Bolaamphiphile Surfactants as Nanoparticle Stabilizers: Application to Reversible Aggregation of Gold Nanoparticles

Bolaamphiphiles (i.e., surfactants bearing two polar heads connected by a hydrophobic tail) can very efficiently stabilize gold nanoparticles in water. The length of the hydrophobic tail is a crucial parameter controlling the adsorption of the bolaamphiphiles on the nanoparticles and hence the stability of the final colloids. Furthermore, these surfactants offer the possibility to recover and easily redisperse in water nanoparticles without any change in their aggregation state and properties.