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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 September 2011
A robust, stable and thin primary amine functionalization is applied to gold and silver nanoparticles from poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) by converting a fraction of the amine groups in the polymer to dithiocarbamate (DTC) ligands, which absorb strongly onto noble metal surfaces. We observe marked improvements in the properties of gold nanospheres with a DTC-anchored rather than physisorbed PAH cap. The same level of improvement is not seen in silver nanoparticles, although it is clear from a distinct change in the plasmon spectrum in silver nanocubes that the DTC ligand does interact with the silver surface. In spite of their amine functionalization, both silver and gold particles show low cytotoxicity, possibly due to absorption of serum proteins forming a protective coating on the positively charged particle surface.