We demonstrate that nano-hydrophobicity, which governs the biological aggressiveness of nanoparticles, is determined by the outermost regions of surface ligands. We have also successfully modulated nano-hydrophobicity using systematic surface ligand modifications and built the first computational model of nano-hydrophobicity.
Keywords: Cytotoxicity; Gold; Hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity; Macrophages; Nanoparticle; Transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
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