to nanoparticles adsorbed onto a surface. Since MDCK II cells exhibit caveolae only basolaterally, it is conceivable that internalization is

Interaction of dermatologically relevant nanoparticles with skin cells and skin

• Annika Vogt,
• Fiorenza Rancan,
• Sebastian Ahlberg,
• Berouz Nazemi,
• Chun Sik Choe,
• Maxim E. Darvin,
• Sabrina Hadam,
• Ulrike Blume-Peytavi,
• Kateryna Loza,
• Jörg Diendorf,
• Matthias Epple,
• Christina Graf,
• Eckart Rühl,
• Martina C. Meinke and
• Jürgen Lademann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2363–2373, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.245

• in vivo over time [12]. On the other hand, hair follicles were found to be excretion pathways for injected gold nanoparticles [15]. Raman microscopy is another technique with high spatial resolution which permits such studies. While we gathered first own results on skin with the in vivo detection of

Inorganic Janus particles for biomedical applications

• Isabel Schick,
• Steffen Lorenz,
• Dominik Gehrig,
• Stefan Tenzer,
• Wiebke Storck,
• Karl Fischer,
• Dennis Strand,
• Frédéric Laquai and
• Wolfgang Tremel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2346–2362, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.244

• the control over the size was much more precise performing a synthesis of hydrophobic gold nanoparticles using tert-butylamine borane complex as reducing agent [74]. The size of the oleylamine-capped particles is varied between 2 and 8 nm by changing the reaction temperature or in a subsequent growth

• ], the gold nanoparticles were functionalized with 1-octadecanethiol to suppress multiple nucleation of manganese oxide on different crystal facets or surface defects. This surface functionalization was proved not to be necessary for Au@Fe3O4 heterodimers. The morphology as well as the sizes of the metal

• . attributed this broadening and damping to the tunnelling of conduction band electrons of the Au nanoparticles into the projected density of states of the Fe3O4 domains, the so-called “interface decay channel” [56]. As a metal oxide starts to nucleate heterogeneously on the gold nanoparticles, the induced

Liquid-phase exfoliated graphene: functionalization, characterization, and applications

• Mildred Quintana,
• Jesús Iván Tapia and
• Maurizio Prato

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2328–2338, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.242

• to pure DMF. In this process, carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are formed revealing the occurrence of chemical reactions. During the ultrasonication process, graphene sheets were cut close to the edges, producing small fragments which later aggregate into CNFs. To verify the mechanism of CNF formation, gold

• nanoparticles (Au NPs) were introduced as contrast markers. Tiopronin and its fragments are well-known stabilizers for Au NPs. The analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed Au NPs mostly resided on the nanofibers, thus supporting the proposed mechanism as shown in Figure 2. This methodology

Localized surface plasmon resonances in nanostructures to enhance nonlinear vibrational spectroscopies: towards an astonishing molecular sensitivity

• Dan Lis and
• Francesca Cecchet

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2275–2292, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.237

• observed and correspond to the nonlinear wave mixing: SFG, SHG (second harmonic generation) and CARS signals. Interestingly, coupling nano-objects, i.e., tuning the distance between gold nanoparticles until they get in contact [60], shifts the frequency of the LSPR. For an optimal distance, i.e., when LSPR

• signature of thiophenol-functionalized gold nanoparticles (17 nm of diameter) grafted on flat silicon could be detected at a surface coverage as low as about 1% [70][71]. The SFG spectra displayed a single mode corresponding to the CH groups of the aromatic core of thiophenol at 3055 cm−1 (Figure 6). The Au

• was studied by Tourillon et al. [74], for which the SFG spectroscopy was performed on a dense gold nanoparticles monolayer (11 nm) on a quartz prism surface. The interface was probed in the total internal reflection (TIR) configuration, in ppp polarization, with the visible frequency matching the LSPR

Influence of stabilising agents and pH on the size of SnO₂ nanoparticles

• Olga Rac,
• Patrycja Suchorska-Woźniak,
• Marta Fiedot and
• Helena Teterycz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2192–2201, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.228

• stabilising agents significantly affect the size, shape and surface properties of nanomaterials synthesised in their presence [18]. In 1718, Helcher applied a natural polymer (starch) to stabilise gold nanoparticles [19]. Today, synthetic polymers are commonly used to stabilise different types of

Properties of plasmonic arrays produced by pulsed-laser nanostructuring of thin Au films

• Katarzyna Grochowska,
• Katarzyna Siuzdak,
• Peter A. Atanasov,
• Carla Bittencourt,
• Anna Dikovska,
• Nikolay N. Nedyalkov and
• Gerard Śliwiński

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2102–2112, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.219

• theory with the temperature gradients both lateral and normal to the film surface taken into account [8][9][10]. The gold nanoparticles produced from thin Au films on Si and indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates using a 532 nm laser operated in a single-pulse regime were studied in detail by Ruffino et al

Effect of silver nanoparticles on human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation

• Christina Sengstock,
• Jörg Diendorf,
• Matthias Epple,
• Thomas A. Schildhauer and
• Manfred Köller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2058–2069, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.214

• within the endo-lysosomes after 24 h. Fröhlich et al. [36] have reported that access to other organelles depends on the particle size. Similarly, as suggested by Berry et al., the uptake of nanoparticles is constrained by the dimensions of the nuclear pore because gold nanoparticles (Au-NP) with a size

• was impaired at subtoxic concentrations of Ag-NP and Ag+ ions, whereas chondrogenic differentiation was not influenced by the presence of silver. Similar results were observed by Fan et al. when using gold nanoparticles [46]. These nanoparticles, with a size of 30 nm, led to decreases in the

PVP-coated, negatively charged silver nanoparticles: A multi-center study of their physicochemical characteristics, cell culture and in vivo experiments

• Sebastian Ahlberg,
• Alexandra Antonopulos,
• Jörg Diendorf,
• Ralf Dringen,
• Matthias Epple,
• Rebekka Flöck,
• Wolfgang Goedecke,
• Christina Graf,
• Nadine Haberl,
• Jens Helmlinger,
• Fabian Herzog,
• Frederike Heuer,
• Stephanie Hirn,
• Christian Johannes,
• Stefanie Kittler,
• Manfred Köller,
• Katrin Korn,
• Wolfgang G. Kreyling,
• Fritz Krombach,
• Jürgen Lademann,
• Kateryna Loza,
• Eva M. Luther,
• Marcelina Malissek,
• Martina C. Meinke,
• Daniel Nordmeyer,
• Anne Pailliart,
• Jörg Raabe,
• Fiorenza Rancan,
• Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser,
• Eckart Rühl,
• Carsten Schleh,
• Andreas Seibel,
• Christina Sengstock,
• Lennart Treuel,
• Annika Vogt,
• Katrin Weber and
• Reinhard Zellner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1944–1965, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.205

• ]. Specifically, we have addressed the effect of a PVP coating around the metallic surface of silver and, for comparison, gold nanoparticles, on the adsorption/desorption equilibrium of serum albumin molecules – an established model protein [57][59][60][61][62]. To quantify this equilibrium, we have used circular

• containing PVP-coated silver nanoparticles at various concentrations as well as the corresponding analytical plot. Equilibrium constants for the adsorption of albumin to silver and gold nanoparticles with and without a PVP coating were determined, revealing the influence of the polymer coating on the ability

• localization of silver in the perinuclear region was observed (Figure 5A). In none of the investigated cells an indication for uptake into the nucleus was found, which is in agreement with a quantitative TEM analysis of citrate- or polyethylene glycol (PEG)-stabilized gold nanoparticles, in which no particles

Towards bottom-up nanopatterning of Prussian blue analogues

• Virgile Trannoy,
• Marco Faustini,
• David Grosso,
• Sandra Mazerat,
• François Brisset,
• Alexandre Dazzi and
• Anne Bleuzen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1933–1943, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.204

• deposition, whatever the deposition time, the silicon substrate is completely and homogeneously covered by gold nanoparticles (as expected for sputtering deposition). But, the size of the particles depends on the deposition time. The gold layers obtained with 30 s, 60 s and 150 s deposition time are composed

• of gold nanoparticles of 10 nm, 15 nm and 40 nm in diameter, respectively. The roughness is 0.27 nm for the silicon substrate, 0.44 nm for the 10 nm thick gold layer, 0.48 nm for the 20 nm thick gold layer and 1.01 nm for the 50 nm thick one. After the gold deposition, the surfaces exhibit a small

High speed e-beam lithography for gold nanoarray fabrication and use in nanotechnology

• Jorge Trasobares,
• François Vaurette,
• Marc François,
• Hans Romijn,
• Jean-Louis Codron,
• Dominique Vuillaume,
• Didier Théron and
• Nicolas Clément

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1918–1925, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.202

• ) is used as a top electrode and the gold nanocrystals act as bottom electrodes. Within a single CAFM image it is possible to get statistics on thousands of molecular junctions which allowed us, in particular, to evidence the presence of 2 phases of organization on alkyl-thiolated gold nanoparticles

• application, chemical characterization of self-assembled monolayer coated gold nanoparticles is of prime importance, but it could not be achieved in [4][8] because a 1 cm2 nanoarray is required for comfortable XPS analysis. Whereas it would have required almost one full week of writing, we have written such

• contrast provided by the 8 nm thick gold nanoparticles, these arrays are indicated by pink squares. a) Plot of the estimated writing times per gold nanoarray area for each of the four different methods using an e-beam current of 10 nA and a pitch of 100 nm. Black points correspond to measured values. The

In vitro and in vivo interactions of selected nanoparticles with rodent serum proteins and their consequences in biokinetics

• Wolfgang G. Kreyling,
• Stefanie Fertsch-Gapp,
• Martin Schäffler,
• Blair D. Johnston,
• Nadine Haberl,
• Christian Pfeiffer,
• Jörg Diendorf,
• Carsten Schleh,
• Stephanie Hirn,
• Manuela Semmler-Behnke,
• Matthias Epple and
• Wolfgang J. Parak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1699–1711, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.180

• dynamical change during AuNP translocation in fluids and across membranes within the organism. Keywords: biokinetics; gold nanoparticles; protein corona; protein–nanoparticle conjugate; serum protein binding; surface modification; Introduction Like any foreign material that enters into the organism

The influence of molecular mobility on the properties of networks of gold nanoparticles and organic ligands

• Edwin J. Devid,
• Paulo N. Martinho,
• M. Venkata Kamalakar,
• Úna Prendergast,
• Christian Kübel,
• Tibebe Lemma,
• Jean-François Dayen,
• Tia. E. Keyes,
• Bernard Doudin,
• Mario Ruben and
• Sense Jan van der Molen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1664–1674, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.177

• UMR 7504, 23 Rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg, France 10.3762/bjnano.5.177 Abstract We prepare and investigate two-dimensional (2D) single-layer arrays and multilayered networks of gold nanoparticles derivatized with conjugated hetero-aromatic molecules, i.e., S-(4-{[2,6-bipyrazol-1-yl)pyrid-4-yl

• gold nanoparticles through Au–S bonds is found, with no evidence for the formation of N–Au bonds between the pyridine or pyrazole groups of BPP and the gold surface. Subtle, but significant shifts with temperature of specific Raman S-BPP modes are also observed. We attribute these to dynamic changes in

• that dynamic changes in the molecular layers effectively lower the molecular tunnel barrier for BPP-based arrays at higher temperatures. Keywords: aromatic capping ligands; gold nanoparticles; molecular charge transport; self-assembly; surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy; Introduction Inspired by

Silica nanoparticles are less toxic to human lung cells when deposited at the air–liquid interface compared to conventional submerged exposure

• Alicja Panas,
• Andreas Comouth,
• Harald Saathoff,
• Thomas Leisner,
• Marco Al-Rawi,
• Michael Simon,
• Gunnar Seemann,
• Olaf Dössel,
• Sonja Mülhopt,
• Hanns-Rudolf Paur,
• Susanne Fritsch-Decker,
• Carsten Weiss and
• Silvia Diabaté

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1590–1602, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.171

• and the concentrations of particles to induce the lowest observed effect levels were reduced [38]. Moreover, gold nanoparticles were deposited with the previous system but, in contrast to some other submerged studies, did not induce adverse effects [39]. Also a mono-culture of bronchial 16HBE14o cells

Current state of laser synthesis of metal and alloy nanoparticles as ligand-free reference materials for nano-toxicological assays

• Christoph Rehbock,
• Jurij Jakobi,
• Lisa Gamrad,
• Selina van der Meer,
• Daniela Tiedemann,
• Ulrike Taylor,
• Wilfried Kues,
• Detlef Rath and
• Stephan Barcikowski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1523–1541, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.165

• -generated nanoparticles without artificial ligands In order to review nanoparticle size control strategies, gold nanoparticles were chosen as they are an excellent reference material for toxicological studies. Due to their exceptionally high stability concerning surface oxidation, gold nanoparticles do not

• release ions under physiological conditions. Hence, in contrast to gold atom clusters [33], gold nanoparticles are known to have a comparably low toxicity [34][35]. Hence, all adverse effects probably originate from the nanoscopic dimensions of the material, e.g., causing the formation of reactive oxygen

• species [33][36], and cannot originate from the material itself, like the ion release from nanoparticles composed of less noble materials. The fabrication of gold nanoparticles by PLAL has been extensively examined in numerous studies, while ablation may be performed in aqueous media [37][38][39] as well

A sonochemical approach to the direct surface functionalization of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane

• Bashiru Kayode Sodipo and
• Azlan Abdul Aziz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1472–1476, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.160

• used as linker in the synthesis of composite or hybrid nanoparticles consisting of SPION and other inorganic materials such as gold nanoparticles [5][6]. More importantly, for targeting and delivery purposes the functional amine moiety can further be modified with other functional groups, such as

Protein-coated pH-responsive gold nanoparticles: Microwave-assisted synthesis and surface charge-dependent anticancer activity

• Dickson Joseph,
• Nisha Tyagi,
• Christian Geckeler and
• Kurt E.Geckeler

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1452–1462, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.158

• ), Gwangju 500-712, South Korea Institute of Medical System Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology (GIST), Gwangju 500-712, South Korea 10.3762/bjnano.5.158 Abstract The biocompatibility and ease of functionalization of gold nanoparticles underlie significant potential in biotechnology and

• biomedicine. Eight different proteins were examined in the preparation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in aqueous medium under microwave irradiation. Six of the proteins resulted in the formation of AuNPs. The intrinsic pH of the proteins played an important role in AuNPs with strong surface plasmon bands. The

• AuNPs are internalized by the cells to a greater level than the negatively charged AuNPs. These AuNPs synthesized with protein coating holds promise as anticancer agents and would help in providing a new paradigm in area of nanoparticles. Keywords: anticancer; cytotoxicity; gold Nanoparticles; pH

Near-field photochemical and radiation-induced chemical fabrication of nanopatterns of a self-assembled silane monolayer

• Ulrich C. Fischer,
• Carsten Hentschel,
• Florian Fontein,
• Linda Stegemann,
• Christiane Hoeppener,
• Harald Fuchs and
• Stefanie Hoeppener

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1441–1449, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.156

• ], self-assembled block-copolymer structures [17], block-copolymer micelle nanolithography [18] as well as polymer blend lithography [19]. Moreover, gold nanoparticles with functional groups have been arranged in many different approaches to form chemical nanopatterns [14]. With parallel lithographic

• nanoparticles, which was performed to increase the topographical contrast for detection by means of AFM. By binding 1.4 nm negatively charged gold nanoparticles to the positively charged APTES SAM nanopattern it could be demonstrated that the pattern transfer was successful even for 0.22 µm masks (Figure 3c

• the order of 200 nm. Alternatively, a UV–ozone treatment is applied in process 3. After removal of the gold mask, the resulting APTES SAM nanopattern is decorated by binding of negatively charged gold nanoparticles or fluorescent molecules to the amino groups of APTES. The results of nanopatterns