Within this context, metallic NPs, such as gold (AuNPs) or semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have become a popular choice. In contrast to the larger ones, these nanomaterials offer improved tissue penetration, a reduced accumulation in the liver and more efficient renal clearance 25, which renders them particularly attractive for reducing the non-specific accumulation and off-target effects. NPs of 5 nm diameter or smaller are gaining attention in the field of nanomedicine 24. dispersion, hydrodynamic diameter, surface charge, colloidal stability and degradation, which can impact their pharmacokinetic properties and biodistribution 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. In addition to the formation of altered biological identity, the biomolecular corona may also influence the physico-chemical properties of the NPs, e.g. epitopes of the adsorbed biomolecules, prone to be recognised with high affinity and specificity by the cell receptors, and therefore often steering the interactions and uptake routes 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. From many reports, it is clear that the biomolecular corona may impact the identity and alter the behaviour of the NPs depending on its composition and topological organisation, leading to the presence of specific motifs i.e. In many in vitro and in vivo scenarios, NPs strongly interact with proteins and other biomolecules readily available in biological fluids to which they are exposed to, often forming the so called ‘biomolecular corona’ 9, 10, 11. Where applicable, nanomaterials must comply with required regulatory legislation and standards 5, 6.ĭue to their unique size and surface properties, NPs have the potential to engage with cellular machinery with high affinity, precision and specificity opening up the potential for tailoring their biodistribution though in vivo targeting remains a major issue 7, 8. NPs are often subjected to a range of controlled stages at the manufacturing process, spanning from production to purification, through to characterisation and integration in consumer products. With the addition of drugs or other functional moieties to the NP ligand shells, the characterisation of the functionalised particles can become complex, requiring multiple analytical techniques to provide a full picture and achieve a robust characterisation to enable use in clinical trials and nanomedicine 4. The NP used as a platform in healthcare has also raised significant interest due to the development of NP-based medical devices for biomolecular sensing, diagnostics, and also nanovectors for drug delivery in cancer treatment 1, 2, 3.ĭespite these numerous applications, these advanced functional nanomaterials require precise control of the surface chemistry to enable targeting, sensing, and drug delivery. Progressive advancements in nanofabrication approaches have led to the development of nanoparticles (NP) of various core materials, size and shape that have found applications in a broad range of sectors, from life science, and electronics to energy harvesting. We also highlight its limit when measuring nanoparticles of smaller size and the need to use several complementary methods when characterising nanoparticle corona complexes. We report a method to correlate the sedimentation shift with the polymer and biomolecule adsorption on the nanoparticle surface, validating the developed core–shell model. Herein, we show that the Differential Centrifugal Sedimentation can be utilised as a high-precision tool for the reliable characterisation of functional nanoparticles of different materials. There is a clear need for the development of new reliable characterisation approaches for the physico-chemical characterisation of nanoparticles with significant accuracy, particularly for the analysis of the particles in the presence of complex biological fluids. In many cases, their characterisation remains a big challenge, particularly for small-sized functional nanoparticles of 5 nm diameter or smaller, where current particle sizing techniques struggle to provide the required sensitivity and accuracy. Advances in nanofabrication methods have enabled the tailoring of new strategies towards the controlled production of nanoparticles with attractive applications in healthcare.
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