Controlled Fabrication of Gold Nanoparticle and Fluorescent Protein Conjugates

Abstract The unique optical properties of gold nanopar-ticles make them attractive for a wide range of applications which require optical detection and manipulation techni-ques. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the use of single femtosecond pulses at resonance wavelength for a con-trolled conjugation of gold nanoparticles and fluorescent proteins. This optically driven reaction is rigorously studied and analyzed using a variety of experimental techniques, and a detailed model is proposed which describes the ad-sorption of the proteins onto the nanoparticles ' surface, as well as their subsequent desorption by a reducing agent. Potential applications of the resulting nanoparticle–protein conjugates include controlled delivery of fluorescent markers and local sensing of biochemical processes