The image above was created using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), using a flux of electrons with 10,000 electron volts of power to produce an image of  gold nanoparticles magnified 30,000 times. The gold nanoparticles represented in the picture are small spheres of gold with a diameter of between 18 and 22 billionth of a metre. Gold nanoparticles have the tendency to aggregate to form metallic gold, this is prevented by covering the surface of the particles with small, charged molecules that repel the other particles. These small molecules can be used to add different properties to the nanoparticles: tumour tracking, fluorescence, drug release etc.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.