What benefits do your nanoparticles offer?

We have a specialized manufacturing process that yields stable, monodispersed gold nanoparticles. This shape uniformity along with our extremely low batch to batch variation means consistent results for our users. Our silica coated nanorods have high thermodynamic stability and unlike many other nanoparticles, won’t melt when illuminated with nanosecond pulsed laser light within ANSI fluence limits. This thermodynamic stability means our contrast agents can be imaged reliably in a repeatable fashion, translating to more reproducible imaging results with high contrast and signal to noise ratio.

Being researchers ourselves, we understand both the high potential of nanoparticles as well as the technical issues you may have while working with them. As a customer, you are invited to tap into our expertise anytime to troubleshoot your project.

What applications can your particles be used for?

Our gold nanorods and nanospheres are suitable for a wide variety of applications including but not limited to:

• Photoacoustic Imaging
• Dark Field Microscopy & Imaging
• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
• Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy
• Reflectance Confocal Microscopy
• Multiphoton Microscopy
• Lateral Flow Assays
• Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)
• Photothermal Therapy

Feel free to contact us if you would like to get more information on using our particles for your desired application. If our products won’t work for you, we will let you know upfront.

What is the advantage of using gold nanoparticles over fluorescent dyes for imaging?

Fluorescent dye molecules, when hit with light absorb a certain wavelength of light and emit visible signals. But this process also generates heat which can destroy the dye molecules and quickly weaken the signal through a process called photobleaching.

Gold nanoparticles will not photobleach when exposed to light, so the signal is enhanced and lasts for a longer period of time.

At my lab, we make our own nanoparticles. Would buying make economic sense?

Making your own nanoparticles is certainly a viable option for many researchers. However, optimizing and getting it all right can be an extremely time-consuming process sometimes taking months. And even if you have developed a protocol, small batch-batch variations can throw a wrench into months of research work.

Since we take care of all the back-end technical issues ensuring consistently high quality contrast agents, you have one less thing to worry about. Buying from NanoHybrids is not only convenient, but may also be cost-effective considering the value of your time.

NanoHybrids would obviously benefit from a 'buy' decision, but we understand that costs usually play a huge role in this decision. In our free white paper "Gold Nanoparticles: To Make or To Buy?" we take an in-depth look at the costs associated with making nanoparticles and then compare them with the cost of buying them from a supplier. We hope the economic analysis presented helps you arrive at the right choice for your lab. 

I can’t find the exact nanoparticle I am looking for. Do you offer custom synthesis of nanoparticles?

If you are looking for a specific type of nanoparticle, please send us your requirements via our custom order form and we will get back to you.

Can I get a free sample so I can try out your particles before I buy a larger quantity?

Unfortunately, at this time we have discontinued our free sample program. If you are considering using NanoHybrids products please contact us and we will evaluate the best option to serve you on an individual, application specific basis. Contact NanoHybrids. 

Do you collaborate with other organizations/universities?

We are open to the possibility of collaborating with other labs or organizations. Feel free to contact us if you believe there are any areas of potential synergy.

What is so special about silica coated gold nanoparticles especially silica-coated gold nanorods?

The silica shell increases thermodynamic stability, preventing particles from melting when exposed to pulsed lasers and thereby enhances signal strength. The silica coating on our particles is also biologically inert, making them suitable for in vivo applications. Find out more about the special properties of our silica-coated gold nanoparticles.

But what if I don’t need silica coated nanoparticles?

No problem. Our silica coated nanoparticles are ideal for applications that require the use of pulsed lasers. But if you are working with applications such as microscopy, lateral flow assays, photonics and any applications involving continuous wave lasers, our nanoparticles with traditional coatings such as CTAB, PEG and Citrate may be more economical and work just as well for you.

Also, if you are considering antibody conjugation, we recommend our citrate coated gold nanoparticles since the coating is easily displaced. For our silica-coated nanoparticles, we do have protocols for antibody conjugation and would be glad to provide tech support.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding how to choose the right type of nanoparticles for your research.

I only need 200 microliters for my in vivo injection. Why do you sell in units of 250 microliters?

Though researchers would ideally like to inject a maximum of 200 microlitres per small animal, from our experience and discussions with several in vivo imaging researchers, most syringes have some ‘dead space’. We sell in volumes of 250 microlitres to account for this and prevent potential inaccuracies in the amount of nanoparticles injected.

What is the shelf life of your gold nanoparticles?

Our gold nanoparticles typically remain stable for at least a year. Following the Storage and Handling recommendations on our Tech Specs sheets will help maximize shelf-life.  

Should I buy gold nanorods or nanospheres for my project?

By adjusting the dimensions of our nanorods, we can fine-tune our nanoparticles to exhibit plasmon resonance at certain wavelengths. For photoacoustic imaging and applications that use higher wavelengths of light, our nanorods might be ideal due to their absorption in the near-infrared spectrum. Our spheres work well for microscopy applications where a lower wavelength is preferred so images can be viewed by the naked eye. 

Due to their different plasmonic properties, a combination of rods and spheres are often used for multiplexing in-vitro applications.

Please contact us if you have any questions about nanorods vs nanospheres or picking the right nanoparticles for your research. 

I am looking to conjugate my nanoparticles with antibodies. How suitable are your particles for this application?

Our particles are optimized for high antibody binding efficiency. Read more about using our gold nanoparticles for molecular targeting.

Do you sell “bare” nanoparticles?

“Bare” nanoparticles without coatings are highly unstable and prone to aggregation. However, if you are looking for capping agents that can be easily displaced for surface modification, check out our citrate coated gold nanospheres. 

What product specifications do you provide? I am tired of “proprietary” coatings that are hard to work with.

Yes, being researchers ourselves, we understand how hard it can be to work with such coatings, so our tech specs sheets provide full transparency on what is on the surface of our nanoparticles. 

What is the thickness of your coatings?

Our PEG coatings and Silica coatings are approximately 5 nm and 20 nm thick respectively with the exception of our 5 nm silica-coated Gold NanoSpheres which have a 10 nm thick silica coating. If you are looking for slightly different thicknesses, please send us your requirements via our custom nanoparticle form.

What kind of characterization information do you provide?

We provide characterization information with every lot including size (TEM), optical properties (UV-Vis to near IR spectroscopy), zeta potential (Dynamic Light Scattering). Representative TEM images and batch-specific spectrums are also included on every product sheet. For more details, please check out a sample tech specs sheet.

I seem to be having a few issues with my project. Do you help with troubleshooting?

Please email us at info@nanohybrids.net with more details and we would be glad to assist you.

What payment forms do you accept?

At this time, we accept payments via credit card and Paypal.

If you would like to use a purchase order, please mail it to us at info@nanohybrids.net. Please make sure the purchase order is pre-approved by your department and signed by the appropriate authority. Do include all relevant details including product specifics, your billing address, shipping address and payment method.

Also, while ordering online, select the "purchase order" payment option during checkout.

Do I need to create an account to buy on your website?

No, you are not required to create an account on the website or login to make your purchase. First-time customers have the option to create an account with us at the end of the checkout process.

Do you ship internationally?

Yes, we do offer international shipping. Please note that we do not charge any taxes on our international orders and buyers will be responsible for any taxes or fees imposed by any governmental authority.

What are my options if my country is not listed on the checkout page?

Please contact us at info@nanohybrids.net and we will help process your order.

How much time does it take on average to ship these particles?

After we receive your purchase order, products typically ship within 6-7 business days.