Polymer-functionalized gold nanoparticles as versatile sensing materials.

In this brief review, gold nanoparticles conjugated with functional polymers are described from the viewpoint of application to sensing materials. The optical properties of gold nanoparticles, the synthesis of polymer-functionalized gold nanoparticles, and their analytical applications are discussed. Polymer-functionalized gold nanoparticles are categorized into two classes: biopolymer-conjugated gold nanoparticles and artificial-polymer conjugated gold nanoparticles. Fluorometric and colorimetric sensing using gold nanoparticles are focused; fluorometric detection enables us to exploit sensitive assays for practical use. Furthermore, chemical amplification using gold nanoparticles is also discussed for the sensitive probing.