Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) have unique and tunable size- and shape-dependent optical and chemical properties and little toxicity. In this chapter, we describe results on Au NPs employed as cell-binding entities at biomaterials’ interfaces. Hereby, Au NPs with different sizes and shapes were nano- or micro-patterned on the surface of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogels by using our recently developed patterning strategies based on soft lithography. These hybrid biomaterials can be applied in various biological or biomedical applications, such as for fundamental cell studies considering adhesion and migration, tissue engineering, drug delivery, or as biosensors by using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) or surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).
Part of the book: Noble and Precious Metals