A method for separating PEGylated Au nanoparticle ensembles as a function of grafting density and core size

After ligand exchange with PEG, Au NPs with differently mixed surface functionalities co-exist in the as-synthesized sample. It is found that the poorly grafted nanoparticles can be simply removed using a chromatographic method, and the well grafted nanoparticles can be eluted as a function of the core size.