ABSTRACT

Nanoscale particles have been envisioned to be the building blocks of a wide variety of future technologies including catalysis, electronic, optical and information technologies. Often the surface modification of nanoparticle is of paramount importance for their utilization in diverse applications. The surface functioanlization assumes significance not just for their stability in diverse solvent media but defines the way nanoparticles interact either with themselves or with the environment/biological systems. For example, water dispersibility is an essential criterion to realize bio-applications of nanoparticles. On the other hand, dispersions in organic media can be utilized to obtain interesting assemblies. In this context we have been working on developing various methods to prepare stable metal nanoparticles in both organic and aqueous environments with a great emphasis on preparing monodisperse particles. Recently we have made significant progress in the synthesis of sophorolipids (a dimeric glucose –sophorose- attached to the -1 carbon of a fatty acid). These sophorolipids (SLs) have been the centre of interest for their documented antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral activities. We have shown that these could be employed as good capping agents as well as reducing/capping agents for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles like Au, Ag and magnetic Co and Ni. The details including some interesting assembly processes and the utility of water dispersible nanoparticles for nano-bio applications will be described. Our recent endeavors towards preparing polymer functional nanoparticle conjugates as tissue engineering scaffolds will also be delineated.

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