Surfactant induced aggregation behavior of Merocyanine-540 adsorbed on polymer coated positively charged gold nanoparticles

•Polymer–surfactant interaction is studied using polymer coated gold nanoparticles.•Merocyanine-540 is used as a probe to study this interaction.•The interaction results in significant changes of the extinction spectra of the dye.

Surfactant induced aggregation behavior of Merocyanine 540 adsorbed on polymer (PDD) coated gold nanoparticles (AuNP) is reported. The absorption band of the dye shifts to higher energy in the presence of free polymer and polymer coated AuNP implying aggregation. Addition of a negatively charged surfactant (SDS) induces multiple bands in the extinction spectrum of the dye adsorbed on nanoparticle surface. The highest (460 nm) and lowest (564 nm) energy bands of the dye become prominent at 10 and >50 μM SDS concentrations respectively (dye: 10 μM; AuNP: 100–200 pM). Based on earlier results the high energy band is likely to originate from dye aggregates and the low energy band is likely to originate from dye monomers. This is attributed to the interplay between polymer–surfactant and polymer–dye interactions at the AuNP surface. The extinction spectra of dye adsorbed at AuNP surface remain unaffected in the presence of a positively charged (CTAB) or a neutral surfactant (Tx-100), at low surfactant concentrations. However at higher surfactant concentrations (>60 μM) dye aggregation takes place which is attributed to dye–surfactant interactions. The fluorescence intensity of the dye quenched significantly but its lifetime increased in the presence of polymer coated AuNP. This is attributed to aggregation and reduction in the photoisomerization rate of the dye adsorbed on AuNP surface.

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