Abstract
PNA does it better: Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) oligomers were attached to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) through a variety of mono- and trithiol linkers. These functionalized particles had sufficient stability for sequence-specific self-assembly onto gold surfaces (see figure) in the absence of ions or surfactants. The nanoparticle surface densities obtained were superior to comparable DNA-modified AuNPs.