What characteristics make gold an ideal material for such wide-ranging applications? The nobility of gold and its resistance to surface oxidation (which would hinder the operation of nano-scale technologies and devices based on other metals) is one important material characteristic. The optical properties of gold at the nanoscale are also exciting, (gold nanoparticles have a colour varying from red to purple depending on particle size, a property that can be successfully exploited in a range of applications).
![Use of gold nanoparticles improves the drug delivery efficiency of this anticancer drug](https://d1otjdv2bf0507.cloudfront.net/images/Article_Images/ImageForArticle_2407(2).jpg)
Use of gold nanoparticles improves the drug delivery efficiency of this anticancer drug (Image Credits - Eugen Zubarev/Rice University)
![Use of gold inks to ink-jet ultra high resolution images](https://d1otjdv2bf0507.cloudfront.net/images/Article_Images/ImageForArticle_2407(3).jpg)
Use of gold inks to ink-jet ultra high resolution images (Image Credit - IBM Zurich Research Laboratory)
Additionally, gold nanoparticles are now known to be catalytically active for a range of commercially important reactions and they also have a surface chemistry particularly suited to the attachment of sulphur-containing molecules, such as thiols, which permits the 'bottom-up' assembly of interesting and useful structures.
Based on these unique properties, exciting new nanotechnology applications using gold are being developed. These include:
- Low resistance printable gold nanoparticulate inks for flexible electronics
- Gold nanowires for interconnections in future electronic devices
- Nanoparticulate gold colloid for rapid tests and biomedical assays
- Gold nanoparticles used for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs and destruction of cancer cells
- Improved decorative coatings using thiol stabilised gold nanoparticles
- Gold nanoparticle containing paints and textiles exhibiting novel aesthetic effects
- Nanoparticulate gold catalysts for pollution control and chemical synthesis
- Fuel cell electrocatalysts based on carbon supported nanoparticulate gold
![Use of gold nanoparticles to colour merino woo](https://d1otjdv2bf0507.cloudfront.net/images/Article_Images/ImageForArticle_2407(4).jpg)
Use of gold nanoparticles to colour merino wool (Image Credit - University of Victoria, New Zealand)
![](https://d1otjdv2bf0507.cloudfront.net/images/Article_Images/ImageForArticle_2408(4).png)
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by World Gold Council.
For more information on this source, please visit World Gold Council.