Core–Shell Nanoparticles Containing Peptide Dendrimers

Dealloying of bimetallic gold core–silver shell nanoparticles (NPs) is achieved using peptide dendrimers from generation 1 to generation 3. The resulting NPs exhibit optical properties characteristic of Au/Ag core–shell NPs with weak surface plasmon resonance interactions between the core and shell. Transmission electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the core–shell NPs exhibit a size and composition dependence on the dendrimer generation number. Rutherford backscattering spectrometric analyses of core–shell NPs containing dendrimer innerlayer indicates that the NPs are consisting of discrete domains of Ag–shell and Au–core.